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

Thursday, 28 October 2010

BBC News

• Airport security rules to change - Philip Hammond [video]The transport secretary has said he intends to change regulations governing security checks at British airports to "ease the passenger experience".
• PM rules out Thames Estuary airport plan The government has ruled out proposals to build a major airport in the Thames Estuary or Kent to increase flight capacity for London.
• Parliament seeks docking station for London bike-hire A docking station for London's bike-hire scheme is being considered close to Parliament in central London.
• M6 widening scheme given go aheadTransport Minister Philip Hammond visits parts of the motorway network after reviewing several schemes.
• Trouble costs Translink £400,000Translink has confirmed the destruction of two buses during trouble in Rathcoole has cost the company £400,000.
• Launch of park and ride schemeA dedicated bus service for a new park and ride site in south Belfast is to begin on 1 November.
• BAA sees sharply reduced lossesUK airports operator BAA reports a significant reduction in losses and strong growth in passenger numbers.
• Airport security change signalledTransport Secretary Philip Hammond signals his willingness to change the regulations on security checks at UK airports.

Department for Transport

• THINK! reminds children to be bright to be seenChildren are today being urged to 'be bright and be seen™ ahead of the clocks going back this weekend.

Financial Times

• EU legal move targets Russian flight fees Brussels is to take legal action against its own member states in an unconventional ploy to give Europe greater leverage over Russia in a dispute over airline overflight fees
• Broughton releases pent-up industry tensionIndustry bodies join criticism of 'redundant' measures at airport check-ins
• Merger to spark BA executive pay risesIf the airline and Iberia join, figures at the top stand to make substantially more
• Network Rail pledge follows £3m fineUK transport group vows to heed customers after being punished by the regulator for the botched implementation of a new system of timetables
• BAA losses shrink as business travel picks up Airport operator warns of slowdown at Stansted but passenger traffic at Heathrow picks up following disruptions caused by the ash cloud and strikes

The Guardian

• Fresh tube delays as bags get caught in doors of new trains Baggage bother as rolling stock debuts on Victoria line compounds problems caused by signal failures elsewhere
• Open commitment [letter]As our track record demonstrates, TfL is committed to making real-time travel data and other information on transport services available to developers (App users left with nowhere to go after Transport for London cuts off real-time data, 26 October), to ensure our customers benefit from innovative apps and other services.

The Herald

• Bus firm is paid £150m for concessionary travel schemeScotland™s biggest bus company was paid more than £150 million in the first four years of the Government™s concessionary travel scheme, despite not accurately recording how many passengers were issued with free tickets.
• Airports given clearance to review securityThe UK Government last night said it would allow airport operators to review the way they carry out security procedures after calls were made for an overhaul of the current regime.

The Independent

• Tube services suffer further problems London Underground services suffered fresh delays today after passengers' bags were caught in the doors of new trains.
• Rebellion against 'redundant' airline security rules growsThe chairman of British Airways won support in the aviation industry last night for attacking

The Telegraph

• Business travellers boost Heathrow The return of the business traveller has given a lift to airports operator BAA, which has narrowed losses for the first nine months of 2010 after a record-breaking performance from Heathrow.

Daily Express

• Business travel takes off at BAABRITAIN'S biggest airports operator BAA has hailed the return of the business traveller as it slashed losses.
• BA boss to cash in after Iberia mergerBRITISH AIRWAYS boss Willie Walsh will land a 22 per cent annual pay rise when the new giant of the skies International Airlines Group (IAG) is formed early next year.

Mail Online

• Majority of motorists drive at dangerous speeds on motorways and half drive too close to othersMost drivers are travelling at dangerously high speeds on motorways, a survey revealed today. More than half are also not leaving a big enough gap to the car in front.
• BA chief calls for UK to scrap 'completely redundant' security checksThe airline's chairman Martin Broughton said people should not be forced to take off their shoes and have their laptops checked separately in security lines.
• Councils accused of putting lives at risk by turning off street lights in drive to save cashResearch found that the practice ‘seriously compromises road safety’ and the risk of a pedestrian being hit by a vehicle increases threefold.

Network Rail

• NETWORK RAIL RESPONDS TO ORR FINE REGARDING ITPS

Belfast Telegraph

• Transport group Go-Ahead trading is 'robust' Go-Ahead has described current trading as "robust" after seeing a rise in regional bus and train demand in the last four months. Related StoriesBBC's Belfast studio building bought by Donegal hotel ownersRay of light on growth could be a false dawnPierce Communications goes Full CircleBank of England chief visits Ulster science parkFears over corporation tax measures

Birmingham Mail

• Spending cuts: Good news for transport, bad news for the Arts in Birmingham THERE were mixed fortunes for the Midlands as the Government announced plans to press ahead with a congestion-busting motorway scheme – while arts groups received details of how their funding would be slashed.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Station may go ahead despite financial cuts by Anika Bourley Parliamentary Correspondent Plans to build two new rail stations could still go ahead, but transport chiefs must look at how the scheme can be delivered at a cheaper cost.

Liverpool Post

• Merseyrail profits gather speed to reach record levels MERSEYRAIL’S record profits have reached a new peak as the rail operator now makes 33p profit for each of the 37m journeys made.
• Members of Parliament support the Daily Post Get On Board cruise campaign for Livepool MERSEYSIDE’S politicians yesterday swung behind the Daily Post’s Get On Board campaign to start and finish cruises at Liverpool’s Pier Head.
• British Airways and Liverpool FC chairman Martin Broughton criticises 'redundant' airport security checks The chairman of British Airways has attacked “completely redundant” airport checks and said the UK should stop “kowtowing” to US demands for increased security.

Metro

• Is this the death of airport security queues?The days of queuing for hours to get through airport security could be coming to an end.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Grandfather™s ˜tireless™ campaignUK Transport Minister Mike Penning paid tribute to a north-east grandfather yesterday for his œtireless efforts to improve school bus safety.
• Congestion charge ˜not the way forward™ Aberdeen City Council would face opposition from MSPs if it tried to hit drivers with a congestion charge, end free personal care for the elderly or cut teachers™ pay.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Network Rail faces £3m timetabling fineNetwork Rail (NR) faces a £3 million fine for a timetabling failure which left some train companies unable to take bookings, it was announced today.

Bucks Free Press

• High Speed 2 fight goes to Parliament HUNDREDS of campaigners descended on Parliament this week to present their case against the controversial High Speed 2 rail project.

Reading Evening Post

• Bus firms on awards shortlist Two bus operators in Reading will find out if they have been successful in their bids for national recognition at a prestigious awards ceremony next month.

The Shields Gazette

• Bus shake-up leaves users with long walkBUS users in South Shields claim a recent shake-up of services has left them facing a long walk on return journeys into town.
• Driven to despair by A19 road cutsSOUTH Tyneside's political leaders fear a "lost" investment on the £260m new Tyne Tunnel after the Government blocked vital A19 road upgrades.

Other Regional Press

• PM shoots down Kent airport plansDavid Camerson insisted today his government has no plans to build a new airport anywhere in Kent.
• 61% of drivers reach danger speeds on M62 claim Huddersfield safety charity A SAFETY chief in Huddersfield is urging drivers: “Slow down on our motorways”.
• Transport minister Philip Hammond approves M62 congestion schemes TWO stretches of the busy trans-Pennine M62 are to get major improvements.

Railnews

• News: Hammond names some reprieved rail schemes The transport secretary Philip Hammond has named some more rail schemes which have survived the budget cuts. However, his list makes no mention of several key projects, such as new rolling stock for Thameslink.

Aviation Industry

• BA/IB call ˜extraordinary shareholders™ meeting to vote on planned merger British Airways and Iberia called an extraordinary shareholders meeting for Nov. 29 and Nov. 28 or Nov. 29 on first or second call, respectively, to vote on their planned merger to create International Consolidated Airlines Group. The boards of both companies have already approved the merger and all regulatory approvals have been obtained. Both companies expect to complete the merger by Jan. 21, 2011 and IAG shares will start trading on the London Stock Exchange and Spanish Exchange Jan. 24, 2011.

Green Miscellany

• Six-wheeled electric car boasts laser and battery power that lasts a year A remote-controlled, six-wheeled, car-sized electric vehicle currently being built by NASA for a forthcoming mission to Mars challenges the perception that battery-powered vehicles suffer from low-specification, poor range and performance. read more
• Bicycle hire schemes go global There are over ninety mass cycle hire schemes currently in operation around the world, according to a new Wiki list of bicycle sharing systems read more

Other News Sources

• RMT warns Southern Railway over jobs threatBRITAIN'S BIGGEST rail union has warned Southern Railway that any move to impose compulsory redundancies will be met with a ballot for industrial action.
• Good news on £15m road fundingROADS funding frozen as part of the Government’s austerity drive should materialise after all - but maybe less than hoped for.
• Bus fares in East Lancashire to riseBUS fares in East Lancashire are to go up, bosses have announced.
• East Lancs bus lane scheme is 'dead' EAST Lancashire™s multi-million pound bus lane has been snubbed by ministers - and a council leader admitted the scheme was ˜dead™.
• £70m boost to transportHARTLEPOOL will benefit from a multi-million pound project to make huge improvements to transport networks throughout the Tees Valley.