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

Friday, 23 October 2009

BBC News

• Increase in 'air rage' incidents There has been a sharp rise in the number of instances of "air rage", government figures show. There were 3,529 reported incidents of disruptive behaviour aboard UK aircraft from April 2008 to March 2009 compared with 2,702 instances in 2007-08.
• Cycling plan targets new mothers A campaign to recruit more than 1,000 cycling instructors has been launched, focusing on mothers returning to work.
• NI drink-drive limit will be cut Northern Ireland's drink-driving limit will be reduced next year, Environment Minister Edwin Poots has said.

Financial Times

• Stobart prepares for recovery In the six months to August 31, pre-tax profits at the freight company, whose colourful Eddie Stobart trucks have become an I-spy favourite among Britain's road users, edged up from £11m to £11.1m

The Herald

• Murphy enters row over airport rail link Jim Murphy, the Secretary of State for Scotland, yesterday waded into the controversy over the future of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link, saying he backed the project killed by the Scottish Government at Holyrood.

The Independent

• Profits warning deals new blow to National Express National Express's troubles deepened yesterday when the bus and train operator issued a profits warning, blaming increases in the cost of financing its £1bn debt pile.

The Telegraph

• Heathrow voted 'worst airport in the world' Heathrow airport has been voted the worst airport in the world, according to a global poll of airline passengers.
• National Express warns on profits National Express, which is currently being stalked by rival bus and rail company Stagecoach, has weakened its case for remaining independent after issuing a profits warning which dragged its share price down 18½ to 397p.

Reuters News

• London's Heathrow tops list of worst airports, again London's Heathrow Airport has been voted the worst airport in the world for the second year running in a poll of 14,500 frequent fliers while Singapore's Changi was again ranked as the best.

Network Rail

• VICTORIAN SHAFTS AT SAPPERTON GET STRENGTHENEDA £2m improvement scheme is set to improve the four deep shafts in the century-old Sapperton rail tunnel.

Derby Telegraph

• Bus lane decision looks set for approval despite protest A DECISION on whether to create bus lanes along a busy city centre road will be made next week.

Liverpool Echo

• Conservatives say they cannot save Merseytram plan MERSEYSIDE’S plans for a tram have been dealt another blow. The Conservatives said they were unlikely to be able to fund the £400m-plus Line One Liverpool to Kirkby if they won the next General Election.

London Evening Standard

• Boris urged to back one-hour Oyster bus fareBoris Johnson came under pressure to introduce a one-hour bus ticket for passengers with pay-as-you-go Oyster cards
• Boris pushes for new law to curb strikes on the TubeBoris Johnson is set to urge the next Tory government to introduce tough anti-strike laws in a bid to curb stoppages of the Tube

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nine possible extra routes for tram POTENTIAL bidders for Nottingham's tram extension have been told there could be at least nine more lines.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Mothers™ campaign over school bus travel for pupils pays offMOTHERS who have been campaigning for dedicated transport to take their children to school have won concessions from Lochaber bus companies.

The York Press

• Upgrade to ring-road roundabout at Rawcliffe backed A £1.4 million upgrade of York™s busiest junction is looking likelier after the city™s transport boss approved the draft blueprint.

International Herald Tribune

• Will Subway Riders Start Calling It the Tube?The Metropolitan Transit Authority wants to sign a two-year no-bid contract with a London agency that used to employ its new chairman, Jay H. Walder.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Rail Market in the Netherlands Forces Strukton Rail to Adapt Organisation Utrecht “ The current developments in the Dutch rail market have forced Strukton Rail to adapt its organisation. The price is the determining factor in the current railway market in the Netherlands. The prices in the market for renewals are under great pressure. New contracts for daily maintenance (the so-called PGO or output-oriented contracts) are also characterised by a low price level. This compels Strukton Rail to adjust its organisation and organisational structure. The planned measures include the reduction of four regions to two regions and the reduction of 350 jobs. T...

Green Miscellany

• Zero-emission transport 'made affordable' Three new electric scooters have been launched onto the market by British company, e-motive. The e1, e3 and e5 models cost from £1399, produce no exhaust emissions and are very economical to run, costing just one penny per mile.

Other News Sources

• National Express upbeat on East Anglia Rail operator National Express said yesterday it was on track for its contract with the government to run trains across East Anglia to be extended into the middle of the next decade.
• National Express sounds the alarm over struggling US school bus business National Express stunned the market as it warned that increased debt charges and higher costs for restructuring its troubled North American business would hit earnings.
• Explanation ordered on station closure Network Rail has been called on to explain its handling of the temporary closure of a Black Country railway station. Councillors on transport authority Centro say not enough notice was given of the eight-month closure of Tipton station.
• New train timetable serving Watford Junction, Bushey and Harrow and Wealdstone to London Euston revealed A new train timetable providing more than 1,600 additional peak time seats for London-bound commuters will be launched on Sunday, December 13, the Watford Observer can reveal.
• Rail passengers face chaos after signal fault at Berkswell RAIL passengers faced long delays today after a signalling fault brought a busy line to a halt during the morning rush-hour.
• Controversy Over Stobarts Southend Airport Truck and Rail Freight Plans The Stobart Groups plans for the redevelopment of London Southend airport have come under fresh criticism as new questions were raised by local residents as to whether the company’s proposed plans are actually their true intention.
• Higher fares will drive people off buses, warns transport boss THE success in reducing car traffic could come to an end with fares shooting up by as much as 20 per cent, London's transport commissioner has warned.
• TICKET OFFICE CLOSURE CRITICISED A CARNOUSTIE man who took a friend to Arbroath Railway Station recently so he could buy a special ticket for a journey to Ayr was not amused to find the ticket office closed.
• Hauliers fear rivals' suicidal ratesRivals tendering at suicidal rates is the issue that concerns most operators. Of those who responded to the latest Trucking Britain Out Of Recession (TBOOR) survey, 72% highlighted suicidal rates as a concern.
• Airlines announce “sneaky” greenwash carbon pledgeThe aviation industry has pledged to slash carbon dioxide emissions in half over the next 40 years. The agreement between airlines, airports, and aircraft manufacturers will see emissions cut 50% compared to 2005 levels by 2050. Announcing the plans, Willa Walsh, British Airways chief executive, said the agreement was the chance for airlines to “rectify” their decision [...]

News from Europe

• Old Europe' gets millions in EU transport money The European Commission has signed 18 new funding contracts for transport infrastructure projects as part of the EU's response to the economic crisis, with almost all of the €260 million package going to the 'old' EU member states of Western Europe.
• AviGate makes passenger data more accessible E-borders measures implemented over the past decade or more have been based mainly on Advance Passenger Information (API) data – name, gender, date and place of birth – collected at the check-in desk from machine-readable passports.