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

Thursday, 20 February 2020

BBC News

• Road-widening upgrade of A465 is £100m over budgetThe project has been hit by delays and disputes between the Welsh Government and its contractor.
• Wrightbus: Order for more than 160 buses placed with Ballymena companyEnglish bus operator Rotola places an order worth £29m with the Ballymena-based bus manufacturer.
• Translink: Future of transport company 'in jeopardy' over fundingA senior civil servant is warning the state-subsidised company is
• Oakervee Review: HS2 costs 'got carried away', says review authorHS2 costs got "carried away", says the author of the government's official review into the project. But Douglas Oakervee, also a former HS2 chairman, said the line was still "much needed".
• HS2: Stephenson given new rail link roleThe PM has promised to
• The Wet'suwet'en conflict disrupting Canada's rail systemPM Justin Trudeau is under growing pressure to solve a conflict over a pipeline as trains sit idle.
• WH Smith in spat with Telegraph over pricingThe UK retailer has removed the Daily Telegraph newspaper from 120 shops in railway stations.
• Fuel prices push UK inflation to six-month highConsumer Prices Index inflation rose to 1.8%, but remains below the Bank of England's 2% target.
• Airbus Defence and Space to cut more than 2,300 jobsThe space and defence business of Airbus said it will get rid of 357 roles in the UK out of nearly 4,000 staff.
• Boeing could lose state tax break amid tariff fightLawmakers in Washington state say they want to avoid a trans-Atlantic tariff war.
• Qantas warns coronavirus impact of as much as $99mThe warning comes as concerns grow over the impact of the outbreak on airlines and the global economy.

Financial Times

• Qatar Airways increases stake in BA owner IAGGulf carrier boosts holding as it ramps up strategy of investing in profitable airlines

Times Online

• Airbus sheds 350 jobs in UK as part of European cutbacks [subscription]Airbus is to cut more than 350 posts in Britain as part of 2,360 job cuts around the aerospace giant’s European defence businesses.

City AM

• WH Smith removes Telegraph from railway station storesWH Smith has stopped selling the Telegraph in some of its branches following a dispute over prices. The decision to stop selling the newspaper in its railway station shops comes after the Telegraph increased the price of its daily, Saturday and Sunday editions earlier this month
• HS2 reveals Old Oak Common station designHS2 has unveiled its new designs for its planned passenger super-hub at Old Oak Common in west London, which will serve 250,000 passengers per day.
• Railway bodies call on government for rolling electrification programmeThe railway industry has written to transport secretary Grant Shapps calling for the government to begin a constant process of electrifying the UK’s rail networks or risk missing its 2040 decarbonisation goal.
• Ryanair doubles passenger carbon offset scheme in green pushRyanair today announced that passengers would be able to double their voluntary carbon offset contribution from €1 to €2 from April onwards.

Conservative Party

• George Trefgarne: The Prime Minister is hovering in a holding pattern above HeathrowGeorge Trefgarne is CEO of Boscobel & Partners, an adviser to the Heathrow Hub extended runway consortium.
• We're Investing in Infrastructure across our CountryWhen we came to office we promised to unite and level up the whole United Kingdom, spreading opportunity across the country. High speed rail and local services are key parts of this commitment.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Here's how often trains are late at Bradford district stations IT seems not a day goes by when trains aren’t delayed for a variety of reasons in the Bradford district.

London Evening Standard

• Bakerloo line strikes 2020: Tube passengers face weekend of travel misery as TfL staff take industrial actionPassengers on the London Underground are facing travel misery as drivers on the Bakerloo line are preparing to strike this weekend.
• HS2 releases new images of west London ‘super hub’ Old Oak Common stationFresh images and design plans offer a glimpse of west London’s ambitious new high-speed railway station.

Manchester Evening News

• Why police are putting an 'iron curtain' around Manchester's train stationsSenior bosses identified transport hubs as the key 'pinch point' where police have the opportunity to intervene before serious crime can occur

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Cracking down on the mindless Metro menaces: How undercover cops are taking the train to catch yobs in the actNorthumbria Police lifts the lid on operation launched to stop troublesome teens, who have been kicking windows out of trains in North Tyneside, in their tracks

Yorkshire Post

• The sound economic case for renationalising our railways - Colin BamfordTHE question of whether or not the Government should renationalise the UK’s railways has been raised again after the troubled rail company Northern had its franchise cancelled. In March, the franchise will revert to government control through the Department for Transport’s aptly named “operator of last resort”.

Leeds Live

• Methley launches bid for new train station 60 years after village was abandoned by rail networkThe village once had three train stations, but the last one was closed in 1960

Other Regional Press

• Oxford Airport: Pilot suffers eye burn after laser attack A HOPEFUL young pilot has suffered a suspected laser burn to his eye after two laser attacks on aeroplanes.
• Huddersfield MP 'dubious' about the value of new high-speed railway HS2Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman has doubts about the value of new high-speed railway HS2
• Huddersfield Station among UK's top 10 worst for late trainsFewer than half of arrivals and departures in 2019 were on time
• Devon and Somerset Metro Group set to meet to discuss Wellington railway stopAN UPDATE on the future of plans to bringing a railway stop back to Wellington is expected soon.
• West Midlands Trains official's apology to passengers for poor performance A RAIL boss has apologised to commuters following months of performance issues, promising better times will come.

Construction Enquirer

• Plans go in for HS2 Old Oak StationHS2 has revealed fresh designs for its west London super-hub at Old Oak Common after formally submitting for planning approval.

Rail Magazine

• Rail industry urges a rolling electrification programmeAn open letter calling for a rolling electrification programme, to meet 2040 decarbonisation targets, has been sent to Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps by a group of bodies covering business, passengers, freight and community groups.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Northern reaches milestone in new train introduction Following a £500m investment in rail in the north of England, this week nine new trains were integrated into Arriva Rail North’s fleet. 75 per cent of the 101 trains ordered are now transporting Northern customers, travelling to more than 140 stations across the region. The new...
• RIA: Calls on Shapps for urgent rail electrification The Railway Industry Association and other representatives from across the industry such as Northern Rail Industry Leaders, Civil Engineering Contractors Association and Rail Freight Group, have today (Feb 19th) published an open letter to the Transport Secretary. The letter is calling for a...

Railnews

• ˜Mammoth task™ completed as Overground line reopens Trains are running again on the full length of the London Overground route between Gospel Oak and Barking, after 4km of track was ripped up by a derailed freight wagon. The derailment occurred early in the morning of 23 January, when one pair of wheels on a freight train travelling from Barking to Calvert became derailed on a bridge near Wanstead Park station. The train had travelled another 4km before the driver was alerted, and by then the derailed wheels had caused extensive damage to the track.

Other News Sources

• ​Heathrow expansion removed from ministerial responsibilities in DfT reshufflePM last week said there was ‘no immediate prospect’ of project starting Heathrow’s expansion has been removed from ministerial responsibilities following last week’s department for transport reshuffle.
• Translink ‘on brink of collapse’ with £29m deficitThe crisis facing bus and rail services here was revealed during a routine committee meeting at Stormont today.
• High-speed train firm on track to bring 1000 jobs to townSpanish firm Talgo hopes to transform disused power station Longannet into a new train factory.