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

Friday, 29 October 2010

BBC News

• 'Confusion' as card payments on Severn Bridge suspended Card payment machines installed on the Severn crossings in time for the Ryder Cup have been withdrawn.
• British Airways in first profit for two years British Airways (BA) has reported a half-year profit of £158m ($252m), its first in two years, as the company prepares to merge with Iberia of Spain.
• You too can view YouTube on the Tube [blog]Some of you might think this was only a matter of time, but Wi-Fi, or web browsing on the Tube is coming.
• Cycle museum 'stalwart' in Llandrindod Wells to retire As the curator of the UK's bicycle museum, David Higman has an unexpected stance on two-wheeled transport.
• Business threat in Yorkshire Dales bus cut plan Plans to scrap a bus service in the Yorkshire Dales could cause businesses to suffer, it is feared.
• 'Tireless' cycle museum head steps downTributes are paid to the curator of the UK's bicycle museum who is retiring.
• Holiday fears as air taxes doubleAir taxes are to rise by up to 55% on Monday, making some trips abroad unaffordable, the travel industry warns.
• Railway route bridge demolishedA bridge is being demolished and replaced in order to make way for the Borders to Edinburgh railway line.
• Buses stopped for a second nightTranslink are to withdraw bus services from Rathcoole for a second successive night after trouble earlier this week.
• Nissan to recall 2.1 million carsNissan recalls 2.1 million vehicles worldwide because of an ignition problem, including nearly 84,000 K12 Micras built in the UK.

Department for Transport

• Transport StatisticsThe Department for Transport has today published the following Transport Statistics: Port Employment and Accident Rates: 2009

Financial Times

• BT to test WiFi on London undergroundCommuters may soon be able to access wireless networks on the tube if a pilot at Charing Cross station is successful, as Boris Johnson plans to enable connection accross the network by 2012
• Siemens signs breakthrough deal in USEurope's largest engineering company has won its first big railway engine deal in the US, giving it an enlarged foothold in the country just as the Obama administration moves to revive passenger rail through an ambitious investment programme

The Guardian

• British Airways back to black • BA reports pre-tax profit of £158m, its first for two years • Willie Walsh attacks rises in air passenger duty

The Telegraph

• Airline industry attacks Air Passenger Duty Many families going on holiday will be forced to pay an extra £100 in air taxes from next week, making some trips abroad "unaffordable", the travel industry has warned.

Network Rail

• BEST OCTOBER EVER SEES ALMOST 93% OF TRAINS ON TIME
• IMPROVEMENTS MADE TO CANNOCK LEVEL CROSSING

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham Airport flights to and from Paris hit by strikes Industrial action in France has seen a number of flights from Birmingham Airport cancelled today.

Bolton News

• Bus blow for pupils at faith schools FREE bus passes for children who go to faith schools are to be scrapped because of Town Hall budget cuts.

London Evening Standard

• Airline condemns departure tax hikeNext week's rise in the Air Passenger Duty (APD) airport departure tax will make family holidays

Sheffield Star

• Blackspot bends set to go as A57 scheme survives Government axeA LONG-awaited scheme to replace a notorious South Yorkshire road where 12 people died in crashes in the last decade with a dual carriageway has survived the Government's

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Bus fares: Online campaign for Leeds passengersA new online petition is demanding a better deal for bus passengers in Leeds.

Doncaster Free Press

• Lots of jams but no jobs as road delayedPLANS for a £30million road widening scheme on one of the major gateways into Doncaster have failed to get the green light.

Northants Evening Telegraph

• Our transport links are on the road to nowhereDisappointment, but not surprise, is the overwhelming reaction to the news that the A14 widening has been delayed again.

Other Regional Press

• Disabled rail facilities are 'unacceptable'A CWMBRAN man says train stations are not fully accessible to disabled people - and is being backed up by a new Assembly-published report.
• Chiltern trains diverted due to track work CHILTERN Railways is warning passengers to allow extra time for journeys between Oxfordshire and London over the weekend, due to engineering work.
• Bus firm claimed £150m for ˜free™ travel schemeScotland™s biggest bus company was paid more than £150 million for a concessionary travel scheme, despite not accurately recording how many passengers were issued with free tickets.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Safety warnings issued as clocks go backDrivers have been urged to remain vigilant as the evenings become shorter and the clocks go back this weekend.According to the THINK! Road safety campaign, children can be harder to spot in dark or gloomy weather and motorists should be more alert as a result.The Department for Transport initiative also noted that it is important for youngsters to "be bright and be seen" during winter and has published a series of tips aimed at preventing accidents.Road safety minister Mike Penning pointed to falls of 82 per cent in child road deaths in the past two decades, but called for mo...

Rail-News.com

• Plant life keeps growingail plant comes in a bewildering variety of shapes and sizes. There are ’rail’ versions of most large machines that can be seen on building sites all over the country. There are specialist pieces of kit that apply only to railway engineering. And then there are all the peripheral hand tools, access equipment, surveying instruments, protective clothing, power supplies and welfare cabins. And portable loos of course. The list seems endless.
• Testing timesTesting continues on First ScotRail’s new fleet of Siemens-built Class 380 trains for the Ayrshire lines. Despite some recent bad press in Scotland, Siemens is confident that some of the problems have been overcome.

Aviation Industry

• Airport bosses welcome latest announcementAirport bosses have praised a weekend announcement by KLM, which cements much of the hard work being done at Aberdeen Airport.

Other News Sources

• 49-1 = 50This is the calculation National Express tried to press on us when it was detailing the improvements to its second generation of Caetano Levante-bodied coaches.
• Bus chief back at wheel...A BUS company manager went undercover to find out what passengers think of his firm’s services in Dewsbury.
• Q&A: Jeremy Acklam of rail website Quno Rail website Quno launched in the UK earlier this month, and will be competing with companies like thetrainline for online ticket bookings. I've been talking to MD Jeremy Acklam about the company...
• Siemens lands 466 mln dlr order from US rail WASHINGTON — German engineering group Siemens said it has been awarded a 466-million-dollar contract to build 70 electric locomotives for US rail company Amtrak's busy northeastern routes.
• Metal thefts from Sussex railway lines on the rise Metal thefts from Sussex railway lines have increased œsignificantly as the price of copper soars.
• Legal case looms on high-speed rail linkEnvironmental campaigners are planning a legal challenge to the government's high-speed rail plans, calling into question the business and environmental case.
• BA set to announce profit British airways is expected to announce first-half pre-tax profits later.Related StoriesBA boss slams US airport security
• News from Caroline Pidgeon - Cut backs in Thames clipper service challenged by Caroline Pidgeon 27 October 2010 Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on the much reduced Clipper commuter service which will operate from Monday 1st November said: 360-house-thumb.jpg Yes
• News from Caroline Pidgeon - Tube closures on Remembrance Sunday are an insult to veterans 28 October 2010 Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on Transport for London™s plans to close several tube lines serving central London on Remembrance Sunday said: "Thousands of veterans and their families will wish to come into central London to take part in the Remembrance Sunday events at the Cenotaph. "It is simply disgraceful that so many tube lines will be closed on this very important day, making access difficult if not impossible for veterans, their families and others wis...
• Northern Line tube upgrade stallsUpgrades to London Underground™s Northern Line will be delayed by at least two years, while a series of planned station upgrades will be scrapped.

Other Subscription Services

• Carillion wins Crossrail Paddington Integrated ProjectCarillion has walked off with the first of Crossrail's major station contracts after landing the main Paddington Integrated Project job, which has an estimated value of between £25m and £100m.The...