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

Monday, 24 October 2011

BBC News

• Basingstoke ticket error sees 1,500 passengers overcharged A train company has apologised after it emerged a problem with a ticket machine meant about 1,500 people were overcharged for their journeys.
• Concerns over County Durham bus routes cut plan Bus passengers concerned about plans to cut services in County Durham held a public meeting.
• Gloucestershire council to introduce new bus timetables New bus timetables are being introduced in Gloucestershire as part of the council's plan to cut its £5m annual transport budget.

Financial Times

• VW heading for car industry crownForecasts show relentless global growth means the German carmaker will claim top spot for both sales and production
• Buyers circle Oxford AviationPilot training and leasing provider is considering a sale of the company after receiving several takeover approaches in the past few months
• Ryanair eyes fresh phase of growthLow-cost airline is in talks with America's Boeing, China's Comac and Russia's Irkut to buy new aircraft in order to boost passenger numbers
• Ryanair reviews supply optionsRussian and Chinese manufacturers eyed as Boeing aircraft contract comes to an end

The Herald

• PolskiBus puts in order for 50 new coachesSOUTER Investments has announced a multi-million euro investment in 50 new coaches for its Polish business PolskiBus.com.

The Scotsman

• 15 cars, but no protesters as Sunday ferry finally sails THE last bastion of opposition to Sunday ferry services in the strictly Sabbatarian Scottish islands has finally seen a sailing without a single protester in sight.
• Train cleaning staff to strikeSTAFF who clean Virgin trains on the West Coast Mainline will stage a 24-hour strike this week in a row over pay and union recognition.

Press Association

• Inquest into train derailment death An inquest into the death of a woman in the 2007 Cumbria train crash is due to begin. Margaret Masson, 84, died after a Virgin Pendolino London to Glasgow express train derailed on the West Coast Main Line near the remote village of Grayrigg in Cumbria at 8.12pm on February 23, 2007

Mail Online

• World's fastest ever crash test: Car smashes into wall at 120mph (a speed most family runarounds can hit)The complex operation saw engineers setting up a winch which thrust the Ford towards the wall using 16-times the pulling power of a Bugatti Veyron.
• Crackdown on £35,000 cars for the disabled: New rules will stop disabled getting luxury cars on taxpayerThe changes will be introduced following concerns over abuse of the scheme, which has even seen the parents of hyperactive children getting free cars.
• Wireless bicycle brake that 'only fails three times in a trillion uses' paves the way for a revolution in control systemsComputer scientists at Saarland University, Germany, have developed a wireless bicycle brake they say could revolutionise control systems.
• Plump my ride: How car companies are being forced to adapt motors for the fatTypical family cars in Britain are now more than a foot wider than they were in the 1950s, and almost double the weight..

This Is Local London Network

• Hacan Clearskies says membership has risen ahead of controversial trials at Heathrow Campaigners flooded railway and tube stations with leaflets protesting against controversial trials at Heathrow. Hacan Clearskies said it has seen a sudden surge in residents wanting to join the group after the airport revealed plans for it to use both runways simultaneously if planes are running just 10 minutes late.

Wales Online

• Arriva excused from CRB checks on school bus drivers THE biggest public transport operator in Wales is being excused from rules which require local bus companies to vet drivers of school buses.

Lancashire Telegraph

• Revamped Blackburn platform to open BLACKBURN Railway Station's new-look platform was unveiled yesterday.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Stobart Group link to temporary depot moveMYSTERY surrounds the future of a former delivery depot building in the city which recently closed down.

Sunderland Echo

• Rail-line plea to help unemployed get jobsA BUSINESSMAN is calling for a railway stop to be reopened to help get a community’s future back on track.

Aviation Industry

• Airlines hike fares for 1st time since summerMajor airlines are joining in the first widespread airfare increase since early August.

Other News Sources

• Connecting Europe: The new EU core transport networkThe Commission has today adopted a proposal to transform the existing patchwork of European roads, railways, airports and canals into a unified transport network (TEN-T). The new core network will remove bottlenecks, upgrade infrastructure and streamline cross border transport operations for passengers and businesses throughout the EU. It will improve connections between different modes of transport and contribute to the EU’s climate change objectives.
• Bad eyesight drives more off roadThe number of drivers who have lost their driving licence due to failing eyesight has more than doubled in the last four years.