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

Sunday, 12 June 2016

BBC News

• Swanage Railway: First cross-country train on restored trackThe first mainline cross-country train will run across four-miles of restored track on a Dorset heritage line later.
• Man hit by Oxford Street bus dies on day of road deaths vigilAn 82-year-old man hit by a bus in Oxford Street dies on the day of a vigil highlighting the deaths of cyclists and pedestrians on London's roads.
• Nude cyclists take in London landmarks on World Naked Bike RideHundreds of naked cyclists take to the streets of London to protest against car culture in annual event.

The Guardian

• Why German trains don’t run on time any moreFor all the old cliches about Teutonic efficiency, much of Germany’s transport infrastructure is in a terrible state of disrepair, and many major works have been badly botched. A chronic lack of investment is to blameAs the fireworks flew and the brass band played at the recent opening of the 57km-long Gotthard Tunnel under the Swiss Alps, Angela Merkel, who was on the first train to pass through it, could not resist the remark: “This is something we Germans still need to work on a little”.The project was not only completed on time and within budget, she noted with admiration, but it will shav...
• Raleigh Strada Trail Sport Electric: bike preview | Martin LoveA mountain bike with an electric engine to help you cope with the hillsI’ve grown used to smug slobs surging silently along on their pedal-assist electric bikes. They’re cheating, but as they’ve found a quick, effortless solution to city transport, I can forgive them (I try to, anyway). Now, however, we have the electric mountain bike – and that’s just not fair. Twisting the throttle to make mincemeat of hills without breaking sweat so you can enjoy the swoop and whoop of plunging downhill is just plain lazy. But if that’s you, you’ll love the electric Strada from Raleigh. Rugged and reliable,...
• Volkswagen Passat Estate BlueMotion: car review | Martin LoveVolkswagen’s virtually teetotal Passat BlueMotion makes a virtue of austerity. Just don’t expect a party on the roadPrice: £24,695Top speed: 128mph0-62mph: 10.8 secondsCO2: 95g/kmMPG: 76.3The vast Volkswagen group can be viewed as a pyramid of performance, and developments at the pinnacle trickle down through the layers. Bugatti sits at the top, above Lamborghini and Bentley, then there’s Porsche, Audi, Volkswagen, Skoda and finally Seat. I’ve never quite understood the top-down analogy, as to my mind it means the good stuff inevitably pools at the bottom. Seat is the cheapest ride in the stab...
• Villagers living in the shadow of Gatwick fear revival of plan for new runwayWarnham families say noise pollution could force them to leave the otherwise idyllic locationIn the green and pleasant English village of Warnham, the elderflower and hawthorn are in full, scented, creamy bloom and the sun umbrellas are up in the pub’s well-tended garden. The 14th-century Anglican churchyard is alive with birdsong. Inside the church is the font where the poet Shelley was baptised in 1792. Related: Sadiq Khan urges Corbyn to back Gatwick expansion Continue reading...

The Scotsman

• Rare Aston Martin worth �1m found 14 years after being stolenA £1 million Aston Martin that was stolen 14 years ago is up for auction after the owner died before the car was recovered.

The Telegraph

• Solar-powered plane arrives in New York, the latest leg in its globe circling tour
• Calls for 'polluting' road humps to be removed outside schools

Times Online

• The delights of living near a small airport [Subscription]Heathrow or Gatwick — who cares? Smart buyers are moving in near smaller airports, where property is cheaper and the check-in queues are shorter. We find 10 areas ideally placed for a fast getaway

Daily Record

• Road bosses promise two-year nightmare traffic at Scotland's busiest junction will ease 'in weeks' ROADWORKS at Raith Interchange on the M74 are due to be complete next spring but Transport Scotland chiefs promise the traffic woes will ease by the end of June.

Mail Online

• Ryanair cabin crew catch passenger 'smoking in the toilet' on Manchester flight On landing at Manchester Airport, the man was led off the aircraft by police officers, where he was given a warning. Other passengers were not allowed to leave the plane during the incident.
• Why 'Budget' flights AREN'T cheaper according to Kate Johnson Travel writer KATE JOHNSON took the same journey - London to Barcelona - with six different airlines to compare value for money from legroom to landing times and food.
• M25 traffic problems could be solved by turning motorway into a double-decker highway Radical proposals could see extra raised carriageways built above the worst stretch of the London orbital motorway – dubbed ‘the road to hell’ – similar to those seen in major US cities.
• Air France pilots start strike on 2nd day of Euro 2016 Air France, part of Franco-Dutch group, said on Saturday it estimated that about 25 per cent of its pilots would strike. Union SNPL said 70 per cent of pilots would not show up.
• Hundreds of cyclists ride naked through London in protest against car culture� Wearing body paint and trainers - and little else - scores of environmentally-aware riders braved the summer downpours to take part in the London leg of the World Naked Bike Ride.
• Inside the gleaming �300million St Helena airport that is delayed opening The grand opening of St Helena's airport was abandoned after safety tests showed commercial planes could not land because the wind near the runway was too unpredictable.

London Evening Standard

• Revealed: Radical plan for 'double-decker' carriageway to ease congestion on M25Radical plans to ease congestion could see a "double-decker" lane system put in place on the M25.
• Hundreds of nude cyclists ride through London streets for World Naked Bike RideHundreds of naked cyclists rode through central London today for a protest against car culture and oil dependency.

Manchester Evening News

• EasyJet bosses slam lenient sentence handed to woman who punched pilot Nicola Nyamanhindi, 30, struck the pilot last month after being asked to leave the afternoon easyJet flight to Paphos from Manchester Airport

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• �4 million in fines as thousands caught out by Wolverhampton bus lane camerasBus lane cameras installed across Wolverhampton have totted up more than �4 million in fines in just their first year - more than 17 times initial council forecasts.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• ‘Transport plan must be 3rd time lucky for Leeds’A gathering of transport experts in Leeds has been told that whatever is put forward to replace the scrapped trolleybus, it should be radical, serve everyone - and it MUST be “third time lucky” for the city.

Blackpool Gazette

• Network Rail back-tracks on date for electrificationNetwork Rail says the train line between Blackpool North and Preston will be electrified by May 2018 – months earlier than it mistakenly said last week.

Burnley Express

• Fears bus service cuts could ‘isolate’ elderly BUS passengers are angry after the Burnley Wood estate has been left without a regular service for the first time since the Second World War.

Other Regional Press

• Euros 2016: 'Don't drink and drive' plea to fans FIREFIGHTERS have urged football fans to leave their car keys at home if they plan on drinking while spurring on their team during Euro 2016.
• “It only takes six minutes for a dog to die of exhaustion in a hot car” “IT only takes six minutes for a dog to die” – That’s the stark warning after police were called to dog in a car.
• Air ambulance to be first in south west to carry blood and plasma in bid to save even more lives PARAMEDICS battling to save people at the scene of car crashes and other incidents have a new weapon in their arsenal thanks to a joint project.
• Resurfacing work to start on Botley interchange next week Work to resurface a roundabout used by thousands of vehicles traveling to and from Oxford each day is to start next week.
• It's here! 10,000 to cycle Southampton Sky Ride today IT'S ONE of the biggest events in Southampton's calendar.

Other News Sources

• New Southern Link Road will help to deliver new homes and jobs in Hereford, council argues THE new Southern Link Road will help to deliver new homes and jobs in Hereford, it is argued.
• Plans to close railway station ticket offices postponed after consultation with rail consumer groups Govia Thameslink Railway has agreed to pilot changes to how it sells tickets at its stations after discussion with the public and consumer groups
• Chaos on the railways of Sussex: But where is the Rail Minister? RAIL Minister Claire Perry has again refused to answer questions from The Argus about the ongoing chaos on the Sussex rail network.
• Hundreds set to cycle naked through Brighton HUNDREDS of cyclists will be daring to bare all as they descend on Brighton for the annual Naked Bike Ride.