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

Saturday, 13 March 2010

BBC News

• Lorry overturns after bridge hitA 30-tonne lorry overturned after hitting a railway bridge in south Wales.
• Losses reported by Scots airlineNewly-published accounts show the extent of a Scottish aviation company's financial difficulties.
• Five charged over 'rail bribery'Five rail contractors appear in court accused of bribing a Network Rail manager who later killed himself with his wife.
• Strike 'will not hit rugby fans'Rugby fans travelling to the Scotland v England match should not be affected by the rail strike, First ScotRail says.

Financial Times

• BA cabin crew reveal strike datesBritish Airways faces its first strike in more than a decade after representatives of its 12,000 cabin crew announced a series of walkouts later this month
• BA ground staff threaten to strikeBritish Airways, already threatened with strikes by cabin crew in a long-running row over cost-cutting, is facing a second potential dispute with ground staff over changes to working practices

The Guardian

• London's eighth wonder of the worldThames tunnel, created by Marc Brunel and son Isambard in 1843, reopened to walkers for first time in 145 years
• Seven days of BA strikes to go aheadMore than half a million travellers to be hit by successive weekend walkouts, with the first beginning on 20 MarchMore than half a million British Airways passengers face strike disruption this month after the Unite trade union announced walkouts over two consecutive weekends, prompting BA to withdraw a last-ditch peace offer.Unite has called a series of strikes by up to 12,000 flight attendants, beginning with a three-day walkout on 20 March and then a four-day stoppage from 27 March. Further strike action will take place after 14 April if there is no deal by then, the union added.Gordon Brow...

The Herald

• Strikes called by union as BA row escalatesTens of thousands of British Airways passengers are facing disruption due to seven days of strikes by cabin crew in an increasingly bitter row over cost-cutting.
• ScotRail pledges to get fans to big matchScotrail has promised to run extra services for today™s Calcutta Cup rugby fixture at Murrayfield, despite a strike by conductors.
• Seven days of BA strikesThousands of air passengers in Scotland face delays and ­cancellations during seven days of strikes by British Airways cabin crew.
• Visitor numbers soar as Transport Museum nears the end of the lineThousands of visitors have been flocking to Glasgow™s Transport Museum before it closes its doors for the last time.

The Independent

• Open again after 145 years, the eighth wonder of the world In 1839 the entrepreneurial Frenchman Marc Brunel had a white elephant of mammoth proportions on his hands.
• BA cabin crew to strike after talks with airline break down Air passengers face weeks of disruption after talks between BA and the union representing its cabin crew broke down yesterday. The crew are being called out on a three-day strike from 20 March, and a four-day strike a week later. More strikes could follow in April.

The Scotsman

• BA chief criticises union bossesBritish Airways chief executive Willie Walsh has launched a scathing attack on union bosses as the row over cost-cutting intensified following the announcement of seven days o

The Telegraph

• Lawrence Dallaglio completes 3,000km cycle ride through Six Nations territories Lawrence Dallaglio, the former England rugby captain has completed a 1,864 mile charity bike ride across Europe taking in the countries of the Six Nations.
• Holiday car rental prices jump The price of renting a car on holiday has jumped by up to 65 per cent in many popular European destinations this Easter.
• Union behind British Airways strike receives £380,000 from taxpayers The trade union behind the British Airways strike has received almost £400,000 in taxpayers' money in three years.

Times Online

• BA strike Q&A: what to do if your flight is disruptedThe announcement today of a series of strikes by British Airways cabin crew will come as no surprise to travellers, but will, nevertheless, catch out tens of thousands of us.
• Union announces seven days of BA strikesBritish Airways faces the longest strike in its history after the union representing its cabin crew members today announced seven strike days in the run-up to Easter.
• Government loan saves 3,200 Vauxhall UK jobsMore than 3,200 jobs at Vauxhall were secured today after Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, made a £270 million loan guarantee to General Motors to ensure that the American carmaker keeps its operations in Britain.
• First consumer suit filed against Toyota in USA California prosecutor has filed the first consumer protection lawsuit in the US against Toyota, accusing the Japanese carmaker of endangering the public by selling hundreds of thousands of vehicles with accelerator defects.
• Crew to strike for seven days as British Airways withdraws peace offerThe travel plans of half a million British Airways passengers were thrown into disarray when the union representing its cabin crew called seven days of strikes and the airline withdrew a last-minute deal aimed at averting a stoppage.

Reuters News

• BA crew to walk out in MarchLONDON (Reuters) - British Airways cabin crew will walk out for seven days this month after talks between the airline and unions broke down, in a dispute analysts said could cost the airline around 140 million pounds.

The Sun

• Man killed driving recall car to garage MAN, 83, driving recalled Peugeot to garage for checks died when it shot into road

Network Rail

• EASTER RAIL UPGRADE FOR SOUTHAMPTON MAIN LINE

Birmingham Mail

• Longbridge MG Rover site transformation cash row THE £750 million transformation of Birmingham’s former MG Rover car works is under threat following a bitter row between developers and the city council.
• Gordon Brown: High Speed rail a great day for Birmingham THE announcement of a new high speed rail line making Birmingham the centre of Britain’s national network was “a great day for Birmingham and the Midlands”, the Prime Minister said.

Bolton News

• New leads in hunt for railway metal thieves DETECTIVES investigating a gang of criminals wanted in connection with a string of metal thefts in and around Bolton™s railway network are looking into new lines of inquiry after they released these CCTV pictures.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Assembly delay could mean end of the North-South airlink THE subsidised North-South airlink could end because of delays caused by the Welsh Assembly, airline officials claimed last night.
• A55 roadworks could blight start of Easter holiday ROADWORKS on the A55 could blight the start of the Easter holidays with lane closures and diversions planned.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Scots cities join forces in high speed train callEDINBURGH and Glasgow have joined together to call for their early inclusion in a £30 billion high-speed rail network.
• Jenny Dawe calls for public report into Edinburgh tram woesCITY leader Jenny Dawe has pledged to come clean over the city's tram scheme by ordering full details to be made public.

Liverpool Post

• Merseytravel to shed jobs in name of efficiency MERSEYTRAVEL jobs are under threat as the transport authority tries to balance its books.
• Bourne Tunnel in Rainhill gets listed Grade II status ONE of the earliest tunnels from the railway age has been given listed status.

London Evening Standard

• Boris Johnson clashes with David Cameron on high-speed railMayor Boris Johnson clashes with the Tory leader as he fails to back policy on high-speed rail in Britain
• Suicide rail boss ’bribed by contractors’
• Supervisors back national rail walkout
• BA cabin crew to strike over cutsTens of thousands of British Airways passengers are facing disruption because of seven days of strikes by cabin crew in an increasingly bitter row over cost-cutting.
• BA chief criticises union bossesBritish Airways chief executive Willie Walsh has launched a scathing attack on union bosses as the row over cost-cutting intensified following the announcement of seven days of strikes by cabin crew.

Metro

• £270m loan boost for VauxhallThe Government has announced a £270 million loan guarantee to car giant General Motors to help secure its Vauxhall operations in Britain.
• BA cabin crew to strike over cutsTens of thousands of British Airways passengers are facing disruption because of seven days of strikes by cabin crew in an increasingly bitter row over cost-cutting.
• BA chief criticises union bossesBritish Airways chief executive Willie Walsh has launched a scathing attack on union bosses as the row over cost-cutting intensified following the announcement of seven days of strikes by cabin crew.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Bus drivers' mobile phones tested for clues POLICE probing a deadly double bus crash are analysing the mobile phones of the two drivers involved.

The News (Portsmouth)

• All change for bus linkPORTSMOUTH'S Greyhound bus service is to change.
• Jail for car thief who broke orderA NOTORIOUS troublemaker banned from Portsmouth car parks for a spate of vehicle thefts has now been jailed.
• M-way speeder hit 153mph and failed to see police bikeA DRIVER who topped 150mph on the M27 failed to spot the blue flashing lights of a police motorcyclist on his tail.

The York Press

• New CCTV cameras fitted in bid to make train travel safer NEW CCTV cameras are to be fitted on trains ferrying passengers from York to London and Edinburgh as rail bosses beef up security measures.
• York Hospital parking staff ordered to halt traffic at pedestrian crossing PARKING attendants at York Hospital have been ordered to help ease chronic congestion during work on the site's new multi-storey car park “ by repeatedly pressing a pedestrian crossing button.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Trial for man accused of Yorkshire airport bomb hoax tweet UPDATEDA 26-year-old man alleged to have posted a message on Twitter threatening to blow an airport "sky high" is to face trial.

Bucks Free Press

• Man killed by train at Beaconsfield A MAN died after being hit by a train at Beaconsfield railway station tonight.

Carlisle News & Star

• Distington bypass leaves old road open to speedersResidents in Distington are campaigning against speeding motorists, fearing lives are being put at risk.
• Rail workers back strike action in jobs battleUnion members fighting job cuts which they say would jeopardise rail safety have given overwhelming support to a possible strike which could cripple the network.
• Blow to Cumbria high speed rail line hopesHopes for a high speed rail line all the way from Cumbria to London were deal a blow last night “ after the Government excluded anywhere north of Manchester or Leeds from the core route.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Mechanics the only winners as roads crumbleThere's a silver lining to the misery of potholes as garages report a rise in business from disgruntled motorists with damaged cars.

Sunderland Echo

• High-speed rail network will not reach North EastA new 250mph national rail network will not include the North East “ but passengers will still get shorter journey times.
• Tyne and Wear Metro cancelled after cable theftsMetro trains were suspended for the third time in two days after thieves targeted a railway line.

The Shields Gazette

• Plea for ideas on future of pedestrian tunnelPEOPLE power could help transform the Tyne pedestrian and cyclist tunnels, according to a transport boss.
• Cable thieves cause Metro miseryMETRO commuters faced frustration today after cable thieves struck in South Tyneside.

Other Regional Press

• Super-fast - 250mph - trains could stop in LeicestershireSuper-fast trains which race from London at 250mph may stop in Leicestershire under plans for a high-speed rail network. The £30bn...
• Flybe adds extra flights Airline Flybe has increased the number of seats available from Southampton Airport after British Airways cabin crew announced a series of strikes.
• Torfaen gets £665,000 for road safety ROAD safety schemes in Torfaen have received a £665,000 cash boost from the Assembly to improve pedestrian safety.
• Grounded Varsity airline aims to relaunch YOUNG entrepreneur Martin Halstead admitted suffering a œpretty awful few days after his airline™s flights from Oxford to Edinburgh were grounded after just a week.
• Dover Harbour under fire from ferry companiesFerry companies at the Port of Dover are joining forces against the Harbour Board, angry that money they believed they were giving to help fund a new ferry terminal many not actually be used for that purpose.
• Visitors flock for one last look at museumThousands of visitors have been flocking to enjoy a last look around Glasgow™s Transport Museum before it closes its doors for the last time.
• MSP joins fight to save school busesA decision to scrap school transport for almost 1000 pupils should be reversed, says an MSP.
• Fury as Scotland is left out of 250mph rail plansBusiness leaders and politicians reacted with fury last night as Scotland was left out of plans to build a network of high-speed rail lines in the UK.
• Pilot who killed hunt supporter with propellor blade had 'poor attitude' A PILOT who killed a hunt supporter with a gyrocopter propellor blade had been reprimanded for risky flying just three days before the tragedy.
• Nearly 300 people get illegal car cruising injunctions POLICE have served injunctions on almost 300 people involved in illegal car cruising in Warwickshire.
• Police hunt for two men after cable stolen from Stockingford rail line POLICE want to speak to two men after cable was stolen from a railway line at Stockingford.

C.N.N.

• Police tow funeral home van with body insideFor one New Yorker, the journey to the Pearly Gates involved a detour to the city's car pound.

International Herald Tribune

• Strike Is Set After Talks Fail at British AirwaysBritish Airways cabin crew are preparing to walk off the job for seven days later this month after talks with management broke down without an agreement.

New Scientist

• Electric cars jostle for position on the power gridWhen the surge of plug-in vehicles hits the streets over the next few years, how will our electricity grids cope?

Washington Post

• Union Pacific CEO seeing signs of better business NEW YORK -- The CEO of Union Pacific said Friday that shipments carried by the nation's biggest railroad are stronger than expected this year, but are still a long way from full recovery.
• Hot pursuit: Competition heats up for police cars DEARBORN, Mich. -- Ford Motor Co. wants to remain the top gun in the U.S. police car market with a new cruiser due out next year, but its competitors are in hot pursuit.
• Orange County prosecutor sues Toyota over defects SANTA ANA, Calif. -- The Orange County district attorney has filed a lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corp., accusing the automaker of knowingly selling hundreds of thousands of vehicles with acceleration defects.

Railnews

• News: Widespread welcome for High Speed rail plan There has been a widespread welcome for the announcement of a 540km High Speed rail network by the transport secretary Andrew Adonis, but there have been renewed calls for the major Scottish cities to be included in the High Speed plans as soon as possible. ATOC is warning that the plans must make financial sense, and calling for private sector involvement.

Aviation Industry

• New report from AEF reveals why Heathrow noise has become a problem many miles out from the airportAircraft noise has long been a concern for people living near Heathrow airport. But more recently, problems with regular noise disturbance have been reported by people many miles from the airport. Approach noise at Heathrow: concentrating the problem was written by AEF for HACAN (the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise) following an increasing [...]
• World airlines rebound on Asian and Latin American demand, halve 2010 losses forecast to $2.8BIn this July 28, 2004 file picture a plane takes off from the airport in Frankfurt, Germany.
• Cathay Pacific Airways returns to full-year profit after racking up record lossCathay Pacific Airways Ltd. returned to profit in 2009 as cost-cutting measures and bets on fuel prices helped Asia's No.
• Ryanair and Air France clash on subsidiesAIR France and Ryanair have clashed over subsidies after the French carrier accused its low-cost Irish rival of putting pressure on regional authorities to give unfair support as the price of using their airports.
• Comment: The ABTA manifesto Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } ABTA has launched its first manifesto, outlining the travel association's position on the major lobbying issues facing the travel industry. John McEwan, ABTA's chairman, addresses the key points.read more
• BA Unite strike decision Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; ...

Other News Sources

• Good news for train usersWigan commuter trains will soon be less of a strain at peak time The Government has announced extra carriages to reduce congestion and standing up on rush hour services betw
• £30bn high-speed rail network gets go-aheadA new £30 billion high-speed rail (HSR) network, with 250mph trains, which will improve transport links to Sheffield and Leeds, has been announced by the Government.
• Trial for man accused of airport bomb hoax tweetA 26-year-old Doncaster man alleged to have posted a message on Twitter threatening to blow an airport "sky high" is to face trial.
• Short BA strikes will cause 'maximum disruption' Advantage boss Norman Gage has said the British Airways cabin crew's decision to strike for three days from 20 March and for four days from 27 March will cause
• AITO: Strike will lead to BA job lossesThe Association of Tour Operators has warned that British Airways cabin crew are putting their jobs at risk by staging a walkout later this month.
• Union warns of 'drawn out and bitter' fight with BAUnion insiders warn that the dispute with British Airways is likely to be œdrawn out and bitter as cabin crew prepare to vote on strike dates.
• BA cabin crew strike will go aheadThe British Airways cabin crew strike is set to start next Saturday March 20 after the airline withdrew its latest offer on pay and working conditions.
• Will the £30bn bullet train raise rail fares?A 335-mile rail link to whisk travellers from London to the Midlands and the North at up to 250mph was announced by the Government yesterday
• £71m premium to DfT drives FGW into the redTrain operator First Great Western plunged to an operating loss of £8.8m in the year to 31 March 2009, according to its annual accounts, before exceptional restructuring costs, which cost the business another £4m. The company holds the Greater Western franchise, which runs InterCity services from London Paddinton to Bristol and Cornwall, Cardiff and Swansea as [...]
• BA strike will affect Scottish flights to LondonVIDEO: British Airways cabin crew will strike for seven days over next two weeks.
• DfT urged to find a way to charge foreign lorriesThe DfT should work with the Treasury to find a way of charging foreign lorries for using our roads, a committee of MPs has suggested.
• TfL to set out business case for Tax Increment FinancingMayoral agency Transport for London is to publish a report next month to make the case for using a US infrastructure funding tool to fund a £600 million extension of the Northern Line to the Nine Elms area in Wandsworth.
• British Airways Announces Tie-up with Meridiana and Adds Florence Route to NetworkBritish Airways announces new codesharing agreement with Meridiana allowing passengers to buy BA tickets for direct flights from Gatwick to Florence
• Airport bomb hoax case plea changeA 26-year-old man alleged to have posted a message on Twitter threatening to blow an airport
• Employees aim to grab company back from StagecoachMore than 200 Preston Bus employees are to launch a sensational bid to buy the company back from Stagecoach, the Lancashire Evening Post can reveal.
• BA cabin crew announce strike dates British Airways cabin crew are to strike for three days from March 20 and for four days from March 27 in a dispute over cost-cutting.Related StoriesUnion bosses to meet after BA peace talks failFresh general strike in GreeceUnite set to announce industrial action at BAMortgage ending down by half as tax break endsVauxhall given Government loan guarantee
• Vauxhall given Government loan guarantee The Government has announced a £270 million loan guarantee to car giant General Motors to help secure its Vauxhall operations in Britain.Related StoriesUnion bosses to meet after BA peace talks failScottish Power to cut gas pricesUnite set to announce industrial action at BABA cabin crew announce strike datesClegg kicks off conference with spring in his step
• US safety body considers mandatory car black boxesUS safety regulators are looking at whether to make “black boxes” mandatory for all new vehicles in response to recent unintended acceleration problems in Toyota’s vehicles.
• Summit talks to smooth the way to less disruption on London™s roads 12 March, 2010 Three quarters of all roads in Capital to be covered by London Permit Scheme early next year A major summit attended by the Mayor™s Office, utility companies working in the capital, Transport for London, and the boroughs will discuss how to improve the flow of traffic in the capital today (12 March).  Seven more of London™s boroughs are expected to commit to introducing the capital™s roadworks permit scheme at the summit. The Mayor™s transport advisor, Kulveer Ranger, will also urge boroughs to sign up to the Mayo...
• Assembly investigation into City Airport expansion takes off 12 March, 2010 What impact is the expansion of City Airport having on people living nearby? Are the environmental safeguards and controls that have been set up around the increased flights enough? The London Assembly™s Environment Committee has launched an investigation into the environmental impacts of the expansion of London City Airport (LCA) and wants to know how the extra flights are affecting people in the capital.  360-house-thumb.jpg ...
• County is 'UK's pothole capital', report claims SURREY has been named the pothole capital of the UK in the results of a survey published this week by a car manufacturer.
• BA cabin crew union warns of second wave of strikesBritish Airways' cabin crew union has warned of a second wave of strikes after 14 April if their dispute with the carrier remains unresolved.The Unite...
• Birmingham Airport winner in high-speed rail plansTransport secretary Lord Adonis has confirmed that a new high-speed rail link will be connected to Birmingham Airport.Speculation had been growing about where would be serviced by the super-fast trains, which will travel at speeds of around 250mph.Heathrow Airport in the capital will not be directly linked to the network, but a new interchange will be built providing a connection to the travel hub on the Heathrow Express.It is thought that when completed the network will allow journey times of an hour-and-a-half from the West Midlands and 75 minutes from Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester to the ...
• Heathrow Airport receives second Emirates double-deckerHeathrow Airport is to be serviced by a second double-decker jumbo jet which offers passengers the ultimate luxury flight experience.Middle East airline Emirates already operates one service a day on the state-of-the-art aircraft from Heathrow Airport and from July 1st an extra flight per day will depart from the travel hub. The service will leave at 20:40 GMT and arrive in Dubai 06:30 GMT the next day.Among the luxury facilities on board are 14 first class private cabins, 76 flat seats in business class with mini-bars and over 1,000 entertainment channels.Personal satellite phones are also fi...
• Kaliningrad called ˜dying'RISES in rail tariffs are choking Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, port officials have told Fairplay.
• DHL extends contract with BP™s retail network DHL Supply Chain has been awarded a four-year contract worth £75 million to manage the UK warehousing and distribution of dry goods and chilled produce for BP's UK Convenience Retail business. read more
• New / revised ocean services The Grand Alliance will launch a new Asia-Europe loop on March 22nd; MOL will revise coverage on its Asia East Coast - South America service on March 25th; and CCNI, Hanjin Shipping, Hapag-Lloyd, Wanhai and Zim will cooperate on an Asia - South America East Coast service from April. read more
• More cash for new 'regeneration' bridgePoole BC wins £14.14m funding from the Department of Transport to build an œiconic bridge
• Bike racks replaced by ministerial carsA Labour MP has complained that government cars are responsible for
• London Assembly Investigation into City Airport Expansion An investigation into expansion of London City Airport has been launched.
• Rail chiefs bid to improve rural serviceRAIL bosses are aiming for an improved service on rural lines when through trains to London are axed at the end of the year.
• Emirates adds 60 jobs in WilmslowMiddle East airline Emirates is creating 60 new jobs at its European call centre in Wilmslow.
• Tram line project 'may be sped up'Pro-tram councillors seeking re-election in Edinburgh in 2012 may speed up the building of a tram line in the city.
• Luton-Dunstable Busway to seek contractor after £80m funding boostLuton Borough and Central Bedfordshire councils will now be seeking a contractor to build the Luton-Dunstable Busway after the project received £80.3 million worth of Government funding.
• Streets of shame: Britain's pothole problemWith reports suggesting the number of potholes in Britain has nearly doubled since 2008, the never-ending winter is threatening to turn the UK road network into a pothole purgatory.
• BA strike: airline boss lashes out at unionThe boss of British Airways today accused union bosses of trying to "destroy" the airline after plans for seven days of strike action were confirmed.
• Vauxhall to get £270m loan guaranteeBusiness Secretary Lord Mandelson announces a £270m loan guarantee to General Motors to help secure Vauxhall operations in the UK.
• BA cabin crew set strike datesBritish Airways cabin crew will go on strike for seven days this month following the collapse of talks aimed at resolving a long-running dispute over jobs, pay and working conditions.