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

Tuesday, 13 October 2009

BBC News

• Level crossing deaths on rise The number of people killed on level crossings is on the increase, according to the body which runs the rail network.
• Holiday warning over rail danger Patrols of railway lines are to be increased in an effort to reduce trespassing by youngsters during the school holidays.
• New Underground strike threatened London Underground workers will vote on whether to stage a strike over pay, unions have said. Staff have rejected an offer of a 1.5% pay increase this year followed by an inflation plus 0.5% rise in April 2010.
• Line closure sparks overcrowding Commuters on a busy railway line into Manchester have experienced problems getting on some peak-time trains because of overcrowding.Northern Rail services from Rochdale to the city centre are attracting high numbers of passengers because of the closure of the nearby Oldham loop.
• Mayor 'considers' road charging London Mayor Boris Johnson's transport strategy has stated that new road charging "could be considered".
• 'Naked' scanner in airport trial A human X-ray machine which could become a routine part of pre-flight security starts a trial at Manchester Airport.

Financial Times

• Wider London road-user charges deniedYet strategy document suggests measures such as improvements to rail and road network unlikely to ward off worsening congestion
• Amtrak sees 5% decline in passengersThe drop comes after falling business traffic on the key Boston-Washington corridor cancelled out growth elsewhere for the company that runs most of the long-distance passenger trains in the US

The Guardian

• Tube workers to vote on strikes Thousands of London Underground workers are to be balloted for strikes in a long-running row over pay, threatening disruption to tube services in the run-up to Christmas.

Mail Online

• Causing a whirr, the penny a mile Mini that you plug in and charge An electric Mini that will run for as little as 1p a mile hit the streets yesterday - with batteries included.A trial fleet of pollution-free Mini Es was launched as the car-maker also announced a deal for public electricity charging points with Marks & Spencer.
• How airport passengers will have 'naked' photos taken by human X-ray machine

Network Rail

• NO MORE EXCUSES FOR LEVEL CROSSING MISUSE IN LONDONœI thought the train would slow down to let me through.  œLights?  No, I don™t bother looking at them, I only stop when the barriers start coming down “ I wouldn™t want to damage the car.œI thought that the train driver was giving way to me when he sounded his horn
• NO MORE EXCUSES FOR LEVEL CROSSING MISUSE IN SCOTLAND
• NETWORK RAIL ANNOUNCES NEW LEGAL PANEL
• UNVEILED: NEW STATION AT THE HEART OF IMPROVED WEST HAMPSTEAD INTERCHANGE

Liverpool Echo

• Naked x-ray for airportA HUMAN X-ray machine which produces “naked” images of passengers was introduced at Manchester airport today, enabling staff to spot any hidden weapons or explosives. The full body scanner, will also show up breast enlargements, false limbs, piercings, and an outline of private parts.

Metro

• Ryanair boss slams BBC 'hatchet job'Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has slammed a BBC documentary about the budget airline to be aired tonight as

Nottingham Evening Post

• New row over tram line TRADERS along Nottingham's proposed tram route want answers over who will compensate them during construction. Worried shop owners are in the dark over whether the city or county council will come to their aid

The York Press

• Bus company First York deny ignoring early morning free travel for pensioners with medical appointments THE company responsible for running bus services in York has hit back after a councillor accused the firm of reneging on a commitment to pensioner travel concessions.

Railnews

• News: PM announces Channel Tunnel Link sale The Prime Minister has said that the government is planning to sell the Channel Tunnel Rail Link -- now known as High Speed 1 -- to help raise £16bn for the Exchequer.
• News: Stagecoach takeover of East Anglia and c2c moves closer National Express could be set to leave the rail industry within a few weeks, according to industry sources. The East Anglia and c2c franchises are expected to transfer to Stagecoach, while ATOC says East Coast will be in the hands of the DfT by early December.
• News: Light Rail is back on London Mayor's agenda The latest draft Transport Strategy from the Mayor of London has reinstated proposals to extend the Docklands Light Railway to Dagenham Dock, and also to enlarge the tram network. The new stance indicates a u-turn from Boris Johnson's original preference for buses, although a new Routemaster is still being planned.

Transport for London

• London Underground pay offer accepted by TSSA unionEight out of ten voting in referendum opt for above-inflation pay increase
• London Underground condemns RMT strike threat and urges leadership to recommend fair and final pay offer to membersLU reiterates two-year, above inflation pay offer in tough economic times

Other News Sources

• London Assembly grills Boris on his transport strategy BORIS Johnson is under pressure to explain his public transport ideas for London after announcing a £5 billion cut to City Hall's budget.
• Passenger numbers still dropping for European carriersEuropean airlines are expected to suffer tremendously this year, with the Association of European Airlines (AEA) forecasting Friday another drop in passenger traffic for September. AEA estimated a 3 ...
• Pay as you drive to meet green targetsMotorists should be forced to pay to drive on the busiest roads to slash greenhouse gas emissions, the Government's climate change watchdog says today
• Self-healing carA project is underway that will give cars the ability to self-heal electronic faults through intelligent embedded systems and wireless connections to remote support centres.
• Sky plans to run van fleet on 30% bio-dieselSatellite television company Sky plans to run all 2,424 of its Vauxhall Vivaro vans on a 30% bio-diesel mix.
• Ferry operator cuts 100 jobsDENMARK™S HH-Ferries will cut half its workforce, the company has confirmed.
• Ministers debate future EU transport fundingEU transport ministers agree on the future challenges identified by the European Commission, but stress the need to take into account the impact of the current economic crisis on the sector and make passengers pay more for using infrastructure. 
• Manchester Airport handled 9.4 per cent fewer passengers in September Manchester Airportand#8217;s passenger traffic fell 9.4 per cent in September, according to newly released figures.
• Mandelson's comments hint at sale of Manchester AirportBusiness Secretary Lord Mandelson said today that local authority owned airports, such as Manchester, could be sold off as part of government plans to cut the budget deficit.