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

Monday, 07 December 2009

BBC News

• Brown unveils £12bn spending cutsGordon Brown is to begin setting out how Labour plans to slash public spending, ahead of Wednesday's pre-Budget report.
• MPs 'unsure' over Stansted runwayThought should be given to building an extra runway at Gatwick rather than Stansted airport, MPs suggest.

Financial Times

• World Bank looks to India as rail expansion partner The World Bank and New Delhi are in talks about financing the international expansion of Indian Railways, one of the largest and most profitable networks in the world, to bring transport infrastructure to African countries and other developing nations. Robert Zoellick, World Bank president, said the Washington-based multilateral lender wanted to build on a $2bn commitment to strengthen India's rail system by helping state-owned Indian Railways to grow beyond its borders.
• Germany to run northern metroDeutsche Bahn wins a seven-year contract to operate the Tyne and Wear Metro. It will take over employment of the drivers, signallers and other operational staff from April 1
• Mayor warns Tube Lines over upgrade Boris Johnson has told the company upgrading the Jubilee Line that confusion over the project's completion date is 'unacceptable', amid signs that delays could threaten a planned upgrade of the Northern Line
• Airlines' concerns grow of global tax supportAlthough detailed funding decisions are not expected to be finalised at the Copenhagen summit, several aviation tax options have stayed in the official negotiating text
• Chaos alters train of thought Sir Moir Lockhead, chief executive of FirstGroup, is hopeful of ending a dispute that has hit thousands of rail commuters
• National Express closes in on new chiefDean Finch, the boss of London Underground maintenance company Tube Lines, is close to being appointed chief executive of National Express

The Guardian

• PM: legal climate deal in six months¢ PM urges world to make historic agreement ¢ Obama acts to cut US emissionsGordon Brown raises the bar for climate change negotiations , urging world leaders to give their promises at Copenhagen the full weight of international law within six months.In an article in the Guardian, the prime minister underlines the historic nature of the summit, which has been described as the most important international gathering since the end of the second world war.

The Observer

• MPs back third runway at Heathrow airportSupport for Heathrow expansion comes ahead of a report on aviation industry's progress in meeting climate targetThe government's approval of a third runway at Heathrow has been endorsed by MPs, ahead of the publication tomorrow of an independent report on aviation's contribution to climate change.The House of Commons transport committee backs the expansion of Britain's largest airport in a report published today, adding that airline passengers would be better served by a second runway at Gatwick rather than Stansted.

The Scotsman

• MPs query airport expansion plansThe Government should consider building an extra runway at Gatwick Airport rather than Stansted, a report from MPs has said.

The Telegraph

• French rail tax 'reduces competition' France's draft 2010 Finance Bill includes a new tax on all rolling stock used for passenger services on the country's rail network. Assuming it is voted through by the French parliament on December 23, the tax will come into force at roughly the same time as the European Union's liberalisation of international passenger services, which will take effect on January 1. Rival rail operators to SNCF claim that the new tax will add millions of pounds of costs to their operation of cross-border services, with Eurostar putting the annual bill at about £5.5m.

Times Online

• Cycle Guy: Run, wheezy boy, run They gather in the woods on Sunday mornings, this small but growing cult. They share a common belief: road racing is for old men, and triathlons are for City boys with all the gear and no idea. If you want a sport that’s going to test your skill with a bike, the oomph in your lungs and your brain’s capacity to ignore a crippling quantity of pain — and nowadays, for some weird reason, everyone does want that — you need to put yourself through an “off-road duathlon”. The rules are simple: bring your knobbliest tyres and a change of clothes, and ru...
• Car sales soar 57% as scrappage fund runs down New car registrations rose by 57.6 per cent in November compared with last year, as the motoring industry prepares for the end of the "cash-for-bangers" car scrappage scheme introduced in May this year.
• Government puts key UK assets on block A CATALOGUE of state assets, including the High Speed 1 rail link and the Dartford river crossing, will be put up for sale tomorrow as the government eyes a £10 billion windfall from its latest privatisation programme.
• Clampdown on cyclists is unfair ” other road users are just as errantI have cycled to work in Central London for more than four years and on most days I flout the Highway Code. On Thursday morning I whizzed through a red light and up a one-way street in the wrong direction.

Reuters News

• MPs back Heathrow airport expansionLONDON (Reuters) - A parliamentary committee on Monday backed plans to build a third runway at Heathrow airport in London.

Daily Record

• Exclusive: Drink drivers risk losing their cars under cops' tough new planBOOZED-UP drivers could have their cars crushed or sold by the courts in a major festive blitz.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Stagecoach in pledge to heed public™s viewsBosses at bus giant Stagecoach have offered an assurance to Highland passengers that their views on timetable changes and any other grievances about services will be taken on board.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Proposals for bus contract scheme backed by Leeds MPLeeds MP Greg Mulholland is backing proposals that would force West Yorkshire's bus companies to put the needs of passengers before their own profits.
• Leeds: Record breath tests on way for driversPolice aim to carry out a record number of roadside breath tests in the run-up to Christmas.

Blackpool Gazette

• Blackpool Transport to axe 60 jobs to plug £1.3m lossBUS chiefs have confirmed 60 drivers will lose their jobs and services will be cut as they attempt to claw back lost revenue.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Bus pass setbackExtensions to the existing Northamptonshire concessionary bus fare scheme which would have benefited the elderly and disabled travelling in Northamptonshire are "unlikely
• Shocking figures of drink-driving and mobile phone use by drivers in NorthamptonshireAlmost 100 people were arrested every month for drink-driving after a campaign was launched in April to reduce the four biggest causes of fatal road accidents.

International Herald Tribune

• Driven to Distraction: Promoting the Car Phone, Despite RisksLong before cellphones were common, industry pioneers were aware of the risks of multitasking behind the wheel, but still marketed its product to drivers.
• Seeking to Set an Example on the Climate ExpressThe Climate Express train brought 400 environmental activists, business leaders and government officials to the world climate summit in Copenhagen.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New car registrations rise sharply in NovemberRegistrations of new cars jumped year-on-year by 57.6 per cent in November this year, new data has revealed.According to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the annual leap was partly as a result of the government's scrappage incentive scheme and was across the business, fleet and private sectors.The initiative, which provides buyers with discounts of up to £2,000 off a new vehicle when they trade in an old model, accounted for 21.6 per cent of new registrations last month.However, year-to-date purchases were 8.8 per cent lower than last year at 1,844,0...

Railnews

• News: Proposed French tax ’could cost Eurostar £5m’ A new proposed French rolling stock tax which could cost Eurostar £5 million or more is set to be challenged under European law. The French proposal would come into effect only a short time before international open access starts on 1 January.

Aviation Industry

• Virgin Galactic readies maiden suborbital flight.British billionaire Sir Richard Branson will unveil a craft on Monday that could soon carry tourists on an out-of-this-world trip into space - for a mere $US200,000 . The lunar-like landscape of the Mojave desert between Los Angeles and Las Vegas will stage the roll-out of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo , the brain child of aerospace engineer Burt ...
• GIP takes control of GatwickImproved operations, better customer service and real competition promised at Gatwick as Global Infrastructure Partners completes takeover...

Other News Sources

• (Kent) Officials launch 20-year transport strategy Motorists, bus-users and rail commuters are being asked for their views on a 20-year transport strategy for Kent. Cyclists and pedestrians will also have their say on the ’Growth without gridlock’ publication, which documents a range of proposals aimed at freeing up the county’s roads for the benefit of its people and the local economy. Proposals include the long-awaited Lower Thames Crossing to take the pressure off the existing Dartford crossing, and the building of several new roads and railway stations. The strategy also looks at how Kent can take full advantage of High Speed One – the Channel Tunnel rail link service that launches for real next Sunday, December 13, following months of test-runs.
• MPs query airport expansion plansThe Government should consider building an extra runway at Gatwick Airport rather than Stansted, a report from MPs has said.
• Prime Minister praises Don-Bur TeardropPrime Minister Gordon Brown singled out the innovation of the Don-Bur Teardrop trailer for embracing the low-carbon economy.