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

Saturday, 26 November 2011

BBC News

• Call to name road after regimentA campaign calls for a stretch of the A470 in north Wales to be renamed in honour of the Royal Welsh regiment.
• Isles fuel price cut from MarchA motor fuel duty discount for remote island communities will start from March 2012, the UK government has confirmed.
• Man admits causing city bus chaosA man admits causing mayhem on a Glasgow street after he drove off while drunk in a bus with passengers, police and paramedics onboard.
• CCTV parking penalty cars removedFour CCTV camera cars which were involved in more than 18,500 wrongly-issued parking fines are removed by Richmond Council.
• Strike threatens Heathrow chaosHeathrow airport is asking airlines to halve the number of passengers they fly into the airport next week to try to minimise disruption caused by a strike.

Financial Times

• Airlines take steps to avoid Heathrow 'gridlock'Carriers in US offer customers flight changes at no cost as airport fears disruption from Wednesday's strike by immigration officers

Mail Online

• Brits should have their own entry point at airports to slash queuing times, says Labour MPHoey's motion, which has received all-party support, comes against a backdrop of chaos at passport desks with the Home Office in disarray over its border security.

The Mirror

• Woman claims Hovis loaf saved her life in horror smashA MOTHER-of-two walked away from a car crash after her life was saved – by a loaf of BREAD.
• Network Rail to be prosecuted over teen crossing deathsNETWORK Rail is to be prosecuted over the deaths of two girls at a level crossing six years ago.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• New charge for Chester shoppers’ bus serviceSHOPPERS from North Wales now have to pay for the bus ride between Chester rail station and the city centre, after a commercial company forced the free shuttle bus off the road.

Manchester Evening News

• Britain's first seaplane to fly again as enthusiasts make replica of Manchester-built WaterbirdEnthusiasts are to relive one of the landmark moments in aviation history by building “ and flying “ a replica of the 100-year-old Manchester aircraft that became Britain's first seaplane.
• Residents halt building of Metrolink depot outside their homes on public green in WythenshaweFurious residents today halted contractors who started to build a 200-metre long transport depot on a public green near their homes in Wythenshawe - claiming no-one had told them it was going to be built.

Metro

• Heathrow delays could last 12 hours because of strikes, BAA warnsPassengers due to fly in or out of London Heathrow Airport next week have been warned by aviation chiefs to expect long delays.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Island fuel prices set for 5p-a-litre reduction as rebate scheme gets nodFUEL prices in the Northern and Western Isles will be reduced by 5p a litre from March, the UK Government confirmed yesterday.

Wales Online

• Free bus travel is just the ticket for Swansea tradersTRADERS in Swansea have welcomed plans to allow children free bus travel during the Christmas period.

Yorkshire Post

• Scottish fuel price cut ˜paves way for Yorkshire™A DECISION to grant a five pence a litre fuel discount to remote islands in Scotland and the Isles of Scilly has “opened the door” for a similar scheme in rural North Yorkshire, according to a local MP.
• War of words over pensions strike as airport chaos loomsministers and unions last night ramped up a war of words over next week’s strikes by public sector workers amid warnings of huge disruption to flights across the UK.

Daventry Express

• Ford staff threaten strike action after talks over pension dispute break downFORD staff may go on strike for the first time since the 1970s after workers’ union Unite walked out of its latest negotiations with the firm.

Other Regional Press

• Western Morning News published Heathrow rail shuttle makes sense: MinisterTransport Secretary Justine Greening has indicated provisional support for building a £450 million Great Western rail line to Heathrow – slashing journey times between the Westcountry and the airport.
• House fire closes Kennington Road KENNINGTON Road is closed this morning following a house fire.
• Stagecoach™s 13 new buses costing £1.9m for Northamptonshire route will offer leather seats and free Wi-FiA MAJOR bus operator has unveiled a fleet of premium buses to boost its flagship route through Northamptonshire.

Forbes

• Goodbye, Maybach Says Mercedes-Benz? Mercedes-Benz will cease production on Maybach models in 2013. Sales of the uber-luxury car model have been lackluster in recent years. The end comes a few years after Maybach celebrated it's centennial. The company was founded in 1909 by William Maybach, and is currently owned by AG. The news was reported by AutoWeek.???Despite the ...

Bus and Coach.com

• Quality contract for Tyne and Wear?Plans for a quality contract covering the entire Tyne and Wear area are being considered this week by the region™s integrated transport authority.
• Progress on £89million Luton BuswayThe first concrete beams for the £89million 13,4-kilometre Luton Dunstable busway were laid this week.

Global Rail News

• Supply chain gets set for Toyota-fuelled boostSuppliers of car parts and staff in the region are already gearing up to benefit from Toyota's £100 million investment in its Derbyshire plant. More than 50% of spend by Toyota Manufacturing, in Burnaston, goes into the UK supply base.
• Network Rail appoints new HR directorNetwork Rail has announced the appointment of a new human resources director, Richard Doyle, formerly HR director of Kraft/Cadbury. His appointment follows the announcement of current ...
• Imminent decision on HS2 ˜needs to be part of wider transport strategy™A broad coalition of campaigning groups is launching a new report on high speed rail, setting out what ’still needs to be done by the Government ...
• European railways join forces to improve ticketingOn 23 November, at the second CER Information Session on Ticketing in the European Parliament, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) presented the ...
• Arriva set to double in size in Sweden following record tender winEuropean transport group Arriva is set to double its operations in Sweden following a major contract win. The 12-year contract, awarded by regional transport authority Storstockholms ...
• Bombardier boosts signalling operations in The NetherlandsRail technology leader Bombardier Transportation is set to enable the first mixed European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) Level 2 and conventional signalling operation, on one ...
• £20k railway graffiti vandal jailedA prolific graffiti vandal who caused more than £20,000 worth of damage to trains across the country has today been jailed today. Joseph Binney, aged 22 ...

Aviation Industry

• Challenging the airlines on emissions trading and taxationThe past two weeks have seen us focussing on how the aviation indsutry is responding to environmental challenges. Tim has met with industry representatives involved with the Sustainable Aviation initiative to discuss the future advisory role of SA™s stakeholder panel. Sustainable Aviation is a coalition of airlines, airports, air traffic managers and manufacturers that has [...]
• UN report shows role for EU ETS in helping to control rising emissions from aviationGlobal aviation emissions have risen by 26% between 2005 and 2010, despite high fuel prices and the economic downturn, and are forecast to continue growing, UN researchers said this week. With the right policy levers in place, technology improvements  and the introduction of biofuels could help constrain the growth in aviation emissions, they conclude, but [...]
• Ryanair threatens to sue Aer Lingus if it refuses to hold EGMRyanair has stepped up its row with rival Aer Lingus by threatening to sue its directors for a breach of company law if the carrier refuses to hold an extraordinary general meeting.
• Ryanair claims Spanish victory in screen scraping scrapRyanair has hailed the success of its reCAPTCHA anti-screen scraping security measure claiming two Spanish sites have stopped displaying its prices.
• Bargaining is still the best option for American AirlinesAmerican Airlines and its pilots' union should get back to the bargaining table this week and work out a new labor contract.

Other News Sources

• £325m additional fuel tax bill is out of touch with struggling logistics sector, FTA warns ChancellorThe Freight Transport Association (FTA) is warning the Chancellor against pressing ahead with a 3 pence per litre fuel duty increase from 1 ...
• Traffic delays expected as Castle Hill roadworks extendedMOTORISTS can expect severe delays on one of Reading's busiest main roads next week as major roadworks are extended for a further five days.
• Germany in the dock over rail inter-operability The European Commission has is to refer Germany to the European Court of Justice for failure to implement common rules on achieving inter-operability of European railways
• Low carbon future requires more sensible infrastructure says ICEInvestment in road infrastructure will be critical in developing a low-carbon transport network, according to a report from the Institute of Civil Engineers.
• Northern Line extension could inject £4.5bn into UK economyAn independent study commissioned by Transport for London is expected to advocate the building of an additional branch of the Northern Line.
• RMT announces Royal Fleet Auxiliary action as authorities confirm total shutdown of key North East transport servicesTRANSPORT UNION RMT confirmed today that members on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will strike alongside public sector colleagues on the 30th November as transport authorities in the North East admitted that there will be a total shutdown of the Tyne and Wear Metro and ferry services.