Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Monday, 12 October 2009

BBC News

• Government's £16bn sale of assets Gordon Brown is to announce the sale of £16bn worth of assets by the government in a bid to shore up public finances. The prime minister will give details of initial sales which could raise £3bn - including the Tote, the Dartford crossing and the student loan book.
• Upgrade for international station An international railway station in Kent is being upgraded to improve the experience of high-speed rail travel.
• BAA 'may shut terminal in winter' Glasgow airport operator BAA has confirmed it is considering the closure of a terminal for a few weeks in the winter to cut costs.

Financial Times

• Interest in Gatwick peaks ahead of appealJockeying over the sale of Gatwick is intensifying as the airport's owner, BAA, prepares for an appeals hearing that will help decide the future of the UK's second-biggest airport
• New delay sought on National ExpressThe Spanish-led consortium bidding for National Express is likely to ask for more time to perform due diligence before making a formal offer

The Guardian

• Climate change committee puts electric cars at the heart of new transport policy The roads of the 2020s could look and sound very different if the climate change committee's vision of transport policy is realised. Electric cars will zip noiselessly along roads depleted of commuters by better planning and more effective public transport.

The Herald

• Ministers blame airport for abandonment of rail link project Ministers have accused Glasgow Airport’s owners of rejecting plans for a rail link which would have avoided the cost overruns that led to the project eventually being scrapped.

The Scotsman

• MSPs to probe £2bn cost of new road bridge over Forth TWO Scottish Parliament committees are to investigate why the new Forth crossing will be one of the world's most expensive bridges
• Platform: Transport a priority, but rail link project is no longer affordable THE Scottish Government is ambitious in its aims to improve Scotland's economy and the prospects for its people.

The Telegraph

• Gatwick sale back on as talks progress The pace of negotiations between BAA's owner Ferrovial, the Spanish infrastructure group, and GIP has picked up in recent weeks after both sides made minor concessions over price.
• Road pricing 'should be used to help meet carbon targets' Road pricing, rigid 70mph speed limits on motorways and mandatory, eco-driving lessons should be introduced to help country meet legally-binding carbon emissions targets, a key Government advisory committee has said.

Times Online

• Tax motorists more to help save the planet, Government is urged Motorists should pay higher taxes in the form of a national road-pricing system to cut carbon dioxide emissions, according to the Government’s climate change advisory body.
• Tax motorists more to help save the planet, Government is urgedMotorists should pay higher taxes in the form of a national road-pricing system to cut carbon dioxide emissions, according to the Government™s climate change advisory body.
• Gatwick sale ready for take-offGatwick Airport could change hands within the next few days as BAA edges closer to a deal to sell it to an investment fund.
• BA cabin crew pressed on cutsBritish Airways will impose new working conditions on its cabin crew from November 16 if it cannot reach a deal with unions at talks starting on Wednesday.

Mail Online

• BAA puts plans for third Heathrow runway on hold after Tory opposition Airports operator BAA will not submit a planning application for a third runway at Heathrow airport before the next general election, following Tory opposition to the expansion.
• Drivers should be forced to pay per mile to save the planet, finds climate watchdog Motorists should be forced to pay to drive on the busiest roads to slash greenhouse gas emissions, the Government's climate change watchdog says today.
• Peugeot draws inspiration from the 1940s for its latest quirky electric car design

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyside's transport conference set for LiverpoolMERSEYSIDE’S third annual transport conference takes place in the city this week.

London Evening Standard

• London drivers face double whammy of ’£1 a mile toll’ and c-charge Drivers could be forced to pay for every mile they drive — on top of the congestion charge — as the Mayor fights to plug a multi-million-pound hole in the Transport for London budget.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Ambassadors step up call for 'Nottingham in 90' KEY city figures are leading a lobby for 90-minute rail service to London. The Nottingham Ambassadors – a group of almost 700 of top decision makers – are throwing their weight behind the campaign.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Tram gate fines drop with better signage BETTER signage at Hillsborough bus and tram gates led to a dramatic fall in motorists fined for flouting the restrictions, Sheffield Council has revealed.

This Is Local London Network

• Third runway fight could be over AIRPORT operator BAA has said it will shelve its plans for a third runway at Heathrow.

Wales Online

• Swansea mulls tram options TRAMS are the only practical way for one of Wales’ largest cities to entice “Mondeo man” onto public transport, says one of Wales’ leading transport experts.

Doncaster Free Press

• Town's bid to become transport hubDONCASTER Council is pushing the borough as a centre for transport companies by sponsoring a major industry conference.

Other News Sources

• Dartford crossing and Channel rail link in Government asset sell-off The Dartford Crossing and the Channel Tunnel rail link are expected to be in a government hitlist of assets to be sold off.
• More car parking spaces for Stafford railway stationVirgin Trains in partnership with Network Rail is doubling the number of car parking spaces available for rail passengers at Stafford station. When the new car park completed it will provide an additional 272 car parking spaces. The new 522-space car park is expected to be completed in late 2010.
• Passengers jump barriers to avoid paying train fares A late night commuter said he was stunned to see a dozen Saturday night revellers jump over barriers at Brighton railway station without paying - and the police did not intervene.
• Gapless points for safer railwaysGapless railway points that could ensure the safe rollout of high-speed trains are being developed by a former Oxford University tutor in collaboration with ISIS Innovation.
• Londis completes multi-million-pound fleet orderFood retailer Londis has completed a multi-million pound fleet replacement programme that sees it take a mix of lightweight artics and rigids - part of a scheme to enable it to become more environmentally friendly.

News from Europe

• Commission challenges member states to implement First Railway Package Rail lobby group the House of Rail (HoR) has welcomed the announcement by the European Commission (Thursday 8 October) that it was taking forward actions against 21 member states for their failure to implement the railway legislation that would enable full open access, fair competition and transparency – nine years after these member states approved the legislation or accepted it on accession to the EU.