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

Sunday, 18 April 2010

BBC News

• Volcanic ash disruption enters fourth day in UK The UK is enduring a fourth day as a virtual no-fly zone, as the travel chaos caused by volcanic ash drifting from Iceland shows no sign of ending.
• Volcanic ash keeps airport closedBirmingham Airport remains closed for a third day as a ban on flights in English airspace is extended.
• Airport stays shut through SundayThe volcanic ash cloud will keep Cardiff airport closed until at least Sunday evening, say authorities.
• Air travel chaos in Sunday papersAs the UK flight ban enters its fourth day, the papers are preoccupied with the chaos caused by the volcanic cloud.
• Tough callPlea to airlines over premium phone numbers
• Man forced to cycle on to ferryA London businessman stranded in France is back after buying a women's bicycle to prove he was not a foot passenger.

The Herald

• Fears of second volcano eruptionIt could take only a œnudge to trigger a second, more powerful volcano in Iceland, as the fallout continues to be felt across Europe.
• Ferry port move may be end of the line for StranraerTransport campaigners have warned that the rail line which links Stranraer to Glasgow could face closure in under three years due to rising costs and the loss of direct ferry connections to Ireland next year.
• Scots businesses survey the fallout from Icelandic volcanoBusinesses throughout Scotland are this weekend scrambling to assemble contingency plans to ensure business continuity, as the full impact of the airport clampdown caused by ash from the Icelandic volcano threatens to last for weeks.

The Observer

• Chaos as families are stranded by ashEaster break disruption means those on school-sponsored trips and family holidays will not be back when new term startsMany school desks will remain unoccupied tomorrow, despite the end of the Easter break, as continuing disruption to flights from the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud leaves thousands of Britons stranded abroad.The continuing closure of British airspace means that large numbers of pupils and teachers will be unable to return from school-sponsored trips and family holidays abroad.Restrictions on flights to and from the UK were yesterday extended until 1pm today on the advice of the ...

Times Online

• Brits™ great trek home by bike, ferry and powerboatTHEY CAME by bicycle, powerboat, freight ship ” and one stranded holidaymaker even tried to hitch a ride home on an RAF jet.
• Why the Icelandic volcano eruption could herald more disruptionThe unprecedented no-fly zone currently in force across much of Europe has already caused the greatest chaos to air travel since the Second World War. Thousands of flights have been cancelled or postponed with millions of travel plans affected. It has been estimated that shutting down the UK™s airspace alone over the weekend could cost airlines over 100 million pounds, with the share price of some leading airlines already taking a hit.
• Self-repairing concrete may crack the problem In the short term, the answer to potholes is simple — fill them in. In the longer term, road builders are looking at a new type of material that could be pothole-proof. Officially known as an engineered cementitious composite, or ECC, it is both flexible, so less likely to fracture, and capable of filling in its own cracks.
• Tough luck, mountain bikers love the urban craters Most cyclists will share Chris Hoy’s rage at the moonscape masquerading as our road system. But not quite all. Whisper it, but for a certain bunch of bikers — myself included — it’s quite handy.
• Taking spinners for a spin Parliamentary candidates are so desperate to secure the votes of motorcyclists (or anyone, for that matter) that they are abandoning the kissing of babies in favour of hair-raising rides on the back of motorbikes.
• Cycle Guy: Yikes! I’m buzzing about on an electric bar stool Some things just shouldn’t be. They are an affront to the natural order of the universe. Orange Kit Kats. Mick Hucknall. And now, the YikeBike.
• Cycle Doc Q. My husband is super-fit and 6ft tall. I am very unfit and a foot shorter. We are thinking of a 100-mile charity bike ride on a tandem. Which bike would you recommend?
• Germans in £1.6bn Arriva bidDEUTSCHE BAHN, the state-owned German transport group, is poised to make a £1.6 billion swoop on Britain™s bus and train network.

Reuters News

• British Airways cancels Sunday's long-haul flightsLONDON (Reuters) - British Airways said on Saturday it had extended the cancellation of flights to and from Britain on Sunday to all long-haul flights.

The Mirror

• Volcano will trap holidaying Brits abroad for two weeks One million Brits stranded overseas by flight ban

Birmingham Mail

• Volcanic ash shutdown: Third day of no flights costs Birmingham Airport £1million THE grounding of flights in and out of the UK because of the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland could be costing Birmingham International Airport (BIA) in the region of £300,000-per-day.
• Flight cancellations boost ferry business Further flight cancellations today have increased the pressure on ferry companies which are being inundated with enquiries from stranded air passengers.

London Evening Standard

• UK flight restrictions extendedRestrictions on flights in and out of the UK were extended to 7pm on Sunday as Britain's air travel nightmare showed no signs of ending.

Manchester Evening News

• Passenger frustration as airport opens, then shuts Several hundred passengers had their hopes of flying from Manchester Airport dashed today as the brief œwindow of opportunity to depart was swiftly closed.

Metro

• UK flight restrictions extendedRestrictions on flights in and out of the UK were extended to 7pm on Sunday as Britain's air travel nightmare showed no signs of ending.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Newcastle Airport shut by volcano till at least 1pm NEWCASTLE Airport will remain closed until at least 1pm on Sunday due to the volcanic ash cloud, aviation authorities have said.

Sheffield Star

• Concern over parked cars on busy roadPARKING on a busy road on the approach to Bawtry is still causing concern to local councillors.
• Off-roaders trashed moorA MOOR close to the outskirts of Sheffield is being restored to its former glory after years of being trashed by off-road vehicles.
• Railwayman remembered at bridgeRailwayman remembered at bridge
• Man banned from touching parked carsA THIEF has been banned from touching any parked car in Doncaster after completing a three-months prison sentence.

The News (Portsmouth)

• Ferry companies offer vital holiday lifeline PORTSMOUTH ferries have been acting as a lifeline for air passengers stranded by volcanic ash from Iceland.

The York Press

• Air passengers still stranded Travellers from York remain stranded across the globe today as air travel chaos continues.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Train drivers could run East Coast lineTrain drivers' union Aslef is planning a surprise bid for the East Coast Main Line rail franchise.

Sunderland Echo

• Train team back on track after theftThe big boys of rail travel have been helping their little brother get back on track.

Other Regional Press

• New minibus for community groupRoundabout Transport in Rickmansworth have received a new minibus for use in the community.
• Newport's medieval ship 'probably French' NEWPORT™S medieval ship is likely to have been built in France, new evidence suggests.
• Transporter Bridge work set for July finish ITS towers stand 242ft tall with the ferry platform travelling 645ft between them.

C.N.N.

• Developments in volcanic ash affecting air travelHere are the latest highlights regarding problems for air travel caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland.

International Herald Tribune

• Air Travel Crisis Deepens as Europe Fears Wider ImpactA large part of European airspace was shut for a third day as a volcano in Iceland spewed ash, raising questions about the eruption’s economic impact.

Washington Post

• U.S. carriers cancel most European flights CHICAGO (Reuters) - Nearly 84 percent of U.S. airlines' flights to and from Europe were canceled on Saturday due to the volcanic ash cloud spewing from Iceland that has spread across Europe.
• Airline fees have you reaching for the sick bag? Vote with your wallet.
• Don't let bag fees make you nostalgic. Airlines' golden age wasn't so golden.
• Hydrogen still in the eco-car race BERLIN -- Hydrogen, one of Earth's most abundant elements, once was seen as green energy's answer to the petroleum-driven car: easy to produce, available everywhere and nonpolluting when burned.

Other News Sources

• Elderly tourists escape serious injury in bus crashVIDEO: Fourteen people including the driver were injured when the coach overturned near Dalwhinnie.
• Restriction on UK flights extended Restrictions on flights in and out of the UK have been extended until at least 7am on Sunday.Related StoriesVolcano grounds flights until FridayAir travel chaos: How you are being affectedHealth advice as ash lands on British soilUK planes grounded for second dayUK flight ban continues
• ICELAND VOLCANO: Latest on airspace disruptionEuropean airline operations remain seriously disrupted by the eruption of the Icelandic Eyjafjallajokull volcano, and there is uncertainty over the duration of the airspace closures resulting from the ash cloud. Typically the European air navigation organisation Eurocontrol's Central Flow Management Unit, which balances capacity against demand, handles some 29,000 daily flights. But the precautionary closures have heavily reduced the air traffic, particularly across northern Europe. Flightglobal has compiled the latest available operational data from European airspace authorities regarding the...
• Aeroflot branches into in-flight mobile with Russian firmRussian flag-carrier Aeroflot is to equip four of its aircraft with in-flight mobile communications capability developed by a domestic company.Moscow-based...
• Volcano ash keeps UK planes groundedThe skies, for once, are totally clear. All flights over Britain remain grounded as clouds of volcanic ash from Iceland continue to drift across Europe. Andy Davies reports.