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

Saturday, 29 March 2014

BBC News

• Rail investment of £170m announcedA £170m investment package is confirmed by First Minister Alex Salmond for the Inverness to Aberdeen railway.
• Lufthansa pilots' union calls strikePilots at German airline Lufthansa will hold a three-day strike from 1 April, their union announces.
• GM adds 824k cars to ongoing recallGM adds 824,000 more cars to an ongoing recall over defective ignition switches that have caused some to shut off while the car was on the road.

Financial Times

• Objects spotted in latest MH370 search areaFocus for missing airliner has switched to different site after Australian authorities said information now showed it had used up fuel faster than thought

The Guardian

• Fresh objects found in new search area for flight MH370Five aircraft have spotted 'multiple objects of various colours' after the air and sea search was moved 1,100 km north on FridayFresh objects spotted by planes searching for a missing Malaysian passenger jet in a new area of the southern Indian Ocean have again raised hopes of unravelling the three-week-old mystery.Australian authorities coordinating the operation dramatically moved the air and sea search 1,100 km north on Friday after new analysis of radar and satellite data concluded Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 travelled faster and for a shorter distance after vanishing from civilian rad...

The Herald

• Council to scrap discounted rail travelA SCOTS council has announced it will scrap its discounted rail travel scheme for the elderly and disabled in a bid to save £80,000 per year.
• £170m for improvements to railways is announcedA £170 million programme of improvements to railways in the north-east of Scotland has been announced by the First Minister.

Daily Express

• Did flight crew of the missing Malaysian plane die in a cockpit inferno?A FIRE which ripped through the cockpit of a Boeing 777 three years ago could hold the key to the fate of the missing airliner.

Mail Online

• Mary Creagh: I'm shunned by other Labour MPs because I don't have a regional accentCoventry-born Mary Creagh, the shadow transport secretary, revealed she is the victim of inverse snobbery because she speaks with a middle-class, southern accent.
• Lightning bolt halts Eurostar and parts of Britain are still covered in SNOWEurostar had to cancel services after the lightning struck an electrical sub-station next to the Channel Tunnel entrance in Cheriton, Kent, causing a fire.

The Mirror

• Live: Updates in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370Keep up to date with the search which now covers huge parts of the Indian Ocean and vast parts of Asia

Birmingham Post

• HS2 campaigners hit back at minister's 'vexatious concerns' claim Under-secretary of state for transport Robert Goodwill claimed the Parliamentary process to push through high-speed rail was being delayed

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• ‘Bradford bus users generally satisfied’ Only about half of bus passengers feel they are getting good value for money, research shows.
• Northern Rail to carry on with Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale and Caldervale franchise Northern Rail will continue to operate regional rail services across the north of England until February 2016.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Rail crash: Crossing was 'inherently unsafe' where train and tractor collided says report Safety recommendations have been made after the Arriva Trains Wales collision near Welshpool

Journal Live

• North Tyneside Council proposes land train transport idea for coastal stripThe North Tyneside coast may get a land train if proposals by North Tyneside Council go ahead

Sheffield Telegraph

• Robin Hood ready to fly to RigaFlights from Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield to the Latvian capital of Riga, operated on Mondays and Fridays by budget airline Wizz Air, will start on June 20.
• First bus fares to go up on SundayFares on First buses in Sheffield go up on Sunday - while Supertram operator Stagecoach says tram fares are being frozen because of the disruption of the track replacement programme.

The York Press

• Trainspotting exhibition coming to the National Railway Museum in September THE National Railway Museum in York is delving into the hobby of trainspotting through the mediums of contemporary art work and artefacts in new expedition.

This Is Local London Network

• Is your road north London's worst rat-run? Traffic speeding along residential short cuts causes misery for the occupants of many streets across north London.

Bucks Free Press

• Extra £2.5 million expected to repair Bucks' roads BUCKINGHAMSHIRE is set to receive £2.5 million from the Department for Transport's £140 million road repair fund.

Carlisle News & Star

• Rail plan to reduce lorries on main Cumbrian road A railhead at Siddick in Workington might be the only long-term solution to the number of heavy lorries using the A596, according to a councillor.

Crewe Chronicle

• South Cheshire Tory MP against HS2 schemeMP Stephen O’Brien says that  to his ‘own surprise’ he has now  found himself opposed to the proposed HS2 project.

Doncaster Free Press

• Robin Hood airport to give passengers a Mothers Day treatPeople travelling through Robin Hood airport on Mothers Day can expect to receive an extra special treat.     

East Anglian Daily Times

• Essex: County must not be overlooked in bid to speed up rail services – MPThe needs of Essex travellers must not be overlooked in any rush to speed up rail services from London to Suffolk and Norfolk.

Other Regional Press

• Hugh Grant to judge anti-third runway Heathrow video contestA contest has been launched to highlight opposition to third runway plans at Heathrow Airport, with the winning entry set to be judged by actor Hugh Grant.
• Leicester Mercury published Passengers' legal action over Ryanair flight that plunged 20,000...Passengers on board a Ryanair flight that plunged 20,000 ft in an emergency descent have begun legal proceedings against the airline. In April, 2012, the flight from Bergamo, in Italy, to East Midlands Airport, descended after cabin pressure dropped. Some of the 134 passengers claim they suffered physical and psychological injuries and are seeking compensation. The Boeing 737-800 was just north of Lugano, Switzerland, when oxygen masks were released and the crew started the emergency...
• Residents have 'major concerns' on A465 plan A MONMOUTHSHIRE councillor has told an inquiry into the dualling of the Heads of the Valleys road, between Gilwern and Brynmawr, that residents have major concerns about the scheme.
• Park and ride scheme for Whitstable could cost £3m - Canterbury District Transport Strategy report revealsA park and ride scheme to ease congestion in a busy town could cost taxpayers millions, it's been revealed.
• More bus passengers happy with service according to West Yorkshire surveyA new bus passenger survey has been welcomed by West Yorkshire transport chiefs

Bus and Coach.com

• Stagecoach challenges “flawed” cutsStagecoach, the biggest bus operator in Wales, is threatening a legal challenge over plans by the Welsh government to make changes to the country’s concessionary travel scheme which would cut its budget by £24million over three years.
• CILT attacks Liverpool lane decisionThe suspension last year of all of Liverpool’s bus lanes has been criticised by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport which describes the evidence used to support the move as “deficient in both quantitative and qualitative analysis”.
• ADL secures five-year NX dealADL has secured a five-year £100million deal with National Express for the supply of around 600 vehicles.
• Reading eyes night bus growthReading Buses is planning to start 24-hour operation of its Claret 21 service, with buses running hourly through the night.
• Euro 6 Citaros for McGill’sMcGill’s of Greenock has ordered 14 Mercedes-Benz Citaros for delivery this summer.
• Micro-hybrids for PortsmouthFirst Hampshire is to introduce 22 Wrightbus StreetLite micro-hybrids, representing an investment of £4.
• Cheaper travel for Cobalt ConnectGo North East has introduced a £19.
• Seatbelts plan for Scots school busesThe Scottish government plans to introduce legislation to ensure that seatbelts are provided on all dedicated school buses.
• Setra in the leadZerzuben Touristik of Visp is taking delivery of 15 Setra touring coaches, 11 ComfortClass 500 single-deck and four S431DT double-deck, all with Euro 6 engines.
• Bio-diesel hybrid orderUddevalla Omnibus, on Sweden’s west coast, has ordered five hybrid buses and five ambulance coaches from Volvo.

Global Rail News

• Scotland to invest £170m on Aberdeen-Inverness lineScotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond has announced a plan to invest £170 million to improve the Aberdeen-Inverness line. Projects will include redoubling the track between Aberdeen and Inverurie, platform extensions[...]
• Austria referred to European court over rail safety concernsAustria has been referred to the European Court of Justice for failing to bring its national rail safety standards into line with EU legislation. The European Commission said that the[...]
• North West Rail Link TBMs to arrive earlyNorth West Rail Link tunnel boring machines (TBM) will be in the ground from the end of October this year, officials have said. The first TBM will be ready to[...]

Railnews

• RMT names acting general secretary The executive committee of the RMT union has named an acting general secretary, following the death of Bob Crow earlier this month.

Other News Sources

• Green Party hoping to win protest votes in Hounslow over Heathrow expansionGroup claims anti-expansion stance could help it win at least one seat on Hounslow Council at local elections
• Millennials give green light to HS2GTMC study shows majority of young travellers in favour of project