Joomla! site syndication http://www.transport-4u2.co.uk Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:47:32 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.transport-4u2.co.uk/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.transport-4u2.co.uk Joomla! site syndication http://www.transport-4u2.co.uk/content/view/6/2/ Tight airport security hasn't stopped thievesOf all people, Jeff Boyd should have known better.He is president of a company, Luggage Free, that is one of several luggage delivery services founded in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, when antiterrorism measures in the United States required that air travelers' luggage be left unlocked, and thefts rose as a result. But this past February, Boyd and his girlfriend, Lindsey Wieber, did not use the delivery service and instead checked their luggage for a flight from New York to Park City, Utah, where they planned to go skiing. When their flight was canceled, they took another. Their luggage showed up the next day, with half their things missing. It was a last-minute trip, Boyd said sheepishly.Thefts can, and do, occur anywhere at an airport - at curbside, from checked luggage, in public areas before travelers go through security, at the security checkpoint, and even beyond, with some airports more theft-prone than others. In the United States, a report by the Transportation Security Administration on passenger claims for theft, loss or damage to personal items from luggage in 2004 ranked Los Angeles International Airport at the top, with 1,458 claims, followed by O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, with 963 claims. The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport came in third, with 904 claims.The number of claims is undoubtedly a fraction of the real number of thefts. Many people do not report their loss because they are frustrated with the paperwork, they do not have time to track down a security officer as they scurry to their next flight, they do not have insurance, they do not know they have been robbed until they get home and find something missing from their checked luggage or a host of other reasons.Outside the United States, risk assessment experts say, some airports in Latin America and Africa are known for high rates of theft, with airport security personnel and even government officials sometimes working with the thieves. But airports anywhere can be targeted by thieves, the experts say. In Latin America, the corruption of security forces is huge, said Tobias Friedl, Latin America manager for iJET Intelligent Risk Systems, which helps multinational organizations assess travel risks to staff and assets, avert trouble and respond when problems arise. There have been major scandals at several airports in Latin America in the last couple of years. He cited an incident at Ezeiza International Airport in Argentina where the son of the airport security director was implicated in a scheme to ship cocaine from Bolivia through Argentina to Spain. He also noted the theft of an armored truck carrying $8 million at the Guatemala City airport last September. He said the theft not only illustrated the extent of the corruption but also the fact that the people to whom a traveler might turn for help after a theft may actually be the thieves themselves. The airport security director was involved, his subordinate, the security supervisor, two security guards and two low-level security agents, Friedl said. If these people are involved in all this criminal activity, they might also steal your luggage, even though they can make more money doing other things. News - Latest Wed, 07 Jul 2004 11:54:06 +0100 http://www.transport-4u2.co.uk/content/view/11/9/ China joins club of bullet train nationsAt 5:38 am sharp on Wednesday the sparkling white, futuristic No. D460 train departed Shanghai Station, heralding a new era of high-speed rail travel in China.Reaching speeds of up to 250 kilometres (155 miles) an hour, the sleek machine covered the 112 kilometres to the neighbouring city of Suzhou in 39 minutes, cutting the journey time nearly in half.With it, China also joined a small group of the likes of Japan, the United States and most of the European Union, running bullet trains. It felt like we were travelling on an airplane, 78-year-old Shanghai resident Chen Lijuan was quoted by state-run Xinhua news agency as saying. In the past it took more than an hour to get here. The carriages were spotless, with the seats striped blue and red looking like those on an aircraft, as students, families and businessmen on the Beijing-Tianjin route settled down for the trip, an AFP photographer said.In keeping with the high-tech image, the trains support WiFi services for those with laptops and other mobile devices wanting to keep in touch.The Ministry of Railways told AFP that 52 trains had been deployed on short distance services around China aimed at alleviating overcrowding on what is still the nation's most important form of transport.By the end of the year, the ministry said 108 more trains would be added.The high-speed era started slowly in southern China, however, when a passenger train broke down between the cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, delaying 32 other trains -- including 21 high-speed trains -- for more than five hours, Xinhua reported.The incident occurred at 7:35 am due to a mechanical glitch, officials with Guangzhou Railway Group said. They declined to say whether the stalled engine was a high-speed train, Xinhua reported.Liu Dongwei, a driver on the Shanghai-Suzhou line, said China's train technology had come of age, recalling how only a decade ago average train speeds were less than 50 kilometres an hour. My job has become easier -- more like operating an airplane, Liu, 38, said.China, now the world's fourth-largest economy, is keen to show off the new bullet trains as evidence that it can develop its own technology in key sectors. FAQs - Examples Wed, 12 May 2004 11:54:06 +0100 http://www.transport-4u2.co.uk/content/view/2/9/ PROPOSED MIDDLE EAST RAILWAY PROJECT TO BE DISCUSSED IN DUBAIDUBAI, Sept 3 Asia Pulse - A proposed railway network connecting the GCC countries, including Bahrain, will be discussed at a major conference in Dubai next month.Transport experts from across the region are expected to attend the event, which will examine the latest developments in urban and inter-urban rail networks.The fourth Middle East Rail Projects Conference will take place at the Park Hyatt in Dubai on October 30 and 31.The two-day event will bring together regional and international leaders to share the latest industry trends and provide fresh intelligence on integrating urban and inter-urban rail networks.Among the keynote speakers will be the director-general of the Arab Union of Railways Mourhaf Sabhouni, GCC General Secretariat transport director Sultan Al Ghanim and Dubai Roads and Transport Authority director of planning Abdulredha Abu Al Hassan.Companies from Bahrain are expected to attend and international law firm Norton Rose has already signed up.GCC assistant secretary-general for economic affairs Mohammed bin Ubeid Al Mazroie said early this month that a project to build a grand railway network connecting all countries in the Gulf region was being studied.He said the project aimed to achieve co-ordination, interconnection and integration among GCC states in all fields.The conference will feature an update report on the GCC railway network, assess the opportunities arising from the proposal and what needs to be done next as well as information on all other projects in the region. Newsflashes - Newsflash Mon, 09 Aug 2004 08:30:34 +0100