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

Thursday, 08 July 2010

BBC News

• Reading station to close over Christmas due to revamp Festive rail passengers around Reading are to be hit with delays as the first part of a £400m revamp starts.
• 'Huge steps forward' on Tube since 7/7 London bombings London Underground (LU) has said it has taken "huge steps forward" to improve safety on the Tube since the bombings exactly five years ago.
• Devon MP appeals for help on fuel costs A Devon MP has urged ministers to do more to help people in the county who are struggling to afford the cost of heating their homes.
• Brighton to London eco-rally promotes green transport A convoy of low and zero-emission vehicles have completed a rally from Brighton to London.
• Fault closes Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge A landmark bridge on Teesside has closed as a result of technical difficulties, less than a month after it underwent a major overhaul.
• All London Underground cleaners get London Living Wage All cleaners working on London Underground are now to be paid the so-called London Living Wage.
• Work set to start on Cambridge station transport links Work to improve public transport and safety for cyclists around Cambridge railway station and Hills Road Bridge is due to start in a week.
• £1 airport drop-off charge beginsA new £1 charge for dropping off or picking up passengers at Belfast International Airport is now in force.
• Ryanair-Aer Lingus bid blocked The European Court of Justice rules that Ryanair's bid for rival Irish airline Aer Lingus should be blocked.
• Tesla falls below $17 offer priceShares in electric car firm Tesla fall below their offer price of $17 a week after debuting in New York.

Financial Times

• Bulk shipping groups fear fall in profitabilityOwners of dry bulk ships and tankers face sharp falls in profitability after rates for the largest ships at least halved since May on fears about ship oversupply and weak demand
• EU blames safety doubts for Iran Air ban Move follows audit of maintenance of carrier's aircraft and is unrelated to US-led drive to isolate Iran because of its nuclear ambitions

The Independent

• Cameras on cars raise £8m in finesNearly 200,000 motorists have received fines totalling £8m in the past year after being caught by Smart cars fitted with CCTV cameras, a report reveals today.

Journal Live

• Cost worries may scupper job and new train plans A FLEET of new trains connecting the North East with London and Scotland may have to be axed on cost grounds, scuppering hopes of hundreds of jobs for the region.

Liverpool Post

• Liverpool John Lennon Airport names plane after Ken Dodd (GALLERY) THE sky’s the limit for one of Liverpool’s most famous sons after a plane was named after him.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Road safety cuts will 'undermine' casualty reduction ATTEMPTS to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Nottingham's roads will be "undermined" by spending cuts being imposed by the Government, it has been claimed.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Further delay hits plans for new trains on east coast lineTransport Secretary Philip Hammond was under fire last night after imposing a further three-month delay on ordering new trains for east coast main line services between Inverness, Aberdeen and Dundee and London.

Wales Online

• ’The trains chosen to run on electrified railways may not run on electric power’ THE move to electrify the main rail line from London to South Wales has suffered a major blow after a damning report said new trains planned to run on the route had major defects.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Boom times at Leeds Bradford AirportAN EXTRA 250,000 passengers are expected to flock to Leeds Bradford Airport after it was declared one of the fastest growing airports in the country.

Blackpool Gazette

• Tram crossing set to goPLANS to close a tram track crossing look set to get the nod this week despite opposition from residents.

Reading Evening Post

• Transport chief: 'let's get Reading moving' A green light is due to be given to a major review of every traffic light junction across Reading – and the council wants your views.

Other Regional Press

• Spending on chauffeurs and taxis revealedKent County Council lavished £42,000 on taxis and chauffeured cars for senior officers and councillors last year.
• Airport boss takes offLydd Airport™s managing director has resigned after the airport™s £25m expansion plans were called in by the Government.

Railway Gazette

• Newrest buys Compagnie des Wagon-LitsEUROPE: Accor has sold its Compagnie des Wagons-Lits onboard rail catering activities to Newrest WL, a joint venture with Newrest in which Accor has a 40% stake. Announcing the deal on July 7, Accor said it plans to withdraw from the onboard catering sector and has an option to sell its remaining stake from 2013. Newrest provides catering services on aircraft and at remote sites such as mines. CWL operates in Austria, France, Italy and Portugal, and Newrest said the joint venture was 'an outstanding opportunity to expand in the onboard rail catering market and to enter new countries', notably...
• Locomotive plant aims to create a domestic rail industry KAZAKHSTAN: The foundation stone was laid on June 26 for an electric passenger and freight locomotive plant in Astana which Alstom sees as 'the jewel of a modern rail industry' supplying Kazakhstan and the wider 1 520 mm gauge region. The factory is being developed by a 50:50 joint venture of state railway KTZ and a consortium of Alstom and Transmash Holding. The Astana site was chosen to benefit from synergies with the diesel locomotive plant established in the city by AO Lokomotiv and GE Transportation which was inaugurated by President Nursultan Nazarbayev in July last year. Alstom said eco...

Aviation Industry

• The Sky is the Limit at Heathrow ExpoHeathrow is showcasing the best of British culture and commerce at exhibition space in its terminals with a guaranteed international audience of millions...

Other News Sources

• Crouzet launches railway safety switches Crouzet has launched a range of safety switches for railway applications, including joystick controllers, emergency-stop functions, door opening, medium-voltage circuit breakers and braking systems.
• Latest railway station plans unveiled. THE latest plans to improve transport links at East Grinstead railway station have been unveiled.
• Luxury coach service to take on ScotRail Fast, state-of the art air-conditioned coaches will match journey times by train, offering bargain fares from just £4, as well as free wi-fi and at-seat refreshments.
• Trains back on track Rail use collapsed during the recession, as commuters lost their jobs and discretionary leisure spending was cut. The most spectacular casualty was National Express, which was forced last summer to ditch the East Coast franchise and axe its dividend. But now rail journey numbers are starting to recover and National Express's new chief executive Dean Finch is paving the way for a return to the dividend list in the medium term.
• Conservatives catch the bus to cut carbon What would Margaret Thatcher say about new policy encouraging people to travel by bus?
• Massive train station-cum-airport terminal proposed at Iver PLANS for a high speed rail route through the Chilterns could change dramatically under the new government. Transport Secretary Philip Hammond last month commissioned a taskforce to investigate re-routing HS2 via Heathrow.
• Transport projects face deeper than expected cuts Transport secretary Philip Hammond this week ordered project promoters to look hard at ways to slash costs as he warned that public spending cuts could be deeper than expected.
• Transport Scotland insists £2.3bn Forth bridge project 'on track' Transport Scotland says it has no concerns over funding for the £2.3 billion Forth Replacement Crossing.
• Transport Minister announces £40,000 funding for car clubs SEAFORD MP and Minister for Transport Norman Baker has announced that car clubs across the country are set to benefit from an extra £40,000 of government funding.
• Transport Schemes supporting Scotland's Economy Projects worth millions reach key milestones Record levels of investment in significant transport infrastructure schemes across Scotland are supporting Scotland™s hard-pressed construction sector, John Swinney said today.read more
• RMT takes rail cuts protest to National Rail Conference this ThursdayAS OPPOSITION to the ConDem's cuts measures gathers pace, rail union RMT will be holding a demonstration outside the National Rail Conference, where Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond is key-note speaker, tomorrow (8th July).
• Get on your bike for free guided cycle rides Cycle Fridays will run until October
• SNCF Geodis chief's rap for shippers'Shocking attitude' over single-wagon services revamp
• Avis launches green driving campaignCar rental company Avis has launched a website to encourage businesses to adopt greener driving skills.read more