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

Sunday, 01 March 2015

BBC News

• Airport power failure investigatedAn investigation is under way after a power failure left hundreds of passengers stranded at East Midlands Airport.
• Bombardier launches test flightBombardier Inc launches test flight of its CS300 jet.
• East Coast rail back in private handsServices on the East Coast rail route between London and Scotland return to private hands after more than five years in the public sector.

The Guardian

• US road trip: a guide to Route 66Driving America’s most iconic highway is the trip of a lifetime. Author and Route 66 expert Candacy Taylor shares her tips on the classic motels, old-school diners and gas stations to stop at en route for a true slice of Americana Extra miles: The ‘Green Book’ and the road’s legacy of racial segregationRoute 66 is the quintessential American road trip. No other road has captured the imagination and the essence of the American spirit. It has inspired musicians, filmmakers and writers, from classic literature (John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath) to Pixar movie Cars and video game Grand Theft A...
• Weather chaos in Texas and Oklahoma forces 1,600 flight cancellationsThousands of air travelers stranded as weather service issues advisoryDrivers urged to stay off highways as freezing rain coats roadsFreezing rain that coated parts of Texas and Oklahoma for the second consecutive day left highways slick and forced the cancellation of another 1,000 flights Saturday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, one of the nation’s biggest airline hubs.The Saturday chaos was on top of about 600 flights nixed Friday, forcing about 5,000 travelers to spend the night at the airport, spokesman David Magana said. The airport provided cots, blankets and toiletries to th...
• Teenage cyclist stabbed to death in London is named as Alan CartwrightMet launches murder investigation over fatal stabbing of 15-year-old, who was attacked while out cycling with friendsA teenage boy stabbed to death in London as he cycled with friends has been named by police as Alan Cartwright.The Metropolitan police have launched a murder investigation after Cartwright, 15, was fatally wounded when he and his friends were attacked in Caledonian Road, north London, on Friday evening. Continue reading...
• 'Nobody cares any more': the relatives who went looking for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370It’s nearly a year since Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished – and despite an international rescue operation, no trace of it has emerged. Could relatives of the missing passengers solve modern aviation’s biggest mystery for themselves?A year ago, on 8 March 2014, an American schoolteacher named Sarah Bajc sat in her Beijing apartment waiting for the plane carrying her boyfriend Philip to land. Her anxiety was growing; there had been sketchy news reports that a plane had vanished from radar screens, so she was hitting refresh on a flight-tracker website. Refresh. Delayed. Refresh. Delayed. ...

The Independent

• Government accused of being asleep at the wheel over failure to exploit £900bn new car technology revolution Britain risks missing out on the benefits of a £900bn global “smart carâ€� revolution because the Government is asleep at the wheel, a major parliamentary report will warn this week.

The Telegraph

• Female pilot and nurse decorated for life-saving Afghan heroismMaj Laura Nicholson has received the Distinguished Flying Cross for twice calmly taking her Chinook into heavy fire to pick up casualties, while Sqn Ldr Charlotte Thompson-Edgar received the Associate of the Royal Red Cross for life-saving work in six tours of Afghanistan.

Reuters News

• UK government rejects calls for higher diesel tax to cut pollutionLONDON (Reuters) - The British government rejected calls on Sunday to raise taxes on diesel vehicles to reduce air pollution but said it will consider a national network of low-emission zones.

Mail Online

• Alan Cartwright, 15, stabbed to death on north London street during bike theft Alan Cartwright, pictured, was killed after being confronted on Caledonian Road, Islington. He cycled a short distance after he was stabbed, but collapsed and died on the street shortly afterwards.
• Father's anger after bus driver threatens to kick his deaf toddler off for being too NOISY  Kyle Johnson (right), 23, was on a First bus in Plymouth, Devon, with his two-year-old son Ethan (left) when the driver told him he would have to get off if Ethan, who wears two hearing aids, wasn't quiet.
• JetBlue tweet 'Oh, the Bluemanity,' referencing the Hindenburg disaster JetBlue have been fiercely criticised after Tweeting an ill-advised pun referencing the Hindenburg disaster. The airline then proceeded to send messages of apology to all who had contacted them.
• Caravan park transforms grounded helicopter into holiday home The 1977 Westland Lynx XZ262 was bought by bosses at Ream Hills Holiday Park in Preston, Lancashire, and redesigned to become fit for a family holiday.
• British Airways denies 'paying £1m compensation to staff over spying claims' The airline allegedly accessed the private emails and phone messages of 10 members of staff, some of whom were union officials, in 2011 when it faced renewed industrial action.
• Plague of the voyeur drones: Flying toy cameras spark 'peeping Tom' complaints with police powerless to stop them  The Mail on Sunday can reveal that at least a dozen incidents involving unmanned aircraft have been reported since Christmas when thousands of people received the gadgets.
• First female pilot to win Distinguished Flying Cross medal is Laura Nicholson who braved Taliban rockets to save Afghan mother Army Air Corps officer and Chinook pilot Major Laura Nicholson, 39, (pictured), rescued a family caught in crossfire between US Marines and the Taliban with an injured colleague on board.

The Mirror

• Thousands of Brits stranded in the French Alps after giant boulder blocks the roadFalling rocks partially blocked a mountain-side road early yesterday morning, cutting off the resorts of Val Thorens, Les Menuires and St Martin

Birmingham Post

• East of Birmingham growth and jobs drive is launchedBirmingham City Council reveals vision to create 9,000 jobs in deprived half of city as HS2 relents over land dispute
• End of the road draws near for Land Rover DefenderAs the clock ticks down on the last year of production of the Land Rover Defender, Enda Mullen visits the production line in Solihull

Bolton News

• 'Overcrowding on Bolton trains will improve', says transport secretary OVERCROWDING on Bolton train services will improve, according to the government minister for transport.

Manchester Evening News

• RECAP: M56 motorway closed for installation of new bridge — traffic updates hereThe M56 is closed until Monday morning — keep up to date with the latest traffic and travel updates

Sheffield Telegraph

• New rail plans to accomodate 5,000 extra Sheffield commuters a dayAn extra 5,000 Sheffield commuters will be accommodated each day and ‘rickety’ Pacer trains replaced by modern carriages in new plans .

The York Press

• Splitting your tickets can save on rail fares RAIL users are being offered help to save money thanks to a computer code which finds cut-price fares normally hidden from the public.
• Parking fees to pay for council budget INCREASED parking charges and less money for winter road repairs will pay for the budget deal struck by Labour councillors.

This Is Local London Network

• Vintage Kingston: Red-hot debate on Tolworth Broadway speed limits Kingston Council had proposed to reduce speeds along the Broadway between Ewell Road and Oakleigh Way, following pressure from parents whose children attended Our Lady Immaculate primary school.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Car parking fees to help fund Wolverhampton rail station revampCar parking fees are to be used to pay off a multi-million pound loan needed to get started on a long-awaited replacement for Wolverhampton rail station.
• Air ambulance to fly at night after donations see operations extendedThe Midlands Air Ambulance will fly for 14 hours a day all year around after a flood of donations.

Blackpool Gazette

• Call for new trains ‘is just more electioneering spin’Major plans to bring a new fleet of trains to the north have been revealed – but not everyone is impressed with the announcement.

Other Regional Press

• Gale force 8 winds could lead to ferry delays at Port of DoverDelayed ferry sailings are possible from the Port of Dover tonight and into the morning because of gale force winds.
• New road scheme to come into forceTRAFFIC-calming measures which have caused much heated debate among Wigan drivers are to be axed as part of a new road safety scheme.

Rail Magazine

• Rail franchising review 'within ten days' of election if Labour win power'Pretty serious review' pledged by Shadow Transport Secretary.

Other News Sources

• Barton Farm diversion was approved to 'buy off' residents - campaigner THE controversial decision to re-route a major road into Winchester through the Barton Farm scheme was made to “buy offâ€� residents, it has been claimed.
• Waste workers all set for strike BINMEN and women are set to go on strike after voting overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action.