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

Friday, 18 December 2009

BBC News

• Travellers hit by snow disruption Travellers are experiencing transport disruption as heavy snow falls across much of the UK, with south-east and north-east England worst affected.
• Court blocks BA Christmas strikeBritish Airways has won a High Court injunction blocking the 12-day strike that had been planned for Christmas.

Financial Times

• Tube Lines faces £1.35bn shortfallThe arbiter of London Underground's private-public partnership contract says he is likely to award the company upgrading three of the capital's lines £1.35bn less funding than it has demanded
• Stricken airline's £30m in spotlightAdministrators of Globespan are investigating why £30m of its funds are being held by the company that handles its credit card transactions
• Ferry operators agree mergerDenmark's DFDS is to buy Norfolkline from AP Møller-Maersk in a cash-and-shares deal worth €346m that would create northern Europe's largest operator by revenues
• Arriva defies effect of higher fuel pricesThe rail and bus company said cost-cutting across the group helped it mitigate the effects of rising fuel prices and the falling demand caused by the recession

The Guardian

• Snow strands passengers at Gatwick and Luton Gatwick reopens but Luton remains shut, while commuters face difficulties on road and rail
• Ryanair downs talks with Boeing for 200 new aircraft Budget airline reins in expansion strategy and will hand money saved back to shareholders
• Queen lets the train take the strain on way to Sandringham Queen pays £44.40 for off-peak single to take her on Christmas break
• BA crew furious as strike ruled illegalSource at Unite union branch that represents 12,700 cabin crew admits high court ruling is blow to moraleDismayed British Airways cabin crew appeared to lack the appetite for a new strike ballot today as recriminations flew over the Unite union's failure to organise a watertight vote.Staff were angry with their union as the planned Christmas strikes were declared illegal. A source at Bassa, the Unite branch that represents 12,700 cabin crew, admitted the high court ruling was a blow to morale.

The Herald

• Barrhead Travel in early start to help Glasgow passengersStaff were in place behind the Flyglobespan desk at Glasgow airport but there were no customers seeking help.
• Scots drivers pay less for fuel but remote motorists still being stungAverage petrol prices in Scotland have fallen to below the UK norm, but drivers in remote and rural areas are still faced with higher fuel bills, according to the latest figures.
• Where it all went wrong for FlyglobespanAdministrators who yesterday took control of Flyglobespan are looking into an online credit card transaction firm whose delay in handing over payments was alleged to have precipitated the Scottish airline™s collapse.

The Independent

• Union anger as BA strike is blocked The great Christmas getaway was back on for a million air passengers yesterday after a judge ruled that a planned 12-day strike by British Airways cabin crew was illegal.

The Scotsman

• Travel chaos follows heavy snowfallBritain is bracing itself for transport chaos after a blanket of snow fell in many areas.

The Telegraph

• Arriva gains boost on rail franchises One of Britain's leading transport groups has revealed a sustained improvement in passenger numbers on its rail services over the last four months, improving expectations that the beleaguered industry may be turning a corner.
• Eurostar staff walk out on weekend strike after talks collapse Eurostar drivers today started a 48-hour strike in a row over pay after last minute hopes of a deal collapsed.
• BA strike: Unite's militant tactics have backfired Telegraph View The BA cabin-crew dispute has badly tarnished the reputation of both the union and British Airways.
• Tube Lines' fury over £1.35bn funding shortfall Fresh questions have been raised over the modernisation of London Underground after the regulator made a draft decision that Tube Lines would require £4.4bn over the next 7½-year control period - £1.35bn less than it wanted.

Times Online

• Union vows to defy BA with new strike voteBritish Airways passengers were warned that the threat of strike action was not over hours after the High Court issued an injunction banning a planned Christmas strike.
• British Airways Christmas strike spiked by court rulingBritish Airways has won a High Court injunction blocking a 12-day cabin crew strike that would have brought Christmas travel chaos to almost one million travellers.

Network Rail

• ˜ONE YEAR TO GO™ AS NEW YEAR WORKS PLANNED FOR AIRDRIE-BATHGATE RAIL LINK- New Year weekend services affected on Bathgate branch- ScotRail introduces replacement bus services to minimise disruption

Liverpool Echo

• Railway workers protest outside Lime Street stationRAIL workers will take part in a day of action outside Lime Street Station today in protest at 1,500 proposed job cuts which they say will lead to fresh rail disasters.
• Liverpool city leaders continue Pier Head cruise ship terminal battleCITY leaders in Liverpool will refuse to accept defeat in their battle for cruises to start and end at the Pier Head liner terminal.

London Evening Standard

• Rivals to help stranded passengersThousands of travellers stranded abroad by the collapse of airline Flyglobespan are trying to get back to Britain.
• British Airways wins ban on strikeOne million air travellers have breathed a sigh of relief after a judge ruled that a planned 12-day Christmas strike by British Airways cabin crew could not go ahead.
• Travel chaos follows heavy snowfallBritain is bracing itself for transport chaos after a blanket of snow fell in many areas.

Metro

• British Airways wins ban on strikeOne million air travellers have breathed a sigh of relief after a judge ruled that a planned 12-day Christmas strike by British Airways cabin crew could not go ahead.

Yorkshire Post

• Ryanair scraps multibillion aircraft order talks LOW-COST airline Ryanair said today it had pulled out of talks with Boeing over a potential multibillion-dollar order for up to 200 new aircraft.
• Arriva on track with railway franchise The operator of the CrossCountry rail franchise yesterday said there had been a "substantial improvement" in passenger revenues in recent weeks. In a trading update, Arriva reported a 2.1 per cent rise in CrossCountry revenues for the year to date, accelerating to a gain of 6.1 per cent over the past 13 weeks.

Sunderland Echo

• British Airways wins strike ban British Airways has won its bid for a High Court injunction to prevent Christmas strikes by thousands of cabin crew.

Aviation Industry

• Runway closure at Gatwck Airport - 05.00Gatwick Airport update
• BA strike blocked by high courtChristmas was saved for nearly 1 million British Airways passengers today after the high court ruled a planned 12-day strike by cabin crew unlawful in a humiliating blow for the Unite union.

Other News Sources

• Work to start at station THERE is light at the end of the tunnel for disabled travellers facing access problems at Montrose railway station.
• Improved Clapham Junction plans unveiled Network Rail has revealed enhanced designs for a new entrance to Clapham Junction Station at Brighton Yard. The original plans have been significantly expanded thanks to a £300,000 contribution from Wandsworth Council.
• Intermediate station proposed in Yorkshire rail route upgradeNetwork Rail and Metro have submitted plans for a railway station at Apperley Bridge between Leeds and Shipley.
• Minimum cash for O-licence holders to riseThe minimum financial requirement to become a hire or reward O-licence holder will rise by £1,900, and by £900 for each additional vehicle, from 1 January 2010.
• CHEP use Stobart train to backload to SpainThe Stobart Group has further cemented its commitment to shifting freight onto rail through a deal with global pallet and container company CHEP to backload pallets onto its Spanish-bound train.
• US box volumes risingMONTHLY box volumes at US ports in the first half of 2010 are expected to exceed volumes in the same months of 2009, according to IHS Global Insight.
• PIRACY: Asia piracy updateThere were eight pirate attacks in Asian waters in November this year, according to the latest stats from the ReCAAP.