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

Monday, 06 December 2010

BBC News

• Severe weather warning for MondayMotorists have been warned to take care on the roads as a severe weather warning is in place for ice and snow on Monday.
• Facelift for energy port marinaA new company says it plans to develop the marina at Wales' largest port as a premier leisure destination..
• Wales still gripped by big freezeThe big freeze continues in Wales with temperatures dipping to -9C in mid Wales overnight and fresh warnings of ice on roads.
• French Concorde crash ruling dueA Paris court is set rule on whether US airline Continental was partly to blame for the Concorde crash in 2000 which killed 113 people.

Financial Times

• Builders on track for railway boostThe value of building work on Britain's rail network is set to double during the next five years, offering a much needed lift to the construction industry
• National Express rules itself out of auctionNational Express has ruled itself out of the competition to run lucrative long-distance rail services in the UK
• Judgment due in Concorde trialA French court will deliver its decision over the crash 10 years ago of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people and accelerated the end of commercial supersonic travel

The Herald

• Surging Stagecoach prepares to swoop on smaller operatorsBrian Souter is set to further tighten his grip on the UK™s bus market on the back of buoyant trading for Stagecoach, the transport giant he founded 30 years ago with his sister, Ann Gloag.
• Future brightens at Glasgow with surge in long-haul flightsGlasgow Airport is expecting a growth in passenger numbers as it emerges from its worst 12-month period on record, its managing director said.

Birmingham Mail

• Water Orton model's bus accident: Driver who didn't stop gets £122 fine A BUS driver who failed to stop after an accident in which a model suffered horrific injuries has been fined just £122 – and told to pay a £15 victim surcharge.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Refurbishment of trains ’not fit for purpose’ RAIL watchdogs have described the refurbishment of trains on a mid Wales line as “not fit for purpose”.

Journal Live

• Passengers return as economic fears ease AIRLINE chiefs believe business travel in the region could return to pre-recession highs by the end of the year.

Liverpool Echo

• Free bus services to run to Merseyside hospitals on Christmas Day FREE bus services will be provided by Merseytravel on Christmas Day to help people visit their loved ones in hospital or spend time with their friends and family.
• Freezing fog and black ice lead to car crashes and delays across Merseyside FREEZING fog and black ice caused a day of misery on Merseyside’s road network.

London Evening Standard

• BCC downgrades GDP growth forecastThe UK's economy will grow by less than previously expected next year, as a result of the eurozone debt crisis, the Government's austerity cuts and the slump in the housing market, according to a report.
• Hint that liquids ban will be easedTransport Secretary Philip Hammond has hinted that the ban on carrying liquids in hand luggage is to be eased, it has been reported.

Metro

• Commuters forced into cars by rail fare risesMillions of commuters are likely to switch from trains to cars to avoid double-digit fare increases next month.

Sheffield Star

• Train services back on track - but some cancellationsHUNDREDS of rail staff worked round the clock this weekend in a bid to resume services today - with the majority of routes expected to open.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Northern rail bosses try to get services back on track Rail services in the north and north-east of Scotland started to return to normal yesterday after weather conditions had led to the cancellation of most trains in and out of the region.

This Is Local London Network

• Freezing temperatures tomorrow but winter sun is on the wayForecasters say tomorrow will be cold, with temperatures hovering near freezing during the day and dipping to minus 5C at night.

Blackpool Gazette

• Blackpool road closed after crashes DRIVERS faced traffic chaos on Fylde coast roads as freezing conditions and thick fog caused 15 crashes overnight.

Carlisle News & Star

• Cumbrian stranded in Spanish air strike A Cumbrian man has spoken out after being stuck in Spain as the country™s airports ground to a halt amid strike action.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Suffolk: Road maintenance merger planSUFFOLK is looking at merging the maintenance of county council-owned roads with Norfolk in 2013 as part of the divestment of services, the East Anglian Daily Times understands.

Other Regional Press

• Complaints over city's new railway station CITY bosses are demanding urgent talks with Network Rail to discuss the increasing number of complaints being made about Newport™s new train station.
• Freezing fog and icy roadsSub zero temperatures overnight in Gloucestershire made for tricky driving conditions this morning.
• Improvement work at train station gets underwayWORK on improving access for disabled people at a Hampshire railway station is due to start today.
• Euro MP steps up cruise port war THE CRUISE war between Southampton and Liverpool has been ratcheted up by a Euro transport chief who waded into the battle trashing objections to a turnaround port in the northern city.
• UK & World News: Worst ever pothole season warning As the icy blast that gripped Britain is beginning to thaw motorists are being warned to prepare for
• Northern Rail cancels services around Huddersfield because of the snow.
• Four-year-olds ?thrown off bus and left to walk'A mother is furious after claiming her four-year-old twins were made to get off a bus while on their way to school. Nicola Smith, 34, said one of the girls, Bethany, fell over trying to walk home and
• Video: New A421 opens a month before scheduleThe new A421 road from Kempston to junction 13 of the M1 opened to the first traffic earlier today. Mayor of Bedford Borough Dave Hodgson was among the first to travel along the new road, which opened

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Warning over haulage driver shortagesAn estimated 60 per cent of haulage businesses in the UK are struggling to fill vacancies for heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers, it is claimed.According to figures published by Drivers Direct, the number of positions for such professionals climbed to 25,720 in October 2010, from 11,041 for the same month of last year.The company claims talent gaps are most severe among larger companies, who are finding it harder to attract candidates than their smaller counterparts.Commenting on the shortages, Drivers Direct managing director Gethin Roberts declared: "Many in the industry have express...

Aviation Industry

• French court to rule on Concorde crashA decade after a supersonic Concorde jet crashed in a fiery wreck outside Paris soon after takeoff, killing 113 people, a French court will rule at last Monday on who, if anyone, is to blame.
• Oil could hit $US200 a barrel: BransonOil prices may soar to $US200 a barrel if the world doesn't move more rapidly to a clean-energy economy, according to Virgin Atlantic Airways founder Sir Richard Branson.

Other News Sources

• Fresh snowfall closes Edinburgh AirportA second week of wintery weather leaves authorities struggling to clear runway.
• Winter weather sees push for mobile travel tool Switched-on drivers and public transport users are signing up in thousands to plan their journeys at the touch of a button with Transport Scotland™s new free travel planning mobile phone application. The Transport Scotland Travel App, a joint initiative with Traveline Scotland, is soaring up the download charts during this recent spate of challenging winter weather. In the past week alone, user numbers have multiplied tenfold as travellers take time to plan ahead in order to keep on the move.  read more
• North East trains on track for return to service Train services to Aberdeen from Glasgow and Edinburgh are slowly re-opening with the return of near normal rail services despite freezing conditions forecast to continue. The news comes as national transport agency Transport Scotland also confirmed that the majority of the strategic road network was opened today on Sunday (5 December 2010). Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said: read more
• Maersk negative towards new EU regulations New EU regulations coming into force January 1, 2011 requiring all container goods destined for European ports to be declared 24 hours before loading has generated negative reactions from Danish shipping giant A.P. Møller-Mærsk. According to Maersk EU authorities are ill prepared for the new regulations, and there has not been sufficient time for shipping companies to test new and costly systems. Maersk emphasizes that there is no uniform system for the EU and that shipping companies have to be able to handle 27 different systems.
• Stranded Britons due home Thousands of holidaymakers stranded abroad following wildcat strikes in Spain are due to being arriving back in the UK by Monday.Related StoriesSnow travel chaos continuesInternational planes rush to rescue IsraelDramatic metro station rescue caught on cameraSpain air chaos not over despite workers returnSpain's planes take off
• Rail passengers between Hereford and Leominster 'at risk' because of overcrowding CHRONIC overcrowding on peak time rail services between Hereford and Leominster risks breaching health and safety laws, a key council committee has heard.
• EU tightens air cargo security Interior ministers agree tougher measures for risky airports.