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

Saturday, 05 January 2013

BBC News

• Spitfire dig team heads to BurmaA team of enthusiasts aiming to find buried Spitfires in Burma are due to leave Heathrow in the final stage of a 17-year search.
• Toyota previews self-driving carA self-driving prototype is previewed by carmaker Toyota ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show next week in Las Vegas
• Booby traps 'could kill cyclists'Booby traps which could kill mountain bikers have been found in a Greater Manchester beauty spot, mountain rescue teams warn.
• Overcrowded trains review callRail services are to be reviewed in Surrey after it emerged that the 07:32 from Woking was the second most overcrowded train in England.
• Insurance claim form criticisedA leading travel insurer is criticised for asking for customers' bank account and credit card details when they make claim

The Herald

• Fears port checks could scupper cruise ship tradeHugely lucrative tourism spin-offs from the frequent visits of cruise ships are being threatened by an abrupt change in the system of immigration checks, the industry has warned.

The Independent

• 'The Tutankhamun dig of aviation': Brits to begin digging up missing Spitfires buried in Burmese jungle A Lincolnshire farmer who has spent 17 years investigating rumours that dozens of factory-fresh Spitfires could be lying buried under Burmese soil expects to find the aeroplanes œperfectly preserved.

The Scotsman

• Single lorry fire will inflict days of disruption on thousands of driversDRIVERS on the main road to the Highlands are likely to face several more days of traffic 
disruption following a lorry blaze on the busy route in the early hours of yesterday.

The Telegraph

• Parking charges top £1bn as council plug budgetsMotorists are paying more than £1 billion a year for parking as councils search for new ways to earn money in the wake of government cuts, it emerged today.

Mail Online

• £1bn repair bill for Britain's roads after rain creates countless potholes and causes carriageways to collapseIn December, councils were receiving pothole complaints at a rate of 54 a day - a 60 per cent increase on the average for the year, according to research.

The Mirror

• "I love the smell, the noise, the excitement"The former on-board catering assistant has been œobsessed since her first train ride at 10
• Minor tragedy: Thieves steal motorist's 1961 Morris Minor, the only car he's ever ownedWhen thieves stole the grey motor “ nicknamed Maurice “ while he was visiting his wife in hospital, it felt like losing a family member

This is Money

• Network Rail bosses to spend £35bn on upgradesBut it won’t be enough to stop overcrowding unless the controversial high-speed HS2 link is also built to ease the strain on the existing system, bosses will argue.

Network Rail

• Rail bridges demolished over Christmas for new Crossrail trainsThree rail bridges in Slough and Hillingdon were demolished over the Christmas break as part of preparations for the arrival of new electric Crossrail trains.

Bristol Live

• New lease of life planned for tracks behind Thornbury quarryCALLS have been made for a railway line to be restored in Thornbury following the closure of a freight line.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Extra train station night patrols in North Wales to keep passengers safeEXTRA night patrols will be introduced to keep train passengers safe – as figures show more than 1,000 crimes have been committed in railway stations in the last three years.

Derby Telegraph

• Plans for huge rail freight hub between Etwall and Egginton...SEVERN Trent expects to submit a planning application this summer to build a massive rail freight terminal in Derbyshire, a...
• Heavy rainfall damage on roads is 'inevitable' because of budget...WEAKENING to Derbyshire's roads is "inevitable" due to budget cuts, according to a council committee.

Liverpool Echo

• Police appeal to taxi driver after crashOFFICERS investigating a crash between a bike and a minibus are appealing for a taxi driver to come forward.

London Evening Standard

• Rage at train boss bonuses as passengers™ fares rocketMPs today hit out at railway bosses™ bonuses amid growing anger over spiralling fares.

Manchester Evening News

• Ford Focus tops the charts as Manchester motorists love smaller cars in a drive to cut costsMotorists in Greater Manchester are buying smaller cars in a bid to cut their spending as fuel costs rise. Figures obtained by the M.E.N. show that small vehicles “ including the Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Fiesta and Toyota Yaris “ top the drivers™ popularity list.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Drivers face 50-mile detour after lorry fireTHE main road to the Highlands was closed for more than 12 hours yesterday after a dramatic lorry fire.
• It™s double trouble for drivers as roadworks set to start COMMUTERS are facing a double whammy of traffic chaos in the Highland capital on the day many return to work.
• Fears for cruise ship business over passenger checks Fears have been raised that the multimillion-pound cruise ship business in the Highlands and islands could be scuppered by a change in the system of immigration checks.

Yorkshire Post

• Campaigners bidding to save airport call rival™s freight figures ˜abysmal™BUSINESS leaders mounting a campaign to save Sheffield’s city airport have attacked its regional rival over the “abysmal” rates of freight it handled.
• Jaguars to set hearts racing after 1,000 go up for auctionA COLLECTION of more than 1,000 model Jaguar cars owned by a former football club chairman will attract huge interest from enthusiasts, according to experts examining them at a Yorkshire saleroom.

Peterborough Telegraph

• £5,000 cost to ˜design™ controversial Fenland signConcern has been raised over the use of public funds after the Highways Agency spent £5,000 designing a road sign for a Fenland village.

Other Regional Press

• Hundreds sign petition against rail freight Hundreds of residents have signed an online petition to try to convince the county council not to sell the land needed to build a controversial rail freight near St Albans.
• East Grinstead Courier and Observer commented easyJet changes Gatwick flights above East GrinsteadAIRCRAFT are soaring higher into the sky over East Grinstead to reduce noise levels on the ground after town council intervention.
• Criminal damage to South Devon Railway A 20 year old man from Buckfastleigh has been charged with assault with intent to resist arrest and criminal damage following an incident near Totnes on January 2.
• Bus lanes crackdown 'needs to be flexible'More than 1,000 fines have been issued to drivers using city centre bus lanes late at night or early in the morning when few...
• Hundreds board a dental checks bus HUNDREDS of people have been treated by a mobile dentist surgery since its launch nearly two months ago.
• Road reopens eight hours after lorry jackknifesA slip road off the M2 has reopened - more than eight hours after a lorry jackknifed.
• Councillor's car stuck in tree after drink drive crashDisgraced city councillor Neil Baker had to be helped from his airborne Renault Clio after he drunkenly swerved off the road and ended up suspended in a tree.
• Speed camera turned into a snowmanA speed camera on one of Lancashire’s most dangerous roads was turned into a snowman over the festive period.

Global Rail News

• Poll: Will a separate franchising body solve the DfT™s problems?The Transport Committee has recommended the government sets up an arms-length body outside of Whitehall to look after the letting and management of rail franchises. But will having an organisation with more commercial experience that is detached from the Department for Transport (DfT) allow more errors – like those made with the West Coast franchise [...]

Aviation Industry

• American Airlines entering key period in restructuringAs American Airlines' board meets next week, expectations are high that it will give more concrete shape to the airline's plans to either merge with US Airways or stay independent.
• SIA asks pilots to volunteer for unpaid leaveSingapore Airlines has asked its captains to volunteer for unpaid leave amid a global economic slowdown that has dented long-haul travel demand, the airline said on Saturday.

Other News Sources

• Bakerloo and Central line drivers to take action over 'detrainment' carriage checkingFollowing a substantial ballot in favour of taking industrial action over London Underground's removal of detrainment staff, leaving Bakerloo and Central Line drivers to take trains into depots and sidings without staff on hand physically checking that all passengers are off the train, tube union RMT has agreed to call the following industrial action short of a strike:-
• RMT reaction to Transport Committee report on railwaysResponding to today's House of Commons Transport Committee Report on Rail 2020, RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:
• Boeing Completes 2012 with Record-Setting PerformanceSEATTLE, Jan. 3, 2013 “ Boeing (NYSE: BA) booked 1,203 net commercial airplane orders in 2012, the second-largest number in company history. The company also delivered 601 airplanes, the most since 1999. Boeing™s unfilled commercial airplane orders at the end of the year stood at 4,373, the most in company history.
• Eurotunnel bids for control of Calais, BoulogneCHANNEL Tunnel operator Eurotunnel has confirmed to Fairplay it is bidding for the concession to manage Calais, the top French passenger port.
• More companies sign up to Sustainable Shipping Initiative Global specialty chemicals company Akzonobel has joined the Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI), a global coalition of companies and shipping leaders from around the world.