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

Tuesday, 23 March 2010

BBC News

• New forecourt for international railway station in Kent A forecourt at an international railway station in Kent could be made less congested and have new seating and walkways under plans going on show.
• BA strike: The three men trying to find a solution The three men at the centre of the British Airways' dispute with the Unite union have built reputations as tough negotiators.
• Public meeting hears pleas to cut Lewes speed limit Calls for a 20mph speed limit to be introduced in an East Sussex town have been discussed at a public meeting.
• Ferry port route works under way Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson has officially started works on a £6.5m improvement project on the road to ferry ports in Dumfries and Galloway.
• Leeds's £254m trolleybus network approved Plans to operate trolleybuses in Britain for the first time in 44 years have been approved by the government.
• Boost for Hull and North Lincolnshire road plans Three major road improvement schemes in Hull and North Lincolnshire have taken a step forward with the government pledging £331m for the projects.
• Chair announced for 'Climategate' science probe A chairman has been appointed to an independent review into the science published by the research unit at the centre of the "Climategate" row.
• UK's new motorcycle test centres 'waste of money' Millions of pounds have been wasted on a government decision to close down local motorcycle test sites, a report from MPs has concluded.
• Lobbying deal 'fantasy' - AdonisThe transport secretary calls claims he was involved in a secret deal over a rail franchise
• Takeover talks for Forth Ports The Edinburgh-based owner of seven ports says it will meet a consortium which is bidding for the company.
• Lufthansa pilots plan new strikePilots at Europe's biggest airline, Lufthansa, say they will stage a four-day strike in April after talks with management break down.
• BA services resume after strikeBritish Airways is trying to resume normal services following the end of a three-day strike by cabin crew.

Department for Transport

• New ways for councils to tackle Blue Badge abuseCouncils will be given new ways of preventing and clamping down on Blue Badge abuse as part of a package of proposals for a radical overhaul of the scheme, Transport Minister, Sadiq Khan announced today. 

Financial Times

• Not such wimpsThe British Airways strike has achieved one remarkable thing: supportive noises from arch-rival Ryanair. No doubt BA's leasing of three Ryanair aircraft accounts for...
• Unite warns that second BA strike will go ahead as stalemate persistsUnite is ready to take British Airways cabin crew out for a second planned strike this weekend, the union said yesterday, as BA revealed the first three-day stoppage...
• European airlines face month of disruptionCabin crew at BA are ready to go on strike for four days from Saturday, having finished a three-day strike on Monday, while pilots at Lufthansa announced they would resume industrial action from April 13
• China's private airlines facing cross-windsNational carriers such as Air China are seizing small rivals helped by handouts from Beijing
• Air China gets control of Shenzhen AirlinesThe flag carrier unveils a takeover that amounts to a re-nationalisation of the beleaguered private airline, whose owner and senior executives are under investigation for unspecified economic crimes
• Lufthansa pilots call fresh round of strikesPilots at the German flagship carrier plan a fresh four-day work stoppage in April after failing to reach an agreement over pay and job security
• Plane-spotters' data show how strike hits BAAt one point around lunchtime, barely one in five of the aircraft roaring above Heathrow had BA's distinctive red, white and blue tail fin. One enthusiast said: 'Obviously the strike has had a big effect'
• Container shipping slump dents Forth PortsPort operating profits at the Edinburgh-based ports and property group were down 8% for 2009, which could sway how much a consortium is willing to pay for the business

The Guardian

• Air pollution is not yesterday's problem Thousands of deaths each year result from the UK's failure to keep air pollutants – especially from traffic – at safe levels
• Stephen Byers's influence on rail deal is fantasy The government has always done deals with franchisees and the notion Byers made a difference with National Express is fanciful
• Second BA strike 'will go ahead'Unite joint leader says talks are needed now to avert next weekend's four-day planned stoppageA four-day strike by British Airways cabin crew will go ahead on Saturday unless talks begin soon, the joint general secretary of the Unite union warned today.Tony Woodley said he expected Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, to resume mediation attempts following the end of a three-day strike tonight. But no talks have been scheduled.Both sides appear deeply entrenched in a dispute over staffing cuts that, according to BA , has cost the airline £7m per day. Asked if the second phase of indus...

The Herald

• Deutsche on track to make bid for ArrivaA potential tie-up between Deutsche Bahn, the German railway company, and Sunderland-based Arriva would create a huge transport empire extending from Scotland through the Netherlands to Germany and eastern Europe.

The Independent

• Talks plea to BA chief Willie Walsh as second strike looms Leaders of British Airways cabin crew tonight urged the airline's chief executive to
• As passengers fly through Terminal 5, cabin crew talk tactics at local football club Going to an airport but not actually flying is guaranteed to frustrate. Few British Airways passengers were in that position yesterday, because the airline has informed and re-booked the travellers who had the misfortune to buy flights hit by the cabin-crew strike. So serene, indeed, was the scene at Heathrow Terminal 5 yesterday that at one point a journalist had to make do with clandestinely filming another journalist who was in the process of filming clandestinely.

The Scotsman

• Talks bid to avert rail walkoutCrucial talks aimed at averting Easter strikes by thousands of railway workers in a row over jobs will be held on Tuesday.
• BA flights returning to normalBritish Airways flights will start to return to normal following the end of a three day strike by cabin crew which cost the airline around £21 million with further disruption

Times Online

• Last-ditch talks will attempt to avert Easter rail stoppageTalks to head off an Easter rail strike that threatens the travel plans of millions will be held today. Signallers and maintenance workers have voted to strike over job losses and changes to working practices.
• We™re still flying but strike is costing us £7m a day, says BAPassengers braced themselves for the cancellation of hundreds of flights and four more days of disruption as both sides in the British Airways cabin crew dispute licked their wounds and prepared for a second bout of unrest.
• Vauxhall Ampera may make Merseyside greenHopes that Britain could become the hub of a global green motoring revolution were boosted yesterday when Vauxhall indicated that its Ellesmere Port plant could become the home of the new electric Ampera.

Daily Express

• Forth ’undervalued'FORTH Ports staunchly defended its decision to rebuff a £612million bid for the business as it unveiled a fall in annual profits, writes Philip Waller.

Mail Online

• Call off our strikes: Cabin crews lose will to fight as British Airways flies on without them

Birmingham Mail

• Water Orton villagers furious about plans to demolish houses for high speed rail link FURIOUS villagers are up in arms over plans to demolish houses to make way for the high speed link.
• Revealed: The potential victims of Birmingham's 250mph London link dream Plans to run 250mph trains between Birmingham and London are proving controversial months before consultation on the scheme has even begun. Mail reporter ED CHADWICK spoke to some of the potential losers in the city.

Birmingham Post

• £10,000 reward to find vandals who left debris on railway track A £10,000 reward has been offered after vandals deliberately placed debris on train tracks, causing damage to three trains, including one travelling at more than 100mph.
• Backlash begins as High Speed Rail route heads for trouble As soon as the route of the high speed line from London to Birmingham was unveiled, an angry response from MPs and residents along the route began. Jonathan Walker and Edward Chadwick spoke to those most affected.
• Villages and towns prepare to fight High Speed Rail plans A battle cry is echoing across the Warwickshire countryside as residents from villages and towns lining the proposed high speed route join forces to fight the plans.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Bookies have opened betting on city's tramsIT SEEMS a sure bet that Edinburgh's embattled tram project will lurch from one crisis to another. So why not do exactly that?

Liverpool Post

• Stagecoach invests £6m in new buses for Liverpool route BUS operator Stagecoach is investing £6m in improving one of its key Liverpool routes.
• Transport minister Paul Clark approves £70m strengthening work on Bidston Moss Viaduct THE £70m strengthening work on a key Merseyside road link has been given final approval by transport minister Paul Clark.

London Evening Standard

• Arriva takes off as hopes of bidding war start to flourishHopes that a bidding war will break out for Arriva sent shares in the buses and trains operator surging today. Arriva, which owns the Cross Country rail franchise and runs some of London's buses, put on 8p to 713½p — significantly ahead of the 700p a pop its suitor Deutsche Bahn is offering — on speculation that France's state railway group, SNCF, plans to crash the takeover bid.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Zebra crossing marshal trials continue in the city centre ZEBRA crossing marshals will be used to stop pedestrians delaying buses as they cross roads in Nottingham city centre.

The York Press

• Secret East Coast rail deal denied TRANSPORT chiefs have denied a secret deal was struck with an MP at the centre of a cash-for-contacts storm over the future of a crucial rail link through York.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Talks bid to avert rail strikeCrucial talks aimed at averting Easter strikes by thousands of railway workers in a row over jobs will be held today.

The Shields Gazette

• New cameras at 12 bus sheltersA DOZEN more closed-circuit television cameras are to be installed at South Tyneside bus stops.

Other Regional Press

• Tory rail plans 'not honest'RAIL user groups in the Westcountry have branded Conservative Party plans for the future of the local network as

Other News Sources

• Transport minister Paul Clark approves £70m strengthening work on Bidston Moss Viaduct THE £70m strengthening work on a key Merseyside road link has been given final approval by transport minister Paul Clark. The work on the Bidston Moss Viaduct will allow heavier vehicles to be able to use all lanes on the key route from the M53 motorway to the Kingsway tunnel.
• Major transport boost on cards TRANSPORT issues in our area have today been given a major boost. Transport minister Sadiq Khan has announced that the Government will have the evidence it needs to decide whether to scrap the Humber Bridge tolls by late summer.
• Lancashire officials spent £250,000 on first-class faresLancashire County Hall officials and politicians splashed out £250,000 of taxpayers' money on first-class rail fares in only two years, the Lancashire Evening Post can rev
• £230m tram plans for central Lancashire revealedAmbitious plans for a £230m Central Lancashire Tramway have been revealed.
• Passengers forced to leave London train after breakdownRail passengers heading to London had to abandon their train after it broke down today .
• Bids invited for £180m Welsh roads widening schemeFirms are being invited to bid for a £180 million 140-month contract to carry out the second section of the Welsh government™s A465 Heads of the Valleys widening project in South Wales.
• Fiat launches C02 fleet management programme Italian automobile manufacturer Fiat has launched eco:Drive Fleet, a computer application that aims to improve driving efficiency for companies with their own fleets of cars.

Other Subscription Services

• Euro MPs resist proposals for single-language communicationsPush for English to be the lingua franca in all communication between ship and port
• UK unveils National Maritime Information CentreAgency to co-ordinate responses to terrorism, piracy, collisions and environmental threats at sea
• IMO facing emissions deal snagDeal on greenhouse gas emissions from shipping still proving elusive