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

Thursday, 13 January 2011

BBC News

• Port of Felixstowe's new crane should ease congestion The Port of Felixstowe hopes a new crane will help increase the amount of freight transported by rail, lessening the burden on Suffolk's roads.
• Crossrail chief resigns Rob Holden quits Crossrail with no new job lined up
• Public transport in London: A decade in numbers [blog]In amongst the 290 pages of Transport for London's annual 'Travel in London' (PDF) report are some interesting stats that show the increases in commuters using public transport.
• Disabled passenger service 'poor'Some disabled passengers are being left stranded on trains or waiting on platforms despite requesting assistance from rail firms, says a Passenger Focus survey.
• Hammond quizzed on fuel pricesTransport Secretary Philip Hammond is challenged over government action to control rising fuel prices.
• Crossrail's chief executive quitsThe chief executive of London's £16bn Crossrail project resigns after less than two years in the job.
• BAA faces £24m cold weather costThe severe weather in December cost UK airports operator BAA £24m, the company says, with passenger numbers down nearly 11%.

Department for Transport

• Greater Anglia franchise
• InterCity West Coast franchise

Financial Times

• Crossrail chief executive quits projectRob Holden, one of the most respected managers in British civil engineering, is to leave the company building Crossrail, the east-west rail link through London

The Guardian

• BAA defends Heathrow snow plan BAA chief Colin Matthews denies fumbled response at airport and says Virgin Atlantic has 'no basis' for withholding £8m fees

The Herald

• Scots city leaders in high-speed rail line bidThe leaders of Glasgow and Edinburgh councils will use a meeting with UK Transport Secretary Philip Hammond today to call for a high-speed railway to be built all the way from London to Scotland.

The Telegraph

• Age of Energy: We can cut emissions if we really want to With technology and more thoughtful planning we could make fewer journeys in a greener Britain, says Christian Wolmar. But do we have the political will?
• Aiming for energy-efficient road transport The world needs more energy-efficient road transport and partnerships to create integrated solutions for the future, says John Bullock, Executive Vice-president of Shell’s global retail business
• Crossrail chief Rob Holden to leave Rob Holden, the chief executive of Crossrail, is to leave the company.

Mail Online

• George Osborne's fuel hike hits families: £70 to fill up with petrolThe record high will come in from April 1 as petrol and diesel prices shoot up by 8p a litre thanks to yet another ‘stealth tax’ and rising oil prices.

The Mirror

• Cotswolds railway station puts up signs in Japanese A TINY town in the Cotswolds is so popular with visitors from the Far East they’ve had to put up signs in Japanese.

Network Rail

• CONTRACTOR STEPS INTO WAVERLEY ROLE

Journal Live

• Rail misery as cable thefts cause delays THIEVES as young as 12 are causing hours of train delay misery in the region by stealing cables.

Liverpool Post

• Cammell Laird shipbuilder makes record £10m profit SHIPBUILDER Cammell Laird has enjoyed a record year, achieving pre-tax profits of more than £10m, LDP Business can reveal.
• Train breakdown and wet weather cause Merseyrail delays A BROKEN down train combined with wet weather caused severe disruption to Merseyrail services during this morning’s rush hour.

Sheffield Star

• New services for 'terrible' bus routeA SHEFFIELD bus route at the centre of long-standing complaints is to be axed and replaced with new services in a bid to improve punctuality and reliability.

Wales Online

• Train drivers to strike over pay Drivers on Arriva Trains Wales are to take fresh strike action next week in a row over pay.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Felixstowe: Transport minister tries out new £2m rail craneTRANSPORT minister Theresa Villiers declared today that she had had “great fun” after being let loose at the controls of a new £2 million rail crane at Britain’s biggest port.

Other Regional Press

• The Kingskerswell bypass tops the transport wish list of business leaders KINGSKERSWELL bypass tops the list of transport improvements needed to boost Devon's economy, according to company bosses.
• Double fare worries see bus firms work togetherPassengers who feared they would have to pay twice to use a popular bus service operated by three different firms were today told they will NOT be left out of pocket.
• Swinney starts talks over £100m roads repairs billFinance Secretary John Swinney was today meeting council leaders to discuss additional funding over the £100million repairs bill for roads hit by the Big Freeze.
• First steps taken for £120m M-way worksThe first legal steps have been taken to build more than £120m of motorway improvements in and around Glasgow.
• Snow sparks drop in Aberdeen Airport passengers SNOW forced an 8% drop in traffic at Aberdeen Airport during December because of closures and delays, new figures revealed today.
• 1,000 sign petition to save Weymouth bus service MORE than 1,000 people have signed a petition to save their Weymouth bus service.

Aviation Industry

• Snow costs BAA £24mAs airlines line up for snow compensation after airport closures in December, BAA has revealed its own financial hardship due to the bad weather
• Virgin tie-up with Kiwi airlinePassengers will be able to fly all the way to Auckland, via the US, in Virgin™s Upper Class product on one single ticket, thanks to a new codeshare agreement between Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand

Other News Sources

• UK's first 'all-in-one' carbon management software launches An Irish firm has launched what it claims is the UK's first 'all-in-one' carbon management software.

News from Europe

• Bombardier receives $485M rail order from Deutsche Bahn BERLIN—Bombardier Transportation (TSX: BBD.B) has won a US$485 million order from Germany's Deutsche Bahn AG for 137 double-deck rail coaches and 27 electric locomotives for long-distance routes.

Other Subscription Services

• Penning: UK auxiliary will probably escape axeUK SHIPPING minister Mike Penning has told Fairplay that the coalition government is now leaning against scrapping the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.