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

Sunday, 15 March 2015

BBC News

• Better transport for tourism callThe Welsh tourism industry is a vital part of the economy and the right transport infrastructure is needed to support it, Baroness Randerson tells an event in London.
• Britannia embarks on maiden voyageThe cruise ship Britannia, officially named by the Queen on Tuesday, leaves Southampton on its maiden voyage.
• Orrell Interchange closed for weekendRoad works shut the busy Orrell Interchange at junction 26 of the M6 in Greater Manchester.

The Guardian

• Dozens die as 'overloaded' ferry sinks in Burma, police sayAt least 21 people have been killed in sinking of boat carrying more than 200 passengers off western Burmese coast, officer statesAt least 21 people have died and 26 others are missing after a ferry sank off the coast of western Burma with more than 200 passengers on board, police have said.The Aung Takon went down late on Friday after leaving the town of Kyaukphyu on its way to Sittwe in western Rakhine state. Continue reading...
• Brazil bus crash: at least 40 dead after plunge off cliffRescuers reporting dozens of fatalities, with police blaming brake failure for accident in southern state of Santa CatarinaAt least 40 people died on Saturday when a passenger bus drove off a cliff in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, police said.The bus, en route from the neighbouring state of Parana, swerved off a curve and fell dozens of metres before crashing in a wooded area. Rescue crews were bringing up dozens of bodies as well as survivors. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Firm behind air tax cut call linked to airlines

The Independent

• Budget 2015: Chancellor to back HS3 rail link and relax pensions rules George Osborne is to give the green light to High Speed 3 (HS3), a high-speed rail link between Leeds and Manchester in this week’s Budget as he seeks to resuscitate the North’s economy.

The Scotsman

• Longannet plant axe could be green light for trainsA NEW “Forth Circle” rail loop could be created if the threatened 40-year-old Longannet power station was to shut, campaigners have proposed.

The Telegraph

• Inconsiderate drivers fall foul of £100 finesPolice have imposed £100 on-the-spot penalty notices on thousands of motorists for careless and inconsiderate driving, including offences such as undertaking, lane hogging and splashing pedestrians
• Cruise ship named by Queen leaves on maiden voyageBritain's biggest ever cruise ship, named by Her Majesty The Queen in Southampton, has left on its maiden voyage

Daily Express

• EXCLUSIVE: George Osborne's pre-election Budget: Transport boost for the North A MULTI-MILLION pound boost for transport across the north of England is expected to feature in the Budget on Wednesday.

Mail Online

• Plane forced to return to Heathrow after 'smelly poo in the toilet' Hertsmere councillor Abhishek Sachdev, who was travelling with his wife and daughter, said the plane's captain told passengers that the pungent smell was from 'liquid faecal excrement'.
• Britain on the brink of a food crisis caused by a shortage lorry drivers which could lead to empty shelves this summer Chancellor George Osborne is under pressure to announce support for training in the haulage industry in the Budget this week, amid warnings of shortage of 45,000 drivers.
• Greyfriars bus station to be demolished tomorrow Greyfriars bus station in Northampton, East Midlands, opened in 1976 but after a new terminal was opened in the town last year the 'infamously ugly' building has lain redundant.
• South West Trains apologise for announcement urging fat people to stay on their feet The train leaving Basingstoke in Hampshire was busy when an employee told 'slim people' to sit on three-seaters, adding: 'if you are fat then it is simply not going to work.'

The Mirror

• We MUST take back the railway tracks and end the horror of privatisation If Labour comes into power, when the franchise lapses in two years it should take West Coast back into public control, says former Deputy PM John Prescott

Birmingham Post

• Interview with Liz Peace: from Cadbury, to BPF and backLiz Peace has been named as the chairman of the Curzon Urban Regeneration Company, overseeing the regeneration around Birmingham's proposed HS2 station

London Evening Standard

• 'Smelly poo' forces long-haul flight to turn back for Heathrow A British Airways flight was forced to turn back to Heathrow leaving passengers stranded for 15 hours - because someone did "a smelly poo in the toilet".
• Roof ripped off double-decker in crash with rail bridge in west London A double-decker bus has had its roof ripped off in a crash with a railway bridge in west London.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Busy Walsall route to close for £26m roadworksA busy route will be closed for two weeks during work on the £26 million road improvement scheme in Walsall.

Blackpool Gazette

• Traffic queues to be monitoredThe traffic flow of a busy Blackpool road junction is to be reviewed.
• Final set of motorway closures announcedThe final set of motorway closures as part of the work to widen the M6 where it joins the M55 have been announced.

Doncaster Free Press

• ‘Ghost Town’ fears over new parking charges in MexboroughShoppers and traders have hit out at price hikes at a council-run car park which they fear will drive business away and turn Mexborough into a ghost town.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Suffolk police helicopter narrowly misses gyrocopter near Beccles, air safety report revealsA Suffolk police helicopter and a gyrocopter narrowly avoided a mid-air collision in Suffolk, a report has revealed.

Other Regional Press

• Commuter line reopens after landslide works COMMUTERS breathed a sigh of relief yesterday as the railway line at Harbury Tunnel reopened.
• Long-running motorway roadworks coming to endThe nine-month-long roadworks to improve the M6/M55 Broughton interchange near Preston are coming to an end.
• HMS Lancaster sets sail for the CaribbeanA life on the ocean waves might not be everyone’s idea of heaven, but for the 185 members of HMS Lancaster’s ship’s company, the next nine months are the culmination of months of hard work.
• Navigators set sail on HMS Portland for specialist training TRAINEE navigators went to sea on HMS Portland for their specialist training.

C.N.N.

• Reports: 32 dead after bus plunges off road in Brazil

Other News Sources

• Reigate MP calls for protest over reduced train services Crispin Blunt has asked commuters to work from home on Monday June 1 to try and persuade Southern Railway to widen the Oyster zone out to Gatwick
• Brighton Sea Cadet volunteers count the cost as they wait for parking crisis resolution A YOUTH group will have to wait months for a resolution to a parking crisis costing them hundreds of pounds a month.