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

Saturday, 14 August 2010

BBC News

• Many stuck as travel firm foldsBirmingham-based travel company Sun4U collapses, leaving about 1,200 holidaymakers stranded abroad.
• Airport's passenger numbers riseThe number of passengers flying out of Prestwick Airport increases for the second month running.
• Runaway train on London Tube lineA runaway train goes through six stops on a 13-minute journey on London's Tube.
• Airport talks set for next weekTalks to try to avert a strike that would close six of the UK's major airports will begin on Monday, conciliation service Acas confirms.
• KLM holds out on ash cashHundreds of British families are still waiting for compensation from Dutch airline KLM for delays caused by the volcanic ash cloud earlier this year.
• South American airlines to mergeTwo major South American airlines, Brazil's TAM Linhas Aereas and Chile's LAN, plan a merger that will create the biggest carrier in the region.

Financial Times

• Latin American airlines to mergeLeading Latin American airlines LAN of Chile and TAM of Brazil have announced plans to merge amid rising airline demand in the region.
• Senior figures set to go at Network RailExecutives associated with the group™s tough management style appear slated for departure as the chairman makes radical changes to the culture of the company that has faced widespread criticism

The Guardian

• Bad news for Cycle to Work schemeNew tax rules could mean the end of bargain bikes on the popular salary sacrifice schemeRegular readers of the bike blog will know we are big fans of the government's Cycle to Work initiative, which provides tax-free bikes to workers on a salary sacrifice scheme.Last year I got a £700 bike using a Cycle Scheme voucher, and expected it to end up costing me around £400. We know from the comments that hundreds of you have signed up to similar deals, riding away brand new bikes which you thought you were getting at up to a 50% discount.Alas, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs has decided to spoil t...

The Herald

• Twice as many passengers by train predictedThe number of rail passengers in Britain could double over the next quarter-of-a-century as demand for train travel grows and road congestion increases, an industry report has predicted.

The Independent

• Union agrees to talks that may prevent airport strike Bank Holiday travellers may be reprieved from a strike at six of Britain's biggest airports later this month after the Unite trade union yesterday agreed to conciliatory talks.

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL EXPLORES OPTIONS TO IMPROVE THE RAILWAY IN STAFFORDSHIRE
• WORKS STARTS TO MAKE STAINES STATION MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERYONE
• TWICE AS MANY PASSENGERS AND FREIGHT TO USE THE RAILWAY BY 2035

Wales Online

• Giant ships collide off Welsh coast TWO giant ore carrying ships have collided off Port Talbot docks this morning.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds £1m rail cable thief jailedA prolific cable thief who caused almost £1m of damage to a stretch of railway in Leeds has been jailed for two years.
• Leeds speed bumps setbackLeeds City Council have refused to install speed bumps along a busy road in Tingley “ despite a car narrowly missing a 10-year-old girl “ and a string of previous accidents.

Railnews

• News: Bombardier warns that jobs boost is a 'spike' Bombardier is seeking up to 400 additional temporary staff for its train-building plant in Derby, but the company is warning that the present demand could be shortlived.
• News: Network Rail under fire over 'lost' accidents A row is brewing over the way that accidents affecting Network Rail staff are being reported, amid allegations that some are being concealed. As many as 2,500 minor injuries may have been missed out of the statistics in the last year.
• News: Test Pendolino for East Coast line raises Virgin hackles The news that a Pendolino may be tried on the East Coast Main Line has prompted a swift response from Virgin, which wants all the additional trains now being built in Italy for its own West Coast route.
• News: Deutsche Bahn Channel Tunnel plan opposed by RMT The German state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn has taken a step towards running international services to London, by announcing a test run of an ICE through the Channel Tunnel. But the test is being bitterly opposed by the RMT union.
• News: RAIB to probe London Underground runaway The Rail Accident Investigation Branch and Transport for London have launched a joint probe after an engineering train ran away on the Northern Line early on 13 August, triggering an emergency operation to prevent a possible collision. The Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line was cleared of trains, and was still closed on Friday afternoon, although services had been restored by early evening.
• News: Passengers and freight 'set to double by 2035' A new report from Network Rail and industry partners published today is predicting that the number of rail passengers and freight volumes are both set to double in the next 25 years.

Railway Gazette

• News in BriefOTIF is consulting on harmonising RID regulations on dangerous goods with global UN recommendations. The main changes concern piggyback transport, hand and checked luggage and written emergency instructions for train drivers. POTA Holdings has acquired Australian short line and terminal operator South Spur Rail Services from Coote Industrial for A$26·5m. Infrastructure Australia included rail projects worth A$2·9bn within its A$18·2bn list of port, rail and road projects meeting its economic criteria. Plans for a 4·6 km rail link to Cape Town airport have been put on hold because of difficul...

Transport for London

• London Underground launches investigation into incident involving engineering train on Northern lineLondon Underground (LU) has today, alongside the Rail Accident Investigation Bureau (RAIB), launched an investigation into an incident involving an engineering train on the Northern line this morning (13 August).

Other News Sources

• A259 closed after car crashThe Eastbourne Road was closed for around an hour after two cars collided.
• Talks bid to avoid airports strikeManagement and unions locked in a bitter airport workers' pay dispute will meet at conciliation service Acas on Monday in a bid to stop a strike which could wreck travel plans for millions.
• Time Critical International enters administrationThe boss of a fast-growing Kent haulage business that has entered administration says a High Court battle with his father and a delayed €500,000 VAT refund created a
• Heathrow Airport likely to be affected by strike actionThe possibility of Heathrow Airport services experiencing major disruption this summer has increased as BAA have voted for strike action.Unite balloted 6,185 members of the airport operator's staff including security staff, engineers, fire-fighters and support staff, with 74 per cent of those who voted advocating industrial action. Around half of the people balloted voted.The dispute arose after BAA offered staff members a one per cent pay increase, following a pay freeze last year, which the union is calling "derisory".Heathrow Airport, Edinburgh Airport, Glasgow Airport, Stanst...
• Bulkers collide off Port TalbotA COLLISION this morning between two Capesize bulkers off Port Talbot in Wales resulted in œminor damage, Fairplay was told.
• Tube line cleared for runaway trainA runaway train went through six stops on a 13-minute journey on the Tube today with other Underground trains having to be cleared out of its path. The unmanned engineering train, used for mai...
• Mercedes-Benz buses and coaches at the 63rd IAA in Hanover in 2010 The new developments for Mercedes-Benz buses and coaches will focus on enhancing environmental friendliness, efficiency, and passenger safety. Five travel coaches and transit buses will be presented at the 63rd IAA in Hall 14/15. Among them will be the innovative, zero-emission Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter City 77 for urban use will be making its debut at the auto show. New Sprinter City 77: innovative flagship urban bus joins the minibus line-upThis minibus is XXL: Mercedes-Benz caps its urban minibus range with the new Sprinter City 77. The three-axle 8.7-metre-long ur...
• PM makes speech on tourismThe Prime Minister has pledged to make Britain one of the top five tourist destinations in the world. Mr Cameron said the income generated from the £115 billion-a-year tourism sector was œfundamental to rebuilding the UK™s economy. The PM was speaking at the Serpentine Gallery in London to an audience of representatives from the tourist [...]
• BAA UK Airports Passenger Information UpdateBAA regret the uncertainty caused to our passengers by the trade union™s ballot for strike action at our UK airports. At this stage no dates for industrial action have been announced and no flights from our UK airports are affected. More than half of those eligible to vote have not done so and we believe [...]
• Airport Worker Strikes Threaten Travel PlansMore than a million passengers are waiting to see if their travel plans will be ruined after workers at BAA airports including Heathrow voted for strike action.