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

Friday, 12 February 2010

BBC News

• M4 in Wales to be 'hydrogen highway,' ministers to say Ministers are due to announce the M4 in south Wales is to become a "hydrogen highway" with alternative energy refuelling points at set locations.
• Union says bus stoning must stop A union has warned that bus drivers will withdraw their services from areas where vehicles are repeatedly being attacked with stones.
• Speed reduction plan in Oxfordshire concerns police Speed limits will be cut on dozens of key roads in Oxfordshire, despite the reservations of police.
• Cash boost for Durham and Stockton street lighting A £125m Government cash boost is set to improve street lighting in Durham and Stockton. The funding, under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), was announced by the Transport Minister Sadiq Khan.
• Volkswagen recalls cars in BrazilVolkswagen recalls nearly 200,000 cars in Brazil because of a potential rear wheel problem that could cause them to fall off.
• Eurostar releases report on snowCompany told to improve snow protection and communications after pre-Christmas snow stranded 100,000 passengers.

Department for Transport

• Transport StatisticsThe Department for Transport has today published the following Transport Statistics:
• £620 Million government funding for councils to improve street lightingSeven local authorities in England will benefit from a total of £620 million of Government funding to install improved street lighting, Transport Minister Sadiq Khan announced today.

Financial Times

• BAA tax victory likely to cost £100mThe airport operator's court victory over the tax treatment of takeover costs is likely to end up costing the Exchequer £100m as a swathe of other acquisition targets mount similar claims
• Air China agrees to purchase Airbus aircraftThe flagship state-controlled airline will buy 20 A320 aircraft from the European aerospace group in a deal that follows a similar agreement by rival China Southern Airlines
• BNSF chief hits at short-termismMatthew Rose says it could be frustrating dealing with quarterly earnings announcements as he prepares to delist North America's second-biggest rail company after its takeover by Warren Buffett
• Neptune Orient reports its biggest lossContainer shipping line slumps to a $741m loss for the year on revenue down 30 per cent to $6.52bn, ahead of what are expected to be equally grim results from the sector

The Guardian

• Fire and ice: Eurostar's recent woes How cross-Channel rail passengers have been delayed
• Lord Adonis orders Toyota UK chief to explain recall crisis Whitehall meeting to discuss response to the accelerator and brake problems affecting eight models

The Herald

• Inquiry claims Eurostar had no plan to cope with transport meltdown Eurostar had “no plan in place” to deal with the travel chaos created by the breakdown of five trains in the Channel Tunnel, an independent report into the pre-Christmas debacle has said.
• Councils failing to set targets on green issuesCouncils across Scotland are failing to address national environmental targets and making themselves unaccountable to the public, leading charities have warned.
• Speedboat vies for ferry routeA floating bus has already been suggested, but now an inflatable speedboat could be the answer to keeping the Renfrew crossing above water.

The Scotsman

• Eurostar report on snow releasedMore rescue trains, better communications and improved "snow-proofing" of trains are expected to be recommended in an independent inquiry report into the pre-Christmas

Times Online

• One in ten trains arrive late, according to official figuresTrains have arrived a total of twenty-five years late in the past five years, an official audit of the national railway has revealed. Since 2004, one in ten trains arrived late and one in a hundred was cancelled, according to data revealed by a freedom of information request.
• Competition Commission fights on over BAA salesThe competition watchdog is to push ahead with its attempt to break up BAA™s airport portfolio.
• Renault goes into reverse despite lift from cash for bangers schemesRenault yesterday joined PSA Peugeot Citroën in reporting startlingly deep losses for 2009, the worst year for the automotive industry in a generation. But like its French archrival, Renault promised to be back with a bang and increase market share at the expense of spluttering Toyota.
• BA suspends staff over alleged intimidationBritish Airways said that it had suspended a number of staff pending investigation into alleged intimidation.

Daily Express

• EasyJet in legal spatTHE founder of budget airline easyJet has threatened to sue rival Ryanair over an advertising campaign that claims easyJet has been

Mail Online

• Poorly maintained trains responsible for Eurostar chaos that saw 2,000 passengers trapped in tunnel

The Mirror

• Eurostar report on snow releasedMore rescue trains, better communications and improved

Birmingham Mail

• Campaigners in Acocks Green hand in petition to save 41 bus routeTRANSPORT bosses have been handed a petition from passengers angry their bus service has been axed.

Bristol Live

• Bristol MPs are among those calling for a review of rail fares. Bristol MPs are among those calling for a review of rail fares. A group of 59 MPs has endorsed the Campaign for Better Transport's call for a review of rail fares regulation.

Journal Live

• Council grit shortage may cause road chaosCOUNCILS in the North East are struggling to keep roads gritted during the cold weather after civil servants turned down “desperate” pleas for more salt.
• Nissan unveil latest car built at Sunderland plantCAR giant Nissan last night unveiled its latest model to be built in Sunderland at a special launch in Paris.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyrail trains are most reliable in the UKTRAIN operator Merseyrail provided the most reliable service in the UK, according to new figures.

Liverpool Post

• Merseyrail named best performing rail company in UKTRAIN operator Merseyrail provides the most reliable service in the UK, according to new figures.
• Wirral bid for new train stationsWIRRAL’S cabinet member for transport is aiming to increase the pressure on Merseytravel to build two new railway stations in the borough.
• Liverpool-Kirkby Merseytram Compulsory Purchase Order bid could affect 800 homes along routeUP TO 800 homes and businesses along the route of the proposed Merseytram line could be affected by compulsory purchase orders in order to make way for the long-awaited scheme.

London Evening Standard

• Boris Johnson takes on the ’bullies’ evicting residents to make way for Crossrail Boris Johnson has been forced to intervene after claims that Crossrail is bullying homeowners into selling their properties.
• Eurostar report on snow releasedMore rescue trains, better communications and improved

Metro

• Eurostar report on snow releasedMore rescue trains, better communications and improved

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Nissan unveils new car to be built in SunderlandNISSAN has unveiled its latest model to be built in the region which will help secure 1,000s of local jobs.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Push to get rural road upgradedCOUNCILLORS will be urged to back plans to make a stretch of rural road an agreed timber haulage route when they meet next week.
• Transport bosses can ˜do no more™ to lessen impact of A82 closuresTransport bosses say they have done all they can to lessen the impact of overnight closure of the A82 on Fort William businesses, hoteliers, guesthouse owners and residents.
• Fresh hope in fight for north fuel price cuts The campaign for fuel-duty rebates in remote parts of Scotland was given a major boost last night as the UK Government agreed to examine similar schemes being operated in Europe.

The Shields Gazette

• The car which will secure thousands of jobsTHIS is the car that is set to secure thousands of North East jobs.
• Fears over new road grit crisisCOUNCILS in North East England are facing another grit crisis as the winter weather continues.

Other Regional Press

• Speed limits slashed - despite police objections TRANSPORT chiefs have criticised police for not turning up to explain their objections as the row over speed limit cuts on the county™s roads intensified.
• Rival airport route no threat to Southampton AIRLINE Flybe has moved to dismiss fears it may switch from Southampton Airport to its Bournemouth rival, after bosses revealed plans to launch flights there for the first time.
• Row over extra cash for 'unsafe' new roadCORNWALL Council has been forced to spend up to £30,000 after a new road layout near Penryn was judged potentially unsafe. One local...
• London commuters to face Thornhill parking charge COMMUTERS using Thornhill park-and-ride to take buses to London, Heathrow and Gatwick could soon be charged.
• Speed limits slashed - despite police objections TRANSPORT chiefs have criticised police for not turning up to explain their objections as the row over speed limit cuts on the county™s roads intensified.
• Classic of Huddersfield’s trolley bus history set to ride againLOW-EMISSION electric-powered public transport – it’s the stuff of environmentalists’ dreams.
• Coventry commuters hit by road and rail chaosCOMMUTERS in the Coventry region were hit by travel chaos yesterday.

Forbes

• Building A Better Biofuel BugScientists have engineered a new bacteria strain that spits out biodiesel.

Transport for London

• Travel, art and portraiture expand the mind for young people from Brent Tube customers will be able to enjoy new photo-portraits of young people at Kingsbury and Charing Cross Underground stations from Monday 15 February.

Aviation Industry

• American Airlines to charge $50 for coach standby Next time you think about flying standby on American Airlines, be prepared to give the gate agent your name and $50. The days of hanging around the agent's desk, hoping for a free switch to an earlier flight are over at American for many passengers.

Green Miscellany

• My other electric bicycle is a Ducati Ducati has built its reputation on producing thoroughbred twin-cylinder sports motorcycles, but the latest two-wheeler in the Italian company™s range is an electric bicycle with a top speed of 15mph.read more
• Mobile hydrogen for fuel cell black cabs The 200 fuel cell black cabs due to hit London™s streets in time for the Olympics will have additional locations from which to refuel following the decision by Air Products to launch five hydrogen filling stations in 2012.read more
• The fastest folding bicycle in the world “ and it™s full-sized, too It™s not as small as a Brompton, as light as a Dahon or as finely engineered as a Moulton but a new design by Makoto Asawa promises to be the fastest-collapsing bicycle on the market with a folding time of two seconds.read more

Other News Sources

• Uckfield station Uckfield’s new station building is making rapid progress and is expected to be open for business in early March. We understand there will be a ceremony to mark the occasion.
• Fears over extra trains promise Oldham’s remaining railway stations have two of the highest growth rates in Greater Manchester — but the prospect of easing overcrowding there looks bleak, say experts.
• Crossrail passes another milestone Work at the Canary Wharf Crossrail station took a major step forward today as Transport Minister Sadiq Khan MP flicked the switch on pumps draining nearly 100 million litres - the equivalent to 40 Olympic swimming pools - from the worksite over the next six weeks.
• ODA’s Higgins becomes Network Rail non execNetwork Rail has appointed Olympic Delivery Authority chief executive David Higgins as a non-executive director.
• ORR approves East Coast Main Line track access applications The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has today approved track access applications giving train companies rights to run additional and/or amended passenger services on the East Coast Main Line (ECML).
• First Capital Connect Boss Says: 'Judge Us On Our Actions' NEW First Capital Connect (FCC) boss Neal Lawson has got a tough task on his hands. He faces an uphill struggle to convince the thousands of commuters using the Thameslink line every day that the company is worthy of keeping its franchise
• New traffic scheme gets the go-aheadA new congestion-busting road network to combat one of Wigan's worst traffic blackspots has been given the green light.
• Retail property vacancies spell bad news for busesAt first sight, today™s news about the number of vacant properties in town centres may seem to have little to do with transport or buses. In fact, the figures are very important indeed, because they tell us a great deal about the overall prosperity of our town and city centres “ upon which the viability [...]
• Crossrail Canary Wharf station cofferdam draining beginsWork on Crossrail hit another milestone today as site workers began draining a cofferdam that will partly form the new Canary Wharf station.
• BAA told to decide on second Stansted runwayThe government has asked airports operator BAA to decide whether it wants to press ahead with planning applications for a second runway at Stansted, and to resubmit new proposals if so.
• Network Rail puts £100m account out to tenderNetwork Rail has put its £100m media contract out to tender under statutory review, covering adverts placed across its 18 core stations.
• East Coast unveils small but beautiful campaignTrain operator East Coast is launching a œMiniature Prices TV and national press marketing campaign to attract motorists and domestic airline passengers on to its trains.
• VIDEO: On the buses with Esther Rantzen The would-be MP get a slice of real Luton life
• Siemens Sets New Standards For Automatic Number Plate RecognitionSicore is the new-generation ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) camera system designed by Siemens Mobility to read number plates automatically...
• Baggage weight campaign action at UK airportEuropean aviation workers will this week call on the travelling public at one of the UK’s major airports to “pack less” as part of a baggage weight campaign, launched last year.
• Lufthansa Cargo reduces short-time working to 20% Lufthansa Cargo has signed a new agreement, effective until February 28th, 2011, the airline is reducing the short-time working rate for its ground staff in Germany to 20%. read more
• Mouchel JVs confirmed for MAC Areas 1 and 13Mouchel today announced that it had been awarded the Management Agent Contractor deals for Highways Agency Areas 1 and 13, covering Devon and Cornwall and Cumbria and North Lancashire respectively.
• Forth Road Bridge tenders this yearThe two consortia fighting it out for £1.2 billion of work on the new Forth Road Bridge have been asked to submit their tenders for the first package by December.

News from Europe

• Commission launches a one-stop helpdesk for motorways of the sea The European Commission has launched a one-stop helpdesk on funding possibilities for "motorways of the sea" projects under the Trans-European Network for Transport (TEN-T) programme and the Marco Polo programme. It will also point to other relevant national and European Union funding schemes. The "motorways of the sea" initiative is a TEN-T priority project that aims to promote green, viable, attractive and efficient sea-based transport links integrated through the entire transport chain.
• EU 'wise men' chief wants more rail, less road"We cannot avoid going back to the concept of railways. In the past, railways were a response to industrialisation and changing times, and will be so again in the future. I don't want to shock anyone, but the comparison can be used," said González as he collected a European Railway Award this week for his contribution to modernising the Spanish transport system. He said that compared to other alternatives, rail transport - both passenger and freight - is particularly suited to "Europe's dimensions and demographic density". ...
• Commission launches a one-stop helpdesk for motorways of the sea The European Commission has launched a one-stop helpdesk on funding possibilities for "motorways of the sea" projects under the Trans-European Network for Transport (TEN-T) programme and the Marco Polo programme. It will also point to other relevant national and European Union funding schemes. The "motorways of the sea" initiative is a TEN-T priority project that aims to promote green, viable, attractive and efficient sea-based transport links integrated through the entire transport chain.
• Bulgaria's rail infrastructure firm launches modernisation tender Bulgaria's National Railroad Infrastructure Company (NRIC) has launched a public tender to pick a company to modernise the Plovdiv – Bourgas railroad section, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) said on February 11 2010.
• EU Investigates Air Freight FirmsBRUSSELS—The European Commission said Wednesday it has sent formal antitrust charges to air-freight-forwarding companies on suspicion they operated a cartel on several global routes
• Controversy mounts in EU over fall-out from biofuel Fresh controversy is mounting within the European Union over biofuels and their unintended impact on tropical forests and wetlands, documents show.
• EU transportation ministers to discuss airport security European Union transport ministers will meet in La Coruna on Friday to discuss airport security and other issues.