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

Saturday, 19 June 2010

BBC News

• Trams project 'may borrow £55m'Edinburgh City Council draws up plans to borrow more than £50m to help fund the crisis-hit tram project, BBC Scotland learns.
• Wrong-way motorway driver jailedA drink driver from Lanarkshire who caused numerous crashes while heading the wrong way on the A74 is jailed.
• Strike hits China Toyota plantProduction at one Toyota's main assembly plants in China is hit by a strike at one of the carmaker's affiliated suppliers.

Financial Times

• The big nameThe eagerly awaited appearance of Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou in the witness box this week saw the brand dispute between EasyJet and the airline's founder come to a head...
• Eurostar wins backing for reorganisationOperators of Eurostar, the high-speed trains that link London with continental Europe, have won approval for a proposed corporate reorganistion on condition that they make it easier for competitors to also enter the market
• Calpers buys 12.7% stake in GatwickThe acquisition of a £106m stake in the UK airport is believed to be the first big direct investment under an infrastructure programme that the US state pension fund launched several years ago

The Guardian

• Asylum seekers claim abuse on flightUN to investigate claims that British security officers and Iraqi officials punched and drag asylum seekers off the planeThe United Nations is to investigate claims that handcuffed Iraqi asylum seekers were beaten by British security officers during a charter flight back to Baghdad.As many as 25 of 42 men deported from Heathrow on Wednesday evening were reportedly under detention at Baghdad airport yesterday, despite being screened in advance by Iraqi officials in the UK.Iraqi officials were alleged to have boarded when the flight touched down early on Thursday to help security staff employed ...

The Herald

• Where will it end? Tram chiefs admit: we don™t knowThe question being asked in Edinburgh last night was not œIs this the end of the line? but œWhere is the end of the line?
• Tram chiefs admit: we have no idea what final bill will beEdinburgh™s leaders warned the city may have to cut short its tramline scheme as it failed to come up with a final bill for Scotland™s biggest infrastructure project.

The Telegraph

• Drinking and driving: testing the limits As a report recommends toughening up the drink-driving laws, Iain Hollingshead discovers what it's like to be behind the wheel when you're anything but sober.

Reuters News

• Calpers acquires 12.7 percent stake in Gatwick AirportSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Calpers, the biggest U.S. public pension fund, said on Friday it had committed up to roughly $155 million (104.8 million pounds) to Global Infrastructure Partners for a 12.7 percent equity stake in London's Gatwick Airport.

Daily Record

• Edinburgh tram costs expected to hit £600m as council ponders cancelling contract with line-builder A CONTROVERSIAL trams project is facing cost overruns of more than £50million, council leaders today said.

Mail Online

• Double blow for troubled BA as taxes hike coincides with third strike threat by cabin crewBritain's flag-carrier said the coalition government's plans to replace Air Passenger Duty, which currently charges by individual travellers, with a 'per plane' tax could scare off freight customers.
• £300 tax on your family's holiday: Airport charges set to soar in the hardest-hitting Budget in 30 yearsAirport departure levies will go up from November - increasing the tax bill for a family of four on a long-haul flight to £300.
• Sunk... The cross-Channel booze cruise: Three British stores quit CalaisThe days of the great British booze cruise could be over. Three major British retailers are closing their premises in northern France, according to an industry report.

The Mirror

• Off my bus cry baby.. FAMILIES

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• ˜Our houses are blighted by traffic™ Residents say their lives are being blighted by what they regard as the œexcessive volume of traffic on a Bradford road.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Rail chaos across North Wales after train breaks down THOUSANDS of people were hit by rail delays after a train broke down causing hours of disruption across the region.

Journal Live

• Everyone fired up as Bunty pulls out ANORTHUMBERLAND tourist railway is to launch a new steam locomotive which was part built by its late creator.
• Drunk man drove car into path of aircraft AN AIR traffic controller told last night how he prevented a “potential catastrophe” when drunken Matthew Wright drove onto a runway as an aircraft and parachutists were trying to land.

London Evening Standard

• BA cabin crew in new ballot for 12-week summer strikesBritish Airways flights face more disruption from a 12-week walkout by cabin crew
• Commuters face inflation-busting 7% fare rise on Tubes and busesPassengers face another inflation-busting fare increase as Transport for London struggles to balance its finances
• Boy, 14, knifed in the chest and back after row on busSchoolboy was stabbed in the chest and back after an argument with another youth on a bus in north London
• Road deaths in London fall by 10 per centThe number of deaths on London’s roads dipped 10 per cent last year, figures show
• Retail closures to hit booze cruiseThe booze cruise could be about to disappear as three UK alcohol retailers pull out of Calais, according to a report.

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester runners win parking fines u-turn Seventeen parking tickets dished out on the day of the Great Manchester Run have been cancelled, the M.E.N. can reveal. Scores of fundraisers returned to their cars to find fixed penalties slapped on their windscreens at the May 16 event.
• Chaos as woman jumps off two motorway bridges A woman caused traffic chaos after jumping off a motorway bridge “ and then a short time later jumping off another one. She was not hurt after jumping off the first bridge, over the M56, but then climbed a bridge above the M60 before jumping off that too.
• Metrolink urged to lift scooter ban on trams Metrolink bosses are being urged to lift their ban on disabled people taking electric scooters on board trams. Four Greater Manchester MPs have signed a motion in the House of Commons saying the move to enforce the ban discriminates against disabled people.
• 130 arrested in motoring scam probe More than 130 people have been arrested after a nationwide scam allowing drivers to dodge motoring offences was uncovered by police. As reported in the M.E.N. last month, officers swooped on 11 addresses in Tameside and Gorton.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Get Carter car park demolition could start soon AFTER a 10-year wait, the revamp of Gateshead town centre has moved closer. The demolition of the Get Carter car park could begin within weeks.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Safety upgrade planned for killer roadSafety improvements will be made at a busy Aberdeenshire road, which was the scene of a fatal car accident last year.
• Traders in online petition against parking chargesAn online petition has been set up by Elgin™s town-centre traders against the introduction of pay and display machines at popular Elgin car parks.
• Officer tells of fears for airportNine protesters were arrested at Aberdeen Airport following concerns they could damage aircraft and equipment, a police inspector said yesterday.

The York Press

• Pedal power on Knavesmire YORK Cycle Show is taking place on Knavesmire this weekend.

Blackpool Gazette

• Calls rejected for more road cashCALLS for more cash to be put into Blackpool's crumbling roads have been rejected.

Bucks Free Press

• Risborough community bus to launch next month FROM the middle of July a regular daily community bus service will be running in Princes Risborough for residents to enjoy.
• Alternatives to Bucks high speed rail route put forward UPGRADING the West Coast mainline and increasing the length of trains is a simpler and less expensive way of ensuring the UK has a high speed rail network, a campaigner said today.
• Rail scheme "wouldn't make a profit" A HIGH speed railway line planned to go through Buckinghamshire is œunaffordable and œwouldn't make a profit, it was claimed today.

The Shields Gazette

• Bus firm notches up 22 million miles A BUS company serving South Tyneside is celebrating "impressive"annual results.
• Taxi-bus a fare deal for passengersPASSENGERS are being encouraged to take advantage of a new taxi-bus service operating in South Tyneside.

Other Regional Press

• Lower jobs cost for trolleybus schemePlanned Leeds trolleybus network eight times as efficient at creating jobs as Crossrail, Metro Vice Chairman tells BBC
• Newport's space-age station set for September opening NEWPORT™S £22 million improved railway station will be ready for passenger use by September.
• Pupils aim for 'walking bus' record PUPILS from two local schools helped create what is thought to be the world's largest 'walking bus' yesterday, with the aim of stopping speeding drivers.
• Feast of fun for families at the Oxford Mail Motor show HELICOPTER trips, pony rides and cars and bikes from a record number of dealers will be among the attractions at next week™s Oxford Mail Motor Show. Seventeen dealerships are revving up to take part in the family fun day in Cutteslowe Park, North Oxford, on Sunday June 27, which will see the latest models on display from Audi, Mercedes, Lexus, Honda, Volkswagen and Renault.
• Blow to Kent's key gateway projectVital transport projects in Dartford and Gravesham have been put on hold in the latest round of spending cuts.
• Parents demand a change in school bus rulesParents have taken their fight to save school transport to the Scottish Parliament.
• Flooding chaos for drivers as city hit by burst pipeRush-hour drivers faced chaos today when burst water mains forced the closure of Glasgow roads.
• OAP spared jail after fatal bike crash A DRIVER who caused a motorcyclist™s death on a rural Dorset road has been spared jail.
• Bikers ride out from Dorchester in memory of tragic friends BIKERS will be riding out on Fathers™ Day in memory of loved ones they have lost.

C.N.N.

• 4 dead at train crossingFour siblings, all 18 or younger, were killed in rural Louisiana Friday when Amtrak's

Forbes

• Buying Binge Makes Boeing A BuyOld fleets need to be updated and that spells more production from Boeing. Get on for the ride.

Washington Post

• Toyota factory construction in Miss. resumes, as UAW slams its nonunion status Toyota's announcement that it will resume construction of a car factory in Mississippi was a much-needed piece of good news for a state struggling with persistent unemployment and an automaker trying to recover some goodwill after a recall crisis bruised its reputation.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Don't suspend A14 - cancel it18 June: Yesterday the Treasury confirmed that the A14 Ellington to Fen Ditton - Britain's most expensive road scheme - was suspended pending a spending review in the Autumn. read more

Railnews

• News: Franchise replacements put on hold by DfT The replacement process for the two remaining National Express franchises has been put on hold by the DfT. Following a statement by transport minister Theresa Villiers, it also seems likely that East Coast is set to stay in public control for longer than previously announced.

Green Miscellany

• Parliamentary Bike Ride I went on the parliamentary bike ride today as part of Bike Week. Because my train company does not allow bikes on their trains in the rush hour I had to leave my cycle at home and ride one of those new London hire bikes.read more
• Car Junkie Detox | Public transport snobery Today was a funny one “ did the usual train / walk to work business.read more

Other News Sources

• SMMT reports rise in car productionUK car production was up by 54 per cent in May and 62.6 per cent up over the year to date, according to new figures from the SMMT.
• Joyrider steals Worthing bus A joyrider stole an eight tonne bus from a town centre depot.
• Slow worm scares Brighton bus customers This slippery customer had to be escorted off the bus for scaring passengers.
• Soaring costs could see Edinburgh tram line stop shortVIDEO: Councillors are being asked to consider borrowing an additional £54m for the ailing project, as well as delaying the opening of most of the line.
• Blog: Is 'Barclays Cycle Hire extreme' coming to a street near you?London's mayor must be hoping his cycle hire scheme has smoother ride than Paris'
• Retail closures could spell end of booze cruise The booze cruise could be about to disappear as three UK alcohol retailers pull out of Calais, according to a report.Related StoriesUnion warns over 'knee-jerk reaction' on pensions'Missing' North Korean players all accounted for
• Contract agreement for US airline catering workersAirline catering workers in the US have voted in favour of an agreement on pay and conditions, ending months of fraught negotiations with their employer Gate Gourmet.
• SNCF and Trenitalia go ’head to head’ over Alpine Rail MotorwayState operators compete for road-rail concession
• Ferry operators' fury over Dover snubConsultation on privatisation 'a waste of time'
• Tesco to open new Essex DCTesco plans to open a 500,000ft2 DC in Essex, which will create 900 jobs.
• Lockheed slashes participation at Farnborough to save moneyLockheed Martin will partly define its own new reality by slashing its participation and media outreach at the Farnborough Air Show this year.
• Bombardier releases first CSeries engineering drawingsBombardier has released the first engineering drawings for production of the first CS100 flight test aircraft.The final design for the lower left-hand...
• Manchester Airport changes body scanner rulesManchester Airport is to change the way it uses its full body scanners and will no longer be looking at all the images it produces.The scanners were first installed at the northern travel hub in February in a bid to increase security measures following the failed terrorist attacks in December.Two women travelling to Pakistan in March became the first in the UK to be restricted from boarding their flight after they refused to pass through the scanners on health and religious grounds.Currently all images produced by the scanner are reviewed by operators, however new software is being developed w...
• Jet2 launches Leeds Bradford Airport to Madeira routeJet2 has launched its first direct service from Yorkshire to Madeira at LeedsBradford Airport this week.Seats on the service to the Portuguese holiday destination are on sale now for dates between February 14th and October 31st 2011. Prices start from 49.99 per person one way including taxes.The low-cost airline launched a service between Manchester Airport and Madeira earlier in the year and the new addition at Leeds Bradford marks its 41st route from the hub. Tony Hallwood, commercial director of Leeds Bradford Airport, said that the dates of new route means that holiday makers can also jet ...
• Dover alternative proposedDOVER™S port chairman said today he has yet to see details about a proposal to retain its facilities in public ownership via a community trust, with the city™s business leaders at the helm.
• DFDS hails Norfolkline OKDFDS OF Denmark told Fairplay today that it is looking forward to making œone company out of two after the EC approved its acquisition of fellow shortsea operator Norfolkline.
• Green light for 12 major transport schemesManchester Metrolink extension and Tyne and Wear metro upgrade given funding go ahead
• Approval for DFDS takeover of NorfolkDanish shipping company gets conditional go-ahead to merge with UK company.
• Commission approves Eurostar changesFirms that manage Eurostar must offer concessions to potential rivals in the cross-channel rail market.
• 18/06/2010 - Commission and US agree to cooperate on civil aviation research and development
• Electric vehicle to undertake record tripA Vauxhall Ampera is to undertake the longest ever single road trip for an electric vehicle in the UK.
• European Commission Not Addressing Human Rights Concerns On Body Scanners At Airports Says DETECTEROn Wednesday the 16th of June 2010 the European Commission released its long-awaited Communication on the use of body scanners at European airports (COM(2010) 311/4). The Commission is in favour of a common European approach to ensure that, where Member States decide to use security scanners, œtheir deployment and operation is based on common standards, requiring basic detection performance as well as ensuring a harmonised level of compliance with European fundamental rights and health provisions. Three members of the DETECTER-consortium explain why the Communication is disappointing from a h...
• Norfolk gets set for Tour fo Britain cycle racePedal-powered events are about to roll into Norfolk as the county gears up for National Bike Week, and the launch of the biggest sporting event ever held here.
• New setback for eastern region commutersDisgruntled passengers will have to wait longer for improved rail journeys after the search for a new operator of East Anglian services went back to the drawing board.
• Yarmouth outer harbour celebrates significant firstGreat Yarmouth's £50m outer harbour was celebrating a significant first yesterday with the arrival of a cruise ship from Hamburg in Germany. The gleaming Hapag Lloyd vessel, Columbus, complete with a heated open-air swimming pool surrounded by palm trees, slipped into port on Thursday evening as residents looked on admiringly from Gorleston pier.
• Manchester Airport named best in Europe Manchester Airport was named one the best in Europe in the sixth Annual ACI Europe Best Airport Awards in Milan last night.
• Twelve transport schemes survive Treasury cutsTwelve major Department for Transport schemes, initially approved for funding by the previous Labour government, have survived the coalition™s latest round of cuts.

Other Subscription Services

• East Coast scraps Adelante London-Lincoln linkState-owned train operator East Coast has abandoned plans to run an all-day London-Lincoln service by leasing a fleet of Adelante trains.The proposal had formed part of delayed service enhancements,...