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

Wednesday, 23 December 2009

BBC News

• Station gets demolition reprieve A Victorian railway station building in Suffolk which was due to be knocked down has been given a reprieve.
• Cold countries 'invest more' [Audio]Heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures have caused travel chaos across parts of the country. Transport minister Sadiq Khan discusses the disruption.
• Electric buses for city's roads Three electric buses will be run in Durham City from next summer.
• Big freeze brings misery and death to Europe Freezing weather which has killed more than 90 people is continuing to cause transport problems across Europe.
• Keeping trackHow much could the disruption cost Eurostar?
• Airlines hit back to US criticismAirlines hit back at a Justice Department report that says a deal on flights could lead to 'competitive harm'.
• Fiat unveils one million car planFiat unveils plans to increase annual car production in Italy to one million, but says it will still shut its Sicily factory.

Financial Times

• Spain suspends airline's licenceThe Spanish government suspended the operating licence of airline Air Comet after mounting debts grounded its fleet. The move came a day after a UK court impounded...
• Eurostar promises to clear backlogEurostar has pledged to clear the backlog of stranded passengers before Christmas as an independent inquiry is launched into the collapse of cross-Channel services

The Guardian

• Christmas won't wait as 10 million drivers prepare to hit road Ten million motorists are expected to brave Britain's icy roads today, while airlines try to clear a backlog of thousands of passengers before Christmas Eve.
• Icy roads blight Christmas getawayTen million motorists are expected to brave Britain's icy roads today, while airlines try to clear a backlog of thousands of passengers before Christmas Eve.The AA said that a third of Britain's cars will be on the roads and urged motorists to drive carefully as thawing brings black ice. Meanwhile, Europe's second largest budget airline, easyJet, admitted it was running out of time to find seats for thousands of stranded customers after the fourth consecutive day of snow disruption.The AA said roads had improved since heavy snowfall trapped 2,000 motorists in Reading and Basingstoke on Monday...

The Herald

• Gritty defence of safety policyCouncils defended their gritting procedures yesterday as the Arctic freeze continued to cause chaos for pedestrians as well as motorists.

The Independent

• Gritting row after snow brought one town to a halt Thousands endured more travel misery today as local councils were accused of failing to grit roads.
• 'Not enough staff and not enough information'It wasn't quite the madness of Gatwick, where a screaming woman in a Santa hat “ enraged by being stranded “ had to be dragged off by police. But the scene at Luton Airport yesterday was devoid of the festive cheer one might usually hope for. As easyJet cancelled all flights, many families in the departures hall seemed to have passed the tension tipping point usually reserved for that moment on Christmas Day (about noon) when mum realises dad has already started on the brandy.

The Telegraph

• Snow transport chaos: rail, road and air disruption The ongoing wintry weather has disrupted rail, road and air transport for another day.

Reuters News

• Veolia,Trenitalia in high-speed train talks-source Veolia Environnement (VIE.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) is in talks with Italian train operator Trenitalia to run its own high-speed train services in France, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Mail Online

• Eurostar chaos opens door to rival operators Eurostar's botched handling of the crisis that led to three days of stoppages to its cross-channel rail service has been a gift to foreign competitors planning to launch rival UK services from next year, insiders say.

Network Rail

• TRAIN PERFORMANCE REMAINS GOOD DURING AUTUMN PERIOD
• CONTRACT AWARD ROUNDS OFF GOOD YEAR FOR NETWORK RAIL™S READING RAILWAY UPGRADENetwork Rail awarded the latest contract for its redevelopment of the railway at Reading this week, capping a successful year that has seen substantial progress on the scheme. The contract, awarded to Jacobs Engineering, is for the design of a new train depot on railway land to the north west of the station.

London Evening Standard

• Turmoil on the trains as major lines slow to snail’s paceRail commuters faced travel chaos today as hundreds of services were cancelled or delayed. The three big operators — Southeastern, Southern and South West Trains — said they could not run a “normal” service because of the weather. The firms would normally carry more than 350,000 commuters into London during the morning peak.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Inquiry called into A46 route A PUBLIC inquiry has been called over revised plans to ensure a Notts village is not cut off by the new A46 dual carriageway.
• Scooter with no CO2 emissions IMAGINE travelling to work on something that can be charged up in a normal household socket. It could happen if an electric scooter known as the escoota catches the city's attention in the way a businessman here hopes.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Travel chaos as wintry weather hits regionCommuters in East Anglia have been affected by the cold snap as rail services in the region have been cancelled or suffered delays.
• Airports ownership in flux after BAA victoryThe immediate future of UK airport ownership has been thrown into disarray after BAA won a partial victory against the Competition Commission's (CC) ruling forcing

Other News Sources

• Dundee station revamp hits the buffers Dundee is to make fresh calls on Network Rail for an upgrade of its un-aesthetic rail halt after fresh passenger statistics revealed it to be the ninth busiest in Scotland.
• Stobart Group chiefs sell £2.4m of shares A company controlled by executive directors Andrew Tinkler and William Stobart have sold £2.4m worth of shares in Stobart Group Ltd (LSE: STOB), the Warrington-based logistics company.
• 'Brilliant' free bus service is a big hit with Dewsbury shoppers SHOPPERS stocking up on Christmas supplies can take the weight off with a trip on the town's free bus service.
• Steam engine Tornado shows up its electric friends as it races through Kent At least one train ran on time today - Monday - but it was not a Eurostar. While modern electric trains suffered problems all day with snow and ice, steam engine Tornado streaked through the county on a special dining trip - adding insult to injury by running alongside the high speed line.
• Bournemouth-based airline expects 'sod it' factor in new year TRAVEL companies are hoping tales of collapsing airlines, closed airports and the Eurostar fiasco won’t prevent people starting the new year by booking a trip abroad.
• Railway company wants opinions on Crewe Station NETWORK Rail would like to hear from Crewe residents about improvements they would like to see at the town’s station.
• Extra Government funding to keep flood rail services running A free train service set up to help Cumbrian residents affected by the recent floods will continue operating until May 2010 thanks to an extra £750,000 of Government funding, Transport Minister Sadiq Khan has announced.

News from Europe

• Veolia and Transdev announce merger framework FRANCE: A framework agreement setting out the financial structure of the company which could be formed through a merger of Transdev and Veolia Transport was announced by their parent companies on December 21.
• Vossloh acquires rail services business GERMANY: Vossloh announced a deal to acquire three rail logistics, welding and preventative maintenance companies on December 14.