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

Saturday, 06 March 2010

BBC News

• Bus strike called off after talksA strike by bus drivers in mid and north Wales is called off following talks between a union and a company.
• Row brews as old cars face double park chargeA Devon council is considering plans to charge staff with older cars a higher rate for parking.
• EU watchdog condemns CommissionThe EU's watchdog body castigates the European Commission in a row over access to letters from the German carmaker Porsche AG.
• Mayor has 'no plans' for airportMayor of London Boris Johnson says there are no plans to build an airport in the middle of the Thames Estuary.
• EU considers general carbon taxThe European Commission plans an EU-wide tax on carbon as part of the EU's green energy agenda - but the UK opposes such a move.

Financial Times

• Forth Ports battle looms as it rejects bid The two offers by a consortium for the UK port operator “ one valuing the port and property group at £612m “ have been rejected by the management, believing they undervalue the company
• Aer Lingus cabin crew rejects rescue planAer Lingus cabin crew rejects the Irish carrier's rescue plan by a margin of almost two to one, casting renewed doubt over the airlines's financial survival
• Arriva tie-up talks with SNCF end in failureThe failure to reach a deal with France's state-owned rail operator will be a blow to the UK public transport company, which had hoped to gain entry to the French market

The Independent

• Minor British Institutions: Banger rallying Not to be confused with banger racing or with plutocratic car races such as the Gumball Rally, this is the peculiarly British practice of taking a cheap old car, preferably of home manufacture and design, to the further reaches of the planet.
• Tuesday set as deadline for BA strike talksTalks aimed at averting strikes by British Airways cabin crew have been given a deadline to end by Tuesday.

The Telegraph

• Device designed to keep young drivers off the road after 11pm A hi-tech device which records the time of day a car is on the road will be used to discourage young drivers from getting behind the wheel after 11pm.

Times Online

• Battle on as Forth Ports rejects offer by PeelA battle for control of some of Britain’s most important ports erupted last night after it emerged that Forth Ports, the owner of Tilbury and Grangemouth, had rejected a £612 million takeover offer from the rival Peel Group.
• Arriva calls off talks over French mergerShares in Arriva, the train and bus group, went into reverse today, down 14.5p to 555.5p, after talks over a merger with Keolis, the French group, were called off.

Daily Express

• Arriva deal derailedARRIVA, the bus and train group, yesterday said merger talks with French national rail operator SNCF over a deal to create a new European transport giant had

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Major bus stike in North Wales avoided A MAJOR bus strike that could have disrupted services across North Wales has been suspended after late night talks.
• Traffic chaos on A55 after works over-run HUNDREDS of people were late for work yesterday after traffic jams on the A55 caused by overnight road works running over time.

Liverpool Post

• Repair hope for Liverpool roads riddled with potholes “CRATER” ridden roads leading to a flagship city park could be repaired after a furious row.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Tributes paid to Chester-le-Street bus driver A FATHER, a husband, a friend. The driver who died when two buses crashed in a quiet village will be missed by all who knew him.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Fury at £14,000 bill for repairs to country roadA north-east man claims he is being forced to fork out thousands of pounds to repair a rural road near his home.
• Driver uninjured as school bus slides off roadA double-decker bus on its way to pick up pupils in Aberdeenshire crashed off the road yesterday.
• Police recover all seven cars stolen from dealer All seven cars stolen in a raid on an Aberdeen dealership have been recovered, police revealed last night.

Blackpool Gazette

• New bus routes revealed for St John'sTRAFFIC could be re-routed through the town centre as part of a £120,000 scheme to pedestrianise St John's Square.
• £1m plan to fill potholesBLACKPOOL'S Tories have laid out new spending plans to fix the town's crumbling roads.

Sunderland Echo

• 'Everyone so upset' by bus tragedyTributes have been paid to a driver who died when two buses crashed near Chester-le-Street.

Other Regional Press

• Flyer bus link gets welcome liftBUS travellers were jubilant that a bus service to Hull has been saved. As reported, the Stagecoach X1 service connecting Cleethorpes and...
• Airport or no airport? BoJo brings confusionBoris Johnson has triggered further confusion over his scheme to build an airport in north Kent after declaring on television that he had no plans to build one.

C.N.N.

• Pirates seize Norwegian tanker off Madagascan coastPirates have hijacked a Norwegian tanker off the coast of Madagascar and are steering the ship toward Somalia, the ship's owner said.

International Herald Tribune

• European Buyers of Airbus Plane Agree to Cover Its Cost OverrunsSeven European governments that signed on as customers will pay a 10 percent price increase that will allow the troubled project to continue.
• Millions of Toyotas Recalled, None in JapanDespite reports of unintended accelerations, Toyota denied the problems existed in Japan, where a pro-business culture undermines consumer protections.

Washington Post

• House committees seek more answers from Toyota Separate House committees are demanding more information from Toyota and government regulators after executives from the embattled Japanese automaker appear to have given conflicting answers about the causes of runaway vehicle acceleration plaguing the company.

Railway Gazette

• Plastic railway bridges USA: Two short bridges on a freight line near the Fort Eustis Army Transportation Corps base in Virginia, USA, are to be replaced by structures consisting almost entirely of recycled plastic. The plastic materials should allow the weight limit of the structures to be increased to 118 tonnes, giving greater scope for military equipment to be transported by rail. Parsons Brinckerhoff is managing the project, while Axion International Corp is supplying holdings, I-beams for pilecaps and main girders, cross-ties and curbing. Axion CEO Jim Kerstein explained that the bridges would make use of 'ton...

Aviation Industry

• Vince Cable outlines Lib Dem policy at Green AllianceEconomic affairs spokesman for the LibDems, Vince Cable, spoke at a Green Alliance conference (also attended by AEF’s Cait Weston). Here is what he said about aviation. “We suggest that one useful step forward is to introduce realistic pricing for aviation in ways that circumvent the treaty restrictions on taxing aviation fuel. Aviation is a rapidly growing source [...]
• Lydd expansion gets go-ahead in environmentally sensitive areaExpansion of Lydd airport has been given the go-ahead by Shepway council despite the fact it is in one of the most environmentally sensitive areas in the country. See news report and press release below. . Planning Daily (4.3.2010) by Michael Donnelly, PlanningResource, Two planning applications “ one for a runway extension and one for a new terminal building – went [...]

Other News Sources

• Rolling stock problems and recession dent Hull TrainsA combination of rolling stock problems and the onset of the recession drove profits at Hull Trains down by almost a quarter in the year to 31 March 2009, according to the company’s annual accounts. The company, Britain’s first “open access” train operator, is a subsidiary of transport giant First Group. The combination of rolling stock [...]
• Manufacturers 'confident' about futureManufacturers are more optimistic about their prospects for the next six months than other industries, despite tightening profits, according to the latest research from Santander Corporate Banking.
• Ford expands electric vehicles planFord is expanding its global electric vehicles plan to Europe, with five full-electric or hybrid vehicles across its C, CD and light commercial vehicle ranges being available by 2013.
• Cosworth waiting for deal newsFormula 1 engineering firm Cosworth has said it is too early to say how the withdrawal of one of the sport's newest racing teams will affect the Northampton company.
• STX Europe New Shipyard in BrazilSTX Europe will expand its shipbuilding capacity for Offshore & Specialized vessels by setting up a new shipyard. The yard will be located in Fortaleza, in the Ceará state of Brazil.
• The cost of parking in city set to increaseThe cost of parking in Preston's council-run car parks is set to increase.
• Angry passengers demand rethink on train timetableKENT NEWS: Hundreds of angry commuters have added their names to a petition demanding a review of Southeastern’s controversial new timetable.The rail operator promised more choice and less overcrowding when the firm unveiled its new schedule last December.It said the move was its biggest shake-up in more than 40 years, but passengers claim the service is now worse than ever.Calls for the Government to order a review of the changes have so far fallen on....
• UN Decade of Action for Road SafetyThe International Road Transport Union (IRU) is commiting major funds in support of the UN Decade of Road Safety, to improve commercial road transport safety. The Presidential Executive of the International Road Transport Union (IRU) has endorsed the goals of the UN Resolution on Road Safety by committing to allocate $2 million to the UN road [...]
• Lufthansa wing-strike probe queries A320 landing logic German investigators believe Airbus should assess aspects of A320 flight logic after determining that partial loss
• Bristol Airport moves closer to expansionBristol Airport has moved one step further in gaining planning approval for an expansion which would see the facility almost double in size.Considerable objection has been received for the proposals from local people meaning that councillors have been forced to delay the decision and pass the plans over to the local authority's main planning committee.North Somerset Council Planning and Regulatory Committee is now expected to hold a meeting to make a decision in the next six weeks. Robert Sinclair, the airport's chief executive, told the BBC that he was pleased with the outcome of the first me...
• EU probes council parking schemeThe European Union has launches an inquiry into alleged breach of contract laws over a council car parking collective
• Arriva shares fall after talks with French transport giant collapseTRANSPORT firm Arriva yesterday said talks with France’s national rail operator about creating a new European industry giant had come to nothing. Arriva said in late January that it was in the ...
• Dutch-led renewable energy venture sets standardDutch authorities were initially sceptical about funding the Minewater project, but with strong local support this unusual renewable energy initiative succeeded in securing  EU regional money and went on to become a blueprint for similar models elsewhere in Europe.
• Defra Release 'Air Pollution: Action in a Changing Climate'New report examines how climate change and air quality policy can be aligned.
• London a step closer to becoming 'electric car capital of Europe' The UK capital has been awarded £17 million in funding for electric vehicle charging points.
• Public transport service under scrutinyUsers of the Dial-a-Ride service in London have been offered the opportunity to improve the service.
• Support for campaign to improve rail services from NorwichA campaign to improve train services from Norwich to London is gathering pace with people signing up to an online petition in their hundreds. The Norwich in 90 campaign is calling for a journey time of an hour-and-a-half between Norwich and the capital, as well as a raft of other improvements, including increased capacity and newer and cleaner trains.
• Village roads used as Norfolk A47 rat runsTraffic problems caused by people using village roads as rat runs to avoid tailbacks on the A47 have been highlighted at a public meeting.
• Maersk suffered first annual loss since World War II Danish shipping giant, AP Moeller-Maersk, which owns the world's biggest container carrier, suffered its first annual loss since World War II as freight rates dropped 28 per cent year on year and global consumer demand evaporated. Maersk posted a net loss of DKK7.03 billion (US$1.29 billion) based on 17 per cent less revenue of DKK260 billion which stood against the company's 2008 profit of DKK17 billion. The container business lost $2.09 billion last year despite the company's control of 15 per cent of the world market.
• Welsh Assembly to advertise £125m of roads dealsThe Welsh Assembly has issued notice of three forthcoming roads deals worth a total of up to £125 million.
• Exclusive: 9 March deadline for BA talksChannel 4 News has learned that BA management and the Unite union representing cabin crew have agreed a 9 March deadline for a deal on cutting operating costs. John Sparks reports.

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