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

Saturday, 12 May 2012

BBC News

• Bus crime reduced by two-thirdsCrime on and around the West Midlands bus network falls by 65% over the last five years, figures show.
• Optimism at St Andrews rail studyCampaigners calling for the restoration of a direct rail link to St Andrews welcome the findings of a new feasibility study.
• VIDEO: Royal Navy pilot's 'Top Gun' trainingRoyal Navy pilot Lieutenant Daniel Latham, likely to be one of the first British pilots to fly a Joint Strike Fighter, tells the BBC what it is like flying an F-18 Super Hornet for the US Navy.
• Union agrees Olympics bonus dealEngineers, electricians and managerial staff on the Tube agree to a £850 bonus for working during the Olympics.
• Revamped station ceiling replacedAbout £500,000 will be spent on replacing the ceiling of a west London Tube station which was revamped in 2008, Transport for London says.
• Airport demo targets London mayorAirport protesters stage a protest at City Hall in London as Kent County Council calls for better use of Gatwick and Heathrow.
• Fuel tanker driver strike avertedA strike by fuel tanker drivers is averted after drivers vote to accept a peace deal, the Unite union announces.

Financial Times

• IAG hurt by fuel costs and BMI chargesCarrier created by British Airways-Iberia merger reports worse than expected €249m quarterly operating loss and expects only to break even in 2012
• AMR agrees to consider merger optionsThe parent company of American Airlines has responded to pressure from creditors to take a more open view of a potential tie-up with rival US Airways

The Herald

• £71m rail link plan for St Andrews is proposedRECONNECTING St Andrews to Britain's rail network would create strong demand for train travel and a profitable railway route, a feasibility study has concluded.
• Glasgow gains ground in battle of the airportsA RESURGENCE in holiday flights has helped Glasgow Airport regain significant ground on Edinburgh five years after it was overtaken as Scotland's most popular airport.

The Telegraph

• Fuel tanker driver strike averted as union members accept dealA strike by tanker drivers has been averted after they voted narrowly to accept a deal aimed at ending a long-running row over terms and conditions.

Daily Express

• Fuel heads whammies stopping IAG take-offTHE owner of British Airways said it will only break even this year as it suffers turbulence from soaring fuel prices, Government taxes, striking Spanish pilots and its recent takeover of the BMI Group.

Mail Online

• Fuel tanker strike averted after drivers vote by 1% margin to accept peace dealSix weeks after the government was shaken by panic buying of petrol across the country, hauliers voted by just 51 per cent in favour of ending the dispute.

The Mirror

• Fuels and fools: Petrol strike threat is over... no tanks to the ToriesNo tanks to Tories

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Wreck of MV Carrier cleared from LlanddulasTHE operation to remove the wreck of the cargo ship MV Carrier, which ran aground near Llanddulas, has been completed.

Liverpool Echo

• Jaguar Land Rover jobs boost for Ellesmere Port with opening of new parts plant COMMUNITY leaders today welcomed Jaguar Land Rover’s plans to create 300 jobs by opening a new parts plant in Merseyside.
• Free bus to run on Liverpool’s Light NightA FREE bus service will operate around Liverpool city centre for next week’s Light Night spectacular.
• £300m to be spent replacing every Merseyrail trainMORE than £300m is to be spent replacing every single train on the Merseyrail network.

Manchester Evening News

• CCTV: Brandy-binge driver aged 69 drove wrong way down Eccles street with terrified wife in the passenger seatDerek Mitchell, 69, of Irlam, was caught on camera driving his car on the wrong side of Liverpool Road in Eccles and then crashing at traffic lights when he was twice the drink drive limit after a brandy binge. A court heard his terrified wife was in the passenger seat of the car at the time.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Revised deal puts Northern Rail firm on track for 2014TRANSPORT firm Northern Rail has got the green light to continue running trains in Yorkshire for two more years.

Yorkshire Post

• Business and tourist chiefs hail return of direct Heathrow linksFlights from London Heathrow look set touch down at Leeds-Bradford International Airport for the first time in more than three years.

Blackpool Gazette

• Drivers to cash in on price warA SUPERMARKET price war has this week seen major stores slash their fuel prices.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Nacton: Man dies on railway lineA MAN Has died after being hit by a train in Nacton.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Ortons cycle routes revamp completeWORKS to improve cycle routes for school children in Peterborough have now been completed.

Sunderland Echo

• Out-of-pocket OAP demands end to Metro scooter banA PENSIONER with polio claims he has been left out of pocket by a scooter ban on public transport.

Other Regional Press

• Leicester Mercury commented City bucks the national trend by boosting road safety spendingLeicester City Council increased its spending on road safety by more than 25 per cent last year.
• Airport sale would see coffers soarCASH-strapped council chiefs could ease the cuts with a massive cash windfall, it has been claimed.
• Secton of aircraft carrier to be moved from Portsmouth Naval Base on MondayA HUGE 6,000-tonne section of the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier will now be rolled out of the yard at Portsmouth Naval Base on Monday, the shipbuilders said last night.
• Exeter man to take part in 140-mile bike ride for Asthma sufferers AN Exeter man is preparing to take part in Asthma UK™s challenging Beach to Beach Bike Ride for the second year running after the condition nearly claimed the life of his son.
• UK & World News: Poor transport 'hitting exports'Poor transport connections are holding UK companies back from exporting, a survey has claimed.
• Horror motorbike crash in Northamptonshire town centre kills an OAPAN ELDERLY man has died after he was involved in a “horrific” collision with a motorbike in a Northamptonshire town centre.
• Safety boost in £2.7m motorway barrier projecta £2.74M Highways Agency project to boost safety along the M6 gets underway next week.
• Protesters fight Boris Island plansCampaigners are to descend on London's City Hall today to protest against multi-billion pounds airport plans off Kent's coast.
• Manston Airport night flights opposedProposals for night-time flights at Manston Airport have been thrown into doubt after Thanet District Council said it will not support the plans.
• Marking the end of shipbuilding eraToday is 50 years since the launch of Cold War submarine HMS Ocelot - which marked the end of 400 years of ship-building at Chatham Dockyard.

Forbes

• 2012 Toyota Land Cruiser Test Drive And Review: Adventure Without SacrificeHardly the stripped down adventure vehicle of the past, the 2012 Toyota Land Cruiser brings a base price of $65,970 ($74,210 as tested), a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty, a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty and EPA fuel economy estimates of 13 mpg city/18 mpg highway.

Bus and Coach.com

• Bus and coach growth at National ExpressNational Express says that commercial revenue in its UK Bus business remains strong, growing by 4 per cent year-on-year in the first three months of 2012.
• Norman Baker to attend Euro Bus ExpoTransport minister Norman Baker will attend the opening day of Euro Bus Expo, 6 November.
• New operators lined up as FirstBus cuts Services being withdrawn next month by First Scotland East in East Lothian and Midlothian will be covered by a mixture of new commercial and tendered services to be introduced by Lothian Buses, and services contracted by East Lothian and Midlothian councils to a number of smaller operators.

Global Rail News

• Bombardier awarded Scandanavian locomotive contractBombardier Transportation announced today that it has won an order from Bure for seven TRAXX F140 AC locomotives. The locomotives are designed for freight transport in Sweden and Norway, with delivery expected in the fourth quarter of 2012. The contract is valued at approximately €24 million. Bure has purchased these locomotives to lease them to [...]
• TfL issues Jubilee travel adviceCelebrations marking The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee will be taking place at various locations across London between Saturday 2 June and Tuesday 5 June, and Transport for London has issued travel advice to enable Londoners and visitors to get around the city. TfL is advising everyone intending to be in central London to use public transport, [...]

Aviation Industry

• IAG losses deepen as fuel costs riseInternational Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG), parent company of British Airways (BA) and Iberia (IB), reported a pre-tax loss of €263 million ($340.5 million), worsened from a €47 million loss in the year-ago period, despite revenue rising 7.8% to €3.9 billion.
• Bombardier 1Q revenue, profit fall on lower aircraft deliveriesBombardier™s first-quarter net profit dropped 13.6% to $190 million from $220 million in the corresponding year-earlier period, partly as a consequence of lower commercial aircraft deliveries.

Other News Sources

• 11/05/2012 - Weekly newsletter on Mobility and Transport in Europe
• Government drops plan to buy F-35 for navy's aircraft carriersThe government is abandoning its plan to buy its preferred fighter jet for the Royal Navy™s new aircraft carriers due to escalating costs and delivery delays.
• Gatwick Airport Welcomes Air China - Helping the UK Become Better ConnectedAir China launches its first non-stop service from Gatwick to Beijing.