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

Tuesday, 06 March 2012

BBC News

• Southend Airport's £10m passenger terminal officially opened A new passenger terminal at Southend Airport has been officially opened by transport secretary Justine Greening.
• Unused Oyster cards worth £55mWhat's lurking on your unused Oyster card?
• Power fault brings Eurostar chaosEurostar services between London and the continent suffer serious delays due to an overhead power cable fault, with many passengers stranded on trains.
• 'No review' of BMI airline saleThe OFT will not review BA-owner International Airline Group's deal to buy BMI, leaving it to European competition authorities.
• Cable admits Vauxhall 'concerns'Vince Cable tells the BBC he has
• Nissan set to create 2,000 jobsCarmaker Nissan is to build a new model at its Sunderland factory, a move that will create 2,000 jobs.

Financial Times

• IAG eyes luring American into Oneworld pactChief insists potential merger between ailing US carrier and Delta could be persuaded to join his global alliance over rival SkyTeam™s
• Maersk laments erosion of shareholder valueChief of world™s biggest container shipping group berates industry practices and urges companies to rein in fleet growth to improve returns
• Jobs alert in push for Heathrow growthMinisters are under fresh pressure to reconsider the case for a third runway as a BAA-backed study warns of big losses to GDP and employment

The Guardian

• Unions and industry join forces to push Heathrow third runway Unite and Institute of Directors back BAA-sponsored research claiming UK could lose out on 140,000 jobs without a hub airport
• London mayor: your ideas for public transport policy The first crowdsourcing debate of our project to create a new vision for London looks at improving tube, rail and bus services
• Nissan to create 2,000 new jobs by building compact car in SunderlandVince Cable says decision “ which will boost area hit by cuts and recession “ 'a vote of confidence in UK manufacturing' Nissan will build its new compact car at its factory in Sunderland, creating 2,000 jobs and providing a major boost to one of the regions hardest hit by recession and spending cuts, the company says.The business secretary, Vince Cable, will confirm at the Geneva Motor Show that the Nissan expansion “ which will create 400 jobs at the factory and 1,600 more in the supply chain “ was underwritten by £9m from the government's regional growth fund.He will say:

The Herald

• Chance to try electric vehicles at exhibitionDRIVERS will be able to try out electric vehicles as part of an exhibition dedicated to showcasing renewables being launched in Glasgow today by power company SSE.
• Edinburgh roads plans approvedA SHAKE-up of the road system in Edinburgh which aims to give greater priority to pedestrians and cyclists has been passed by councillors.
• Anger as OFT declines to examine BMI takeover dealTHE controversial takeover of loss-making airline BMI by British Airways' parent firm moved a step closer yesterday as the UK's market regulator declined requests to scrutinise the deal.
• First Group to cut capital bus servicesFIRST Group has been given the green light to make cuts to bus services in Edinburgh after complaining to the UK competition watchdog it has been affected by extended tram works in the capital.

The Scotsman

• Safety call after second cyclist death THE death of a second cyclist in two months has led to calls for an urgent summit to improve safety on Edinburgh’s roads
• New Nissan model creates 2,000 jobsJAPANESE car giant Nissan will today announce plans to build a new model at its UK factory under a £125 million investment programme.

The Telegraph

• Nissan Invitation concept car set to create 2,000 jobs Jobs for more than 2,000 people are expected to be created by Nissan at its Sunderland plant and among suppliers by a new small concept car project costing £125m.
• Virgin Atlantic blasts OFT after it rules out UK review of IAG's BMI deal Virgin Atlantic's attempt to thwart International Airlines Group (IAG) from taking control of BMI was dealt a serious blow on Monday when the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) ruled out a separate UK review of the deal.
• Refusing to expand Heathrow could cost UK £8.5bn a year, Oxford Economics warns The study by Oxford Economics said that constraints on capacity at Heathrow would result in up to 5.8m fewer visitors to the UK from long-haul destinations annually by 2021.
• Eurostar commuters face severe delays after cable failureIrate rail passengers slammed Eurostar's customer services after a cable fault in northern France caused delays of up to seven hours and forced the cancellation of four services on Tuesday.
• Ford launches 'bumper kick' carThe days of having to put down bags of shopping in order to open the car boot could soon be over, after Ford unveiled a door that opens when the car's rear bumper is kicked.
• Eurostar travel chaos strikes Paris fashion week Thousands of passengers face travel chaos after Eurostar cancelled services following an overhead power cable fault in France during Paris Fashion Week.

Press Association

• Government to host satnav summit The Government is due to hold a satnav summit to try to put an end to drivers being sent the wrong way by their in-car systems.

Daily Express

• Virgin fury at BMI ’cop-out'A PROPOSED tie-up between IAG, owner of British Airways, and BMI will be judged by the European competition authorities following a decision by the Office of Fair Trading.

Mail Online

• Bentley unveils its king off the road: Luxury car maker reveals first 4x4 - with a top speed of 185mphAfter almost 100 years of producing luxury tourers, Bentley is launching its first 4x4, which will rival the Range Rover and Porsche Cayenne when it goes on sale from 2015 at around £140,000.

The Mirror

• Blocking Heathrow's third runway could cost 140,000 jobs, claims report Carolyn McCall warned the UK risked lagging behind Europe as the Government drags its feet over airport expansion plans
• Back British firms, urges Ed Miliband Ed Miliband is to fly the flag for British manufacturing today with plans to defend our firms after the Bombardier scandal.

Network Rail

• FEWER BUSES THIS EASTER AS IMPROVEMENT WORKS KEEPS PASSENGERS ON THE RAILS

Bristol Live

• Campaigners for Greater Bristol Metro set out plans to transform rail services by 2018The West of England Partnership – the body that represents the four local authorities – officially launched the Greater Bristol Metro Rail campaign last week.

Liverpool Echo

• Baggage handling operation at Liverpool John Lennon Airport will always now be compromised, GMB union boss warnsLIVERPOOL John Lennon Airport’s baggage handling operation will remain dangerously compromised for the foreseeable future, union bosses warned today.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post commented Nottingham residents told how tram works will affect their livesMORE than 500 people turned out to meetings to find out how their neighbourhoods will be affected by work to extend Nottingham's...

East Anglian Daily Times

• Essex: Transport Secretary Justine Greening opens London Southend AirportA NEW airport passenger terminal which could play a role in the expansion of UK aviation has been officially opened.

Sunderland Echo

• Sunderland deserves bus services as good as London™s, says Houghton MP“WE want better buses” – that’s the cry from a Sunderland MP as she launches a campaign to improve transport in her constituency.

Other Regional Press

• 80% jump in fare price for express busCOMMUTERS are bewildered by confusing fare increases that have seen the cost of their bus journey rise by up to 80%.
• Joy for rail travellers as transport minister promises Glasgow's nine "at risk" stations will not shutNINE Glasgow train stations have been saved from closure after Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown finally gave an absolute assurance today that none will shut.

C.N.N.

• Power glitch leaves passengers stuck on EurostarPassengers on the Eurostar rail service that connects Britain and France were left stuck in trains deep into the early hours of Tuesday because of a power supply problem.

Global Rail News

• Most reliable year’ on the TubeTransport for London has said that London Underground is ’heading for its most reliable year’ since TfL took responsibility for the Tube ten years ago.
• Crossrail casts tunnel liningA new tunnel segment manufacturing plant has begun full operations in west London. Construction staff are hard at work pouring the first batch of 250,000 concrete segments that will line the 26 miles of Crossrail tunnels. The plant is at Old Oak Common and will employ about 60 people at its peak, including the first [...]
• Timelapse video: Train carriage refurbished in 3 minutesSouthern has released a timelapse video featuring the refurbishment of one of its carriages. Southern’s first fleet of Class 377 Electrostar trains was introduced onto the network over ten years ago. The train operator said the trains were starting to look ‘a little tired’ and were in need of some TLC. The two and a [...]
• ˜Glasgow stations safe™ says Transport MinisterTransport Minister Keith Brown has confirmed that ‘no Glasgow train stations will close as a result of the Rail2014 consultation’. Mr Brown reaffirmed the Scottish Government™s commitment to rail services after receiving more than 1,200 responses to the consultation, which asked for passengers™ views on how the next rail franchise should develop. Mr Brown said: [...]

Aviation Industry

• Government stands firm on Heathrow runwayThird runway at airport will not be considered as part of aviation review
• Kingfisher urges pilots to keep flyingIndian carrier meets with staff as it tries to resolve financial problems
• Iberia to be hit by 24 days of strikesDispute over new no-frills airline intensifies but Walsh pledges to 'work around' strikes
• New buyer signs deal for BmibabyEuropean group now competing against UK rival for no-frills carrier

Other News Sources

• ACI: Passenger traffic starts the year off strong at 5% while air freight declines for JanuaryOn the whole, both international traffic and domestic traffic posted gains in the vicinity of 5 percent for the month of January. The Asia-Pacific region has been a major contributor to this...