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Saturday, 04 December 2010

BBC News

• Efforts to restore north trainsScotRail hopes to restore some trains to the north of Scotland on Saturday after snow virtually wiped out services beyond the central belt.
• Row over who pays to grit roadsA row has erupted over who should pay for grit to keep wintry roads clear on estates and rural roads in Flintshire.
• Problems hit cycle hire expansionTechnical problems affect London's cycle hire scheme as it is extended to casual users.
• Freezing weather affects trainsSouth London rail services are disrupted for another day in freezing temperatures.
• Efforts to restore north trainsScotRail hopes to restore some trains to the north of Scotland on Saturday after heavy snow wiped out services above the central belt.

Financial Times

• Continent in grip of tabloid panic after freezeThe British media have reported the winter snow as if the country were uniquely incompetent, yet the description of the disruption applies equally to Germany
• Rolls-Royce reputation dented by reticenceMany industry observers have been frustrated by the company's lack of detail about the explosion of an engine on an Airbus A380 last month, which forced an emergency landing
• Oil fire blamed for A380 engine explosionThe first official report by Australian air safety authorities on last month's engine failure on a Qantas A380 superjumbo has confirmed that an oil fire was likely to blame for the mid-air explosion

The Herald

• Scotland braces itself for weekend of chaosScotland is braced for more major disruption this weekend, with councils and transport authorities battling to clear routes as heavy snowfalls turn into ice and frost.
• Why our trains grind to a halt in freezing winterA complaint heard time and time again this week by stranded rail passengers is why a country such as Scotland “ relatively well-versed in freezing winters “ seems to grind to a halt at the first sign of snow.

The Independent

• The snow is clearing... now for the ice ageDrivers and shoppers were told not to panic over feared shortages of fuel and food last night despite forecasters' predictions that arctic conditions would continue to grip the country for the whole of next week and beyond.

Mail Online

• First the freeze, now the panic buying as: Forecasters predict Arctic conditions will last another two weeksEnvironment Secretary Caroline Spelman insisted there was no problem with food supply but millions were stockpiling staple foods, with supermarkets rationing some products.

Network Rail

• BRUMMIE ENGINEERING HELPS NEW STREET TO SHAPE UPBirmingham engineers marked a major milestone in the Birmingham Gateway project today as they lifted out the final piece of disused concrete from what will become a new station concourse in 2012.

Birmingham Post

• Government urges supporters of high speed rail link to make their case The coalition Government remains determined to push ahead with a £34 billion High Speed Rail route linking London and Birmingham and is willing to face down Conservative MPs who oppose the project on cost grounds and because of the harm it will inflict the countryside.
• Business call for high speed rail cash to be spent on roads Business leaders have joined opposition to plans for a £30 billion high speed railway as Ministers come under increasing pressure to think again.
• Post Comment: Making the case for high speed rail Although the Government remains fully committed to pressing ahead with its £34 billion HS2 high speed rail project, it would be unsurprising if there was not just a flicker of apprehension in the mind of Transport Secretary Philip Hammond.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Four car smash on A55 at Anglesey EMERGENCY services were called to a four car pile-up on the A55 on Friday.
• £1.2m a year North-South air subisdy is ’financial outrage’ claim critics THE rising subsidy to maintain the Anglesey to Cardiff air service came under fire from opponents yesterday.

Derby Telegraph

• Drivers record temperatures of -15C and freeze is set to deepenFORECASTERS have warned it will get even colder in Derbyshire this weekend, with temperatures as low as -15C already recorded. Weather experts claimed the lowest temperature recorded in the county was -10.4C on Thursday night-Friday morning, but many drivers clocked temperatures even lower. Matlock resident Tony Gibbert, 44, was driving through Crich at 10pm and spotted a -15C reading. He said:
• Pilots' expertise saved aircraft after blowout cut electronicsA REPORT into the explosion of a Rolls-Royce engine on a Qantas Airbus A380 says the aircraft would not have landed safely without the quick thinking of its crew. Yesterday, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau published its report into the incident, in which it confirmed that an oil leak was the likely cause of the blowout of the Derby-built Trent 900 engine. The report said:

Metro

• Royal wedding Oyster card to go on saleA souvenir Oyster card is to be made available to mark the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton next year.

Sheffield Star

• We're ploughing ahead - but big freeze has cost tens of millionsAUTHORITIES are ploughing on to get transport networks running for the start of the working week on Monday as experts warned the big freeze had already cost Sheffield tens of

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Council to reduce salt used by halfAberdeen City Council is to reduce by half the amount of salt it is using to treat icy roads as supplies run low, it can be revealed.

This Is Local London Network

• Rail services to be disrupted for third day Train passengers were expecting a third day of disruption on the rail network today as the big freeze continues to grip the capital.

Blackpool Gazette

• Shock in port as 140 jobs goCRISIS talks have begun after it was revealed Fleetwood's ferry service to Northern Ireland is being axed, throwing 141 people out of work and raising questions about the

Reading Evening Post

• Bikers brave big freeze for Sunday Toy Run It will be business as usual for hundreds of bikers revving up to deliver presents to disadvantaged children this Sunday in spite of the freezing weather.

Other Regional Press

• Video: Army dispatched to help as flash ice warning issuedSoldiers have been out helping snow stricken Kent cope with the big freeze after a flash warning for widespread icy roads tonight was issued.
• Thieves pinch salt from roadside bin THIEVES have emptied a neighbourhood™s roadside salt container in what police have branded a œmindless crime.
• Be alert to the winter car thieves DRIVERS are being warned not to give criminals an open invitation to steal their cars.
• Icy roads warning for Devon ICY roads could be a possibility overnight as rain and sleet is forecast for Devon this evening.
• Council denies 'quietly' making school transport cutsHertfordshire County Council has denied accusations by parents it is 'quietly' making school transport cuts.

International Herald Tribune

• Nissan Sees Electric Car Envy in Critics of the LeafCarlos Ghosn, chief executive at Nissan, dismisses the scoffing as his rivals’ lack of imagination.

Railway Gazette

• China hits 486 km/h in high speed trialsCHINA: A new Chinese record speed of 486 km/h was established on December 3 during trial running on a section of the Beijing “ Shanghai high speed line between Zaozhuang in Shandong province and Bengbu in Anhui. Xinhua News Agency claimed that this is the fastest speed recorded by an unmodified commercial trainset, noting that the five-car TGV Duplex formation which set the world record of 574·8 km/h in 2007 was heavily modified. The 1 318 km Beijing “ Shanghai line is officially scheduled to open in 2012, although following a ceremony at Bengbu in November to mark the completion of tracklayin...

Transport for London

• Mayor's flagship Barclays Cycle Hire is now open to anyone, anytimeFrom 10:00 today everyone will have instant access to thousands of Barclays Cycle Hire bikes throughout central London.

Other News Sources

• VDR rejects merger callsGERMANY™S VDR shipowners™ association spurned calls today by banks for mergers among small and medium-sized shipowners.
• No fixed penalty for snow on roofPOLICE say they have no intention of fining people if they are caught driving a car which has snow on its roof.
• Gritters on call 24 hours a dayGRITTERS have already spread 750 tonnes of salt in just over a week on Hartlepool's roads as council chiefs bid to keep the town's transport system moving.
• Warning ahead of possible further snowfall in Herefordshire MOTORISTS and pedestrians are being urged to take care this evening as further snow is forecast across Herefordshire.
• Minister plays down rail firms fines Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond has played down the possibility that rail companies could be punished during the cold spell.Related StoriesPrice disqualified from drivingNo hope of respite for frozen BritainSnow travel chaos continues'Police - someone's stolen my snowman'Drug smugglers tunnel under US-Mexico border
• Drivers' hours relaxed for some hauliers due to weatherThe DfT has temporarily relaxed EU drivers' hours rules for haulage firms that transport fuel oil, liquid natural gas and petroleum products to domestic, agricultural and small industrial premises in Britain, due to the extreme weather conditions.
• ScotRail closes rail network north of central belt amid snow chaosNo rail service north of the central belt or within east central Scotland.
• Rail lines to the north set to reopenScotRail says it aims to run a handful of trains to and from Inverness on Saturday, but replacement buses will be the norm.
• Travel with careRoad users urged to heed police advice ahead of travel.

Other Subscription Services

• Birmingham New Street steel roof contract awardedNetwork Rail has doubled the number of contract awards for the Birmingham Gateway project in the past two months and awarded one of its largest packages to date.Of more than 50 jobs up for grabs 14...