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

Wednesday, 17 December 2014

BBC News

• Emergency over plane engine fireA plane flying from Glasgow makes an emergency landing at Belfast International Airport after one of its engines caught fire.
• City taxi body 'woefully inadequate'London's transport body is criticised for being "woefully inadequate" when it comes to regulating the taxi and private hire industry.
• VIDEO: Erasure fan prompts Tube singalongA fan of Erasure sparked an impromptu singalong on the London Underground with his own version of the band's A Little Respect.
• 'Standards not met' in Duck sinkingsRecent incidents involving Duck amphibious vehicles highlighted poor maintenance and a failure to meet standards, a report finds.
• Cheaper fuel cuts UK inflation to 1%Lower fuel prices have pushed the UK's rate of inflation down to a 12-year low, official statistics show.

Financial Times

• MPs condemn £10.5bn train dealsContracts transferred all the risk to UK taxpayers, says damning Commons report

The Guardian

• French rail firm gives staff makeup tipsSNCF rejects accusations of discrimination, pointing out that document contains advice for men as well as women. The French rail operator SNCF has been accused of sexism after advising staff on how to use discreet lipstick and perfume and what mascara to wear.
• On The Road: a journey through modern America with GreyhoundFrom its humble origins in Hibbing, Minnesota, Greyhound became one of the iconic American transport companies. Laura Barton is travelling across the US this week trying to understand its allure 100 years after it started.
• Order for new trains could have left taxpayers ˜badly ripped offPublic accounts committee says Department for Transport put public money at risk and sowed confusion in rail industry. Two fleets of trains ordered for £10.5bn by inexperienced officials at the Department for Transport have put taxpayers money at risk, sown confusion in the rail industry and could mean higher fares, a report from MPs claims.
• FlyBe plane forced to make emergency landing at Belfast airportPassengers describe fireball lighting up side of aircraft as flight from Glasgow is diverted to Belfast International. A Flybe plane had to make an emergency landing at Belfast international airport on Tuesday night after one of its engines caught fire.

The Herald

• Ousted Prestwick firm offered to invest £2m in ailing airportA COMMERCIAL servicing company ousted from Prestwick Airport to boost business for the hub's own in-house firm had offered to invest £2 million this summer to develop a

The Telegraph

• Buggies on British buses are a disgrace If you want to see the worst that humanity has to offer in London, try bringing your buggy on a bus. If it’s not the general moodiness of the driver (they really, really don’t take cash any more. They haven’t for a very long time), then it’s the person who is using the bus to move half of his or her worldly possessions from Archway to the Elephant.
• Britain's worst airports for Christmas delays namedThe UK’s two busiest airports – Heathrow and Gatwick - saw the most disruptions over the 2013-2014 festive period. This was based on the number of flights from 10 UK airports that left at least one minute past the departure time, between December 20, 2013 and January 3, 2014.
• Petrol prices could plummet to just 99p a litre The cost of a litre of petrol could drop to just 99p due to the plunging price of world oil, the RAC has said. This would take prices at the pumps falling to their lowest level since the end of May 2009.
• Fears of travel chaos as Christmas getaway begins earlyAirports and railway stations are preparing for their busiest ever festive season as the annual exodus begins a full week before Christmas Day

The Mirror

• Petrol to plummet to just 99p a litre as plunging oil prices keep fallingFuel could be at its lowest price since May 2009 as soon as the New Year, motoring bosses have claimed

Network Rail

• Christmas warning for passengers planning to use the West Coast main line over the festive periodPassengers are being advised to avoid the West Coast main line and to check before they travel over the Christmas period as Network Rail continues its programme of investment and improvements.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• MP calls for law to help tackle anti-social behaviour hell caused by off-road bikers ANMP has presented a Bill in Parliament demanding tougher rules around the sale of off-road bikes to help combat anti-social behaviour

London Evening Standard

• Stansted Airport sees rise in passenger numbers The numbers of passengers using Stansted Airport is rising, according to new figures.

Manchester Evening News

• Car stuck on tram tracks in Chorlton triggers more Metrolink misery Trams on the Metrolink Manchester Airport line grounded to a halt due to a car being stranded on the tracks this evening

The York Press

• Help Sustrans monitor wildlife on cycle paths CYCLING charity Sustrans is looking for volunteers to help search for mistletoe along its Foss Islands and York-Selby cycle paths in Yorkshire this month, as part of work to monitor the plants and animals that live on the National Cycle Network.
• Rail electrification project work could be three years lateThe challenge to complete the Government's rail electrification programme on time is very large, MPs have been told.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Work begins on education centre at Stansted AirportWork has begun on a £500,000 education centre at Stansted Airport.

Other Regional Press

• Work starts on £10.1m road improvements on the M40First phase of massive road works scheme has started to improve safety in Warwickshire
• Residents to be consulted for a second time about plans to slash £1.5m from the bus budget Hertfordshire County Council’s Cabinet agreed on Monday to consult the public on whether it should withdraw funding from bus services.
• Car parking is verging on the unsightly WAYS of solving the ever-increasing problem of resident parking is being looked at by Swindon Council.
• Westbury to Swindon route a huge success RAIL campaigners celebrated the first anniversary of the TransWilts train line with the service doubling the predicted number of journeys made by passengers in its inaugural year.
• Get on your bikes for a better life SWINDON is one of the most car-dependent places in the country, according to a new study.
• Rolls-Royce ‘tech centre on target for 2016’ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Cars has confirmed the construction of the company’s new Technology and Logistics Centre in Bognor Regis is now well under way and on target to be fully operational in early 2016.
• BAE torpedo deal shows our commitment to Portsmouth, says defence secretaryYesterday marked an important day for Portsmouth, the Royal Navy and our defence industry when I announced a new £270m contract to upgrade the Spearfish heavyweight torpedo on our submarines.

Aviation Industry

• Airbus Group announces top management changes Airbus Group COO Günter Butschek has resigned and will leave at the end of 2014 to pursue other career opportunities. read more

Other News Sources

• Vintage bus event in Winchester revived AN annual Winchester tradition that had been dropped has been revived but in a smaller form.
• Police appeal after woman died in motorway smash POLICE are appealing for information after a woman died in a motorway smash.