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

Saturday, 25 January 2014

BBC News

• Airport boss in Ryanair apologyThe director of City of Derry Airport says he incorrectly blamed Irish airline Ryanair for bumpy landings at a council meeting.
• VIDEO: Forth bridges in tourism bidPublic interest in the Forth rail and road bridges is paving the way to being new business as tourist attractions.
• VIDEO: Stadium's cycle paths 'embarrassing'Cycling routes in and around the Olympic Park are described as

The Guardian

• Boris Johnson's father calls for 'popular uprising' against HS2Stanley Johnson rallies north London residents against high-speed line, which will come 10 metres from his £4m houseOpponents of HS2 in London's Primrose Hill have been rallied to action by the mayor of London's father, Stanley Johnson, calling for a

The Telegraph

• Why sugar helped remove Victoria Line concrete floodThe science behind how ordinary table sugar can be used to slow down and even stop cement from setting hard    
• Police cameras on UK roads doubles in three yearsThe number of police CCTV cameras monitoring Britain's roads has almost doubled to 8000 in the last three years, it was claimed, raising concerns among privacy campaigners    
• Eric Pickles attacks council's 'disingenuous and unnecessary' decision to axe apostrophes from road signsA decision by a city council to abolish apostrophes on street signs has been criticised as

Daily Record

• Revealed: The story of the nine-year-old boy left alone on torpedoed ship after all his pals were rescuedGOVERNMENT tried to cover up the incident which left the young Glaswegian, known only as Robert, abandoned on the sinking SS Volendam.

Network Rail

• Scotland's railway gets ready for Glasgow's GamesWith the Commonwealth Games now just six months away, Network Rail is preparing the railway to do its bit to make this summer’s event a success.

London Evening Standard

• Taxpayers to cover Heathrow's £160million Crossrail shortfall The taxpayer must cover a £160 million shortfall in private-sector funding for the Crossrail project after the Department for Transport failed to secure the expected contribution from Heathrow, a report revealed today.

Manchester Evening News

• Full steam ahead for devolution of northern railways At a meeting with council leaders in Manchester today, transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin agreed to give transport authorities joint control over rail franchising.
• Transport secretary wants to fast-track HS2 line to Manchester Phase two of the project, to run from Birmingham to Manchester, is currently under consultation but due to be finished in 2032.

Metro

• Video: Teenager pulls off world’s first BMX double front flipA teenage BMX rider proved he's got some incredible moves after pulling off one of the world's most outrageous bike stunts.     

Sheffield Star

• Sheffield ‘cash for crash’ gang jailedThe mastermind behind a series of insurance scams which culminated in the deliberate crashing of a 12-tonne Sheffield bus with up to 40 passengers on board has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Village with no pumps gets cut-price offerA Highland community in line for the UK Government’s fuel discount scheme has no filling station.
• Road and rail chaos at bridgeRoad and rail commuters faced severe disruption last night after an accident at a notorious traffic bottleneck in Aberdeenshire.
• Poll shows massive opposition to roadAN OVERWHELMING majority of people living in the Elgin area do not believe the town’s controversial link road will have any economic benefit.

The York Press

• Free parking day for York COUNCIL-OWNED car parks in York will be free for residents and visitors to use through a one-day initiative next weekend.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Blitz on drink-drivers sees over 200 charged in West MidlandsA total of 205 motorists were charged with drink driving or drug driving crimes over December, police revealed today.

Yorkshire Post

• Northumberland joins Scotland in plea for petrol duty cutProposals to cut the fuel bills of hard-pressed motorists in rural areas by as much as 5p a litre have been extended to include more of the UK.
• Minister lets go of rail franchisesTHE North of England is to get a greater say in the running of its railways as part of a new partnership between councils and Whitehall.

Other Regional Press

• Cyclist’s death on ride ruled a tragic accidentA cyclist told his friend where he would like his ashes to be scattered – moments before he was killed falling from his bike.
• Bus strike called off next week due to talks BUS drivers will no longer strike over a pay dispute next week to allow for further talks.
• Sacked Shepway District Council officer Matthew Donovan steals thousands from car park machines in scam with friend Andrew GaineyA council officer who lost his job monitoring car park meters plotted a scam to steal thousands by emptying the machines of £1 coins.

Global Rail News

• Crossrail delivering on economic promisesA new report has said that Crossrail is ’on course’ to deliver on its financial pledges and demonstrate ’value for money’ for taxpayers. In the most recent of studies into[...]
• Learning from Japan’s bullet trainsJapan’s Shinkansen network is not only the oldest high-speed network in the world, it is also the safest, with zero passenger fatalities since the launch of the very first line[...]

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair to open Lisbon baseRyanair has announced plans to base a single aircraft in Lisbon and add four new routes, taking it to a total of nine destinations from the airport. read more

Green Miscellany

• No more car tax for second-hand motorsThe demise of the paper tax disc later this year spells the end of second-hand cars being sold with tax remaining – new owners will always have to pay for vehicle excise duty (VED) immediately instead of being able to take on the vehicle’s existing unexpired tax. According to the ‘Draft Clauses and Explanatory Notes’ for the proposed Finance Bill…

Other News Sources

• Grandma builds Stephenson's Rocket out of pram for grandson A crafty grandmother could be the best in the country – after turning a pram into a sit-on steam train with a working piston for her grandson.
• Cross Country extends ‘Advance on the Day’ tickets to business travellersCorporate travellers can book advance tickets 30 minutes before departure
• Ryanair announces new Bristol to Bologna routeRyanair hasnbsp;announced a new route from Bristol to Bologna in Northern Italy which will operate twice weekly from 1 April. 2014 will be the first summer where customers can not only enjoy...