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

Thursday, 05 August 2010

BBC News

• Rise in Devon and Cornwall branch line train usersFirst Great Western (FGW) branch lines had a boom year in Devon and Cornwall, figures have shown.
• Concern over possible Aberdeen to London train change The possible end of direct trains from Aberdeen to London would damage business in the north east of Scotland, it has been claimed.
• Cuts 'threaten thousands of jobs' on Tube, union warns Budget cuts could put thousands of Tube staff out of work, a union has warned. The Department for Transport gives £3bn a year to Transport for London (TfL) but this may be reduced by up to 40% as savings are made in Whitehall.
• Call to switch off night lightsCarmarthenshire businesses and public sector organisations are asked by the council to switch off lights overnight.
• Cyclists charged over extra keysPeople who sign up for extra keys for London's cycle hire scheme are charged an access fee for every key they hold - even if they use just one.
• Tunnel workers forget passengersEurotunnel investigates after passengers are taken from Folkestone to France and back again without being able to get off the train.
• Sales rise boosts Toyota profitsToyota reports its biggest quarterly profit in two years, as the firm seeks to put the recall of millions of vehicles behind it.
• Airbus lands giant Cathay orderCathay Pacific signs a multi-billion dollar deal with Airbus to buy 36 new aircraft.
• Ryanair traffic rises, BA's fallsRyanair reports a 13% rise in passenger numbers while BA reports a 2.6% fall in traffic numbers in July when compared with a year earlier.

Financial Times

• Successor sought for Ratan TataThere has been speculation for months over who might take over from him and whether leadership would remain within the company™s founding family
• Strong freight traffic boosts CathayThe Hong Kong airline casts a strong vote of confidence in the aviation market after announcing its biggest aircraft purchase order and a record six-month profit

The Guardian

• Chamber launches consultation to save Leeds trolleybus funding * Businesses told to fight for city's trolleybus scheme * Consultation will highlight transport issues in Leeds * Residents urged to sign petition as decision 'hangs in balance'

The Independent

• Tube ticket office cuts 'the tip of the iceberg' Union leaders warned today of huge cuts on London Underground as a result of the Government's clampdown on spending, saying that a row over 800 ticket office job losses could be the
• Drivers stuck on Eurotunnel trainEurotunnel launched an investigation yesterday after it emerged that around 20 passengers travelled to France and back without being able to get off their train.

The Scotsman

• Safety fears as 137 rail staff caught on duty while over alcohol limit MORE than 130 railway workers have endangered the lives of passengers in Scotland by being over the alcohol limit while on duty in the past three years.
• Edinburgh Council not fighting airport charge CITY leaders have refused to give a pledge to fight Edinburgh Airport's "kiss and fly" charge.
• Cars far worse than planes for long term emissions damage CAR travel has a greater long-term impact on global warming than flying because it produces more longer-lasting carbon dioxide, according to new research. A team of Austrian and Norwegian scientists said this outweighed the larger short-term impact caused by aircraft, which increased global temperatures four times more than cars over the same distance.
• Late penalty for bus firm A BUS firm has been fined £500 for running late services and displaying incorrect information on its destination boards.
• Direct rail links fears allayed FEARS that Aberdeen and Inverness could lose their direct rail links with London if planned new trains are scrapped were downplayed by the UK government yesterday.

The Telegraph

• Carrying baby on plane can cost four times as much as adult seat Carrying a baby on a plane can now cost a parent four times as much as buying an extra adult seat, new research shows.
• Eurotunnel passengers make unwanted shuttle across the Channel Crossing the Channel on a Eurotunnel train may not be luxurious, but it does have the virtue of speed.

Mail Online

• An extra-quick daytrip for the passengers Eurotunnel forgotAround 20 Eurotunnel passengers had travelled on the Shuttle from Folkestone to Calais in seven vehicles loaded behind a wagon.

Liverpool Post

• Port of Liverpool boosted by £1.1million IT scheme A NEW £1.1m IT system has improved truck movements at the Port of Liverpool.

London Evening Standard

• £300m facelift for Bond Street TubeBond Street Tube is to undergo a £300m revamp to increase capacity and link it to Crossrail
• Leaked memo warns of drastic impact as TfL faces £1.2bn cutsTransport for London faces its biggest shake-up as huge government spending cuts look set to cut up to £1.2 billion from its annual budget

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Public will have say on bid to control city bus lanes Aberdeen City Council is a step closer to taking control of bus lanes and fining rogue motorists who use them to beat rush-hour traffic.

The York Press

• Free early hospital bus travel for OAPs ELDERLY patients travelling to York Hospital for early morning appointments will now be able to travel by bus for free.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Why I'm backing trolleybuses... letter]SO Tom Leadley (Letters, July 28) wants to scrap the trolleybus scheme, but on February 10 the YEP reported that £5 million has already been spent putting the scheme through the planning stages.

Other Regional Press

• Cyclists like hire groundSports centre bosses have been praised for launching a pilot project which aims to get people on two wheels.
• Cameras set to snare city™s bus-lane banditsCameras designed to catch motorists misusing bus lanes are likely to be installed in Glasgow for the first time following a move to hand enforcement powers from police to councils.
• Rail fans chuffed at £3million boost for Swanage link TRAIN enthusiasts are chuffed after scooping £3million to link Swanage Railway to the main line.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Wincanton announces new £13m Shell dealA new £13 million contract renewal agreement has been signed between Wincanton and Shell Gas UK.Under the terms of the pact, the UK logistics giant will continue to provide the energy company with bulk tanker distribution of liquid petroleum gas and aerosol propellants.The two companies have worked together for ten years and the deal will expand the partnership by a further two years, with loads predominantly transported from Shell's terminals in Mossmorran in Fife and Stanlow in Cheshire across a nationwide distribution network.Shell Gas managing director Phil Turley said:

Aviation Industry

• Stansted on-track to send zero waste to landfillOver 60 tonnes of waste has been diverted from landfill in the past three months, thanks to Stansted Airport's latest re-cycling initiative that's keeping the airport on-track to achieve its target of zero waste to landfill by 2015.

Other News Sources

• Sternhold Avenue campaigners fear the worst over Streatham Hill depot planResidents locked in a legal battle with a train company over a "hideous" rail depot built behind their homes fear their five-year fight may have been to no avail.
• Arriva Trains Wales launches campaign to tackle railway stations litter A CAMPAIGN to reduce unsightly litter on stations and trains in Cheshire has been launched.
• Luton tops poll as UK's worst airport Airport awarded just 16 out of 60 in survey
• Villagers 'stranded' as bus service axed earlyA 79-YEAR-OLD woman was forced to cross a busy dual carriageway and walk half-a-mile into a village after a bus service was axed early by tall ships bosses.
• Transport spend 'faces deep cuts'Unprotected areas of the transport budget could be facing crippling cuts, a new report claims