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

Wednesday, 05 May 2010

BBC News

• Third Thames bridge on Reading East election agenda Reading East's main election contenders have vowed to do more to make a new third Thames bridge a reality.
• More airports shut over ash risksAirports in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland are to close because of risks from a rise in volcanic ash levels.
• Aer Lingus counts ash chaos costIrish airline Aer Lingus says the disruption caused by the volcanic ash cloud last month has cost it about 20m euros.
• EU ministers agree volcano actionEU transport ministers agree measures they say will help prevent further disruption to air travel as a result of volcanic ash.
• Greece transport halts for strikeGreek transport workers join civil servants in a general strike over austerity measures planned in exchange for international help.

Financial Times

• Lufthansa hit by worse losses than expectedEurope's largest airline by revenues gets off to an unwelcome start in 2010 with operating losses of €330m as it tries to recover from a severe downturn for the aviation industry
• Aer Lingus faces €20m fallout from ash cloudThe Irish flag carrier says its second-quarter performance would be significantly affected by the airspace closures, which have slowed the implementation of its cost-savings programme and hit earnings
• China's New Century pulls S$666m listingA Chinese shipbuilding group has cancelled a S$666m initial public offering that would have been the largest in Singapore this year

The Guardian

• The Parisian art of fare evasion An ingenious minority of Métro passengers are combining financial gain with political idealism
• Airlines warned of further ash chaosFresh plume from Eyjafjallajokull volcano forces closure of airspace over Scotland and Northern IrelandAir passengers face further disruption after the Civil Aviation Authority tonight said that airspace over Scotland and Northern Ireland will be closed from 7am tomorrow due to a new cloud of volcanic ash drifting south from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland.The CAA said there were concerns that the ash cloud would continue to move south, potentially affecting airports in the north-west of England and north Wales.A CAA spokesman said:

The Herald

• Scottish airspace closed again due to fresh volcanic ash cloudScotland™s skies have been thrown into chaos once again after a fresh plume of Icelandic volcanic ash forced authorities to cancel all flights in and out of the country.
• Cheap bus fares plan for unemployedScotland™s biggest bus firm is to trial cheap fares for unemployed people after an appeal by a Glasgow MSP.

The Scotsman

• Transport links 'holding back' oil capital More contracts are being released and delayed contracts are finally coming on stream, according to the latest Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce oil and gas survey.

Times Online

• Nissan recalls 130,000 Infiniti carsNissan recalled more than 130,000 of its Infiniti G35 model sedan and coupes today due to a problem with airbags.
• It has the flag and the name ” but is BA British enough?British Airways has been forced to prove itself sufficiently British to stay in the FTSE 100 after its proposed merger with Iberia.
• Air passengers face a summer of disruption from Icelandic volcanoAirline passengers can expect disruption from the volcanic ash cloud throughout the summer, aviation regulators warned yesterday, after continued eruptions in Iceland grounded hundreds of flights once again.

Daily Express

• Volcano: Ash cloud costs Aer Lingus €20millionTHE ash cloud from the Iceland volcano last month cost Irish airline Aer Lingus an estimated €20million (£17.2million), prompting it to voice caution about full-year performance.

Birmingham Mail

• Sniffer dog tracks down drugs on the buses SIX-YEAR-OLD Woody is PC Tony Mills’ best friend – but he’s proving an enemy to drug users on Birmingham’s buses.

Journal Live

• German firm won Metro bid despite higher bill METRO bosses paid a German firm £5m more to run Tyneside trains than it would have cost to keep the service in-house.

London Evening Standard

• More ash misery for air passengersAir passengers face the return of flight chaos as the skies over many parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland closed for business once more.

Metro

• 140mph train service is reduced after complaints High-speed Japanese Javelin service between St Pancras in London and Ashford and Ebbsfleet in Kent was launched only four months ago but train lengths have already been cut down due to cost of tickets and lack of comfort on-board.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Notts rail services face cuts in new franchise rules plan KEY rail routes in Notts – including the Robin Hood Line – could face cutbacks under plans to allow operators to drop less profitable services, a watchdog claims.

Other Regional Press

• Bus chiefs agree to pilot fare deal for unemployedScotland™s biggest bus firm is to trial cheap fares for unemployed people after an appeal by a Glasgow MSP.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Overseas freight transporters urged to pay their way in the UKAn organisation dedicated to representing the interests of businesses moving goods by rail, road, sea and air has said that freight transporters entering the UK should have to pay for fuel while on British roads.Chief economist with the Freight Transport Association Simon Chapman stated that by limiting the amount of petrol such drivers can bring with them into the country, money could be easily recouped."[It] would bring in almost enough cash to build a brand new hospital every year, yet none of the political parties seems to have the appetite to tackle this issue," he remar...

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow expansion would give negative economic benefitThe New Economics Foundation (NEF) has conducted a detailed, independent re-evaluation of the economic case for a third runway at Heathrow airport. Its study finds that the costs of the Runway 3 proposal outweigh the benefits by at least £5 billion. NEF has re-run the government™s model which estimates the economic benefits of Heathrow. The re-run uses [...]
• Aer Lingus reports first quarter pre-tax loss of €36.2 million Aer Lingus almost halved its first-quarter pre-tax loss to €36.2 million ($47.9 million) from a €67.9 million deficit in the year-ago period. Quarterly revenue declined 1.8% but operating costs fell at a much higher rate of 13.3% owing to lower staff costs and a 42.6% reduction in fuel costs. Consequently, operating loss before net exceptional items dropped 49.5% to €37.8 million from €74.8 million last year.

Other News Sources

• O¹Toole and Franks leave National Express National Express Group O¹Toole and Franks leave National Express National Express Group PLC announced on 5 May that Ray O¹Toole, Chief Operating Officer, had retired as a director. He will be assisting Dean Finch, Group Chief Executive, on a number of projects over the next 12 months.
• Rail union lobbies for transport safety Rail union RMT will lobby the Scottish Parliament today in a bid to highlight the crucial safety role of guards on trains.
• Night staff needed to help disabled travellers, says Basildon train passenger DISABLED people have no help when using trains at night, a furious passenger has said.
• Time to drive commuters away Residents will be asked for their views on measures to squeeze commuters off the streets near Berkhamsted railway station. Within the next few months Berkhamsted Town Council will be sending questionnaires to local people in roads where it believes support for residents' parking zones is at its strongest.
• Coroner calls for Crawley level crossing safety review A CORONER has called for an urgent review of safety at town level crossings after three railway deaths. Dr David Skipp will ask police and railway authorities to consider new safety measures after inquests into the fatalities were held last week.
• Balfour Beatty takes £250m worth of Network Rail work Balfour Beatty has won work totalling nearly £250m with Network Rail. The work includes a four-year extension to Balfour Beatty’s existing track renewal framework contract worth approximately £56m in the first year of the contract, with a further £115m to be awarded provided agreed targets are met during the first year of the contract.
• Tory leaders rail against road pricingForty Conservative council leaders join forces to criticise Liberal Democrat plans to introduce a new system of road charging.
• Amadeus processes record number of airline passengers through its Altéa platform (press release)Altéa gathers pace with 31 airlines successfully cutting-over to the next-generation Customer Management Solution (CMS). Ancillary sales, revenue management and e-commerce solutions are key focus areas for 2010read more

Other Subscription Services

• Netherlands considers ports mergerThink tank suggests closer co-operation or a full-blown merger of Rotterdam and Amsterdam ports