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

Wednesday, 11 May 2011

BBC News

• On-the-spot fines planned for careless driving Police will get powers to fine careless drivers on the spot, rather than taking them to court, as part of a government strategy to make Britain's roads safer.
• Police begin seat belt crackdownPolice forces across Scotland take part in a day of action aimed at targeting people who do not wear a car seat belt.
• Tram talks detail to be discussedThe outcome of mediation talks into a bitter contractual dispute over the Edinburgh trams project is to be revealed within the next week.
• Unions hail Olympic rail pay dealRail unions agree a
• Tube strikes suspended by unionTube strikes planned to begin next week have been suspended, the RMT union confirms.
• Fire at depot destroys 50 busesFifty buses are all but destroyed following a huge blaze at a storage depot in North Lanarkshire.
• Changing lanesJapanese car-makers suffer as their US rivals threaten to overtake them
• VIDEO: Siemens boss speaks up for euroSiemens chief executive Peter Loescher tells the BBC that the euro offers big advantages to German businesses.
• Emirates sees profits soar by 52%Dubai-based airline Emirates reports a 52% rise in annual profits, boosted by a big increase in passenger numbers over the year.

Department for Transport

• £1 million development fund for technology to cut road works disruptionA joint £1 million fund to research and develop new technology to reduce the disruption caused by road works was announced today by the Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

Financial Times

• Network Rail and unions reach 'groundbreaking' dealThe package provides for extra pay for transport workers during the Olympic Games next year, and includes an agreement that means no one can be dismissed during the event
• Founder seeks special dividend from EasyJetSir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who owns 38% of the low-cost airline, says the company has £600m more in cash than the mandated board policy
• US drops opposition to Delta-Virgin Blue alliance Plans by Virgin Blue and Delta Air Lines for an alliance on flights between Australia and North America took a big step forward after the US signalled it would grant antitrust immunity to the proposed tie-up

The Guardian

• Crackdown on careless driversFines of £80 to £100 portrayed as a break from the previous government's supposed reliance on speed camerasMotorists are to be hit with on-the-spot fines of between £80 and £100 for careless driving as part of a major package of road safety laws being portrayed as a break from the previous government's supposed reliance on speed cameras.The fixed penalty notices have been designed with a view to clamping down on

The Herald

• National Express agrees truce with investorTRANSPORT group National Express yesterday confirmed it has signed a year-long truce with rebel investor Elliott Advisors, prompting a 2.2% rise in its share price.

The Independent

• Confusion over Tube strike 'suspension' London Underground claims a series of strikes protesting against the sacking of two Tube drivers been suspended, despite the RMT union insisting they will go ahead.

The Telegraph

• Reckless drivers face £100 on-the-spot fines Reckless drivers who tailgate, overtake on the inside or cut up other motorists face on–the–spot fines of £100 under plans to be announced today.
• Motorway limit could be raised to 80mphPhilip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, signals that he is ready to lift the 70mph limit if it is in the interests of the economy.
• Shipping minister embroiled in row with MPsA transport minister has been accused of undermining a Parliamentary inquiry he instructed serving coastguards not to talk to MPs.

Daily Express

• EasyJet to set course for growth despite lossNO-FRILLS airline easyJet said it was -eyeing up business from its rivals -yesterday as it shrugged off a doubling in first-half losses.

Mail Online

• Food on the go: Scientists plan to power cars using oil from Cornish PASTIESIt gives new meaning to the words fast food. A green fuel firm has announced plans to turn the popular snack into biodiesel, ready to be sold at petrol stations across Britain.
• Rail staff in 'groundbreaking' pay deal entitling Olympic project workers to £500 lump sumsNetwork Rail agreed the astonishing rise with the Rail Maritime Transport union amid fears that industrial action could wreck the London Games.
• Aggressive 'idiot' drivers to face £100 fines in road safety law shake-upTransport Secretary Philip Hammond will declare an end to the war on ordinary motorists who make honest mistakes.

Journal Live

• Cable thefts from railways cost North East £1.5m A HUGE increase in thieves stripping copper from rail lines in the North East has led to thousands of hours of delays for passengers and repair bills topping £1.5m.

Liverpool Post

• Power supply problems causes Merseyrail Northern Line delays for commuters POWER supply problems at a train depot caused delays to commuters on Merseyrail's northern line this morning.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Cable thefts cost nearly £200k in compensationCABLE thefts delayed passenger trains in the East Midlands by a total of 103 hours in 2010-11, Network Rail has said. The company says it had to pay out £198,26 in compensation for services delayed by the thefts. This was up from £144,584 in 2009-10 and £120,835 in 2008-09. Martin Frobisher, route director at Network Rail, said:

Yorkshire Post

• ˜Ghost line™ spending comes under criticismRAIL chiefs have been criticised for spending thousands of pounds on new cycle facilities at “ghost line” stations used by small numbers of passengers every year.

Carlisle News & Star

• New campaign to re-open Carlisle viaduct as path Campaigners are renewing their efforts to re-open Carlisle™s disused Waverley railway viaduct as a foot and cycle path.

Plymouth Herald

• Ministers told it's time to plan a second rail line into the Westcountry Ministers have been urged to plan an alternative main railway line into the Westcountry after a Government report warned that transport links need to be protected from the impacts of climate change.
• Plan now for the next 100 years of South West rail Major transport infrastructure projects take a great deal of planning. So if the long-term future of the main Paddington to Penzance line, where it runs along the sea wall at Dawlish, is even half as precarious as many experts believe, it is high time work began in earnest on an alternative route.
• Ministers call for action to protect transport links URGENT action is needed to safeguard vital transport links such as the Plymouth mainline against climate change, ministers have warned.

Other Regional Press

• MP speaks out over 'dying' Heathrow village Villages surrounding Heathrow are ’dying’ due to BAAs ownership of village homes, according to the MP.
• Hounslow Council calls on residents to make voices heard on Heathrow noise Hounslow Council is urging residents to make their voice heard as the owners of Heathrow Airport start a consultation on noise mitigation schemes.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Yorkshire 'is lorry theft hot spot' High levels of lorry theft are being seen in Yorkshire, it has been reported. According to the Yorkshire Post, police in the county have witnessed high levels of such crimes, with record numbers reported.

Global Rail News

• Bombardier presents TRAXX AC Locomotive with Last Mile DieselAt this year™s Transport Logistic trade fair from May 10 to 13, Bombardier Transportation will premiere a BOMBARDIER TRAXX AC locomotive with a supplementary diesel motor. ...
• Rail cable theft up 52%, delays passengers by 6,000 hoursCable thieves are ruining the lives of millions of passengers and costing the railway industry £15 million a year as they target the railway for metal ...
• Investigation into the Tube™s performance launchedSignal failures. Weekend closures. Record-breaking passenger numbers. Transport for London (TfL) is investing billions of pounds to improve the network “ but what™s really going on ...
• RAILENIUM consortium wins bid for French State investmentThe ‘RAILENIUM’ project, the name given to the European Institute for Technological Research in Rail Infrastructure (based near Valenciennes, in northern France), is set to become ...
• New ˜Maps for All™ at four Southern stationsSouthern is the first train operator in England and Wales to fund and install ‘Maps for All’, ensuring passengers can use the stations with ease. ‘Maps ...
• Top marks for Customer Service team at Ipswich stationIpswich MP Ben Gummer visited Ipswich station on Monday 9 May to make a presentation to National Express East Anglia™s (NXEA) customer service team who work ...
• Docklands Light Railway three-car upgrade completedThe Docklands Light Railway’s (DLR’s) three-car upgrade was completed on time and within budget with the launch of three-car trains on the Tower Gateway to Beckton ...
• Stockholm™s Lokaltrafik launches design-your-own travel card onlineStockholm Public Transport (Storstockholms Lokaltrafik, SL) is giving its customers the chance to design their own travel cards online. SL is the public transport operator in ...
• East Midlands Trains launch ˜Derbyshire Day Out™ ticket for LondonersEast Midlands Trains has announced the launch of a new all-inclusive ticket to encourage leisure travellers from London to have a summer day out in the ...
• Tube strikes ˜called off™Reports say that the planned Tube strikes by driver members of the RMT have been ‘called off.’ London Underground has said that the strikes due to ...
• ˜Union Jack™ wrapped Heathrow Express fleet ready to rollThe first Vodafone Union Jack branded Heathrow Express train rolled into action on Saturday 7th May as part of a campaign that coincides with widespread network ...
• More services in ScotRail™s summer timetableScotRail™s summer timetable will introduce full services on the new Glasgow to Edinburgh via Airdrie and Bathgate link. There will a half-hourly daytime direct service between ...
• TfL, Cubic & ATOC recognised for bringing Oyster onto the National Rail network in LondonTransport for London, Cubic Transportation Systems and the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) have won the award for ‘Excellence in Technology and Innovation’ at the ...
• Sydney rail network to get ˜Oyster card system™The Managing Director of Cubic Transportation Systems Australasia, Matt Cole, confirmed that the Sydney smart card ticketing project is on time and on budget. Approaching the ...
• New inquiry looks into European passenger rail marketThe House of Lords EU Sub-Committee on the Internal Market, Energy and Transport today invites contributions to its new inquiry into the development of international rail ...

Aviation Industry

• Emirates "pushing the boundaries"A drive to question the norms of the aviation industry has led to record results, said the airline™s CEO
• Easyjet plans anti-APD campaign after losses doubleThe airline has announced a £153 million loss before tax for the six months up to March 31

Other News Sources

• Lines set to hit shippers with highest-ever bunker surchargesAsia-Europe carriers will pass on soaring fuel costs to customers, but not savings from slow-steaming, claims analyst