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

Monday, 07 February 2011

BBC News

• Olympic cable car 'at risk from City Airport planes' A planned cable car across the River Thames may be unsafe because it goes too close to London City Airport, Friends of the Earth has warned.
• New hours start at Tube ticket offices despite row New opening hours at Tube ticket offices started on Sunday despite an unresolved row over claims the move has cost job losses.
• Fast track for two Bristol road plans Two road projects in Bristol have moved closer to getting government funding. The A38 and A370 link road and a "rapid transit" bus route joining the north of the city and Hengrove have both been moved into the development pool.
• A future without car crashes? More than a million people die in car accidents each year but experts in the industry now believe fatal smashes could be eliminated. Some hope there could be an end to car crashes altogether.
• Reading council gets extra £400,000 for road repairs Reading council has been given an extra £400,000 from the government for road maintenance and repairs.
• Debate urges action on fuel costsScottish and Welsh nationalists join forces at Westminster in an attempt to pressurise the UK government into action on rising fuel prices.

Financial Times

• Vulture funds eye M6 routeLenders to the company behind the M6 toll road have started selling their loans, crystallising millions of pounds in losses and opening the way for vulture funds to become stakeholders in the project
• Shipping chiefs split on oil products outlookShipping chiefs take different tack on oil products outlook
• Network Rail urged to widen scope of inquiryNetwork Rail and a rail union are at loggerheads over the exact remit of an independent inquiry paid for by the state-subsidised company, which is set to begin next Monday

The Guardian

• Our bus services are being slowly crushed by the pensioner burden All sense but political sense says scrap the ill-judged generosity of spending £1bn a year so over-60s can travel free
• Foreign state railways line up to bid for UK west coast franchise Four government-backed rail companies – Deutsche Bahn, Renfe, Abellio and Trenitalia – express interest in profitable main-line route currently operated by Virgin Trains

Birmingham Post

• Labour threatens to withdraw its support for High Speed Rail Birmingham’s Labour MPs are gearing up for another battle to bring high speed rail to the city after their shadow Transport Minister warned the party may drop support for the 250mph line.

Northern Echo

• Hitachi close to securing rail deal A DEAL to build the next generation of high-speed trains in the North-East is edging closer, it is claimed.

Wales Online

• Time is running out for spending on transport COMMUNITIES could miss out on transport improvements because councils have not spent investment grants quickly enough, we can reveal. Officers have just two months to spend more than £10m on transport interchanges, cycle paths and other schemes before the April deadline.
• New transport vision for South Wales A new report from the Cardiff Business Partnership: “Connecting Cardiff, Newport and the Valleys – A Metro for Wales’ Capital City Region”, argues for a major and long-term investment in rail infrastructure to help promote economic growth and development across the entire Cardiff city region. Here, its author, Mark Barry, makes the case for this visionary scheme.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds trolleybus 'poor value for money'The £235m Leeds trolleybus scheme has suffered another major blow after it emerged government officials believe it represents poor value for money.

Other Regional Press

• Leaked documents show engineers preferred alternative route for HS2 rail line ENGINEERS behind the controversial HS2 rail line believe the government’s preferred route is wrong.
• Station staff get locked out of their officeRail staff were locked out of their office during rush hour this week. On Monday morning, commuters arrived at Bedford Train Station in Ashburnham Road, to find that the ticket operators could not

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair may spend billions on cheap Chinese jetsRyanair is set to shake the airline industry to its foundations by holding talks with Chinese and Russian airplane manufacturers about supplying Michael O'Leary's low-cost carrier with new jets.
• Skycouch put to the testWhen it comes to modern passenger seating, most airlines are focused on saving as much space as possible.
• Why do budget airlines behave badly? The factsWhy do they do it? The facts about budget airlines February 7, 2011 - 12:56PM 24 Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary. The budget carrier, Europe's biggest, is the most complained-about airline in the world by some margin.

Other News Sources

• Train firm services are right on track Train operator East Midlands Trains has achieved its best results for customer satisfaction.
• Re-opening Lewes-Uckfield – “So easy to do” The Lords Chief Whip, the Rt Hon Lord Bassam of Brighton, considers commuters are “not getting value for money” and told an audience at a media gathering at Brighton station that improvements must be made to the overcrowded Sussex rail network. In a specific reference to the notorious glaring gap in the network between Lewes and Uckfield, the Labour peer said: “The line should be opened to provide an alternative route into London. It is seven miles of track that would be so easy to do.”
• BBC London Exclusive into Boris Johnson Cable Car / London City Airport Public Safety “crash” Zone[click on image to launch video report]
• Judicial review threat over renewal of Southeastern's train franchiseA senior backbencher has warned of a potential legal battle in the ongoing Southeastern row unless a full independent review is held into the train firm’s performance. The under-fire company could be in line for an automatic renewal of its franchise next year, despite hundreds of complaints from commuters and MPs about the standards of service over the winter freeze.
• What a CEO should do when disaster strikes [Richard Branson]One thing is certain in business: Things will go wrong. So when you start up a business, one of your priorities should be emergency planning. Put a disaster plan in place that fits your situation: In case supply lines are cut, a hurricane hits, or other natural catastrophe looms. Because if disaster strikes, a lot of people are going to be looking to you for answers.
• Train firms eye West Coast line FOUR European state-backed train firms have expressed interest in replacing Virgin Trains as the operator of the London-to-Glasgow West Coast rail franchise.