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

Thursday, 20 May 2010

BBC News

• BA strike: Ban lifted by High Court Fresh BA strikes look set to go ahead after a High Court judge overturned a ban on industrial action.
• BA union Unite waits to hear strike appeal decision The next round in the ongoing dispute between British Airways and the Unite union is set to go ahead on Thursday.
• Opening of new £22m train depot in Derby East Midlands Trains' new £22m railway depot in Derby is to be officially opened later.
• Is it all over for 'the region' in the North? [blog]Communities not regions will decide how many new homes should be built, and where new investment should go. Pots of regional transport money look likely to disappear.
• Reading station revamp exhibition opens Reading commuters are to get a glimpse of how their new railway station will look after a £400m revamp when an exhibition opens in the town centre.
• West Yorkshire towns' London rail links restored Rail links between London and three West Yorkshire towns will reopen at the weekend for the first time in decades.
• Mayor's fears over Crossrail cashLondon Mayor Boris Johnson raises doubts over whether the £16bn Crossrail project will go ahead
• Upgrade to improve town junctionA £5m project aimed at reducing congestion at a busy junction in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, gets under way.
• Air France-KLM makes record loss Air France-KLM says it suffered its worst year since the merger in 2004, as it reports a record loss of 1.55bn euros.

Financial Times

• Air France adds to chorus of bad newsAir France-KLM has plunged even further into the red after what its chief executive called the

The Guardian

• Grand Central launches direct train services to Yorkshire Grand Central continues policy of running trains from London to neglected towns with new links to Bradford and Halifax
• Why are female cyclists so vulnerable to lorries? Hugging the kerb can be deadly for women cycling in busy cities
• Boris's Bus (A Political Journey) Part 27 'It's not a Routemaster' (continued) Some Top London Bloggers speak. First, 853: This ain't no Routemaster – it's a bus with three doors.
• Radio ads banned for depicting foreign minicab drivers as 'underhand' ASA censures London taxi body's campaign for reinforcing negative stereotypes about eastern European drivers
• Boris Johnson: London, transport funding and the Con-Lib common foe Victoria Wood used to joke about putting on her comedy breasts. What might Mayor's Johnson's equivalent preparation be? His comedy voice? Comedy hair? Comedy gonads? Whichever is the case his wit and humour were at their disarming best for most of this morning's Mayor's Question Time. He seemed rejuvenated by an election period break from normal business. Or perhaps he's wickedly refreshed by having a different political backdrop to define his mid-term mayoralty against - one that David Cameron dominates.

The Herald

• Grit supplier vows not to be caught cold this winter Scottish grit supplier Peacock Salt, determined not to be caught short if crippling winter storms descend again this year, has struck an agreement with global mining giant Rio Tinto.
• Conductors balloted over barriers Britain’s biggest rail union is to ballot conductors for strike action on a key London to Scotland route after claiming automated ticket barriers have impacted on their wages.

The Telegraph

• Union threatens strike over automated ticket barriers The RMT transport union says 200 guards on the Government-owned East Coast line from London to the North East and Scotland could lose up to £1,000 each a year in commission.
• Paddy Power offers cash-for-ash 'volcano insurance' bet Bookmaker Paddy Power offers holiday makers the chance to make their money back if volcanic ash closes UK or Irish airports.

Times Online

• Police try to peddle new ˜cooler™ image with copy of Noddy™s carHampshire Police have unveiled their latest piece of kit ” a £1,000, pedal-powered patrol car complete with siren and flashing lights.
• Air France plunges to record lossAir France-KLM offered stark evidence of the depth of the European airline industry crisis last night when it reported a record annual net loss of €1.56 billion.

Press Association

• Scottish rail network plans debated The new Tory-Lib Dem coalition Government has been urged to include Scotland in the first phase of a UK high speed rail network.

Network Rail

• ZERO HOUR FOR KING'S CROSS AS TRANSPORT SECRETARY OPENS NEW PLATFORM 0 Network Rail’s redevelopment of King’s Cross station reached another crucial milestone today with the official opening of Platform 0 by Transport Secretary Philip Hammond.
• HOOTON STATION GIVEN A LIFT
• CREWE RAIL STATION TO BE SPRUCED UP
• PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION TO SHOWCASE FINEST RAIL VIEWSSponsor Network Rail to offer Forth Rail Bridge visit to lucky winner

Airwise News

• ABTN readers vote against airlines covering expenses Airlines shouldn't be forced to cover the expenses of stranded passengers as a result of the volcanic ash cloud, say ABTN readers.

Belfast Telegraph

• BA ruling a threat to staff rights, says UniteUnite yesterday questioned whether workers still had the right to strike, claiming the injunction granted to British Airways raised wider

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• VIDEO: New train service on track for launch This weekend's launch of a new direct rail service between Bradford and London will mark the completion of a five-year-journey for train operator Grand Central.

Derby Telegraph

• Rail firm makes its record investment in new £22m depot The revamp of Etches Park depot represents the biggest single investment by East Midlands Trains since it took on the region's rail franchise in November, 2007.

Journal Live

• Celebration as Weardale Railway extends service PASSENGER trains will link a rural part of the region to the East Coast Main Line for the first time in decades on Saturday.

Liverpool Post

• Twice as much barging for Peel Ports in new era of Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal harmony PEEL Ports has doubled its barge service along the Manchester Ship Canal (MSC) as container traffic grows from the Port of Liverpool.

London Evening Standard

• Taxing us for Crossrail will harm tourism, claim hotelsThe world's biggest hotel groups today warned Boris Johnson his plans for a “hotel tax” to pay for Crossrail would damage London
• Boris Johnson vows to fight off new threat to Crossrail projectFuture of Crossrail is again under threat after Boris Johnson claims the key infrastructure project is not yet 'signed, sealed and delivered'
• Full BA schedule amid strike caseBritish Airways has run a full long-haul service from Heathrow as it waited for a court decision on whether a planned strike by its cabin crew will remain outlawed.
• Asda announces petrol price cutSupermarket Asda has sparked a possible fuel price war by announcing a 2p-a-litre reduction in the cost of its petrol.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Holyrood move gives flyover bid major boost Campaigners fighting for safety improvements at a notorious north-east road junction have been given a major boost.

The York Press

• Selby to London Sunday train service to be reintroduced FIRST Hull Trains has announced it is reintroducing its Selby to London Sunday service

Wales Online

• Wales warned over delays in high-speed rail link THE Welsh economy will continue to lose out the longer it takes for the nation to be included in the roll-out of a new high-speed rail system from London, a transport academic will warn today.
• Rail electrification 'vital' DEPUTY First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones will today attempt to convince the new Conservative and Liberal Democrat Government that the main rail line from London to Swansea must be electrified.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Asda move on petrol may spark price warSupermarket Asda sparked a possible fuel price war today by announcing a 2p- a-litre reduction in the cost of its petrol.

Blackpool Gazette

• Rail hopes threatenedFEARS government spending cuts could jeopardise the electrification of the Blackpool railway line have been greeted with fury in the resort.

Bucks Free Press

• High speed rail compensation deadline extended THE deadline for a compensation scheme for residents affected by a planned high speed rail link has been extended by a month.

Chester Standard

• New unmarked patrol bike on region's roadsA NEW unmarked police motorcycle is set to help educate motorcylists and catch bad drivers on the roads in Chester and the surrounding areas.

Sunderland Echo

• Positive trials of electric car NORTH East drivers are turned on by electric cars.
• Plea for railway bridge re-think TOWN chiefs are seeking legal advice as they fight against plans to close a popular rail crossing.
• Sunderland's Arriva firm makes job pledgeTransport jobs at a Wearside firm should be safe despite its imminent sale to a German firm.

Campaign for Better Transport

• National Audit Office investigates costly M25 deal17 May: The National Audit Office has announced plans to investigate last year's supremely expensive M25 widening deal. Pity it's too late to stop it. read more

Aviation Industry

• ’Staycation’ research shows œpermanent shift in attitudesA survey shows an increase in people staying in England for their holidays and a shift in attitudes. We reproduce an article from  TravelMole, 14 May, 2010. Staycation research shows œpermanent shift in attitudes Almost half the population will consider taking more domestic breaks in the future, a new study into the ’staycation’ claims. The VisitEngland research found an [...]
• Southwest Airlines to stick with no-hidden-fees strategySouthwest Airlines board Chairman Gary Kelly told investors Wednesday that the airline's short-term and long-term goals include adding routes across the United States when possible, reaching international destinations and sticking with the strategy of having no hidden fees.

Other News Sources

• Fresh work on Airtrack fails to ease impact Improvements to the junction at Wokingham railway station’s level crossing are vital if the new high-speed rail link with Heathrow Airport is to be put in place.
• Views sought on Tube extension Consultation on the proposed London Underground Northern Line extension to Nine Elms and Battersea begins today.
• Finchley MP Mike Freer and Hendon's Matthew Offord welcome TFL's Northern Line upgrade announcement THE new MPs for Hendon and Finchley and Golders Green have welcomed the news the Northern Line will not be split at Camden Town.
• Battersea tube extension consultation launchedPublic consultation has opened into plans to extend the Northern Line into the Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea Opportunity Area in south west London.
• Longer trains to serve Skegness in summer monthsEAST Midlands Trains has responded to a call for support from East Lindsey District Council and will look to add more carriages to Skegness services.
• Full steam ahead for Skegness Railway Station Following a ground-breaking meeting last Wednesday, Skegness' railway station is to receive a major double boost with the old stationmaster's house preserved AND £300,000 pledged towards station upgrades.
• Rail guards to vote on pay strikesRail guards at a leading train company, which runs services through Yorkshire including Doncaster, Leeds, Wakefield and York, are to be balloted for strikes in a row over pay,
• RMT calls on trade unions and socialists to unite behind John McDonnell's bid for Labour leadershipTRANSPORT UNION RMT today issued a call for trade unionists and socialists to unite behind John McDonnell's bid to secure enough nominations to stand in the Labour Party leadership contest and to use his campaign as an opportunity to begin the fightback against the ConDem government's all-out assault on public services and living standards.
• RMT confirms ballot for action on East Coast MainlineRAIL UNION RMT confirmed today that it will begin balloting guards on the East Coast Mainline for strike action, and action short of a strike, from Tuesday 25th May following the failure of the company to come up with an acceptable package to compensate guards for the loss of commission income arising from the introduction of automated ticket barriers.
• Manchester orders 66 low-emission hybrid busesOptare has been chosen to supply 66 hybrid buses to Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority (GMITA) in an order worth up to £13 million.
• New airport magazine takes off at HeathrowHeathrow has launched its first official on-airport consumer magazine, the quarterly Heathrow Traveller.
• Optare win largest ever hybrid bus order from GMITAOptare have won the contract to build the largest contract for hybrid buses in history from GMITA. GMITA have ordered eight Solo SR 8.2m’s, plus 12 Vesa 9.7ms, for Wigan’s new Metroshuttle services. They have also ordered another ten Solos and another 20 Versas for a general fleet, and 16 Tempo 12m uses for school services. . The [...]
• Anger over south Norfolk parking chargesMarket town leaders in south Norfolk called for a lowering of car parking charges after it emerged that the district council made more than £140,000 profit in fees and fines.
• Online travel agency buys car hire firm TraveljigsawUS-based online travel agency Priceline.com (NASDAQ: PCLN) has bought Manchester-based car hire provider TravelJigsaw Ltd.
• Birthday party for bus lineThe first anniversary of a £1.3 million bus service was marked last week in Ripley.
• Calls for bus stop changeA TOWN councillor is calling for the drop-off point on a popular bus route to be changed to stop elderly passengers needing to cross a busy road to get to the local shops.
• Wizz Air celebrates its 6th anniversary Wizz Air, the largest low fare - low cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe celebrates its 6th anniversary on 19 May, 2010. Since its first flight on 19 May, 2004 from Katowice in...
• Changi Airport: Operating Indicators for April 2010Singapore Changi Airport registered 12.6% growth in passenger traffic for the month of April 2010, with more than 3.28 million passenger movements processed. Total passenger traffic in the...
• Ryanair to appeal against €3m fine Ryanair said it will "vigorously appeal" a €3 million fine from Italian civil aviation authority ENAC.

Other Subscription Services

• Fastnet’s Swansea-Cork service beats targetPassenger and freight traffic numbers on newly re-launched route has surpassed initial estimates