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

Saturday, 26 March 2011

BBC News

• Saab chief goes as losses mountSaab reports a loss of 218m euros and announces the departure of chief executive Jan Ake Jonsson.

Financial Times

• Network Rail to tackle cost overrunsThe company is to transform how it organises £6bn of its largest replacement and upgrade programmes as it seeks to cut project costs and ensure they are completed more smoothly
• PM warns filling stations on fuel duty David Cameron told petrol garages that he was 'watching like a hawk' and threatened action by competition authorities if 'the market does not respond' to the government's move to cut 1p a litre from fuel duty

The Guardian

• Interview: Philip HammondAndrew Sparrow speaks to the transport secretary about road safety, high-speed rail, cycling and using public transportIt wasn't hard to find questions to ask the transport secretary, Philip Hammond. Transport isn't a particularly glamorous government department, but many people have remarkably strong views about cars, trains, buses, airports and cycling.When I posted a blog inviting readers to suggest topics I should raise, the response was tremendous. Our interview ranged widely, and here are the highlights:¢ Hammond claimed cutting fuel duty cut in the budget would not stop the government b...

The Herald

• Fuel-duty cut fails to reach petrol pumpsTHE Chancellor™s flagship cut in fuel duty was in disarray last night after it emerged many motorists are still paying higher prices at the pumps.
• Edinburgh™s trams are on track for ¦ CroydonTEN trams due to begin operation in Edinburgh this year are likely to enter service instead in London because the Scottish project is so badly behind schedule.

The Telegraph

• Parking permit surcharge to force diesel cars off the roadsOwners of diesel cars face higher charges for annual parking permits in major cities amid growing concern over their effect on air quality.

Daily Record

• Labour demand Wi-fi internet link on Edinburgh to Glasgow train service BUSINESS leaders yesterday welcomed Labour plans for internet access on commuter trains.

Mail Online

• Thieves use Google Earth to steal copper cabling costing railway companies £1millionThe gang looked up more than 4,000 images to pinpoint the best places to steal the wiring from across central England, putting at risk the lives of thousands of train passengers.

The Mirror

• British cruise ship worker missing in Pacific Ocean RESCUERS are searching for a cruise ship worker who apparently fell overboard into the Pacific.

Bristol Live

• £70m design centre for Airbus at FiltonBRISTOL aeroplane maker Airbus has announced that it is to build a new £70 million design and research centre at its Filton factory. The news was announced as business minister Vince Cable paid a flying visit to the complex which employs about 4,000 Airbus workers. The new office block will be built on the site of Pegasus House which will be refurbished and included in the designs. No new jobs will be created as a result of the development, which will cover a 12-acre site, but the manufacturer says the investment is a clear sign of its commitment to the Bristol area. Airbus has enjoyed a great...

Derby Telegraph

• Speed check to cut rural-road crashesSPEED checks will be carried out on countryside roads to cut the number of motorcycle crashes. A similar operation last year saw the number of riders killed or badly hurt fall by 40% to 69. Inspector Adam Waterfall said:

London Evening Standard

• Council to pay for Crossrail stationHopes of adding a new station to Crossrail to help regenerate west London have moved a stage closer after a council agreed to underwrite the £33 million cost
• Motorists 'missing out' on duty cutMany motorists are missing out on the 1p a litre fuel duty reduction announced by the Chancellor in the Budget, according to AA figures.

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester Airport Enterprise Zone will generate 'mini-city' with 10,500 jobsMore than 10,000 jobs will be created around Manchester Airport when it is turned into a ˜mini city™ with work set to start next week. The £400m Airport City project was given the green light after the government named it as one of its first Enterprise Zones.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Cut-price extension will not affect new tram servicesThe Nottingham tram extension has been given the green light after the city council found around 20% savings in the cost of the project. Parliamentary Correspondent Joseph Watts reports...CUTTING a fifth from the cost of Nottingham's tram extensions will not affect the route or quality of the scheme, a city transport chief insisted today. After the public spending review last year, the Government said it would only financially support the private finance initiative (PFI) to build the extended network if the city could make the project more affordable. After months of negotiations between the c...
• Unison members UNISON members have branded city council plans to charge its employees for parking
• City bus routes are on the moveSEVERAL bus routes will have their city centre stops altered from this Sunday. The biggest change will take place on the Orange Line 37 bus to the QMC, which will now serve more of the city centre. The new route will include stops at Tollhouse Hill, Maid Marian Way, Broadmarsh Collin Street, Fletcher Gate, the Victoria Centre, and the Elite before continuing to Angel Row. Other changes include: Green Line 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and N6 moving from outside Wilkinson's to bus stops further along Parliament Street, near Clumber Street. The Unilink 34 stop on George Street will be moved to the stop ...

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Anger grows at tax raid on North Sea oil and gasThe furore over the UK Government™s tax raid on North Sea oil and gas revenue shows no sign of letting up as business leaders, union bosses and others line up to attack the move.
• Dornoch turns out in force to welcome county namesake shipResidents in a Sutherland town gathered yesterday to welcome the return of sailors from a ship that shares their county™s name.

Yorkshire Post

• 50p fares to save city centre busesTRANSPORT bosses in Leeds have offered a lifeline to a city centre shuttle bus threatened by cuts but passengers will now have to pay a small fare.

Reading Evening Post

• Alok Sharma powers up for Earth Hour Reading West MP Alok Sharma got on his bike this week to pedal with a Panda for WWF’s Earth Hour.

Other Regional Press

• Town free bus service to continue in Huddersfield HUDDERSFIELD’S popular free bus service around the town centre is safe for another year.
• Dame Kelly names new ferryOlympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes was certainly the star of the show when she named the P&O Ferries™ latest ship Spirit of Britain in a ceremony at Dover™s Eastern Docks on Thursday.
• Rural services hit by bus service cutONE of the main bus operators in Northampton has announced plans to reduce some of the routes it runs in and out of the town, with rural services being particularly badly hit.
• Secrecy over petrol station refunds FUEL bosses have refused to reveal how many refunds have been given after a garage charged 143.9p a litre for unleaded petrol.
• Road deaths rise after speed cameras switch-off DEATHS on Oxfordshire™s roads rose 50 per cent during the first six months speed cameras were turned off, police said last night.
• Chaotic £1.5m roadworks in Cheltenham could pose risk say businessesWater mains work in Gloucester Road and St George's Road is causing huge delays.
• Council set to put £5million into road maintenance across the boroughMILLIONS of pounds are set to be ploughed into repairing and resurfacing roads across Bedford Borough over the next 12 months.

Global Rail News

• Amtrak looks forward to Illinois high speed rail progressFollowing earlier news of high speed rail funding being awarded to Illinois, Amtrak’s Senior Director of Government Affairs has shared the company’s support for the project: ...
• Siemens establishes new ˜Rail Innovation Centre of Competence™ in the UKSiemens’ Mobility Division is to establish a new global ˜Rail Innovation Centre of Competence™ in the United Kingdom from March 2011. The Innovation Centre will lead ...
• Russian Railways aims to launch Moscow “ Berlin “ Paris serviceVladimir Yakunin, President of Russian Railways, co-chaired a meeting of the General Assembly of the Association “France-Russian Dialogue” on behalf of the Russian delegation on 21 ...
• FirstGroup name train after Sir Moir LockheadSir Moir Lockhead, former Chief Executive of FirstGroup, was left astounded today after a ScotRail train was named in his honour to mark his achievements after 22 years ...

Aviation Industry

• Reform of aviation tax – consultationThe Chancellor announced in the Budget on 23rd March that there would be no immediate change in aviation tax. See news item. However, he did announce a consultation ’Reform of air passenger duty’. The text of his budget statement was as follows. Air Passenger Duty 1.152. In the June Budget 2010, the Government undertook to explore changes to the aviation [...]

Other News Sources

• Treasury's infrastructure plan: HS2 to follow Crossrail modelHigh Speed 2 and the London Underground renewals programme are to be test cases for government plans to save £3 billion a year on the cost of delivering infrastructure. The plans are set out in a draft copy of the Treasury™s Infrastructure Cost Review Implementation Plan, seen by Construction News.
• European Commission Places Mounting Pressure on the UK to Act on Dangerous Air Pollution in LondonEPUK critical of time extension decision on London air pollution but welcomes conditions
• Savings push boosts PFI projectsTransport minister hails progress in four proposed Private Finance Initiatives
• Motorways lights to be turned off to save CO2 A CO2 saving of 1,000 tonnes is expected to be achieved by turning off the lights on the motorway.
• Birmingham, England: Millionaires 'Plotting to Kill High-Speed Rail'Railways boss Adrian Shooter warned that mounting opposition to the HS2 project by wealthy villagers in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshirewas based on
• Vauxhall Vivaro to be made in LutonVauxhall has confirmed the future of its Luton factory by announcing plans to build the new Vivaro van there.
• House approves $8.9 billion transportation budgetHouse lawmakers have overwhelmingly approved an $8.9 billion transportation budget for the next two years that includes fewer service cuts and a smaller rate hike for the Washington State Ferries ...
• Jerusalem soon to have light rail transit systemJERUSALEM (AP) – After years of delays, Jerusalem's historic light rail is set to begin running next month, completing a journey that has circumvented ancient bones, archaeological ...
• Shipping advised to comply with relevant NAVAREA warnings off JapanThe International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has issued a...

Other Subscription Services

• Kopernicki bids goodbye to ShellAfter 40 years at the oil giant Shell, its vice-president for shipping retires at the end of this month
• Capital Link 2011: Shipping fails to win over Wall StreetMajority of traded companies œnot institutionally relevant right now
• TfL tenders for Underground internet access Transport for London is inviting telecoms companies to tender for wireless internet provision at up to 120 stations across the London Underground network. A contract will be awarded to the chosen...
• DfT vindicated for hard line on East Coast franchise The Department for Transport's refusal to renegotiate the National Express East Coast rail franchise terms was in the public interest, according to a report by the National Audit Office.East Coast...