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

Sunday, 30 March 2014

BBC News

• Hundreds attend Manston airport closure meetingHundreds of people have attended a meeting called to rally opposition to the proposed closure of Manston Airport in Kent.
• Crossrail digs up Black Death victimsSkeletons unearthed by London's Crossrail are victims of the Black Death and may be part of a mass grave, forensic tests reveal.

The Guardian

• Flight MH370: Chinese relatives arrive in Malaysia to demand answersTwo dozen family members fly into Kuala Lumpur to meet 'highest officials' as huge search continues to draw blanksMore than two dozen Chinese relatives of passengers on Flight 370 arrived in Malaysia on Sunday to demand to meet top officials for more information about what happened to the airliner that has been missing for more than three weeks.Two-thirds of the 227 passengers aboard the Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared 8 March en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur were Chinese, and Beijing has urged Malaysia to be more open about the investigation.

The Telegraph

• Arriva hopes to steam into French railway systemIt might seem that France is almost as protective of its railways as it is of its champagne. But one Briton, David Martin, the chief executive of transport giant Arriva, is trying to break the stranglehold of France’s national railway company, SNCF, with an imaginative offer to French regional authorities to trial privately run passenger services from 2016.
• Network Rail braced for £70 million fineRail regulator expected to be fined about £70 million after missing punctuality targets    

Mail Online

• MH370 search hopes dashed as objects retrieved by Chinese ship are rubbishThree objects retrieved by a Chinese ship in the search for missing flight MH370 are pieces of floating rubbish, it has emerged.

The Mirror

• Missing plane recap: 'Increasing hope' of finding Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 after floating objects spotted in Indian OceanSearch efforts are resuming in remote waters west of Perth in Australia after more sightings of suspected debris

Lincolnshire Echo

• Lincoln rail fight will go on despite doubt over trains to London Lincoln rail fight will go on despite doubt over trains to London

London Evening Standard

• 'Chaos... Biggest mess ever': Passengers tell of fury after Heathrow Airport fire alarm plunges terminal into confusionFurious passengers were left fearing for their safety after a fire alarm at Heathrow Airport sparked chaos this morning.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds motorists could get brief parking ‘grace period’PARKING laws could be relaxed amid fears town halls are using fines as a “cash cow” while their budgets are being squeezed.

Carlisle News & Star

• Stamp marks anniversary of saving Settle to Carlisle line A special stamp is being launched to commemorate the 25th anniversary since the Carlisle to Settle railway line was saved.

Doncaster Free Press

• Investment in Doncaster rail servicesPassengers using Northern Rail services in Doncaster and across the region are set to benefit from an improved service as part of a new investment programme.    

Other Regional Press

• Deafening silence from authorities over noisy, low-flying aircraft in Colne ValleyLow-flying aircraft are causing a nuisance in the Colne Valley, a councillor says. And Clr David Ridgway believes Kirklees Council should be able to speak to the authorities to try and resolve the problem.
• 'School may have to move due to aircraft noise'Deputy council leader says Heathrow should pay to move Cranford Primary School if it cannot provide sufficient noise insulation at existing building
• MPs stage Manston Airport public meetingSCORES of Manston Airport supporters attended a meeting called by Thanet MPs to discuss efforts to save the business
• Taxi drivers pull rank to get junction made safe at Lincoln Railway Station A dangerous junction in Lincoln city centre is to have its safety features improved after calls for action from taxi drivers. In the past five years, the "right-turn only" exit of Lincoln Railway Station's car park has been the site of repeated incidents, witnesses say.
• New book on Louth railway from Lincolnshire Wolds Railway SocietyMany say getting rid of the railway was one of the worst decisions ever made for Louth.
• Rail Minister Stephen Hammond was late for Corsham railway station meeting . . . after missing his train Rail Minister Stephen Hammond was late for a meeting with campaigners hoping to re-open Corsham railway station - after missing his train.
• Rail station remains on right trackA RAILWAY station that came close to closure in the 1960s is now the second busiest in West Oxfordshire after a 25 per cent jump in passenger traffic in just one year.
• Historic former tram shelter to be restored in time for Tour de FranceEdgerton bus shelter to be dismantled and repaired
• Rail work to continue on Weymouth to Waterloo line COUNTY: Track renewal work continues on the Weymouth-Waterloo line this weekend, causing disruption for passengers.

Other News Sources

• Campaign launched to improve Kirton railway stationA campaign is being launched to give a boost to Kirton Lindsey station, which is on the line linking Barnetby and Brigg with Gainsborough, Retford, Sheffield, Grimsby and Cleethorpes.
• Reader’s Letter: Whitwell Railway Station is cheerfulWhen I first moved to the Worksop area in 1972, I, like many people drove almost everywhere.
• Network Rail Admits Punctuality FailuresNetwork Rail has said it is "disappointed" at not hitting its punctuality targets amid reports the firm is expected to receive a record fine for failing to ensure services run on time.
• Man thought to have been hit by train found to be 'sleeping on embankment'Emergency services descended on Walton on Thames train station following reports that a man had been hit by a train