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

Sunday, 16 February 2020

BBC News

• HS2: Views from along the trackSupporters and critics give their thoughts on the government decision to build HS2.
• Washington increases tariffs on aircraft after EU subsidy rowMost other tariffs on EU exports to the US, including salmon and blended Scotch whisky, are being retained.
• HS2: UK in talks with China over construction of high-speed lineChina's state railway company says it could build the line in just five years, according to reports.

The Guardian

• UK holds 'preliminary discussions' with China over building HS2State-owned railway builder claims it can complete rail link faster and more cheaplyBritain is in talks with China over giving Beijing’s state-owned railway-builder a role in constructing the troubled HS2 high-speed link. The China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) has said it can build the line in just five years at a much lower cost than is currently forecast, according to the Financial Times.Department for Transport (DfT) officials confirmed “preliminary discussionsâ€� had taken place between CCRC and HS2 Ltd, but said no “concrete commitmentsâ€� had been made. “The DfT is always keen to ...

The Scotsman

• Ministers protest over lack of talks about bridge ‘vanity project’Ministers in Scotland and Northern Ireland have made a joint protest over the lack of consultation by the UK government on Boris Johnson’s “vanity project” to build a bridge across the Irish Sea.

The Telegraph

• The Government is to cap rail profits and cancel franchising in the most radical shake up of the industry since privatisation [subscription]The plans signal Government determination to address public anger over the state of Britain’s rail services
• HS2 'backtracks' on pledges to protect environment [subscription]National Trust expresses alarm at 'worrying signs' HS2 is planning to renege on commitments. The government-owned firm building HS2 has quietly withdrawn from a set of pledges to protect landscapes, wildlife habitats and residents along the route, The Telegraph can disclose.

Times Online

• Irish Sea bridge project ‘ridiculous’ says Michael Forsyth [subscription]The Conservative peer, Lord Michael Forsyth, has poured cold water on the idea of a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Daily Record

• Not even schoolkids take Boris Johnson's £15bn bridge plans seriouslySunday Mail columnist John Niven wonders what could possibly go wrong in trying to span 18 miles over a sea that features the Beaufort’s Dyke filled with 1.5million tons of dumped munitions.

Mail Online

• Storm Dennis causes UK chaos for 50,000 airline passengersNo fewer than 40,000 passengers have been affected by travel disruption so far as budget airline easyJet cancels 234 flights. British Airways has cancelled around 20 to 30 flights due to the storm.

Bolton News

• Bolton taxi drivers trained to spot signs of human trafficking and abuseTHREE quarters of Bolton's taxi drivers have signed up to a new scheme aimed at training them to spot signs of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation.

Bristol Live

• Uncertainty hangs over region transport plan with calls for it to be withdrawnOne councilor says the area needed an “up-to-dateâ€� transport plan

Daily Post (North Wales)

• North Wales towns axed from main Holyhead to Cardiff tea-time train routeCommuters from some of the region's biggest towns have been left in the lurch after TfW introduced a timetable change

The York Press

• Rail company closes cross-Pennine route for Storm Dennis RAIL companies are urging people not to travel today and tomorrow with cancellations and delays expected to be widespread.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• £88m Sprint bus service gets go aheadNew tram-style buses will hit the roads in the Black Country after the £88 million scheme was signed off by transport bosses.

Yorkshire Post

• Storm Dennis forces Northern to suspend rail services on Calder Valley lineHeavy rain and strong winds are forecast across the region and, with rain falling on already sodden ground as a result of last weekend’s storm there is a strong likelihood of sudden flooding.

Reading Evening Post

• Smart motorways like M4 supported 'by just a third of motorists' according to studyWork on the Berkshire motorway is ongoing despite Transport Secretary Grant Shapps ordering highways bosses to urgently review their safety

Other Regional Press

• Hope that 'small slice' of £5bn Government plan will go towards reinstating axed Bath bus routeA Bath resident said the axing of the service left people without a direct bus service to certain parts of the city
• The abandoned Piccadilly line London Underground station secretly used by Ministry of DefenceThere used to be quite a few London Underground stations on the Piccadilly line that now lie abandoned.
• Nothing 'remotely clever' about the smart motorwaySTEVEN Broomhead gives his view on the current transport situation in Warrington and the north Recently significant attention has been given to the government’s decision as to the HS2 project, together with the need to invest in the North’s out-dated old railway infrastructure.

Rail Advent

• £5 million railway upgrade in Cornwall starts TODAYNetwork Rail is reminding passengers to check before travelling as work starts on £5m worth of upgrades in Cornwall.

Other News Sources

• Aviation Alternative Fuel Market: Comprehensive study explores Huge Growth in FutureA new market study is released on Global Aviation Alternative Fuel Market with data Tables for historical and forecast years represented with Chats & Graphs spread through 88 Pages with easy to understand detailed analysis.
• Disabled bus passes to be valid round the clockBus passes for disabled people are being extended to allow travel at any time.
• Pendle MP is diverted onto a new trackPENDLE MP Andrew Stephenson has been appointed rail minister in this week’s Government reshuffle.