Deutsche Bahn the government hold company that runs the German railways said that it would acquire Arriva a Britain based Transportation Company as it looks to expand into new markets.

The companies announced the deal to London Stock Exchange after Deutsche Bahn board approved the offer of £1.59 bn or $2.45 bn. The value of Arriva shares at 775 pence, or about 34% above the closing price on March 16, the day before the company announced it was in merger talks.

Deutsche Bahn said the amalgamation had tactical reason because the two companies mutually would have the required level, awareness and experience to make sure efficient competitiveness in growing transport markets.

Arriva come in the continental European market in 1997, now runs bus or road transport  and rail transport services in 12 European countries, including Slovakia, Sweden and Portugal. It had been in discussion with French rail transport operator SNCF, one of Deutsche chief rivals but declared in early March that talks had finished.

Based in Sunderland, England, Arriva employs 44,000 people, hold 15,400 vehicles and carriers over a billion passengers a year. It had more than £3 bn in income and £171 mn in working profit in 2008. The economic crisis hurt Deutsche Bahn’s business, with revenue declining 14% in the first half of last year, take the company to seek development in new markets.

Volkswagen the German car manufacturer is announced the 2011 Volkswagen Phaeton is revealed at the Beijing auto show. The 2011 Volkswagen Phaeton will be sold with four different engine options, and will be offered as an extended wheelbase.

The 2011 Volkswagen Phaeton is powered with V6 petrol engine system with a 276-HP or 206 kW / 280 PS but a torquier turbodiesel V6 with 236 hp or 176 kW / 240 PS is also offered.  VW shows that the V6 TDI is capable of getting the car to 100 km/h in about 8.6 seconds. 

The other two engines, a 330HP or 246 kW / 335 PS with petrol V8 and a 444HP or 331 kW / 450 PS with petrol W12, appear to be same as two of the units presently on offer with the car.  This is inadequate as those engines have been around for four years now, and the car would likely gain greatly from having a more fuel system efficient performance engine with direct injection and stop/start.

VW omitted the blacked out radiator grille cover on this car, in favor of chrome.  The outer has been modified from front to back, while the interior has been given 18 way seats and 4 sector climate manage. The base level Phaeton will be comfortable 5.06 meters long as the absolute model will extend out a further 12 cms. New customers can choose to have either two individual seats in the rear or a three person seat.

Airlines have lost around $1.7 billion after a week without revenue because of the chaos caused by Icelandic volcanic ash said in a report by the head of the International Air Transport Association or IATA Mr. Giovanni Bisignani. On Saturday and Sunday air transport lost $400 million per day calling an earlier estimate of 200 million US dollars per day.

The sector has also been left to pick up further costs like offering accommodation to the stranded customers, food and another mode of transport to get them home. We have seen a week with no income but that has not blocked the costs.

In Europe governments must take their responsibility and aids the air transport terming the firm losses of an act of God completely out of control of the airlines. However the situation was different from the result of the attacks on the US on September 11, 2001, when airlines were secured out by governments.

European air transport was gradually returning to normal on Wednesday after volcanic ash gliding from an eruption in Iceland provoked a shutdown last week that left millions of travellers stranded and hit the economy. The chief executive of Lufthansa, European major airlines by passenger numbers, said that the firm had no calculation on how much the stoppage had cost firm but that it was not marginal.

We dont need a bailout, we dont need an umbrella but as an industry we will have to make up our mind on whether we want state help or not said in a statement by Wolfgang Mayrhuber. Asked about how fast the sector would improve Mayrhuber said volcano will not change the wish and need to travel.

Mercedes-Benz the German car manufacturer is currently working on Mercedes-Benz Shooting Break concept a new four-door coupe concept which is going to make its first debut at 2010 Beijing International Motor Show.

The Mercedes-Benz Shooting Break concept is powered with a new direct-injection 3.5-L V6 engine system that produces 306HP or 225 kW and up to 370 Nm or 273 ft-lb of torque. The concept car is a sample of the future 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS.  With a lengthy hood, bulbous rear wheel arches, intensely cut styling across the cars side panels, and a swooping roofline, the concept is much enhanced proportioned than the often-criticized 5er GT.

"The Shooting Break concept car is based on the great tradition of a stylish, cultivated sportiness which has always characterised the great Mercedes Coupes, and it takes this unique legacy an exciting step further. At the same time it points the way towards the future design idiom of Mercedes-Benz." said in a report by Prof. Gorden Wagener the Mercedes-Benz top designer.

The features on the concept car include headlights made from 71 LEDs, lamps flank either side of the SLS AMG-styled radiator grille and are set above large air intakes.  The car rides on one-off five-spoke 20-inch silver wheels, which fit in well with the satin finish allanite grey mango paint job.

The interior of the car has contrasting cream and brown leather, though a third leather shade needlessly creates a tri-color scheme.  The use of the cream tone as the dominant color that carries into the headliner works to make the concept feel more spacious and comfortable.  The rear seats are stylish storage units intended to fit items like a laptop or tool kit, with a drawback that they may be hard to achieve.  A flat wooden floor in back will make sliding luggage or golf clubs in and out of the car a bit easier.

he Dubai Public Transport Agency RTA or Roads and Transport Authority has finished construction of 760 air conditioned road transport or bus shelters at 656 places in Dubai a completion rate as high as 97%, an operation rate reaching 81%, temporarily work is up and moving in finishing the remaining shelters the total of 971 shelters said in a report by Abdulla Yousef Al Ali, Director of Road transport or Bus Department at RTA.

This project is one of the planned projects undertaken by RTA to provide comfortable services to the users of public road transport or buses particularly during the high temperature in summer season as the shelters are fitted with air conditioners to provide a comfortable atmosphere for waiting commuters.

The main objective of launching this service is to entice the public to use public buses through providing innovative & cutting edge solutions offering passengers a comfortable environment while waiting for buses. The project plays a pivotal role in broadening, improving and integrating public transport sector spanning public road transport or buses, metro and marine transportation.

The RTA keep on presenting classy services Al Ali called on the users of air-conditioned bus shelters in Dubai to use these shelters in a right way, preserve their hygiene and abstain from tampering acts imposing losses on them. He particularly called on them not to depart the door unlock to damage the operation of the air conditioning or cooling system, and repeated them that shelters which ranked among the best services offered by the RTA to the public.

The RTA air conditioned bus shelters project is the first of its kind worldwide, and through this outstanding project RTA scraped GCC Engineering Unions Excellence and Innovation Award during the 12th GCC Gathering hosted by Qatar at 2008.

BMW the German car manufacturing company launches the xDrive all wheel drive system to all variants of the 5 Series GT and the 740d. The 530d xDrive GT and 550i xDrive GT are planned to launch in Germany market on June. The 535d xDrive GT, 535i xDrive GT and 740d xDrive will be introduced to market in September.

The BMW 550i xDrive makes its first debut at Auto China Beijing 2010 in April. The car is powered with a supreme V8 engine system boasting BMW double Power Turbo Technology and High Precision Injection. The car transfers 4.4L with excellent eight cylinder delivers highest output of 300 kW/407 hp all the way from 5,500 – 6,400 rpm as well as peak torque of 600 Nm/442 lb-ft keeps constantly between 1,750 and 4,500 rpm.

The BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo combines elegance, spaciousness, comfort and variability in a truly unique car concept and now this combination offering supreme motoring comfort is becoming even more thrilling and overwhelming.

XDrive was originally used by X vehicles like the X5 and X3, but now extends to a number of sedan models too. It works by continuously distributing power electronically to the correct axle and wheels at all times. All engines stays the similar comprising 300 kW of twin turbo V8 power for the 550i xDrive GT and 220 kW for the 535d xDrive GT.

Audi the German car manufacturer has announced new 2011 Audi A8 L W12 quattro, the long wheelbase version of the A8 top end sedan. The important difference from other models is its length and W12 FSI engine.

The 2011 Audi A8 L W12 car is powered with 6.3-L engine system with added petrol direct injection. It weighs 247 kilograms or 545 lbs and has a power output of 368 kW or 493 bhp / 500 PS plus torque of 625 Nm or 460.98 lb-ft at 3,250rpm. Running all four wheels is an 8-speed Tiptronic that helps the A8 L get from 0 - 100km/h in 4.9 seconds, getting a peak speed of 250km/h. Average fuel consumption is a low 12.0 L per 100 kms or 19.6 mpg.

The interior features of the car is MMI system, panoramic sunroof, 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System, 3D satellite navigation with Google Earth, and tanned Valonea leather. The exterior features of the car has single frame radiator grille with chromed horizontal bars, W12 badges and two trapezoidal tailpipes. Four 15-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels with 255/45 tyres are fixed as standard, but customers can order optional 20-inch or even 21-inch rims.

The overall length of car is 5,267 millimeters or 17.28 ft, 130mm or 5.1in longer than other models. It features a longer wheelbase and an increase in height of 3,122 mm or 10.24 ft and 2mm or 0.08in correspondingly. The 2011 Audi A8 L W12 is available with W12 FSI at launch, by the end of the year the car will be available with all the engines presently in the A8 range.

The South Africa Transport Minister S’bu Ndebele has announced a plan to develop a fast rail transport between Durban and Johannesburg. Ndebele announced in Parliament that the plan will go before Cabinet this year.

The Transport Department cited the crumbling and congested state of the national road transport network as the reason why high speed freight rail is so important. About 80% of our road network is now older than the 20-year design life for which it was originally built announced in parliament by Deputy Transport Minister Jeremy Cronin

Maistry said a complete possibility revise for the rail transport will be completed this year will be cost effective project that will deal with the resources expenses of the infrastructure, the rolling stock and tools. The Transport Department says that South African railways develop sufficiently to reach international standards.

Ndebele announced in Parliament that a high speed rail transport will reduce the travel time from 12 to about 3 hours. After a recent visit to China, Ndebele said the major challenge in front of South Africa is to modernise its railway system in a manner that promotes growth and development.

Fiat the Italian car manufacturer has unveiled the Fiat 500C Diesel version. The cost of Fiat 500C car is from €18,000 or $24,475 or £15,860 which will be available for sale in May.

The Fiat 500C car is powered with four type of engine system the 69HP or 51 kW / 70 PS with 1.2L, the 100HP or 75 kW / 101 PS 1.4L 16v, the 75 hp or 56 kW / 76 PS 1.3L Multijet, and the 95HP or 71 kW / 96 PS 1.3L Multijet II. The car will be backed up by a five or six-speed manual or a five-speed Dualogic robotized automatic transmissions.

The Fiat 500C car features 16-inch alloy wheels, yellow brake calipers only on the 1.4L model and satin chrome accents. The cabin is outfitted with denim style fabric, a Mohican gear knob, satin chrome trim and Diesel branding.

Eurostar the high speed passenger rail transport service connecting Paris and Brussels with London. The Ticket sales for the quarter hit £178million, up 5% on the similar period last year.

This is an improvement for Eurostar which was criticised due to a chain of train breakdowns before Christmas. The breakdowns which left 2,500 passengers stranded in the channel tunnel, found the firms mass departure plans were inadequate.

The number of Passengers for January to March this year reached 2 million compared with the same period last year when it transported 1.9 million passengers, said in a report by Eurostar with a 22% increase in passengers from outside Europe.The number of business travellers remained smooth in the first quarter of 2010, the number of vacation passengers travelling between the UK and the continent increase 6% to 1.76 million.

Eurostar is planning to set up the high speed rail transport / train service as a standalone company after years of negotiations. The British government along with French and Belgian state owned rail transport companies is announced that they will relinquish ownership of rail company and instead form a new company, which will be incorporated in the UK. French rail company SNCF will have a majority stake in the newly created entity.

United and US Airways the two big air transport in US have started amalgamation discussion that end result in the formation of second largest airline or air transport. 

This is the third time in a decade that the two air transport has tried to agree on amalgamation. Both companies are maintaining most of the discussions, which have been going on for two weeks and the spokesmen of both companies said they would not comment about it.

In the meantime, a person with straight awareness of the discussions said that discussions between the two companies are going fine, but there is no assurance an agreement will be attained. The air transport industry was knocked highly by fuel prices and various airline companies are concerned in merger discussions, with only few of them being accomplished.

The amalgamation of airlines is necessary for few quarters as a cost reduction. The International Air Transport Association or IATA announced the global airline industry sector will create a loss of $2.8 billion this year, with US and European airlines particularly suffering a lot.

UK Liberal Democrat plans to improve rail transport if they win at the next General Election have been reversed by a local parliamentary hopeful. The plan would be paid nearly £3bn changed from road to rail and local council and transport authorities could propose for money from a new Rail transport development support to improve, reopen and begin services.

This is the largest growth of the UK rail transport. ‘Our plans will reopen thousands of miles of track across the country and make our railway great again.’ said in a statement by transport secretary Norman Baker. The funds come from the motorways and major trunk roads programme valued at £6bn for the period from 2008/9 to 2013/14. 

Schemes already under construction or due to begin before the General Election would go ahead, but the rest would be cut by 90%. It would set away £480m to cut rail fares, and redirect the remaining £2.95bn to its new rail fund.

Regional funding allocations amounting to £3bn for major road schemes of regional importance would not be changed. Bids to the rail fund are evaluated by condition such as carbon reduction scheme is achieved and the amount of bidders financial offerings.

The Liberal Democrats have planned high priority projects that could continue in the medium term reopening and constructing new lines and stations as well as a long list of longer-term improvements.

Citroen Brazil plant the French car manufacturer announced Citroen AirCross car. The car is a crossover is an adventurous version of C3 Picasso MPV with a jacked up suspension and a body kit around the bottom of the body to give it a stronger, off road appearance.

The Citroen AirCross car is powered with a 1.6-L flex fuel engine system or the Citroen C4 2.0-L flex fuel system engine could be available. The Citroen AirCross car will feature representation elements like a new grille, side skirts, rear raised spare tire, and graphics.  The size of the car will be somewhat special as the car will be tall due to a higher suspension, and longer because of the spare tire. The width of the car should continue the same. 

The Citroen AirCross car will be revealed in Brazil in the second half of 2010.  Since it is based on the Picasso, which debuted at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, it is not amazing for Citroen to get the AirCross to Paris in September.

A ship was dash stranded in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is in hazard of crack and leaking more oil into the sea. A national oil leak response was started on Saturday following Chinese hold bulk carrier Shen Neng 1 dash stranded on the Douglas Shoal on Saturday evening.

The water transport was travelling at full speed in a confidential area of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, more than 13 nautical miles when it knocks the shoal. The five nautical mile prohibiting sector has been set up around the ship, with an Australian Maritime Safety Authority airplane or air transport directing passage through the zone said in a report by the Queensland Premier Anna Bligh.

 “The ship was cracked in the crash and was in danger of breaking apart and spilling its 975 tonnes of heavy fuel into the sea. It will require a serious and specialist salvage operation. This ship is in very damaged condition and the worry now is that the salvage operation may disturb the ship in a way that sees more oil discharged into the water.” said in a report by Ms Bligh.

The oil could probably wash up in the Shoal water Bay military training area in the next two days, but that was dependant on the effectiveness of the chemical dispersant. Dispersants are most effectual when used within 48 hours of leak and were sprayed in two separate deployments yesterday, one by a Rockhampton based light aircraft and a second yesterday afternoon on a slick measuring three kilometres by 100 metres.

Maritime Safety Queensland have been monitoring from the land and sea since the ship ran aground on Saturday, and had observed small quantities of oil around the ship. Captain Patrick Quirk, general manager of Maritime Safety Queensland. The ship was not expected to move without assistance and yesterday professional salvors have been employed by the ship owners. Ms Bligh said the Australian Transport Safety Bureau will be conducting a full investigation into the incident.

 “The Government is very conscious of the importance of the Great Barrier Reef environment and ensuring that impacts on its ecology are effectively managed,” said in a statement by Environment Minister Peter Garrett.

Air Transport Services Group Inc announced profits for the fourth quarter and 2009, improving from transversely the board losses a year earlier. ATSG holds ABX air transport and other cargo air transport ATSG received 18 cents per share for the quarter finished Dec. 31 on profits of $250.5 million. For the full year, income per share was 54 cents.

The company lost $1.03 per share for the last quarter of 2008 and 90 cents at the end of 2008. Profits for 2009 totaled $823.5 million, behind from $941.7 million the prior year.

Air Transport Services Group Inc said it appointed Rich Corrado, an experienced executive of the express delivery industry, as chief commercial officer of ATSG and president of Cargo Aircraft Management Inc., an ATSG aircraft hiring subsidiary company. Corrado has already worked for DHL Express and Airborne Express.

Acura the luxury car manufacturing division of Japanese Honda Motor Company revealed its 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon. The car makes its first debut at the New York International Auto Show.

The 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon car is powered with the 2.4-L, DOHC i-VTEC  and inline four-cylinder engine system connected with a Sequential SportShift 5-speed automatic transmission fit with steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters. The car delivers efficient performance while achieving an expected 30 mpg on highway.

The 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon features the latest in advanced technologies including an available HDD based Acura Navigation System with an all new 8-inch full VGA high-resolution color display, Acura Link Real Time Traffic, Weather featuring radar image mapping, ELS Surround Premium Audio System and a hard disk drive for media storage.

The 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon is equipped with standard features like a power glass moon roof, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather seats, a premium sound system, Bluetooth, and USB port and AUX jack music interface. The car will come with a comprehensive list of standard safety features, including Acura acclaimed Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure.