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

Wednesday, 18 December 2013

BBC News

• Airport plans 'ignore Birmingham'Plans to develop runways at Heathrow and Gatwick airports ignore the
• Alert over helicopter fuel warningThe helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter issues a safety alert to operators of its EC 135 model - the type that crashed in Glasgow, killing 10 people.
• Car insurance premiums 'too high'Motor insurance premiums are unnecessarily high for all drivers owing to the complex chain of claims, the Competition Commission says.
• Australia eyes $90m jobs packageAustralia announces plans to set up a A$100m ($90m; £55m) fund to create jobs in states affected by Holden's decision to stop making cars there.
• Why airports will be election issueWhy the plan to avoid Heathrow being election issue has failed
• VIDEO: 'A big step towards a potential U-turn'An MP who pledged to trigger a by-election if the Conservative Party went back on its pledge over expansion at Heathrow Airport said it was
• VIDEO: House of CommonsThe government says it will not yet comment on its preferred option on airport expansion.
• Long-haul flights plan is rejectedPlans to expand Cardiff Airport to help reduce demands on flights from London are rejected by the commission for expanding UK airport capacity.
• Half UK 'suitable for fracking'A new report says UK fracking expansion will increase truck movements and water use, but that the environmental impacts will be
• PM 'faces enormous Heathrow bust-up'Prime Minister David Cameron will face an
• AUDIO: Mayor: Third Heathrow runway 'crackers'London Mayor Boris Johnson discusses the short-listed options for expanding the UK's aviation capacity.
• AUDIO: Commission 'back and forth' on Thames airportSir Howard Davies, head of the Airports Commission, discusses the short-listed options for expanding the UK's aviation capacity.
• Airport expansion: The optionsHere we examine the possible options
• Airport expansion options set outNew runways at Heathrow and Gatwick are among the options short-listed by the Airports Commission for expanding UK airport capacity.

The Herald

• Clutha helicopter firm issues global alert on aircraft after fuel gauge fault foundThe manufacturer of the helicopter that crashed into the Clutha pub in Glasgow, killing 10 people, has issued a worldwide safety notice over a fault on some of the aircraft.
• Edinburgh public get their first look at city's new tramsTHE look of the Edinburgh trams, and their drivers, has been revealed after one of the vehicles rolled into the heart of the city.
• Asda and Tesco slash fuel pricesDRIVERS have received some pre-Christmas cheer in the form of lower supermarket petrol prices.
• Motorists face £200m bill for unnecessary insurance costsMOTOR insurers are facing a crackdown on the
• Call for improved transport links to Glasgow AirportPUBLIC transport links to Glasgow Airport must be improved, says an official report on the UK's aviation sector which recommends building a tram link to carry passengers to and from the terminal.

City AM

• Boris Island is kept afloat in airport reportHEATHROW and Gatwick have been picked as the best sites for a new runway by the government’s Airports Commission – but the Boris-backed proposal for a hub in the Thames Estuary has been given a possible lifeline. The independent commission...

The Mirror

• Fracking shale gas boom could create up to 32,000 jobs says Government-commissioned report A new licensing round to allow firms to explore for shale gas will begin in the summer - according to the report, more than half of the UK could be suitable

Network Rail

• Network Rail awards £1.2bn infrastructure deals to boost rail in London & south eastNetwork Rail has kickstarted its infrastructure investment plans for London and the south east for the next five years by nominating four preferred suppliers for contracts worth a total of £1.2bn.

Birmingham Mail

• Business anger as Birmingham Airport's expansion plans rejectedBosses denounce decision to reject Midland proposals as a 'huge opportunity' missed

Birmingham Post

• National Express upbeat on prospects In a full-year trading update, the Edgbaston company said trading across the group had remained positive across all sectors of the business

Bolton News

• Overcrowded trains problem is local issue, says government BOLTON’S overcrowded trains are the responsibility of Network Rail and not the government, according to the transport secretary.

Liverpool Echo

• Video: BAC Mono, the world's newest supercar, set to drive business to Liverpool Top Gear’s 2011 ”Stig Car of the Year” to be built at Briggs Automotive Company in Speke

London Evening Standard

• Boris Island marooned as Heathrow and Gatwick backed for new runway in Airports Commission reportBoris Johnson's dream of a Thames Estuary airport was  hanging by a thread today as Heathrow and Gatwick were shortlisted for the first major new runway in the South-East for more than 60 years.
• 'Like being on death row': residents near Heathrow blast plans for new runwayResidents of a historic village that could be obliterated under today’s proposals to expand Heathrow said the plans would have a “devastating” impact on their lives.
• Zac Goldsmith: Voters would not forgive Tory U-turnZac Goldsmith today attacked the Government for allowing Heathrow expansion back on to the political agenda.
• Fresh row as shale roadmap revealedThe Government today stepped up its support for shale gas, sparking a fresh row with environmental groups over the controversial process of 'fracking' for energy.
• Heathrow and Gatwick on growth list Politicians are likely to have to decide between a new runway at either Heathrow or Gatwick following an interim report today by the Whitehall-commissioned Airports Commission.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• MP warns East Coast fare increases will hit familiesMP Catherine McKinnell has warned season ticket price rises on East Coast trains next month will make life even more difficult for struggling families

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Disappointment after Birmingham Airport second runway blowThe vision that would have seen Birmingham Airport become one of the country’s top transport hubs was dealt a cruel blow today – but bosses are remaining positive.
• HS2 objection to be submittedAn official objection to the second phase of the HS2 rail link will be submitted by Staffordshire County Council chiefs who are putting the finishing touches to the document.

Bucks Free Press

• Motorists hit by number plate theft MOTORISTS are asked to be on their guard after two cars had their number plates stolen within hours of each other on the same High Wycombe street last week.

Burnley Express

• Dangerous taxis taken off Burnley roads in Christmas crackdown A CHRISTMAS crackdown on unsafe taxis saw 26 taken off the road - almost 60 per cent of those stopped.

Carlisle News & Star

• Booze ban on Cumbrian train service after police officer attacked Rail bosses have banned alcohol on a Carlisle to Whitehaven train after a police officer was attacked.

Doncaster Free Press

• Rail bosses announce freeze on some faresEast Coast rail firm has announced plans to freeze more than half its fares for journeys between Doncaster and London from Thursday, January 2.    
• Drivers pull bus through Doncaster town centreFour Stagecoach Yorkshire bus drivers abandoned their cabs yesterday to flex their muscles by pulling a bus through Doncaster town centre.    

East Anglian Daily Times

• Update: Stansted Airport reacts to news there will be no new runway until at least 2050 following Airports Commission reportStansted Airport has not been included in options to expand the country’s aviation capacity, it has been announced today.
• Stansted: Opposition group reacts as airport is not included in expansion proposalsA group which opposes the expansion of Stansted Airport has welcomed today’s announcement that a new runway will not be built there in the immediate future.
• Travel: Commuters take to Twitter to vent their anger after night of disruption on trainsThe region’s trains are in the midst of a night of disruption after a freight train broke down a lorry struck a railway bridge.
• East Anglia: Minister says there is a sense of urgency to improve rail servicesThere is a “sense of urgency” about improving rail services between East Anglia and London, rail minister Stephen Hammond has claimed following the first meeting of a new taskforce.

North Wales Live

• Delight as supercar plant opens in city World’s only single-seater supercar in production to be built in Speke

Other Regional Press

• London Midland to run reduced service over Christmas period A reduced train service will be running from Watford Junction, Bushey and Kings Langley stations over the Christmas and New Year’s period.
• Airport plan grounded by government’s commission TWO plans to build an airport near Abingdon have been rejected by a Government commission.
• Activists angry as county extends debate on school bus charges CAMPAIGNERS have reacted angrily after the county council extended a consultation into changing parents’ free transport-to-school entitlement.
• Sir Howard Davies aviation review brings 'grave day' for anti-airport campaigners in north Kent as fears continueAnti-airport campaigners have spoken of their fears for another year of

Global Rail News

• Test trains running on Gotthard Base TunnelThe first test train has taken to the western tube of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, marking 900 days until the official opening of the world’s longest rail tunnel. AlpTransit Gotthard[...]

Railnews

• Network Rail to become public sector body in 2014 Network Rail will become a public sector body during the coming year, following a reclassification of the company's status by the Office for National Statistics. The present company was set up in late 2001 to take over from Railtrack, but although NR had no shareholders it was said to be in the private sector. The transport secretary (left) said today that he remained 'committed to the railway'.

Railway Gazette

• High speed services between France and Spain launched EUROPE: On December 15 French Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier joined Spanish Development Minister Ana Pastor to launch direct high speed services between the two countries. Through their...

Aviation Industry

• AEF response to Airports Commission Interim Report: environmental and social concerns forgottenThe Airports Commission Interim Report was launched today (Tuesday 17th December). In it, the Commission concludes that runway capacity will be under “very substantial” pressure in the South East by 2030 requiring additional runway capacity, even in a carbon constrained world when aviation emissions are constrained to 2005 levels. In response, Tim Johnson, Director of […]
• Airports gear up for battle over new runwayHeathrow and Gatwick already stepping up campaign for expansion
• Virgin Atlantic to add seat reservation chargeCarrier due to introduce new £25 fee on long-haul flights

Green Miscellany

• Concept bike embodies ’clean as you go’ policyA new award-winning concept bike cleans the surrounding air for its rider and his or her fellow citizens Aside from boosting their local economy, raising property prices and enhancing the public image of their surroundings, cyclists could soon add another claim to the already impressive list of benefits their activity has not just on themselves, but on the places and…

Other News Sources

• Heathrow expansion: airport report risks Tory civil warAirports commission report risks major confrontation with senior figures in the Conservative Party who remain bitterly opposed to any further expansion of Heathrow.
• Steamship Drydocking Contract for UK ShipyardShip repair company A&P Falmouth, located in the south-west of England has won a major contract for repair and drydock modification work to the historic steamship 'SS Shieldhall',
• Airports: Gatwick and Heathrow shortlisted for new runwaysThe airports commission has dealt a blow to hopes of a new London airport, after three options for extensions of Gatwick and Heathrow were shortlisted for further analysis.
• Ryanair Regrets Airports Commission ShortlistRyanair, the UKrsquo;s favourite airline today expressed its regret at the shortlist produced by the Daviesrsquo; Airport Commission which advocates a potential second runway at Gatwick or two ...
• easyJet's response to Airports Commission's Interim Report
• Boris: third Heathrow runway 'would be a disaster' - videoWith a report recommending a new Heathrow runway as one option to reduce airport congestion, London's mayor claims the environmental impact of his Thames Estuary plans would be negligible.
• Gatwick: the dark horse for airport expansionAs the battle builds between supporters of an expansion of Heathrow and those who want a
• Major disruption over Christmas for £80m Brighton line upgrade Passengers are facing rail chaos this Christmas as train bosses embark on one of the biggest investments ever on the London to Brighton mainline.
• Brighton motorists celebrate petrol price drop Hard-pressed motorists have been given some festive cheer with the news a major supermarket has cut the price of petrol.

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