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

Tuesday, 31 August 2010

BBC News

• Flights resume at city's airportFlights from Aberdeen Airport resume after being grounded for almost two hours because of a major power failure.
• New rail link to create 130 jobsA new rail line linking Edinburgh and Glasgow via Bathgate will create 130 new jobs when it opens this December, ScotRail says.

Financial Times

• UK duty rise threatens premium economy seatsThomson Airways, the first UK customer of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, is looking at ditching seats with more legroom because of a sharp rise in air passenger taxes
• Search for cut-price InterCity 125 upgrade The companies that own Britain's ageing InterCity 125 trains are discussing buying the UK's first new electric locomotives since privatisation as one of several cut-price options to upgrade the 35-year-old trains
• Crossrail set to survive spending cutsLondon's flagship £16bn Crossrail project is set to survive the imminent wave of spending cuts in a decision that will be welcomed by the capital's commuters
• China Railway discusses high-speed projectsChinese construction group is in South African talks to bring first dedicated high-speed rail line to sub-Saharan Africa
• Airlines' shares up as recovery gains paceAirline share prices have risen more than 70 per cent from their lowest point at the beginning of last year, as investors bet on a strong recovery in the highly cyclical aviation business

The Herald

• Residents demand answers over rail compensation snubCampaigners against a 24-hour freight railway are demanding to know why they have missed out compensation while millions of pounds are paid to households next to Scotland™s newest passenger rail line.
• Climate change body criticisedMajor changes are needed to the way the international body set up to study global warming is run after a series of high-profile mistakes, a report has said.
• Hundreds hit by airport power failureHundreds of passengers suffered flight delays yesterday when a temporary power failure at Aberdeen Airport led to take-offs being suspended.

The Telegraph

• How wheel clamping spread in Britain. Costas Constantinou, a former car clamper, tells the story of an industry which has become the scourge of the motorist.
• British Airways: new strike threat as airline 'rejects union offer' British Airways passengers could be hit by a new wave of strikes after unions threatened to ballot cabin crew on further industrial action.
• Woman tells of terror as double-decker coach flipped when passenger grabbed wheel Exclusive: A woman who was travelling on a coach when a "frenzied" fellow passenger seized the wheel from the driver has told of her terror as the double-decker flipped over and spun off the motorway.

Bolton News

• Airport ready for world™s biggest plane THOUSANDS of aviation fans are expected to flock to Manchester Airport this week to see the first landing of the world™s largest passenger plane.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Denbighshire council to stock up on salt for winter DENBIGHSHIRE County Council is to increase its stock of road salt to avoid running out if this winter turns out to be as severe as last.

Journal Live

• Politician warned not to grant A1 meeting TRANSPORT Secretary Philip Hammond avoided meeting a campaigner fighting for the A1 to be fully dualled after an official warned it would raise expectations of something happening.

Metro

• Stansted long-stay car park fire destroys 24 carsDrivers returning to Stansted airport™s long-stay car park will wish they had stayed on holiday when they discover their incinerated cars.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Thunder rumbles through Highlands for bikers™ gatheringRevving engines resounded around the Cairngorms over the weekend as thousands of motorcyclists converged for the 14th annual gathering of the Thunder in the Glens.
• Minister vows to fight for rail linksScottish Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson will hold urgent talks with the UK Government amid fears that direct train links between the north, north-east and London are on the verge of being axed.

Carlisle News & Star

• Calls for more train carriages to and from Sellafield A west Cumbrian man has launched a campaign to get more peak-time carriages on a busy rail route.

Other Regional Press

• Young cyclists rewarded for being safe ROAD safety officers have handed out goody bags to young cyclists to drive home the importance of wearing cycle helmets.

Railway Gazette

• Capita Symonds opens York rail office UK: Capita Symonds has opened an office in York providing civil and structural engineering services for the rail sector. The company hopes to increase the initial 12 staff to 30 within 15 months, and generate turnover of £3·5m. 'As we are successfully bucking the national downturn trend thanks to contracts on major projects such as Crossrail, we are implementing ambitious plans to expand our operations across the country', said director Ian Roberts. The office will initially focus on rail, before expanding into wider civil and structural engineering, property, landscape, urban design, and proj...
• Road and rail share Swiss tunnel SWITZERLAND: Drivers traversing the A13 between Chur and Bellinzona through the San Bernardino Pass may be surprised to see a standard gauge railway laid along the road, 1600 m above sea level. Roads department Astra is spending SFr38m upgrading the A13, including work to improve tunnel safety following the fatal fire in the Mont Blanc road tunnel in 1999. This includes relining the 1·2 km Cassana­wald Tunnel by spraying on a 40 mm fireproof mortar coating able to withstand temperatures up to 2000°C. A major challenge for Luzern-based contractor Marti AG was the need to keep one road lane ope...

Aviation Industry

• 02:49 Plane pair 'face terror charge'Two men on a flight from Chicago to Amsterdam were reportedly facing a terror charge after US officials found a mobile phone taped to a medicine bottle, a knife and a box cutter in checked luggage.

Other News Sources

• Muslim extremists plotting to paralyze rail networks during London OlympicsTerrorist outfits are plotting a rail mayhem to coincide with the London 2012 Olympics, it has been revealed.
• Top News: Study Touts Jobs from High-Speed Rail Project in CaliforniaA long-awaited statewide high-speed rail system could get Southern California on track toward the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs and a $701million boost to payrolls, according to a study released Thursday.
• RoadPilot welcomes signage initiativeRoadPilot has welcomed the latest initiative from the Department for Transport (DfT) which is urging councils to remove distracting ˜street clutter™ from Britain™s roads. However, the company warns against removing signage relating to speed limits and their enforcement, as this could cause a substantial increase in the number of drivers caught speeding. A survey by [...]