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

Sunday, 18 January 2009

BBC News

• Gale force winds sweep over WalesParts of Wales are lashed by rain and 70mph gale force winds with some trees blocking roads.
• Protest staged over third runwayHundreds of activists opposed to a third runway at Heathrow stage a protest at the airport.
• Nightclub 'incident' stops tramsA section of Nottingham city centre's tram route is closed after officers are called to a nightclub.
• Utility sale 'could fund bridge'Scottish Water should be sold off to fund the new Forth road bridge, CBI Scotland says.

The Herald

• Streamline Shipping doubles net debtHigh fuel prices have weighed on Aberdeen-based Streamline Shipping Group which booked a £39,555 loss last year and saw debts double.

The Observer

• Fury at airport lobby links to No 10Senior MPs are demanding a Commons investigation into evidence of a "revolving door" policy between Downing Street, Whitehall and airport operator BAA, following last week's decision by ministers to approve a third runway at Heathrow.
• Passengers tell the inside story of plane that crashed into New York's Hudson riverSome passengers screamed, others tucked their heads between their knees, and several prayed over and over:
• Obama follows in Lincoln's tracks on the final leg of his incredible journeyIt was a day on which the political heat unleashed by the Obama phenomenon collided with bone-chilling sub-zero temperatures along America's eastern coast. The heat won. Barack Obama completed the final 137 miles of his improbable journey to the White House yesterday in conditions that would have rebuffed all but his most ardent supporters. It is a sign of the man - and of the times - that he can now count his ardent supporters in the hundreds of thousands. As Obama set off on a symbolic train journey from Philadelphia, via Wilmington and Baltimore, to his final destination in Washington, the crowds piled up. Hordes gathered at stations along the way just to get a glimpse of the man, seemingly oblivious to the brutal conditions. Barack Obama completed the final 137 miles of his improbable journey to the White House yesterday in conditions that would have rebuffed all but his most ardent supporters. It is a sign of the man - and of the times - that he can now count his ardent supporters in the hundreds of thousands. As Obama set off on a symbolic train journey from Philadelphia, via Wilmington and Baltimore, to his final destination in Washington, the crowds piled up. Hordes gathered at stations along the way just to get a glimpse of the man, seemingly oblivious to the brutal conditions.

The Scotsman

• Cable reveals his need for speedVince Cable has risked the wrath of environmentally-conscious fellow Liberal Democrats by revealing his dream to race around in a high-powered Aston Martin sports car.

The Telegraph

• Mandelson bangs head on table in bitter Cabinet feud over Heathrow runway Peter Mandelson the Business Secretary banged his head on the Cabinet table in frustration during a bitter ministerial row over a third Heathrow runway.
• Motorist killed in tree fall as gales batter parts of Britain A woman has been killed after a tree blown down by strong winds struck her car amid warnings that severe weather will cause chaos over the next few days.

Times Online

• Heathrow rebel alliance is cleared for take-offAt 11.49am yesterday, the departures lounge at Heathrow terminal 5 seemed unusually swollen with travellers shuffling around in the check-in area. A clue to what was up was the number of people staring guiltily at the ceiling, of eyes meeting darting eyes, and an atmosphere prickling with a sense of expectation.
• Comedian Alistair McGowan fights Heathrow expansion plansHe’s come to the end of a tough six weeks playing Baron Hard-up in Cinderella at the New Wimbledon theatre, but the comedian, impressionist and eco-warrior Alistair McGowan has clearly not allowed the role to distort his priorities: last week, he slammed down an undisclosed sum to buy part of a small field running along the perimeter of Heathrow. The field is important, for it lies across Heathrow’s proposed third runway, which last week was approved for construction.

Mail Online

• Tory MP on trial for careless driving 'after hitting cyclist at Commons' A Tory MP is to go on trial accused of careless driving after allegedly knocking down a cyclist as he drove out of the House of Commons.
• Heathrow chaos as runway activists stage airport 'flash mob' protest Hundreds of activists opposed to a third runway at Heathrow today staged a 'flash mob' protest at Terminal Five.
• 'Get a grip, Geoff': Emma Thompson hits back at Hoon after he labels her Heathrow protest hypocritical Emma Thompson has hit back at transport secretary Geoff Hoon today after he stuck the knife into the hypocrisy of celebrities who campaigned against the third runway at Heathrow.
• Splashdown: The moment Captain Cool landed an Airbus on the Hudson River... and saved 155 lives These astonishing images are the first to show the moment an airline captain pulled off one of the most dramatic escapes in aviation history.

The Sun

• Footage captures moment jet plunges into waterAMAZING footage of the moment a hero pilot landed a crippled Airbus in New York’s icy Hudson River emerged today.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Wrexham car park prices are slashedCAR parking prices will be slashed across Wrexham to stop drivers parking on residential streets around the town.

Journal Live

• Campaign on death road goes to MPsCAMPAIGNERS battling for vital safety measures after a woman was killed on a busy road are to see their fight taken up in Parliament.

Metro

• 'Flash mob' demo staged at airportHundreds of activists opposed to a third runway at Heathrow have staged a "flash mob" protest at Terminal Five.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Rocketing fuel and material costs bring Highland road repairs cutsThe spiralling cost of fuel and materials is forcing Highland transport chiefs to cut back on repairs to roads in the north, it has emerged.

The York Press

• ˜It is important we encourage people to cycle, but it is also important we implement these ideas sensibly™˜It is important we encourage people to cycle, but it is also important we implement these ideas sensibly™

Northants Evening Telegraph

• A43 from Kettering to Northampton to be closed for four weekendsDrivers face an amazing 30-mile detour around one of the county's busiest roads when it will be closed for four weekends “ to resurface just 1,300 metres.

C.N.N.

• Pilot landed in Hudson to avoid 'catastrophic consequences'The pilot who landed a crippled US Airways jetliner on the Hudson River thought there would have been
• Crippled jetliner hoisted from Hudson RiverAn US Airways jetliner that landed on the Hudson River Thursday was successfully hoisted out of the water late Saturday, following several hours of work by crews in frigid conditions.

International Herald Tribune

• Obama near to naming a car czar, and some say it's Steven RattnerRattner co-founded a private equity firm, the Quadrangle Group, and manages the blind trust of his longtime friend Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Washington Post

• Thousands crowd Detroit auto show's public opening DETROIT -- Lee Pierce doesn't have anything against the eco-friendly hybrids and electric vehicles on display at the North American International Auto Show. But low emissions and high mileage aren't why he drove the roughly 500 miles from his Knoxville, Tenn., home to Detroit.

Aviation Industry

• Airline SAS to save $183M a year on new union dealScandinavian airline operator SAS AB on Wednesday said it has reached an agreement with trade unions which will see its staff costs cut by around 1.5 billion kronor a year.

Other News Sources

• 'Flash mob' protests at Heathrow Hundreds of activists opposed to a third runway at Heathrow have launched a
• Crane lifts crashed jet from Hudson River The US Airways plane that made a miraculous landing in the Hudson River has been lifted by a large crane onto a barge.
• One engine still attached to US Airways A320US investigators on 17 January said the right engine is still attached the US Airways Airbus A320 that landed in the Hudson River in New York City on 15...