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

Saturday, 05 April 2014

Financial Times

• EU probes airlines foreign stakeholdersMove comes as Etihad seeks to boost presence in Europe, raising its stake in Air Berlin to the maximum allowed and with an expected offer for half of Alitalia
• Etihad expected to seek Alitalia stakeGulf carrier eyes offer for about half of airline and comes as Brussels launches probe into stakes in four European airlines held by foreign investors
• Storm-struck southwest rail link reopensTwo months after the sea swept away a key stretch at Dawlish, a team of engineers has completed work on getting the route to Cornwall back on track
• Unions to seek judicial review of rail saleA campaign is being stepped up to keep the East Coast route north from London in public hands, as moves to privatise it gather pace

The Guardian

• MH370: Time running out in search for Malaysian Airlines plane's black boxSonic trawl of southern Indian Ocean underway as countdown begins to end of flight data recorder's signal transmissionsFour weeks after the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, the underwater search for the wreckage has started: a sonic trawl of a stretch of the southern Indian Ocean more than 1,000 miles from the Australian coast.The overall search area has narrowed, but only to a vast expanse of 217,000 sq km. Members of the international operation have vowed to continue the hunt for the Boeing 777, yet the black box or flight data recorder is only expected to emit signals for...

The Telegraph

• UK car sales roar to highest level in a decade Car sales in Britain have roared to their highest level for a decade thanks to resurgent consumer confidence and surging demand for fuel-efficient vehicles. Almost half a million new cars were registered last month, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT). The industry body said the 18pc year-on-year rise was down to fuel-conscious motorists looking for cars that could do more miles to the gallon, as well as the rise of financing deals that allow consumers to lease out a vehicle, rather than buying one outright.
• Mazda recalls 42,000 cars because of spiders Mazda is recalling 42,000 Mazda6 cars in the US because spiders can weave a web in a vent hose and cause the fuel tank to crack. The recall involves cars from the 2010 through 2012 model years equipped with 2.5-litre engines. The yellow sac spider, which is attracted to hydrocarbons, builds webs that cause pressure to build in the fuel tank. That increases the risk of fuel leaks and fire.

Reuters News

• Britain seeks tenant for BAE's Portsmouth shipyardLONDON (Reuters) - Britain has appointed agents to find a tenant for the country's historic Portsmouth dockyard, which is due to be vacated by BAE Systems by the end of the year as the defence contractor shuts its shipbuilding activities in the city.

Daily Express

• Last remaining World War 1 aircraft carrier lovingly restoredTHE only surviving example of the world’s first aircraft carrier has been lovingly restored.

This is Money

• New car sales rise to highest level in a decadeThe Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said 464,824 new cars were registered last month, 17.7 per cent higher than the 394,806 in March last year.
• Easyjet's shares climb to a record high after 5.1m passengers opt to fly on the budget airline in MarchThe orange airline carried 5.1million passengers in March, a 4.8 per cent increase on 4.9million from the same month of last year.

Network Rail

• Network Rail appoints new managing director to spearhead £25bn infrastructure investment programmeNetwork Rail has announced that Dr Francis Paonessa will join the company as managing director, infrastructure projects this summer. Dr Paonessa is currently managing director UK, Bombardier Transportation. He will replace Simon Kirby, who leaves Network Rail in June to take up the role of chief executive at HS2 Ltd.

London Evening Standard

• PM visit call as Dawlish line opens Holidaymakers have been urged to head to the South West this year to help the region recover millions of pounds lost during the closure of the Dawlish railway line.

The York Press

• York joins city 'coalition' to make HS2 call YORK is among a

This Is Local London Network

• Kingston Council admits mistake over pothole accident figures Far fewer people were injured by potholes in Kingston last year than initially thought, Kingston Council has said.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds trolleybus design amended after ‘land grab’ row with art collegeA ‘LAND grab’ row between Leeds College of Art and the city’s trolleybus bosses looks on the way to being resolved after the design was amended.
• Tour de France legend Barry Hoban predicts explosive start in YorkshireOne of the most successful British cyclists in the history of the sport is backing the two Yorkshire Grand Depart stages to set the Tour de France off to an “explosive” start.

Yorkshire Post

• Sales of new cars surge to 10-year highNew car sales soared in March, with the new 14 number plate helping registrations reach their highest monthly total for 10 years.

Blackpool Gazette

• Virgin confident of capital link successA direct train service from Blackpool to London could be reinstated by the end of the year, rail bosses have today revealed.

Burnley Express

• Traffic lights to be installed at busy Burnley roundabout to ease traffic TRAFFIC lights are set to be installed on a busy roundabout to ease long tailbacks, it has been announced.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Travel: New bridge building closes A14 in both directions at Bury St EdmundsA new bridge being built across the A14 has closed the road to traffic this evening and will again tomorrow night.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Claims HS2 could be end of the line for PeterboroughProtesters have claimed that Peterborough’s economy could lose £65 million plus a year if the Government’s HS2 High Speed Rail plans get the go-ahead.

Other Regional Press

• Cruise ship to undergo emergecy repairs PASSENGERS on a Southampton-based cruise ship will have to spend an additional three days in Barcelona as the vessel undergoes emergency repairs.
• Government appoints firm to find new uses for Portsmouth shipyardThe Ministry of Defence has named the firm it has chosen to market Portsmouth’s soon to be vacant shipbuilding facilities.
• New spine road will connect up plans for enterprise zoneTHE job of installing a major new road at Daedalus enterprise zone has been taken on by Hampshire County Council.
• Commuters warned of 'fatberg' road jams MOTORISTS and commuters are being warned they could face delays of up to 45 minutes near Oxford Station due to work to remove a “fatbergâ€� from a sewer.

Aviation Industry

• Airports Commission publishes assessment framework for considering new runway sitesThe Airports Commission has published its final assessment framework for the three options shortlisted for the building of a new runway, and to guide consideration of a Thames Estuary option pending a decision later this year on whether it should be included. AEF maintains that new airport capacity is unlikely to be compatible with environmental […]
• EASA advises airlines to avoid Crimean airspaceThe European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has advised airlines to avoid the Crimea peninsula as confusion arises over who has control over air traffic control services in the disputed region. read more
• Air France to close CityJet sale by the end of April Air France has approved the sale of its Irish regional subsidiary CityJet to Intro Aviation and is expecting to close the deal by the end of April. read more
• Kenya Airways' low-cost arm Jambojet launches operationsKenya Airways’ low-cost subsidiary Jambojet launched its first flight on April 1 after nearly three years on the drawing board. read more

Green Miscellany

• London buses adopt Formula 1 technologyIf you feel thrown around during your next bus ride, don’t be too quick to blame an over exuberant driver – the forces exerted by a 15-ton bus constantly stopping and starting in traffic is very similar to those experienced by a Formula 1 car and engineers are taking advantage of this fact to pioneer fuel-saving technology. Williams Hybrid Power, which is part…