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

Friday, 03 April 2015

BBC News

• 'Dazzle' ship makes debut on Mersey after Peter Blake makeoverOne of the ferries that operates on and across the Mersey has been given a makeover to commemorate the centenary of World War One.
• Manston Airport: Transport secretary backs reopening planThe transport secretary has given his support to campaigners and local politicians fighting to save Kent's Manston Airport.
• VIDEO: Rail network to close for Easter repairsSeveral of the busiest train lines in England will be closed over the Easter weekend, as Network Rail carries out what it says is a
• Network Rail suspends steam trainsNetwork Rail suspends a charter service using steam engines following the
• VIDEO: New £5.5m motorway bridge opensA £5.5m replacement bridge over the M56 linking Davenport Green to Manchester Airport has opened.
• Rail users warned of Easter closuresRail users are warned of major delays over Easter as a main route between London and the West Midlands will be closed for maintenance work.
• Plane lands safely after 'emergency'A civilian aircraft lands safely after being escorted into Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire after suffering technical problems.
• Heathrow to cut domestic chargesHeathrow airport plans to cut the fee it charges airlines for passengers travelling to UK destinations by a third from next year.

The Guardian

• Easter road traffic set to hit 2015 peak as major rail lines closeAA predicts particularly busy long weekend with around 15m people on roads as rail routes into London and Manchester are closed for engineering worksThe closure of two major rail lines into London for engineering works is set to add to the traditional headaches of the Easter getaway, with motoring organisations predicting road traffic to hit a 2015 peak on Thursday afternoon.Direct trains will not run between the capital and many northern cities for four days, with the west coast line into Euston shut, while most services west from Paddington will be rerouted or replaced due to works on Crossr...
• Air pollution may cause more UK deaths than previously thought, say scientistsCurrent figures of almost 30,000 UK deaths a year from air pollution do not factor in lethal nitrogen dioxide from diesel engines and wood, oil and coal burning, say expertsThe death toll from air pollution, usually put at around 29,000 a year in the UK, could be substantially higher because the lethal effect of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), emitted during fossil fuel burning, has not been taken into account, experts believe.Until now, only deaths linked to fine particles, less than 2.5mm in diameter (PM2.5) have been estimated. In cities, these come primarily from cars, lorries and buses but they a...
• Heathrow airport to increase charges for noisy, polluting aircraftSome fares should fall in move to boost domestic traffic and provide incentives for airlines to fly cleaner and quieter planesHeathrow is planning to cut charges for airlines flying domestic routes from the London hub airport by a third and will make up the shortfall by increasing the charges attached to noise and pollution.The airport hopes the move will provide more incentive for airlines to fly cleaner and quieter planes. Continue reading...
• 100% passport checks will mean ferry port gridlock, say coach operatorsMinisters hope last-minute decision to phase in exit checks for Eurotunnel and cross-Channel ferry passengers will prevent peak-time queuesCoach passengers leaving Britain could face peak-time queues of up to 1,000 passengers an hour when 100% passport checks are imposed on its ports next week, transport operators have warned.Home Office ministers have agreed a phased introduction of the exit checks from Wednesday, which David Cameron promised would be in place by the general election. Continue reading...
• Passengers warned to avoid Easter UK rail travelPeople travelling by train over the Easter weekend are set to face major disruption with a large programme of engineering works planned.People travelling by train over the Easter weekend are set to face major disruption with a large programme of engineering works planned.The pressure is on Network Rail to make sure the works finish on time, to avoid the travel chaos seen at Christmas when overrunning improvements led to major delays for passengers. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Investigation into anonymous allegations over staff at Lothian Buses finds AN investigation into a range of allegations about senior staff and former employees at a troubled publicly-owned bus firm has found no evidence of impropriety.
• Jacobite steam train operator banned after serious safety breachTHE operator behind the Jacobite steam train in the Highlands has had its licence suspended following a serious safety breach which put hundreds of lives at risk.

The Scotsman

• ‘Major incident’ at Prestwick AirportA major incident is currently ongoing at Prestwick Airport after an Italian civilian aircraft with technical issues was forced to land.
• ‘Live Fast Die Old’ bike safety campaign launchedA new campaign, Live Fast Die Old, has been launched today aimed at encouraging motorcyclists on Scotland’s roads to stay safe this biking season.
• Alastair Dalton: Transparency on Forth Road BridgeIT HAS been Scotland’s most talked-about roadway for half a century – first regarded with awe as an engineering milestone, then with worry about its chronically overburdened state.
• Scotland demands high-speed rail pledgeTransport secretary Keith Brown has said Scotland must be included in plans to roll out high speed rail across UK as the main Westminster parties clashed over plans to “scale back” the project.
• Germanwings co-pilot researched suicide methodsThe co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525 appears to have researched suicide methods and cockpit door security in the days before he crashed the plane into the French Alps, killing everyone aboard, German prosecutors said yesterday.

The Telegraph

• Transport Secretary: Don't travel by train this Easter WeekendTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has warned families planning to get away for the Easter Weekend not to use the nation's railways and take to the motorways instead
• Why do the holidays always bring travel chaos?Telegraph View: When the government is warning people not to use its own rail network, you know something has gone badly wrong

Birmingham Mail

• Revealed: The 10 WORST roads in the Midlands for traffic jamsStudy shows which highways should be avoided in region

Bolton News

• Just one train calling at Bolton over weekend JUST one train will stop in Bolton during the entire Easter weekend as engineering work is carried out.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• 'Nasty and mean' rail commuter who forged Metro cards worth £7,000 is spared jail A RAIL commuter who dodged his fare by forging Metro cards worth more than £7,000 was spared jail by a judge who labelled his offending

Daily Post (North Wales)

• North Wales businessman guilty of masterminding £1m bus crash fraudJohn Smith from Connah’s Quay, who was the managing director of a personal injury claims firm, has been convicted of arranging the 'cash for crashes' scam

London Evening Standard

• Easter in London: 'Think twice' before taking the train out of the capital, warns Transport Secretary Hundreds of thousands of Londoners heading off for an Easter break were today urged to “think twice” before taking the train because of major works on the network.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post published Minister warns passengers to 'think twice' before taking train...Transport minister Patrick McLoughlin (pictured) has told train passengers to "think twice" before using the railways over the Bank Holiday.Trains between Nottingham and London St Pancras will be disrupted on Easter Sunday.But travel is set to be worse elsewhere in the country, with no mainline services from Euston or Paddington stations in London.And Labour has accused the current Government of causing "rail misery"."There will be alternatives and we've lifted almost...

Wales Online

• Swansea council to make changes to road where police sergeant Louise Lucas died after being hit by a busSwansea council said it will make changes to the layout of Kingsway in Swansea which includes removing all east bound traffic

Bus and Coach.com

• Gas buses backed by Sunderland passengers
• First says it’s still on track with UK Bus transformation
• BYD wins first UK fleet order for ebus
• Optare MetroCity buses for London’s fully electric bus route
• £4.3m for Wrightbus consortium
• RATP investigates public transport behaviour

Rail Magazine

• Live from Germany: Siemens Class 700s on testSeven Class 700s are on test in Germany, with the first expected in the UK in August.
• West Coast Railways operating licence suspendedUnprecedented ban of entire network for operator, following most serious SPAD this year.
• West Coast Railways suspension noticeFull text of letter issued by Network Rail.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Join Rajant at the 2015 ENTELEC Show Rajant Corporation, the wireless experts and innovators of Kinetic Mesh Networks, are soon to be exhibiting at the 2015 ENTELEC show at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, from April 7 - 9.

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow proposes passenger charge reductionHub airport wants to make domestic routes more attractive to airlines