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Wednesday, 19 May 2010

BBC News

• Bridge bearing repair work starts A major project to replace the bearings on the Forth Road Bridge's approach viaducts has begun.
• Wave power prototype 'significant step' for sector A new generation of prototype wave power machine has been unveiled by the first minister.
• Railway stations set for revampShelters and other passenger facilities at railway stations in the West Midlands are to be improved in a £1.6m revamp.
• Ash could see more Scottish 'staycations'Tourism boss forecasts
• Tube strike legality questionedLondon Underground maintenance firm Tube Lines questions the legality of a series of weekend strikes called by workers.

Financial Times

• Low oil prices fail to cheer airline sectorMany carriers are adopting more cautious strategies and waiting on the sidelines to get a better idea of the direction of the oil price

The Guardian

• Boris Johnson: nationalisation triumph It all got a bit buried in the aftermath of the election campaign, but Mayor Johnson brought the matter directly to my attention in an adjunct to our chat at yesterday's unveiling of the New Bus for London designs in Battersea. Eight days ago he and Transport for London announced that the latter had spent £310 million buying up shares in the Tube Lines consortium and so effectively completing the removal of the Underground upgrade work from the ill-fated public-private partnership arrangements imposed on Boris's predecessor by Gordon Brown.
• BA strike ruling delayedUnite union's court challenge over ban on walkout will not be decided before ThursdayBritish Airways passengers have been given a breathing space of at least another 36 hours after senior judges said they would not decide before Thursday morning whether a crew walkout would be illegal.Unite, the trade union that represents over 90% of BA cabin crew, was furious on Monday after a high court judge ruled that a planned 20-day strike would be unlawful.Branding the decision

The Herald

• Launched: mighty sea snake that could power 500 homesA wave power generator capable of producing enough electricity to meet the annual needs of 500 UK homes has been officially unveiled by Alex Salmond.

The Independent

• Winds set to clear away ash cloud Airlines ran near-normal services today after new measures to tackle flight disruption caused by the ash cloud were introduced.
• BA strikes up in the air again as judges consider cabin crew appeal The High Court is to re-examine an injunction it granted blocking British Airways cabin crew from starting 20 days of strike action. The Unite union will learn tomorrow whether it will be given permission to appeal against the ban. The strike had been due to start yesterday, but was thwarted late on Monday after the court ruled that Unite had not followed the correct procedure because it failed to inform its members of 11 papers that had been spoiled in the ballot. The decision prompted an immediate response from Unite, which swiftly sought to challenge the decision at the Royal Courts of Ju...

The Scotsman

• ScotRail set to create £5m 'ring of steel' to tackle fare dodging A "RING of steel" to prevent £1 million a year in fare dodging is to be created at the heart of Britain's second biggest city rail network, The Scotsman has learned.
• Rail returns to Dunbar SCOTRAIL trains will return to Dunbar from next Monday after a 20-year gap, with the two return trips a day to Edinburgh seen as the first step towards an hourly service.
• BA aims for full long haul scheduleBritish Airways is hoping to operate a full schedule of long haul flights as operations returned to normal.

The Telegraph

• BA passengers left in limbo as Appeal Court delays strike decision Nearly a million British Airways passengers have been left in limbo after the Court of Appeal delayed a decision on whether a planned cabin crew strike was legal.

Times Online

• Unite appeals against air strike injunctionBritish Airways passengers are again facing the cancellation of hundreds of flights after the Unite union moved to overturn an emergency injunction that has blocked the longest strike in the airline™s history.

Daily Express

• SIR RICHARD BRANSON: LIVES HAVE BEEN LOST OVER ASH CLOUD FLIGHT DELAYS AIRLINE bosses yesterday slam med “crass” decisions which have grounded planes in the Icelandic volcano crisis. Virgin Atlantic boss Sir Richard Branson claimed lives have been lost because the repeated closure of UK airspace has stopped the delivery of vital organs for transplants.

Mail Online

• BA strikes: Unite union accuse British Airways of being 'petty and vindictive'The union is waiting to hear if judges will allow it to go ahead with a strike due for this week but called off at the last minute on Monday by the High Court.

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL ANNOUNCES £260M ADVERTISING CONTRACTS

Birmingham Mail

• New Eastside plans in the light of High Speed Rail A LEADING architect has been drafted in to sort out the city centre Eastside development in the wake of the Government’s High Speed Rail 2 proposals.

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham Metro extension facing axe in Government spending review The long-awaited extension of the Midland Metro through Birmingham City Centre faces the axe after the new Government launched a ruthless review of spending.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Jet2 setting out to combat ash delays Airline company Jet2 has vowed to beat flight delays at Leeds-Bradford Airport after no-fly zones were put in place because of the volcanic ash cloud.

Liverpool Post

• Network Rail’s £15m Edge Hill upgrade prepares to boost capacity on Liverpool’s London link LIVERPOOL Lord Mayor Cllr Mike Storey has opened a new £15m maintenance facility at Wavertree’s Edge Hill rail depot.

London Evening Standard

• Now Tube bosses follow BA and fight strikers in the courtsTube chiefs launch an 11th-hour bid to avert this weekend’s strike by maintenance drivers which will bring major disruption to the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines
• Airlines run near-normal servicesAirlines ran near-normal services on Tuesday after new measures to tackle flight disruption caused by the ash cloud were introduced.

The York Press

• New parking meters in Piccadilly car park proving to be a success City of York Council’s new parking payment meters are proving to be a success. Four new machines were put up in Piccadilly car park at the beginning of April, which allow customers to pay for their parking by credit or debit card

Yorkshire Evening Post

• New Leeds bus fare plan Transport giant First today revealed the price plan it hopes will get passengers bouncing onto its buses in Leeds.
• Leeds transport schemes at risk as Labour spending reviewedTwo transport schemes in Leeds are at risk of being axed after the new coalition government announced plans to undo Labour's "irresponsible" spending splurge.

Forbes

• In His Own Words: Forbes Q&A With BP's Tony HaywardThe company's response to the gulf spill? ''Extraordinarily successful,'' says its chief.

Railway Gazette

• Portuguese high speed concession signedPORTUGAL: Minister of Public Works, Transport & Communications António Mendoça participated in ceremonies on May 8 to mark the formal signing of the 40-year PPP concession contract covering construction of the country™s first high speed line. He was joined by Assistant Secretary of State Paulo Campas, Transport Secretary Correia da Fonseca and Secretary of Finance Carlos Costa Pinta. High speed rail authority RAVE announced in December that the ELOS consortium had been selected to build the eastern section of the Lisboa “ Madrid route between Poceirão and Caia, with the aim of completin...
• La Sagrera contracts awarded SPAIN: ADIF has awarded two contracts worth a total of €5892m for the construction of a new station at La Sagrera in Barcelona, located on the high speed line to the French border. Also served by regional and suburban trains and with parking space for 2500 cars, it is expected that the new facility will be used by up to 100 million passengers a year. A contract worth €3664m to build the station itself has been awarded to a joint venture of Dragados, Acciona, Comsa and Acsa. The surface level will include a bus terminal, beneath which there will be 10 tracks of 1435 mm gauge serving five pl...

Aviation Industry

• British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh was highly critical of the Met Office forecastingThe Met Office has defended its forecasting after claims that the ash cloud that caused flight chaos on Monday
• Small team of UK scientist work round the clock to...When ash spews from an Icelandic volcano, 10 British scientists using laser sensors, satellite pictures and a specially equipped jet must tell the world where it's going.
• Alaska launches Gogo Internet service on 737-800s Alaska Airlines launched Aircell's Gogo inflight Internet service Tuesday on six 737-800s and plans to expand the service to its entire fleet by the end of 2010. The airline said it is partnering with Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card to offer passengers free Wi-Fi through July 31. Gogo will be installed on its fleet of 737-800s and -900s by the end of the summer, with its 737-400s and -700s equipped later in the year.
• Ryanair says ENAC did not notify it of 'unlawful' fines Ryanair claimed it did not receive official notification from Italian civil aviation authority ENAC that it was fined €3 million ($3.7 million) for 178 alleged violations of the EU passenger rights regulation between April 17 and April 22 and vowed it will "vigorously" appeal any fines if or when it receives notification of them. ENAC announced over the weekend that it had fined the LCC for failing to provide passengers at Rome Ciampino with drinks, food and accommodation after it cancelled flights owing to volcanic ash-related airspace closures.

Green Miscellany

• New Routemaster bus has open platform, but will passengers be allowed to use it? London™s new Routemaster hybrid unveiled this week features an open platform, but it is not yet clear whether passngers will be free to hop and off whenever they choose as they were on the original.read more

Other News Sources

• East Coast Mainline: Rail guards to vote on pay strikes Rail guards at a leading train company are to be balloted for strikes in a row over pay, it was announced today.
• Japan Rides High-Speed Rail Business High-speed rail travel isn't just a way of life in Japan, it's increasingly big business. Over 45 years since Japan introduced its bullet train, companies such as the nation's biggest electronics maker, Hitachi, are looking to take the technology global.
• TfL consults on Low Emission Zone changes Drivers of the most polluting larger vans and minibuses face being included in London’s Low Emission Zone from next January after Transport for London launched a statutory public consultation to expand the types of vehicles covered by the scheme.
• Unite appeals strike rulingThe trade union Unite is appealing against a high court ruling which prevented the start of today's 20-day British Airways strike.
• First cycle counters set up in Brighton The first cycle counters in the country have been installed in the city Two giant display units, which cost £50,000, have been erected by Brighton and Hove City Council to inform road users how many cyclists are using two of the area™s busiest roads.
• Roads look rosy and cheap alternative to flying abroadMotorists are considering hitting the highways rather than the airways as they head to Europe this summer. An RAC Survey* revealed that the recent and recurring flight restrictions in the UK will influence motorists’ plans this summer. Nearly three in ten of those polled were already planning to steer clear of flights and use other means to get abroad, with the most popular alternative being a ferry crossing. However the average repatriation costs for ‘kaput’ UK cars Updated on 17/05/2010 00:01:00. © RAC breakdown cover and car insurance.
• Land Rover unveils 2WD model plansA new two-wheel drive compact Range Rover due to hit the market in 2011 will be the most fuel-efficient vehicle produced by Land Rover. Updated on 18/05/2010 14:13:11. © RAC breakdown cover and car insurance.
• Will air travel disruption put Norfolk people off flying?The threat of more strike action by British Airways cabin crew may have been averted for the time being, but with disruption caused by ash from the Icelandic volcano forecast to continue for years to come, could our love affair with air travel be coming to an end? JON WELCH reports.

Other Subscription Services

• UK appoints new shipping ministerMike Penning is a member of parliament for Hemel Hempstead
• South Africa ports at a standstillConsequences are being felt in neighbouring countries, and are resulting in delays to both imports and exports