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

Thursday, 07 October 2010

BBC News

• Cardiff Bus smartcards are unveiled Cardiff Bus has unveiled a smart card that allows users to pre-pay for travel on city bus routes.
• Back rail campaign says AlexanderChief secretary to the Treasury is urging his constituents to back campaigns to protect a train.
• Free bus travel planning 'weak'Scotland's spending watchdog raises serious concern over the scheme entitling over 60s to free bus travel.
• Tube safety checks lead to delaysCommuters face disruptions after 12 trains on the District line are removed following safety checks.
• Prius hit as Japan subsidy endsJapanese sales of the Toyota Prius have fallen after a government subsidy for buying more eco-friendly cars expired, figures suggest.
• UK car sales fall for third monthUK car sales fell for the third consecutive month in September, although the rate of decline was less severe than in August.

Financial Times

• Eurostar places €600m trains order A €600m ($836m) order for new trains from Siemens of Germany will enable Eurostar, the cross-Channel high-speed train operator, to run trains to Amsterdam, Cologne and other new destinations, the company is expected to announce on Thursday.
• AA, BA and Iberia in transatlantic tie-upCommecial co-operation will see a batch of new routes, better frequent flyer benefits and the rehiring of hundreds of flight crew

The Guardian

• Cardiff gets its own Oyster card The new Cardiff Bus smartcard launched today in the city centre with a baffling name but much promise
• BA, Iberia and American Airlines tie-up heralds new era of transatlantic travel BA deal will give air passengers greater choice
• EasyJet given summer boost as Britons holiday abroad Growth in passenger numbers helps easyJet to report better-than-expected results for three months to 30 September

The Herald

• Inquiry as freight train rolls back for two miles Rail accident investigators have launched an inquiry into a freight train that rolled backwards for more than two miles at a site where four track workers were killed by a runaway train six years earlier.
• Rising cost of free bus scheme for the elderlyThe cost of providing free bus travel for the elderly and disabled could increase to more than £500 million a year by 2025 if funding is not restricted, Audit Scotland has found.
• Council issues a veiled threat to withdraw £3m SPT fundingThe body that runs Glasgow™s Subway and subsidises west of Scotland bus services is facing a new crisis after one of its key funders made a thinly veiled threat to pull out.

The Independent

• Tube trains withdrawn for safety checks Tens of thousands of commuters faced disruption today when London Underground removed Tube trains from service after engineers discovered suspected cracks on brackets.

The Scotsman

• Eurostar set to anger French with train order Channel Tunnel rail company Eurostar is expected to announce a £500 million order for German-built trains today, sparking a row with the French government.

The Telegraph

• Speed cameras 'do cut injuries and save lives' Speed cameras do cut injuries and save lives, a detailed international academic study has found.

Daily Express

• British Airways sees a first-class result A STRONG rise in numbers of its most profitable first and business-class travellers sent British Airways shares flying upwards yesterday.
• BA launches transatlantic triple assaultBritish Airways and its partners American Airlines and Iberia yesterday unveiled four new routes as they launched their transatlantic tie-up.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Demands for speed limit cut on tragedy-hit A547 in North Wales CAMPAIGNERS yesterday demanded a drastic cut in the speed limit on a busy road after yet another death.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Cyclist may sue tram firm after rails cause injury after fallA STUDENT nurse has told how she was saved by her cycle helmet after her bike clipped the Princes Street tram lines and threw her into the middle of traffic.

Liverpool Post

• Liverpool John Lennon Airport’s losses soar after turbulent year LIVERPOOL John Lennon Airport (JLA) has recorded the biggest loss in its history after being buffeted by domestic and global economic storms.
• Easyjet increases full year profit forecast on robust commercial performance EASYJET today said pre-tax profits for its latest financial year will be higher than expected.

London Evening Standard

• TfL 'must explain its role in the rerouting of Olympics marathon'Transport for London today came under pressure to reveal whether it advised Olympics chiefs to abandon the original London 2012 marathon route through the East End
• £40bn Boris island airport won’t get off the ground, say ministersBoris Johnson's plan for an airport in the Thames Estuary suffered a fresh blow today after senior ministers ruled it out on cost grounds

Nottingham Evening Post

• Provisional dates announced for switch-off of village street lights VILLAGES in Misterton and Bingham have been announced as the first areas to have their street lights switched off overnight as part of a money-saving project.

The York Press

• Buses to replace trains on Scarborough rail journeys BUSES are to replace trains on a stretch of North Yorkshire railway as part of a huge improvement programme.

Wales Online

• Cardiff Bus launches Iff smart card scheme CARDIFF Bus today launches its Iff smart card – with a pledge to make the name as well used in the Welsh capital as the Oyster card is in London.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds 'bus fare rises causing more traffic' EXCLUSIVEBus passengers in Leeds are jumping in their cars to avoid rising fares.

Chester Standard

• Report highway problems to new roadcare schemePEOPLE can help to keep their roads intact with a new road care scheme launched by Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Other Regional Press

• Land sale sparks airport rail link sabotage claimBusinesses who were paid millions of pounds to relocate to make way for the Glasgow Airport Rail Link are being offered the land back at a fraction of the original cost to taxpayers.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Scania receives funding for HGV biofuel engine projectThe Strategic Vehicle Research and Innovation Initiative in Sweden has allocated a grant of around €3.3 million (£2.9 million) to Scania for a green project.It will be used to fund the development of a new biofuel engine designed for heavy commercial vehicles that is capable of operating on both alcohol and gaseous methane-based fuels, reducing the impact of such models on the environment.According to the truckmaker, which is working with specialists from higher education institutions in Sweden, the engine will combine the best elements of diesel with those of sustainable su...

Aviation Industry

• The October get-away gets underwayPreparations are well underway at Aberdeen Airport, with the start of the expected October get-away just around the corner.
• EasyJet raises full-year profit predictionsEasyJet revised upwards its pre-tax profit target for the financial year ended Sept. 30 owing to strong fourth-quarter traffic and revenue, and said it now expects to deliver a pre-tax profit œslightly ahead of the £150 million [$239 million] that was the top end of our previous guidance range [issued in May] of £100 million to £150 million. The company will report full-year results on Nov. 16.
• Lufthansa plans new business class for 2011Lufthansa hopes to satisfy critics of its existing long-haul business class when it unveils a new fully-flat product late next year.read more

Other News Sources

• High-speed rail campaigners to call for judicial review CAMPAIGNERS against the HS2 line set to slice through Warwickshire are calling for donations to help them take on the government.
• High-speed rail plans welcomed in the northLocal transport chiefs in the North West and Yorkshire have welcomed the Government’s plan to extend high-speed rail beyond Birmingham.
• Despair at loss of high-speed rail link Cambridge will miss out on a high-speed rail link which would have slashed journey times to London.
• Government 'caves in' to rail companies on fare cap rise Transport union RMT accused the government on Wednesday of "caving in to private train operators" by planning to lift the cap on rail fares.
• Police could step in to save Norfolk speed camerasPolice chiefs could step in to save Norfolk speed cameras as fears grow that cutbacks would increase deaths and casualties on the county's roads.