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

Sunday, 03 May 2015

BBC News

• Trains cancelled after cable firesRail services between Coventry and Birmingham International are cancelled after two fires damaged signals.
• Plane lands after engine shut downA flight from Shetland lands safely at Aberdeen International Airport after declaring an emergency as it headed to Edinburgh.

The Guardian

• California lays tracks for high-speed rail but will it ever become a reality?Governor Jerry Brown and other supporters are betting on the $64bn gamble, but the polarising project has its naysayers
• 'Cycling is the perfect sport for transvestites'The award-winning artist Grayson Perry leads a double life: one day he’s dolled up in heels and a dress – the next he’s tearing across the countryside on his beloved mountain bike Mountain biking has been a dusty thread running through my life. It has helped keep me sane and thin enough to fit into 15-year-old dresses. I never feel more alive than when I slip out of the studio late on a sunny weekday afternoon, zip out through north-east London and hit Epping Forest dirt just as rush hour begins behind me. It may not be the Alps or even the Lakes but I enter a world where all that matters is t...

The Scotsman

• Inquiry call into ferry contract awardTHE Rail, Maritime and Transport union has called for an inquiry into the awarding of the NorthLink ferry contract to Serco following claims the losing state-owned operator lodged a lower bid.
• Luxury travel pledged in bid for east coast trainsTRANSATLANTIC airline-quality comfort will be promised to passengers as part of ambitious plans for a new train service between Edinburgh and London.

The Telegraph

• All aboard: Is this a new golden age for luxury trains?Wealthy rail travellers are spending up to £1,600 a day to sip fine wines and watch the remote fastenesses of the Siberian countryside woosh past

Times Online

• Two-thirds of trains late on worst linesFEWER than a third of trains on the worst-performing rail routes arrive on time, figures obtained by The Sunday Times reveal.
• Souter to auction bus maker DennisStagecoach founder in talks over £300m sale of leading Scottish manufacturer

Daily Record

• Glasgow City Council spends thousands 'improving' a £40million bus lane which has never been usedPART of the work at the Clyde Fastlink route is to change sections of the road surface from grey to red.

Mail Online

• Fare dodgers face tougher fines and even prosecution for fraud amid clampdown An agreement is now being drawn up between police and railway companies. It comes a year after investment executive Jonathan Burrows was caught avoiding fares from Stonegate, in Essex.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Cyclists say Leith Walk bike route is ‘shambles’CYCLE campaigners have slated early plans for a fully segregated route down Leith Walk, branding it a “shambles”.
• Hi-tech bus shelters to charge smartphonesCity-centre bus shelters will be fitted with touchscreen displays which could allow passengers to browse online route maps, search for nearby shops and even charge their smartphones.
• Edinburgh Airport to sell scanners, conveyor beltsA UNIQUE opportunity to buy parts of Edinburgh Airport is to be held next week when security scanners, snowploughs and even a fire tender go under the hammer.

London Evening Standard

• Passengers on three-hour flight to London told: Sorry, there's no toilet roll Passengers on a flight to London Stansted were shocked when cabin crew told them there would be no toilet paper available for the whole of their three-hour journey.

Yorkshire Post

• Box of stationery disrupts rail journeys in LeedsThere was disruption to commuters today as police closed part of Leeds Station to investigate a suspicious package – which turned out to be a box of stationery.

Other Regional Press

• Apprenticeship Awards: First West bus mechanic hoping to add apprentice title to achievements Tina Haden-Williams, for bus company First West of England, is still celebrating after winning Female Apprentice of the Year at the Bristol and Bath Women in Business Awards in March.

Other News Sources

• Major London rail station reveals system passwords during TV documentaryUpdated What looks like system passwords at one of London's busiest railway stations – printed and attached to the top of a station controller's monitor – were exposed to viewers during a BBC documentary on Wednesday night.
• New depot at Three Bridges station set to open next springA MAJOR new train depot being built at Three Bridges station should be in operation by next spring, it has been announced.
• Rail ‘farce’ was ‘unacceptable’ Rail bosses admitted services have not been up to scratch as investigations continued into a fault which caused hours of delays.