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

Sunday, 19 August 2012

BBC News

• Illegal parking camera car planA camera car could be introduced to tackle illegal parking, mostly at bus stops and outside schools in Swansea.
• VIDEO: Strongwoman pulls bus with hairStrongwoman Asha Rani has attempted to break the world record for pulling a double-decker bus with her hair in Leicester.
• Free parking after Olympics slumpParking charges are being waived this weekend and next by Westminster City Council to try to boost business and encourage visitors to London's West End.

The Herald

• Border divides attitudes over what to subsidise on railwaysFOR passengers boarding a ScotRail train from January 1 next year, the price of most tickets is likely to increase by 4.1%.
• Virgin: rail decision costs Scotland two major new servicesWhen the Virgin logos are eventually stripped from the sides of West Coast passengers trains, it will be accompanied by a dose of nostalgia usually absent from the world of rail franchise handovers.

The Independent

• Rival airlines turns heat up on tax fight A coalition of the country's biggest airlines has ramped-up its campaign for air passenger duty to be axed with an investigation into how badly the tax hurts the UK economy. Bitter rivals Virgin Atlantic and British Airways owner IAG, alongside low-cost carriers easyJet and Ryanair, have asked big-four accountant PricewaterhouseCoopers to produce an economic impact assessment into a tax that they loathe.
• No 10 asks ministers: Can we now support £30bn Severn barrage? David Cameron has ordered ministers to consider backing a £30bn project to harness the tidal power of the Severn estuary, as the Government scrambles to find big infrastructure projects that could help kick-start growth.

The Observer

• FirstGroup chief Tim O'Toole has been on the right track – so far The US-born executive won plaudits for his stewardship of London Underground, but the west coast main line could be a sterner test
• Britain's railways braced for another round of arrivals and departures The acrimony surrounding Virgin's loss of the west coast main line to FirstGroup marks the start of two hectic years of franchise auctions – and new concerns over the way the system works
• Rail fare hike sparks Tory and Lib Dem revoltGeorge Osborne urged to make policy U-turn as parties fear 'tax on commuting' will destroy support in marginal seatsGeorge Osborne is facing a mass revolt by Tory and Liberal Democrat MPs over soaring rail fares, amid warnings that above-inflation increases will destroy remaining support for the coalition among commuters in marginal seats.The chancellor will come under intense pressure to perform yet another policy U-turn when MPs return to parliament next month, after it was announced last week that many fares would rise in January by up to 6.2% “ 3% above inflation “ with some rising by up t...

The Telegraph

• British trains still connect the worst of both worldsWho will end up picking up the tab should FirstGroup's sums prove to be over-optimistic, and the company go bust, asks Alasdair Palmer
• Coalition MPs revolt over soaring rail faresChancellor George Osborne facing revolt from Coalition MPs over rising rail fares, who fear fare hikes will cost marginal seats.

Daily Express

• Passengers in cruise control with speedy boardingCARNIVAL Cruise Lines is testing airline-style speedy boarding on two of its flagships.

Daily Record

• Family of missing Scots sailor say his shipmates could hold key to mystery TWO sailors “ a male and a female “ say they put Timmy in a cab outside the Rock Bottom Café in Dubai in the early hours of May 27.

Mail Online

• How F1 wizardry that helps Jenson Button go faster is saving children in intensive careThe computer software, which is being used in medicine for the first time, can alert doctors if a critically ill child starts to deteriorate far earlier than conventional systems used in NHS hospitals.
• Two Virgin jets 'sent emergency calls' over Stansted Airport on the same dayThe Virgin 747s needed priority landing at Stansted Airport in Essex because they were running out of fuel after flying from America, according to an investigation by the Exaro website.

Birmingham Mail

• European Model Railway exhibitionMODEL train fanatics can enjoy a fun day out in Sutton Coldfield.

Liverpool Echo

• 60-year-old man rescued from car after crashA 60-year-old man was rescued from his car after a crash in Whiston today.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Noiseless vans take to roads in eco-friendly pilot projectEco-friendly electric vans are taking to the roads of a Sheffield housing estate in a pilot scheme to cut vehicle emissions - but residents are warned to take extra care as the fleet makes hardly any sound.

The York Press

• Car on fire on the A64 A CAR on fire on the A64 has caused heavy traffic and lengthy delays.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Flempton: One person seriously hurt after crash involving two carsONE person has been taken to hospital with “life-changing” injuries after a serious, head-on road crash involving two cars in Suffolk.

Peterborough Telegraph

• City council gives verdict on road congestion statisticsNew figures which reveal Peterborough is the second best place in the region to drive have been welcomed by city council chiefs.

Other Regional Press

• Road fears over 350 homes plansA huge housing development in Leyland will cause major traffic problems and affect children’s safety, worried residents claim.
• Cyclists get in saddle as bike route is extendedThree miles of new cycling track were officially opened in Northampton at a celebration of bicycles.
• Car tyre yobs told to pump them up again A GROUP of drunken men who let down dozens of car tyres in Weymouth were forced to pump them back up again.
• Kirklees community bike group Streetbikes hit by theives for second timeCALLOUS thieves have hit a Kirklees community bike project TWICE in three months.

Other News Sources

• Dream Comes True: Ethiopian 1st Dreamliner lands in Addis Ababa Ethiopian Airlines 1st Dreamliner touched down at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport on 17 August 2012 at 9:30 a.m. The Dreamliner had flown from Washington DC, Dulles international...
• Simon Calder The fun and the Games on the Tube and trainsSimon Calder is Travel Editor at Large for The Independent, writing a weekly column, various articles and features as well as filming a weekly video diary. Every Sunday afternoon, Simon presents the ...
• Plans for major rail projects accelerateRadical design work is being undertaken on the sequels to two of Britain's biggest recent rail projects, Crossrail and the Channel Tunnel Rail ...