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

Tuesday, 27 July 2010

BBC News

• Unite plans to take BA to court over travel concessions The Unite union says it is planning legal action against British Airways over the removal of travel concessions from cabin crew who went on strike.
• Leeds-Liverpool canal 'to close'Nearly half of one of Britain's most famous canals is facing closure next week because of the drought affecting the north west of England

The Guardian

• Pass notes No 2,819: Speed cameras Oxfordshire county council is turning off its speed cameras this weekend
• North-south divide in transport subsidy Coyness about northern cities is unsurprising (London's transport chief ready to defend capital spending, 23 July), for different economic models apply to transport spending elsewhere. Peter Hendy has successfully used economic growth to justify excess investment in regulated buses and railways, using one-offs such as the Olympics or the Millennium Dome or as a byproduct of longer-distance schemes, eg the Channel tunnel rail link.

The Scotsman

• Test on safe level of ash for flying could be lengthy TESTS to gauge the level of volcanic ash which planes can fly through in safety could prove to be expensive and lengthy. Department for Transport's aviation director Jonathan Moor said that should there be an eruption at a volcano neighbouring Eyjafjallajokull, which went up in April, there could potentially be further ash cloud problems.
• Alex Macaulay:Regional transport is suffering neglect and must modernise WE OFTEN overlook things that are important because they are so much a part of everyday life that we scarcely notice they exist - until that is, something goes wrong.

The Telegraph

• Unite to sue British Airways over removal of travel perks for cabin crew British Airways' decision to withdraw the staff travel perk from striking cabin crew is to be challenged in the courts.

Mail Online

• BA crew to sue airline over withdrawal of free travel perks following strikesUnion bosses have started legal action against British Airways for breaching the human rights of staff. After 'careful consideration', Unite said it believes the decision 'breaches European human rights legislation'.

Network Rail

• KEY PHASE OF MERSEYSIDE RAIL IMPROVEMENT WORK GETS UNDERWAY

Birmingham Mail

• Uninsured Birmingham drivers risk car crushing DRIVERS with no insurance may face having their cars clamped in front of them today as part of a police crackdown.

Birmingham Post

• High speed rail compensation scheme unveiled Business owners facing ruin because of plans to build a new 250mph rail line into Birmingham will be invited to apply for compensation from August 20, Ministers have announced.

London Evening Standard

• Salt stocks 'must be large enough for a winter as cold as last year'The Government should import 250,000 tonnes of road salt to deal with a winter as bad as last year's, a Whitehall-commissioned report said today.
• London traffic camera's £2m fines in three months More than 16,000 drivers have been caught in three months by Britain's most lucrative traffic camera.
• BA crew to sue over flight perksThe bitter British Airways dispute has taken a fresh twist after Unite announced it was taking legal action over the removal of travel concessions from cabin crew who have been on strike.

The York Press

• York Professionals and the York Business Forum have say on city transport HUNDREDS of York businesses are being asked to name their biggest transport problems and say what could improve the city™s infrastructure.
• Repairs to be made on Lendal Bridge ENGINEERS are to carry out work below the south-western end of Lendal Bridge in York city centre.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• MP fights to save Kirkstall rail plan A Leeds MP has launched a petition to save a proposed new railway station in the city from the Government's public spending axe.
• M62 West Yorkshire hard shoulder plan on holdMinisters have put the brakes on a congestion-busting plan to let motorists drive on the hard shoulders of the M62 in West Yorkshire.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Rachael is named as county leaderA teenager has pledged to fight for cheaper bus fares for young people after being named the county's young leader.

Aviation Industry

• Aer Lingus expects to break even for full yearAer Lingus Group said it should do œno worse than break even in 2010 following a stronger-than-expected first half combined with reductions in fuel and staff costs.
• Air Berlin to join oneworld Air Berlin said yesterday it will join oneworld and develop cooperative agreements with several members of the alliance.
• American releases new iPhone app American Airlines yesterday released its own free travel app for the iPhone to provide customers with mobile access to day-of-travel information. Once logged in, passengers can check which gate they will be departing from, where they will sit and their position on the standby list. They will also be able to set parking reminders, view terminal maps, access mobile boarding passes, book and check-in for flights, and use GPS to locate the nearest airport served by AA.
• China Southern looks to expand its cargo presenceChina Southern Airlines is stepping up its efforts to make gains in the Western cargo market by expanding its cargo fleet and adding international routes.

Other News Sources

• First Capital Connect to keep its franchise HERTS: First Capital Connect (FCC) is to keep its franchise to run the Thameslink line despite thousands of passengers signing a petition calling on the government to end it.
• MP Pritchard calls for legal limits on train passenger numbersA Shropshire MP who labelled a county train service the “sardine express” due to severe overcrowding has called on government ministers to impose a legal limit on the number of passengers who can travel in any one carriage.
• MP leads debate on how to give city better transport The MP for Cambridge will lead a debate in Westminster on the best strategy for solving the city’s transport problems. Julian Huppert will call for increased access to public transport and the creation of sustainable communities to build a “fairer society”.
• MP leads debate on how to give city better transport The MP for Cambridge will lead a debate in Westminster on the best strategy for solving the city’s transport problems. Julian Huppert will call for increased access to public transport and the creation of sustainable communities to build a “fairer society”.
• VOTE: North Lincolnshire must choose between Humber Bridge tolls and road upgrades HUMBER Bridge tolls could be axed – if the region sacrifices funding for crucial road upgrades, the new transport has secretary said.
• CAMPAIGNERS SUCCESSFULLY OPPOSE PLANS FOR WALKING AND CYCLING TRAIL FARMERS and landholders have successfully opposed plans for a 10-mile walking and cycling trail that would have passed through their land.
• Rail watchdogs clear Bath station lift scheme ​Rail watchdogs have now given their blessing to a controversial lift system planned for Bath Spa railway station.
• Eurotunnel has record breaking weekend KENT NEWS: Eurotunnel staff are expecting a record breaking summer at the Channel Tunnel after thousands of passengers crossed to France on the first weekend of the school holidays.
• Ryanair continues anti-EasyJet campaign with Mugabe spotRyanair is continuing its policy of taking potshots at rival EasyJet via press ads, with its latest execution claiming that Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe is EasyJet™s œnew head of punctuality.
• Government urged to import saltReport recommends government import 250,000 tonnes of salt for winter
• European & Welsh Government Funding Transforming Swansea's WaterfrontA STUNNING tree-lined boulevard at a key gateway into the city and better walking and cycling facilities than ever before are among the multi-million pound schemes set to transform Swansea into one of Europe's leading waterfront cities.
• EU and China Should Increase Cooperation To Fight Climate ChangeFollowing on from the meeting of the EU-China Civil Society Round Table in Chongqing, a seminar on Trade and Development took place in Shanghai from 22 to 24 July 2010. Linked to the EU Trade Days, this seminar touched upon three main topics: Trade and Development, Trade and Climate Change and Investment and Cooperation.
• Help for homeowners on rail routeHelp for homeowners on rail route
• Ryanair to open new Spanish base Budget carrier Ryanair has announced it will open its 44th European base, in Seville.

News from Europe

• Alitalia takes delivery of new A330 Alitalia has taken delivery of its new A330, the first plane to join the fleet with the airline's new business class seat and first ever premium economy product.