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

Friday, 28 February 2020

BBC News

• Ely Junction railway upgrade cost rises more than 20 timesThe work was originally due to cost £25m, but the BBC understands it has risen to £500m.
• Climate campaigners win Heathrow expansion caseCampaigners say plans for a third runway should be cancelled, but the airport says it will appeal.
• Road schemes may face Heathrow-style court actionEnvironmentalists could try to block new road plans if they fail to take climate targets into account.

Department for Transport

• Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2New HS2 minister Andrew Stephenson sets out determination to bring change to how the project is delivered.

Financial Times

• Scotland to extend free bus travel to 18-year-oldsPledge is part of SNP deal with Green party to ensure passage of budget
• UK will not appeal as court blocks third runway at HeathrowJudges rule that ministers failed to take into account commitments made on climate change
• Time has run out for Heathrow expansionCourt of Appeal ruling brings into focus the UK’s net-zero pledge
• Doubt cast over future of HS2 extension to LeedsMinister omits eastern leg to Yorkshire in statement on high-speed rail project
• Heathrow third runway back in holding patternLegal error gives Boris Johnson perfect reason to quietly drop scheme rather than reopen expansion plans
• How Britain fell back in love with the railwaysA pledge to roll back the Beeching cuts has rekindled a strange national obsession

The Guardian

• Government won't appeal against third Heathrow runway verdict, says transport secretary – videoThe court of appeal has ruled that plans for a third Heathrow runway are illegal on environmental grounds. Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, said the government would not appeal the ruling, as 'our manifesto makes clear any Heathrow expansion will be industry-led'. He said while the government supported airport expansion, it was also committed to net zero emissions by 2050
• Government won't appeal against third Heathrow runway verdict, says transport secretary – videoThe court of appeal has ruled that plans for a third Heathrow runway are illegal on environmental grounds. Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, said the government would not appeal the ruling, as 'our manifesto makes clear any Heathrow expansion will be industry-led'. He said while the government supported airport expansion, it was also committed to net zero emissions by 2050
• The death of Heathrow’s third runway sends a clear message ahead of Cop26The landmark high court judgment will resound around the world and show Britain can lead in tackling the climate crisis
• Holyrood agrees deal to provide free bus travel to under-19sDeal with Greens allows SNP to secure budget but critics say policy may not be introduced
• Manchester may get high-speed rail before Leeds, HS2 minister suggestsTransport department confirms plan to split northern spurs of HS2 into two stages
• The Guardian view on a defeat for Heathrow’s third runway: a welcome precedentA court ruling that airport expansion plans are illegal could be the shock that the system needs

The Independent

• 20 pledges for 2020: Why sleeper trains are (sometimes) quicker than flyingTake it from me: if you’re not going to fly, you’re going to have to get onboard (quite literally) with the concept of the sleeper train. Before my flight-free pledge, I barely knew they existed. Post-pledge, I am obsessed with them.

The Telegraph

• Courts should not have the final say on Heathrow expansion [subscription]esterday, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Government’s plan to allow the expansion of Heathrow Airport was unlawful because it did not take into account Britain’s climate goals. Supporters of a new runway are keen to downplay the decision: it is not a final “no” and the problem is theoretically fixable by reconciling expansion with tackling climate change.
• Boris is right: uncompetitive and obsolete Heathrow is the wrong option for global Britain [subscription]few weeks ago, Boris Johnson was asked in parliament about his famous promise to lie down in front of the bulldozers to stop the construction of a Heathrow third runway. His reply was suspiciously cryptic: there was no need, he said, because there is no “immediate prospect” of those bulldozers arriving. He didn’t think he’d have to kill off the project: he thought the courts would do it for him. So it has proved. Unless his Government moves to rescue it, the Heathrow project will fall.
• Britain's biggest keyless car gang raided by police

Times Online

• Heathrow trouble is so predictable [subscription]rounded by hot air. And how fitting is that? We’ve had that by the plane-load from the backers of Heathrow’s “£14 billion” third runway: the airport’s bonus-driven boss John Holland-Kaye; Britain’s business lobby groups without an original idea between them; and, of course, Sir Howard Davies’s Airports Commission, the lot that blew £20 million of taxpayer cash on a last-century fixation with hub airports.
• Road and air plans at risk as Heathrow runway bid rejected [Subscription]Dozens of airport, road and energy projects have been thrown into doubt after judges delivered a crushing blow to plans for a third runway at Heathrow over its impact on the environment.
• The Times view on the Court of Appeal’s rejection of Heathrow’s expansion plans: Lucky Escape [subscription]Boris Johnson won’t be the only one celebrating, but the judgement leaves the PM with two big headaches
• Heathrow: where do we go now? [subscription]Just over 50 years ago a seven-strong group of academics, lawyers and planners sat down to find a solution to what seemed like a straightforward problem: where to build a new runway in the southeast of England.
• Heathrow: Doomsday averted for ancient village of Harmondsworth [subscription]Harmondsworth was first mentioned in Domesday Book as a settlement with 24 villagers, six smallholders, seven cottagers and six slaves. In 1086 its annual value was estimated at 20 pounds.
• Modern cars are so heavy they pump out more CO2 than ever [subscription]New cars are producing higher levels of carbon emissions than older models because of consumer demand for larger vehicles, according to research.
• Heathrow runway plan in ruins as ministers accept court ruling [Subscription]Ministers appeared to kill off plans for a third runway at Heathrow yesterday by confirming that they would accept a critical Court of Appeal ruling.

The Mirror

• Which? report says 'new hybrid cars are worse for environment' than old onesAccording to tests carried out by consumer watchdog Which? family sized petrol-hybrids, seen as the greener option for many, were the worst with a 31.7% increase in CO2 emissions

The National

• FMQS: Nicola Sturgeon takes down Willie Rennie over Heathrow claimsSCOTTISH LibDem leader Willie Rennie attempted to attack the Scottish Government after the cancellation of a third runway at Heathrow Airport during FMQs - but the First Minister wasn't having it.

Sky News

• Heathrow ruling may allow PM to return to Gatwick plansThe government may now decide to return to plans to expand Gatwick rather than Heathrow, says Sky's Paul Kelso.

Birmingham Post

• Jaguar Land Rover reopens Chinese factory after coronavirus shutdownThe operation in Changshu is a joint venture with Chinese car maker Chery

Bolton News

• Bolton train stations to get funding boostsBOLTON stations are set to be one of 124 stations across the UK set to receive a boost from a £20m accessibility fund.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Clean Air Zone consultation now onlineAN online consultation survey for a proposed Clean Air Zone in Bradford is now available online.

Liverpool Echo

• Two locations being considered for proposed Liverpool high speed rail stationTwo locations are under consideration for a potential new high speed rail station in Liverpool city centre, a committee meeting heard yesterday.

The York Press

• North Yorkshire company secures £9.5m aircraft components dealA COMPANY in North Yorkshire has signed a £9.5 million contract to manufacture specialist features for military transport aircraft.
• Race against time and the elements to replace historic North Yorkshire Moors Railway bridge at Goathland used by the Hogwarts Express...HARRY Potter would have loved it. An entire, 84-tonne iron and steel railway bridge being lifted, removed and replaced in - well, not quite the whisk of a wizard's wand. But pretty quickly, nevertheless.

Yorkshire Post

• HS2 could reach Manchester before Leeds as Ministers consider change to legislationHigh speed rail could reach Yorkshire after it arrives in the North West after it emerged that the Government is considering introducing vital legislation for the Manchester leg of HS2 before the Leeds section.

Carlisle News & Star

• Work will continue on West Cumbria Heathrow hub projectWork to create a logistics hub in West Cumbria for Heathrow's expansion will continue, despite plans for a third runway being thrown out.

Other Regional Press

• Slough MP urges Government to deliver funding for Western Rail Link to Heathrow
• Pendle MP sets out his vision for HS2 and rail in the northPendle MP Andrew Stephenson, recently appointed the new minister for the Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2 projects in the Department for Transport, has made his first speech outlining his vision for the ambitious plan.

British Trams Online

• Another award for Nottingham Trams LtdNottingham Trams Ltd, the operator of Nottingham Express Transit, have announced that they have received a prestigious international award to recognise their commitment to the ongoing development of their staff – their most valuable asset as the press release puts it. They have achieved the sixth generation Investors in People standard which is awarded to organisations that consistently outperform the wider business community.
• Punctuality and reliability up on MetrolinkThe latest four week period of performance statistics on Manchester Metrolink have been released and there is good news as both punctuality and reliability as the percentages are up on both counts with punctuality up at its highest level since September.

Coach and Bus Week

• £1.9m upgrade for First Essex Airlink serviceOn Monday 17 February, seven brand new Euro VI buses in a revised Best Impressions-designed blue, silver and white livery were introduced into the First Essex fleet, representing a £1.9m investment by the operator.
• Winning waysFor our first Superfeature of 2020, we look at multi-award-winning arms-length municipal operation Nottingham City Transport. Peter Jackson describes the firm’s history to-date
• Delivering solutionsGary Mason is NCT’s upbeat Engineering Director, a man who relishes the many challenges and opportunities he faces in what he sees as exciting times for the industry, as he explained to Andy Izatt

New Civil Engineer

• Heathrow expansion rivals refute project is ’raw deal for regions’Heathrow expansion rivals have hit back at a New Economic Foundation (NEF) report which claims the project is a "raw deal for the UK's regions".
• Alternative Heathrow expansion rivals boosted by court rulingRival bidders to expand Heathrow Airport believe that their proposals must now be pushed through following the Court of Appeal’s ruling that existing plans for the airport’s third runway are “unlawful”.

Rail Advent

• Three million bottles saved thanks to Network Rail water fountain initiativeNetwork Rail has announced that rail passengers have helped to save three million plastic bottles from landfill thanks to free water fountains at some of the biggest stations in Britain.
• Transport for Wales to support the Armed ForcesTransport for Wales has announced that it has pledged support to the Armed Forces Community by signing a commitment to honour the Armed Forces Covenant.
• Liverpool’s Allerton train depot gets £6m depot overhaulNorthern has announced that Allerton depot has been given a £6m overhaul to provide the best maintenance for its new trains.
• Robroyston station up for top award – two months after openingScotRail has announced that Robroyston rail station has been shortlisted for a top award, just two months after the station opened to the public.
• Manchester train depot gets £20m Northern faceliftNorthern has announced that the £20m upgrade of Newton Heath train depot, in Manchester, is nearly complete.
• Grand Central signs lease for train crew hub in BlackpoolGrand Central has announced that they have signed a new lease with Blackpool Council for a new train crew hub.

Rail Technology Magazine

• High-speed rail promised for the North by HS2 Minister At the beginning of February, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that HS2 will go ahead and the London-Birmingham phase will commence immediately. The PM also confirmed that HS2 would be built in the north to Manchester and Leeds which are part of the second phase, meaning parts of Northern...

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Immigration rules shift set to hit driver recruitmentCoach and bus driving will not be eligible for the government’s new points-based visa and immigration rules. That means operators will be unable to recruit EU migrants that arrive in the UK from 1 January 2021 onwards for those positions.
• LDV rebrand to Maxus coming in AprilLDV will rebrand its range in right-hand drive European countries as Maxus from April.
• Castle Minibus launches app for school TMs and driversCastle Minibus has launched School Transport Record and Inspection Dashboard with App (STRIDA). It is is a free tool for school minibus drivers to record daily vehicle checks on their phones and also a dashboard for transport administrators to receive, record and manage those reports.
• Opportunity charging: Knowing when it worksLowCVP, Birmingham Airport and Volvo have examined why opportunity charging was the best fit for airport operations
• Blackpool Transport sees savings with ADL dealBlackpool Transport reports that the annual cost savings as a result of its fleet renewal partnership with Alexander Dennis (ADL) have risen to £300,000.
• Richard Hall to step down as Lothian MDRichard Hall is to stand down as Managing Director of Lothian Buses. He will leave following a board meeting on 5 March.

Other News Sources

• Andy McDonald MP: Heathrow expansion ruling is good news for the planetHeathrow and the wider aviation industry should take today's decision as a wake up call, writes Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Andy McDonald MP.
• BCC comments on Heathrow Judicial Review verdictCommenting on the High Court’s judgement on the judicial review of the Airports National Policy Statement, BCC Director General Dr Adam Marshall said: