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

Wednesday, 09 April 2014

BBC News

• Northern Rail Leeds and Newcastle depot staff to hold second strikeRail maintenance workers at depots in Leeds and Newcastle are to hold a six-day strike in a dispute over plans to regrade their jobs.
• Manston Airport: KLM airline 'will not return'Dutch airline KLM will not return to an airport threatened by closure even if a buyer is found, it has confirmed
• 77 jobs at risk as bus depot to shutBus operator Stagecoach is to close its depot at Brynmawr in the Gwent valleys in July, putting 77 jobs under threat.

Financial Times

• Fresh signals offer hope in hunt for MH370The agency coordinating the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft says two fresh signals have been detected but visual confirmation of the wreckage is still needed
• Vietnam Airlines IPO in stalled modeInvestors have been circling the Vietnamese flag carrier since the mid-1990s. A leap of faith is required for foreign interests to take part

The Guardian

• MH370 search area drastically reduced after two more pings heardAustralian official says since Ocean Shield vessel has reacquired signal he is 'optimistic' plane will be found soon The search area for the missing Malaysia airlines flight MH370 has been drastically reduced after two further detections of pings consistent with those of a black box from a plane late on Tuesday.The head of Australias Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre, Angus Houston, said on Wednesday the Australian defence vessel Ocean Shield had detected two further pings on Tuesday one in the afternoon and one in the late evening that had allowed the search area to be further refined to 75...

The Herald

• Disputed road plan approved after four decadesA CONTROVERSIAL road project has been awarded planning permission after more than 40 years of debate.
• Fears over trains on new Borders railwayCAMPAIGNERS have demanded trains used on the new Borders rail line must be refurbished to the standard of inter-city stock.

The Telegraph

• Tories launch HS2 objectionsConservative MPs table two amendments against HS2 plans which could hold up Parliamentary approval for the project
• Council forced to repay £350,000 in parking finesNewham Council has been forced to repay motorists almost £350,000 in illegally issued parking fines

Mail Online

• Bentley makers reveals it will switch its gas-guzzlers to electric hybrids within two yearsThe luxury car-maker is harnessing the technology now familiar to motorists since the launch of Toyota's petrol-electric Prius, to make even its biggest and most expensive limousines more frugal and green.

The Mirror

• Missing Malaysia Airways flight: Search gets closer to finding jet after TWO new signals detected The signals are the fourth to be picked up by the search, which has zoned in on a smaller area of the Indian Ocean

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• 'Low Moor railway station plan is still on track' A new railway station is still on track to open next year, even though the authorities don’t yet own all the required land.
• Probe of transport links to Leeds Bradford airport A study to look at improving links to Leeds Bradford Airport has been ordered by the Department for Transport.

Lincolnshire Echo

• Gainsborough MP Edward Leigh bids to block HS2 high speed rail line A Gainsborough MP is taking a stand against a proposed bill that would allow the HS2 high speed rail line from London through to the West Midlands.

Northern Echo

• Heritage railway seeks more volunteers THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway is holding a volunteer day on Sunday to encourage people to get involved in running the railway.

Wales Online

• 77 jobs at risk as bus firm Stagecoach closes Valleys depot There will also be cuts to routes in Monmouthshire, Torfaen, Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taf as a result of the closure
• Commuter scooters: The innovative scheme helping get job-seekers in rural Wales to workJob-seekers provided with 125cc scooters to enable them to get to job interviews and work in areas where bus routes have been cut
• 7 ways the Beeching cuts stitched up the Welsh rail systemTravelling round Wales has never been the same again since the Beeching cuts. Just look how much easier it could be...

Yorkshire Post

• Plan to make airport more accessible from road and railTRANSPORT bosses are pressing ahead with a project designed to make it easier to get to Leeds Bradford Airport for those travelling on the ground.

Reading Evening Post

• Study shows rail improvements between Reading and Waterloo could have huge economic impactConsortium's work shows improvements could net up to £183 million a year

Other Regional Press

• Tory pair aim to block HS2 lawsTwo Tory MPs, including one representing a Lincolnshire constituency, are seeking to block laws that would pave the way for the controversial £50 million High Speed 2 railway.
• Brynmawr bus depot closure puts 77 jobs at risk THE move to close a valleys bus station, putting 77 jobs at risk, was called ‘disappointing and distressing’ by a union today.
• Delays after pothole appears on Severn Bridge ONE lane is closed and queueing traffic reported after a pothole appeared on the M4 Second Severn Crossing.
• Safety first plea at crash roundabout PLANS for more signs and road markings by a roundabout plagued by accidents do not go far enough, Bicester councillors have said.
• Transporter Bridge: Pictures show Tees icon as one constant in a changing landscapeMiddlesbrough has changed a great deal over the last 103 years - the Transporter Bridge has loomed large over all of it
• Glitch over wages sends drivers round the bendA bus company gave drivers cash advances after wages failed to be paid into their bank accounts on time.
• Save Manston Airport group to wave posters and banners as last KLM flight leaves Thanet runwayProtesters will don T-shirts and wave banners today as the last KLM flight out of threatened Manston airport takes off.
• Work continues on the new Bedford bus station as scaffolding comes down on Allhallows car parkTHE new Bedford Bus Station is moving closer to reality as progress continues on the multi-million pound redevelopment.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Standing up for buses in North YorkshireIt’s very easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom of bus cuts, but there are many good people who stand up and fight against them, Tracy Battensby is one such person and she tells her inspiri read more

Global Rail News

• Contractors announced £330m LU stations programmeLondon Underground (LU) has named the 20 contractors that will deliver £330 million-worth of station improvements on the network over the next seven years. Everything from the floors, walls, ceilings,[...]
• Public outing for Birmingham’s new tramOne of Birmingham’s new Urbos 3 trams has been as Snow Hill station to show passengers what’s in store for the city’s public transport network. The tram, one of 21[...]
• NTV gains access to Roma TerminiItaly’s private high-speed rail operator Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV) has been given permission to operate services from the capital’s main Roma Termini railway station. Until now, Rome’s central station has solely been[...]
• Panama Metro opensThe President of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, has inaugurated line 1 of the Panama Metro – Central America’s first subway system. Martinelli was joined by the Minister for Canal Affairs and[...]

Aviation Industry

• Bmi regional mulls larger aircraft Embraer ERJ operator bmi regional is considering adding 70- to 90-seat aircraft, although this rests on it securing work for the larger aircraft. read more
• Ryanair opens two Polish basesAirline also confirms four new winter routes

Other News Sources

• DfT chooses consultants for Leeds Bradford airport plansWSP and Parsons Brinckerhoff have been appointed by the Department for Transport to carry out a study looking at ways to improve connectivity to Leeds Bradford International Airport.