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

Thursday, 06 May 2010

BBC News

• British Airways 'fires' leading union official A leading union official at BA says he has been sacked by the airline for gross misconduct.
• Scottish airports 'to reopen' Volcanic ash which grounded flights across Scotland clears away from UK airspace overnight, air traffic control body Nats says.
• UK airports 'expected to reopen'All airports across the UK are expected to be open again from 0700 BST after a number were closed by volcanic ash.
• Ash disruption for air travellersPassengers at Manchester Airport face disruption because of the return of Iceland's volcanic ash cloud.
• Airline scraps London City routeDevon and Cornwall are to lose one of their air links with London, with Air SouthWest announcing it is to end its service.
• Tube station staffing 'dangerous'Tube stations were regularly left unstaffed, creating dangerous conditions for travellers, a union claims.

Financial Times

• CMA CGM fails to seal rescue packageThe third-largest container ship fleet is considering a public listing as part of a package of measures to turn the ailing Marseilles-based company round after it lost $1.42bn in 2009
• 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
• American agrees tentative deal with mechanicsAmerican Airlines reached a tentative agreement on a new labour contract with its mechanics, suggesting that the carrier is finally making a measure of progress in its protracted and contentious labour negotiations

The Guardian

• Unite union favours sustained British Airways strike British Airways strike ballot could lead to walkouts of 10 days or more
• FA loses key sponsorship deal as National Express pull out The Football Association is facing a new financial headache after it emerged that the transport giant National Express would not be renewing its multimillion-pound sponsorship deal.
• Ash may bring summer of disruptionAir passengers face sporadic flight disruption as Iceland volcano expected to produce more ash over coming monthsThe volcanic eruption in Iceland disrupted services for thousands more air passengers in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland yesterday as the Civil Aviation Authority admitted more problems were possible in summer.Flights to and from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Derry and Dublin were grounded, as increased activity from Eyjafjallajokull produced an ash cloud dense enough to cancel hundreds of services, despite revised guidelines that now permit flying through contaminated airspac...

The Telegraph

• 'Old-fashioned' National Express weighs up rail commitment The new chief executive of National Express has said he is "agnostic" over whether the company stays in UK rail and admitted that the group is too "old-fashioned".

Times Online

• New driver for National Express buses The new chief executive of National Express yesterday singled out the company’s bus division for urgent attention.
• BA ˜price-fix™ trial is halted for third timeThe trial of four British Airways executives accused of criminal price-fixing was postponed for the third time yesterday.

Press Association

• Flat first class rail return offer A rail firm has claimed to be the first to offer a flat first class return, regardless of the day or time of travel. Wrexham & Shropshire said the new £120 ticket is available from from Wednesday from anywhere along the route between Wrexham in North Wales and London.

Daily Express

• National Express tune upTHE new boss of National Express is gearing up to overhaul under-performing businesses in the UK and US as the group reported a good start to 2010, writes Philip Waller.

Daily Record

• CAA blasted by Alex Salmond for causing airport closures with 'vague' ash cloud information AVIATIONS chiefs have come under fire First Minister Alex Salmond afte he claimed 'vague' information lead to the 'unnecessary cancellation' of flights.

Mail Online

• Iceland volcano ash cloud: New eruption grounds planes in Ireland and ScotlandAirports in the west of Scotland and Northern Ireland will reopen at 8am after the cloud was said to have lifted.

Network Rail

• BARD™S RAIL STATION IS AS YOU LIKE IT

Bristol Live

• ransport minister urges Bristol voters to support Labour to ensure much-needed investment in city's trains and buses [letters]NOTE the silence on the North Fringe to Hengrove route, although quite honestly the cancellation of the stupid bendybus scheme can only be a good thing. £200 million plus for a load of coloured tarmac, a few road signs, and the tender handed to First Bus on a silver platter is a ridiculous waste of money even in a booming economy.

Derby Telegraph

• £2.25m Peak District route bid to get us all out on our bikes A CYCLE route will be created in the Peak District as part of a £2.25m project to encourage people to get on their bikes.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Tram vehicle livery arrives white on cueTHE first images have been released of the new livery which will be used for Edinburgh's trams.

London Evening Standard

• National Express out to get buses back on road National Express today announced plans to turn around its “underperforming” bus business as new boss Dean Finch said he could not rule out cutting some of the 5,100 jobs in the division.

Manchester Evening News

• Tram boss in ’dreaded’ man email blunder A tram boss has been forced to apologise after a customer was sent an email calling him a ˜dreaded™ man. Cheryl Hubbard, Metrolink™s customer services manager, passed on a complaint from Aidan Higgins to a colleague with the note: œCan you look at this one please “ the dreaded Aidan Higgins!! But Ms Hubbard™s comments were accidentally sent on to Mr Higgins in an email from Metrolink saying he would get a refund for being overcharged.

Northern Echo

• Airport wins four year legal battle with airline AN airport is seeking millions in compensation after winning a landmark legal battle with a budget airline.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Notts transport simply the best [letter]YOUNG mums and dads are so lucky nowadays, they don't struggle holding the baby and folding the pushchair down to carry it on to a bus.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Work under way on £6m project to upgrade the Tay Road BridgeA multimillion-pound project to upgrade road access from Fife to Dundee began yesterday.
• Aberdeen signs up to carbon cuts pledgeAberdeen is the only British city which has signed up to do more to cut emissions.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds nostalgia: 1940s to 1970s transportEnjoy a photo gallery of pictures celebrating transport in Leeds from the 1940s through to the 1970s.

Other Regional Press

• Newport disabled man's anger at bus policy A DISABLED man who was asked to pay for his young son to travel on a Newport Transport bus says he is œdisgusted with the company™s policy of charging children travelling with concessionary pass holders.
• Brighouse to London train service starts on May 23 A RAIL train link between Brighouse and London will reopen this month after 41 years.
• Election 2010: Lord Adonis on campaign trail in Weymouth VOLCANIC ash clouds couldn™t stop the campaign trail in Weymouth.

Railnews

• News: Ash cloud rail services pick up as airports close again Train operators are gearing up to deal with extra passengers following the closure of several airports in Scotland and Ireland because of the returning volcanic ash cloud.

Railway Gazette

• Veolia and Transdev sign definitive merger agreements EUROPE: On May 5 Caisse des Dépôts and Veolia Environnement announced the signing of definitive agreements for the merger of Transdev and Veolia Transport, having completed consultation with employee representatives. The deal is subject to authorisation by the French government and regulatory authorities, who will be formally notified 'in the coming weeks.' Veolia Environnement CEO Antoine Frérot will chair the new group, while Transdev Chief Executive Joël Lebreton will be CEO. Veolia Transport CEO Cyrille du Peloux will be Deputy CEO, responsible for operations and for preparing an IPO ...
• Lucchini RS opens high technology wheel plant ITALY: Lucchini RS officially inaugurated a €90m wheel production line at its Lovere site in northern Italy with a ceremony on May 1. The rolling mill puts the company at the forefront of wheel manufacturing technology, as part of its strategy to dominate the niche market for high technology locomotive and high speed trainset wheels. 'This is not typical steel making', said General Manager Augusto Mensi. The highly-automated production plant was supplied by German firm SMS Meer to Lucchini's specifications, which included the ability to rapidly reconfigure the line for the production of more...

Aviation Industry

• Unite union favours sustained British Airways strikeBritish Airways cabin crew and supporters during a rally near Heathrow Airport in March.
• First bag free on Delta with airline's AmEx cardDelta Air Lines is going to waive the fee for the first piece of luggage checked for most people who carry its frequent flier credit card.
• NTSB concludes 'Miracle on Hudson' probe; each engine core ingested goose

Green Miscellany

• If you want to change transport in Britain then vote for the Liberal Democrats Coming to the end of what must be the most interesting national election campaign in decades it is time to consider who to vote for.read more
• High-visibility bicycle jacket with built-in lasers A jacket that emits light from over 100 lasers attached to its front, back and arms could be the ultimate high-visibility accessory for cyclists.read more

Other News Sources

• Head office would be 'eaten up' by rail line PLANS for a 250mph high speed railway would see elevated trains slice through swathes of Lichfield's green belt before leaping over the A38, existing rail lines and a busy industrial park.
• Election 2010: And the choice boils down to... Still undecided? 'Independent' writers explain the differences between the main parties' manifestos Environment & climate change, by Michael McCarthy
• New California high-speed rail chief likely to be named ThursdayRoelof van Ark, president of Alstom Transportation Inc., a subsidiary of a French-based conglomerate, is scheduled to be introduced at a California High-Speed Rail Authority meeting Thursday.
• Bumper year for Cornish railways PASSENGER numbers on the scenic branch line which links St Erth, Carbis Bay and St Ives topped half a million last year.
• Deutsche Bahn founds privacy council Germany's Deutsche Bahn (DB) announced the foundation of a 12-member privacy council that is to advice and support the management board of Deutsche Bahn on privacy issues. The privacy council comprises worker representatives and privacy experts. It is headed by Dieter Hommel, Chairman of the GDBA trade union. Further members include e.g. Günter Kirchheim, Chairman of DB's workers' council, or Sylvia Schenk, Chairwoman of Transparency International Deutschland. Deutsche Bahn's privacy council is to meet four times a year with the first meeting scheduled for 17 May 2010, Logistics Finland info...
• Sussex Police take part in Europe-wide speed crackdown A speed enforcement campaign is aiming to reduce deaths and serious accidents on the road.
• Boom in cheap bus fare passenger numbersCARS are sitting empty on driveways as people pile onto buses instead thanks to a hugely successful cheap fares scheme.
• RMT backs Justice 4 Jarvis Workers protest in LeedsRAIL UNION RMT is backing a protest by the Justice 4 Jarvis Workers campaign in Leeds city centre this Friday lunchtime as the union continues the fight for the jobs of 1200 workers following the collapse of the company in March.
• Somali piracy report publishedLords EU Committee report examines effectiveness of EU Operation Atalanta in combating piracy
• EU focuses on speed limiter solutionThe European Union has proposed that vans and light trucks should be fitted with speed limiters preventing them from exceeding more than 120 km per hour to improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. The EU is in the process of formulating plans to reduce CO2 emissions from vans and light trucks. An EU report suggests that [...]
• Transport starts to see the upsideJudging by responses to the Trucking Britain Out Of Recession survey conducted in April, many road transport operators have seen the worst of the recession and are already seeing some upside - but the outlook remains uncertain.
• Winchester civic chiefs relieved over latest road closure WINCHESTER civic chiefs have been patting themselves on the back after the closure of Andover Road has so far caused less traffic chaos than was feared.
• Electric cars push needs 'careful thinking'Despite a strong push to ramp up the production of electric cars around the world, experts warn that their roll-out needs to be carefully planned before investors open their wallets.
• EU agrees to speed up joint control of skyEuropean transport ministers have agreed to establish safety guidelines for flying in volcanic ash and to swiftly unify European airspace, but they are wary of granting financial aid to airlines grounded by such crises.
• Norwich Airport gets new chief exectiveNorwich Airport has appointed a new chief executive who hopes to œbuild on the enormous progress made at the airport during the past year. Andrew Bell has taken the role after two months acting in an interim capacity, during which time he has already delivered an agreement with KLM to re-establish the fourth daily flight to Amsterdam.
• Prices, extreme winter and strike burden Lufthansa first quarter result for 2010Group posts operating loss of 330 million euros / Lufthansa Cargo benefits from increase in demand and ends short-time work / Executive Board confirms positive full-year forecast. Prices,...
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