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Friday, 26 February 2010

BBC News

• Extra £825,000 to ease congestion in the Bristol area An extra £825,000 is to be ploughed into tackling congestion in the greater Bristol urban area.
• Wigan Council criticised over mayor's second car A Greater Manchester council has been criticised over a proposal to spend £27,000 on a second car for its mayor.
• High-tech kit to help congestion after road collisions High-tech equipment to reduce road closure times after major incidents is being introduced.
• Rail proposals 'may affect' Sussex economies Proposals to cut a direct train route between Hastings and London Cannon Street would deter commuters from living in East Sussex an MP has said.
• Immingham port road upgrade plan approved A scheme to widen the main road to the port of Immingham has been awarded £110m of funding, paving the way for thousands of new jobs to be created.
• Taxi rule change for 'eco cabs'A driver persuades a council to depart from licensing rules so he can run smaller, greener taxis which can carry only two people.
• Historic bridge condition concernFears are raised about the future of a historic Borders bridge over the River Tweed due to an ongoing ownership dispute.
• Criticism over mayor's second carA Greater Manchester council is criticised over a proposal to spend £27,000 on a second car for its mayor.
• Electric car scheme secures £17mLondon Mayor Boris Johnson secures £17m to fund thousands of electric car charge points across the city.
• Iberia records huge loss in 2009Spanish airline Iberia, which is merging with British Airways, reports a worse-than-expected loss for 2009.
• Green lightThe North East of England eyes a low carbon future
• Recall by three Japan carmakersNissan, Daihatsu and Suzuki Motor announce the recall of thousands of vehicles, mostly in Japan.

Department for Transport

• Bold new THINK! campaign to cut motorcyclist deaths - Under Embargo until 0001 Friday 26 February 2010Motorcyclists will see their names up in lights as part of a bold new THINK! campaign to save lives on the roads.

Financial Times

• Indian rail to cut freight chargesIndia's state-owned railways, one of the largest and most profitable networks in the world, will cut freight charges for the transport of food grains as part of an effort to cool rising food prices
• Cathay buys into Air China CargoCathay Pacific, the Hong Kong airline, reaches an agreement to invest in a Chinese air cargo operation after almost four years of negotiations with its partner, Air China
• East Coast loss hurts National ExpressUnderlying full-year profits at the transport operator fall 43% due to the expense of handing back the East Coast rail franchise and lower margins on its US and UK bus businesses
• BAA wins appeal over airports break-upA tribunal rules that the airports operator can keep Stansted, Glasgow and Edinburgh airports, giving the group a victory in its fight against an antitrust watchdog order to break itself up
• Iberia reports first loss in 13 years Spanish flag carrier reports its first full-year loss in 13 years as the global downturn in premium travel and domestic recession takes its toll
• French shipping line misses out on aidStruggling container shipping line will receive no conventional state aid but has spent months trying to persuade France's sovereign wealth fund to invest

The Guardian

• Electric car grants scheme backfiresSlow roll-out of electric vehicles means pricey Tesla Roadster and Mitsubishi i-Miev will be only two cars eligible for new £5,000 grantSubsidising expensive sports cars is not the most obvious way to fight global warming. But soon, anyone with £87,000 will be able to claim a UK taxpayer-funded £5,000 grant to help them buy Tesla's supercharged electric car, the Roadster, in the name of cutting carbon emissions.The Guardian has learned the Tesla Roadster is one of just two cars that will be available from the start of a new government grants scheme announced today to encourage the take-up of g...

The Herald

• Salmond pushes for reform of SPTFirst Minister Alex Salmond has said the Government would press for an under-fire transport body to œreform itself.
• Service will continue after ferry axed, council pledgesA passenger service across the River Clyde will continue when the Renfrew Ferry is scrapped next month, a council leader has said.
• UK drivers least green in Europe, says surveyBritish drivers are the least green in Europe but the most likely to be influenced by prices, a survey has found.
• Airport sale held up as appeal case is rejectedThe forced sale of Glasgow or Edinburgh airport has been mired in further legal wrangles which could see the original ruling to break up owner BAA thrown out or massively extended.

The Independent

• Leading article: A strike from the past The jumbo jet age began in 1970. By doubling the seats available on a single aircraft, the Boeing 747 changed the game of aviation. The low-cost revolution of the past 15 years has done much the same for European travellers.

Times Online

• We would take the train again, despite lossesNational Express may still bid for future rail franchises, even though it lost more than £56 million on the East Coast main line last year — and finally handed it back to the Government in December.
• Government offers grants to buy £80,000 Tesla electric sports car Taxpayers will subsidise the purchase of luxury sports cars under a £230 million scheme intended to help the environment. The Tesla Roadster, which runs on electric power but does 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds, will qualify for a £5,000 grant under the Government’s electric-car scheme, which starts in January 2011. Even with the grant it will cost £82,000. The only other car to qualify for the subsidy will be the Misubishi i-MiEV, which costs £25,000 without the grant. Nissan and Ford are also expected to introduce qualifying electric models in 2011 or t...
• National Express falls into red on rail lossesNational Express, the bus and rail operator, has posted a 43 per cent decline in full-year pre-tax profit after handing back its flagship East Coast Main Line franchise to the Government.
• Three more Japanese firms recall half a million carsNissan, Suzuki and Daihatsu have issued significant vehicle recalls because of problems with their electronics ” the area that some believe to be the unresolved fault with Toyota cars.

Daily Express

• National Express £83m in redPROFITS at National Express came off the rails after the train, bus and coach operator failed to hold its East Coast rail franchise, writes Philip Waller.

ATOC

• Greater reliance on private sector could generate hundreds of millions to improve Britain's stationsTom Smith, Chairman of ATOC, sets out proposals to bring more private sector investment into stations

Bolton News

• Rail fare dodgers fined by court RAIL passengers caught avoiding to buy tickets for as little as £2.90 have been given huge court fines.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• T&A donation is key to group success A transport service for elderly and disabled people has had an ageing vehicle replaced “ thanks to the Telegraph & Argus.

Bristol Live

• £1bn London to Bristol railway electrification sparks political storm A political row has broken out over the £1 billion railway electrification scheme. The Government has pledged to electrify the London to Bristol Great Western line by the end of 2016.
• Faster journeys across Bristol pay off . . . to the tune of £800,000 Road journeys across the Bristol area have got faster – triggering a pay-out from the Government of more than £800,000 in extra funding for measures to further cut congestion.
• Free over-60s bus travel cuts are 'slap in the face' Legal action could be taken by South Gloucestershire Council after the district's bus budget was slashed even more than expected.
• One step closer . . . Bristol's £47.8m rapid transport solution A vital stage to progress a proposed £47.8 million rapid transit scheme from Ashton Vale to Bristol city centre and Temple Meads has been given the go-ahead by North Somerset Council.
• Turned off: Trees could replace the fountains in Bristol city centre Bristol's transport leader Jon Rogers spoke of the need to radically alter the centre once again, just 10 years after flower beds and trees were dug up to make way for the fountains.

Liverpool Post

• Jaguar Land Rover completes ’clean technology’ loan JAGUAR Land Rover (JLR) owner Tata Motors today revealed the completion of a £340m loan to develop more efficient engines and car bodies.

London Evening Standard

• Competition Commission blocked in forcing BAA saleThe Competition Commission today failed in its latest attempt to take on BAA's ownership of British airports.
• Ministers spark electric car revolution in LondonMinisters commit millions of pounds to bringing about an electric car revolution in the capital

The York Press

• 4,500 have say on plan for busy York road junction MORE than 4,500 people have now aired their views on one of the biggest city-centre road shake-ups in York for more than a decade.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Flying Scotsman return date delayedThe expected date to get historic steam locomotive Flying Scotsman back on the rails has been delayed until next year, National Railway Museum bosses said today.

Bucks Free Press

• MP to discuss pothole "havoc" with transport boss AN MP is to meet with the county's head of transport to discuss the œhavoc created by potholes.

Doncaster Free Press

• Study starts into proposed new link road Study starts into proposed new link road
• Fewer flying from airportPASSENGER ?gures at Robin Hood Airport last month dropped to the lowest level since it opened in 2005.

Sunderland Echo

• Wearside electric car charging points revealedElectric vehicle charging points are on their way to Wearside, at locations including The Bridges shopping centre and Park Lane.

Other Regional Press

• Fears that rail passengers will be put in danger PASSENGERS will be in danger and jobs will be lost by a transport giant™s controversial cost-cutting plans, union bosses claim.
• Views wanted on accessible train stations The Assembly is giving people the chance to give their views on how accessible railway stations in Gwent are.
• Commuter world could be your OysterThat's the message from rail bosses, who say they would consider an extension of London's pay-as-you-go transport scheme into north Kent.

Campaign for Better Transport

• A Fair Chance for Trams25 February: Campaign for Better Transport has just had a policy campaign victory for trams that™s worth crowing about. read more

Aviation Industry

• BAA and Competition CommissionToday, the Competition Appeal Tribunal ordered that the Competition Commission's decisions in their report of 19 March 2009 relating to the common ownership of airports, be quashed...

Green Miscellany

• The electric bicycle without a motor or battery A new version of the award-winning GoCycle electric bicycle is to be sold without a motor or battery and pitched to cyclists who, according to the designers, œdon’t mind breaking a sweat on their way to work.read more
• £5,000 grants for electric cars start January 2011 The Department for Transport will from January 2011 provide grants worth £5,000 against the cost of a fully electric or plug-in hybrid car.read more
• Bicycle sat nav that projects directions onto road surface The latest designs of torch that project GPS mapping information onto any surface pave the way for bicycle-mounted sat navs that project route details onto the road ahead.read more
• DIY cycling jackets that flash with light A designer has used off-the-shelf electronics to create a cycling jacket with built-in indicator lights that are operated by a switch on each cuff.read more
• Motorcycle tow vehicles, amphibious buses and bicycle hire: Easing traffic congestion for London Olympics If traffic congestion was an Olympic discipline then London, with its average speed of around 12mph, would be favourite for gold in 2012. As things stand, the city will need to employ creative solutions to avoid traffic chaos during the Olympics in 2012 according to the Environmental Transport Association (ETA).read more

Other News Sources

• Transport minister's secret mission to review Comet country busses : 15:09 - 25 February 2010THE transport minister has been on the busses this afternoon inspecting Comet country transport. Sidiq Khan took a bus into Hitchin and out to Shefford today (Thursday) as part of a country-wide bus tour examining services across the regions. The south L...
• Light rail group presents case for government investmentA parliamentary inquiry into the future of light rail has called for a clearer lead from the government and more measures to cut costs.
• South West prosperity depends on transport improvements say MPsSouth West Committee says region needs coherent voice when bidding for transport improvements
• Hauliers could cut emissions through exchangeHauliers could cut carbon emissions radically by sharing vehicles and making sure trucks always have a full load, claims one company.
• Sainsbury™s positive about electric vehicles™ contributionSainsbury's reveals that the addition of 50 electric vans to its online home-delivery fleet has not forced the supermarket giant to change its operational patterns.
• Rail bridge works leaves residents ˜marooned™ ELDERLY people say they have been left isolated, and businesses blighted, by the ongoing railway bridge works in St Cross.
• Mayor calls road management summit and strengthens capital's code 25 February, 2010 Representatives of London™s major utilities met the Mayor at City Hall today (25 February) to sign up to a stronger version of the Mayor's Code of Conduct for roadworks in the capital. The Mayor has also invited the major utility companies and London™s boroughs to attend a road management summit on 12 March where they will discuss how they can make further progress in reducing the disruption caused by roadworks. roadworks60x60.jpg ...
• New rail link is on the right track Faster journeys to and from Middlesbrough to destinations across the North
• Millions wasted on Metrolink plan, claims MEPTravellers to Manchester from Milnrow will be short-changed by having to use trams that will have longer journey times than the trains they replaced, says Euro-MP Chris Davies.
• Regional committee demands probe into train fares HEFTY ticket prices paid by train passengers in Plymouth should be investigated by ministers, say MPs.
• 10 Downing Street's Snub To St Albans Rail Freight Petition A RESPONSE to the anti-rail freight depot scheme for Park Street on the 10 Downing Street website has been viewed by some as an indication of where the government stands on the issue.
• National Express to turn away from rail Travel giant National Express yesterday gave a clear signal that it will withdraw from all UK rail operations - and not seek another chance to run the Norwich to London rail line - from 2011.
• Extra cash given to fight congestion on city roads Bristol is one of 10 areas across the UK to receive extra cash from the government to help beat congestion on the city’s roads.
• Continental Airlines Launches Mobile Boarding Passes at London's Heathrow Airport First carrier to offer paperless boarding passes on flights from U.K. to U.S. HOUSTON, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today announced the expansion of its mobile boarding pass service to London's Heathrow Airport, becoming the first carrier to offer paperless boarding passes on nonstop flights from the United Kingdom to the U.S.
• Alaska Airlines Switches to Aircell for Wi-FiAlaska Airlines plans to introduce the Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi service from Aircell on all its aircraft, even though it has already completed testing with another provider, Row 44.
• UK plans boost for electric vehicles The British government has announced plans for substantial cash incentives to encourage motorists to buy electric cars and other ultra-low carbon vehicles.
• National Express posts £83.5m lossTHE parent company of regional train operator National Express East Anglia today reported a loss of £83.5million for last year as it counted the cost of relinquishing its East Coast rail franchise
• Balfour Beatty wins £195m Hong Kong road jobBalfour Beatty™s Asian joint venture Gammon Construction has won a £195 million contract to carry out a highway widening scheme in Hong Kong.
• Biofuels East 2010 Conference takes place next monthFollowing on from its very successful launch last year, Biofuels East are hosting their Second Annual Conference.24/02/10

News from Europe

• Europe’s airports outline their vision for future EU aviation policy With the new European Commission having just taken office and the newly empowered European Parliament firmly established, European airport trade body ACI Europe launched its Policy Outlook for the years to come. The launch took place at a reception hosted by the Chairman of the European Parliamentary.
• Spring will bring transport strikesThe spring thaw may bring with it a European travel freeze as transport workers near and far gear up to strike in salary and benefit disputes. In Prague, transport union leaders gathered Feb. 23. Workers, including those at Czech Railways, oppose a new law raising taxes on benefits already part of their work contracts.
• Kallas: Liberalisation has no impact on safety Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas made a point of putting a stop to any ideological controversy over the causes of the train accident, on 15 February in Belgium, that caused 18 fatalities. The liberalisation process implemented by the EU has nothing to do with this tragedy, he told the European Parliament’s plenary, on 25 February in Brussels.
• EU to issue clean car strategy in MayBRUSSELS, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The European Commission is preparing a clean car strategy to green the continent's roads. Brussels is drafting a strategy on clean and fuel-efficient cars to be published in May. The strategy will be followed with measures intended to help introduce clean cars into the European market.

Other Subscription Services

• Singapore tax breaks put London shipbroking at riskDoubt cast over London’s position as Singapore introduces tax breaks