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

Monday, 30 December 2013

BBC News

• Bypass sections 'could open earlier'Sections of the planned Aberdeen bypass could open earlier than the 2018 completion date, the transport minister says.
• Funding of £4.2m for bus servicesBus services are to be improved with £4.2m in funding, Scottish government Transport Minister Keith Brown announces.

Financial Times

• Bad weather slows rescue of Russian shipAustralian icebreaker attempts to reach the Akademik Shokalskiy, which has been trapped in ice since Christmas eve with 74 people on board
• Second bombing hits Russia’s VolgogradA blast in a trolleybus has hit the city 650km from the Winter Olympics venue of Sochi, a day after a suspected suicide bomber killed at least 17 in a separate explosion

The Guardian

• Volgograd: many dead in second explosion in Russian cityAt least 10 people killed in trolleybus explosion, the day after 17 died in suicide attack at the city's railway station
• Volgograd train station rocked by suicide bombingConflicting reports over identity of bomber after blast rips through Russian building, leaving at least 16 people deadSixteen people were killed and another 50 injured after a suicide bombing at a railway station in the southern Russian city of Volgograd that highlighted the region's security vulnerability just six weeks before the Winter Olympics.The blast ripped through an area between the station entrance and metal frames that had been installed as a precaution against terror attacks.There were conflicting reports on the identity of the perpetrator: the authorities first indicated that a yo...
• Antarctic rescue mission: Australian icebreaker forced back by blizzardAurora Australis reached as close as 10 nautical miles from trapped ship Akademik Shokalskiy before returning to open waters because of poor visibility

The Herald

• High-profile crashes highlight dangers on roadsA SERIES of high-profile crashes involving Scots cyclists have also highlighted the dangers in the past year.
• Suicide bomb woman kills 16 at Russian rail stationA WOMAN suicide bomber blew herself up in the entrance hall of a Russian train station yesterday, killing at least 16 people in the second deadly attack within three days as the country prepares to host the Winter Olympics.
• Officials say new Forth bridge on scheduleAFTER a year in which it set a new world record for underwater concrete pouring and work began on its 800ft central tower, officials say the Forth Road Replacement Crossing is on track to come in on time and on budget.
• Motoring groups welcome 25% rise in fines for cyclistsTHE number of cyclists stopped by the police for road offences, including dangerous riding or being drunk in charge of a bicycle, has increased by a quarter in the last three years, with fines issued to cyclists in the Edinburgh area almost doubling since 2010.

The Independent

• North Sea ferry blaze: Two arrested on Newscastle-Amsterdam boat as six people airlifted to hospital A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a fire broke out on a ferry carrying nearly 1,000 passengers from Newcastle to Amsterdam for New Year’s Eve.    

Mail Online

• Plans unveiled for £220m 'Skycycle' bicycle highway that lets riders commute above London railwaysSkyCycle is a 135-mile network of roads that would be constructed above existing suburban rail lines to create new cycle routes throughout the capital.
• Primrose Hill set go to war to derail HS2: Residents furious their homes could be seized to make way for the schemeThe High Speed 2 rail project has faced many challenges in its ambitious attempt to link the North of England with London.

The Mirror

• Ship trapped in Antartica: 'Third icebreaker fails to get through to stranded research vessel'The failure of the Australian icebreaker to smash through to the Academician Shokalskiy comes after Chinese and French ships also failed to get through
• Ten people killed on bus as second explosion in two days rips through Russian city The blast in Volgograd comes the day after another explosion claimed the lives of at least 17 people at the city's railway station

London Evening Standard

• Fresh trawl of blacklist sought Transport and offshore workers have been included on a secret blacklist of thousands of mainly construction staff which may have "blighted" their careers, it has been claimed.

Manchester Evening News

• Jumbo jet aborts take-off ... over a tuna sandwich The Emirates flight from Manchester to Dubai was recalled to its stand at Manchester Airport after a passenger vomited on board - a bad reaction to a sandwich
• Bus firm appointed to run ambulance services receives 411 complaints in six months Arriva Transport Solutions was appointed to provide non-emergency medical journeys across the region from April.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Revealed: Which North East car parks are the biggest money makersThousands of North drivers are caught out every year, returning to their car to find a dreaded parking ticket stuck to their windscreen

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• ‘Ditch the car and get on your bike’MORE people will have to ditch their cars in favour of public transport due to the massive scale of growth in Aberdeen, the city’s council leader has warned.

Other Regional Press

• Western Daily Press published We spend more on cars than ourselvesArticle
• Calls for Severn Bridge tolls to be cut WITH the annual rise in the cost of crossing the Severn bridges looming business groups have called for an immediate cut to the tolls once they pass into public hands.

International Herald Tribune

• Second Blast Hits Russia, Raising Olympic FearsA deadly blast on a trolley bus on Monday followed a suicide bombing at a railroad station a day earlier, underscoring the threat the country faces from a radical Islamic insurgency in the North Caucasus.    

Other News Sources

• Crime figures revealed for First Great Western NetworkFirst Great Western had more crimes on its network than on any other train company in the country.
• Bus services across Scotland to receive a £4.2m funding boostThe funds will be split between a total of 13 projects across the country, from the Borders to Inverness, over a three year period.
• 'Significant' work to fix train track landslip A landslip has heaped fresh misery on rail users on top of pre-planned engineering works.