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

Thursday, 18 March 2010

BBC News

• Bristol set to get £43m to improve public transport Funding of £43m to improve public transport and tackle congestion problems in Bristol has been promised by the government.
• Plans to widen the A23 in West Sussex approved A major project to widen a section of the A23 between Crawley and Brighton is to go ahead.
• Arriva shares up on takeover bid Shares in transport group Arriva rose by 17% on Wednesday after it confirmed it had received its second takeover approach in as many months.
• Mayor 'hypocrite' over Tube cutsThe London mayor has been branded a "hypocrite" by unions and attacked for "broken promises" over plans to axe Tube ticket office jobs.
• BA adds flights to strike datesBritish Airways says it will increase the number of flights during the forthcoming strike as more staff volunteer to work.
• Oil price up as Opec holds quotaOil prices extend gains above $80 a barrel after the Opec oil cartel sticks with its existing output targets.
• Overseas unions back BA walk-outSupport for a planned walk-out by British Airways cabin crew grows, with overseas unions backing the action.
• UK to produce Nissan electric carNissan is to build its new electric car, the Leaf, in Sunderland, safeguarding hundreds of jobs, the Japanese firm announces.

Department for Transport

• Olympic boost for disabled rail passengersSports fans with limited mobility will find it easier to travel to 2012 Olympic Games events thanks to Government plans to improve access at three key railway stations, Rail Minister Chris Mole announced today.
• New Assistant Chief of the Air Staff appointed to the Board of the Civil Aviation AuthorityThe Secretary of State for Transport has today appointed Air Vice-Marshal Barry North OBE MA RAF to the Board of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), on the nomination of the Secretary of State for Defence.  He replaces AVM Tim Anderson, whom he succeeded as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff on 1 March 2010.

Financial Times

• Leaders clash over planned BA strikeThe weekly House of Commons clash between Britain's political leaders was dominated by stormy exchanges over the looming strike by British Airways cabin crew, with David Cameron accusing Gordon Brown of weakness in the face of the industrial action
• Arriva up 17% after Deutsche Bahn moveShares in the UK bus and rail operator enjoy their biggest jump in 15 years after a potential takeover bid that would value Arriva at about £1.2bn and create a leading global transport group

The Guardian

• East London Line: the promise of prosperityThe economic rule of thumb is that where a railway leads, economic wellbeing follows. All the official language about the revived and extended East London Line stresses belief in that rule and the hope that it will benefit a string of communities from Hackney to Lewisham and beyond.
• Arriva shares soar as Deutsche Bahn reveals £1.2bn bid Bid made just weeks after end of merger talks with SNCF
• Boris Johnson: I need Tory government to help deliver tube strike ban Mayor says manifesto commitment to implement strike ban on London Underground needs primary legislation, which will only happen if the Conservatives get into power
• Last-ditch talks to stave off national rail strike Network Rail takes out adverts in national press to coincide with RMT union showdown tomorrow
• BA strike looms as bosses raise stakesCompany raises stakes in dispute by not guaranteeing that union officials at heart of industrial action will keep their jobsA strike by BA cabin crew looks certain to go ahead after the airline refused to guarantee it would not sack union officials at the heart of the industrial action.In a move that dramatically raises the stakes in a fraught dispute, BA is now threatening a clearout of senior shop stewards at Bassa, the Unite trade union cabin crew branch. Seven Bassa committee members still face disciplinary proceedings that were launched after talks between Unite and BA began last year.BA'...

The Herald

• Demand for wider inquiry into SPT The Liberal Democrats have called for an inquiry into Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) to be widened to consider funding.
• Approach by mystery bidder sends shares in Arriva group surgingShares in transport group Arriva soared yesterday after it said it had received an unsolicited approach, though it did not name the bidder and said there was no certainty of an offer.

The Independent

• Brown bids to end BA strike as overseas unions pledge support Gordon Brown and Lord Mandelson will plead with British Airways and the Unite union over the next 24 hours to return to the negotiating table so the cabin crew strike due to start on Saturday can be called off.

The Scotsman

• First batch of hybrid bus parts completed BAE Systems said yesterday that the first of the hybrid electric systems that will power 56 Stagecoach double-deck buses in Oxford and Manchester have been delivered to manufacturer Alexander Dennis.
• Eco-friendly plans boost car giantsThe motor industry has been given a double boost with news of huge investments by two of the UK's biggest carmakers, safeguarding thousands of jobs.

The Telegraph

• Nissan to build electric car in Britain Motor giant Nissan is to build its new electric car in Sunderland.
• Pensioners could be forced to show ID for bus travel Pensioners could be forced to carry identity cards to qualify for free bus travel, a Government minister has said.

Times Online

• China set to take control of London black cabsChina's largest independent carmaker is poised to take control of Manganese Bronze, maker of London's black taxi, as another slice of Britain's car making heritage looks set to fall into the arms of a foreign owner.
• Deutsche Bahn set to take over rail and bus operator ArrivaDeutsche Bahn is closing in on a deal to take control of Britain™s CrossCountry rail services and 20 per cent of the London bus market.
• State aid to help carmakers to go greenLord Mandelson will today announce hundreds of millions of pounds in taxpayer-funded loans, guarantees and grants to help Ford and Nissan to develop new low-carbon vehicles.
• More BA flights disruption looms as union gets international supportBritish Airways flights face possible disruption from ground crews at airports around the world if the planned cabin crew strike goes ahead this weekend, unions warned yesterday.

Daily Express

• Arrica's shares soar on German bid moveSHARES in bus and rail firm Arriva steamed ahead yesterday after it received a takeover approach believed to be from Germany's Deutsche Bahn (DB).
• China to take wheel of black cab makerTHE struggling maker of London's black taxi cabs is poised to fall under the control of Chinese group Geely and become the latest British manufacturer with foreign ownership.

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham City University seeks £30 million compensation due to high speed rail development A CITY university is demanding a £30 million refund from taxpayers – because its long-awaited new campus will have to be scrapped due to the proposed high-speed rail station.
• Birmingham International Airport attracts airline Spanair BIRMINGHAM International Airport has pulled off a major coup by attracting one of Spain’s biggest airlines.

Bristol Live

• Minster backs plans for new speedy bus route into Bristol Transport Minister Paul Clark has given his backing to a new £48m bus route into Bristol. He is supporting the planned route from the Long Ashton park and ride site to Temple Meads railway station and into the city centre

Edinburgh Evening News

• Trams are due, depot is barely built..but chiefs insist all is wellTRAMS bosses have claimed work on the Gogar depot is "progressing well" “ despite an official report revealing that it is not even 20 per cent complete.
• Three years of delays for commuters at new Forth crossingCOMMUTERS are facing nearly three-and-a-half years of delays following a decision to upgrade routes near the new Forth crossing.

Journal Live

• Plans to go on show for Morpeth Northern Bypass PEOPLE and businesses in Northumberland are being invited to have their say on a long-awaited, £35m road project before final plans are submitted for Government approval.

Liverpool Post

• Merseyside bus operator Arriva confirms takeover approach ARRIVA, Merseyside’s main bus operator, is a takeover target. The Sunderland-based firm which provides about 60% of all Merseyside’s bus services confirmed late yesterday that it had received an approach.
• MPs warn Liverpool world superport scheme will be hit by ’unfit’ planning shake-up PLANS to turn Liverpool into a world superport will be hit by a planning shake-up “not fit for purpose”, MPs will warn today.

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow braced for new night flights battle Ministers are preparing for a fresh battle over night flights at Heathrow which they fear could harden opposition to a third runway.

Manchester Evening News

• £500m needed for gridlocked rail network Rail chiefs will today call on the government to spend more than £500m unlocking Manchester's clogged train network.

Metro

• Factory awaits news on electric carMotor giant Nissan is reportedly planning to build its new electric car at its plant in Sunderland.

Nottingham Evening Post

• A453 widening could start this autumn WORK could start on the long-awaited A453 widening as early as this autumn, the Highways Agency says.

Sheffield Star

• Lib Dems highways funding plan branded 'dangerous'GREEN Party councillors have slammed 'dangerous' Liberal Democrat plans to hand out road safety funds across the city instead of focusing on accident blackspots.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• North minister brands rail firm callous over crossings A Church of Scotland minister has branded Network Rail bosses “callous” and “self-righteous” because of their attitude towards safety at level crossings in the Highlands.

The York Press

• York™s small businesses fear impact of congestion fees SMALL businesses in York have given a resounding and unanimous thumbs-down to the possibility of congestion charging in the city.

Sunderland Echo

• Arriva takeover bidWearside transport giant Arriva could be the target of a take-over bid.

Other Regional Press

• Government rethink on high-speed rail line through Stoneleigh Park THE proposed route for a 250mph bullet train through the Coventry and Warwickshire region is being looked at again by the government.

Railnews

• ’Minimal’ East Coast rebranding cost taxpayers more than £300,000 THE rebranding of East Coast last November cost £634,842, of which taxpayers had to find £339,190, according to official figures. The deletion of the title ’National Express’ from trains, stations, publicity and software was carried out over a couple of weeks. But the additional cost of developing the new East Coast brand itself has not been identified, because it was carried out by DfT staff rather than an external agency.

Other News Sources

• MIPIM 2010: Birmingham airport close to securing funding for runway extension Birmingham is close to securing the last piece in the funding jigsaw for the long awaited runway extension at Birmingham International Airport. It could be put in place at a full board meeting of the airport’s directors in April.
• Woolas backing for rail campaign group Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas has given ministerial backing to an all-party campaign to win a better deal for the north’s railways.
• St Albans commuters slam First Capital Connect COMMUTERS lambasted train company First Capital Connect at a meeting organised by local Lib Dems last night.
• Sussex rail cuts dropped after backlash Passenger power has derailed plans to cut train services along the Sussex coast.
• Olympic upgrade for Slough station MORE than £2m has been set aside to make Slough railway station step-free in time for the 2012 Olympic Games.
• Run Tube later Fridays and Saturdays, London Assembly urges THE London Underground should run later on Friday and Saturday nights, the London Assembly has urged. Boris Johnson is being asked to extend hours, beginning with the Jubilee Line which has been choked by weekend closures for the past 18 months.
• MP calls for unity in fight for improved AN ESSEX MP has called for a “united front” from the region's politicians and passengers in the fight to secure the best possible improvements to rail services.
• Clean-up urged at ’eyesore’ station Network Rail was today challenged to clean up an historic train station campaigners say has become litter-strewn and a magnet for graffiti and vandals.
• British Airways strike could go globalThe Unite union dramatically escalated the British Airways strike last night, enlisting foreign unions for an international campaign of militancy
• Sussex told to silence its noisy roads The Sussex coast has been named as one of the noisiest places in the UK.
• Sussex rail cuts dropped after backlash Passenger power has derailed plans to cut train services along the Sussex coast.
• RMT in talks with Network Rail tomorrow over safety-critical job cutsRAIL UNION RMT will be taking part in top level talks with Network Rail tomorrow (18th March) in a bid to reach an agreement that protects rail safety, job security and operational arrangements following a massive 77% vote for strike action last week by 12,000 RMT rail maintenance staff over the company's cuts plans.
• RMT in talks with Scottish Transport Minister tomorrow over Scotrail safety disputeON THE eve of direct talks with Scottish Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson tomorrow over the dispute concerning safety issues and the axing of the Guard on Scotrail's new Airdrie-Bathgate line, RMT have written to the Minister today seeking clarification on four critical points:
• MPs consider flooding and Cumbria™s transport infrastructureTransport Committee examine impact of flooding on transport infrastructure in the region
• Councillor blasts 'disgraceful' rail station A COUNCILLOR has hit out at what he dubbed "disgraceful" train station facilities after he was left stranded on a deserted platform.
• News from Caroline Pidgeon: Jubilee Line should be first to benefit from later opening hours 17 March, 2010 The Mayor has been urged to deliver on his pledge to Londoners to extend the tube™s opening hours on Friday and Saturday nights, starting with the Jubilee Line, at today™s Mayor™s Question Time (Wednesday 17th March). Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson, reminded the Mayor of his specific election pledge to extend the opening hours of the whole tube network for one hour later on both Friday and Saturday nights. Speaking after her question to the Mayor she said: ...
• £230,000 - the cost of cleaning the A14, A11 and A12COUNCILS across Suffolk have spent more than £230,000 picking up litter from the county's main trunk roads in the past year.