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

Friday, 07 November 2014

BBC News

• Railway track laying reaches BordersTrack laying along the 30-mile route of the Borders to Edinburgh railway crosses into the Scottish Borders.
• Transport museum secures new homeThe Dundee Museum of Transport secures a deal to relocate to the city's Maryfield Tram Depot after a four-year campaign.
• VIDEO: Should cars and bikes be separated?John Maguire asks what London can learn from New York's experience of trying to improve safety for cyclists.
• Wrightbus wins London bus contractCounty Antrim coachbuilder Wrightbus wins a contract to supply Transport for London (TfL) with 200 New Routemaster buses.
• Third bus catches fire in a weekA bus catches alight in south-west London, the third such blaze in a week.
• Germany hit by 'longest rail strike'A four-day rail strike, billed as the longest in German history, hits passenger trains and threatens to disrupt celebrations marking the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.

Financial Times

• Virgin faulted for safety precautionsExpert says SpaceShipTwo had too few safeguards
• German railway drivers begin 4-day strikeUnion demands pay increase and greater representation

The Guardian

• First Group chief condemns Labours urge to control transportCompany bidding for East Coast mainline franchise accuses party of fixation on public sector involvement in rail servicesThe boss of FirstGroup has slammed Labours urge to control transport services and fixation on public sector involvement in rail services, claiming that the state-run East Coast mainline will return more money to the Treasury after it is reprivatised.First is one of three firms shortlisted to take over the rail line, which has been in public hands since 2009. In that time, more than £1bn has been paid in premiums by the not-for-profit body that controls it, Directly...

The Herald

• Ferry arriving today will not start on its route for weeksTHE new CalMac ferry that will carry up to 143 cars between Stornoway and Ullapool is expected in Scotland today, but is unlikely to start work for some weeks yet.
• £5m payout for pothole car damagePOTHOLE problems are worsening for Britain's ­drivers, with some councils facing huge increases in compensation claims for damaged cars.

The Scotsman

• Edinburgh trams become latest tourist attractionIT is renowned worldwide for its spectacular landscape, centuries-old architecture and cultural attractions.

The Telegraph

• Plundered at the pumpTelegraph View: Someone - be it the Treasury or the petrol giants - should find a way to let the motorist share in what is likely to be a temporary oil price bonanza

Mail Online

• Millions of motorists face being fined as Dartford toll road axes booths and forces driver to pay online From the end of this month, the Dartford crossing over the M25 – used by up to 50 million vehicles a year at a rate of up to 170,000 a day - will operate a ‘free flow’ system without barriers.

The Mirror

• Happy singer waiting for a bus: Hilarious footage shows man belting out a tune as he listens to musicThe unknown man is seen gesturing wildly and singing loudly as around a dozen bemused people look on while they wait for their transport to arrive

This is Money

• Heathrow losing out to Holland Chief executive John Holland-Kaye fears Heathrow is about to lose the crown as the number one airport in Europe.

London Evening Standard

• TfL’s old Art Deco home to become luxury flats Transport for London bosses have revealed plans to transform their Twenties headquarters into luxurious apartments, including several penthouses, valet parking and a basement swimming pool.
• Third bus in London catches fire this week Another bus caught alight in London this afternoon, the third blaze of its kind in a week.
• Video: Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary on how it will become 'Amazon for travel' Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary said the launch of a new service which lets users book holiday packages through the airline's website will allow it to become 'the Amazon for the travel industry'.

Yorkshire Post

• Ageing Pacer trains to be axed in Yorkshire, says PMIMPROVING road and rail links in the north is “absolutely fundamental to the future of the country” David Cameron has said.

Crewe Chronicle

• HS2 hub in Crewe boosts Middlewich station plansCheshire East Council leader Michael Jones supports idea of Middlewich train station

Peterborough Telegraph

• Power failure hits Peterborough railway stationThursday, 9.40am: A power failure at Peterborough railway station disrupted rail commuters this morning (6 November).

Other Regional Press

• New weekend bus links West Oxfordshire with the capital A NEW weekend and bank holiday bus service is to be launched between West Oxfordshire and London on Saturday.
• Special train shows potential for reopening Oxford's Cowley branch line to passengers + Audio BUSINESS leaders yesterday backed the reopening of a passenger train link from the centre of Oxford to Cowley as passengers used it for the first time since 1963 in a showcase journey.
• Labour leader Ed Miliband announces plans to help bus passengers during visit to Northampton CollegeThe Labour leader announced plans to give bus passengers more control over the services they use during a visit to Northampton College today.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Deputy PM calls for better cross-Pennine trainsDeputy prime minister Nick Clegg has announced plans for better trains in the north to reduce overcrowding and cut journey times. Mr Clegg is calling for electrified cross-Pennine links between Liverpool and Manchester on one side and Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and Hull on the other by 2025. As a result of the investment, journey times between any two of Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield would be shortened to 40 minutes, while overcrowding would also be reduced. Cross-Pennine rail routes are used by more than 25 million people every year and over a third of passengers have to stand during their...

The Business Desk

• Is it the end of the line for 'bus on rails' Pacer trains?ANY commuter that has been wedged on to a rocking and clattering Pacer train will have welcomed deputy prime minister Nick Clegg's pledge to phase them out. But his deadline is 2025, a long wait for some, and well beyond a requirement for all trains to be wheelchair-friendly by 2020 - a tall order for Pacers with their steps and narrow aisles

Aviation Industry

• Air Passenger Duty: what is it good for?In the absence of fuel duty and VAT on international aviation, or a more progressive tax where those who fly and emit more CO2 pay a correspondingly higher price, Air Passenger Duty will have to do
• German airlines face UK ban over shared passenger dataUK wants advance traveller lists in anti-terror crackdown
• Malaysia Airlines minority investors back $421m buyout offerCarrier moves step closer to becoming nationalised

Green Miscellany

• Solar-powered cycle lanes are goSolaRoad is new surface for cycle paths that converts sunlight into electricity and the first stretch, near the Dutch town of Krommenie, opens next week. Solaroad The idea behind SolaRoad is simple: sunlight on the road surface is absorbed by solar cells and converted into electricity, which is used for street lighting. SolaRoad is laid as prefabricated slabs topped with crystalline silicon…

Other News Sources

• MP Baker on his bike for school run PARENTS and pupils who cycle to school were joined by their local MP as they enjoyed the benefits of their two-wheeled school run.