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

Tuesday, 04 June 2013

BBC News

• JD Wetherspoon to open motorway pubJD Wetherspoon says it will open its first motorway pub after being given the go-ahead at services on the M40 in Buckinghamshire.
• Trans-US solar plane sets off againA solar powered plane aiming to cross the US from the West Coast to the East Coast begins its third leg, flying from Dallas, Texas, to St Louis, Missouri.
• City airport gains top safety ratingGlasgow becomes the first airport in the UK to achieve the British Safety Council's top rating.
• Airport security stepped up for G8Police are stepping up security around Belfast International Airport in the run-up to the G8 summit in Fermanagh.
• Airlines 'set to defy' weak economyGlobal airlines are expected to post a higher-than-expected $12.7bn (£8.3bn) in profits this year, the airline industry body IATA says.

Financial Times

• Iata upgrades airline profit forecastCarriers set to record profits of $12.7bn owing to higher demand and lower fuel costs, but industry body warns on wafer-thin profit margins
• Dutch high speed rail scheme hits buffersDirector of national railway group says he will quit amid a fiasco that has tarred the company and is likely to cost the government millions of euros
• Ackman to reduce Canadian Pacific stakeCP represents 26% of Pershing’s funds, and over the next six to 12 months the fund will sell 7m shares due to ‘portfolio management considerations’
• FedEx grounds aircraft to save costsFedEx is one of many operators to have sought to replace older, fuel-hungry aircraft with younger, more efficient models because of high fuel prices

The Independent

• Change at Victoria's Secret for Hackney Wickes: What if the London Underground took sponsorship seriously? Ever since the transport authorities in Madrid began selling sponsorship rights to their subway system, London Underground has gone a bit LOL-tastic. Related StoriesStudents’ city guide to cheapest housing – and beer – lists Durham as top destination    

The Scotsman

• BT fined £50k by Scottish road works commissioner BT HAS received the maximum fine of £50,000 from Scotland’s roadworks commissioner for endangering the public with work carried out in the Highlands – the first penalty of its kind ever imposed.
• A9 communities get first look at dualling plans COMMUNITIES up and down the A9 are being given the opportunity to have a first look at the proposed dualling designs through a series of public exhibitions kicking off today in Aviemore.

Mail Online

• It's like a modern-day Paddington Bear: Airport staff discover 100-year-old bear separated from its owner in departure loungeThe antique bear, which has one eye and a floppy ear, was found in a bag with a frayed black and white photo dated March 1918 of him in better days being cuddled by two little girls.

The Mirror

• Government cuts: Evening and Sunday bus services to be slashedCampaigners fear a further round of cuts will push many services “over the edge” and some could disappear for ever

London Evening Standard

• Mayor calls for Crossrail to be called the Queen Elizabeth lineCrossrail should be renamed the Queen Elizabeth Line when trains start running in five years’ time, Boris Johnson said today.

Manchester Evening News

• Calling tram stop Withington is misleading, claim residentsNew Metrolink station on the East Didsbury line is a mile away from Withington's historic boundaries
• Ask Development in running to develop Airport City scheme A group backed by Chinese investors has emerged as a leading runner in the race to develop the £650m Airport City scheme.

Sheffield Star

• Residents’ anger as rail threat to Sheffield homes remainsOwners of homes threatened by the planned high speed rail line have reacted angrily after the route was changed to avoid a Sheffield steelworks - but their properties were left in the firing line.

The York Press

• National Railway Museum under threat from funding cuts THE National Railway Museum in York could reintroduce charges - or even close - in the face of looming Government funding cuts.

East Anglian Daily Times

• East Anglia: Investment calls as passenger numbers continue to rise on Greater Anglia trainsThe number of rail passengers in the region shows no sign of falling – prompting MPs to repeat their calls for a major increase in investment.
• Essex: Transport minister comes under pressure over treacherous A120A transport minister will be put under pressure to explain a long-term solution for a treacherous Essex road in Westminster today.

Global Rail News

• Funding pledge for Kenilworth railway stationKenilworth railway station has been given the green light after receiving a guarantee of £5 million from the government to allow the project to go ahead. Warwickshire County Council has[...]
• Electronic ticketing arrives in SydneySydney is set to begin a trial run of its new electronic ticketing system, Opal. From June 14, passengers on the City Circle line will be able to test the[...]
• DB to invest €40m in video surveillanceDeutsche Bahn (DB) is to invest 40 million euros in improving CCTV systems across the German rail network. The new cameras will improve coverage at some of the country’s key[...]
• Video: Tajo viaduct constructionWork is well underway on two new viaducts as part of the proposed high-speed line connecting Madrid, Extremadura and the Portuguese border. The 1,488 metre-long Tajo viaduct will sit 90[...]
• Network Rail Consulting and RSSB forge new strategic partnershipInternational rail consultancy Network Rail Consulting and rail industry body RSSB have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to secure overseas business. The new partnership means that Network[...]
• SNCB scraps Fyra V250 orderBelgian Railways (SNCB) has cancelled an order with AnsaldoBreda for high-speed V250 trains over what it has described as the “inadequate” quality of the vehicles. Fyra high-speed services have been[...]
• European loan supports Lithuanian fleet expansionThe European Investment Bank has issued a loan worth 50 million euro to help fund the purchase of new rolling stock for Lithuania. The funds will allow Lithuanian Railways to[...]
• Edinburgh tram project picture update

Aviation Industry

• Gatwick begins £180 million redevelopment projectAirport demolishes one of the oldest parts of the South Terminal
• Airlines set to make higher profits in 2013IATA gives brighter outlook for carriers but says margins will "remain weak"

Green Miscellany

• Bicycle handlebars that make their own drizzleFor cyclists who miss the wind and rain of a winter that seemed like it would never end comes a handlebar-mounted mister that makes its own drizzle. The Q-Fog water atomizer promises to make pedalling more bearable come the next heat wave. Each time the device is activated a fine spray of water enshrouds the rider, producing a powerful cooling effect as…