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

Tuesday, 09 November 2010

BBC News

• Dover people's port bid 'undeliverable' A £200m bid to buy the port of Dover as a "people's port" has been dismissed by the harbour board as "totally unrealistic and undeliverable".
• Train overcrowding 'to get worse'Rail passengers in England and Wales face "substantial increases in already unacceptable overcrowding levels" by 2014 and beyond, a report by MPs says. Department for Transport plans suggest targets for increasing passenger places will be missed.
• Tube bomb 'blew me out of train'A survivor of the 7/7 bomb at Edgware Road tells how he was standing next to the plot ringleader when he detonated his bomb.
• Is Rolls-Royce's reputation in trouble?Rolls-Royce says it has
• 'Progress' in A380 engine probe [video]Rolls-Royce says it has "made progress" in its investigation into the cause of engine problems on the Airbus A380.

Financial Times

• Franchises ’must plan to curb overcrowding’ Please use the link to reference this article. Do not copy & paste articles which is a breach of FT.com's Ts&Cs (www.ft.com/servicestools/help/terms) and is copyright infringement. Send a link for free or email ftsales.support@ft.com to purchase rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f8d24a0c-eb6b-11df-b482-00144feab49a.html#ixzz14leCeGcG Future rail franchises should include clear obligations for operators to pay for new trains to curb overcrowding, a group of MPs says.
• Japan's Skymark to buy A380 jetsAirbus's battle to break into Japan gained a big lift when the budget airline based in Haneda said it planned to buy four of the European manufacturer's superjumbos, with an option for two more
• Oman Air invests for tourism growthA Gulf aviation veteran is steering the airline's strategy that aims for expansion in line with the country's development as a high-quality holiday destination
• Kuwait airlines feel heat of competitionThe two newcomers to the country's aviation sector are fighting for survival in a cut-price market and the difficult economic climate following the global financial crisis
• Tradition and slowdown dilemma for K LineThe market in shipping cars is illustrative of the problems faced by Japanese shipping lines, says K Line chief Kenichi Kuroya
• Rolls-Royce says failures not relatedQantas to keep its fleet of six A380s grounded for at least another 72 hours. Investigations now focusing on oil leaks

The Guardian

• Calls to cut Leeds city centre parking charges: updated * Could parking charges be affecting vitality of Leeds city centre? * Council parking income set for £1 million shortfall
• Centro completes £14m bus smartcards projectThe passenger transport executive for the West Midlands has equipped thousands of buses with electronic card readers
• Passengers face packed carriagesDepartment of Transport's train procurement programme will miss targets for preventing increased overcrowdingRail passengers face a substantial increase in overcrowding from 2014 because the government is not buying enough carriages, a report by MPs warns today.The Department for Transport's train procurement programme will miss original targets for preventing increased overcrowding, according to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Under current plans there will be 15% fewer extra places on London-bound trains during rush hour, compared with earlier targets, representing a drop from 117,000 n...

The Herald

• Voluntary groups to run busesCOMMUNITY groups are to be given a greater role in running their own bus services as part of a plan to save millions of pounds currently paid to private firms to run œlifeline routes.
• Car club scheme aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissionsResidents on Bute will see the launch today of the first of eight car clubs being developed across Scotland to help cut people™s reliance on private motor vehicles.

The Independent

• Roads and ferries hit by early snowfall Early snowfall and high winds brought disruption to parts of the UK today, affecting roads and ferry services.
• Rail commuters face 'intolerable' overcrowding by 2014, warn MPs Overcrowding on some of Britain's busiest train services is set to become even worse because crucial targets for increasing capacity on the nation's creaking rail network will be missed, an official parliamentary inquiry warns today. A £9bn investment programme designed to double the number of places on trains was launched three years ago. But a failure to deliver enough extra seats will mean that efforts to keep overcrowding at current levels will fall well short over the next four years, despite annual fare increases of 3 per cent above inflation.

The Scotsman

• Leader: Scotland cannot afford another transport debacle Another controversial Scottish transport project looks to be heading for trouble. This time it is the £300 million Borders railway scheme. Argument has raged for years over its economic merit and whether there were not more urgent transport projects that would deliver wider benefit for Scotland. Now a battle looks in store to keep the scheme on the rails.
• Rail overcrowding 'set to increase'Commuters contending with "already unacceptable" levels of overcrowding on trains face increased rail capacity problems in the next four years and beyond, a report by

The Telegraph

• Rail travellers pay for a better service than this Telegraph View: What is the regulator for, if not to boost efficiency?
• Commuters face worse overcrowding Overcrowding on Britain’s railways is going to get "substantially worse", an influential committee of MPs has said.
• Costain shares soar on pension deal Costain, the engineering and construction company that worked on the Channel Tunnel and St Pancras station, saw its shares jump 12pc on Monday after it wiped £22m off its pension deficit.
• Rail overcrowding: it would be illegal if these passengers were animals A couple of years ago it emerged that Britain's commuters were being carried in conditions which would be illegal under European law if inflicted on farm animals.

Mail Online

• A380 Qantas: Rolls-Royce shares plunge after new engine 'anomalies'Engineers found oil 'where oil should not be', the Australian airline’s chief executive Alan Joyce said, dampening earlier hopes that the A380 Airbuses would be back in the air within 24 hours.
• Passengers to endure years of cattle-truck trains, warn MPsMPs say available space on trains could fall by up to a third, forcing rush-hour commuters to endure even worse levels of overcrowding.

The Mirror

• Rail overcrowding 'set to increase' Commuters contending with

Birmingham Post

• Chiltern Railways efforts to reduce rail overcrowding should be used elsewhere The Chiltern Railways service between Birmingham and London should be used as a model for the rest of the country to reduce overcrowding on trains, according to MPs.

Bolton News

• Rail station in line for security improvements TRAIN passengers in Westhoughton are to benefit from new safety and information improvements.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• 'Don™t blame firm for overcrowding on Bradford trains The chairman of Metro says it is ˜unfair™ to blame operator Northern Rail for overcrowding on trains in West Yorkshire.

Derby Telegraph

• Qantas jets to stay grounded for at least another 72 hours after RR engine problemsQANTAS has said it will not let its superjumbo fleet take off again for at least another 72 hours after problems were found in Rolls-Royce engines. This morning, the airline's CEO Alan Joyce said engineers had found oil leaks beyond an acceptable level on three giant A380s. The airline grounded its six superjumbos last week after an engine exploded minutes into a flight from Singapore to Sydney, scattering debris over Indonesia's Batam island. The plane was forced to make a successful emergency landing at Singapore's Changi airport. An investigation is taking place to find the cause of the exp...

Metro

• Leaks keep A380 fleet groundedOil leaks have been found in some of the Rolls-Royce engines that power the Qantas fleet of A380 superjumbos.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Stagecoach chief targets further growthTRANSPORT chief Brian Souter visited Sheffield to launch a series of new bus services which have grown his company’s network in the city by 30 per cent – and revealed more improvements could be on the way.

Bucks Free Press

• HS2 rally attracts thousands but not the PM RESIDENTS campaigning against High Speed Two were disappointed not to see the Prime Minister at the rally in Great Missenden yesterday, after he was in the area the night before.
• Full steam ahead for reformed rail users' group COMMUTERS in Chesham are being encouraged to join a reformed rail users' group to have their say on transport issues in the town.

Other Regional Press

• New tunnel rescue trains for Eurostar Eurostar has bought two extra rescue locomotives to pull trains out of the Channel Tunnel in an emergency.
• Transport Plan consultationHave your say on transport in West Yorkshire.
• Silence on the buses BUSES plan to park up and switch off their engines across Hampshire.
• £5m cost of repairing county™s pothole roadsAlmost £5m has been spent repairing winter damage to Lancashire’s creaking roads.

Aviation Industry

• Hammond announces a new aviation policyThe ConLib transport minister made his first major speech on aviation on 25th Oct. Perhaps tellingly, it was made to an aviation business lobby group, the Airport Operators™ Association. The most important tangible aspect was the announcement that there would be a new aviation policy: œSo in the New Year DfT will issue a scoping [...]
• Free holiday Wi-Fi on DeltaDelta and Google are joining forces to offer free web surfing in the sky during the holidays.
• Qantas' A380s to remain groundedThe Australian carrier says engine checks will continue for at least 72 hours
• BA to start Marrakech serviceBritish Airways will go head-to-head with Easyjet on the Gatwick-Marrakech route

Other News Sources

• Discovery of oil leaks keeps Qantas A380s groundedQantas is keeping its Airbus A380 aircraft grounded after investigations into a mid-air engine failure found oil leaks in three crafts™ turbines.
• Government commits to delivering key transport projectsThe Government has committed to delivering key transport regeneration projects on time in its transport business plan, published today.
• Rail overcrowding 'set to increase'Commuters contending with
• Rail overcrowding to see 'substantial' increase Rail passengers face
• Fly the flag, urges MP calling for Dover port to be sold to the townspeopleDHB privatisation plan could see the French emerge as new owner, warns Tory
• Tuk tuk taxis coming to Hereford ALL hail the tuk tuk, a motorised tricycle soon to be scooting through Hereford as a taxi “ though it took a roundabout route to get there.
• DHL beats seven of its rivals to secure multi-million-pound B&Q contractDHL has emerged triumphant from B&Q's distribution shake-up, signing a multi-million-pound two-year logistics contract with the DIY giant following an eight-way competitive tender.