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

Saturday, 14 November 2009

BBC News

• Will Toyota super-size the Prius? SUV version is rumouredToyota is planning a new Prius car, which will take the form of a station wagon or SUV, press reports say.
• Airport upbeat despite huge fallThe owners of Prestwick airport say they are upbeat about their future prospects despite a huge fall in passenger numbers.
• BA merger 'good for passengers'British Airways says its planned merger with Iberia will be good news for customers, and pledges no cuts to its service standards.

Financial Times

• Walsh worked for 18 months on dealIf British Airways succeeds in its planned merger with Spain's Iberia, Willie Walsh, its chief executive, will go down as the man who finally completed a major deal for BA
• Passenger reaction edges to positiveAt Heathrow airport on Friday, business class passengers were broadly happy with the merger
• BAA's London airports to receive fresh £500mThe owners of Heathrow airport have injected £500m into the group to ease the debt burden and to improve the much-criticised facilities at one of the world's busiest airports
• BA looks beyond Iberia for new dealsBritish Airways is already eyeing further deals with other airlines after clinching its merger with Spain's Iberia. American Airlines could be one potential candidate
• Dutch propose full-scale road pricing systemThe Netherlands has predicted that scrapping all road and vehicle taxes and replacing them with charges based on the distance driven would cut the total kilometres driven in the country by 15 per cent and CO2 emissions by 10 per cent
• Accident figures suggest more perilous roadsA new estimate by the Department for Transport is a stark indication that the roads are far more dangerous than official reports suggest, and may add weight to calls for funding road-safety programmes
• New East Coast rail operator in service pledgeThe chairman of the company that will run the franchise insists that it will run like a normal commercial operation and pay a 'substantial' sum to government to operate the service

The Guardian

• BA-Iberia merger spurs strike talksUnite insists tie-up should not lead to more job losses¢ Willie Walsh dismisses unfair competition claims The Unite trade union threatened to deepen its industrial dispute with British Airways if the airline cuts more jobs following a £4.3bn merger with Iberia.

The Independent

• How will the deal really affect the operations of our national airline? The company letterhead will show an address in Spain “ but in reality the whole outfit will be run from London, and you'll be the dominant player. It's a takeover rather than a merger, isn't it?

The Telegraph

• Downing Street plans to put transport information at passengers' fingertipsPassengers on public transport will have comprehensive travel information on their mobile phones and through websites like Google under a plans being drawn up for Gordon Brown.
• Air Passenger Duty condemned by 100 countries The condemnation of the travel tax, which was raised on November 1 and is due to rise again in a year's time, came at a summit organised by the UN World Tourism Organisation (WTO) in London.

Times Online

• Iberia™s costly crew will be the focus of attention for Willie WalshIberia™s cabin crew and pilots have emerged as potentially prime cost-cutting targets for Willie Walsh, the new chief of a merged British Airways-Iberia.
• Hornby derailed by sterling but hopes to get back on trackHornby is hoping that an unlikely combination of James May, the Top Gear presenter, Jenson Button and the 2012 Olympic Games will save it from the slump in sterling.
• More routes but less classThe merger of British Airways and Iberia will expand the networks of both airlines and enhance their revenue-raising opportunities.

ATOC

• Franchising Key to Railway boom say train companiesSince privatisation, train companies have helped to generate record levels of investment, customer satisfaction and punctuality. Franchising has been key to delivering these benefits to passengers.

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL ASKS FARNBOROUGH ˜WOULD IT KILL YOU TO WAIT?™
• £150M DELIVERS A NEW RAIL ERA FOR SOUTH WALES- Biggest investment and improvement work in the Severn Tunnel Junction area in this generation.- Rail bottleneck at Severn Tunnel Junction untangled and a disused platform brought back to passenger use.- State-of-the-art signalling technology adopted for the first time in Wales, creating jobs for the region.

London Evening Standard

• Third day of trains chaos as drivers refuse overtimeCommuters experienced a third day of delays today as drivers on one of London’s busiest rail lines refused to work overtime
• BA’s pension black hole could shoot down mergerA cloud was hanging over the £4 billion merger of British Airways and Iberia as City analysts warned the UK flag carrier's £2.6 billion pensions black hole could yet be a “show-stopper”

Metro

• Union could oppose BA merger planBritish Airways will have to overcome union opposition and pension problems if its proposed merger with Spanish carrier Iberia is to go ahead, it was revealed.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Pay per mile for drivers could be here in 2020The government could use sat navs to impose a pay-as-you-go tax on car owners, a Portsmouth conference was told.
• Future for bus rapid transport ison the lineTHE fate of a £20m dedicated bus route which may be scrapped will be revealed next week.

Wales Online

• Card payments for crossing Severn ’likely within year’MOTORISTS will soon be offered the option of paying by card when using the Severn Bridges, it emerged yesterday.

Blackpool Gazette

• Mother's tram furyA FURIOUS mum has slammed Blackpool tram bosses after a conductor forced her to leave a carriage because her toddler son was "whinging".

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Conference on track for the futureA major conference about the future of the rail network takes place in Corby this weekend.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Motorist bailed after rail crashPolice have released a motorist arrested after a car crashed onto a railway track and collided with a train in Ipswich.
• Government criticises 'irresponsible' train driversThe Government is involved in a row with train drivers after staff shortages caused worsening travel chaos for passengers on some of the busiest routes in the country...

Reading Evening Post

• Squabble over bus terminusA row erupted between councillors over the failure to incorporate a bus terminal in the £848 million Reading station scheme.

International Herald Tribune

• Plastic Roads Offer Greener Way to Travel in IndiaFor two of India’s biggest problems, battered roads and overflowing landfills, Ahmed Khan has a single solution: streets made with recycled plastic.
• After Bankruptcy, G.M. Struggles to Shed a Legendary BureaucracyG.M. will present its first postbankruptcy scorecard on Monday, when it reports third-quarter earnings and its cash reserves.

Railnews

• News: East Coast scraps plans for York gatelines The new state-owned East Coast operator has abandoned proposals to install gatelines at York. The plans from the outgoing operator National Express East Coast had sparked determined opposition in the city.

Other News Sources

• Change in Attitudes to Aircraft NoiseNew research suggests people are more annoyed by aircraft noise than they used to be.
• Oil price slides on news of US surplusesOil slipped this week after greater than expected reserves in the US were reported and the IEA warned that this year's oil price gains may not be justified
• Hermes wins shopping channel dealParcel carrier Hermes has won a five-year multi-million-pound contract with television shopping firm sit-up channels.
• Wincanton provides rail service for BritvicWincanton is set to provide a rail service between the Midlands and Scotland for Britvic, in partnership with Malcolm Logistics.
• PLM Transport spends £485k on new VolvosPLM Transport has renewed part of its 25-strong fleet with the purchase of eight new Volvo trucks worth £485,000.
• Stobart supports Runcorn-Widnes toll planStobart Group says it is
• Navy Contracts for Hampton Roads ShipyardsAccording to a Nov. 10 report from the Daily Press, Newport News-based Davis Boat Works Inc., Portsmouth-based Associated Naval Architects, Norfolk's Lyon Shipyard and Tecnico Corp. in Chesapeake all got a boost from the Navy last week, receiving a combined $127.4m in contracts.(Source: Newport News, Va., Daily Press)...
• Train prices to go up in 2010 Train ticket prices on the East Coast Main Line are to go up after East Coast take over from National Express .Related StoriesChlamydia scheme branded a failureWorld Cup 2018 crisis meetingClampdown on illegal workers using student visasRail route to return to public hands
• US transport workers file labour violation complaintTransport workers in the US have filed a complaint with the International Labour Organization (ILO) concerning New York state legislation, which bans strike action among public sector employees.

Other Subscription Services

• MAIB Southampton collision report blames multiple errorsOverworked and stressed pilot was a contributing factor in three-vessel accident.
• UK removes officers from jobs shortage listChamber of Shipping slams move to tighten rules on employing seafarers from outside Europe.
• Further delays hit Euroferries service launchOperator calls off start date of service between Ramsgate and Boulogne-sur-Mer.