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

Friday, 14 January 2011

BBC News

• Royal wedding: Ken Livingstone makes free travel call Former mayor of London Ken Livingstone has called for all London transport to be free on the day of the Royal wedding.
• New jobs on way to wings factoryA deal dubbed the biggest single order in commercial aviation history is to create jobs at Airbus' Flintshire factory.
• Global piracy 'costing billions'Maritime piracy costs the global economy between $7bn and $12bn a year, a report by UK think-tank Chatham House says.
• Extra £15m given to fix potholesCouncils are to share an extra £15m from the government to cover the impact of the big freeze on the road network.
• Fresh calls to scrap fuel duty escalatorThe organisation representing petrol stations wants George Osborne to scrap April's planned fuel duty increase.
• Union confident over Tube talksThe Tube drivers' union Aslef says it is confident bank holiday working issues can be resolved by mutual agreement.
• Renault seeks 'espionage' probeRenault asks French authorities to investigate the suspected industrial espionage at the carmaker.

Financial Times

• BAA warns on cost of protecting against snowAir passengers may be forced to pay higher fares to cover the cost of protecting Britain's airports against snow if winters turn permanently colder, BAA has said

The Herald

• New train stations project is derailed by winter freezeRail passengers are being forced to take replacement buses a month after the official opening of a £300 million route, due to problems completing three stations.
• Jobs safe as coach builder secures contractsAlexander Dennis, the Scottish coach builder suffering tough times in the battered UK market for new buses, yesterday said the jobs of its 900-plus workers in Falkirk were safe after clinching its second multi-million-pound contract in the same week.
• ˜Fearless™ new city council chief pledges to deliver trams projectEdinburgh™s disaster-hit trams project must go ahead because too much money has been spent to cancel it, the city™s new chief executive has said.

The Scotsman

• Ferrovial in move to cut its stake in BAA SPANISH infrastructure group Ferrovial is in talks with investors to offload 10 per cent of UK airport operator BAA in a move to slash €20.5 billion (£17.3bn) of debt.
• Snow hits First Group profits THE transport giant that runs ScotRail and hundreds of bus services around the country will take a £7 million profit hit from the big freeze - but confirmed it remains on track to hike this year's dividend.

The Telegraph

• RMT union blasts TfL after Bombadier and Invensys shortlisted for Tube contract Two companies who were paid an estimated £110m to walk away from a signalling contract following the collapse of Metronet have been shortlisted for the same work by Transport for London (TfL).
• 2012 Olympics chiefs urge millions to avoid London to prevent transport chaos Olympics chiefs are urging millions of commuters to stay away from work during the 2012 games to avoid creating transport chaos in London.
• Cost of air travel could rise by a fifth under VAT proposal VAT could be imposed on all flights under proposals being considered by the European Commission.
• Petrol price rises rake in £2bn for Treasury PM under pressure to introduce a fuel price stabiliser after it emerged that rising oil prices will earn the Treasury a windfall.

ATOC

• Train companies respond to study into the passenger reservation system or disabled travellersIn response to the Passenger Focus report into the Assisted Passenger Reservation System, a spokesperson for the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC),...

Network Rail

• NEW BRIDGES FOR SETTLE “ CARLISLE LINE

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham City Council warning over High Speed Rail Scheme protests THERE must be no cave in to countryside protesters attempting to derail the High Speed Rail scheme, Birmingham City Council warned.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• VIDEO: MP in appeal to stop fuel price increases An MP is leading the campaign to introduce a fuel stabiliser amid fears only rich people will be able to drive as petrol creep ever higher.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Tram talks off till Marchpeace talks to resolve Edinburgh's bitter trams dispute will not begin until March at the earliest, it emerged today.

Liverpool Post

• Broughton Airbus plant celebrates £10bn planes order AIRBUS is celebrating after securing the world’s biggest ever commercial plane order.
• Bus and train operator FirstGroup vows to drive up shareholder payouts DECEMBER’S bad weather cost bus and train operator FirstGroup £7m, it revealed in a trading update today.
• Transport minister Mike Penning pledges to return liners to their Liverpool home LIVERPOOL’S ambition to regain its glory as a home port for cruise liners has taken a quantum leap forward.

Sheffield Star

• Council criticised by bus boss over transport planBUS operator First has questioned why it was not consulted over Sheffield Council's 'Vision for Excellent Transport' document setting out the authority's prior

Sheffield Telegraph

• Bus service changes on wayBUS service changes for parts of Sheffield and Rotherham were announced this week by the region’s biggest operator, First.

The York Press

• Passengers stage mutiny after coach driver downs five pints on shopping trip to York A BUS driver drank five pints before taking his passengers on a terrifying journey around York™s icy roads as they pleaded for him to stop, magistrates heard.

Other Regional Press

• Norwich bus station help desk could be saved Hopes were raised yesterday that the information desk and travel centre at Norwich Bus Station could be spared the axe after coach firm National Express suggested it could help run it.
• Transition Evesham Vale respond to transport plans A LOCAL focus group has outlined ambitious plans for low carbon transport throughout the Vale in response to the county council’s own review of local transport. Transition Evesham Vale (TEV), which was established two years ago to support local solutions to the global problems of peak oil and climate change, has released a 14-page response to the county council’s BOLD public transport proposals in which it calls for improved bus services for rural communities, not route cuts.
• 5,000 queue for 100 jobs at airport MORE than 5,000 hopefuls turned up for just 100 jobs advertised at Southampton Airport.
• Meeting called into alleged bus company cashWHITBY Town Council has called an extraordinary meeting into claims it received a £25,000 donation from bus company, Arriva.

Aviation Industry

• AEA warns of fragile aviation recoveryNatural events and industrial action hampered recovery of the European airline industry last year, new figures show

Other News Sources

• This from Chiltern Railways... Adrian Shooter CBE, Chairman of Chiltern Railways has today announced the appointment of Rob Brighouse as its new Managing Director.
• Big lift for Cardiff Central passengers As part of its efforts to provide step free access for rail passengers arriving to and from Ebbw Vale, a new state of the art lift has been installed at Cardiff Central Station.
• Call for trade to unite against airlines™ direct-sell questA trade-wide lobby group has been founded in the US to fight attempts by airlines to bypass global distribution systems and hide ancillary charges