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

Saturday, 11 February 2023

BBC News

• TSSA transport union suspends bosses after bullying probeThe TSSA union has suspended five senior figures, including its interim boss, after a report found harassment and bullying within its ranks.
• Waterloo rail disruption as major works coincideMain routes to Waterloo will shut while a line affected by a landslip will reopen by 24 February.
• Rail strikes: RMT union rejects new pay offerThe union calls the deals from both Network Rail and the train operating companies

The Guardian

• RMT rejects ’dreadful’ pay offers from Network Rail and train operatorsUnion boss Mick Lynch says message from members was ’loud and clear’, as TSSA prepares to put offer to vote

The Telegraph

• Mick Lynch forced to reject pay deal as rail strikers plot to bring down capitalism. [subscription]Whitehall insiders question whether RMT chief has lost control of union

Times Online

• HS2 under review as line faces delay and costs balloon [subscription]Ministers are to order a review into the entire HS2 project amid mounting pressure to rein in ballooning costs.

Birmingham Post

• Decision on £550m rail freight hub expected in 2024 – assuming planning inspector doesn’t throw it out soonerBuildings on the 440 acre site would cover more than 9m sq ft and be up to 91ft high
• Former HMRC chief appointed as seventh HS2 chairmanSir Jonathan Thompson was also the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence and will now lead the high-speed rail project as it continues to battle rising costs and negative headlines

Bristol Live

• Warning South Bristol will become a 'bus desert' as 42 subsidised routes cut across regionSouth Bristol will become a “bus desert” when dozens of subsidised services are cut from April, transport campaigners fear. Vital routes to hospitals, schools, colleges and workplaces are among the 42 being axed across the West of England following last month’s vote by its political leaders to stop supporting most of the region’s loss-making routes.

Manchester Evening News

• Rail regulator 'secures key improvements' for passengers over Avanti train ticketsBut it warns the train operator's 'more resilient recovery plan' is months away from 'industry norms'

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Bridgnorth Cliff Railway boss fears closed attraction could go bankruptA director of Bridgnorth Cliff Railway, which has been closed on health and safety grounds, has said he fears the visitor attraction could go bankrupt if it stays shut for too long.
• £1.1bn Budget to deliver transport schemes, homes and jobsThe continuing construction of the Metro line to Brierley Hill and new railway stations at Darlaston and Willenhall are included in the £1.1 billion West Midlands Combined Authority budget for the next 12 months.

Other Regional Press

• Welsh Government urged to keep funding for bus routesThe Welsh Government are being urged to protect the subsidies for rural bus services.

Rail Advent

• ORR welcomes timetable improvement plan by Avanti West CoastAvanti West Coast has put a timetable improvement plan in place to help passengers plan and book their rail journeys.

Rail Business Daily

• Transport secretary holds talks in Paris on border controls and decarbonisation effortsThe transport secretary Mark Harper has met his French counterpart Clément Beaune in Paris to discuss the implementation of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) by the end of the year and both nations’ efforts to decarbonise their transport networks.

Transport Scotland

• Sustainable scrappage pilot launchedThe Scottish Government has launched the new Mobility and Scrappage Fund – offering cash incentives and Travel Better vouchers for households removing more polluting cars from the roads.

Other News Sources

• Aviation and shipping: decarbonising transport sector slothsDespite challenges, some companies in the aviation and shipping sectors are making decarbonisation progress to achieve their net-zero targets.
• Bedford Borough Council receives £69,000 for local bus and community transport servicesBedford Borough Council is pleased to announce that it has received £69,509.50 from the Department for Transport to support socially necessary bus services in the area.
• Major boost for advanced rapid transport in MKA high-speed, driverless transport network could transform the way people get around in Milton Keynes after the City Council successfully secured government funding to research the innovative project.
• Transport Minister visits Cornwall to hear about bus improvements and project offering free bus travel for care leaversThe success of a reduced bus fares pilot, the Council’s bus service improvement plan and the results of a pilot project offering care leavers in Cornwall free bus travel were on the agenda for Department for Transport Minister Richard Holden’s visit to Cornwall
• First glimpse of new trains that will connect Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton with LondonThe first of a new fleet of 'bi-mode' trains has made its inaugural test run in the West Midlands.