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

Saturday, 27 April 2013

BBC News

• Tram works finish at city squareAll road and tram track works are now complete around St Andrew Square in Edinburgh, which has been returned to public use.
• Edinburgh sees rise in pollutionEnvironmentalists call for
• Man jailed over 'road rage' attackA man who left another motorist bleeding on the street with a fractured skull following a minor collision is jailed for five years.
• Hauliers 'squeezed' by fares changeRemoving lower cost ferry fares for large freight has had a
• Go-ahead for canal restoration planPart of the Ulster canal that has not been used since 1929 is set to be restored after the environment minister approved a major cross-border scheme.
• VIDEO: Transport for London's '£900m surplus'The Labour group has called on London Mayor Boris Johnson to cut fares after a report suggested Transport for London had a budget surplus of close to £900m.

Financial Times

• Regulator set to order Heathrow fees cutCivil Aviation Authority’s plans could produce lower air fares and contrast with proposals for lighter touch regulation at Gatwick and Stansted

The Herald

• In-flight Scots left to their own devicesSCOTS holidaymakers will be among the first in the world to stream in-flight films and television direct to their own laptops, tablets and other devices after an operator unveiled plans to scrap seatback screens on its long-haul routes.
• Obree backs Scots cycling campaignFLYing Scotsman Graeme Obree has called for Scotland to become a cycling nation as he backed a campaign for more funding to get people on their bikes.

The Telegraph

• M62 crash: woman dead after hen party minibus collides with lorryPolice confirm a woman is dead and scores are injured after minibus carrying hen party collides with lorry on M62.    

Reuters News

• Local council demands action over falling air stowawaysLONDON (Reuters) - A London local authority close to Heathrow Airport demanded action on Friday from aviation chiefs to protect its residents from being killed by the bodies of stowaways falling from aircraft.

Daily Record

• Fury as NHS spends £5M on taxis to ferry patients around ScotlandDAMNING figures have been obtained through freedom of information but some health chiefs claim cabs may be the only option of transport in some cases.

The Mirror

• Cost of car insurance for young women soars by 20% after EU shake-upGirls aged 17 to 20 are now catching up with the costs for young men – who have a far worse accident record.
• Train companies subsidised nearly £1m a week by taxpayers on top of Europe's highest ticket pricesThe Government paid £51million more to train firms in subsidies than it received back last year, according to the Office of Rail Regulation

This is Money

• How to stay safe, and legal, when you drive abroadWhere could overtaking a school bus get you into hot water? And which country requires drivers with glasses to always carry a spare pair?

London Evening Standard

• Police stop and search lorries to cut London cycle deathsA crackdown on unsafe lorries and rogue drivers was launched in London today in a bid to halt the number of cyclists being killed and seriously injured.
• Car smoking ban considered by ministersA ban on smoking in cars with children on board is to be considered by ministers later this year.

Metro

• 9/11 plane part found in New York alley 11 years after disasterA 5-foot-long piece of aeroplane debris stamped 'Boeing' has been found near the World Trade Center site that is believed to be from one of the planes that hit the twin towers over a decade ago.    

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Bond wins EnQuest flight contractBond Offshore Helicopters has won a multimillion-pound deal with EnQuest to support the oil firm’s North Sea operations.
• Deer warning for drivers as figures reveal accident tollDrivers have been issued with a deer warning after new statistics revealed the animals are involved in more than 7,000 road accidents in Scotland every year.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Jaguar Land Rover to help with new workers living costsJob seekers from outside the West Midlands are being offered help with paying their rent and buying a house if they move to Wolverhampton to work for Jaguar Land Rover.

Carlisle News & Star

• David Cameron visits Carlisle Pirelli factory Prime Minister David Cameron visited Carlisle today in the run-up to Thursday's county council elections.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Felixstowe: Deben Transport expands with deal for Elite Transport ServicesSUFFOLK-based road haulage company Deben Transport has strengthened its presence in the north of England by acquiring the assets and business of Elite Transport Services Ltd which went into administration earlier this month.

The Shields Gazette

• Big Tyne! World’s largest cruise ship drops inTHE Port of Tyne kicked off the cruise ship season in style yesterday with the largest and longest vessel ever to visit the river.

Western Daily Press

• MP Kerry McCarthy criticises First Bus over review coverageFIRST Bus faces fresh criticism over its fares review, as Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy criticised its consultation which does not cover her constituency.The company launched a review after campaigners gathered thousands of signatures from the public demanding fairer ticket prices.But, as reported in the Bristol Post, First's questionnaire came under fire when George Ferguson demanded the consultation should not be a "PR exercise".And now Ms McCarthy has weighed into the debate,...

Other Regional Press

• East Grinstead Courier and Observer published East Grinstead cyclist to pedal from London to Paris for British...A MAN with a newfound passion for pedalling is set to cycle from London to Paris via his hometown.Chris Nunn will take to the saddle for the trip across the channel in aid of the British Heart Foundation.Despite only buying his bike last October, the 62-year-old insists he is in the right frame of mind to tackle the five-day journey, which will take in parts of the Avenue Verte, including East Grinstead.He said: "Cycling is something I only took up in recent years and I love it. You can...
• Merc_Reporter published Nearly five million people used Leicester railway station in...Nearly five million people used Leicester railway station in 2011/12. The figure - 4,880,616 - is based on estimates of the number of people entering the London Road station to get on a train, and leaving the station after getting off a train. The number is slightly down on 2010/11, when 4,953,636 people used the station, which is the busiest in Leicestershire. The data, released by the Office of Rail Regulation, shows Loughborough station was the second most used in the county in 2011/12,...
• The Citizen commented New white lines painted in Longford - straight through huge...PERHAPS potty highways workers who painted fresh white lines through massive holes thought no one would notice.But several people did – and their error has at least led to some hasty repair work.Markings were painted straight through the potholes in Fir Croft Road, Longford.A Gloucestershire County Council spokesman said: "Our contractor was out last week refreshing white lines in the Longford area, but they shouldn't have done this part yet."Thanks to The Citizen pointing out...
• Huddersfield Railway Station needs new platform – plea to Government from councilA DOSSIER detailing expansion plans for Huddersfield Railway Station is on its way to Westminster.
• Residents hope for U-turn over Balsall Common flightpath planRESIDENTS are hoping for a possible U-turn over new flightpaths out of Birmingham Airport which could take planes over Balsall Common.

New Scientist

• Inspiring vision of Boeing's futuristic supersonic jetA model of a low-noise, low-emission supersonic airliner in a NASA wind tunnel evokes our reporter's nostalgia for Concorde's glory days    

Bus and Coach.com

• Buses fail passengers with sight lossThe Guide Dogs charity says that operators “continue to fail their blind and partially sighted passengers” and has released a new report to highlight the need for all buses to have audio announcements.
• Volvo hybrids for HeathrowFirst Berkshire is introducing ten Volvo 7900 hybrids to its 7-series services between Maidenhead, Slough and Heathrow Airport.
• First confirms cuts in NorthamptonFirst Northampton is to withdraw four of its services in the town from early June.
• Scania/ADL gas buses arrive in ReadingThe gas bus race is now well and truly on.

Railway Gazette

• Railcare awarded Greater Anglia coach overhaul contractUK: Porterbrook Leasing has awarded Railcare a £5m contract to undertake the C6 scheduled overhaul and additional corrosion repairs to 111 locomotive-hauled MkIII coaches operated by Abellio Greater Anglia on London - Norwich services. The work is scheduled to start in October 2013 for completion in July 2016, with five coaches undergoing overhaul at Railcare's Wolverton plant at any one time. The scope includes exterior shot blasting, examination of vehicle structures, corrosion repairs as required and repainting in Greater Anglia's red and white livery. There will be a full test of electric...

Transport for London

• Mayor hails London's lane rental scheme as roadworks disruption is cut by over a third at traffic hotspots92 per cent of roadworks now done outside peak hours in the UK's first lane rental area.

Aviation Industry

• EasyJet wins approval for Manchester-Saint Petersburg serviceUK low-cost carrier (LCC) easyJet has received approval to operate services between Manchester and Saint Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia. read more
• Aer Lingus plans Heathrow slot transfer to British Airways Aer Lingus has sought clearance from its shareholders to dispose of a pair of London Heathrow slots to British Airways for “an agreed consideration.” read more

Green Miscellany

• Bicycle road rage attack exposes double standardsFigures released this week suggest Britain is an increasingly peaceful society, but assault by a complete stranger is still occurs with alarming regularity, especially on the road. Friction between cyclists and motorists has occurred since cars first took to the roads and now a growing number attach cameras to their bikes and helmets to record evidence if they are hit…

Other News Sources

• London transport Mitie engineers and electricians balloted for actionTUBE UNION RMT confirmed today that electricians and engineers working for contractors Mitie on the TFL contract are to be balloted for strike action and action short of a strike in a dispute over redundancies and unilateral changes to working conditions.
• Airbag defect leads to manufacturer recallsA defective airbag part has lead to a global recall of more than three million vehicles manufactured by Honda, Toyota, Nissan and General Motors.
• Work begins on a series of Scottish road improvementsWork has this week begun on a £36.7M package of road improvements in Scotland.
• EXCLUSIVE: Global deal on CO2 emissions 'not enough' to reduce current levels Action can and should be taken to cut CO2 emissions at a local level in the absence of a global deal, which, on its own, would not be enough to tackle the planets rising CO2 levels, says the Carbon Trust's Eric Lounsbury.
• Highways Agency merges divisions amid new appointmentsThe Highways Agency has appointed former Lend Lease project director David Brewer as its asset delivery director, while David Poole has been promoted to the role of commercial and procurement director.