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

Wednesday, 06 January 2010

BBC News

• Nottingham buses axed as snow tightens gripSnow on the outskirts of Nottingham has caused transport officials to cancel all bus services on Tuesday night.
• Security scaled up at UK airportsBody scanners are being introduced at Heathrow as part of a UK-wide security drive, the home secretary announces.
• Explosive planted in airport testIrish police release a man held over an explosives find, after Slovakian authorities admit planting them in his luggage.
• TfL 'wasted' £20m on Tube accessTransport for London admits writing off £20m it invested in accessibility projects at Underground stations.

Department for Transport

• Electric Personal Vehicle (EPV) consultationThere are many electric personal vehicles (EPVs). Those which do not comply with road vehicle law requirements may only be used, at present, on private land (with landowner permission). They may not lawfully be used on our roads, on cycle tracks or on pedestrian footways and footpaths.

Financial Times

• Gains for airlines but contradictory data prompt cautionA rally among airlines and a surprise jump in factory orders pushed US stocks higher in choppy trading yesterday. Wall Street initially lingered in the red as the...
• Rushed security plans worry airport operatorsOperators have grown increasingly annoyed that the government has announced its plans so quickly without in-depth consultation. The airport owners also worry about how affordable the new measures will be
• Jetstar and AirAsia join forces to cut costsA battle for low cost airline revenue in Asia has intensified as Malaysia's AirAsia and Jetstar, owned by Qantas Airways, finalised a passenger handling and aircraft maintenance deal they said would cut millions of dollars from annual costs

The Guardian

• Transport committee: the cost of CrossrailWith blissful timing, the Assembly's transport committee will this morning make reference to its report of March last year on London's response to extreme weather conditions - that's assuming the snow doesn't stop members getting to City Hall, of course.
• Tube PPP approaching the end of the line [letter]The one rationale for giving the private sector monopoly control over public services, from tax-farming to the public private partnership, is that the private sector will have the incentive to get the job done. Tube Lines chief executive Dean Finch shows how far his company has lost sight of the PPP's rationale with his claim that "Tube Lines is far, far more efficient than Metronet [under London Underground management]" (How Boris Johnson is pushing Brown's pet project off the rails, 2 January).
• High-speed rail will bleed us all for a few rich travellersThe politicians can drool over their new trains, but a crowded island needs a well-managed network, not an expensive fantasy
• UK in airport security crackdownGovernment to announce increase in searches and baggage inspections after Christmas Day bomb attemptThe most significant changes to British airport security since 2006 will see increased pat-down searches, more sniffer dogs in terminals and a step-up in hand luggage inspections after the government announced its response to the Detroit airline bombing incident.The home secretary, Alan Johnson, warned that flights face delays as airports adapt to the latest tightening of the regime, which will include singling out passengers for additional scrutiny if they behave suspiciously at some of Britain...

The Herald

• How realistic is Virgin’s plan for faster train journeys?Amid the blur of the end-of-decade reminiscences that are upon us, spare a thought for a barely noticed anniversary in the history of Britain’s railways.
• Salt supplies ˜a myth,™ says council leaderThe Scottish Government was last night accused of œperpetuating a myth that adequate salt supplies were in place to treat the country™s roads.
• Airport security in UK tightened after US attackAirline passengers face longer security queues, increased searches of their clothing, hand luggage and the introduction of full body scanners at airports in the wake of the Detroit Christmas Day bombing attempt, the Home Secretary has warned.

The Independent

• Transport grinds to near halt in big freeze The big freeze brought transport to a near halt today, with airports shut, roads closed and train services cancelled.

Times Online

• Passengers facing airport delays with start of new security codeAir passengers face body scans and more frequent searches under security guidelines unveiled yesterday in response to the Christmas Day bomb plot.

Mail Online

• Eurostar chiefs miss out on pay risesUnder pressure bosses at Eurostar have agreed to forego any pay rises this year, as the cross-channel rail operator attempts to repair its battered reputation with customers.

Birmingham Mail

• Heavy snow causes traffic problems and Birmingham airport closureHEAVY snow coated Birmingham in minutes today causing the city’s airport runway to close and reducing traffic to a crawl.

Journal Live

• A1 blunders embarrass Lord AdonisTHE Government faces fresh embarrassment over failing to upgrade the A1 after the Transport Secretary told Parliament that the North West is responsible for the road.

Northern Echo

• Airport bosses slammed for snow chaos A NORTH-EAST airport has come under fire after its timetable was decimated by snow and ice.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Mobile Travel Centre returnsNOTTINGHAM City Transport's Mobile Travel Centre returns to local town centres from today, with an exclusive spring travel offer for customers.
• Notts days away from running out of gritNOTTS is just days away from running out of grit, the Post can reveal. The county council's stockpile was at 11,000 tonnes on December 1 – its full capacity – but yesterday it had fallen to just 600 tonnes, because orders expected have been diverted to Scotland

The York Press

• Inquiry launched into City of York Council™s gritting of roads and pavements AN INVESTIGATION is being launched into City of York Council™s gritting of roads and pavements, as the Arctic blast tightens its grip on the region.

Other Regional Press

• Jobs cuts loom for First bus drivers in Huddersfield and HalifaxUP to 40 bus drivers could lose their jobs in Huddersfield and Halifax.
• Kirklees Council warns that grit is running out as snow continuesHIGHWAYS staff have just two days supply of grit left for Kirklees roads.

Rail Technology Magazine

• TagMaster Receives Major Railway Order from Italian Partner TagMaster, the leading producer of advanced radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions for rail applications, has received a new major order from its Italian partner Generale Sistemi. The order, worth over SEK3 million ($425,000) will be supplied over the coming months to TagItalia, a division of Generale Sistemi based in Prato, Italy. The RFID equipment will be used to automatically identify rail vehicles on a mainline vehicle condition monitoring system. Through its division TagItalia, Generale Sistemi has for many years been engaged in providing TagMaster RFID id...

Railnews

• News: Brown's move to chair Eurostar deferred indefinitely after Tunnel crisis EXCLUSIVE Plans to promote Eurostar CEO Richard Brown to the post of chairman have been put on hold indefinitely, while the company struggles to recover from the crisis before Christmas in which 2000 passengers were stranded in the Channel Tunnel.

Aviation Industry

• Mesa files for bankruptcy, cites 'untenable financial situation'Mesa Air Group yesterday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a US court in New York, saying the process is needed for it to become a

Other News Sources

• Crossrail chiefs appear before London Assembly over costsTHE chairman and chief executive of Crossrail are being questioned in public at City Hall this-morning (Wed) about the costs the £16 billion project faces.
• Consultation into use of small electric personal vehicles launchedA consultation on the use of small electric personal vehicles has been launched by the Department for Transport Andrew Adonis.
• £30M Thames bridge project approvedPlans for a new transport bridge spanning the River Thames in Surrey - the first for 20 years - have been boosted by the approval of a compulsory purchase order by the Government.
• Birmingham opens new £15M coach stationBirmingham has marked the opening of its new £15M coach station, which it expects will allow around 3M people to pass through the city every year.
• East Lancashire snow: Council turns to table salt as grit runs outA COUNCIL has turned to table salt in an attempt to keep the roads moving.
• Tons of grit for treacherous roadsA total of 20,000 tons of grit has been thrown onto Lancashire's icy roads already this winter - 2,000 more than is normally planned for.
• Liverpool unhappy over lack of gritLiverpool City Council accuses regional government officials of sending much-needed supplies of grit to other authorities, it is reported
• Roads to be gritted across the county tonightCouncil bosses admit they will only cover A and B roads

News from Europe

• Alstom Transport eyes deals, partnershipsPARIS (Reuters) - Alstom is eyeing acquisitions in rail signaling and maintenance as well as looking for partnerships in India as a way to boost growth and stay ahead of new Chinese rivals, the head of the group's transport unit said
• Bombardier Transportation signs Swedish dealBombardier Transportation and AB Transitio, a Swedish rolling stock company, have agreed on the delivery of 11 three-car trains. The deal is valued at approximately €96 million and includes an option for five additional trains, the Berlin-headquartered company said
• China South is low bidder for European loco contract POLAND: China South's Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co has been named as lowest bidder for a contract to supply Koleje Mazowieckie with 11 electric locomotives by December 2011. The Mazowsze regional passenger operator is seeking locomotives to power 160 km/h push -pull trainsets using 37 coaches supplied by Bombardier in 2008-09.