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

Friday, 07 May 2010

BBC News

• SmartWater to deter thievesNetwork Rail treat trackside cables with SmartWater to deter copper cable thieves across the West Midlands region.
• Airports open after ash closuresAirports across the UK have reopened after a number were closed by volcanic ash from Iceland.
• Driver dies in 'spillage' crashA teenage driver dies after a crash in Aberdeenshire which is thought to have involved a spillage on the road.
• BA 'fires' leading union officialA leading union official at British Airways says he has been sacked by the airline for gross misconduct.
• Ballot of BA cabin crew awaitedBritish Airways could face a fresh threat of strikes by cabin crew when ballot results are announced later.

Department for Transport

• Transport StatisticsThe Department for Transport has today published the following Transport Statistics:
• Transport StatisticsThe Department for Transport has today published the following Transport Statistics:

Financial Times

• BA faces renewed threat of strikeBritish Airways is facing the threat of more industrial action as the union representing cabin crew prepares to announce on Friday the results of a fresh ballot in the long-running dispute

The Guardian

• BA cabin crew threaten 20-day strike¢ Airline angers Unite by sacking senior shop steward¢ Cabin crew expected to vote against latest peace offerBritish Airways cabin crew could stage a 20-day strike this month as BA inflamed the airline's worst-ever industrial dispute today by sacking a senior shop steward.The Unite trade union is considering four waves of five-day strikes amid the possibility that flight attendants will vote against the latest BA peace offer. It is understood that the poll of 11,000 flight attendants is heading towards a strong rejection and a result is expected tomorrow, with strike dates awaiting the approv...
• Climate science attacks condemnedOpen letter defends the integrity of climate science and hits out at recent attacks driven by 'special interests or dogma' ¢ Read the full text of the open letterA group of 255 of the world's top scientists today written an open letter aimed at restoring public faith in the integrity of climate science.In a strongly worded reproof of the recent escalation of political assaults on climatologists, the letter, published in the US Journal Science and signed by 11 Nobel laureates, attacks critics driven by

Times Online

• Mayor brings Tube Lines back into public handsLondon Underground is planning to drive the final nail in the coffin of the £30 billion Public Private Partnership deal to improve the Tube by taking control of the company responsible for upgrading the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines.

Daily Express

• Volcano clouds new BA figuresCHAOS caused by ash from the Icelandic volcano took its toll on passenger numbers at British Airways last month.

Network Rail

• BRIDGE RENEWAL BEGINS AS RAIL LINK PROGRESSES WESTWARD
• SKY'S THE LIMIT AS LANDMARK KING™S CROSS CONCOURSE TAKES SHAPE

Birmingham Mail

• 275 new jobs announced at Land Rover in Solihull Car giant Land Rover has given the motor industry a huge boost by announcing plans to create 275 new jobs at its manufacturing plant in Solihull.

Liverpool Post

• New Mersey dredger named at Liverpool Cruise Terminal PEEL Ports pushed out the boat at the naming of its new dredger Shoalway, at Liverpool Cruise Terminal.

London Evening Standard

• BA facing threat of fresh strikesBritish Airways could be facing a fresh threat of strikes in its long-running row with cabin crew when the result of a fresh ballot is announced.
• Talks continue over rail strikeTalks aimed at averting strikes by thousands of railway workers will continue, with the threat of disruption still hovering over the industry.

Metro

• Student creates £3,000 home-made ˜supercar™Chinese student Chen Su Jin Miao built his dream Lamborghini from scratch using spare parts for £3,000.

Bucks Free Press

• Chilterns water supply could be affected by High Speed 2 WATER supplies in the Chiltern district could be polluted if plans for a controversial high speed rail link are given the go-ahead, a conservationist has warned.

Sunderland Echo

• Airport will seek £12m damages from bmibabyAn airport will seek up to £12million in compensation after winning a landmark legal battle with a budget airline.

Other Regional Press

• Rail service changes, Sunday 23 MayThe summer/autumn national and local train timetables start on Sunday 23 May - check for changes to your services.
• Taunton model railway show Taunton Town and the Burnham and District model railway clubs have teamed up to host a model railway show at the Taunton Football Club.
• £1billion needed to repair crumbling Scots roadsMotorists in Scotland face growing delays amid a warning there has been under-investment in the country™s road network.

International Herald Tribune

• Washington Has New Appetite for Auto SafetyA crisis for Toyota has become a catalyst for regulatory change with support from the White House, both political parties and the industry.

Railway Gazette

• 600-train framework agreements announcedGERMANY: BeNEX has announced framework agreements under which three rolling stock manufacturers could each supply up to 200 multi-section electric multiple-units. The tendering process began in 2008 and ended on May 5 with the announcement of agreements for Bombardier Transportation to supply Talent 2 units, Alstom Transport its Coradia Continental model and Stadler Rail trains from the Flirt family. Firm orders will be placed as and when rail operating contracts are won by BeNEX, the holding company owned by Hamburg public transport operator Hamburger Hochbahn and PPP investor International...

Aviation Industry

• European Parliament amends aviation security charges directive The European Parliament approved several amendments to the European Commission's draft directive on aviation security charges and decided that measures that are not listed as standard EU aviation security techniques, such as body-scanning machines, should be paid for by member states rather than airlines or passengers.
• Legal news Delta Air Lines and US Airways said they intend to challenge in the US Court of Appeals the decision by the Dept. of Transportation that they must sell slots at New York LaGuardia and Washington National as a condition of having their slot swap transaction approved (ATWOnline, May 5).
• RwandAir orders two 737-800s RwandAir placed an order for two 737-800s, the airline and Boeing announced yesterday. The Kigali-based carrier said it is "renewing and expanding its fleet to broaden its network." It currently operates only regional jets. The 737-800s "will enable us to eventually expand to regional hubs across Africa and the Middle East," Chairman John Mirenge said. "They will become the mainstay of our fleet."
• French navy: Submarine picked up signals from AF447 FDR, CVR

Other News Sources

• American Airlines launches Madrid to New York, JFK services American Airlines has introduced direct services between New York JFK and the Spanish capital Madrid.  The route complements the carrier's existing flights between Miami and Madrid and Dallas/Fort Worth and Madrid as well as services to the Catalan regional centre, Barcelona from New York JFK.Operating using a Boeing 757-200 aircraft services will depart from Madrid each day at 10am providing for an early arrival the same business day at New York JFK and offering an ideal platform for express operators in the Madrid area wishing to have their documents and small parcels reach the US busi...
• Model of Campbell's Bluebird car for auction in Sussex A model of the Bluebird 1928 car driven by motoring legend Sir Malcolm Campbell during his land speed record is to be offered for sale, auctioneers Bonhams have announced.
• Transport test set on winter measuresFormer Colin Buchanan director David Quarmby has been appointed to lead a review of the resilience of England's transport systems to severe winter weather.
• Roger Tym & Partners appointed for Ashford bridgeRoger Tym & Partners has been appointed by Ashford's Future to examine the case for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge across the Channel Tunnel Rail Link at Ashford.
• Vast North Kent port development gets go-aheadOutline planning permission for a vast business park in north Kent has been received.
• Cambridge Guided Busway foundations to be assessedBam Nuttall last week agreed to carry out borehole soil testing to ensure foundations for the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway are robust.
• Transport workers in South Africa set for strike actionSome 50,000 workers in the state owned freight group Transnet are set to go on strike next week.
• IRU calls for ambitious transport policyIn the framework of the European Parliament debate on a Sustainable future for transport in the European Union, and amidst Commission preparations for the forthcoming EU White Paper on Transport Policy, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) has called upon MEPs to support an ambitious approach to future EU transport policy, placing the emphasis on [...]
• Scania is back in IraqScania has a presence in Iraq again, including both production and sales. Trucks ordered by government customers are being assembled locally, while an independent distributor is supplying the private sector market with imported vehicles. This distributor is also responsible for the reconstruction of Scania™s sales and service network in the country. œIf the situation in Iraq continues [...]
• Cathay agrees with Hong Kong govt report on A330 high-speed landingCathay Pacific Airways says a report issued by Hong Kong authorities on an A330-300 high-speed landing last month is
• Stansted Airport's new Ryanair services commenceRyanair has launched three new flights from Stansted Airport serving summer holiday destinations.Services to Figari in Corsica and Fez in Morocco began on May 4th and a new route between Stansted Airport and Fuertevenura in the Canary Islands launched yesterday (May 5th).Laura McCormack, from the low-cost airline, said that passengers travelling from the London travel hub won't have to pay fuel surcharges.Tickets are available from £6 one way, including all taxes."To celebrate the launch of these new routes from London Stansted, Ryanair is releasing one million 25 per cent off seats ...
• Transocean warning revealedUK SAFETY officials warned Transocean in 2006 about a defect in one of its rig's blowout preventers “ the same safety device being blamed in the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
• Police crackdown on lorry drivers ThetfordLorry drivers trying to travel down a restricted road in Thetford have been issued with on the spot fines of £300 during an operation which saw almost 100 vehicles pulled over by police officers.