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

Monday, 10 May 2010

BBC News

• Shorts building damaged in fire The main building at the Shorts factory in east Belfast has been significantly damaged in a blaze on Sunday morning.
• BA staff discuss further strikes British Airways cabin crew are expected to discuss a ballot on fresh strikes after rejecting a new offer on pay and conditions.
• Ryanair denies ash causing delaysRyanair says there is no truth in a claim that volcanic ash had been found in the engines of its planes at Belfast City Airport.
• Ash cloud causes more disruptionPassengers at Manchester Airport are warned of further disruption, because of a volcanic ash cloud spreading over part of Europe.

Financial Times

• Plea to safeguard London transport investment Some of London's most prominent business people will join the city's mayor to make a plea for a new government to protect the multibillion-pound investment programme in the London transport network.
• GIP to launch $6bn fundraisingThe owner of London™s Gatwick and City airports will this week seek to cement its place as the world™s biggest private equity investor in infrastructure assets by launching a $5bn-$6bn fundraising
• Shipping boss confident over tanker returnsBaltic Trading's Peter Georgiopoulos predicts continued strong returns for owners of tankers and dry bulk ships amid booming Chinese demand and cancelled orders for new vessels

The Guardian

• Safeguards for London transport [letter - Boris Johnson]As we enter a new political era, our country faces huge challenges. We recognise the need for change, but must also remember the absolute necessity of maintaining the crucial investment in our transport system, the foundation upon which our success is dependent.
• Ash cloud disrupts flightsPassengers face double-whammy as union officials meet to discuss next wave of British Airways strikesAir travellers are facing a double threat involving the latest ash plume from Iceland's volcano moving around into UK airspace, as well as a union summit to discuss strikes which could affect hundreds of thousands of British Airways passengers.It follows a weekend of disruption, with the ash cloud closing most airports in northern Italy and some in Scotland, northern Spain, southern France, Switzerland and Germany for 12 or 24 hours, and continuing threats to continental and UK airspace. Storno...

The Herald

• New ash misery hits island flights Flights were grounded in Scotland and across Europe yesterday as an Icelandic volcano stubbornly continued to spew out a plume of dangerous ash.

The Scotsman

• Ash cloud to disrupt more flightsTravellers are facing further problems as clouds of volcanic ash forced airports to close across Europe and flights were cancelled.
• Fresh strikes possible in BA rowLeaders of British Airways cabin crew are considering calling fresh strikes after the rejection of a deal aimed at ending their long-running dispute.

The Telegraph

• Toyota bounces back from recall crisis Toyota has launched a resilient fightback after the global recall crisis that engulfed the company, annual results are expected to show this week.
• Travellers face a week of delays as volcanic ash grounds flights again Thousands of travellers are facing a week of uncertainty after a fresh cloud of volcanic ash crippled services to parts of Europe and America over the weekend.

Times Online

• Cash-rich BA union threatens travel chaos over half-term holidaysThe leaders of Britain™s biggest trade union will meet representatives of British Airways cabin crew today, flush with a fighting fund of £700,000 to support a strike that threatens to ground flights for three weeks, including the Whitsun Bank Holiday and school half-term.

Mail Online

• Rail fare rip-off: changes to 'peak time' schedules mean journeys cost up to £200 moreSome ticket prices have risen fourfold since last year, with travellers paying almost £200 more for the same journey.

Belfast Telegraph

• ’Business as normal’ after blaze at Shorts Shorts employees were asked to report for work as normal today after a major fire ripped through part of its east Belfast factory.

London Evening Standard

• Ash cloud to disrupt more flightsTravellers are face further problems as clouds of volcanic ash forced airports to close across Europe and flights to be cancelled.
• Boris to unveil new Tube strategyMayor of London Boris Johnson is set to unveil his vision for the city's transport network following the dramatic return of maintenance work on the Underground to the public sector.
• Fresh strikes possible in BA rowLeaders of British Airways cabin crew are considering calling fresh strikes after the rejection of a deal aimed at ending their long-running dispute.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Plans to cut congestion on major route ROADS around a major Notts roundabout could be widened to ease congestion.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Station upgrade moving forwardHOPES are rising of improvements to Dore railway station to keep track with growing numbers of passengers.

The York Press

• Dial & Ride buses in York may go private A TRANSPORT service which ferries elderly people around York could be œoutsourced to a private company.

Other Regional Press

• Island firm secures sea link contractThe Isles of Scilly Steamship Company has won the tender to operate a new combined freight and passenger ship between the islands and the mainland.

Other News Sources

• High-speed-rail exec's fast track to premium pay They may want to rename California's new High-Speed Rail Authority as the High-Pay Authority, considering the package handed to new executive director Roelof van Ark.
• SunRail gets set to buy trains [Florida, USA]FDOT also is closing in on a pact with the Canadian company Bombardier to buy four double-decker coaches and nine cab cars for $30 million. A cab car features a control panel that remotely operates a locomotive, allowing the trains to go either direction without turning around on the track.
• Foreign firms line up for high-speed rail [Florida, USA]Here are some companies to watch: Bombardier Inc. Based in Montreal, Canada, this company is no stranger to Florida. Its trains are best known here as the monorail system at Walt Disney World.
• Bombardier’s rough passage to India The Canadian manufacturer has put a lot on the line to be a part of the country’s massive efforts to transform its rail infrastructure. But the bureaucracy – and the baksheesh – pose big problems
• More BA strikes possible Leaders of British Airways cabin crew are considering calling fresh strikes after the rejection of a deal to end the long-running dispute.Related StoriesCabin crew reject BA's new offerEasyjet reveals extent of ash cloud impactUnions hail tube lines 'shareholder deal'Volcanic ash disruption for southern EuropeNew ash cloud spells more travel problems