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

Wednesday, 03 April 2013

BBC News

• Samoa Air boss defends charging passengers by weight The head of Samoa Air has defended the airline's decision to start charging passengers according to their weight.
• Devon councils face £800m potholes bill Councils across Devon claim it will cost nearly £800m to repair roads damaged by freezing weather and flooding over the winter.
• Coventry Transport Museum given £4.6m lottery grant A project to restore a 12th Century former school in Coventry and incorporate it into a museum has been given a £4.6m lottery grant.
• Train fares in Scotland set to fallChanges to the ticket pricing structure on Scotland's train network will see some fares slashed by as much as 41%, the transport minister pledges.
• London buses 'hit two people a day'Buses are involved in two collisions a day with pedestrians and cyclists, figures from Transport for London show.

Financial Times

• STX Offshore seeks creditor reprieveWorld’s fourth-largest shipbuilder by orders received requests debt restructuring, sending shares in the struggling South Korean group down 15%
• Stobart board in counter coupBoardroom turmoil continues at road-haulage group as Avril Palmer-Baunack is told her position is ‘no longer appropriate’ after two months in the job
• Eco City Vehicles revs up for taxi rivalryNew chief of group behind Vito black cab will use competitive financing packages to fight for market share as Nissan prepares to launch low-fuel model
• US budget cuts dent Delta revenue growthCarrier blames slower growth on reduced government travel, making it one of first US companies to directly link its fortunes to federal budget cuts
• Virgin seeks talks over Air France-KLM link-upUK airline prepares for talks on joint venture that could also involve Alitalia in move to increase its flights to Asia, the Middle East and Africa
• MSC offloads 35% stake in ports businessDeal with consortium covers portfolio of 30 container terminals around the world either controlled by MSC directly or operated through a joint venture

The Guardian

• Samoa Air says charging passengers by weight is 'concept of the future' Airline defends 'pay what you weigh' ticket policy, saying families have been particularly pleased by cheaper child tickets
• Eddie Stobart executive chairman to step down Avril Palmer-Baunack was promoted less than three months ago to role haulage group now describes as no longer appropriate

The Scotsman

• Business briefs: Eddie Stobart THE owner of haulage firm Eddie Stobart yesterday said it had axed the role of executive chairman as it lifted full-year forecasts, thanks to recent better trading.

The Mirror

• Reading railway station chaos as £897m revamp over-run hits rush hour commuters The new facility – built at more than double the initial £400m estimate – was late being handed over from Network Rail to First Great Western

Bolton News

• Five businesses make way for transport hub FIVE businesses are set to disappear from Bolton town centre to make way for a new transport hub.

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow noise 'to blight live of millions more Londoners'Two million more people will have their lives blighted by aircraft noise if Heathrow is allowed to expand to a four-runway airport, it was claimed today.
• Two London buses a day are involved in crashes with cyclists and pedestriansLondon buses are involved in two collisions with cyclists or pedestrians every day, according to Transport for London.
• Seven die in Rio viaduct bus plungeA passenger bus has plunged from a 10-metre (30ft) high viaduct in central Rio de Janeiro, killing at least seven people and closing the major thoroughfare where it landed.

Other Regional Press

• BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE SEEK ONESIE WEARING PASSENGER ON NEWCASTLE TO CUMBRIA TRAIN BRITISH Transport Police are calling on the public to help trace a teddy bear onesie-wearing rail passenger who wreaked havoc on a busy train.
• Aberdeen bus lane cameras snap 2,000 drivers in first weekNEARLY 2,000 motorists were snared by Aberdeen bus lane cameras in the first week of new enforcement action.

Global Rail News

• Britain’s railway named Europe’s most improvedBritain has the most improved railway in Europe, a new study has found. Research led by the European Commission has revealed that Britain outperformed all 27 EU member states when comparing the progression of each country’s rail network since the 1990s, beating Germany (7th), France (10th) and Italy (23rd). Britain performed particularly well in safety, [...]
• Fans ride the Yankee trainNew York Yankees’ fans took the ‘Nostalgia Train’ to the team’s season opener on Monday (April 1) against the Boston Red Sox. The train featured 1917 vintage Lo-V (low voltage) cars, which were removed from regular passenger service in 1969. The Yankees had boasted a 4-1 record in home openers since the launch of the heritage [...]
• ATC wins final major Crossrail construction contractThe final major construction contract for Crossrail has been awarded to Alstom, TSO and Costain (ATC). The joint venture will fit out London’s new rail tunnels with 40km of track, overhead power equipment and ventilation and drainage systems. Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail chief executive said: “Construction of the new rail tunnels under London continues to advance. [...]
• New metro line opens in the Dominican RepublicSanto Domingo’s east-to-west metro line has opened to passengers after being officially unveiled by the President of the Dominican Republic, Danilo Medina. The opening of Line 2 is another step in the city’s effort to remove traffic from the congested city streets. Fourteen stations have now opened and the new line will carry approximately 400,000 [...]
• Sun, sea and rail bridges at St BeesGetting wet on the beach – sounds like a happy recollection of Things We Did Last Summer. Countless songs and movies tell us that sun, sea and sand is the way if you’re California Dreamin’ or just Surfin’ USA. However, for most of the year, in this country we approach the water with more caution [...]
• New platforms open at Reading stationFour new platforms have opened at Reading station following a busy Easter period on the rennovation project. Two-thousand engineers completed the equivalent of 20 full weekends of work on site between Thursday (March 28) and the early hours of Tuesday (April 2) morning. A 110-metre long passenger bridge and new escalators were also completed over [...]
• Name Czech for Railsport cyclistsRail cyclists are ramping up training as the evenings lighten in preparation for the next Railsport Cycling event, a road race at Oakley, Buckinghamshire, on Saturday 6th July 2013. Interest is high after a stirring performance by the team last year in the Czech Republic at the USIC (Union Sportif International De Cheminots) Railways Cycling [...]

Railnews

• Rail in Britain 'most improved in Europe' - now business wants more spent on roads and air AS Britain’s railways are revealed to be the most improved in Europe, a survey of British manufacturing firms has called on the government to invest more in road improvements and airports. The manufacturers’ organisation EEF has also called on the government to accelerate the 30-year timetable for the new HS2 high speed line, as well as do more to convince manufacturers about its benefits.

Aviation Industry

• Austrian Airlines phases out last 737, eyes more 777s in 2014 Austrian Airlines Group has phased out its final Boeing 737-800 as part of its restructuring process to eliminate the brand Lauda Air. read more
• Stansted attracts first new airline since ownership changeAir Moldova set to switch services from Gatwick later this month
• Jet 2 expands services at East Midlands airportNo-frills carrier will launch flights to Prague and Budapest next winter
• Doha’s new airport opening delayed Planned debut cancelled just hours before first flight was due to arrive

Other News Sources

• Edinburgh-Glasgow rail link facing potential three-year delay A £650 million project that will see the electrification of the main Edinburgh-Glasgow rail line is facing a potential three-year delay, the Scotsman reports.
• IAG and Amadeus agree new distribution dealBritish Airways flights will continue to be available to agents through the GDS