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Wednesday, 07 July 2010

BBC News

• 'Lolli-cams' film speeding drivers in Stourport A new device aimed at keeping children safe as they cross the road is being tested in Worcestershire.
• Millions spent on threatened Nottingham tram schemes More than £28m has been spent on the preparation and planning for Phase Two of Nottingham's tram scheme even though no track has been laid, it has emerged.
• Further Galashiels relief route work planned Work on the third phase of a relief route through a Scottish Borders town has been scheduled to start later this year.
• Scots new car sales lag behind UKRegistrations of new cars in Scotland fell over the past year by more than 6%, while English sales saw a healthy rise.
• New car sales rise 10.8% in JuneUK new car sales rose 10.8% in June compared with the same month last year, despite the end of the scrappage scheme.

Financial Times

• Sub-surface work is central to Tube upgrade [Letter - Mike Brown, MD, London Underground]Sir, In explaining the work that we are doing to transform the sub-surface Tube lines (“Tube upgrade to miss Olympics target”, July 3) I was at pains to point out how vital this is for London and how central it is to the Tube upgrade programme.
• Fate of InterCity Express project in doubtOne of the UK's largest-ever programmes to buy new trains looks set to be scrapped or significantly changed after a damning review raises questions about the 'wisdom and practicality' of continuing it in its present form

The Guardian

• Keeping transport policy on the rails [Letters]You are right to focus on the finances of Britain's transport system (Editorial, 2 July). We must continue to invest in the railways if record levels of performance and customer satisfaction are to keep pace with growing demand. But we need to be smarter about how we do it.
• BA demands end to union snipingBritish Airways wants Unite union to be more 'balanced and measured' in publicBritish Airways has demanded an end to the media war with the Unite trade union as a precondition for lifting sanctions against striking cabin crew, as 11,000 flight attendants start voting tomorrow on a proposal to end a bitter industrial dispute.BA will not partially reinstate travel perks that were stripped from crew this year unless Britain's largest union agrees to be more

The Herald

• London train service slashedControversial plans to cut the number of direct trains between London King™s Cross and Glasgow have been approved by the UK Government, sparking its first spat over rail services with Scotland.

The Independent

• £7.5bn Intercity train upgrade under threat The proposed £7.5bn plan to overhaul the ageing trains on two major lines has been put on ice until October, sparking fears that the whole project could be axed.

The Scotsman

• All change for the summit, as Cairn Gorm passengers allowed to top PASSENGERS on Britain's highest mountain railway are to be allowed direct access to the summit of Cairn Gorm for the first time since the Cairngorm funicular railway was opened ten years ago.

The Telegraph

• BA and Ryanair enjoy contrasting fortunes as strike hits home The contrasting fortunes of flag-carriers and their low-cost rivals had been driven home by the latest monthly traffic figures from British Airways and Ryanair.
• Airport trolley charges double The cost of hiring a baggage pushcart has doubled from £1 to £2 at some British airports.
• Big leveraged buy-out poised for return in Abertis takeover The type of big leveraged buy-out last seen at the height of 2006's merger boom has resurfaced in the potential takeover of Abertis that would value the Spanish toll-road operator at €25bn (£20.7bn), including debts.
• Further restrictions on Iran Air in new EU blacklist The European Union has extended its restrictions on Iran Air in its latest list of blacklisted airlines, released today.
• UK car sales: private buyers drop as businesses pick up the slack New car sales rose by 10.8pc in June as recovering demand from businesses to replenish their fleets helped to offset the end of the scrappage scheme.
• Coalition mothball plans to replace Intercity 125 trains Plans to replace Britain's ageing fleet of Intercity 125 trains have been mothballed by the Government.

Mail Online

• Lexus recall: Toyota 'knew about problem 2 years ago'Almost 92,000 vehicles have begun to be recalled in Japan, but Toyota expects to recall 270,000 cars worldwide to fix an engine problem that causes the cars to stall.

Derby Telegraph

• £7.5billion deal delay gives hope to Derby train firm TRANSPORT ministers have delayed a decision over whether to go through with a £7.5 billion deal with a competitor of Derby-based train maker Bombardier.

Liverpool Post

• Eco cars for Liverpool Council’s green team LIVERPOOL Council’s environmental enforcement team is green and clean thanks to its four new electric cars – which have zero carbon emissions.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Hospital patients whose cars have smaller engines could be charged less for parking HOSPITAL visitors whose cars have smaller engines may be charged less to park under plans being considered by NHS bosses. Nottingham's hospital trust wants to charge its staff for parking according to their car's engine size in a bid to reduce carbon emissions.
• Lilian Greenwood wins set on transport committee A CITY MP has gained an influential position on a Parliamentary committee which will scrutinise Government transport policy. Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood was chosen by her colleagues to sit on the Transport Select Committee
• New county council highways depot expected to be approvedA NEW Notts County Council highways depot in Bilsthorpe is expected to be approved by councillors.

Yorkshire Post

• Ryanair expansion cheers airport BUDGET airline Ryanair is to expand its winter schedule at Leeds-Bradford Airport, despite last week announcing an overall 16 per cent cut in winter capacity across the country.
• Anger as East Coast rail service slashed RAIL union the RMT today reacted angrily to news of a major reduction in direct London to Scotland rail services.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Bus shelters set for a fresher lookA community which faced losing all its bus shelters last year could soon see those which remain given a facelift.

Other Regional Press

• Boris Island: 'like flogging a dead dinosaur'MP Gordon Henderson has vowed to oppose any moves to create a floating airport off Sheppey.
• 38 jobs lost as London rail services slashedKing™s Cross to Glasgow trains cut to two a day

Railnews

• Intercity Express decision deferred THE decision on whether to buy a new intercity fleet to replace HSTs has been deferred until the autumn by the transport secretary.

Aviation Industry

• EU court upholds decision to block Ryanair-Aer Lingus merger The European Union's General Court ruled yesterday that the European Commission was right in June 2007 to block Ryanair's takeover of Aer Lingus on competition grounds and also was correct in stating that it could not force Ryanair to divest its minority shareholding in EI. The ruling derived from an appeal by Ryanair against the EC's refusal to clear its takeover bid and also an appeal by EI against the EC's rejection of its request to order Ryanair to divest its stake.

Other News Sources

• Tracsis secures another contract SOFTWARE firm Tracsis has won a £600,000 seven year contract with a major UK train company. Leeds-based Tracsis provides performance and planning optimisation software and consultancy services for the transport industries.
• Axe hangs over plans to buy new train fleet FEARS have been raised that a stalled £7.5billion project to buy a new fleet of next-generation express trains on the Plymouth to London rail route will be scrapped. The previous Labour government postponed the Intercity Express Programme to replace existing high speed trains which are 20-30 years old, before the election.