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

Thursday, 06 October 2011

BBC News

• London 2012: Boris Johnson says 'we are ready' The mayor of London also claimed the city's transport system - the focus of much concern ahead of the Games - is being transformed.
• Bendy buses: Not everyone wants them scrapped Here's a TV piece I've done on the continuing demise of the bendy bus. From talking to passengers, not everyone thinks scrapping them is a good idea.
• Preston bus station on UK monument 'at risk' list Seven UK monuments have been newly identified as being under threat by the World Monuments Fund.
• Holiday jet to fly on cooking oilBritain's first commercial flight powered by biofuel is scheduled to take off from Birmingham airport.
• Borders to Edinburgh rail route 'essential' to economy Detailed negotiations are taking place with Network Rail to try to ensure a rail link to the Borders is completed on time, MSPs have been told.
• Town 20mph zone expansion plannedPlans are tabled to extend a 20mph limit on a number of roads in and around Dumfries town centre.
• Airport runway's official openingA £10m extension of Aberdeen Airport's main runway is due to be officially opened, well ahead of schedule.
• Go-ahead for £40m Fastlink schemeScottish ministers approve £40m towards a new high-frequency bus link along the north and south banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow.
• Flybe shares sink on sales slumpShares in budget airline Flybe have fallen 36% after the firm announced its second profits warning in five months.

Financial Times

• Headwinds on American Airlines' horizonAnalysts expect the carrier “ once the world's most profitable “ to lose $1.1bn this year and $484m in 2012
• IAG and Flybe add to gloom over airlinesInternational Airlines Group and the UK regional carrier flag up reduced demand for business travel and air cargo

The Guardian

• Green campaigners condemn Thomson Airways' biofuels flightService to the Canary Islands that will be powered partly by waste from cooking oil is criticised as 'hollow PR stunt'The UK's first commercial flight to be powered by biofuels will take off on Thursday, heading to the Canary Islands and into a storm of controversy.Thomson Airways' 14.25 service from Birmingham airport to Arrecife, on the island of Lanzarote, will be a scheduled flight like any other “ except that one of the plane's engines will run on a mixture of standard fuel and biofuel made from waste cooking oil.But while Thomson, the airline business of TUI Travel, hailed the flight as...

The Herald

• £40m deal to extend rapid bus service route is struck A DEAL to extend a major transport project in Scotland™s biggest city has been struck after £40 million of funding was given the green light by the Scottish Government.

Birmingham Mail

• Share your memories as part of National Express West Midlands celebration of the legendary Numer 11IT has inspired musicians, attracted tourists and kept everyday Brummies on the move for generations.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Ian Swanson: How did our trams go so far off the railsAs the tram fiasco rumbles on and calls for a public inquiry grow, Political Editor Ian Swanson looks at some of the the key questions the team will need to answer
• Chance to ask tram questionThe public are being invited to have their say on the scope of the promised public inquiry into Edinburgh's trams fiasco.

Liverpool Post

• Lufthansa announces additional Airbus ordersGERMAN flag carrier Lufthansa has confirmed orders for more Airbus A380 and A330 and A320 aircraft.

London Evening Standard

• Bendy bus axe 'will save £7m'Scrapping the capital's bendy buses will save more than £7million a year, Transport for London claims
• Boris Johnson rows back from his £40bn Estuary airportBoris Johnson says he is no longer committed to a Thames Estuary airport and has hinted that new high-speed rail links could now be the answer

Northern Echo

• Villages to suffer Arriva bus route cuts RURAL villages could be left without public transport after Arriva announced it was withdrawing certain services due to low passenger numbers.

Wales Online

• Proud community railways keeping the country on track Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business-in-wales/columnists/stuart-cole/2011/10/05/proud-community-railways-keeping-the-country-on-track-91466-29538431/#ixzz1ZyplZEtQLAST week I spoke at the annual dinner of the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP ) in Sheffield.

Bucks Free Press

• Readers back call for A40 bus lane to be axed MOTORISTS have called for the London Road bus-lane to be axed following a plea by the Bucks Free Press editor - and the county™s transport supremo says it could happen.

Other Regional Press

• SHOCK BUS CUTS WILL ISOLATE MOST OF DALE THE shock scrapping of bus services will leave much of Teesdale without any public transport. And other dale communities will be left with a service on Wednesdays only – or a one-way trip on a heritage tour.
• Ingatestone railway crossing path shut over safety fearsA PUBLIC footpath that has crossed the mainline railway between London and Brentwood since 1840 has been closed without consultation, to the anger of dog walkers and ramblers.
• 'We don't want pie-in-the-sky airport'More than three-quarters of people do not believe a Thames Estuary airport is needed, an independent poll has found.
• Pre-heat and de-ice your car all at the touch of a button!Scots scientists are miles ahead of their rivals by developing new computer chips which will revolutionise the car industry around the world at the touch of a button.
• Green light for £40m FastlinkGlasgow™s Fastlink transport scheme has finally been given the green light from the Scottish Government.

Bus and Coach.com

• Welcome to the futureLaunching at the Coach & Bus Live show in Birmingham this week is a new digital magazine -

Campaign for Better Transport

• Save our Buses campaign bus; driving our message home at the party conferences 05 October: From the banks of Merseyside to the bustling city centre of Manchester, our campaign bus has been met by huge public support wherever it parks up. read more
• Putting the 'con' into consultation...5 October: We've been unpicking council claims to have consulted on their dusty old road schemes, with shocking results... read more

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• North London rail expansion named Project of the YearThe annual UK train network Project of the Year prize for 2011 has been awarded to the upgrading and extension work carried out on the North London system.Announced at the National Rail Awards, winner London Overground has welcomed the recognition of its efforts to invest in services in the capital.The three-year scheme cost £550 million to deliver and has provided passengers in the area with longer platforms, new trains and more regular services.A panel of judges for the awards concluded: "The effectiveness of the joint project sponsorship and management ensured its success...

Global Rail News

• VTG tests noise reduction measures for new rail freight wagonsThe Hamburg wagon hire and rail logistics company VTG Aktiengesellschaft has tested new technical measures for wagon-specific noise reduction, directed by VTG and in cooperation with ...
• East Coast rail study published in ScotlandThe Scottish Government has published a detailed study which outlines options to enhance rail services on the line between Edinburgh and communities in East Lothian and ...

Aviation Industry

• "Decades old" airport security must change, says IATA bossUse of passenger profiling should be increased

Other News Sources

• Blackburn bus drivers ˜forgot™ to use new routeSTUDENTS were left stranded at a bus stop after drivers ˜forgot™ to use a new route.
• Cranleigh wins three year Virgin air cargo contractCranleigh Freight Services has won a three year contract with Virgin Atlantic Cargo to provide daily air cargo road services to Amsterdam from London Gatwick and Heathrow.