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

Saturday, 11 September 2010

BBC News

• All aboardSteam rally celebrates anniversary of rail restoration project
• Cyclist's £900 bike hire chargeA man is still waiting to be refunded £900 after being wrongly charged for using a hire bike in London.
• Thames cable car bid is imminentA planning application for a £25m cable car across the Thames will be submitted in a few weeks.
• Virgin predicts 'fewer airlines'Steve Ridgway of Virgin Atlantic calls for the
• Passengers down at BAA airportsPassenger numbers are down at most of the UK's major airports, with Glasgow the worst affected.

Financial Times

• Airline caterer serves up halal-only menuThe airline meal is heading for an unexpected transformation, as the world™s largest independent aviation caterer looks at making most of its dishes compliant with Islamic dietary laws

The Herald

• SNP moves to reinstate direct aid for airlinesThe Scottish Government is to re-examine the case for directly supporting airlines to ensure that they develop more flights to the country™s airports.
• Another blow for beleaguered tram project as finance director resignsThe company behind Edinburgh™s tram project suffered its second high-profile resignation in less than a fortnight yesterday amid an ongoing funding crisis.
• Councillor ran up limo bills for ˜walkable trips™A leading SNP councillor ran up a bill for almost £200 for chauffeur-driven trips within a 15-minute walk of his office, despite having called for others to consider stepping down for abuse of council cars.

The Independent

• Relief for Tories as Boris Johnson opts to stay at City Hall Boris Johnson will stand for a second four-year term as Mayor of London, putting on hold any plans to resume his career at Westminster and succeed David Cameron.

The Telegraph

• Bearded Devon man who waves at passing cars becomes internet star A bearded old man who sits on the side of the road between two seaside resorts waving at every car has become an internet star.

Mail Online

• Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary says global warming doesn't existIn an outspoken interview the airline’s chief executive said that if temperatures are rising it has nothing to do with man-made carbon emissions.

The Mirror

• Rail deaths after drunk lovers' tiff INQUEST

Birmingham Mail

• BMI Baby £60 bag fees found to be unfair HOLIDAYMAKERS flying out of Birmingham on budget airline BMI Baby may have been unfairly charged up to £60 for hand luggage, the firm admitted.

Birmingham Post

• Legal wrangle delays opening of new £17m Snow Hill station entrance A second entrance to Birmingham’s Snow Hill Station built at a cost of £17 million could remain unused for months while transport body Centro tries to thrash out a legal agreement with rail chiefs.

Bolton News

• Plea to end this parking misery IT could be the end of the road for motorists who park on pavements in Bolton ” making life a misery for residents in wheelchairs and on mobility scooters.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Pupils are warned on train behaviour British Transport Police have warned children at a Saltaire school that bad behaviour on the trains will not be tolerated.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Plaid Cymru at odds with leader Ieuan Wyn Jones over ’Ieuan Air’ THE subsidy for the North-South air link in Wales should be scrapped and the money saved invested in rail services, the Plaid Cymru conference decided.
• Charity cyclists set out from Wrexham hospital on bike ride around Wales FOUR cyclists set out yesterday from Wrexham Maelor Hospital for a round-Wales charity bike ride.
• Llandudno teenager ’critical’ after crash on A470 A 17-YEAR-OLD driver was last night fighting for his life and three more motorists were arrested after a serious road accident involving a ’convoy’ of vehicles.

Journal Live

• Blyth hoping to break cycle of car travel KEEPING up appearances is one of the reasons why people in a North East town don’t cycle or walk to work.

Manchester Evening News

• Poetry in motion – on public transport Passengers are getting a daily dose of culture from some of the country™s top poets. Verses are being displayed on dozens of buses and railway stations throughout Manchester.
• Airport may face more claims for compensation Manchester Airport could be hit with more compensation claims “ just weeks after agreeing a multi-million pound payout. In July, the M.E.N. revealed bosses reached a compensation package “ over properties devalued by noise and fumes “ with more than 330 residents of Mobberley and Knutsford in Cheshire, who lodged claims over the second runway.

Metro

• Two pedestrians die on M6 after being hit by lorryTwo pedestrians died after being hit on one of the country™s busiest motorways yesterday.
• Drivers slowed down by 3D 'illusion'A 3D-style painting of a girl chasing a ball has been designed to 'rear up' out of the road when drivers are about 30m away “ forcing speeders to hit the brakes.

Sheffield Star

• Easyjet pulls out of Robin Hood AirportLOW-cost airline Easyjet has delivered a blow to Robin Hood Airport by pulling the plug on its five routes to Doncaster.
• Hop on the bus to toast St Leger with special brewSOUTH Yorkshire's Classic race the St Leger now has its own beer “ and the brewery will even give you a lift to the pub where you can try it out!

The York Press

• New National Railway Museum chief revealed A NEW boss has been appointed to the parent organisation of York™s National Railway Museum.
• New bus stops to improve safety near children™s play centre TWO new bus stops have been installed to give people better access to a leisure and business park on the edge of York.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Yorkshire crash death helpline crisisA helpline launched in the wake of a road death is now in crisis.
• Leeds Bradford Airport: All aboard for bus planStaff and passengers at Leeds Bradford International Airport are being encouraged to ditch their cars with the launch of its travel plan.

Blackpool Gazette

• Cash boost for rail linkA RAIL link between Poulton and Fleetwood is getting back on track after council chiefs gave their backing to the plans.

Doncaster Free Press

• BREAKING NEWS: easyJet pulls out of Robin HoodBUDGET airline easyJet has announced it is to axe its flights from Doncaster's Robin Hood Airport.

Other Regional Press

• Chairman welcomes Deputy PM's long-term economic thinkingTransport projects would deliver significant long-term benefits for the local economy, says Cllr Greaves.
• New Pudsey Bus Station development continuesChanges to bus stops & Market Place traffic flow from Sunday.
• Airport passenger numbers fall PASSENGER numbers were down one per cent at Southampton Airport last month compared to August 2009.
• ˜Rogue fines at town car park™ A READER is appealing for anyone who has been affected by ˜rogue clampers™ to get in touch after a group of motorists were hit with £75 fines.
• Tram driver in court over Trinant woman™s death A TRAM driver charged with causing the death of a Trinant woman by careless driving is due to appear in crown court next month.
• Glow sticks instead of light bulbs on Huddersfield to Leeds train service RAIL passengers from Huddersfield can’t complain about being left in the dark.
• Olympic cycling champion Ed Clancy hit by car while training IN all his years of cycling he had never come a cropper with a car.
• Weevils go to war on weeds in Huddersfield canal MEET Willy the weevil – the tough guy of the canal.

Forbes

• Diagnose Car Trouble YourselfHow DriverSide is able to offer its free service to consumers.

International Herald Tribune

• Germany Moves to Lift Ban on Long Distance Bus TripsOutlawed since 1931 to protect the state-owned railway system, long-distance domestic bus service may become legal in Germany.
• Two French Automakers Start to Repay GovernmentThe carmakers are paying back the government ahead of schedule because the bailout interest rates are rising as the companies’ profits climb.

Washington Post

• New rules would mean fewer hours for sleepy pilots WASHINGTON -- Work hours would be shortened for pilots who fly at night while some pilots who fly during the day could spend more time in the cockpit under a government proposal to help prevent dangerous fatigue.

Railnews

• News: Compulsory job losses likely as Chart Leacon loses work Bombardier says it cannot rule out making some employees at Chart Leacon works in Ashford compulsorily redundant, as a 90-day consultation period approaches its close. 155 jobs are to go, and just ten staff will remain on the site to maintain Class 375 units for Southeastern.
• News: RMT set to ballot in Southern security dispute The RMT union has declared a formal dispute with Southern Railway over an alleged reduction in security staff by the company. The union said it was now preparing to ballot its members at Southern after an ’upsurge in assaults’.

Aviation Industry

• Panel: Commercial flights remain top terror targetsCommercial aviation remains the top target for terrorists who are likely to try again to use an easily hidden bomb to blow up an airplane, according to a report released Friday by former leaders of the 9/11 Commission.
• Jet Blue plane reports problem after Fla. takeoffA New York-bound JetBlue Airways flight landed safely at a South Florida airport after the pilot reported smelling smoke in the airplane.

Green Miscellany

• French Streets Ahead? I was going over the 2,115m Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees the other day taking in the spectacular scenery and I could not help but marvel at the pristine nature of the road surface.read more
• 'Child in road' optical illusion to slow drivers A sticker applied to the surface of a road that gives the impression a child is standing in the middle of the street is being used to highlight the danger posed by traffic around schools.read more

Other News Sources

• The top 20 towns for speeding convictionsOne in 10 motorists has a speeding conviction according to a report, which reveals Hertfordshire's drivers top the country's speedsters
• Rolls-Royce provides engines and thrusters for Norway ferryRolls-Royce is to provide gas engines and main azimuth thrusters for what will be the world™s largest gas-engine ferry.
• Alstom to supply trains for Indian MetroChennai Metro Rail has signed a €243m deal with Alstom Transport that will see the company supply 42 train sets composed of four cars each for the Chennai Metro in India.
• Bus fares to rise Bus fares are to go up in Brighton and Hove because of the cost of rising fuel and insurance bills.
• Rail strikes threatened Railway workers are threatening to go on strike after the number of attacks on staff soared.
• Ban for 130mph bikerDunblane man™s driving was ˜extraordinarily bad™, says Sheriff
• RMT confirms dispute and ballot for action on Southern Railways over assaults on staffRAIL UNION RMT confirmed this morning that it has declared a formal dispute with Southern Railways over an upsurge in assaults on staff following a decision by the company to cut back on security measures. RMT is now preparing for a ballot of operational members on Southern Railways for industrial action.
• Mr Loophole's daughter to pay fineThe daughter of a lawyer known as Mr Loophole now faces a higher Updated on 10/09/2010 09:08:58. © RAC breakdown cover and car insurance.
• Assembly to probe London cycling schemesThe London Assembly Transport Committee is conducting a progress check on the impact of the city™s new cycling schemes.
• Somali Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit PiracyJama Idle Ibrahim, a/k/a Jaamac Ciidle, pled guilty on September 8 to conspiracy to commit piracy under the law of nations and conspiracy to use a firearm during
• Safety review to tackle M65 jump threatsA REVIEW of the safety of motorway bridges in East Lancashire is under way.
• Abandoned Eastern European crew wins back wages and repatriation costsSeafarers stranded in a Spanish port have received more than US$98,000 in back wages owed to them.
• Air cargo demand set to slowRapid rebound from recession can't be maintained, claims IATA
• News from Murad Qureshi: Government says no to mixed mode, but BAA brings in two-way flying anyway 8 September 2010 Murad Qureshi has warned residents in west London to expect yet more noise from Heathrow in the coming weeks Just as residents were breathing a sigh of relief that the government has said no to mixed-mode operation at Heathrow, BAA is about to cancel alternation on westerlies for the next six weeks as part of "essential maintenance" works at the airport. As an internal BAA report confirms: "Note: This means that: Whether on easterlies or westerlies the same areas will be overflown" ...
• Are Londoners getting on their bikes? 10 September 2010 How successful are new initiatives like the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme and the Cycle Superhighways so far?  The London Assembly Transport Committee is conducting an early progress check to assess the initial impact of the new cycling schemes, looking at how any problems are being addressed and the potential for expansion and extension. womancycling.jpg Yes
• Estonian Air agrees in principle on Bombardier acquisitionEstonian Air has agreed in principle to acquire three Bombardier aircraft and is to disclose further details next week.The airline has long been a...
• Air China to order four 777-300ERsChinese flag-carrier Air China is ordering four Boeing 777-300ER aircraft for delivery from 2013.Air China says it has entered an aircraft purchase...
• Bmibaby cabin baggage gauges 'vary in size'Bmibaby has come under fire for charging customers for baggage which is in line with the airline's policy on cabin baggage. An investigation by the BBC's Watchdog programme discovered that the gauges for measuring cabin baggage varied in size at different airports, meaning passengers were fined for checking in baggage which was of regulation size. The airline said that the discrepancy in sizes was due to some gauges having curved edges, meaning the box measuring exactly 55cm by 40cm by 20cm used in the BBC's tests would not fit. Tests were carried out at three airports used by b...
• Business travellers boost Heathrow Airport passengersHeathrow Airport experienced its second busiest month ever in August, new figures from BAA show. The airport operator said that 6.5 million people used Heathrow Airport's facilities last month, making it the busiest August on record. Overall, the operator's hubs experienced a 0.6 per cent dip in passenger numbers compared with the same period last year. The growth at Heathrow Airport was said to be due to an increased number of business travellers, while other hubs were feeling the effects of fewer Brits travelling abroad during the summer holidays. Glasgow Airport and Stansted Air...
• Shipping's 'U-shaped' bluesSHIPPING could be hit by a slower recovery, with newbuildings entering service in 2011-12 oversupplying the market, Bjorn Knutsen has told Fairplay.
• Virginia scuttles port dealVIRGINIA cancelled its port privatisation plan Friday, concluding that terminal operator and private equity offers fell short.
• France, Germany only winners of green road charges Only two EU member states would see a budget surplus if the so-called 'Eurovignette' levy were imposed on heavy goods vehicles for using road networks, whilst 16 others would lose out, according to a new study.
• Peugeot iOn to be released in UK by end of 2010
• London Assembly to examine cycling success
• August 2010 traffic figures - BAA's airports BAA's UK airports handled 10.6 million passengers in August, a reduction of 0.6% on the same month last year. Heathrow recorded its busiest ever August, and second busiest month on record,...
• East Midlands Airport announces new MD to replace Penny CoatesBrad Miller, the current Projects and Procurement Director for the Manchester Airports Group, has been named as the new Managing Director of East Midlands Airport, replacing Penny Coates. Brad's ...