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

Saturday, 12 December 2009

BBC News

• Boeing 787 nearing first flightBoeing announced its long-delayed 787 Dreamliner aircraft has passed final structural tests and is now focusing on the plane's first flight.

Financial Times

• National Express rebels end feudThe Cosmen family, National Express the rebel shareholder of National Express, has taken up the £360m rights issue it campaigned against, ending a bitter feud that...

The Independent

• Where rail work will hit Christmas travel Some major sections of the rail network will be shut down over the Christmas and new year period because of engineering work, Network Rail (NR) confirmed today.
• Drivers using mobiles ˜should be fined £1,000™Road safety campaigners have called for the fine for using a hand-held mobile phone while driving to be increased to £1,000.

Times Online

• Behind the wheel: scent of a new car What can beat the great smell of car? New car, I mean. The smell of old car tends to be less great. But that new-car bouquet, with its intoxicating mix of untouched leather, virgin plastic and industrial adhesive ... well, in the premier league of evocative aromas, it’s right up there with freshly mown grass and magazine print.

Daily Express

• British Airways closes any talk of bidding for OpenSkies BRITISH Airways plans to keep full ownership of its OpenSkies subsidiary after ruling out a sale or bringing outside investors on board, it emerged yesterday.

Network Rail

• STRIKE WILL NOT AFFECT MAIN LINE SERVICES OR SAFETY IN SOUTH WALESNetwork Rail is assuring passengers that strike action, scheduled to take place in south Wales next week, will have minimal effect on rail services.  The busy south Wales main line will remain open for business and train services will run as normal on the six days.
• SCOTTISH RAIL SERVICES SET FOR DISRUPTION-FREE CHRISTMASNormal holiday services will be running on all routes while Network Rail engineers create new platforms at Glasgow Central

Daily Post (North Wales)

• New North Wales to Manchester Airport rail link launchedA NEW rail service offering North Wales a direct link to Manchester Airport launches today.

Journal Live

• Newcastle Airport picks up awards and plauditsTHE North East’s biggest airport has been boosted by two major accolades in the space of 24 hours.
• Bid to re-open Alnmouth to Alnwick railway lineA LONG-running bid to reinstate a historic Northumberland rail link is building up a head of steam, with the submission of plans.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Newcastle Airport on a high after BATA winTHE region’s biggest airport, Newcastle International Airport, has been crowned the best in the UK.

Wales Online

• Rail bosses urge Christmas shoppers to travel by train despite the strikeNETWORK RAIL last night urged passengers not to cancel Christmas shopping trips because of rail strikes next week.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Drivers vote on new deal to halt Leeds bus strikeA NEW pay deal has been put to Leeds bus drivers in a bid to stop them going on strike tomorrow.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Silverstone in line for £10m loan to upgrade circuitSilverstone could be loaned £10m by Northamptonshire County Council to carry out work vital to its 17-year deal to host the British Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Fewer passengers use airportThe number of passengers using Stansted Airport in Essex has fallen.

International Herald Tribune

• U.S. and Japan Reach Open Skies DealThe U.S. and Japan reached a landmark agreement to relax limits on flights between the two countries, opening up the possibility of broader cross-border airline alliances.
• After Delays and Cost Overruns, Airbus A400M Takes OffThe future of the plane is unknown after the seven governments backing the project put off committing additional money for at least another month.

Washington Post

• US, Japan forge open skies agreement -- The U.S. and Japan reached a landmark agreement Friday to relax limits on flights between the two countries, opening up the possibility of broader cross-border airline alliances and more options for air travelers.

Aviation Industry

• Tory block on third Heathrow runway a big mistake, says British Airways chiefBritish Airways chief executive Willie Walsh at Terminal 5, Heathrow Airport. Photograph: Martin Godwin The British Airways chief executive, Willie Walsh, has rounded on the Conservative party in the wake of the Committee on Climate Change report into aviation and warned that it will make the
• ExpressJet traffic rose 13 percent in NovemberThe parent of ExpressJet Airlines, which operates regional flights as Continental Express, said Friday that traffic rose 13 percent in November from a year earlier.

Other News Sources

• Virgin Galactic reveals VSS EnterpriseNascent suborbital space ride company Virgin Galactic unveiled its six-passenger prototype, the VSS Enterprise, at a star-studded roll-out ceremony at the...
• Squeeze tightens on single-hullsMORE SINGLE-hull tankers are being scrapped as phase-outs loom, but some owners are holding on to their ships, according to McQuilling.
• EU biofuel sustainability criteria 'inconsistent'More in-depth studies are necessary to develop a robust methodology for calculating indirect land-use change caused by EU biofuel production, concluded a French consultancy's review of currently-known options.  
• Commission Blasts Inadequate London Air Pollution PlansEC decision brings renewed pressure to tackle London's air pollution problems.
• Two Reports Put The Spotlight On Airport ExpansionTwo reports “ one from MPs and the other from the independent Committee on Climate Change (CCC) “ have highlighted the sustainability issues surrounding current airport expansion plans.
• Half of trucks illegal in police checkA police operation in Devon and Cornwall found nearly half of all trucks inspected were breaking the law.
• Continental predicts tyre price rises for 2010Continental says truck tyre prices will rise between 3% and 5% by the middle of 2010 as the market continues to struggle with reduced demand and a weak pound.
• Transport Scotland tenders for £230M PFI Borders railwayTransport Scotland has begun the tendering process for the £230M Borders railway project as a 30 year design build, finance and maintain PFI deal.
• Welcome for railway cost studyThe Rail Freight Group has welcomed government plans to scrutinise the overall cost structure of all elements of the railway sector.
• YRC Logistics opens warehouse in SouthamptonFreight forwarder YRC Logistics has invested in a 6,500ft2 warehouse to strengthen its presence in Southampton.

Other Subscription Services

• IMO in bid to control shipping emissions policy Fears that IMO could lose powers to control shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions.
• Nautilus asks UK to ditch non-payment ransom stanceOfficer union says that payment is only realistic way to free crew seized by pirates.