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

Thursday, 20 October 2022

BBC News

• Great British Railways transport bill shelvedA major overhaul of the way Britain's railways are managed has been delayed, Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has announced. The plan - including the creation of a new public body, Great British Railways (GBR) - will not be brought before Parliament until May at the earliest.

Financial Times

• UK unions’ ability to strike on transport network faces curbsRMT criticises new legislation mandating ‘minimum service levels’ during industrial action

The Guardian

• Truss publishes plans to ensure transport services run during strikesNew bill means minimum service level must be in place or unions will lose legal protections from damages. Liz Truss has published controversial plans to make sure transport workers provide a minimum service level when they strike, ahead of a speech by Keir Starmer pledging to repeal all the Tories new anti-trade union laws.
• Great British Railways plan to oversee rail network delayedA plan to create a public sector body to oversee Britain’s ailing rail network has been delayed.
• Unreliable train services in north of England ’ruining people’s lives’Commuters and local leaders in the north of England have spoken out about the “ongoing fiasco” of cancelled and delayed trains, which are “ruining people’s lives”.

The Independent

• Great British Railways plan ’delayed’ as Liz Truss pulls transport billThe government’s plan to create a new body to run Britain’s railways has been delayed, the transport secretary has announced.

The Telegraph

• Double-digit rail fare rise scrapped over work from home fears [subscription]Train travellers are to escape a double-digit rise in ticket prices linked to soaring inflation, amid fears it would prompt more to abandon the railways.
• Cycle lanes are good for drivers and we need more of them, says the AA'Even though we're a motoring organisation, that doesn't mean you need to use your motor all the time'

Times Online

• Inflation and logistics hamper progress at Tesla [subscription]Sales at Tesla hit a fresh high in the latest quarter but still fell short of market expectations after surging inflation and logistical issues blighted the electric car company.

i News

• Bill to overhaul UK railways will not go ahead, Transport Secretary confirmsPlans to overhaul the UK’s rail systems have been dropped by the Government. Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has spiked plans to bring in legislation for the new “Great British Railways” body, designed to completely revamp the railways.

The Mirror

• Liz Truss unveils 'draconian' new law to keep trains running during rail strikesThe crisis-hit PM is teeing up a fierce clash with unions with a legal bid to prevent transport services grinding to a halt during strikes - branded 'desperate' and 'unworkable' by critics

London Evening Standard

• Trevelyan indicates plan to cut flight delay compensation could be droppedThe Transport Secretary agreed with criticism of her predecessor Grant Shapps’ proposal.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Government silent on plans to 'accelerate' huge North East transport projects – including A1 dualling and Tyne BridgeIt is unclear how ministers intend to speed up a number of critical transport upgrades across the region, having promised to do so in last month's mini-budget

Northern Echo

• Great British Railways plan shelved by GovernmentYork Outer MP Julian Sturdy says the news is 'incredibly disappointing ... especially as York was on the final shortlist to be the home for Great British Railways.'

The York Press

• York left in limbo after Great British Railways plan is delayedYORK'S hopes of becoming the home of Great British Railways have been left in a limbo after plans to create the new public body were delayed.

Kent Online

• Trevelyan indicates plan to cut flight delay compensation could be droppedTransport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has indicated plans to overhaul compensation for domestic flight delays could be dropped.

Other Regional Press

• Creation of Great British Railways delayedThe creation of a new public sector body to oversee Britain’s railways has been delayed.
• Freight train derails in CarlisleRail passengers face huge delays after a freight train derailed in Carlisle. Emergency services were called to incident in the area of the Petteril Bridge junction, off London R
• Reopening Stoke-Leek railway could mean new Stoke Station platformMPs are backing a commercial service between Stoke-on-Trent and the Staffordshire Moorlands

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 | Dig begins to make space for two of line’s longest cuttingsHS2 Ltd’s contractor EKFB (Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial, Bam Nuttall JV) has mobilised heavy machinery in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire to begin excavating material to make space for two of the longest cuttings on the high-speed route.
• Great British Railways plan delayed as transport bill postponedThe creation of Great British Railways (GBR) has been delayed, new transport secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has said. Speaking to the transport committee today, Trevelyan admitted the new public body to operate Britain's railways will not be established by early 2024 as previously promised.
• 10 most important routes to electrify for a green railway in the NorthThe Railway Industry Association (RIA) has outlined its “roadmap for a green railway in the North”, which involves electrifying hundreds of kms of routes in the north of England.
• Rail enhancements pipeline still without publication dateThe Department for Transport (DfT) has admitted that the long-awaited £9bn Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) still has no publication date.

Rail Advent

• West Yorkshire station to see disused platform rebuilt to boost capacityClosed for over 20 years, the disused platform at Castleford will see a full rebuild in order to increase capacity and reliability for passengers.
• Plan revealed for a green railway in the North.The Railway Industry Association has published a brand new plan which details how the railway in the North should be electrified.

Transport Infrastructure News

• End of the road for old cars on high speed routes?Motorways of the future may only be suitable for use by digitally enabled connected vehicles, a webinar on Wednesday heard. National Highways chief executive Nick Harris was asked how older vehicles or motorists without access to modern technology might be accommodated on digital roads. “That’s an interesting one,” he replied. “When do we stop building gantries? When does the tipping point come when we expect the majority of people to have technology in their vehicle or by other means?”
• Great British Railways set back as legislation delayedTrain passengers will have to wait longer than hoped for promised improvements to services after the new Transport Secretary revealed that legislation giving powers to the planned Great British Railways organisation is being pushed back.

Other News Sources

• Liberal Democrats Press Conservatives on HS2 Funding for WalesDuring today’s Wales Office questions in Westminster, the Liberal Democrats continued to press the UK Conservative Government to release the £5 billion of consequential funding owed to Wales from HS2.
• Liz Truss tables bill to prevent transport unions 'grinding the country to a halt' amid fresh rail strikes next monthThe news comes as railway workers at 14 train operating companies are to stage fresh strikes next month in the long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.