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

Monday, 17 March 2014

BBC News

• Cardiff Airport passengers up 9% since Welsh government takeoverCardiff Airport has seen a 9% increase in the number of its passengers since it was taken over by the Welsh government last year, it has been revealed.
• Backpacks monitor personal air pollutionScientists in Edinburgh are using hi-tech backpacks to study personal exposure to air pollution.
• Should you be worried about air pollution?Air quality has improved dramatically in recent decades due to the reduction in the amount of coal being burnt in homes and industry.
• Build HS2 quicker, says project bossBuilding work on the northern section of the £50bn high-speed HS2 rail project should be accelerated, HS2 chairman Sir David Higgins has said.

Financial Times

• HS2 chief calls for faster constructionSir David Higgins says the only way to cut £50bn budget for link between London, Manchester and Leeds is to complete it by 2029
• More countries join hunt for missing jetAll right, good night: pilot’s last words to Malaysian air traffic control came after crucial communications and reporting system was disabled
• Aircraft orders at ‘unprecedented levels’Falls in the price of a ticket would be dependent on orders being delivered as scheduled, and could be outweighed by any surge in the oil price
• Alexandre de Juniac, Air France-KLMThe aristocratic chief of the Franco-Dutch airline can take inspiration from a formidable ancestor

The Guardian

• HS2 benefits to north could be delivered six years earlier, says chairSir David Higgins recommends building line to Crewe early, rebuilding Euston and axing stretch of line joining HS2 to HS1HS2's benefits to the north could be delivered six years earlier by building the line to Crewe early and returning the historic rail hub to the heart of Britain's revamped transport system, the high speed rail project's new boss will say today.In a report to be delivered in Manchester, Sir David Higgins, the ex-Network Rail boss and chairman of HS2, says that the second phase of the high-speed rail project should be accelerated with the 43-mile stretch north to Crewe being b...
• MH370: last contact from plane made after systems shut down - live coverageSuspicions continue that missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 may have been hijacked, after it’s revealed the final message from the cockpit, “all right, good night,” was sent after the first of two communications systems was disabledHelen DavidsonPaul Farrell

The Independent

• HS2 fast-tracked to put the North first - and to start as soon as possible Plans to create a high-speed rail link across England should be dramatically accelerated and increased in ambition, the man brought in to sort out the £50bn HS2 project tells the Government today.    
• HS2 will be expensive and destructive – but it is also the only way to revitalise Britain's railways All aboard for the future? The 18 pages of Sir David Higgins’ closely argued case for high-speed rail can be boiled down to just 18 words: if you are going to build the line Britain desperately needs, build it properly and build it soon.    

The Telegraph

• Cable backs earlier HS2 constructionVince Cable backs plans to speed up HS2 construction in the North of England ahead of a key report    
• HS2 trains to reach North six years earlyMajor report by HS2 chief recommends bringing forward construction schedule with trains to run to Crewe by 2027    

Daily Express

• Investigations continue as experts ask: Did pilot hijack missing Malaysia Airlines jet?THE finger of suspicion over the missing Malaysian airliner was last night pointed at the plane’s pilot and co-pilot after the authorities abandoned the idea that it had simply crashed.

Mail Online

• 'Bring HS2 forward to revitalise the North': MPs urged to shave up to 6 years off £50bn schemeA report recommends the phase one of HS2 should be extended by 43 miles to Crewe so parts of the North would be connected by 2027 rather than 2033.
• Is this proof that missing Malaysia Airlines flight WAS 'hijacked' by one of its pilots? Final words from MH370 were spoken after its communication equipment was disabled - and the pilot sounded calmCCTV footage captures Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, pilot of the Boeing 777 flight, being frisked while walking through security at Kuala Lumpar International Airport.

The Mirror

• Satellites picked up 'electronic ping' from missing flight MH370 after it lost contact with ground controlThe new revelations have been made by sources close to the investigation into the missing Malaysia Airlines flight

London Evening Standard

• Vince Cable adds backing to HS2 rail linkBusiness Secretary Vince Cable has said there is a "compelling case" to speed up the extension of the controversial HS2 high speed rail link to the cities of the north.
• HS2 speed-up for north proposedThe boss of HS2 today proposed a speeding up of the building of the northern, phase two, section of the £50 billion project.

Manchester Evening News

• Finnair is marking 20 years of flights to Manchester AirportThe Manchester to Helsinki connection is seen as increasingly more important for the north west’s trade routes to Asia especially China to which Finnair has five destination cities including Xi’an, Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
• HS2 speed up for north proposed HS2 Ltd chairman Sir David Higgins, who helped mastermind the London Olympics plans, said the Government should “accelerate phase two as soon as possible”.
• HS2 will benefit north west firmsAlison Munro, chief executive of HS2 Ltd, said the project, which has proposed to connect London and the north of England in record time,  will be “truly beneficial to Manchester and the wider region.”
• City centre bus lane caught 14,000 drivers in just one yearIt means the CCTV camera captured an average of 278 drivers a week – or 39 per day – over 12 months

Metro

• Thousands ’pay twice’ for bus after Oyster readers charge wrong card in contactless glitchBus passengers have been wrongly charged thousands of pounds because of a quirk in the contactless payment system, Metro has learned.
• Was missing Malaysia Airlines passenger jet on the ground when the last signal was sent?Suspicions that one or both of the pilots on the missing Malaysian jetliner was involved in its disappearance were growing tonight.    

Northern Echo

• Lightbulb fault diverts plane to Durham Tees Valley Airport A FAULTY lightbulb caused a plane to make a precautionary landing at Durham Tees Valley Airport (DTVA).

Wales Online

• Long-distance buses are 'wasting time' touring villages, says reportA report for the Welsh Government has recommended simplifying the routes of the long-distance TrawsCymru buses

Yorkshire Post

• Yorkshire’s railways ‘must be upgraded’ if region is to benefit from HS2HS2 must be accompanied by a massive overhaul of existing railways across the North of England if the scheme is to fulfil its potential and “transform” the region’s transport network, the project’s new chairman says in a landmark report today.

Other Regional Press

• TRANSPORT: Will something be done about this road?When the A16 Spalding to Peterborough bypass was opened, I was one of the first to raise my concerns on the layout of the road, the old Radar Corner etc and how many lives would be lost.
• Pensioners upset over axed tram discountsTram concessions for folk travelling to the Fylde coast are set to be cut at the end of the month, causing concern for pensioners.
• Work to start on crossings WORK to install crossing points across a busy Weymouth road is due to start tomorrow.
• Passengers facing rail disruption PASSENGERS are being warned of disruption on the Weymouth-Waterloo line in April as a section of railway in Dorset is closed for four days.
• PICTURES: Watch Bedford bus station being demolished in real timeGRAB some beers and gather round your computer screen - you can now watch Bedford bus station being pulled down in real time!

Railnews

• Higgins sets 2030 as HS2 completion date The new chairman of HS2 Ltd David Higgins has firmly passed responsibility for the project's timescale back to politicians, saying the œkey variable is the length of time that legislation will take. His new report, ˜HS2 Plus™, looks at the project™s timing and costs and proposes extending the new line to a major transport hub at Crewe by 2027 so the North of England gains the benefits of the new railway six years earlier than originally planned. He also believes the whole ˜Y™ network could be completed up to three years sooner.
• Euston and Crewe at heart of Higgins HS2 plan The eagerly-awaited report looking at the timing and costs of building Britain's first domestic High Speed railway is published today by David Higgins, the new chairman of HS2 Ltd. He wants a more ambitious redevelopment of London Euston station and the line to be extended to a major transport hub at Crewe by 2027, six years sooner than planned. He also believes the whole ˜Y™ network could be completed up to three years earlier, by 2030.

Other News Sources

• Subsidies for some county bus services could be lost in a bid to save Herefordshire Council £1million SUBSIDIES for some of the county’s bus services could be lost entirely in a bid to save £1million.
• Police called after 12 horses run free near Gatwick Airport People reported horses gathered on a roundabout near Gatwick Airport - and also ran around the road.