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

Thursday, 23 May 2013

BBC News

• MP concerned about Inverness-Gatwick air link's future An MP has raised his concerns with Flybe and the UK transport secretary about the future of a link between Inverness Airport and Gatwick.
• Solar plane sets off again across USThe Solar Impulse plane, which holds records including the longest manned zero-fuel flight, sets off on the second leg of a bid to cross the US.
• London new buses' green credentialsFigures look encouraging for London's new buses
• Cardiff Airport has 'long-haul flights potential' Plans to attract long haul services from Cardiff Airport have been submitted to a commission looking at air capacity in the UK.

Financial Times

• Stansted hub airport to replace HeathrowProposals for an expansion of Essex airport into a four-runway operation and a Crossrail link-up is to be put to the Davies Commission in July

The Herald

• Joyce denies he is facing charges following airport incidentFalkirk MP Eric Joyce has hit out at reports he is facing breach of the peace charges following a disturbance at Edinburgh Airport and accused a policeman of behaving inappropriately.

The Scotsman

• Cardownie puts tram boss under pressure The council’s deputy leader has insisted Lothian Buses should reveal how much Edinburgh’s trams chief is being paid.
• Ferry subsidy cut ’a tax on islands’ The Scottish Government has been criticised for a decision to remove a fare subsidy for ferries.
• New Forth bridge to get final approval from MSPs The new bridge over the Firth of Forth will be officially sanctioned by MSPs in a vote today.
• Changing clocks ’can save 50 lives every year’ MORE than 50 deaths on the roads each year would be avoided if the UK adopted Central European Time, a government spokesman said yesterday.

The Telegraph

• Spare tyres being confined to historyChanging a tyre was once a rite of passage for a motorist, but now drivers are expected to fix punctures by squirting a sealant at it instead.    

Edinburgh Evening News

• New trams chief Ian Craig’s salary kept secretBUS chief Ian Craig has been handed the task of overseeing the trams – but bosses today refused to reveal his new pay packet. Mr Craig – who already earns more than both the Prime Minister and First Minister as managing director at Lothian Buses – has been promoted to the new role of chief executive.
• Eric Joyce MP arrested after Edinburgh Airport rowDISGRACED MP Eric Joyce is facing charges of breach of the peace after being arrested following an incident at Edinburgh Airport, after one witness said police pinned him to the floor.

Journal Live

• Business leaders in North East backing Heathrow runwayBUSINESS leaders in the North have thrown their weight behind controversial calls to expand Heathrow Airport, claiming it is the vital to boost the regional economy.

London Evening Standard

• Woolwich Crossrail to get green light A £75 million deal to build a Crossrail station at Woolwich is expected to clear the final hurdle tomorrow.
• Cost of ’gold-plated’ transport pensions soars to £1.6 billion Transport chiefs came under pressure today to reduce the cost of its “gold-plated” pension scheme. New figures show that 83,000 members of Transport for London’s scheme enjoyed retirement benefits significantly more generous than for other public sector workers in the capital.
• MP Eric Joyce faces airport chargesMP Eric Joyce is facing breach of the peace charges following an incident at Edinburgh Airport.

Metro

• BBC announces Heathrow series Airport LiveAirport Live is coming to BBC Two, a week-long series following the departures and arrivals into Heathrow airspace.

Nottingham Evening Post

• East Midlands Airport expecting heavy summer trafficTHE number of people travelling through East Midlands Airport this summer is expected to rise by nearly ten per cent - with 2.9 million passengers expected.

Wales Online

• Road map to effective integrated public transport system in Wales outlined in report from AMs National Assembly for Wales Enterprise and Business Committee makes 25 recommendations in its report.

Yorkshire Post

• Rail firm spends millions on staff travel expensesNetwork Rail (NR), whose £28bn net debt is guaranteed by the Government, is spending millions of pounds a year on staff travel, according to latest figures.
• Lower petrol prices fuel rise in sales on forecourtLower prices at the pumps have pushed up petrol sales, according to latest figures.

Other Regional Press

• Call to improve Gatwick Airport rail servicesGatwick Airport has called for improved rail services in its response to the Airports Commission for making the best use of existing capacity in the short and medium term.
• Busy week for Fowey Harbour as the Secretary of State for transport and three Cruise Liners stop by STAFF at Fowey Harbour enjoyed a busier than usual couple of days last week when they welcomed three cruise liners and Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin to their shores over three days.
• Transport plans for West YorkshireTALKS have started on the next phase of the West Yorkshire Local Transport Plan.

Global Rail News

• Chicago’s Red Line begins $425m rebuildA project to replace Chicago’s 40-year-old Red Line has begun. Chicago’s Transit Authority (CTA) is spending $425 million to rebuilt the Red Line South track for the first time since[...]
• Alliance to reopen Waterloo InternationalInternational platforms at Waterloo – vacated by Eurostar five years ago – should be back in use next April thanks to moves by the Network Rail and South West Trains Alliance. On the anniversary of the alliance’s first year in action a special train from Woking pulled into platform 20. Says Tim Shoveller, managing director [...]
• Automated mine railway inaugurated in SwedenThe Swedish city of Kiruna lies 90 miles north of the Arctic Circle and boasts the world’s largest underground iron ore mine. Writes David Shirres from Kiruna On May 21,[...]
• Battersea redevelopment contract win for CarillionCarillion has been named as the preferred bidder for the first phase of Battersea Power Station’s regeneration. The £400 million mixed-use development will form part of a multi-billion pound vision[...]
• BIM bidders sought for Helsinki loop railway projectFinnish transport agency Liikennevirasto is on the hunt for BIM architects to create detailed designs of Helsinki’s City Rail Loop. Bidders have until June 6 to register their interest in[...]

Railnews

• Virgin 'warns ministers' about HS2 capacity loss Virgin Trains has claimed that HS2 will reduce the level of service for some towns on the classic West Coast Main Line. The Department for Transport has rejected the allegations, saying that the new High Speed line will improve rather than cut capacity.

Aviation Industry

• Jet Airways plans Schiphol switchIndian carrier decides to switch Euro hub from Brussels to Amsterdam

Other News Sources

• Flintshire Council's 'discriminatory' transport policy condemned by secularists The National Secular Society has criticised a decision by Flintshire Council to discriminate against people without religious faith in its school transport arrangements.
• Transport rally in Winchester with old and new buses this Monday BUS company Stagecoach South’s Winchester Depot and a preservation group are teaming up for a free transport rally on Bank holiday Monday.