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

Sunday, 11 March 2012

BBC News

• Rail 'safer' for Nuclear exoticsA plan to move nuclear fuel from Dounreay in Caithness to Sellafield in Cumbria should involve rail transport, a council says.
• Airport power cut grounds luggageA power cut at Gatwick Airport hits luggage carousels causes some flights to leave without passengers' bags.

The Guardian

• Commuting: the race is on … it's train versus scooter Lisa Bachelor takes up the challenge to test whether commuting on two wheels really is the cheapest and easiest way to get to work
• Rail privatisation has failed – and the NHS is hurtling down the same track The only people who don't see the need to renationalise the railways are profiteering firms and their supporters in parliament

The Herald

• Fast, friendly and 'strategically important'THE signage at Prestwick proclaims it is Pure Dead Brilliant but, after the news that New Zealand owner Infratil has put it up for sale, many have been left questioning its future.

The Scotsman

• Glasgow Airport aims to revive rail link planTHE plan to connect the airport serving Glasgow with a new rail and tram link to the city centre is being revived despite the controversial cancellation of the project by the SNP government.

The Telegraph

• Sir Richard Branson: Virgin expansion finished in UK Sir Richard Branson has revealed that Virgin Atlantic would invest up to £5bn in the UK if the Government reversed its "incredibly damaging" block on any expansion at Heathrow.
• Rothschild hired ahead of £1bn air traffic control sale Rothschild has been appointed to advise the seven airlines which hold a 42pc stake in NATS, the National Air Traffic Services, in a move which brings the proposed £1bn sale of part of the Government's 48.9pc stake a step closer.
• Sir Richard Branson: Heathrow decision was 'purely political and incredibly damaging' Sir Richard Branson talks about his frustrations about the third runway at Heathrow and how Britain can become a home for entrepreneurs.

Mail Online

• Baggage chaos at Gatwick as 2,500 pieces of luggage are separated from passengers due to power cutAbout 2,500 bags failed to make it on to the same flight as their owners following the outage at the West Sussex airport at about 3.30am today.

The Mirror

• Gatwick Airport power cut sees planes take off without passenger bags In another blow for air passengers, Heathrow Express staff will strike tomorrow

Bolton News

• Call for 20mph limit on all roads TWENTY miles per hour zones should be introduced on residential streets across Bolton, according to the town™s Green Party. Residents in Church Avenue, Daubhill, are calling for a 20mph zone, with 140 residents signing a petition calling for action.

Liverpool Echo

• Captain of Union Moon cargo ship which collided with Birkenhead ferry admits being over the alcohol limitTHE captain of the Union Moon cargo ship involved in a collision with a passenger ferry travelling between Birkenhead and Belfast Lough pleaded guilty to being over the alcohol limit.

London Evening Standard

• A new runway is the last thing Heathrow needsThe two million or so residents who live beneath the Heathrow flight path are accustomed to the noise. However, they are right to feel that any expansion would represent an unacceptable broken promise.

Manchester Evening News

• Airline Flybe strikes deal to use Manchester Airport as hub for domestic flightsHundreds of thousands of extra passengers are to travel through Manchester Airport “ after an airline announced it will become the hub of their domestic flights. Flybe says most of the flights in its domestic network will pass through the city from the end of the month. It will mean scores of passengers getting off their plane at Manchester and waiting in the terminals for their connecting flights to other destinations.

The York Press

• York railway station to remain barrier free RAIL bosses say they are not planning to bring in barriers at York Station following a series of travel recommendations which have been made to the Government.

Carlisle News & Star

• LATEST PLANS FOR RAIL INDUSTRY ’A DISASTER’ FOR CUMBRIAN PASSENGERS A rail union leader says it will be a disaster for the industry and passengers if Government proposals go ahead.

Plymouth Herald

• Bus fare rises only add to painFOR YEARS, central government has been trying to wean Britain's travelling public away from using cars and instead to use public transport.

Other Regional Press

• Rail misery comes to an end MONTHS of misery for rail users comes to an end tomorrow, Sunday, with trains running once more between Hastings and Ashford.
• Loughborough MP praised for school transport safety initiative An MP has been commended for her commitment to improving school transport.
• Green light for new £10m transport hubPlans to create a new park and ride scheme at a west Cornwall railway station and 750 car parking spaces as part of a £10 million development have been approved by councillors.

Other News Sources

• Network Rail announces governance reforms and appoints Parry-Jones as new chairman etwork Rail has appointed Professor Richard Parry-Jones as chairman designate to Rick Haythornthwaite and announced a series of changes to its membership structure to help members hold the board to account. They include the intention to appoint a non-executive public interest director to the board.
• Heathrow's pods win British Parking Awards A network of driverless electric pods that shuttle passengers between Heathrow Terminal 5 and the BAA airport’s business car parks has won the top prize at the British Parking Awards 2012, which took place at a lunch hosted by Alexander Armstrong in London yesterday (Friday).
• Bags grounded at Gatwick Air passengers at Gatwick were forced to fly without their bags this morning after a power cut affected baggage handling systems.