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

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

BBC News

• Why do ships still hit icebergs?It has been 100 years since the Titanic's infamous iceberg encounter, so why are ships still striking them?
• New terminal for nuclear trainsWork is under way on new freight terminal which will enable nuclear material to be moved from Caithness to Sellafield.
• Meeting focuses on cycling safetyCycle safety campaigners are meeting Transport Minister Keith Brown after four deaths in Edinburgh over the past year.
• Inquiry call over tunnel collapseA union calls for an inquiry by the Health and Safety Executive after some concrete collapsed from the entrance of a Crossrail tunnel.
• Nissan brings back Datsun brandNissan will revive Datsun as a low-cost car brand that will be sold in Indonesia, Russia and India from 2014.
• Kingfisher halts overseas routesKingfisher, the cash-strapped Indian airline, suspends all international operations and cuts down on local routes, as it seeks funding.

Financial Times

• Fuel prices put pressure on airline profitsRising fuel prices are expected to drag profit margins down to razor thin levels this year, the industry™s global trade body has warned
• EU climate chief braced for backlashConnie Hedegaard said she was trying to forge a global agreement to curb airline emissions that would make the EU policy unnecessary
• EU defies carbon trade war threatsThe threat of a trade war will not make the European Union back down on climate legislation, says Connie Hedegaard, the bloc™s climate chief

The Herald

• Scotland's roads will not follow sell-off in EnglandOWNERSHIP of Scotland's motorways and major roads will remain in Government hands even although those south of the Border face the prospect of a multibillion-pound sell-off, ministers have said.
• Build more bike lanes, says charityCYCLING groups will today call for a national network of dedicated routes to be built on Scotland's roads in a bid to get more people on their bikes.

The Telegraph

• Threat of global trade war over airline emission charges The threat of an aerospace trade war between Europe and the rest of the world has escalated after India joined China in threatening retaliation over the European Commission's carbon emissions charges.
• Airlines may fall to $5.3bn annual loss Rising oil prices could push Europe’s airlines to a $1.9bn (£1.2bn) loss this year, according to latest industry forecasts.
• David Cameron's half-hearted plans for road privatisation will fail to deliverThe Government's planned privatisation measures for the road network are timid and inadequate, says Ruth Porter.
• There's more magic to King's Cross than platform 9¾King's Cross has been so transformed it's as though a wand has been waved, says Rowan Pelling.

Reuters News

• Cameron says could privatise some roadsLONDON (Reuters) - The cash-strapped government could lease chunks of its road network to the private sector as Prime Minister David Cameron seeks to improve the country's infrastructure to stop it falling further behind its competitors.

Daily Express

• Airlines fear losses as oil prices rocketSOARING oil prices are set to cut airline profits this year and an outbreak of hostilities over Iran could push the industry into the red, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned yesterday.

Mail Online

• BUDGET 2012: Boris island airport could get lift off as Osborne rips up 60 years of planning law to drive economy forward’ The potential of a new airport in the Thames estuary a step closer after Mr Osborne warned that Britain needed to ’confront the lack of airport capacity’ in the South East of England.
• Boris Johnson: It should be blindingly obvious that transport counts with the electorateSTEVE DOUGHTY: All the signs from the Mayor have been that he doesn’t care about something that is of central interest to all the ordinary people whose interests he represents.

Network Rail

• HISTORIC CARTOUCHES RETURN TO LONDON'S SOUTH BANK

Bristol Live

• 'All change please' as new rail boss gets to workDavid Clensy meets the youngest ever route managing director for Network Rail, former Bristol student Patrick Hallgate – the man now in charge of the entire Great Western Line, who has billions of pounds to spend over the next few years.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• £46m rail improvement scheme for Wrexham linesA RAIL route is to get a cash injection of £46m to improve speeds and efficiency.

Journal Live

• Prospect of tolls to improve A1 raised by David CameronMOTORISTS may have to pay tolls for any improvements to be made to roads like the A1 through Northumberland.

Wales Online

• Make transport a Budget priority, Chancellor told THE Chancellor has been urged to deliver infrastructure investments for Wales when he delivers his budget speech this afternoon.
• Carwyn Jones renews attack on 'not good enough' Cardiff AirportFirst Minister Carwyn Jones has renewed his attack on Cardiff Airport, accusing it of leaving passengers locked in baggage halls and forcing people to use side doors because the front was not open.
• Cardiff news: Wales accused of snubbing cost-effective German tram-trains plan for Valley LinesGerman “tram-train” technology is being snubbed in Wales even though it could cut the cost of electrifying the Valley Lines, according to a leading transport expert.

Chester Standard

• Massive Wrexham-Chester rail plan revealed A £36 MILLION scheme to double up the rail line between Wrexham and Chester has been unveiled.

Other Regional Press

• Minister: New franchise will offer rail users a better dealRail passengers across the West will get a better deal from the region’s new franchise, Justine Greening has promised.
• HIGH SPEED RAIL LINK PLAN IS UNVEILED A NEW high-speed coastal rail service to London with stops at Sellafield, Millom, Barrow and Ulverston could be in operation by May 2015.
• Halesworth: Rail users told loop project on schedule DOZENS of rail users gathered in Halesworth to find out the latest developments for the train service in east Suffolk.
• Transport campaigners slam plans to sell off major roads TRANSPORT campaigners in Hampshire have hit out at a controversial Government proposal to sell off Britain’s major roads.
• Fuel price threat to bus routesFares will spiral and routes could be under threat if fuel is hiked in tomorrow’s Budget, according to Preston’s two biggest bus firms.
• Bus thugs spark passenger fearsNearly one in 10 passengers are worried about anti-social yobs on board Lancashire’s buses, it was revealed today.
• Online bus booking scheme is first stop for passengersA NEW online booking service has been launched for people who find it difficult to use regular bus services.
• Old double-deckers set for Bedworth returnTHE clock will be turned back in Bedworth town centre when two old double-decker buses make an appearance.

Global Rail News

• Desiros increase capacity in the NorthA fleet of 20 new four-car Class 350 Desiro trains will soon be boosting capacity for London Midland and First TransPennine Express. Angel Trains will be financing the deal worth a total of £131million. Siemens will supply ten Class 350/3 units to strengthen the existing London Midland fleet and ten Class 350/4™s to First TransPennine [...]
• New King™s Cross concourse opensThe spectacular new western concourse at King’s Cross station opened its doors to the public yesterday. A stunning new glass and steel roof structure has been blended with the Grade-1 listed station™s heritage to create a space for passengers that is three-times larger than the current concourse, with improved links to both the London Underground [...]
• VINCI completes training facility for CrossrailVINCI Construction UK™s Technology Centre has completed the design and construction of a £13 million centrepiece training facility at Crossrail’s Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA). The facility comprises a 40m long tunnel simulator that provides a realistic environment for Crossrail to train the 3,500 operatives needed to construct the new central London rail tunnels [...]
• Improve Ore ElseImprovement work on the Ore Tunnel, and other infrastructure work between Hastings and Ashford International is forging ahead on schedule. Says Network Rail™s Route Managing Director (Kent), Fiona Taylor, ˜The improvement works in Ore Tunnel and those being carried out to upgrade track, bridges and embankments along the route between Ashford and Hastings are progressing [...]
• Historic crests return to Blackfriars stationVisitors to the South Bank caught a glimpse of history this weekend, as work began to reinstall renovated railway cartouches at Blackfriars station. Two 16-tonne cartouches “ giant iron plates bearing the insignia of the London, Dover & Chatham Railway that once served Blackfriars “ were removed in 2011 to allow for the construction of [...]

Aviation Industry

• Are airlines charging families more to fly together?Airlines are allowed to charge extra for parents who need to sit next to their kids on flights, but there are a few things you can do to try to avoid these fees.
• Oneworld welcomes Air BerlinAir Berlin (AB) became a member of the oneworld alliance in a Tuesday joining ceremony at the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), which will serve as AB™s home base and be Europe™s newest hub when it opens June 3.
• Cameron admits need for more air capacityPrime Minister vows to maintain UK as a major European aviation hub
• 'Oil price now bigger threat than Eurozone crisis' “ IATAAssociation warns on weaker profits for airlines as fuel costs face further rise
• Will Osborne listen to travel industry on APD?Signs do not look good for any respite on aviation duty in the budget

Other News Sources

• Budget: Extra £130m for Northern Hub upgrade The Chancellor has given the go-ahead to speed up Network Rail’s Northern Hub electrification and upgrade programme with the release of £130m.
• Work at Heathrow T2 will save 75 tonnes of water a day BAA is set to recycle 75 tonnes of water a day when the newly developed terminal two opens at Heathrow Airport in 2014.
• Four wheels bad, two wheels good in Lewes Road revamp One of the biggest transport shake-ups in Brighton and Hove is coming to a city road that is used by more 60,000 people every day.
• Boeing to Showcase 787 Dreamliner at 2012 FIDAE Air ShowThe Boeing (NYSE: BA) 787 Dreamliner, the world's most advanced passenger airplane, will make its Chilean debut as the centerpiece at the FIDAE 2012 International Air and Space Fair in Santiago, ...
• VIRGIN ATLANTIC CARGO ANNOUNCES RETURN TO MUMBAI Virgin Atlantic Cargo is increasing its network covering 350 destinations worldwide with the return of flights to Mumbai, India's thriving commercial centre from October 28th 2012. The new...
• Drunken Passengers Responsible for Most Emergency Incidents at European AirportsThe majority of emergency incidents occurring in airports are related to drunk and aggressive passengers, according to intermediate conclusions of the first in-depth study of European airports,...