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

Saturday, 22 May 2010

BBC News

• Vauxhall workers agree pay freezeWorkers at Vauxhall's plants in Ellesmere Port and Luton agree to a two-year pay freeze as part of Europe-wide restructuring deal.
• Toyota investing in Tesla MotorsToyota is to invest $50m in electric car maker Tesla, as the two firms announce a partnership to build electric vehicles.
• BA reports record loss of £531m British Airways reports its biggest annual loss due to lower passenger numbers, higher costs and the impact of strike action.
• BA and Unite to hold fresh talksBritish Airways and the Unite union are to hold fresh talks on Saturday, says conciliation service Acas.

Financial Times

• Staff cuts 'already saving money'As thousands of British Airways cabin crew prepared to head for the picket lines around Heathrow from Monday, the contentious staffing cuts at the heart of the dispute...
• BA chief launches divide-and-rule strategyBritish Airways chief Willie Walsh makes the move against the Unite union ahead of a threatened cabin crew walk-out set to disrupt the travel plans of thousands of families on half-term school holidays

The Guardian

• British Airways warns UNion after record £531m lossBA boss Willie Walsh today urged the Unite trade union to tackle its cabin crew branch – on the brink of a 15-day strike starting next week – as the airline underlined the need for radical changes by announcing a record pre-tax loss of £531m.
• British Airways set sights on unions after 2007 dispute, documents showThe fractious relationship between British Airways and its most powerful trade union branch reached such a low point in recent years that the airline ordered an investigation into shop stewards over unsubstantiated allegations of fixing cabin crew shifts, according to documents seen by the Guardian.

The Herald

• Free bus travel curbs in the budget squeezeSubsidised bus travel for 265,000 passengers aged 60 to 65 could be the first cut as ministers come under renewed pressure to review the ­flagship scheme.
• Car clubs put cities on road to cutting carbonA do-it-yourself car club that relies on residents hiring out their driveways to park communal vehicles has been set up in Scotland™s two biggest cities.

The Scotsman

• Further talks between BA and unionBritish Airways will meet with Unite union representatives on Saturday in a last-ditch attempt to avert the planned round of strikes by cabin crew.

The Telegraph

• British Airways strike: crisis talks between airline and union 'to try and avert chaos'Acas Chief Conciliator Peter Harwood confirmed talks would go ahead on Saturday to prevent industrial action which threatens to bring chaos to the travel plans of many of the airline's passengers. "Following Monday's meeting, I believe that there is a window of opportunity this weekend for a negotiated settlement to be achieve," he said.
• British Airways strike: airline to offer summer fire sale after walkouts Holidaymakers can expect a host of summer bargains as British Airways is forced to conduct a "fire sale" to win back customers following three weeks of strikes.

Times Online

• Boris Johnson unveils fleet of bikes for London™s ˜cycling revolution™He is photographed as often on his bike as he is walking along the footpath. Now Boris Johnson is hoping that his enthusiasm for cycling will prove contagious across the capital.
• Air France: We™ll fly you across the Channel for €80It is losing custom to high-speed trains and low-cost carriers, with its balance sheet deeper in the red than ever before and investors gloomy about prospects.
• US Treasury hires Lazard for GM floatThe US Treasury moved one step closer to recouping the $50 billion in bailout money it handed to General Motors, the troubled carmaker, with the appointment of the New York-based bank Lazard to handle an initial public offering for the company.$

Daily Express

• More mergers for BABRITISH Airways boss -Willie Walsh expects the -airline to be involved in more mergers once its tie-up with Spanish rival Iberia has been completed.

Mail Online

• Coalition government U-turn over fuel price safeguard to cut duty on petrol and dieselIn a major U-turn, the coalition has dropped its commitment to consult on a 'fair fuel tax stabiliser', designed to cut duty on petrol and diesel when international oil prices soar.

The Mirror

• Sailors save storm-hit cargo ship British sailors from a Royal Navy frigate put their lives at risk in a three-hour battle against a cyclone to rescue 23 sailors from a cargo ship floundering off Somalia.

The Sun

• You will never ground BA jets BRITISH Airways boss Willie Walsh vows unions will NEVER ground the airline

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL ASKS GILLINGHAM ˜WOULD IT KILL YOU TO WAIT?™

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Plan for £100m rail link across city Ambitious £100 million proposals for a cross-rail link through Bradford to put the city back on the map and generate economic growth have been unveiled by a group of businessmen.
• Rat-runs to be closed off in scheme Major road revisions are set to come into force to deter rat-running motorists who have turned the area into a œracetrack. Bradford Council is preparing to introduce an experimental traffic scheme in historic Little Germany, on the east side of Bradford city centre, to stop motorists cutting across from Shipley Airedale Road.
• £100m crossrail gains support - and criticism An ambitious proposal for a cross-rail link through Bradford has created deep divisions in opinion across Bradford, with some describing it as œabsolutely essential to the city and others branding it œwildly optimistic.

Liverpool Post

• NWDA’s ’popularity’ key to it surviving Government cuts BUSINESS Secretary Vince Cable gave his tacit approval to the long-term future of the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) while on a tour of the region yesterday.

London Evening Standard

• High-speed rail tunnel ’will destroy value of our homes’Houses in one of London’s wealthiest neighbourhoods could become unsellable because of plans to build a high-speed rail tunnel under homes in the area, estate agents warn
• Conservatives refuse to reduce train faresRail commuters face big fare rises after the Government refuses to adopt a Liberal Democrat election pledge to cut the cost of train travel
• David Cameron tells ministers: Forget the limo and travel by TubeGovernment ministers have been told to use the Tube and train under tough new rules to cut costs and clean up public life, it has emerged
• 160 feared dead in India jet crashAround 160 people were feared dead in an Air India plane crash at an airport in southern India, a minister said.

Northern Echo

• Seeing red over cycle race route IT probably seemed like a good idea at the time.
• Competition: Fans get chance to experience race car THE Northern Echo has joined forces with Croft motor racing circuit, near Darlington, ahead of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race weekend next month.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Badgers 'left homeless by bus path are dying'BADGERS forced off an old railway line are being run over and killed as they search for new homes, it's been claimed.

Wales Online

• M4 roadworks delayed following Wembley clash Highways Agency move roadworks back an hour and consider postponement after fears of traffic chaos

Bucks Free Press

• Job risk as council looks to close transport service JOBS will be at risk if a council decides to close a loss-making transport service for children and pensioners.

Other Regional Press

• Buses around Corsham fail to attract passengers The bus network around Corsham has failed to get people out of their cars, a damning new report has said.

International Herald Tribune

• Obama Mandates Rules to Raise Fuel StandardsThe new rules seek to create an aggressive national policy requiring cars and trucks to get better gas mileage.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New government unveils transport plansThe new Lib Dem-Conservative government has unveiled its proposals for the future of the UK's transport sector, which will be overseen by secretary of state for transport Philip Hammond.Measures that will be implemented over the coming years include sustainability schemes and support for greener technology, such as a national recharging network for electric vehicles.In order to reduce carbon emissions and the impact of transport on the environment, the proposed third runway at Heathrow Airport will be scrapped and a per-flight tax imposed on carriers rather than Air Passenger Duty."Th...

Aviation Industry

• Coalition commitments on runways and aviation tax welcomed by environmental campaignersPRESS RELEASE  21.05.10 The Aviation Environment Federation (AEF) has welcomed the Con-Lib coalition statement which confirms that there will be no new runway at Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted. AEF also welcomes the change in how aviation will be taxed. [note] Tim Johnson, Director of AEF said œThese commitments on aviation are very positive, and we are pleased [...]
• BA Reveals Record Annual Loss Of 531mBritish Airways has revealed it made a record annual pre-tax loss of A 531m as it prepares to take a further hit from a looming cabin crew walkout.
• Asiana voted airline of the year in new surveyMore than 17.9 million air travelers from over 100 countries took part in the 10-month survey between July 2009 and April 2010 to choose their favorite airline.
• Flight test: Singapore AirlinesSingapore Airlines business-class seats in a Boeing 777-300A. Airlines Singapore Airlines and SilkAir .
• Continental Airlines Fine Sought On Concorde CrashProsecutors said on Friday that Continental Airlines should be fined 175,000 euros for manslaughter over its role in the 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde plane which killed 113 people.

Green Miscellany

• Nissan Leaf prompts Toyota to buy £35m stake in Tesla electric car company Toyota, a company that favours hybrid technology such as that used in its Prius over electric vehicles, is to buy a £35m ($50m) stake in California electric-sports car maker Tesla. The decision comes months before Nissan is due to start selling the 100 per cent electric Leaf car in America.read more
• Electric cars leave Nissan hot, Toyota warm and Honda cold In stark contrast with the pro-electric vehicle stance adopted by Nissan, and Toyota™s announcement yesterday that it plans to invest in Tesla, head of research and development at Honda, Tomohiko Kawanabe, this week revealed: œWe are definitely conducting research on electric cars, but I can™t say I can wholeheartedly recommend them¦It™s questionable whether consumers will accept the annoyances of limited driving range and having to spend time charging them.read more

Other News Sources

• Babcock develops inspection technique for naval shipsBabcock International has developed a new non-destructive testing (NDT) technique for naval ship tailshafts that could reduce assessment time from 18 weeks to one month.
• Coalition™s haulage plans unfoldThe government has promised to introduce a HGV road-user charge, but has made no commitment to a fuel duty stabiliser - as promised in the Conservative manifesto - as part of the coalition's programme for government.
• China and UAE sign agreement on railway co-operationChina and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed an agreement which aims to push forward cooperation in railway construction between the two countries.
• Deepsea and shortsea: never the twain shall meetRo-ro operators unable to take market share from feeders
• Remotely-operated water cannon offered as defence against piratesCommercial ships are to be fitted with water cannons for close defence against Somali pirates. The cannons will be operated remotely, so the pirates cannot readily shoot the operators.
• UK hauliers recognised by Coalition programmeThe Road Haulage Association has noted the recognition in the new Coalition programme for Government that British hauliers have an unfair deal. *****You need to be logged in to see this part of the post. Login using the box in the right hand sidebar. Not registered? Click here to register***** Share this Article:
• Motorists reaching ˜motorway™ speeds on Bromyard road MOTORISTS are driving at motorway speeds on a Bromyard road according to worried residents.
• GMA adds 12 Volvo FHs to fleetGMA Warehousing and Transport has added 12 new Volvo FH-460 tractor units to its existing fleet following the start of its new operation in Felixstowe.
• BA would encourage closer ties with JetBlue: WalshBritish Airways is interested in a closer relationship with US carrier JetBlue Airways following the recent tie-up between the low-cost carrier and Oneworld...
• Large load on Great Yarmouth roadsMotorists in Great Yarmouth could face delays on Monday when a 27m long cable laying plough is due to travel along some of the town's roads. The plough, which weighs 80,000 kg, will be leaving Conoco UK on South Denes Road at about 9am.
• Pastel-toned buses take to Norwich streetsA toned down army of freshly-painted park and ride buses is servicing the streets and suburbs of Norwich. The vehicles have been given new pastel shades as part of a revamp that coincided with the beginning of the new contracts for the service.

Other Subscription Services

• LU: Piccadilly upgrade delayed until 2022 under PPPLondon Underground this week claimed that a major upgrade of the Piccadilly line faced an eight and a half year delay under the PPP Arbiter's decision not to force Tube Lines to provide additional...