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

Thursday, 28 January 2010

BBC News

• Major roads 'not meeting top safety rating' Only half of the motorways in England reach the top safety rating, with other major roads much worse, a report says.
• Bath transport plan protesters to hold public meeting People campaigning against a £57m transport plan for Bath will hold a public meeting on Wednesday to discuss a legal challenge.
• Backing for rail crossing barrier call A survey on safety at railway level crossings has suggested that most users want barriers installed on those without them, an MSP has said.
• Most drivers 'feel they are superior behind the wheel' Most motorists fancy themselves as better drivers than others on the road, Canadian psychologists have found.
• Application to sell port of Dover The Board for the Port of Dover has revealed that it has applied to the government to sell the port and is awaiting approval.
• Severn toll payment by credit card 'likely' Motorists are "likely" to be allowed to use credit and debit cards to pay tolls on the Severn Bridges, Wales' transport minister has said.
• Airline's hopes for new investorHighland Airways says it hopes to make an announcement on its position following talks with a new investor.
• Toyota halts sales of US modelsToyota says it will suspend sales of some of its most popular US models after recalling 2.3 million cars last week.
• Boeing revenue rebounds sharplyAircraft maker Boeing reports better-than-expected fourth quarter profits after revenues see a sharp jump.
• 'Worst year for airlines' in 2009The year 2009 saw the biggest decline in air passenger traffic in the post-war era, says airline industry body Iata.

Department for Transport

• New Chairman appointed to lead HS2Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis today announced the appointment of Sir Brian Briscoe as the new Chairman of HS2, the company established by the Government to advise on the development of high-speed rail services between London and Scotland.
• New law to keep banned drivers off UK and Irish roads - Embargoed until 0001 Thursday 28 January 2010A new law to keep disqualified drivers off UK and Irish roads comes into force today.

Financial Times

• Dover port seeks private capitalEurope's busiest ferry port looks set to turn its back on more than four centuries of public ownership by bringing in outside investors to fund a £400m expansion
• Air New Zealand unveils flat-bed economy seatThe airline says 'Skycouch', a row of three seats that can be folded down all the way to the seat in front, will revolutionise the gruesome 24-hour flights endured by budget-conscious passengers
• Lebedev to sell Aeroflot stake back to airline Russian tycoon is to sell his 25.8% in the company back to the state-controlled airline at a discount as part of a plan to generate funds for other projects

The Guardian

• The first lie-down economy class bedAirline unveils

The Herald

• Glasgow tram plan is on track Mention the word “tram” to any taxi driver in Edinburgh and you would likely be treated to an embittered diatribe couched in strong language.
• Bus inquiry chair steps down after objection raisedThe man in charge of the competition probe which resulted in Stagecoach being ordered to sell its Preston Bus operation in Lancashire has withdrawn from an examination of the wider bus market following an objection.

The Telegraph

• Britain's 'most dangerous' trunk road named A 10-mile stretch of the A5 between Daventry and Rugby has been named and shamed as Britain's most dangerous trunk road.

Times Online

• Lord Adonis threatens First Capital Connect with loss of contractFirst Capital Connect, the operator of one of the country™s busiest commuter routes, remains under scrutiny and could yet be stripped of its franchise, the Transport Secretary told The Times last night.

Daily Express

• Aer Lingus plan for top-ups on ticketsAER Lingus is to start charging for more services as it promotes itself to passengers as a hybrid between no-frills arch-rival Ryanair and a full-service airline.

Network Rail

• STATION REVAMP REVEALED

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• New ticket barriers go live at railway station New automatic ticket barriers have received a mixed reception from passengers arriving at Bradford Interchange rail station.

Journal Live

• Airport’s new bid for compensationDURHAM Tees Valley Airport is mounting a fresh legal bid to force up to £12m compensation from budget airline, Bmibaby, which it claims withdrew its fleet in breach of contractual obligations.
• Highways Agency consider 'cheap' solution to gridlocked A1MOTORISTS will be forced to accept reduced speed limits and narrower lanes along the A1 Western Bypass as a “cheap” solution to widening the road.

Liverpool Echo

• Liverpool John Lennon Airport owner upbeat despite £13m lossLIVERPOOL John Lennon Airport’s owner Peel Holdings (Airports) has reported widening losses but believes economic recovery will revive its fortunes.
• Bendy buses banned in London set for Liverpool’s streetsBENDY buses banned from London’s roads over safety fears are set to be unveiled in Liverpool.
• Shipping giant Maersk axes nearly a third of Liverpool HQ staffALMOST a third of jobs at Danish shipping group Maersk’s UK headquarters in Liverpool are to be axed.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• City council claims it repairs nearly 200 potholes each dayAberdeen City Council has claimed it is repairing almost 200 potholes a day as anger mounts over the state of the roads after the big freeze.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• West Yorkshire: Train fare increase for the elderlyConcessionary rail fares for elderly West Yorkshire passengers could almost double, transport bosses admitted today.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Embattled rail company facing payout of up to £1mA commuter rail line linking Bedford to London that has enraged passengers with three months of delays and cancellations has upped its compensation offer amid calls for it to

Sunderland Echo

• Airport in new £12m compensation bidDurham Tees Valley Airport has mounted a fresh legal bid to force up to £12million compensation from Bmibaby.

Other Regional Press

• Swinney urged to dig deep and find rail link cashJohn Swinney has been challenged to reveal full details of the Government™s spending in a bid to identify cash that could fund the Glasgow Airport Rail Link.
• Eco plan to make Glasgow greenerA new scheme has been launched to drive down carbon emissions in Glasgow and meet the city™s future energy needs.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Politicians must set out their plans for improving everyday transport26 January: We're launching today our manifesto for improving everyday transport. We'll be challlenging politicians in the run-up to the election to tell us what they would do to make it easier to travel by public transport, walking and cycling. read more

Aviation Industry

• Hampshire™s leaders salute Southampton Airport™s centenary yearKey figures from the Hampshire region have saluted the start of Southampton Airport's centenary year.

Green Miscellany

• The electric car that thinks it™s a bicycle The Tajima Motors EV Mini Sport looks like no other bicycle on the road, but the single-seat, mid-engined electric vehicle is classed as a motorised cycle in Japan because its motor is rated at 0.59kW. read more

Other News Sources

• £30,000 discount ticket giveaway on the buses Bus chiefs are offering £30,000 worth of discounts to travellers who make use of a new system to buy tickets on mobile phones.
• Arriva In Talks With SNCF on Keolis Tie - Up Transport group Arriva has held talks with France's state railway group SNCF, about a possible equity link-up with its transport unit Keolis.
• Arriva in talks with SNCF on Keolis tie-up Transport group Arriva has held talks with France's state railway group SNCF, about a possible equity link-up with its transport unit Keolis.
• Eurostar review due in early February The independent review into the Eurostar debacle before Christmas is due to be published in early February, the joint chairmen of the review said on 27 January. The full statement from Christopher Garnett and Claude Gressier, Joint Chairmen of the Eurostar Independent Review, said:
• BNSF Cuts Transit Times On 60% Of Domestic Premium Intermodal Traffic Reducing transit time up to half a day and adding 16 additional days of service BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) has reduced transit schedules on 60.0% of its Domestic Intermodal Premium Container traffic and added 16 more days of service. These changes are a direct result of feedback from the Company’s domestic carrier customers on what they require to attract more over-the-road freight to a truck-rail intermodal solution.
• Wrexham & Shropshire train company to hold more university lectures on their trains A ONE-OFF history lecture which took place on a train from Wrexham to London has proved so popular that more are in the pipeline.
• HARLOW: £4.8m Funding Windfall For A414 Improvement Plan At Burnt Mill The proposed scheme involves the roundabout near Harlow Town train station and the nearby bridge over the rail line, a notorious bottleneck during peak rush-hour periods.
• A14 one of least safe roads in country One of the main roads serving Suffolk has been scored among the lowest in a new safety inspection carried out across England's road network, it can be revealed today.
• Confirmed: Dover harbour is to be sold Dover Harbour Board has revealed it is to go ahead with its privatisation plans, making it among the first in the country to shed its trust port status.The board said in a statement that the change would ensure it received the investment necessary for it to deliver new capacity and meet the long-term needs of customers.Chairman Roger Mountford said: “Dover has a port of which it can be very proud.“Over recent years the port has grown and broadened....
• Norman Baker MP to open BTMS 2010 Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Norman Baker MP will officially open the 2010 Business Travel & Meetings Show with a special opening address on Centre Stage at 9:45 on Tuesday 9 February.

News from Europe

• The National Belgian Railway Chooses Altitude Software Solution for InternationalContactCenterThe National Belgian Railway Company (NMBS/SNCB) and Altitude Software, the independent global contact center solutions vendor, announce the successful implementation of the Altitude uCI 7.5 solution within the contact center of NMBS/SNCB Europe.
• The National Belgian Railway Chooses Altitude Software Solution for InternationalContactCenterThe National Belgian Railway Company (NMBS/SNCB) and Altitude Software, the independent global contact center solutions vendor, announce the successful implementation of the Altitude uCI 7.5 solution within the contact center of NMBS/SNCB Europe.
• Commission authorises state aid to a Franco-Spanish Motorways of the Sea projectThe European Commission has given its green light for the public financing from France and Spain to the Fres Mos project. It will link the French port of Nantes-Saint Nazaire with the Spanish port of Gijon, and will be operated by GLD Atlantique. This Motorways of the Sea project will also receive an EU grant in the framework of the 2009 Marco Polo II call for proposals
• European Parliament suspicious of new anti-terror measures Brussels - New security measures, such as the introduction of full body scanners in airports and intrusive data-sharing deals with the United States, are not necessarily the right answer to terrorist threats, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) said on Wednesday. MEPs discussed the issue in Brussels in two separate hearings with Jonathan Faull, head of the European Commission's justice department, and Gilles de Kerkhove, the EU's anti-terrorism supremo.

Other Subscription Services

• Response to press reports: Statement regarding Keolis SA ("Keolis") The Board affirms that discussions are at a preliminary exploratory stage and there is no certainty that any agreement will be reached.
• Hapag-Lloyd may not need aid as it reaches breakevenFresh doubts raised over Brussels acceptance of €1.2bn guarantees
• Brussels approves first motorway of the seaFrance and Spain will each contribute €15m to a joint venture run by Italy’s Grimaldi and Louis Dreyfus Armateurs.