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

Monday, 01 November 2010

BBC News

• The high-speed train challenge to low cost airlines Could a global network of well-developed high-speed trains mean many travellers choose rail journeys over planes? The high-speed train link from London in the UK to the rest of the continent has up until now been monopolised by Eurostar. But from 2013 it is going to be shared with another train service - Germany's Deutsche Bahn.
• Views sought on transport schemes for Leicester Residents in Leicester are being invited to have their say on new transport schemes for the city.
• Teesside Victorian cliff lift gets £30,000 refit Carriages on a Victorian water-powered cliff lift are to be refitted for the first time in 20 years. The funicular at Saltburn, on Teesside, was opened in June 1884 to transport people from the town's beach and pier up the steep incline to the cliff top.
• 'Witch's hat' stalls Tube trainsTube passengers are forced to walk through tunnels on Sunday after a Halloween hat was thrown onto the track.
• Air cargo security under scrutinyThe government's emergency planning committee, Cobra, will meet later as calls grow for a full review of airport security.

Financial Times

• Oaktree buys stakes in two shipping groupsThe private equity firm has paid $100m for a majority stake in Dubai-based Gulmar, and invested €200m in Beluga, which both need cash to pay for new vessels
• Bomb fears shift to passenger flightsGlobal air safety concerns shifted abruptly from cargo to passenger flights on Sunday night after Qatar Airways confirmed that one of the bombs posted from Yemen last week was carried on its aircraft before being seized in Dubai
• Cargo seen as weak link in securityA global alert sparked by the discovery of bombs in air freight packages has underlined warnings from pilots and aviation analysts that cargo is a weak link in aircraft security
• Heathrow aims to win trade with fee shake-upEurope's busiest airport is to overhaul its airline charges to penalise carriers flying older aircraft with plenty of empty seats in an effort to lure business from Paris and Frankfurt
• Owners of Cebu Air consider airports bidThe family business that controls one of Asia's biggest budget airlines is looking at acquiring some of the nine Philippine government-owned airports that are to be privatised next year

The Guardian

• Underground safety [letter - Gerry Doherty TSSA]While I've always had a relatively good working relationship with Peter Hendy, many of his contributions to the current London Underground dispute are demeaning to hard-working men and women who do a sterling job for travellers

The Herald

• Green bus plan parked till 2013A pioneering council initiative to improve bus services and force older, more polluting vehicles off the road has been put back two years after complaints it would bankrupt smaller firms.

Mail Online

• In the bag: A bonus from Boris Johnson's bicycles The popularity of London Mayor Boris Johnson's bicycle hire scheme has given bag maker Samsonite a lift, according to its UK chief. Sales of its bags for laptop computers surged by an astonishing 350 per cent in the second half of this year as City workers hopped on 'Boris's bikes' and cycled to meetings.

London Evening Standard

• Cargo bomb carried on passenger jetAir travellers face no let up in stringent security checks after it emerged one of the cargo plane bombs was transported on passenger aircraft before being found.

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester Airport 'unaffected' by US terror alert Manchester Airport remains open for business “ despite a major security alert involving cargo planes in the UK and the US. The international alert was sparked after a suspect device was found on a cargo flight bound for Chicago from Yemen “ but diverted to East Midlands airport.

Northern Echo

• Train groups at odds over tender change THE preferred bidder for the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) has denied it has done anything wrong after reports emerged that a rival bidder was considering legal action. The Express Rail Alliance is said to be unhappy that Agility Trains has altered the terms of its IEP proposal.

Other News Sources

• Ministers are told bus fares in Plymouth will rise if grants are slashed LASHING bus grants by a fifth will lead to fare rises and reduced services for passengers in Plymouth, ministers have been told. Government claims the subsidy cut could be 'absorbed' without impacting on ticket prices has been branded "absolute nonsense" by opponents at Westminster.
• Minister agrees to meeting over Ricoh rail station plan TRANSPORT Minister Philip Hammond is being pressed to give the long-awaited go-ahead for a new rail station to be built at the Ricoh Arena.
• Disappointment as wait for link road continues COUNTY transport officials say they are disappointed after the announcement by the Secretary of State for Transport that the Bexhill to Hastings link road has not been given the immediate go ahead.
• Ministers to reveal high speed rail link winnerTHE government is this week set to unveil the winner of a contest to buy the high-speed rail link from London to the Channel Tunnel for up to £2bn.