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

Sunday, 07 February 2010

BBC News

• Tube workers end 24-hour strikeLondon Underground maintenance workers end the first in a series of 24-hour strikes in a row over rosters and outsourcing of work.

The Herald

• Oil costs fuel rise in producer pricesUK producer prices rose to a 13-month high of 3.8% in the year through January, up from the 3.5% rate reported a month earlier, due to the rising cost of petroleum and manufactured products as well as tobacco and alcohol, according to official figures yesterday.

The Observer

• Tories in talks with National Express over rail franchisesThe Conservative party has signalled that it will let National Express re-enter the rail franchise market in two years' time after a period of purdah in the wake of the £1.4bn east coast debacle.

The Telegraph

• Sticky accelerator 'caused Toyota crash' Daniel Zatz was driving his two-year-old Toyota Aygo when he approached a junction near his home in Greater Manchester. The 34-year-old took his foot off the accelerator to allow the car to slow down.
• More than seven million cars recalled in UK Figures include more than 480,000 Toyotas, which is at the centre of one of the biggest global car recalls.

Times Online

• Heathrow airport expansion cover-upThe Department for Transport (DfT) is facing a criminal investigation following a complaint that it deleted sensitive internal emails about the expansion of Heathrow airport.
• Drive the MV Agusta F4 - the Ferrari of motorbikes The MV Agusta F4 is often described as the Ferrari of superbikes — and it has a £14,250 price tag to match. But you could get a taste of the two-wheeled high life for free, thanks to the MV on Tour test days later this month at the Rockingham racetrack in Northamptonshire.
• The expert driver: Coping with a stuck accelerator As Toyota recalls millions of its cars because of problems with sticking accelerator pedals, drivers will be wondering what to do if this happens to them. Staying calm is the key.
• Drive of the Week: Tesla Roadster Sport It’s a year since Tesla launched the Roadster, a compelling mix of Silicon Valley wizardry and East Anglian engineering, courtesy of Lotus. The alliance resulted in an American/British electric sports car that came tantalisingly close to winning over even petrolheads — though only ones with £90,000 to spare.
• Martin Halstead, nicknamed THE airline entrepreneur nicknamed œBaby Branson is back in business four years after the collapse of his maiden enterprise.
• Toyota drivers warn of new riskTOYOTA is facing a raft of legal actions alleging that drivers have been seriously hurt and even killed because of problems with their cars™ electronic throttle control systems.

Daily Express

• BA pensions closure fearBRITISH Airways has given its clearest warning yet that it may have to close its final-salary pension schemes to existing members.

The Sun

• Rail networks looking at DNA technology to catch thievesTechniques used to convict murderers and rapists could soon be used to catch thieves who steal railway tracks and cables. The North East is the worst area in the UK for gangs who steal metal from train lines and try to sell it for scrap.Last year, in the UK, there were nearly 2,000 thefts, of which more than 800 were in the region.

Birmingham Mail

• M6 toll road charges reach £5 per carTHE company that operates the M6 Toll road has defended its latest inflation-busting price rise.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Final farewell from Portsmouth ship's crewDRESSED in their marching best, sailors from HMS Nottingham said a final goodbye.
• MP backs campaign for lower train faresA PORTSMOUTH MP is calling for a review of train fares in a bid to get prices lowered.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• New interactive website reveals grim toll of tragedy on our roadsRoad safety campaigners have turned to the internet to try to reduce the number of deaths on north and north-east country roads.

The York Press

• Chaos fears over Gillygate COUNCILLORS have warned that motorists and residents face œabsolute chaos when a key stretch of York™s inner ring road closes for six weeks later this month.
• York technicians to learn how to fit missing device in cars MECHANICS at a Toyota service centre in York are to receive training to fit a potentially life-saving component to recalled vehicles.

Wales Online

• Labour and Tories at odds over rail electrification planLABOUR and the Conservatives were embroiled in a fresh spat last night over plans to electrify the main train line through South Wales.

Sunderland Echo

• Untaxed cars towed awayMore than 20 motorists had their vehicles clamped after a crackdown on tax dodgers.

Other Regional Press

• Huddersfield bus lane plan not welcomedIT has sparked a massive amount of controversy – and been condemned as “crackpot”.
• Second stage of Pudsey Bus Station work beginsClosure from Sunday 14 February will mean temporary Market Place & Church Lane stands for all bus station services.
• Road safety advice on offer THE Somerset Road Safety Partnership will be holding a driver awareness evening on February 16 at the Tatworth Memorial Hall.
• Leicestershire rail travellers left trappedFirst it was leaves on the line, then the wrong kind of snow – and now the freezing winter weather is bringing a new misery for rail...
• Drivers caught by police in Leicester city centreMore than 300 motorists have paid the price for driving illegally on a stretch of road open only to buses, taxis and disabled drivers....
• Driver jumped level crossing A FARM labourer went through a railway crossing as the barriers were being lowered, a court heard.

Washington Post

• General-aviation security plan is being scaled back Citing industry objections, the Transportation Security Administration is preparing to scale back a controversial plan to expand aviation security rules for the first time to thousands of private planes.

Railway Gazette

• SBB to split freight business SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways is to hive off its international freight operation as an independent business. Announcing the move on February 4, SBB said that it will continue to operate domestic wagonload services, which will be 'further standardised' and tailored more for its customers with 'a full product portfolio'. The international freight business will be restructured as a separate company whose objectives include better cost control, streamlined management and use of a simple IT system. The reshaped business will concentrate on hauling trainload traffic between North Sea ports and...
• Suzhou metro makes progress CHINA: Siemens has received a €20m order from Nanjing Research Institute of Electronic Technology to supply CBTC signalling for Suzhou metro Line 1. As main contractor, Nriet is responsible for installation integration, and will also co-operate with Siemens on the Vicos OC 501 operations control system. Nanjing Kangni Mechanical & Electrical Co Ltd was recently awarded a 24m yuan order from CSR to supply sliding plug doors for Suzhou's rolling stock. The 26 km east-west line from Zhongnanjie to Lingtianche is due to enter service in mid-2012. Work has also started on the 26 km Line 2, r...

Aviation Industry

• US Airways January Traffic Down 1.3 PercentUS Airways Group Inc. said Wednesday that January traffic fell 1.3 percent across its system, although it collected more money from the passengers it flew.
• Flying 'salad dodgers' create new meaning for 'wide body'Air France's decision to require obese passengers unable to squeeze into a single seat to book a second one superficially might not seem like such a dramatic event but widespread publicity shows that it may have a lot of future implications.

Other News Sources

• Train operator on right tracksNew survey figures from the Passenger Focus group show Essex train operator c2c - a National Express franchise - continuing to deliver excellent levels of customer satisfaction in achieving 90 per cent overall in the category in the autumn 2009 poll.
• Future for transport in Hereford up for debate THE future for transport in Hereford is up for debate when Rail for Herefordshire holds its AGM at All Saints™ Church, Hereford, from 7.30pm on Thursday, February 11.
• British Airways Adds Extra Frequency To New London City RoutesBritish Airways increases peak season frequency to its new services to Majorca and Ibiza shortly after announcing the launch of the new routes from London City airport.
• Jobs to go at Shoreham Airport Jobs are being axed and opening hours could be slashed at Shoreham Airport.
• Russian cargo ship docks at International Space StationThe Progress M-04M docked automatically with the orbital station after a two-day trip up from Earth, Russian Mission Control spokesman Valery Lyndin said. The International Space Station, a US$100-bil...
• Land Rover seeks to tap Iranian marketThe firm, which was sold by US giant Ford to India’s Tata Motors in 2008, is seeking homologation, or official approval, from the Iranian authorities. “We’re currently studying the opportunity i...
• Haulage fleets targetedHauliers have been hit by a nationwide crime wave of thieves stealing batteries, warns the Road Haulage Association. œEveryone working in the transport industry should be extra vigilant, said RHA security manager Chrys Rampley. And she urges operators across theindustry to report any theft or attempted theft. œThieves are cutting through the security fences at transport depots [...]
• Calls for inquiry into northern bypass workCampaigners opposed to plans for a Norwich northern bypass and thousands of new homes around the northern edge of the city are calling for a public inquiry to be held as work gets set to start on the first phase of the road project.
• Black ice causes spate of Norfolk crashesThere were almost 20 crashes on Norfolk's roads on Saturday morning, as drivers struggled to cope with black ice.
• Airport looking for 50 female security officersSTANSTED Airport has announced it will be creating 50 new jobs for female security officers in time for the peak holiday season.