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

Thursday, 10 May 2012

BBC News

• Edge Lane £65m road scheme officially reopened by minister Transport Minister Norman Baker has officially reopened Liverpool's busiest road into the city centre.
• Viable urge council to buy Plymouth City Airport lease A group hoping to reopen Plymouth City Airport wants the city council to buy back the lease for the site.
• Train hits herd of cows on tracksA passenger train with about 200 people on board crashes into a herd of cows on railway tracks in Oxfordshire.
• Work to start on airport upgradeWork to make £850,000-worth of improvements to Inverness Airport is expected to start at the end of May.
• Chaos as freight train derailsTrain services in the north-east of Scotland are severely disrupted after a freight train comes off the line.
• Apology issued over rail servicesScotRail and Network Rail issue an apology to customers for below par services over the past year.
• Funding saves bike recycling jobsA charity selling recycled bicycles which was faced with closure because of a lack of funding can now offer 150 training places thanks to £400,000 from the Big Lottery Fund

Financial Times

• Air fares help EasyJet cut interim lossesBudget airline™s ability to push through higher ticket prices to cash-strapped consumers drives up average revenue per seat
• Heavy NOL loss dashes recovery hopesSingapore™s container ship fleet operator announces a US$254m first-quarter net loss, dashing hopes a recent recovery in rates would improve profitability
• Competition weighs on Singapore AirlinesIncreasing competition from Middle Eastern carriers and low-budget Asian airlines partly to blame for a 77 per cent fall in operating profit at flag carrier
• EasyJet: flight path ahead is trickyThe question for investors is whether the low-cost carrier can keep up pace “ its shares have had a strong run, so profit-taking could occur
• Wreckage of Russian jet found in IndonesiaIndonesian authorities have found the wreckage of a newly-made Russian plane that disappeared on Wednesday while on a demonstration flight

The Guardian

• London transport museum funding cuts [letter]The London Transport Museum is a fantastic example of a museum that has worked hard to generate funding through commercial sponsors and individuals
• Heathrow chaos due to revamp and 15% cut in staff, independent report findsImmigration and borders chief inspector also says new 'e-gates' crash regularly and cannot read Scandinavian passportsThe introduction of
• Train travel will worsen under government plans, MPs warn Network Rail breakup and funding curbs 'will result in higher fares, cuts in services and more crowded trains', says motion

The Herald

• Rail campaign to cut track deathsNEARLY 50 people, including eight in Scotland, have been killed after taking short-cuts and trespassing across railway lines in the last year, according to new figures.
• Heathrow queues blamed on staff changesLONG queues at the UK's busiest airport have been caused by a lack of effective planning amid job cuts, with border staff signing off at the start of busy periods, inspectors said.

The Scotsman

• Revealed: real reason for Heathrow chaosLong queues at the UK’s busiest airport were caused by a lack of effective planning amid job cuts, with staff signing off at the start of busy periods, according to a damning report by inspectors.
• Aberdeen faces legal battle over Don bridgeABERDEEN is set for another protracted legal battle over a major transport link following the decision of local residents to launch a court bid to block a third proposed bridge across the River Don.
• Edinburgh trams: City faces three-year wait for answers to debacleEDINBURGH faces a three-year wait for answers on its disastrous tram project after the new city council leaders said they were content to wait until the project was up and running before it is held.
• Worth £2m a day, cycling gets seriously sexyBIKE sales are expected to reach a record high this year, buoyed by the exploits of Olympic cyclists such as Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton.

The Telegraph

• David Cameron won't have time for High Speed Rail A notable absence in the Queen’s Speech today was the Government’s plans for High Speed Rail (HS2) – legislation hated by Right-wing campaign groups.
• Hurdles champion pitted against train in track death awareness campaignNetwork Rail has teamed up with British and World 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene to warn young men about the dangers of taking a short cut across the tracks.
• Heathrow delays: Queues too long and immigration checks falling, watchdog warnsPassengers are enduring long queues at Heathrow airport because of border officials going home at busy times and job cuts, a damning report by a watchdog warns today.

Daily Express

• easyJet cuts its lossesEASYJET reaped the benefit of attracting more business passengers as it reduced half-year losses by nearly 27 per cent despite soaring fuel bills.

Bristol Live

• The Post published Airline boss hints at long-haul destinations from BristolPEOPLE using Bristol Airport may soon have the chance to travel further afield, according to one of easyJet's most senior...

Journal Live

• Lawyer quizzed over two Newcastle Airport bonusesA LAWYER involved in drafting the contract that awarded multi-million pound bonuses to two Newcastle Airport directors told London’s High Court he had acted fully in accordance with his code of practice, a court heard.
• A19 and Coast Road junction to get upgradeROAD improvements that could unlock thousands of new jobs have been prioritised in a £170m move, ministers have announced.

Manchester Evening News

• Transport hub will put Altrincham back on track Work to prepare the ground for a £19m transport interchange in Altrincham is set to start.
• Suspected metal thief falls 50ft from railway viaduct at Cornbrook as vandalism causes suspension of Metrolink tram servicesA suspected metal thief was seriously injured today after he fell more than 50ft from a railway viaduct, bringing part of the Metrolink to a halt. The 40-year-old man fractured his skull, pelvis and right leg in the fall near to Cornbrook station near the city centre at around 3am.
• Network Rail rallies businesses to Northern HubNetwork Rail has issued a rallying call to the region's businesses to help secure the future of the Northern Hub.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham City Transport set to move its depots to new central siteNOTTINGHAM City Transport is to relocate its three depots to a new site as part of a £50m deal.
• Nottingham Post commented Post comment: Blitz on speeders will make our roads saferTHE increase in the number of people caught speeding in Notts shows the determination of the police to slow down drivers on the...

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Queen™s Speech: Anger at ˜no show™ for high-speed railBUSINESS leaders and politicians in Yorkshire today voiced concern at the absence of legislation on Britain’s proposed high-speed rail network from this year’s Queen’s Speech.

Bucks Free Press

• High Speed 2 not in Queen's Speech THE Government have come under fire this afternoon after leaving out High Speed 2 from the Queen's Speech.

The Shields Gazette

• Pupils leave their mark on new busSCHOOLchildren in South Tyneside can’t wait to hop aboard buses they have named themselves.

Other Regional Press

• Rain delays railway station plans THE major improvement of Swindon’s railway station forecourt has been delayed by the heavy rain but is still on track to be completed by the summer.
• Cash pot to drive cars on to relief road ABOUT £1.5m is to be spent in a bid to get drivers to use Banbury™s controversial inner relief road.
• UK & World News: Report condemns Heathrow planningLong queues at the UK's busiest airport have been caused by a lack of effective planning amid job cuts, with border staff signing off at the start of busy periods, inspectors have said.
• Delays likely at Luton Airport as border staff strikeARRIVING passengers could experience delays at Luton Airport from 10pm tonight (May 9) as border force staff go on strike over pensions.

Aviation Industry

• BA to relaunch flights to Isle of ManAirline will introduce London City services from May 28

Other News Sources

• New Agri biodiesel plant opens in LiverpoolRenewable energy firm Agri cut the ribbon on its new biodiesel plant in Liverpool, UK on 9 May.