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Sunday, 10 March 2019

BBC News

• Richard Leonard targets 'free bus travel for all'The Scottish Labour leader says his long-term aim is to build a free bus network serving Scotland.
• Railway line reopens after van set on firePart of the Belfast to Dublin railway was closed on Friday evening after a van was set alight in Lurgan, County Armagh.

The Guardian

• ’I’m so done with driving’: is the robot car revolution finally near?When a driverless Uber killed a pedestrian, the onset of autonomous vehicles seemed to stall. But Waymo is cautiously but confidently forging ahead
• Coming to a street near you? UK’s e-scooter road ban set to end’Urban mobility’ review looks at permit system for motorised bikes

The Scotsman

• Labour unveils plans for ’universal free bus travel’ for all ScotsAmbitious plans to deliver “universal free bus travel” for all Scots have been unveiled by Labour leader Richard Leonard in a keynote address to party members.

The Telegraph

• Stuck on autopilot? British Airways' challenge to regain its glittering past [subscription]etting Oscar winner Olivia Colman, probably the world’s most sought-after actor, to appear in a TV advert won’t come cheaply. But if British Airways wants to convince the public that “we love you Britain, you make us who we are”, she’s probably the best person for the job.

Times Online

• Scotland's new ’eco’ ferries may increase greenhouse gas emissions [subscription]Transport Scotland, the government agency, has claimed the dual-fuel vessels, which can be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), will be significantly cleaner than the marine diesel that they can also run on.

Reuters News

• Italian government defuses row over rail link, halts tendersMILAN (Reuters) - Italy’s prime minister halted on Saturday the launch of tenders for a high-speed rail link to France, defusing a dispute within the ruling coalition over the project that had threatened to bring down the government.

City AM

• US firm Indigo Partners sets new terms for Icelandic airline Wow Air investmentIndigo Partners has set new terms for its proposed investment in Icelandic airline Wow Air, which has faced months of financial difficulty and was forced to ask lenders for an extra month to negotiate with the US investment company two weeks ago.

Mail Online

• £200million train cab where drivers can't see out the windowA £240 million fleet of new trains is 'gathering dust' because a design flaw means drivers cannot fully see out of the front window.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Bringing back disused railway between Caernarfon and Bangor ... for £16m a mileA report suggests reopening the line, and several others in North Wales, would transform travel opportunities for travellers

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Campaign for First Bus to introduce fairer bus prices after price hikeA campaign has been started to ask First Bus to introduce fairer bus fares after last year’s price hike.

Carlisle News & Star

• Carlisle MP: airport at ’heart’ of BorderlandsTHE launch of passenger flights from Carlisle Lake District Airport opens a new economic chapter for north Cumbria, redefining the city as a dynamic regional capital for the Borderlands region, say senior politicians.

Other Regional Press

• Crawley bus depot is named the best in the countryMETROBUS has unveiled a gold-fronted bus to celebrate its Crawley depot winning the Top National Depot award at the UK Bus Awards.  
• Overwhelming support for £20m Elland train station as hundreds back planHundreds of people have overwhelmingly supported plans for the new £20m Elland railway station.
• Calderdale councillor demands rethink over axed bus services A Calderdale councillor is calling on the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to reconsider the planned withdrawal and reduction of some bus routes which could leave residents isolated.
• Labour’s Richard Leonard promises free bus network for ScotlandA future Labour government in Scotland would introduce free bus travel for all, its leader Richard Leonard has pledged.
• Strong support for petition demanding Scotrail cut Fife fares by 30 per centA petition launched calling on ScotRail to cut fares in Fife has been backed by 500 people in a matter of days.
• When Marlborough had not one but two railway stations and two railway linesOARE like many villages has changed a great deal in the last 100 years. Apart from the homes, jobs and what clothes people wore some of the most obvious changes are the roads.
• MP demands north-east trains stay on track to ensure passengers not cut offAn MP has urged rail bosses to ensure passengers from a north-east town are not “cut off” from the main Aberdeen to Glasgow line.