News.Scotland.Org

The new tracks on the £330m Airdrie to Bathgate rail linking Edinburgh and Glasgow will create almost 130 new jobs. The track which is due to open in December will offer jobs like drivers, ticket examiners and station staff for Scots and is the same as the one which had operated in Scotland for 25 years

Though there was a dispute between the RMT rail union and the First ScotRail in the recent months on the fact that it may jeopardize the safety of the passengers, it is all settled now. The union had also said that it will urge the minister to ensure a guard on every service of the new link.

Designed in order to complete the ‘missing link’ between the communities in Glasgow and Edinburgh, the company declares that it is safe and is same as that which has operated in Scotland for 25 years.

The use of public transport will be beneficial with the new rail Airdrie-Bathgate. It also seems that this new form of employment will profit the economy as a whole.



The worst winter weather and the cash cuts have severely affected the conditions of roads in Scotland this time. Scotland have had the worst winter this year in 30 years. The motoring groups and politicians have warned nearly fifth of carriageways in some areas are in urgent need of repair.

The state of 36 per cent of the routes was classed as either “urgent” or as deteriorating so fast that they will need to be repaired within the next two or three years.

There is another worry spreading as the major public spending cuts will further worsen the massive road repairs backlog, with an extra £45 million a year required just to stop the situation getting worse. Compensation claims from motorists for damage caused by potholes has also soared, putting further pressure on cash-strapped councils.

If the delay in patching up the potholes continues, the maintenance load will only increase and work will become costlier, more complex and more disruptive. Some experts have opinionated that the delay can affect the nation’s prosperity since Scotland’s road network is an essential utility in bringing tourists to the country.

Have you ever fancied to go for that dream drive on the one of the most picturesque routes in Scotland? If yes, then get ready for a dream run on the ten-mile stretch of the A817 from Loch Lomond to Garelochhead which has been voted as the most scenic stretch in Scotland. This beautiful stretch which extends up through the Glen Fruin was recently voted the most scenic stretch in a poll of motorist conducted to find Britains best drives.

This pleasant stretch has been known for its splendid views, thanks to the Loch Lomond and The Trossach National Park which adds charm to the place. Meanwhile, last year A87 was voted the best stretch, but this new found stretch from Loch Lomond to Grelochhead is also among the top five UK’s best drives. Been built for transporting military supplies, today this spectacular stretch stands out to be one of the most idyllic and beautiful stretch of Scotland.

Driving on this stretch resembles as if you are riding on a rollercoaster, with the nature of the road rising 1000ft above Glen Fruin and dropping hundred of feet, driving on it remains special. Being the top favourite among riders and motorists, this beautiful stretch has always attracted many motorists to experience a memorable drive on this ten-mile road.

Scotland’s airports is back to business, it was like only couple of weeks that created so much of havoc when the volcanic ashes flew around and all the flights were grounded. Thousands of passenger were stranded and a chaotic scene was in the making.  Thing returned to normal yesterday as the volcanic ash cloud that caused flights havoc moved away from UK airspace. But this seems the threat will be there for sometime.

There was intense curbs applied yesterday when dense ash started to move out of the country. Scottish airspace re-opened yesterday at 7 am, and services resumed that was canceled in and out of Edinburgh. The airport authority now say they are operating to full schedule, after having confirmed that the cloud has moved out.

Scientists are closely following the cloud’s movements which changes its location suddenly. It was further noted that the ash deposit was below the level of concern. The minister not ruling out the situation completely has assured that they will continue to monitor the situation and take all necessary action if and when required to cope with such crisis.

British Airways is confronted with a third round of   cabin crew strike after the Unite union is advising its members to reject the BA peace offer online ballot.  If things work out as planned by the   union, strikes are likely to be called soon after the May 6 elections.

The latest strike call was triggered when BA stuck to its stand that the suspended union members will not be taken back nor the travel concessions to the crew who struck work last month will  be reinstated. The last strike call resulted in a three-year pay deal for the employees, with pay rises starting next year and the year after pegged to inflation,  a guarantee that existing staff would be put in  lucrative long-haul routes and a guarantee that their earnings, including allowances for overseas travel, would be protected.

Tony Woodley, Unite’s joint General Secretary, said in a statement: “I believe British Airways is seeking to break trade unionism among its cabin crew by a process of bullying and humiliation. This we cannot and will not accept.

BA lost £43 million during the week long strike in March and  over £120 million when the flights were grounded due to the  Icelandic ash cloud. By offering  a pay hike, BA which is heading for its second-consecutive year of losses had extended an olive branch with the union members and the striking employees. However the union is planning to move ahead with its strike call in disregard to the customers and the business according to the airlines spokes person.

While many cabin crew members hope for an early solution to this nagging issue , some staff feel that want a speedy resolution to the dispute, some others feel that they have nothing to lose by going for a fresh strike call to ensure that they get back their travel concessions. Most of the staff rely on the travel concessions,which is only 10% of the normal fare to commute to work  from places like Scotland or cities in mainland Europe. The road to  recovery from the longest and costliest airspace shutdown in history seems to be a long and tough one for BA and the saddest part is that it is the hapless passengers who get  caught in the cross fire of the union and the BA .

It was smiles all over, with flights regaining its operations after six-day long shutdown due to the ash clouds formed by the Icelandic volcano eruption. This news came as a respite for many passengers who were stranded for days at the airports. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced a phased reintroduction of UK airspace from 10pm. This whole deal has come up with a revision of the present rules, which states that the airlines have to make an intensive ash damage test of the aircraft before and after each flight. They are also asked to report any ash related incidents.

All this rules came in a unified manner involving manufacturers, airlines, the government and aviation bodies. These rules will be a great help to tackle such adverse situations, and has added a set of rules to be adhered by airlines under such situations. Even though, the flights have started operating, still it is told that, it may take few more days before all the stranded passengers reach home.

About 30 BA-flights operated en route for London, after week long shutdown, government is trying their level best to make sure all stranded passengers reach home safely. Alex Salmond, the First Minister, said One of the key lessons of this episode is that we must have the same empirical evidence about conditions in the air as we have on the ground upon which to base safe and intelligent decisions.” The passengers are glad after the flights started operations and many still awaits to get back home after all the pandemonium.

A massive ash cloud from an eruption of Icelandic volcano Mount Eyjafjallajoekull  has resulted in the grounding of all non-emergency flights into UK airspace. The volcano which erupted for the second time in a month has been hurling a plume of ash 6 to 11 km (4 to 7 miles) into the atmosphere. Going by the wind direction, it is expected to continue bringing clouds of ash containing rock, glass and sand particles into UK and European airspace for some more time. The ash could jam aircraft engines and the problem might extend over the weekend.

“I would think Europe was probably experiencing its greatest disruption to air travel since 9/11,” said a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority, Britain’s aviation regulator.

The unexpected halting of airline services has set the air traffic off track with hundreds of holiday makers stranded. About 17,000 flights were cancelled on Friday due to the dangers posed by clouds of volcanic ash from Iceland. Of the normal traffic of 28,000 daily  flights that usually fly through European airspace, only a half will remain operational till the situation gets under control.

Britain’s air space remains closed  although certain flights from the airports of Northern Ireland and Scotland were being allowed to take off. No flights operated from London’s Heathrow,the busiest airport in the whole of Europe, which caters to over  180,000 passengers daily. The second busiest airport of  Germany’s Frankfurt airport, also suspended flights. Airlines across Asia and the Middle East have also canceled or delayed flights to most European destinations, thereby crippling the air traffic to a great extent. Though  volcanic eruptions do not come under the purview of the insurance coverage  some airlines have confirmed that they would be refunding fares or change flights.

The airline operational snags have largely benefited the  rail companies where all its 58 Eurostar trains between Britain and Europe were operating in full capacity and if the problems persist, additional services would be introduced. Many travel operators roped in additional staff who were put on duty to handle phone calls of the anxious passengers and introduced coaches with more seating capacity to cater to holiday makers and the wedding parties.

With the Easter holidays on , Brits have been busy finalizing their travel plans for the holiday. This season it is estimated that an exodus of sorts of over Two Million Brits is expected to overseas tourists destinations. With the recession loosening its grip, people are more than willing to spend more money  to make their holidays really special. While staycations are gaining ground on one side, foreign holiday ideas are also becoming popular in Scotland and the  UK in general, thanks to the cheap flights to many European destinations like Spain.

The top five overseas destinations have been Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin, Milan and New York. People looking for longer-haul options are making the most of flights to Florida and the Dominican Republic. While the winter sports enthusiasts are heading to Geneva the ski gateway for Europe, others are exploring the romantic and  cultural city breaks. Exciting packages and bargain deals are up for grabs and the mood among the tourist operators is upbeat.

Easter, which has always been considered as the harbinger of the impending summer season sets the right stage for the holiday makers to take a well deserved break. Heathrow airport will be catering to a  surging crowd of over 5 million people while Gatwick and Stansted would be flying 250,000 and 175,000 tourists respectively. Even far off destinations like Egypt , Tunisia and Turkey have many takers and the flights to these destinations are fully booked this season. Enjoying a vacation has never been so good and interesting and people are making the most of it.

Parking fines are said to be dearer from now on to keep a check to the offenders and boost the revenue for the government. This rise is slated in order to reduce the illegal parking of vehicles and to meet the cost of staffs. This move might have come as a positive move to keep a check on the illegal parking incidents, but has sparked a fury among the motoring groups.

Opposition even came from the Edinburgh transport leaders and Association of British drivers who termed this rise as outrageous. Reports also suggest that this revised fine on illegal parking would apply across six local authority areas, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Pert & Kinross and South Lanarkshire.  It is told that Parking fine revenue in Glasgow has increased one fifth to £5.5 mn which is substantially higher than last year. Edinburgh too showed a rise in the increase in parking fine revenues.

With the hike in the parking fines to £100, it seems the parking system will be the cash cow for the council with better salaries and perks for the staffs. On the contrary the outrageous transport leaders and car owners are left to bear this extra burden of such soaring fines. Now it has to be seen will this increase in parking fines comes  up as a smart move by the council or triggers more protest.

News Source : Scotsman

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Lothian Buses has launched a new fleet of Airlink buses at the Edinburgh Airport and is said to be the highest-spec buses in the country. Passengers who are flying from the Edinburgh Airport can have a luxurious short trip before reaching the terminal. This £3 million fleet for the Airlink services is more than the standard fleet of vehicles and is priced at £200,000 each – £30,000.

Among the 75 new buses ordered in 2008 by Airlink, The 14 new fleet of buses are the best ever to be made. Although the expensive new buses are clean and emitting fewer particulates and less nitrous oxide, the managing director of Lothian Buses, Ian Craig say that they emit higher levels of carbon. He also added that the firm would be in a ‘good position’, if they invested in Hybrid and biofuel vehicles when it bought the new buses.

The main reason for the luxury buses to come into light is that due to the 28.7 percent of the passengers taking public transport thereby beating the target to 26 percent.

The new buses offer various luxurious exposures like:

• The “E-leather” upholstery- A recycled and environmentally friendly real-leather product with its claret and cream material has the perfect look and feel of pure leather.
• Provides electric sockets for charging laptops and phones
• To keep an eye on the luggage downstairs, CCTV is provided
• For a calming and mood enhancing effect, LED lights are put up that changes colour according to the time of the day and mood.
• To check emails on the 30-minute journey, free wi-fi is provided

Many fixtures and added provisions are still to come like screens that display information on stops and distance to arrival and important informations on the various hotels and tourist attractions that will add another £20,000 to the cost.