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

Tuesday, 03 November 2009

BBC News

• Meeting over school bus cuts plan A public meeting is due to be held to discuss controversial plans which could see out-of-county transport for school children in Wrexham cut.
• Ryanair may halt 'rapid growth' Irish budget airline Ryanair has said it may stop expanding its business if it does not get a better deal on new aircraft from Boeing.
• Weapon scanner at train station A temporary metal scanner has been set up at Nottingham train station as part of a crackdown on crime.
• City's Metrolink services return Manchester city centre tram services have resumed after a £22m upgrade.
• Step towards £295m rail contract The process of appointing a contractor to build the £295m rail link between Edinburgh and the Borders will get under way by the end of the year.
• Transport provision probed by MPs Haulage companies, councillors and campaigners are in Taunton to give evidence to a group of MPs about the transport network in the South West.
• New code for school bus behaviour Children who use buses to travel to school are being handed a behaviour code which allows head teachers the power to punish those who misbehave.
• Oxford Circus 'X-crossing' opens One of Europe's busiest diagonal crossings has opened in central London's Oxford Circus. Based on crossings in Tokyo, the new design stops traffic in all directions, allowing shoppers to cross diagonally in an "X" as well as straight ahead.

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 blames Boeing for threat of 'divorce'Senior management changes and
• Earning the enviable tagsIf Ryanair really did stop growing after 2012, as Michael O'Leary, its loquacious chief executive, has threatened, it would be a striking change for investors who have...
• Ryanair considers scrapping no-dividend policyThe low-cost airline said it was considering distributing profits to shareholders for the first time as it seeks to extract concessions from Boeing
• Ryanair threatens to cease growthThe Irish carrier says it might call a halt to expansion due to Boeing's reluctance to sell more aircraft Airbus's disinclination to engage

The Guardian

• Largest National Express investor canvasses shareholders National Express's biggest investor, the Cosmen family, has been canvassing fellow shareholders to see if they concur with its opinion that a fresh strategic review for the transport operator is required and that it should be led by new, independent advisors.
• In praise of… X-crossings Britain got its first scramble crossing yesterday, at Oxford Circus, though the mayor of London's advisers have chosen to describe it as a safer-sounding X-crossing instead.
• Ryanair could ground expansion plan¢ Ryanair stuck in discussions with Boeing for 200 planes¢ Net profits up 80% to €387m¢ Airline's chief executive says average fare has fallen to £30Ryanair boss, Michael O'Leary, today threatened to ditch his ambitious expansion plans if he cannot agree a deal with Boeing by Christmas “ and hand the money saved to shareholders instead.Ryanair has been in discussions with the American manufacturer for months over an order of 200 planes for delivery between 2013 and 2016. Some of the planes are intended to support new routes, while others are expected to replace part of the existing fleet.Eur...

The Scotsman

• Ministers fail to honour promise over Borders line MINISTERS are to renege on their commitment to start construction of the Borders railway line before the Scottish election in 2011, after admitting the contract would not be awarded until later that year.

The Telegraph

• National Express shareholder refuses to back Cosmen sale A leading shareholder in National Express has ruled out backing any attempt by Spain’s Cosmen family to sell the transport company until it has been refinanced.
• Number of airline passengers 'could fall because of climate fears' The number of people flying could be cut by nearly half over the next 30 years as air travel becomes socially unacceptable, leading engineers have said.

Times Online

• National Express boardroom split causes frustration Key shareholders in National Express are calling for Jorge Cosmen, the deputy chairman, to reconsider his position as tension grows between the executive and other board members. It is understood that Mr Cosmen contacted a number of shareholders yesterday urging them to reconsider a merger with Stagecoach, the company’s rival, a move that has angered some investors.
• How did the Oxford Street shopper cross the road? By the quickest route possibleIt is one of the busiest street crossings in the world, but a small slice of anarchy was let loose on Oxford Circus yesterday.
• We will soon be Britain™s No 1 airline, boasts RyanairRyanair could topple British Airways as the UK™s dominant airline within months, the low-cost carrier predicted yesterday.

Reuters News

• Cosmens push National Express on StagecoachSpain's Cosmen family is gauging the appetite among other National Express (NEX.L) shareholders for pushing the bus operator to restart merger talks with Stagecoach (SGC.L), a source close to the family told Reuters on Monday.

Daily Express

• Ryanair profits soar to £377 million BUDGET airline Ryanair said today that falling fuel costs had boosted profits but added that cut-price fares would result in losses for the rest of the year.

Network Rail

• DERBY STATION LETS THE SUNSHINE IN
• WRABNESS LANDSLIP: HARWICH BRANCH LINE REOPENS SIX DAYS EARLY AFTER HEROIC EFFORTS

Belfast Telegraph

• Ryanair in future losses warning Budget airline Ryanair said today that falling fuel costs had boosted profits but added that cut-price fares would result in losses for the rest of the year. Related StoriesDarling plans to put banks up for saleConsumers face ‘long recession’Companies head off to South Africa for trade eventSports chain’s new store to bring 38 jobs to the provinceRBS to sell more assets in EU deal

Birmingham Post

• Centro seeks commuters' views on the future of transport for the West MidlandsBusiness leaders and commuters are being given an opportunity to have their say on the future of public transport across the region.

Manchester Evening News

• Metrolink trams up and running againTRAMS were running through Manchester city centre again today after engineers completed a multi-million pound track upgrade on time. Metrolink chiefs re-opened the route between Victoria Station and St Peter™s Square after the major repair project that began in April came to an end.

Nottingham Evening Post

• City council calls for Midland Mainline electrification NOTTINGHAM City Council is calling for the Government to provide money for the electrification of the Midland Main Line Rail Route.
• Five arrested in train station op The knife arch was at the station from 7.30am until 11am as part of the Home Office sponsored Not in My Neighbourhood Week.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Transport chief welcomes offer of recycled tyres HIGHLAND Council™s transport chief has welcomed a businessman™s offer to supply recycled tyres for a range of uses including road building and flood defences.

The York Press

• British Transport Police to patrol trains through York in crackdown on rail crime POLICE will be patrolling trains through York this week to combat thieves who pinch passengers™ property as part of a national crackdown on rail crime.

Reading Evening Post

• Station developers eco-backtrack THE developers of the new Green Park railway station want to go back on previously-agreed environmental standards.

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair Signals Its Rapid Expansion May Be OverThe airline posted a 35 percent jump in quarterly profit and said that it was considering easing back on a decade-long expansion as it struggles to keep a lid on operating costs.
• Rule would boost unions at airlines, railroadsWorkers at U.S. airlines and railroads would have an easier time forming unions if the National Mediation Board succeeds in changing a 75-year-old rule on union organizing.

Other News Sources

• Rail union steps up franchise battle THE UK's biggest rail union today stepped up its demand for bus and train group National Express to be stripped of its East Anglia rail franchise. The call from the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) came after it emerged that National Express will formally had back its loss-making East Coast franchise to public ownership on December 12.
• LA Metro's deal with Italian rail car manufacturer falls apart L.A. County’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has thrown AnsaldoBreda from the train. The Italian company had agreed to build a factory in Los Angeles and manufacture 100 more light rail cars for the regional transit system. But negotiations derailed over the weekend, and now the $300 million deal is off.
• Transport Minister Sadiq Khan launches used car fuel economy labelA colour-coded Used Car Fuel Economy Label was today launched by Minister for Transport Sadiq Khan. The label provides consumers with clear ’at a glance’ information on the running costs, fuel consumption and environmental performance of used cars available from participating dealers. The initiative builds on the success of the new car fuel economy label, which is now widely recognised by consumers.
• New Report Reveals That Cities and Regions Must Invest in Transport Infrastructure to Remain Competitive in the Fight for Investment Spend and Skilled Workers- 81% of Senior Business People Rate Transport as More Critical to Their Decision to Invest now Than Five Years Ago.
• Transport is investors’ X-factorTransport infrastructure is the “X-factor” in investor’s decisions on how to spend, the Invest Thames Gateway transport report will say today. The data shows that 81 per cent of senior business people rate transport as more critical to their decision to invest now than five years ago
• Maersk seeks new rate riseDENMARK™S box ship behemoth Maersk Line today said it is seeking higher rates again, this time on its trades from South Asia and the Middle East to Europe.
• Firearms wrong solution to piracyFIREARMS onboard ships to tackle piracy in the Indian Ocean is not the solution, a military analyst has warned.

News from Europe

• Hamburg-Köln Express launched GERMANY: A joint venture of US-based Railroad Development Corp, Locomore Rail GmbH and London-based investor Michael Schabas has announced that they have established an open-access inter-city passenger operation in Germany.
• Councillors open up bus corridor Cars will be allowed to drive around Dublin's College Green during evening peak hours after city councillors voted to lift the controversial bus corridor.
• Deutsche Bahn offers eco-tickets for corporate customers National rail operator Deutsche Bahn is now offering eco-tickets for corporate customers to encourage sustainable travel, the company announced on Monday.