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

Monday, 09 October 2023

BBC News

• Somerset Council 'has no power' over bus depot closuresSomerset Council has admitted it has no power to stop further closure of bus depots.
• 'We need bus services before new Leek rail link'A better bus service is the priority for the Staffordshire Moorlands not a proposed new rail link, the council leader has said.
• Wales: Labour can't commit to HS2 funding share, MP saysShadow Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens says a Labour UK government would
• HS2 U-turn shakes confidence in Sunak's promises What does this week's HS2 announcement mean to those who banked on the Northern Powerhouse promises?
• HS2: Are the transport links replacing high-speed rail new?Some of the schemes have been promised before and others have already been changed.

The Guardian

• HS2: announced transport projects were just ’examples’, says ministerDocuments detailing projects to be funded with savings from scrapping HS2 deleted from government website
• Your next excuse is on platform 5 – German train travel has become an experience worthy of KafkaErratic Deutsche Bahn services make our commutes a misery. Luckily, their meaningless announcements are an art form

The Herald

• Revealed: Scots rail chiefs forced to pay £133m in compensationTHE publicly-funded owner of Scotland's railways has had to fork out £133m of in compensation claims in two years while incurring an over £350m budget 'overspend' over four years, it has been revealed.

The Independent

• Birmingham-London rail fares war sees train tickets slashed to under £10Competition between rail and coach firms for passengers between Birmingham and London has intensified, with Avanti West Coast cutting its cheapest fare by a quarter to £9.

City AM

• HS2: Plans for Euston section ’wishful thinking’, says KhanLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan has written to the Prime Minister to “express serious concerns” over plans for the Euston section of HS2.
• The demise of HS2 should teach us to give up the false idol of consensus Consensus is not the political ideal that we've been taught to believe it is and the HS2 debacle proves its shortcomings, writes Eliot Wilson
• Bolt rival Freenow adds more perks for cabbies as industry looks to boost image Ride hailing app Freenow will launch first-of-its kind perks for black cabbies and taxi drivers using its platform, City A.M. understands.

The National

• Mick Lynch urges Keir Starmer not to U-turn on railway nationalisationA UNION leader has urged Labour not to “backslide” in the run-up to the general election on a policy of renationalising the railways.

Labour Party

• Morgan jokes unfunded pledges risk frontbenchers being “thrown in Mersey”Recently appointed Labour shadow rail minister Stephen Morgan has warned that an incoming Labour government would have to look “carefully at implications” for HS2, though saying it wanted to see it delivered in full.

Local Government

• Care leavers aged 18-25 to receive half-price bus and tram travel in London in Sadiq’s new ’fare deal for care leavers’The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced that care leavers aged between 18 and 25, who live in London, will be able to apply to receive half price bus and tram travel from early 2024.This decision will give more young people the helping hand they need to thrive at a crucial period in their lives.

Sky News

• Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: Transport sec Mark Harper pressed about HS2 commitmentsRishi Sunak has confirmed the long-rumoured decision to scrap the northern leg of HS2 - a decision branded "wrong" by former prime minister David Cameron.

Birmingham Post

• West of England Mayor announces £2.5m for hydrogen superclusterResearch organisations across the West Country and in South Wales are set to look into ways to help decarbonise industry and transport

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Welsh Government will only overrule councils on 20mph exceptions if 'glaringly obvious' breachCouncils have guidance about what roads can stay 30mph but also have a degree of flexibility

Manchester Evening News

• HS2 to Manchester: What was all the fuss about?The high speed railway line which promised big things for Manchester will no longer be coming to the North of England. Political reporter Joseph Timan looks at what the scheme was supposed to achieve, who supported it and what happens next

Sheffield Star

• South Yorkshire buses: Changes to nearly 100 routes including First Bus, TM Travel and StagecoachStagecoach is the most heavily affected company, with 53 routes, over half of the total number, undergoing changes. All of the reduced services are run by Stagecoach.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Metro services hit with delays after signal failureSunday was a day of delay on the Metro for passengers heading towards the northern terminal.

Yorkshire Post

• Minister defends 'unambiguous' Northern transport plans despite uncosted commitmentsThe Transport Secretary has defended the Prime Minister’s Northern transport policy as ’unambiguous’ despite still-still uncosted commitments over railways and roads.
• Why the region can’t trust the Government’s shoddily put together transport plans - Andy BrownIt has been a very long time since a significant new railway was built in the North of England. Plenty got closed in the 1960s but, with a few tiny exceptions, the network is effectively operating on lines constructed well over 100 years ago.

Bucks Free Press

• Great Missenden residents react to HS2 project blowHigh Speed Two (HS2) between Birmingham and Manchester stands cancelled, following Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recent announcement of a £36 billion investment in North’s existing rail network.

Oxford Mail

• Battery-electric bus arrives in Oxford ahead of roll-outThe Oxford Bus Company (OBC), part of Go-Ahead Group, has ordered 104 zero-emission buses from the Northern Ireland-based manufacturer Wrightbus as part of efforts to deliver an all-electric bus fleet in the city.

South Wales Argus

• Western Gateway Partnership on HS2 money for rail linksFOLLOWING the news that the northern part of HS2 has been scrapped, an organisation representing communities in South Wales and part of Western England has called for investment in the rail network covering the area.

Other Regional Press

• Funding to support local bus services"Funding means people across Cornwall area have benefitted from a total of £17,246,247"
• Everything promised to Cheshire in Gov's 'Network North' planImproved bus services in Cheshire, the electrification of a line between Chester and Crewe and £2.5 billion for transport in rural counties, towns and smaller cities has been promised
• Work to install the new Llanharan railway footbridge next weekendRCT Council has confirmed the arrangements to lift the new Llanharan railway footbridge into position – requiring a single overnight road closure at Bridgend Road next Saturday evening (October 14) into Sunday morning.
• Much-delayed plans for A582 could be revived but questions lingerLong-stalled plans to turn one of the busiest routes between South Ribble and Preston into a dual carriageway appear to have had new life breathed into them by the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2.

Construction Enquirer

• Hercules signs five-year labour deal with Balfour railHercules Site Services has been awarded a five-year contract to provide Balfour Beatty Rail Limited with labour during Control Period 7.

New Civil Engineer

• Network Rail installs new road bridge over Cornwall railwayA major new road near Newquay in Cornwall has moved one step closer after Network Rail engineers moved a new road bridge into place over the railway.

Rail Advent

• Colourful Metro mural links history with hopes for the futureA colourful new piece of artwork has brought a splash of colour to a Metro station in Sunderland.

Shipping News

• LR at London International Shipping Week 2023As London International Shipping Week (LISW) 2023 concluded its tenth year, spanning diverse platforms from podcasts to parliamentary sessions, we reflect on our flagship activity and events throughout the week.

The Business Desk

• LCR votes to roll-back bus deregulation and take control of transport systemLiverpool City Region will follow Greater Manchester and become the second area outside London to have a franchised bus system, with the first franchised buses starting to run in St Helens by late 2026.

Other News Sources

• MTR: integrated success for metrosWith more than 40 years of experience, Hong Kong-based rail operator MTR has accumulated valuable experience from managing generations of assets.
• Northamptonshire sees reinvestment of HS2 funding after project scrappedNetwork North will reinvest HS2 funding into roads like the A509 Isham Bypass and the A43 Northampton-Kettering
• HS2 landowners urged to get help in recovering landLandowners who had their land compulsorily purchased by the government for HS2 are being urged to seek expert advice if they plan on buying their land back.
• Sunak blocked identical Euston HS2 planRishi Sunak blocked a Lendlease-led, private sector plan to build HS2’s Euston station when he was chancellor, just three years before adopting a near-identical version last week.
• TfL plans to end day travelcards could cost Surrey commutersTransport for London could stop accepting day travelcards on its network - which could raise prices for those travelling into London