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

Monday, 02 November 2009

BBC News

• MP calls for cruise ports inquiry An MP has called for a competition inquiry into whether Liverpool's cruise ship terminal should be allowed to compete against Southampton.

Financial Times

• BA fined C$4.5m for role in Canada air cargo cartelBritish Airways has agreed to pay a fine of C$4.5m ($4.1m) after pleading guilty to taking part in a cartel that fixed prices on air cargo in Canada. The fine by...
• Ryanair signals halt in growthRyanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has given the strongest indication yet that the airline may stop growing after 2012 and said the airline did not need to secure a deal with Boeing for more aircraft

The Guardian

• British Airways cabin crew hold mass meeting over 'unfair' contract changes BA plans to axe jobs, freeze pay and revise contracts will lead to 'damaging confrontation', says Unite
• Carried away with high-speed rail Politicians show blind faith in the idea of building faster train lines. But the money might be better spent elsewhere

The Scotsman

• Plaque to mark M1 50th anniversaryThe 50th anniversary of the opening of the M1 is being marked by the unveiling of a plaque at the motorway's most famous service station.
• Battered British Airways faces second year of losses in a row WILLIE Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways, is expected to reveal that the troubled flagship carrier is heading for its second consecutive year of losses when he updates the market this week.
• Aegon sale adds to National's turmoil NATIONAL Express is facing further investor turmoil after it emerged that one of its main shareholders was selling most of its stake in the embattled transport group.
• Manager shake-up in line for Eurostar EUROSTAR, the cross-Channel rail operator, is set to lose two non-executive directors as part of a shake-up of its management.

Times Online

• EU to police drivers with black boxes THE European Union is drawing up plans for aircraft-style black box recorders to be fitted to all cars to help the police identify who is responsible for crashes.
• Lufthansa pulls bmi sale after price fails to attract biddersLufthansa, the German flag carrier, has withdrawn bmi from sale and will concentrate on trying to turn around the loss-making airline itself.
• Spain’s ailing airlines suffer significant bullet wound More passengers have chosen to travel on the high-speed AVE rail link between Madrid and Barcelona than have opted to fly

Press Association

• Transport boss expected to resign The deputy chairman of transport group National Express is expected to resign this week after failing to get merger talks with rival Stagecoach reopened, it has been reported.

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL SUBMITS PLANNING APPLICATION FOR NEW NATIONAL CENTRE Network Rail’s new national centre – which will revitalise an underused corner of central Milton Keynes and bring up to 3,000 jobs to the city – moved a step closer today with the formal submission of a planning application to Milton Keynes Council.

Birmingham Post

• Transport chief wants joint high-speed rail policyTransport Secretary Lord Adonis is to appeal to Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to develop a joint policy on high-speed rail in advance of next year’s general election.

Derby Telegraph

• £42,000 in grants for car-less travel COMMUNITY groups and businesses in Derbyshire can apply for their share of £42,000 earmarked to help people travel without a car.

Other News Sources

• Ilkley's MP joins the campaign against second-hand carriages for Wharfedale Line A THIRD MP has responded to a Wharfedale passenger group's protest against second-hand carriages heading for crowded local commuter services. Wharfedale Rail Users' Group (WRUG) says it has had a very supportive letter from Ilkley and Keighley MP, Ann Cryer, after calling on passengers to lobby their MPs.
• Parking a bike ’racks’ commuters’ brains at Liverpool Street HUNDREDS of commuters racking their brains about where to find a parking spot for their bikes in central London have had their worries solved-by railway bosses.

News from Europe

• Eurostar prepares for competition EUROPE: 'Hopefully very soon, we will be a single Eurostar train operating company' in the UK, France and Belgium', Eurostar Chief Executive Richard Brown told the UK's Railway Study Association on October 14.
• Linz tram maintenance deal AUSTRIA: Bombardier Transportation has been awarded a €29m contract to maintain the 23 Flexity Outlook trams which it will supply to Linz from early 2011 under a €69m contract signed in July.