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

Monday, 19 August 2013

BBC News

• Boston bus station 'dirty and smelly' shelters to go Shelters at a Lincolnshire bus station are set to be removed after becoming the focus of anti-social behaviour.
• Cardiff Airport buyout: Tories criticise £1m consultancy fees Consultancy fees of £1m for the Welsh government's £52m purchase of Cardiff Airport have been criticised by the Conservatives.
• Passengers left stranded overnightMore than 250 passengers travelling on a flight from London Heathrow to New York are left stranded overnight in a Canadian airport after an emergency landing.
• HS2 'could cost taxpayer £80bn'The HS2 high-speed rail project could cost taxpayers more than £80bn, almost double the current estimated cost, says a free-market think tank.

Financial Times

• Value of US fuel exports soarsData show how the domestic energy boom – led by expanding oil and natural gas production and higher prices – is reshaping its economy

The Guardian

• HS2 should be scrapped before budget soars to £80bn, warns thinktankHigh-speed rail project's cost 'could double' owing to several factors such as extra tunnelling to placate opposition groupsThe HS2 high-speed rail project could nearly double in cost to £80bn and should be dropped, a report has warned.The Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA), a free-market thinktank, said that the proposed north-south rail link defied economic logic, adding to growing doubts about the scheme's viability.The credibility of HS2 was undermined in June when the government revealed that its price tag had risen by £10bn, or 30%, to £42.6bn.The IEA said the final budget could spiral...

The Herald

• Hundreds of claims for car damage caused by roadsHUNDREDS of drivers have been caught up in accidents because of the crumbling state of Scotland's motorways and trunk roads, new figures have revealed.

The Independent

• Train passengers “treated worse than livestock”Some train passengers are provided with less space than the minimum legally acceptable for transporting livestock, it has been revealed.

Mail Online

• STEPHEN GLOVER: If the PM doesn't hit the brakes, his legacy will be one of the biggest white elephants in historyMore and more evidence is stacking up to suggest that HS2, if it goes ahead, will be one of the greatest follies of any British government. And that’s saying something.
• Flip flops are more dangerous to drive in than heels and one in 10 of us has had a near miss while wearing themFlip-flops are responsible for up to 1.4million near misses or accidents on the roads every year, with one in nine motorists getting one stuck under a pedal, a study reveals.
• HS2 link 'could cost every family £3,000 and defies economic logic': Senior Tories braced for revolt after estimated cost rises to £80bnThe report, released today, increased the pressure on David Cameron to abandon the scheme after its price tag soared to double the original estimate.

The Mirror

• Flip flops caused my car crash - a quarter of drivers blame footwear for motoring mishap in survey One in three road users get behind the wheel in flip flops and a study shows they are more dangerous than driving in high heels

Birmingham Mail

• Spending a penny? That will be 30p at Birmingham New Street Commuters will be forced to pay 30p to use the loos at New Street Station
• Discounted bus fares scheme for pupils faces axe The Green Bus Company Ltd which offers pupils ’almost door-to-door’ concessionary transport along 32 routes and is used by adults has lost its High Court bid to have the financial restriction imposed by Centro removed

London Evening Standard

• British holidaymakers stranded after emergency landingBritish holidaymakers en route to New York have been stranded overnight in a small Canadian airport after making an emergency landing.
• Calls for HS2 rail project to be scrapped 'as costs will reach £80bn'The cost of the HS2 rail project could reach at least £80bn, almost double the current estimate, a report has found.

Newcastle Journal

• Proton’s going for big cell to transport chiefs North East fuel cell manufacturer Proton could soon be sparking a transport revolution as it continues to upgrade its technology

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post published Court order reduces threat of rail strikeArticle
• Nottingham Post published Calls to sort out 'rising cost' of high-speed railTHE Government needs to "get to grips" with the cost of its multi billion-pound high-speed rail project, according to a senior city councillor.A report published today claims the cost of the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project could reach at least £80 billion – almost double the current estimate.It has led the report's think-tank authors, the Institute for Economic Affairs, to call for the project to be scrapped.The Government wants a new station for the East Midlands to be...
• Nottingham Post published Notts' £43m tram windfallArticle

Sheffield Star

• Calls to axe high-speed rail scheme serving SheffieldFears have been raised a new high-speed railway serving Sheffield could cost at least £80 billion, double current thinking.

Wales Online

• New bus strategies to drive up standards could backfire, experts warnTransport consultants fear bus cuts and quality drives could put companies out of business

Yorkshire Post

• HS2 ‘vital for North’ despite claim that cost could hit £80bnHIGH speed rail was described as essential to growing the economy in the North yesterday after a think tank claimed the cost could rise to almost double the Government’s current estimate.

Bucks Free Press

• Risborough will be 'clobbered' by HS2 construction traffic PRINCES Risborough will be a crossroads for heavy construction traffic to build HS2, raising concerns about safety and the already busy A4010.

Other Regional Press

• Chadwell Heath residents ’fighting back’ in ongoing bus stop row Dozens of residents are “fighting back” after a bus stop was installed in front of their homes with little warning.
• Five buses destroyed in Aberdeen fireA FIRE today gutted a fleet of Aberdeen buses, causing an estimated £150,000 of damage.
• HAVE YOUR SAY: Council wants to hear from you on plans to scrap bus routes DORSET’S supported bus network is set for a shake-up with some services being scrapped.
• MP backs campaign over parking charges at QDMP for Bedford and Kempston, Richard Fuller, has vowed to help his constituents by joining this newspaper’s fight against wrongful charges being demanded by a car park operator.

Other News Sources

• Plane fault grounds passengersA Virgin Atlantic plane had to make an emergency landing at a small airport in Newfoundland