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

Friday, 13 May 2011

BBC News

• Network Rail fined £3m over Potters Bar crash Network Rail has been fined £3m for safety failings over the 2002 Potters Bar train crash.
• 80% of tram budget already spentMore than 80% of the total budget for the Edinburgh tram project has already been spent, it emerges.
• Group wants rail line assurancesA commuter group seeks assurances that First Great Western services will not suffer as the firm bids for a new franchise from the government.
• Heathrow Express faces industrial actionWorkers on the Heathrow Express rail service vote to take industrial action in a row over pay.
• VIDEO: Uncertain future for carmaker SaabSaab-owner Spyker has announced that its funding deal with China's Hawtai Motor Group has fallen through, throwing plans to resume production at the Swedish carmaker into doubt.
• Renault heirs seek compensationDescendents of the founder of Renault car company seek compensation for the post-war nationalisation of the firm in France.
• BA and union agree to end disputeBritish Airways and the Unite union reach an agreement which could end the long-running dispute between the two sides.

Financial Times

• Union welcomes BA deal that avoids humiliationThe deal between British Airways and Unite seems certain to end an 18-month confrontation that involved four strike ballots, three legal battles and much angry rhetoric
• BA on the up after dispute dealBritish Airways has achieved a victory that should stand it in good stead after cabin crew backed a deal to end their bitter dispute, say industry experts

The Guardian

• Europe moves to end passport-free travel in migrant row European interior ministers agree to 'radical revision' of Schengen amid fears of a flood of migrants from north Africa
• Transport for London seeks £70m desk support deal London's transport authority wants to centralise its IT services
• Tube strike fuss is about pride, not profits Bob Crow's stroppy union is a thorn in the mayor's side, but strikes are not the threat to City prosperity they are depicted as
• Philip Hammond accused of 'class war' over railway crackdown plans Transport secretary calls for end to what he describes as out-of-date working practices and excessive wage demands for tens of thousands of rail workers

The Herald

• Princes Street shops call for trams compensationTRADERS in Edinburgh have called on the council to ensure they are compensated for disruption they will suffer as Princes Street is closed for up to 10 months to re-lay tram tracks.
• Smartcards delayed for seven yearsIT has been hailed as a revolutionary way to cut waiting times for bus, train and ferry passengers.
• Time to make smart move and link public transport Imagine a journey by public transport from Penicuik outside Edinburgh to Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow.

The Telegraph

• EU moves to end passport-free Schengen travel The European Union has moved toward reversing passport free travel across the continent amid fears of a wave of migrants fleeing unrest in north Africa.
• British railways hotels: four of the best Following the opening of the St Pancras Renaissance, Francesca Syz chooses four of the best railway hotels in Britain.

Mail Online

• Oh for a new Maggie with the guts to crush this blackmailing union bully The cuts are beginning to bite — or so we are told. Many families are having to accustom themselves to the idea of falling living standards
• Rail militants vote to strike: Heathrow Express staff demand 'Olympic bonuses'It is understood that Heathrow Express workers were offered a pay rise of 4.5 per cent this year, which is above the current 4 per cent rate of inflation, and 3.5 per cent in 2012, but rejected it.
• British Airways cabin crew to vote on ending 2-year dispute after bosses offer 6 per cent pay riseThe decision, taken at a mass meeting of Unite members, effectively means the end of the long-running row which broke out in October 2009.

ATOC

• Train companies respond to Transport Select Committee report into how transport coped with severe winter weatherIn response to the Transport Select Committee report into how transport coped with severe winter weather,...

Belfast Telegraph

• Sir Stelios slams 'lazy' easyJetHopes at easyJet that a restoration of its dividend following the truce it agreed with founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ionnaou might encourage a more supportive public stance from its largest shareholder were dashed yesterday. The news that the budget airline made a £153m loss during the first half of the year was greeted with an attack by Sir Stelios, who accused it of operating a

Edinburgh Evening News

• Ten more months of misery lined up as tram works returnBUSINESS chiefs today demanded to know how and when Edinburgh's tram line will be built to the city centre after being told they will have to endure another ten months of

Liverpool Post

• Maersk forecasts global container shipping growth in 2011 DANISH shipping and oil group AP Moller-Maersk yesterday reported first-quarter net profit at the top end of expectations, helped by higher-than-expected freight rates and buoyant oil prices.
• Merseyside snow chaos shows need for investment, says Louise Ellman MP COMMONS watchdogs today demanded greater investment to prevent a repeat of the winter snow chaos which brought Merseyside’s transport system to a standstill.

London Evening Standard

• Commuters on track for train fare rises of up to 14 per cent Commuters are facing fare rises of up to 14 per cent, the Evening Standard can reveal today. Rail ticket prices are set to soar due to inflation, the Government's new fare system and moves to price some passengers off trains to tackle "cattle truck" conditions at rush hour.
• Hammond to take on 'greedy and inefficient' rail unionsTransport Secretary Philip Hammond today vowed to take on rail unions over "excessive" wage demands and "inefficient" working practices.

Other Regional Press

• Re-electon vindicates MSP’s stance on return of railway IAN Seeley’s letter (Hawick News, April 29) accusing John Lamont of flip-flopping, trying to derail the return of the Waverley Line was quite wrong. In 2007 Mr Lamont sent out a questionnaire to all of his constituents, asking them about the return of the railway, and a huge majority of folk indicated they were against such a move.
• New campaign launched by Colne Valley rail commuters who want a better service A CAMPAIGN to get better rail services through the Colne Valley was launched last night.

Global Rail News

• The Gotthard Base tunnel project by Balfour Beatty RailThe Gotthard Base tunnel is the longest tunnel in the world and burrows through the Alps in Switzerland. Beneath the highest mountain peaks the tunnel courses ...
• Southern™s Mitcham Junction station praised at industry awardsSouthern™s Mitcham Junction station was highly commended in the Rail Station of the Year category at the recent London Transport Awards. The entry was a joint ...
• Public Inquiry called for over Elsenham deaths ˜cover up™The TSSA general secretary called for action by the Attorney General after it was revealed Network Rail failed to disclose a ‘damning’ safety report on the ...
• Network Rail extends Harsco Rail™s track maintenance contract for $50mHarsco Rail has announced that it has received a significant four-year extension of its contract services program in the UK under an award from Network Rail ...
• ATOC responds to ˜winter travel chaos™ reportIn response to the Transport Select Committee report into how transport coped with severe winter weather, a spokesperson for the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) ...

Aviation Industry

• Transport Minister urges Government to reject the advice of its climate advisers, reports GuardianThe transport minister Phillip Hammond is opposing the climate measures recommended by the government™s expert advisers, according to the Guardian. The Committee on Climate Change was set up under the 2008 Climate Act to act as an independent body advising Government on how to meet the legally binding target to cut the UK™s emissions by [...]
• Hidden corporates costs in unbundlingCorporates are incurring extra costs because of the extra time it takes employees to fill in airline booking forms offering unbundled services

Green Miscellany

• Bicycle handlebars that double up as a lock Student Jaryn Miller has designed a set of removable handlebars that separate into three pieces to become a lock. read more
• Policing Careless Driving If we are to encourage more people to walk and cycle then we need to make them safer than they are today. I think the litmus test is the reasons why someone would be worried about their child walking or cycling to school In terms of car danger “ it is not the average driver that causes most concern but the careless driver.read more

Other News Sources

• Rail firm’s decision to quit won’t hit services TRAIN services in Worcestershire will not be affected by First Great Western’s decision to quit its rail contract three years ahead of schedule.
• First look at plans for Blackburn railway station platform fourTHIS is the first look at how Blackburn's railway station will look when a £1.7million project to install a roof over platform four is completed.
• British Airways Statement On Agreement With Unite On behalf of our customers, we are very pleased the threat of industrial action has been lifted and that we have reached a point where we can put this dispute behind us. Our agreement...
• BAA response to transport select committee report on the impact on transport of the winter weather in December 2010 BAA welcomes the Committee's conclusion that the Government should play a greater role in providing investment and coordination during weather-related disruption to the UK transport network. ...
• Regional Airports' Forum underlines competitive pressures and regulatory risksThe 4th Annual ACI EUROPE Regional Airports conference exhibition took place these past two days, hosted by Cagliari Airport, Sardinia and in cooperation with Routes Europe¹. The theme of...
• Chiltern Railways launches mobile ticketingFor the first time ever passengers can book and use their mobile phones for rail travel within the UK
• Corporate travel renaissance remains cost-focusedBusiness travellers are back on the road and their companies are increasing their budgets, according to the latest figures from GetThere