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

Saturday, 21 August 2010

BBC News

• Driver jailed after girl's deathA man is jailed for two years for causing the death by careless driving of a 17-year-old girl at a mid Wales beauty spot.
• More speed camera cuts in EnglandMore speed cameras across England could be switched off as a result of cuts to the road safety budget, research seen by BBC Newsnight suggests.
• Driver sacked after 'fake attack'A bus driver is sacked after allegedly hitting himself with a rock and then reporting that he had been attacked.
• Bridge strike rips bus roof offA double-decker bus crashes into a rail bridge in the south side of Glasgow ripping off its roof.
• Transport group opposes new roadsThe government should maintain the existing road network rather than extend it, says the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.

Financial Times

• KNOC launches hostile bid for Dana PetroleumKNOC of South Korea launches a landmark £1.87bn hostile takeover offer for Dana Petroleum after shareholders owning almost half of the UK oil explorer offered their support
• BAA loan package gives credit fillipThe UK's largest airport operator says it has arranged a £625m loan from eight banks “ well above the £500m it had originally said it was seeking

The Guardian

• East Coast rail boss Elaine Holt shows staff the meaning of customer serviceHats off to Elaine Holt, chair of East Coast railways. Last week she showed how to lead from the front by helping to staff an overworked information desk at King's Cross station after a fire in Newark caused chaos to train services throughout the network.
• Eddie Stobart transport group boosted by Tesco and Irn BruTrucking group Stobart, whose Eddie Stobart lorries are a common site on Britain's motorways, said its business had made a strong start to the year thanks to new multi-million pound contracts with Irn Bru maker AG Barr and Tesco.

The Herald

• Motorists offered chance to drive down cost of carA new batch of car registrations plates will hit Scotland™s streets next month but with pay freezes, below-inflation pay rises and looming job cuts many Scots requiring a car for work or family life could be looking for a way to help keep the cost in check.
• Stagecoach in deal over transport for Papal visit to cityStagecoach, the Perth-based bus and rail giant, has struck a lucrative deal with the Catholic Church over transport for the Papal visit to Glasgow next month, The Herald has learned.

The Scotsman

• Surge in staged car crash scamsThe number of "crash for cash" scams where drivers stage accidents to claim on insurance is increasing around the country, new figures show.

Daily Record

• Scots bus driver sacked after pretending rock-throwing yobs injured him to claim compensation A BUS driver has been sacked after deliberately injuring himself and blaming it on rock-throwing thugs.

The Mirror

• Surge in staged car crash scams The number of

Bolton News

• Speed camera axe call to plug £1.6m deficit A BOLTON councillor has called for speed cameras across Greater Manchester to be scrapped”after discovering the partnership that runs them faces a £1.6 million blackhole next year.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Tram route cutback plans are branded 'unacceptable'PLANS to cut back Edinburgh's tram route have been branded "unacceptable" by Labour's Malcolm Chisholm.

London Evening Standard

• Hundreds will lose out on payouts over high-speed rail tunnelsResidents in north London who fear their homes will be affected by a new high-speed rail line have been excluded from a newly launched compensation scheme

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Ferry ˜near miss™ investigated The Marine Accident Investigation Branch are to get a report on an accident involving a council-run ferry in which a father and son could have been killed or seriously injured.

Bucks Free Press

• Work 'going to plan' on £10m bridgeCONSTRUCTION workers have reached the halfway point in a £10 million project to replace a motorway bridge.

Daventry Express

• Villagers to Walk The Line in protest against high speed railPROTEST march will be held next month to try and stop a new highspeed railway line being built.

Doncaster Free Press

• Two cyclists hurt in smash ONE cyclist is fighting for his life and another remains seriously injured after they were both hit by a car on a busy road close to Robin Hood Airport.

Other Regional Press

• Hundreds expected to take part in Warwick Cycle Races PEOPLE are being encouraged to take part in The Warwick Cycle Races next month.

International Herald Tribune

• Merkel Urged to Prevent Fuel Rod TaxBusiness leaders and prominent personalities on Friday joined the clamor of the nuclear energy lobby, accusing the German chancellor of endangering the country’s future energy supply.
• China to Invest in Electric and Hybrid VehiclesThe plan aims to put millions of electric and hybrid energy vehicles on the road over the next few years in the world’s biggest auto market.

New Scientist

• Too soon to blame Toyota drivers for throttle problemsEarly investigations into Toyota cars that accelerated out of control points the finger at driver error. But the electronic throttle is not foolproof

Aviation Industry

• See angry steward jump off jet after bust-up with passenger.CCTV cameras caught the dramatic moment a flight attendant escaped from his plane - and you can see the video at notw.co.uk. Surveillance cameras caught Steven Slater's shock departure from the JetBlue aircraft after a bust-up with a passenger.

Other News Sources

• Scotland's only passenger ferry to Europe axedOperators DFDS say they will only operate a freight service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge from December.
• RMT demands Network Rail reinstates look out patrols in Cumbria following another runaway near TebayBRITAIN'S BIGGEST rail union RMT is demanding Network Rail re-instate lookout patrols in the Lancashire and Cumbria region following another runaway incident near Tebay where four RMT members died in a similar incident in 2004.
• Roadworks set to continue across countyRoadworks are set to continue throughout the county in the coming few weeks, as Northamptonshire County Council continues with a new programme of highways maintenance.
• Boeing 747-8F nears schedule slip as first 747-8I progressesDespite strong schedule uncertainty with Boeing's 747-8 freighter, the airframer continues to press on with assembly of its first -8I passenger aircraft.Boeing...
• Manchester Airport ready to receive A380Manchester Airport has officially been certified as ready to receive the A380 double-decker jumbo jet.The Civil Aviation Authorities Aerodrome Standards Division approved the airport this week in preparation for the first Emirates A380 service form the hub to Dubai on September 1st.Just 17 airports in the world have been certified to receive the A380 and Manchester Airport will be the first regional hub to receive a regular service of the craft.Some £10 million worth of improvements have taken place at Manchester Airport in preparation for the jet, including an airfield upgrade and an up...
• Maersk mulls buying BP assetsDENMARK™S AP Møller-Maersk is looking to buy BP assets that may come up for sale after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, reports said today.
• Plymouth expands in marine sectorPLYMOUTH in the UK's southwest will spend more than £70M ($110M) on newly approved marine-related projects.
• Aviation experts gather in Iceland to assess volcano risks Aviation and aerospace experts will meet in Iceland next month to coordinate the global response to future volcanic eruptions, Icelandic officials said on Wednesday (18 August).
• Mitsubishi electric vehicle slashes price
• Man admits endangering people's safety on railwayA man yesterday admitted endangering the safety of people on a railway and causing up to £15,000 worth of damage to a train unit after he piled concrete blocks on to the track at Salhouse, near Wroxham.
• Significant progress in subordinated debt refinancing BAA has completed a £625 million, four-year 'Class B' bank junior debt facility, marking significant progress towards a refinancing of the group's subordinated debt of £1.57 billion. BAA...