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

Monday, 18 January 2010

BBC News

• New North Somerset road safety schemes approved Almost £200,000 is to be spent on two schemes to create safer routes for pedestrians and cyclists in North Somerset.
• Body scanners risk right to privacy, says UK watchdog The UK's equality watchdog has written to the home secretary expressing concerns about plans to use body scanners at airports.
• Benefit of new roads 'overstated'The benefits of major road building schemes in England are being overstated by the government body responsible, a report has said.The Campaign for Better Transport says congestion, noise and air quality usually end up worse than predicted.The Campaign for Better Transport says congestion, noise and air quality usually end up worse than predicted.
• 'Priority' delivery for road saltFirst Minister Carwyn Jones promises new supplies of grit for the roads will be delivered first to areas which need them most.

Financial Times

• Crunch time for Japan AirlinesJapan Airlines is expected to file for bankruptcy on Tuesday, as speculation intensifies over which of its two US suitors, Delta Air Lines or American Airlines, will be chosen to aid its rehabilitation
• Cold snap leaves bulk cargo ports in a jamThe cold snap that hit the northern hemisphere, added to China's appetite for commodities, has created some of the worst traffic jams ever seen at ports handling bulk cargo
• Tiger IPO shines amid the gloomThe Singapore low-cost carrier will defy gloom by announcing it has raised S$248m in the first initial public offering by an Asian airline for five years

The Guardian

• Watchdog: airport scanners may breach rightsThe equality watchdog has written to the home secretary to express its concern that airport body scanners risk breaching an individual's right to privacy.The Equality and Human Rights Commission is calling on the government to set out its justification for the scanners, which Gordon Brown has said will be gradually introduced at British airports following the attempt to blow up a plane over the US on Christmas Day. The EHRC says the proposals are likely to have a negative impact on privacy, especially for disabled people, elderly people, children and transgender people.The commission has writt...

The Herald

• Capital trams project set to roll through £600m mark Edinburgh tram chiefs are set to admit that the project costs will breach the £600 million mark, as it emerged that the dispute with the contractors could rumble on for months to come.
• Transport body™s £101,000 expenses on foreign tripsA publicly-funded transport authority has been drawn into an expenses row after it emerged the Government body had spent up to £101,000 on foreign trips for

The Telegraph

• Eurostar pays out over Tunnel chaos Eurostar is expected to pay out up to £10m in compensation to passengers after travel chaos at Christmas saw five trains break down in the Channel Tunnel.
• We are sorry to announce: Britain's most apologetic couple Husband and wife team Phil Sayer and Elinor Hamilton are the actors whose words were used in thousands of announcements for cancelled trains and delayed services due to "adverse weather conditions".
• We are the cheapest, claims indignant Tube Lines boss The chief executive of Tube Lines has claimed that London Underground would spend at least £1bn more than the contracting company is spending to upgrade the Jubilee, Piccadilly and Northern lines over the next 7½ years.

Derby Telegraph

• Get our trains on the right track [letter]WITH all my experience of working trains in difficult conditions, I do feel sorry for those who travel on our railways, paying top whack to ride on unacceptable services.

London Evening Standard

• Snow damage hits London transport links with £40 million repair billThe cost of repairing ice and snow damage to London's main transport links will top £40 million, the Standard has found.

Manchester Evening News

• GMPTE accused over dirty tricks over bike ban on trams GREEN campaigners have accused transport bosses of underhand tactics to force through a bike ban on trams.
• Hague pledges support for high-speed rail link FORMER leader of the Tory party William Hague has vowed that the proposed high-speed rail link between Manchester and London would be safe under a Conservative government. Mr Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, described by David Cameron as the party™s deputy ˜in all but name™, said his party would honour plans for the £34bn rail line if elected.

Nottingham Evening Post

• £67m station revamp deal is 'close' WORK could start on a £67m transformation of Nottingham railway station this year, the Post can reveal.

Bucks Free Press

• Council "not holding back" on pothole repairs POTHOLES which have opened up on Buckinghamshire™s roads following the big freeze will be fixed œas quickly as possible, the county™s head of transport has said.

Carlisle News & Star

• CAN WE AFFORD RAIL JOB CUTS? In the News & Star on January 6 a spokesman for Network Rail tried to justify their announcement of hundreds of job losses among railway infrastructure staff by saying “We have a clear commitment to the British people to reduce the cost of running the railway, and as we become more efficient with an improving network, the way we do maintenance has to evolve”.

Other Regional Press

• City leader calls for cycling strategy to attract cash CYCLE schemes are failing to attract cash from developers because Oxford does not have a proper Cycling strategy, the leader of the city council said.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Revealed: the billion-pound gamble18 January: We've unearthed loads of reports by the Highways Agency which prove road building is poor value for money and doesn't solve people's transport problems. <!--break--> We often hear from road builders that the case for road building is rock solid. But a number of reports, commissioned by the Highways Agency, show that people who build roads cannot predict what will happen once the tarmac is poured. read more

Other News Sources

• Thameslink back to 'normal' THAMESLINK commuters are experiencing a normal service today, according to train company First Capital Connect.
• Ricoh Arena rail station plan hit by new delays DELAYED plans for a new rail service through Coventry and Warwickshire stopping at the Ricoh Arena face further hold-ups.
• New cycle racks for Himley Hall CYCLISTS visiting Himley Hall and Park have been given a wheelie good start to the new year after new cycle racks were installed.
• Warning of transport problems in Waveney Road, bus and rail users face disruption in Waveney when Network Rail carries out work on the East Suffolk railway line.

News from Europe

• Austria rail, Deutsche settle $884 mln CDO dispute VIENNA, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Austria's state-owned railway OeBB and Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) have settled a legal dispute over about 613 million euros ($884 million) worth of derivatives which had pushed OeBB into a near 1 billion euro loss last year.