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

Wednesday, 20 October 2010

BBC News

• Bombardier move to be announced in US The First and Deputy First Minister are in Washington where Bombardier are due to announce the completion of phase one of their Belfast factory.
• Re-opening of Portishead to Bristol rail line examined Plans to re-open the Portishead to Bristol railway could cut the journey time into the Temple Meads station to 17 minutes.
• Cambridge railway station bus interchange approved Work is to begin on a bus interchange outside Cambridge railway station by the end of 2010, at a cost of £1.5m.
• Refunds offered for energy eventsFree buses and ferry fare refunds are to be offered to people who want to attend public events to discuss wave and tidal power production plans.
• 'Defer' airport move - committeeThe Environment Committee has recommended the decision over the cap on passenger numbers at George Best Belfast City Airport is deferred.
• More Tube misery for passengersPassengers are stuck in a broken-down Tube train for two hours, the second time in two days this has happened.
• Inside the German high speed trainRichard Scott has a look around the high-speed train run by German rail firm Deutsche Bahn.

Financial Times

• Alstom heads for court over Eurostar trainsAlstom is expected to argue in the High Court next week that Eurostar could not legally finalise the order for the trains because they would breach the current safety rules for the Channel tunnel
• National Express on track to hit targetsBus and rail group reports top-line growth in its core UK operations and says it is on track to achieve its profit target for the year in spite of 'challenging' economic conditions

The Guardian

• National Express coaches may gain from Osborne rail fare rise National Express hopes that day trippers and holidaymakers will take to its coach network if they are priced off trains in tomorrow's comprehensive spending review.
• Tube chaos hits London for a second day Passengers are led along tracks to safety on the Victoria line, a day after thousands were stranded on the Jubilee line
• High speed rail in Britain enters new era as ICE prepares to start service Rail passengers will be able to travel direct from London to Germany and the Netherlands from 2013 under plans unveiled by Germany's state rail company today after it completed a dry run through the Channel tunnel.

The Herald

• Row over EU plan to standardise lorry sizes Ministers are braced for a row with Europe over plans to standardise the size of trucks after warnings from a leading academic that the move could lead to a dramatic increase in the number of HGVs on Britain’s roads.

The Independent

• BA will never bow down to union pressure, vows Walsh The British Airways chief executive, Willie Walsh, had harsh words for the cabin crew union Unite yesterday and vowed that the airline would not back down if there was another strike.

Mail Online

• BA boss Willie Walsh vows to see off Christmas strike threat from unionThe internal bickering within the giant Unite Union came as the airline's boss Willie Walsh pledged he 'will not back down' in the year-long cabin crew dispute.
• Red faces all round as Australian airports ask visitors to declare pornographyThe policy features landing cards which demand to know if tourists or travellers are carrying any porn on their computer, camera or phone.
• Budget airlines make you pay for NOT flyingHolidaymakers are having to pay out for expensive letters confirming they did not fly and are being hit with administration charges that prevent them claiming back airport tax.

The Mirror

• Higher pump prices drive one in 10 motorrists off the road ROCKETING motoring costs have forced one in 12 drivers off the road.

Belfast Telegraph

• £100,000 spent on railway bridges More than £100,000 was spent repairing railway bridges in Northern Ireland following the collapse of a viaduct in the Republic of Ireland, it has been revealed. Action taken ranged from scour protection to concrete work. A total of 157 rail bridges in Northern Ireland were studied following the damage near Dublin and there were also underwater inspections.

Bolton News

• £1.6m for green bus scheme BOLTON could soon benefit from more eco-friendly buses, after transport leaders were awarded £1.6 million.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Rail operator plans new 140mph service to LondonA rail operator has revealed plans to introduce new 140mph inter-city services between Bradford and London and major cities in the north. Alliance Rail Holdings has published proposals for direct services every two hours between Bradford Interchange and London Euston via Manchester Victoria, Crewe and the West Coast Main Line (WCML).
• Transport boss pledges to protect bus services relied on by low-income Bradford workers Transport chiefs in West Yorkshire say they will do all they can to protect vital bus services that people rely on to get to work.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyside faces transport “triple whammy” in spending review MERSEYSIDE is facing a transport triple whammy in tomorrow’s government spending review.

London Evening Standard

• National Express driving ahead with turnaround The turnaround at transport giant National Express continues, as it today reported an increase in third-quarter bus, train and coach revenues.
• 800 walk along track as Tube is evacuated in second day of travel miseryHundreds of Tube passengers were forced to walk along the track to safety today after a train broke down in a second day of chaos.
• New row in BA cabin crew disputeA row has erupted between union leaders over the running of the bitter British Airways cabin crew after the airline's boss pledged to run a near-full service if more strikes are held.

Metro

• Tube chaos day two as 400 walk along tunnelsStranded Tube passengers were forced to walk along tracks through a tunnel for the second day in a row yesterday as unions claimed the Underground was becoming ˜a death trap™.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Limit put on bus fleet after wheel falls offA coach firm has had its fleet reduced by the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland following an incident when a wheel fell off one of its buses on a dual carriageway.

Carlisle News & Star

• Coach firm to provide transport to new Carlisle Youth Zone An expanding Cumbrian family-run coach company is throwing its weight behind Carlisle™s new super youth club.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Re-development of the station met with approval A MUCH-NEEDED revamp of the land around Peterborough railway station site was met with overwhelming support at a public consultation.

Other Regional Press

• Chiltern Railways named best train company Chiltern Railways has been named best train company in The Guardian newspaper™s travel awards.
• Glasgow Airport gets lift from OAPsGlasgow is the airport of choice for pensioners.
• First Bus boss admits some Aberdeen fares are too highTHE retiring boss of First Bus has admitted some fares are too high and said the Aberdeen-based firm must show it offers value for money.

Aviation Industry

• WestJet and American Airlines partnering up through interline dealWestJet Airlines Ltd. has landed a long-coveted partnership with a U.S. carrier, announcing late Tuesday it had inked an interline pact with Texas-based American Airlines.

Green Miscellany

• World™s first heads-up GPS for bicycles Goggles that show GPS information on a micro-LCD heads-up display inside the lens could prove a useful piece of kit for cyclists. read more

Other News Sources

• Rail electrification heading for sidingANY hope of electrifying the railway line between London and Swindon could be axed in the Government’s autumn spending review which was being announced today.
• National Express sees revenues rise in Q3BIRMINGHAM-based coach operator National Express has seen revenue rise in Q3, it reports today. In an interim management statement for the quarter ended September 30, 2010, the company says it has "achieved overall revenue growth despite a continuing backdrop of challenging economic conditions".
• Rail bosses’ U-turn over plan to cull station cafe RAIL bosses have done a U-turn and said they are willing to negotiate with the owners of a snack bar threatened with closure. Nadia and Hugh McMahon have been campaigning to save their cafe based at Billericay station, Bread and Buffers, since July when £1.87million plans to revamp the station were announced.
• Eurostar says Alstom threatens UK legal actionFrench train maker Alstom is threatening to sue Eurostar in a British court over its decision to make Siemens preferred bidder for a high-speed train order, Eurostar's chairman said on Tuesday.
• British Airways expands at London City Airport with new planes and extra route to Stockholm The operator will take up an option for two new Embraer E-190 jets to be delivered in spring 2011. The new arrivals will take BA’s fleet up to 13 at the Royal Docks airport and the firm says it will continue to grow its presence at London City.
• ’Save the Gatwick Express Campaign’ stepped up Southern has revealed plans to replace existing trains on the Gatwick Express. Class 442 units would take the place of the current Class 460 stock in December 2012. But Dr John Godfrey, chairman of Gatwick Airport Consultative Committee (Gatcom), says the group’s members are unhappy about the plans. They believe that air passengers with large amounts of luggage and people with reduced mobility will have difficulty getting on and off the carriages because they say they are not as spacious. Now Gatcom is stepping up its ’Save The Gatwick Express Campaign’.
• Tube boss says sorry to the thousands of commuters forced to walk on tracks THE HEAD of the London Underground apologised for a second day of Tube chaos yesterday, which saw thousands of commuters forced to climb out of trains and walk to safety through pitch-black tunnels.
• Blackfriars Station to close for eight weeks A busy main line station is to close for eight weeks as part of a £5.5 billion rail project, it has been announced.
• BA™s Willie Walsh urges travel industry to welcome changeAbta: British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh says that the need to improve customer service is driving change at the airline.
• Green Tourism Week launched A week-long awareness campaign is set to take place next June, to encourage businesses to think green when it comes to travel.
• Walsh bullish over seating charges British Airways will not back down on its controversial new policy of charging premium customers for seat reservations, the airline's chief executive has indicated.