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

Thursday, 08 August 2013

BBC News

• Road charges vehicles driving on itSouth Korea begins using a special road which can recharge electric vehicles as they drive across it.
• Skye ferry terminal upgrade finishedA £2m project to refurbish a ferry terminal at Sconser on the east coast of Skye is completed.
• Strike at Dublin Bus is suspendedA strike at Dublin Bus, which stopped all services for three consecutive days, is suspended while talks take place between management and unions.
• Humans lived on Thames 'in 7,000 BC'Rare evidence that humans lived on the River Thames 9,000 years ago is discovered by archaeologists working on the Crossrail project.

Financial Times

• Davies reveals 50 proposals for airport expansion Sir Howard Davies, chairman of the independent airports commission, believes Heathrow “probably” produced better proposals for a third runway last month than those backed by the previous Labour government.
• High-speed orbital rail plan for LondonIsabel Dedring, deputy mayor for transport at City Hall, discusses options to cope with a population expected to hit 10m over the next 20 years
• Railway files for bankruptcy after crashMontreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway says move was ‘the best way to ensure fairness of treatment to all’ involved in July crude oil train crash

The Guardian

• Kenya's main airport engulfed in fireElectrical fault thought to be the cause of five-hour blaze on the 15th anniversary of Nairobi US embassy terrorist attackAn inferno ripped through Kenya's main airport, the busiest in east Africa, on Wednesday, forcing it to shut down temporarily and causing disruption to thousands of passengers.The five-hour blaze engulfed the arrival hall and lit up the early morning sky in the capital, Nairobi, sending billowing clouds of black smoke up in a plume visible miles away.The fire coincided with the 15th anniversary of a twin attack by Islamist militants on the American embassies in Nairobi and ...
• Back to Bedlam: Crossrail digging unearths ancient London burial groundTunnelling project's chief archaeologist says up to 4,000 bodies of plague victims and asylum inmates may be discoveredEvery day hordes of London commuters have passed unknowingly over the bodies of thousands of their predecessors, buried a few metres under the roaring traffic and rumbling trains at Liverpool Street, and which are now being exposed for the first time by the huge Crossrail construction project.The bodies include those of mentally ill patients from Bethlem, the ancient and notorious asylum from which the word Bedlam entered the English language. Bodies that were never claimed by...

The Herald

• Crisis-hit rail firm staff to be paidEMPLOYEES at a historic railway works threatened with closure have been told they are to be paid for the first time in six weeks, but will still be owed a month's salary.
• Scottish frequent fliers launch BA's Dreamliner fleetPassengers will take to the skies on British Airways's new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft for the first time today.

The Telegraph

• Inside Brompton Station: the tube station turned WWII command bunker up for saleThe Ministry of Defence has put Brompton Road, a disused Underground station which housed the command bunker for London's anti-aircraft defences during the Blitz, up for sale.    
• Remains of 16th century Londoners found in Bedlam burial groundCrossrail archaeologists have unearthed the remains of patients from the infamous Bedlam Hospital, the world's first psychiatric asylum.    

Mail Online

• Will Spain's ¿1BILLION ghost Cuidad Real Airport finally be brought back to life?The Cuidad Real Airport could be yours for as little as €100million (£86million) after the judge in charge of its administration ruled that it should be sold off.
• Virgin Atlantic's Little Red airline to have on-board comedy performances in AugustWe have all been stuck on a train when a busker strikes up. Now, it seems, Virgin Atlantic's new airline Little Red is to take this 'captive audience' approach with in-flight comedy shows.

The Mirror

• Electric cars won't get greener by 2040 but petrol ones willWhile they will probably be as impractical in 2040 as they are today, petrol and diesel motors will be much cleaner

Network Rail

• Mayor of London marks 50-day countdown to the opening of London's newest public spaceThe new 75,000 sq ft King’s Cross square is the final part of the £550m redevelopment of King’s Cross station Redevelopment has led to £2.2bn of private investment in this part of the capital with businesses such as Google and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design moving into the area

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Leeds-Bradford Airport celebrates three millionth passenger Passenger numbers at Leeds-Bradford Airport have broken through the three million mark to maintain its place as one of UK's fastest growing regional hubs.
• Keighley and Worth Valley Railway plans smart phone app New mobile technology should be deployed later this year to help bring the Worth Valley near Keighley to life for a new generation of visitors.

Bristol Live

• The Bristol Post published Ten tips to help steer clear of a bad bikeArticle

London Evening Standard

• Transport pensions switch ‘to save millions’Bosses at Transport for London want to change the status of its pension scheme in order to make budget savings.

Manchester Evening News

• Airport boss unveils next phase of expansion plans The man in charge of the day-to-day running of Manchester Airport predicts it will be handling more passengers than ever before within three years.

Northern Echo

• Disruption warning as bridge over railway set to be replaced PRELIMINARY work to improve passenger facilities at a railway station near Darlington has been completed, ahead of disruptive work starting later in the year.
• Whitby steam bus saved, says owner, after health and safety threat lifted PLANS to move what is thought to be the world's only working steam bus from its regular stop have been shelved, according to its owner.

Wales Online

• Connect Assist wins new contract with Network Rail Connect Assist has secured a new contract with Network Rail to configure the database systems for its level crossings.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Improved services linked to HS2YORKSHIRE could benefit from a series of new and improved train services when the proposed new high-speed rail route to the north is completed, according to a new report.

Other Regional Press

• Train traffic is not to blameWITH reference to Mr Derek Andrews letter, Sleaford Target July 31, on the Sleaford proposed new road, and closure of the railway crossing because of claims this is a cause of the gridlock situation in Sleaford.
• Overhaul of Wandsworth one-way system proposed in council transport vision An overhaul of the Wandsworth one-way system and a Northern Line extension to Clapham Junction are just two of the ideas from the council's new transport vision.
• Residents urged to have their say on Cambridge to Royston transport links Improvements to rail links and cycle routes along the A10 are included in a draft strategy to transform transport in South Cambridgeshire.
• Major alert as smoke reported pouring from KLM plane on runway at Manston airportDozens of firefighters surrounded a KLM plane at the centre of a major alert on the runway at Manston airport last night.
• Kent Police road cameras called into question by Big Brother Watcher after Information Commissioner ruling on ANPR technologyKent Police are being urged to review how they use automatic number plate recognition technology after another force was ordered to dismantle cameras.
• New bus services announced for rural villagesTHE Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, has announced an investment in rural bus services which could see existing services saved, new routes opened, and increased services in some rural areas.

Global Rail News

• Atkins to lead LA rail expansionAtkins has been appointed by LA rail bosses to support the development of rail projects in the city. The UK-based firm will act as a General Engineering Consultant (GEC) for[...]

Aviation Industry

• Airlines Work To Supply Better In-Flight Wi-Fi With Satellite ServicesAs airlines realize that free Wi-Fi is no longer optional in passengers' minds, offerings and competition in that market are increasing.
• Fifty plans to improve the UKs hub capacityDetails of all airport expansion proposals are released by the Airports Commission
• GBTA 2013: Airlines should start selling ‘half a seat’Suppliers need to become more flexible in the way they sell their products
• Nairobi airport evacuated due to major fireKenya’s main airport has been closed after being engulfed in fire
• Bmi Regional to axe East Midlands to Frankfurt routeService to German hub airport will end from early September

Other News Sources

• Campaigners hope Middlewich rail link is still on track THE light at the end of the tunnel may be closer than ever before for the Middlewich Rail Link Campaign (MRLC).
• More than just a cycling-themed cafe at the Level in Brighton The city’s first cycling themed café is on track to open in the autumn.