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

Friday, 09 August 2013

BBC News

• Major heroin haul at railway stationHeroin with a street value of £102,000 is seized by police in an operation at Dundee Railway Station.
• Gatwick night flights 'ruin Kent residents' sleep' A new call to ban night flights at Gatwick Airport has come from people living more than 20 miles away in Kent.
• Four unusual blue-sky ideas to solve airport capacityThere's controversy over plans for new runways in south-east England. But how would the public solve the problem of overcrowding at Heathrow and elsewhere?

Financial Times

• RAF base suggested as Heathrow overspillLink with airfield seven miles north of Heathrow proposed as temporary solution to airport’s capacity problems by taking short-haul flights
• Growth in crude oil shipped by rail slowsSlowdown comes as price differences between inland and coastal markets narrows though some believe the price difference will widen again

The Guardian

• Airport expansion uncertainty blights property values Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick and Thames Estuary house prices depressed and homeowners left in limbo by potential airport expansion

The Herald

• First capital flight for the new DreamlinerPassengers took to the skies on British Airways's new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft for the first time yesterday.

The Telegraph

• Councils accused of bending law on parking enforcementCouncils have been accused of

Mail Online

• Tokyo's underground cycle rack holds 200 bikes below the streetsUsers of the bike rack park their bicycle in a small run at the top of the storage facility and then they take just eight seconds to go down and into a space.
• Furious passenger sit-in after double scare on BA jet: Jammed wing flaps force plane to return to Saudi Arabia twice in 24 hoursPassengers had screamed and been physically sick as the Heathrow-bound Boeing 747 had to turn round and make an emergency landing at King Khalid International shortly after take-off when its wing flaps jammed.

The Mirror

• "Football supporters’ railcard” proposed to cut spiralling cost of travel to gamesNearly a quarter of fans spend more getting to games than on tickets, with supporters travelling by train hit hardest

This is Money

• From asphalting swathes of rural Oxfordshire to building a magnetic levitation train around London: Proposals to improve airport capacity They range from the sublime to the totally ridiculous, but the contributions to a review of Britain’s airport capacity are anything but boring.

Network Rail

• Investment in growing railway delivers £3.2bn boost to businesses across BritainInvestment in a bigger, better rail network generated more than £3.2bn of work for businesses across Britain over the last year, according to new figures released today by Network Rail.
• Investment in growing railway delivers £426m boost to industry in West MidlandsInvestment in the rail network has generated £426m of work for businesses in the West Midlands over the last year, according to new figures released today by Network Rail.
• Investment in growing railway delivers £298m boost to businesses in YorkshireInvestment in the rail network has generated more than £298m of work for businesses in Yorkshire over the past year, according to new figures released today by Network Rail.
• Investment in growing railway delivers £187m boost to industry in the North WestInvestment in the rail network has generated £187m of work for businesses in the North West over the last year, according to new figures released today by Network Rail.
• Rail investment delivers £154m boost to industry in Scotland
• Investment in growing railway delivers £46m boost to businesses in the north eastInvestment in the rail network has generated more than £46m of work for businesses in the north east over the past year, according to new figures released today by Network Rail.
• Investment in growing railway delivers £222m boost to businesses in the East MidlandsInvestment in the rail network has generated more than £222m of work for businesses in the East Midlands over the past year, according to new figures released today by Network Rail.
• Investment in growing railway delivers £1.3bn boost to industry in London and south eastInvestment in the rail network has generated more than £1.3bn of work for businesses in London and the south-east over the last year, according to new figures released today by Network Rail.

Bristol Live

• The Bristol Post commented 'Utterly barmy' bus stop plan is a 'waste of money'Article

London Evening Standard

• TfL vetos electronic cigarettes for staff… now Tube commuters could face ban tooTransport For London staff have been banned from using electronic cigarettes at work because they are too realistic.
• Westminster: Free parking on double yellows will cause chaosBritain's largest parking authority today dismissed a government plan for free parking on double yellow lines, saying it would cause “gridlock”.
• Mayor's aide: build outer London rail and tram links to beat jamsNew rail links around the capital could help London cope with its soaring population.

Manchester Evening News

• Fire crews called out to Boeing 737 fuel leak at Manchester Airport Flight engineer crew and fire crews from Altrincham, Wilmslow and Wythenshawe are currently dealing with the fault on the Boeing 737.

Northern Echo

• Stagecoach North-East says services have improved A BUS operator says it has built on improved financial results after increasing reliability on its regional services.
• Dreamliner touches down in Newcastle for flying visit THE MOST technologically advanced passenger aircraft caused a frisson of excitement among holidaymakers, plane spotters and airport staff when it touched down for a flying visit to the North-East today (Thursday, August 8).

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post published MP Soubry protests at lack of local HS2 consultation eventsArticle

Yorkshire Post

• Transport chiefs call for input to drive priorities TRANSPORT projects proposed for South Yorkshire could create thousands of jobs and help boost the economy of the region by as much as £7bn over the next decade, it has been claimed.
• Transport chiefs call for input to drive prioritiesTRANSPORT projects proposed for South Yorkshire could create thousands of jobs and help boost the economy of the region by as much as £7bn over the next decade, it has been claimed.

Blackpool Gazette

• Virgin submits fresh Blackpool to London link pleaVirgin Trains have launched a second bid to for a rail service between Blackpool and London, The Gazette can reveal.

Carlisle News & Star

• Residents banned from leaving work vehicles outside their homes Baffled Carlisle residents have been threatened with action – for parking their work vehicles outside their homes.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Roads deal could save Peterborough £7 million over a decadeA new deal has been struck for the costly maintenance of Peterborough’s roads in a move that could to save the city £7 million over the next 10 years.

Sleaford Standard

• Date set for public meeting over controversial link road plansA date has been set for a public meeting to discuss the controversial link road plans for Sleaford.    
• VIDEO: £9m link road plan moves into new gearThe £9m link road plans for Sleaford have moved up a gear – with North Kesteven District Council voting in principle to a compulsory purchase order.    
• Town council disappointment at road decisionDisappointment has been expressed by Sleaford Town Council over NKDC’s decision in principle to a compulsory purchase of land.

Other Regional Press

• ShropshireLink bus closure will go ahead as planned Council chiefs have refused plans to delay the closure of a countywide rural bus service.
• Vicarage Road station approved by transport bosses Campaigners are celebrating after Transport for London confirmed it is recommending the name of the new London Underground station in west Watford be “Watford Vicarage Road”.
• Grimsby Telegraph commented Humberside Airport bosses ready to lift passenger numbersHUMBERSIDE Airport bosses expect to see passenger numbers increase by about 20,000 by 2014.It would be the first upturn since 2006, when more than double the present users of the Kirmington base were recorded.Since the "golden era" of pre-recession growth and considerably cheaper aviation fuel, numbers have dropped from 520,000 to 234,000, but those responsible for the airport are confident a corner will soon be turned, lifting it above the quarter-of- a-million mark once again, under...
• Cornish Guardian published Red tape threat to Camel Trail's cycle hire pioneerTHE OWNER of the Camel Trail's longest-established cycle hire business has hit out at Cornwall Council after it threatened to remove his operating licence for not complying with a mobility scheme.Nigel Wiggett of Bridge Bike Hire says the issue revolves around his refusal to accept mobility equipment from the council to aid cyclists with disabilities.Mr Wiggett feels there is a safety issue with the equipment offered by the council, and says he already provides a better piece of equipment...
• Bus station jaywalkers are risking livesThis is the chilling moment a kamikaze pedestrian was nearly wiped out on Preston’s bus station concourse.

The Business Desk

• Optare confident international markets can boost business BUS manufacturer Optare is confident that prospective contact wins with major tenders in the international markets can help it look forward to a profitable future.

Aviation Industry

• Virgin America posts first-ever 2Q profit Virgin America has earned its first-ever second-quarter net profit, reporting net income of $8.9 million, reversed from a net loss of $31.8 million in the year-ago quarter. read more
• Flybe’s price cuts boost UK salesMore passengers have been using regional airline due to lower prices
• Air Blue to start Birmingham to Pakistan flightsCarrier plans to operate service to Lahore and Islamabad from September
• Iberia to allow passengers to bid for upgradesNew initiative will allow customers to compete for a business class seat

Green Miscellany

• Bicycles and Boris: Johnson’s war on LycraIt was a daft exchange of words between cyclists that would have passed without further comment had one of those involved not been Boris Johnson. As it was, the teasing by club cyclist Bob Carter provoked the London Mayor’s acerbic wit and his well-known aversion toward Lycra-clad cyclists. Cycling ’more than just sport’ For the general public in Britain, bicycles…
• Watch your back: A bicycle mirror for your wristThe traditional handlebar-mounted mirror has gone the way the way of the mudguard and is no longer regarded as a desirable accessory by most cyclists. The handlebar-mounted configuration has evolved into a sleek, bar-end arrangement  but the thriving market for bicycle accessories has spawned all manner of alternatives, including spectacle frame-mounted designs and now a pop-up rear view mirror worn on…

Other News Sources

• Heathrow Airport cyclists sign up for British Cycling benefitsHeathrow Commuter, part of the Surface Access team at Heathrow Airport has helped a growing number of airport staff start cycling to work by providing a one stop shop for all their cycling needs, the first facility of it’s kind at an airport in the UK.
• Boris Johnson reveals third and fourth New Bus for London routes Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has announced the third and fourth routes to be serviced by the iconic New Bus for London scheme will be the 9 and 390.
• Dentressangle consolidates transport at Crick Norbert Dentressangle is to open a 295,000 sq ft Transport Services hub at Crick to replace sites in Northampton and Rowley Regis.
• Laser scanner could help pilots avoid atmospheric turbulencePilots might one day be able to navigate around turbulence using a laser system undergoing trials in Germany.