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

Saturday, 09 January 2010

BBC News

• Rail passengers face long delaysHundreds of rail passengers see delays and cancellations after signalling problems near Birmingham New Street station.
• Eurostar urging cancellationsEurostar urges passengers to cancel or postpone their weekend travel plans, as services continue to be restricted.
• 'Valiant efforts' tackle snowfallA council says its staff are
• Rules relaxed for de-icer driversEuropean working time regulations are relaxed for hauliers transporting anti-freeze to airports.
• Car sales buck the market trendNew car sales in Scotland have bucked the downward trend in the market, according to the Scottish Motor Trade Association.
• Trains run 'emergency service'Scotrail introduces an emergency train timetable between Edinburgh and Glasgow in response to the freezing weather.
• Harman fined for careless drivingLabour deputy leader Harriet Harman is fined £350 after pleading guilty to driving without due care and attention in London.
• Bernie Ecclestone in bid for SaabFormula One boss Bernie Ecclestone is part of a bid to buy struggling Swedish carmaker Saab from General Motors.
• GM winding down Saab operationsGeneral Motors begins the process to close Swedish carmaker Saab, but says it is continuing efforts to find a buyer.

Financial Times

• Singapore hit by fall in ship container tradeThe world's busiest container port suffered a 13.5% decline in container business last year, in spite of a sharp recovery in trade volumes in the latest quarter
• Insurers pay out more for fewer air crashesPay-outs for claims related to airline crashes last year reached almost $2.5bn, the second-highest amount in the history of commercial aviation after those for the September 11 attacks
• Embattled BA fastens seat belt for bumpy ride Buying shares in an airline has never been for the timid. In the next 12 months, Willie Walsh, BA chief executive, will face a long list of thorny problems, any one of which would be enough to test the head of a more sedate FTSE 100 company

The Guardian

• China is world's top car market¢ 13.5m vehicles sold in China in 2009, 10.4m in US ¢ China sees 45% growth in car industry year-on-yearChina has overtaken the US to become the biggest car market in the world as government policy initiatives spur demand.China sold more than 13.5m vehicles last year, the official Xinhua news agency said today, compared with 10.4m cars and light trucks sold in the US, the lowest level in 27 years.The Chinese tally includes heavy vehicles but is still higher than that of the US after roughly 650,000 units of heavy trucks are deducted, according to Orient Securities, the Chinese brokerage.China...
• Plane bomb suspect pleads not guiltyCriminal case against Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab begins as Obama comes under fire from conservativesThe alleged Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in federal court today, opening a case that has earned Barack Obama criticism from conservatives who say the suspected terrorist should be treated as an enemy combatant.The 23-year-old Nigerian faces several criminal counts related to his Christmas Day attempt to bring down a Northwest airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. Several demonstrators braved the cold outside the Detroit courthouse as A...
• How cold weather is gripping BritainCommuters have endured another day of hazardous journeys to work, with roads left treacherous by icy conditions and rail services badly disrupted.Christine Oliver
• Councils asked to go easy on gritSalt producers struggle to meet massive demands as Britain's chill factor set to drop furtherThe government sought to avert a grit crisis yesterday by asking councils and highways chiefs to cut usage by at least a quarter, amid indications that Britain faces a serious road salt shortage by the end of next week.According to one estimate in Whitehall, local authorities and the Highways Agency are getting through 60,000 tonnes of salt per day “ double the usual rate for a serious cold snap. Daily salt production cannot keep up, running at 15,000 tonnes per day with a stockpile of 320,000 tonnes o...
• Security incident at Heathrow airportAn aircraft passenger was removed from a plane by counter-terrorism officers after uttering a hoax threat as it readied for take-off, it was reported tonight.The unnamed white man was on an Emirates flight to Dubai taxiing at Heathrow when he made the comments, which were overheard by a fellow traveller.Cabin crew were alerted and the pilot turned the jet around. Five armed officers boarded the aircraft and removed the man in handcuffs and a companion. More than one arrest was made, it was reported.Cameron McLean, who was sitting two rows behind the man, told Sky News:

The Herald

• ScotRail cuts services as it buckles in the big freezeScotrail last night implemented an emergency timetable with reduced services, after struggling for days to run trains on time amid record low temperatures.
• Glasgow-London East Coast rail services reprieveA major overhaul to cross-border rail services on the east coast is likely to be significantly delayed by a political row over axing Glasgow-to-London services, The Herald has learned.
• Airports could close if anti-freeze deliveries not madeA vital delivery of anti-freeze may not get through to some of Scotland's airports because of rules on lorry drivers' hours.
• Two arrested in security incident at Heathrow AirportA plane with hundreds of passengers on board was at the centre of a major security alert as it prepared for take-off at Heathrow Airport on Friday evening.

The Independent

• Lorry driver, 75, guilty of killing couple A 75-year-old lorry driver who ploughed into a car in a queue of traffic, killing a married couple, was today convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.
• 'Car snowboarding' stunt condemned as reckless Police today condemned thrill-seekers who have been dangerously
• Harman fined £350 for driving offenceLabour deputy leader Harriet Harman was fined £350 for driving without due care and attention yesterday after a parking accident.
• Passengers arrested on Dubai flight Police armed officers boarded an aircraft moments before it was due to take off for Dubai last night and arrested three passengers sparking a security alert at Heathrow Airport.

The Telegraph

• Big freeze: Councils halt gritting as supplies run low Motorway hard shoulders and thousands of roads are being left icy and unsafe for motorists as councils ration their gritting operations in attempt to conserve dwindling stocks.
• Lorry driver convicted of killing couple in motorway crash A 75-year-old lorry driver who killed a couple in a horrific motorway crash later told police

Times Online

• Frozen Britain forced to order salt from abroad as stocks dwindleBritain has had to order salt from America and Europe to supplement exhausted stocks, but it will take at least two weeks for shipments to arrive, ministers said yesterday.
• Harriet Harman escapes driving ban after using mobile while drivingHarriet Harman has escaped a driving ban for reversing into a parked car while using a mobile phone.
• In-car entertainment goes touch-screen With flat-screen televisions, set-top boxes and games consoles that double as home entertainment hubs, the big technology companies have in recent years colonised your living room.
• Driving in snow is not about high-speed wheel spins say professionals “Now brake,” said Peter Rodger as we tore through the icy back streets at all of 15mph. I obeyed, but we carried on moving, the back wheels slewed across the road and the engine stalled.
• GM begins Saab liquidation and considers bidsGeneral Motors (GM) has begun the liquidation process for Saab just hours after receiving new offers from bidders interested in buying the ailing Swedish carmaker.
• Ecclestone aims to make Saab a driving force in motor sportBernie Ecclestone, the Formula One tycoon, believes that Saab should become a leading motor sport brand as he prepares to bid for the ailing Swedish carmaker.

Daily Express

• Bid talk and accelerating US car sales put Tomkins in driving seatSTRONG US car sales and signs of an upturn in the auto supply industry last month sent shares in engineer Tomkins speeding ahead yesterday.

Daily Record

• Hundreds of diesel cars break down as mercury dips below minus fifteenSCOTLAND is so cold that even the diesel in car engines has started to freeze.

Mail Online

• Thousands of passengers forced to leave luggage behind at Heathrow as ice prevents planes from being unloaded

The Mirror

• The Big Freeze: Cut off fears as supplies of grit run dangerously lowBritain’s salt supplies are on the brink of running out, leaving roads and pavements treacherous as the big freeze plunges us into further chaos.
• Three held over plane 'bomb threat'Three people arrested on a plane about to take off at Heathrow Airport are being held on suspicion of making a bomb threat, police said.

The Sun

• Heathrow terror raid ARMED police stormed a plane at Heathrow last night and led away a man in handcuffs
• They shot at our bus for 30mins... all we could do was pray to God we'd live EMMANUAL Adebayor tells of his terror after Togo team's coach was fired on by rebels

Network Rail

• RMT URGED TO ACCEPT OFFER ON TALKS ABOUT SOUTH WALES DISPUTE
• NORTH EAST SCOTLAND TO BENEFIT FROM RAIL IMPROVEMENT WORKS

Belfast Telegraph

• Ryanair quashes fresh bid rumourBudget airline Ryanair has dismissed speculation it is preparing a third bid for fellow Irish carrier Aer Lingus.Related StoriesAsda to create 40 jobs in £4m extensionDecember rise can’t hide bad year for car salesMove to divert gas supplies is no reason for any alarmCar scrappage scheme fails to halt sales slideWYG builds deal to save 2,700 jobs
• Car scrappage scheme fails to halt sales slide Good December figures meant the number of new cars sold in 2009 dipped only 6.4% compared with 2008, much better than the industry had expected. Related StoriesOffice staff urged to bite the reality sandwichAsda to create 40 jobs in £4m extensionDecember rise can’t hide bad year for car salesMove to divert gas supplies is no reason for any alarmWYG builds deal to save 2,700 jobs

Birmingham Mail

• Snow in Birmingham: Grit thieves will be prosecutedMIDLAND homeowners are targeting roadside bins and taking supplies intended for use on icy roads for their own driveways, it has emerged.
• Trains delayed for up to two hours at Birmingham New StreetRail passengers travelling in and out of Birmingham New Street station on Friday evening have been told to expect delays of up to two hours because of signalling problems.

Bolton News

• Manchester Airport scanners raise privacy debate IT™S big, it™s expensive ” and it can see through your clothes in seven seconds.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Trains disrupted after overhead wire damaged There were delays to train services in the Bradford district today due to an accident involving overheard wires near Shipley.
• Power line blow for rail services Rail passengers across the district were hit by delays and cancellations today and have been warned to expect more disruption over the weekend.

Journal Live

• Regional leaders fear impact of Air Passenger DutyREGIONAL business leaders have told of the devastating impact planned air tax hikes could have on the North East economy.

Liverpool Post

• David Cameron: Michael Heseltine to decide if a Conservative Government would fund Liverpool-Kirkby MerseytramFORMER Minister for Merseyside Michael Heseltine will decide whether a Conservative Government would fund Merseytram.

London Evening Standard

• Harman fined for careless drivingLabour deputy leader Harriet Harman has admitted driving without due care and attention.
• Lorry driver guilty of crash deathsA 75-year-old lorry driver who ploughed into a car in a queue of traffic, killing a married couple, has been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.
• US terror accused denies plane plotA Nigerian man has pleaded not guilty to charges that he tried to blow up a packed US Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day.
• Three held over plane 'bomb threat'Three people arrested on a plane about to take off at Heathrow Airport are being held on suspicion of making a bomb threat, police said.
• Gunmen attack football team's busGunmen have opened fire on a bus carrying Togo's national football team to the Africa Cup of Nations, killing the driver and wounding at least nine people.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Focus on gritters trying to keep roads clearAS the big freeze continues, Katie Davies spends some time with one of the army of gritter drivers working around the clock to keep the region moving as best it can.

Northern Echo

• Plea to passengers after buses crashPASSENGERS on two buses which collided in a North-East town yesterday are being asked to contact police.
• Town centre roads set to reopenTOWN centre roads closed following a sewer collapse could be reopened during the weekend.

Sheffield Star

• Roads miss out in grit shortage DISRUPTION continued today for South Yorkshire residents suffering roads still plagued with ice and snow.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Remaining abandoned cars are recovered from motorwayDRIVERS who abandoned their vehicles on the A3 and A3(M) are being advised to collect them as soon as possible.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• OAPs™ bus service launches helpers appeal THE chairman of a charity which helps elderly people get around Moray has renewed his appeal for volunteers to help co-ordinate its bus service.

The York Press

• Sustrans to meet with authorities to discuss possible cycle track safety improvements A TRANSPORT charity is to liaise with the police and City of York Council about how a cycle track can be made safer following a knife-point mugging.
• Driving conditions to worsen in York, as salt runs lowMotorists are being urged to take extra care in York, as city leaders begin rationing rocksalt.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Spotlight on Leeds road grittersFOR the gritters at Leeds City Council, it looks like the 2009/2010 winter season could be one of the busiest in decades.
• Leeds commuters hit by train delaysCommuters using Leeds railway station suffered lengthy delays this morning when cargo from a goods train touched an overhead power line.
• Only major Leeds roads to be gritted from todayOnly major roads in Leeds will be gritted from today in a bid to preserve grit stocks, Leeds City Council has said.

Bucks Free Press

• Portillo: high speed train plan 'beautiful' FORMER MP Michael Portillo has said a controversial scheme that could run high speed trains through Buckinghamshire would be ˜beautiful™.

Carlisle News & Star

• Work due to start on Workington road bridge next monthWest Cumbrians were today celebrating the news that work is expected to start on Workington™s new temporary road bridge next month.

Doncaster Free Press

• Gritters were out early say council DONCASTER Council claimed gritters were sent out early to deal with the predicted wintry weather despite the borough's roads been covered in snow.

Peterborough Telegraph

• 'Car snowboarding' stunt condemned as 'reckless'Police have condemned thrill-seekers who have been dangerously "car snowboarding" on icy roads in Essex.

Sunderland Echo

• Transport workers hailed as weather heroesBus and Metro workers are the real heroes of Wearside's winter weather, say transport chiefs.

The Shields Gazette

• Nissan unveils 'Juke of Wearside'NISSAN bosses have unveiled the new name for the mini-crossover car which will start production at its Sunderland plant this year.
• Vandals' costly car-wrecking spreeTEENAGE tearaways racked up a repair bill costing motorists thousands of pounds when they went on car-wrecking crime spree.
• Transport chiefs praise unsung heroesTRANSPORT chiefs have praised workers as the unsung heroes of the winter weather crisis.

West Sussex Gazette

• County working hard to keep roads openWEST Sussex County Council is working hard to keep the roads as clear as possible as the country battles with the extreme bad weather.

Other Regional Press

• Motorists given on-the-spot fines in Leicester streetMore than 60 motorists were given £30 on-the-spot fines for illegally entering a major city centre road. The drivers were caught...
• Tory leader visits Newport grittersCONSERVATIVE leader David Cameron visited council gritters in Newport today to see how they were coping in the freezing temperatures.
• Cherwell School: Make road outside a 20mph limit MORE than 400 parents and pupils have signed a petition calling for a 20mph speed limit to be introduced outside Oxford™s largest school.
• SNOW: Bus services update Oxford Bus Company plans to operate a normal weekend service, as far as possible.
• Rastrick cyclist John Porter tells of Christmas hit-and-runCYCLIST John Porter has spoken for the first time about the hit-and-run driver who ruined his Christmas.
• Buses ˜poor value for money™, say OFTBus operators in Glasgow are among companies across the UK being investigated for providing œpoor value for money.
• School transport shake-up may cut down free travelA proposed reorganisation of home-to-school transport could see a reduction in the number of children entitled to free travel.

C.N.N.

• Fighter jets scrambled again because of unruly airline passengerIn the second such incident in three days, fighter jets escorted a diverted commercial flight on Friday after an unruly passenger caused alarm onboard.
• Passenger in Oregon to Hawaii air incident faces chargesFederal authorities filed a criminal complaint Friday against a 56-year-old man whose scrawled note invoking
• 3 arrested after bomb threat at HeathrowThe three men arrested Friday night aboard an Emirates Airlines plane at Heathrow Airport had made a verbal threat to staff, police said Saturday.
• Suspect in Newark airport security breach releasedA man who faces a trespassing charge for allegedly triggering a security breach at the Newark, New Jersey, airport was released from custody early Saturday, Port Authority police said.

International Herald Tribune

• France to Begin Test of Body ScannersThe French government said Friday that it would begin putting a handful of the scanners into place for testing at Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports to use for American-bound flights.
• Japan Airlines Closes in on Potential BankruptcyGovernment officials suggested Asia’s largest airline would undergo a court-led restructuring, a bold step for the new government of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

Washington Post

• At Detroit auto show, small cars make this year's big splash The North American International Auto Show, the annual automotive gala in Detroit, may be best known as a stage for manufacturers to display their latest rolling leviathans.

Railnews

• News: National Rail Enquiries receives 1.6m calls in one day, as big freeze goes on The big freeze continued to delay trains on many National Rail lines today, although some operators were able to report a near-normal service. Some of the worst problems are now in south-east England, but signal failures are delaying trains on both the East and West Coast Main Lines.

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair promises shareholder cashBudget airline Ryanair has said it plans to reward its shareholders with a cash payout in three years' time.
• United leads all carriers in annual passenger lossesDelta Air Lines Inc. led the six biggest U.S. carriers to a 2.1 percent drop in December passenger traffic, capping a year in which the recession helped erode travel by 5.9 percent.
• Hawaiian Air flight diverted because of unruly passengerThis time it was Hawaiian Air flight 17. The flight from Las Vegas to Honolulu was diverted to LAX.
• DOT says Virgin America is US-controlled airlineThe Transportation Department has rejected an Alaska Airlines challenge to the U.S. citizenship status of privately held carrier Virgin America.

Green Miscellany

• The Segway: Coming to cycle path near you? The government is considering a change to the law that would allow Electric Personal Vehicles (EPV), such as the Segway, to be used on the roads and cycle paths.read more
• Government consults on future of the electric bicycle The popularity of electric-assist bicycles is a growing, global phenomenon with over 120 million of the bikes already in existence. Over 20,000 electric-assist bicycles, or ˜e-bikes™ are sold in Britain each year and their growing popularity on roads around Europe has prompted calls for revised regulation.read more

Other News Sources

• Dutch cargo shipping affected as canal freezesThe Dutch Transport Ministry has ordered an icebreaker...
• Freeze on learner driversIt's hard enough getting to the office in weather like this, but when your workplace is on the roads themselves it is proving nigh on impossible.
• Gateway to easing M6 traffic jamsGates are being built into the M6 motorway's central reservation barriers to reduce congestion after accidents.
• Bus user? Fix your fareBus passengers in Wigan are being given the chance to 'fix' the price of their bus tickets.
• Brighton school uses posters to stop attacks on staff A school is to put up posters warning parents not to assault or abuse any of its staff.
• Drivers' hours rules relaxed in big freezeHauliers helping to distribute the UK's supplies of rock salt during the current big freeze have been helped by the DfT's decision to relax drivers' hours rules.
• SNOW LATEST: Monitoring of grit levels now 'critically important'A full gritting service will be carried out over the weekend but highways bosses have stressed that monitoring grit levels has become 'critically important'.
• Harriet Harman admits careless driving Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman has admitted driving without due care and attention.Related StoriesGoogle launch new mobile phone to rival the iphoneLabour leadership: Letter sent by Hoon and HewittCabinet ministers 'backed ousting of Brown'Coup is elephant in the corner at Cabinet meetingDarling cuts warning
• Bomb plot suspect appears in court The man accused of trying to blow up a US airliner on Christmas Day has appeared in court.Related Stories'Obama' effigy found hangingPlane passengers to face more security delaysObama: US intelligence 'failed to connect dots'Security boosted in Yemen for qualifierUS plane bomb accused due in court
• Wincanton invests £3m in Manchester food-service hubWincanton has pumped more than £3m into expanding its Manchester food-service distribution centre (DC), as part of an aggressive growth programme in the hospitality sector.
• DHL sell-off a 'desperate move', says TIDHL's sale of around two-thirds of its loss-making DHL Express UK division has been described as
• Bombardier sees 'silver lining' to CRJ1000 flight test suspensionBombardier's CRJ1000 remains grounded by the airframer as it continues to work to resolve a software glitch associated with the rudder control-by-wire system. However, the Canadian firm remains confident that its latest target to deliver the first CRJ1000 before the end of its 2011 fiscal year is achievable. And it insists there is a
• Airbus' 2009 orders on course to exceed Boeing'sAirbus appears virtually certain to exceed Boeing's declared year-end net order total of 142 aircraft when it discloses its 2009 figures next week.The...
• Heathrow Airport: Do not arrive if flight is cancelledPassengers who are hoping to travel from Heathrow Airport today (January 8th) have been advised to only arrive at their terminal if they have checked that their flight will depart.BAA, which owns Heathrow Airport, has urged people not to arrive at the travel hub unless they have confirmation that their flight is due to depart. "Heathrow remains open but passengers should only travel to the airport if they have confirmed with their airline that their flight is operating," it stated. "The threat of further snow and ice remains," it continued. Other advice offered to passenger...
• Disaster crew accused of drinkingTHE MASTER and crew of Baleno 9 were drinking alcohol and entertaining women when the ro-ro ferry sank, killing scores of people, an inquiry has heard.
• Councils battle to keep roads openAs the cold weather shows no sign of letting up, councils are having to maximise the efficiency of their gritting work.
• Airline plot revives EU data-sharing planIn response to thwarted attack on US flight, EU presidency urges more data-sharing between member states.
• German, French firms win Galileo moneyGermany's OHB Technology is to provide 14 satellites for the EU's Galileo navigation system, while Arianespace of France will put them into orbit in order to build a European rival to the US GPS system by 2014.
• Travel website pioneers green transport An alternative to carbon offsetting schemes has been developed by one responsible travel website.
• Keeping aviation fuel consumption static may boost green transport Airlines can do their bit for green transport by keeping aviation fuel consumption at its current level.
• Green transport becomes bigger priority for vehicle manufacturers Car manufacturers are making efforts to ensure that new models can be run more efficiently.
• Audi set to launch hybrid SUV this year Audi will launch its first hybrid car before the end of 2010, it has been confirmed.
• Green transport could move a step forward thanks to EPV consultation The government has launched a new consultation on EPVs, which could herald the beginning of a green transport revolution.
• Green transport becomes more accessible thanks to new vehicle launches A number of green cars will come on to the market in 2010 as green transport options become more accessible.
• Fight for wheelchair rights on planesA Norwich man is fighting for a change in legislation to allow disabled flyers to stay in their wheelchairs during flights. Powered wheelchair user Mark Womersley says the current practice airlines have of transferring disabled passengers to seats is œundignified and uncomfortable.
• East Anglia boat firms on show at flagship London eventDespite a frosty start to London's biggest boat show of the year yesterday, the bubbly was flowing and East Anglia's leisure boat industry was hopeful of sales to kick start 2010.
• Payment row erupts over Dubai Metro worksThe completion of Dubai™s new Metro system is facing delays after contractors slowed work claiming they were owed more than £6 billion by the client.
• Gunmen attack football team's busGunmen attack football team's bus
• Man arrested over US airport breachMan arrested over US airport breach
• Deep-freeze Britain told: cut road saltingThe Conservatives claim the freeze is being mishandled as dwindling salt supplies force the government to tell councils to cut back on road salting by 25 per cent. Is this the day the weather went political? Keme Nzerem reports.

Other Subscription Services

• Incoming commissioner urges transport industries to step up on climate changeBrussels’ transport commissioner-designate Siim Kallas calls for ’deep structural transformation’ to reduce carbon emissions.
• UK ports to benefit from offshore windfarm expansionLicences for nine new sites awarded.
• Russian master fined for being drunk in charge at SouthamptonValery Semenov pleaded guilty, lost his job and has been remanded in custody for a maximum of 45 days.