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

Saturday, 31 May 2014

BBC News

• £40,000 fine for bay boat crashA yacht club is fined £40,000 after two motor boats crashed in Cardiff Bay, leaving a schoolgirl brain damaged.
• Inverness road plans on displayTransport Scotland proposes improvements designed to better link up the A9 and A96 - two trunk roads serving the city.
• Travel concerns as bus firm shutsCommunity leaders say it is vital no bus services are lost in Gwynedd and Anglesey after an operator closes down.
• Edinburgh's trams roll into actionEdinburgh's tram service takes its first paying customers as the long-awaited route from the airport to the city centre opens.
• Siemens revamp to affect 11,600 jobsGerman industrial giant Siemens plans a major reorganisation of its business, affecting 11,600 workers.
• Briton in charge at France's CitroenThis weekend a British woman, Linda Jackson takes over as head of France's Citroen, Europe's second-biggest car company.

Financial Times

• Edinburgh launches troubled tram serviceLine from centre of Scottish capital to airport is years late, hundreds of millions of pounds over-budget and half as long as planned

The Guardian

• Indonesian volcanic ash cloud may halt Australia flights for daysBali, Singapore routes from Darwin closed amid fears flights around Australia may be affected by massive eruption Flights across northern Australia could be affected for days after a volcanic eruption in Indonesia sent a vast ash cloud over the region.Qantas and Virgin Australia have confirmed all their flights to and from the Northern Territory capital of Darwin have been cancelled after Sangeang Api, a volcano off the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, erupted at least three times since Friday. Continue reading...

The Herald

• After six years, and £776m, Edinburgh starts to make money from its tramsEdinburgh's long-awaited trams carried their first paying passengers today.

The Independent

• Radio 4 accidently skips Shipping Forecast leading to mild confusion, apocalypse fears The 150 year legacy of Radio 4's Shipping Forecast was briefly derailed this morning as the shipping forecast failed to air.

The Scotsman

• No more taxpayer cash for trams, says Keith BrownNO MONEY will be provided by the Scottish Government to extend Edinburgh’s tram scheme, transport minister Keith Brown insisted yesterday on the eve of the line’s long-awaited public opening.

The Telegraph

• Cycle helmets are useless, says brain surgeonLeading neurosurgeon tells the Hay Festival cycling helmets are 'too flimsy' to be beneficial

Daily Record

• Edinburgh trams: Two of the last passengers of the original trams recreate their journey to mark the launch of the new service THE controversial network opens to the public tomorrow after six years of building work and problems including a long-running dispute between the council and its contractor.

Mail Online

• Monarch Airline bans reclining seats on all its planes after 90% of passengers vote to ditch them The light-weight design, to be introduced across its fleet this summer, was launched to create more ‘living space’ for passengers after customer research showed the existing style was unpopular.

Network Rail

• Network Rail announces follow-up work to Dawlish Sea Wall following successful reinstatement of train servicesThe plans involve raising the sea wall in front of the site of the main breach, to provide extra resilience and support.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• ‘Smart’ ticket machines for Bradford's smaller stations welcomed New “cutting-edge” ticket machines have been welcomed after being installed at six train stations across the Bradford area.

Bristol Live

• The Bristol Post commented The farmer building a toll road across his fields near BristolMonths of frustration could be over for drivers who commute between Kingswood and Bath – if a new £1 million toll road gets the go-ahead.The closure of the A431 at Kelston after a landslip in February has caused misery for hundreds of drivers who use the route to reach Bath. They have had to divert either onto the already-busy A4, leading to gridlock and lengthier journey times, or use country lanes, some of which are single-track.With the closure due to be in place for up to a year,...

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Padarn Bus company to closeJob losses and passenger disruptions ahead as the company is placed into creditors’ voluntary liquidation from midnight amid fraud allegations

Derby Telegraph

• 175 years of Derby's railways: marking the day first train pulled...When the first train rolled into Derby in1839, it marked the beginning of a relationship with rail that continues to this day. To mark the 175th anniversary, East Midlands Trains laid on a special service from Derby station.IT is hard to imagine what was going through people's minds when they saw the first-ever train steam into Derby.There may have been some who lined the route who believed that the train was a novelty and something that would not last.It was Thursday, May 30, 1839, when...

London Evening Standard

• £60m lying unused on prepay Oyster cards The amount of money lying unused on prepay Oyster cards has soared to almost £60 million over the last year.
• Uber taxi app dispute referred to High Court by Transport for London Transport for London is inviting the High Court to rule whether smartphone taxi-booking app Uber is breaking the law.

Manchester Evening News

• Driver leaves trail of destruction after rampage through streets of BuryThe motorist slammed into the Magistrates' Court, hit a tram crossing and crashed into a farm before the vehicle was set alight in a river

Doncaster Free Press

• VIDEO: Gearing up for Doncaster Cycle FestivalDoncaster Cycle Festival gets underway this weekend with more than 300 racers taking to the streets alongside a whole host of family-friendly activities.

Reading Evening Post

• Motorists face roadworks to make way for Bracknell town centre regeneration The Ring, which runs around the town centre, will be closed between High Street and Easthampstead House car park from Monday

Other Regional Press

• Newport council commissions work to lobby for City/Ebbw Vale link A TEAM of consultants has been commissioned by Newport council to build a new business case for the Ebbw Valley railway line to reach Newport.
• Phone apps linked to rise in expensive bike theftsThieves are using phone apps and social media to target high-value bicycles, according to the police.

Forbes

• Virgin Galactic Is Getting Cleared For Takeoff From Spaceport AmericaVirgin Galactic and Spaceport America have signed a deal with the FAA to clear airspace for the company's commercial spaceflights.

Global Rail News

• Network Rail manages more stationsNewcastle and York are to become Network Rail-managed stations from the start of the new East Coast franchise in 2015. The main line stations will join Reading and Bristol Temple Meads, which Network Rail took over on April 1, under a new management model designed to improve long-term planning for the UK’s railway stations. Network […]

Other News Sources

• Cycling enthusiasts make road and mountain bikes out of wood and bamboo TWO cycling enthusiasts have proven their passion in a unique way – by making their very own road and mountain bikes out of wood and bamboo.
• Rotterdam LNG bunkering on stream in 2015The Port of Rotterdam will have liquefied natural gas bunkering infrastructure in place and operational by 2015, stated Roland van Assche, Rotterdam’s bulk cargo and shipping director, at a press conference.