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

Monday, 21 October 2024

BBC News

• Last chance to submit ideas for county's railwaysA consultation on the future shape of Norfolk's rail services closes this Monday as Norfolk County Council collects views for its Norfolk Rail Prospectus 2024, external. Suggestions include routes and frequency improvements with a view to reducing car use and carbon emissions. We spoke to passengers to see what they wanted.
• Rail boss says growth proves Serpell Report wrongA senior figure in East Anglia's rail network has spoken of his relief that a past proposal to close all but two rail lines in the region did not come to fruition.
• Crime-cutting night bus experiment may be repeatedAn experimental night bus service designed to cut anti-social behaviour in north Devon has proven so successful it may return next year.
• Autism airport scheme helps families get airborne The programme brings families to the airport to familiarise autistic children with flying
• In from the cold: New airports set to open up GreenlandThe Arctic territory hopes that three new airports will pave the way for direct flights from the US and Europe.
• How hoax bomb threats are hurting air travel in IndiaAn unprecedented surge in hoax bomb threats to Indian airlines is wreaking havoc on the industry.
• Ministers to oversee HS2 build as costs 'spiral'The transport secretary also commissions a new independent review of the high-speed rail project.

Financial Times

• Boeing workers to vote on ending strike in critical week for plane makerUnion members to consider offer on Wednesday that could restart production stalled for more than a month
• UK government to launch HS2 review as costs spiralTransport secretary Louise Haigh says delivery of rail link project has been ‘dire’

The Guardian

• Ministers to oversee ‘dire’ HS2 as true cost remains uncertainTransport secretary says analysis of high-speed rail project unable to clarify if overrun is £10bn or £20bnMinisters are to oversee HS2 and have launched a review after the government was unable to ascertain the scale of the ballooning overspend on the long-delayed high-speed rail line.Louise Haigh, the UK transport secretary, said that the scale of failure in the delivery of the project was “dire” and that analysis had been unable to clarify if the cost overrun was £10bn or £20bn.
• New Zealand airport causes stir with sign capping goodbye cuddles to 3 minutesDunedin airport boss says the move is designed to keep traffic flowing in drop-off zones and enable ‘others to have hugs’. Hugging your loved ones goodbye could land you in trouble at a New Zealand airport should your embrace linger too long.The international airport in Dunedin, a city in the South Island, has introduced a three minute cap on cuddles, as part of a broader effort to improve safety and keep traffic flowing at its drop-off zone.
• AA calls for ban on new drivers under 21 carrying passengers of similar age in UKMotoring organisation estimates introduction of graduated driving licences would save at least 58 lives a yearNew drivers under 21 in the UK should be banned from carrying passengers of a similar age for six months after passing their test, a motoring organisation has urged.The AA estimated that introducing a graduated driving licence (GDL) would save at least 58 lives and prevent 934 people being seriously injured in road crashes each year.

The Telegraph

• HS2 spending to be reviewed amid concern costs underestimated by £10bn [subscription]Ministers to launch inquiry into railway line's budget as Transport Secretary promises to 'ensure taxpayers' money is put to good use

Times Online

• Tesla earnings: Wall Street wants more detail on robotaxi strategy. [subscription]The electric car maker is expected to report a recovery in China but investors want more information on its plans for its autonomous vehicle
• Boeing workers to vote on a 35% pay offer to end their strike [subscription]Union tells its members the deal negotiated by the US labour secretary is 'worthy of your consideration'

City AM

• Ministers to oversee HS2 amid warnings of 'dire delivery failure'Ministers will oversee work on HS2, the government has announced, as the transport secretary warned costs had spiralled out of control.
• Transport officials plot PFI-style deal to fund HS2 Euston station Government officials are reportedly planning to raise at least £3bn from private sector investors to help fund the new HS2 station at Euston and renovate the neighbouring mainline terminus.

Daily Express

• Keir Starmer poised to sack Louise Haigh in first Cabinet reshuffle after P&O rowTransport Secretary Louise Haigh is reportedly on the chopping block in Sir Keir Starmer's first Cabinet reshuffle.

Daily Record

• Almost eight million free bus journeys made in North Lanarkshire this yearThe Scottish Government has protected free bus passes for everyone over 60, and disabled people, while also extending the scheme to injured veterans.

i News

• A decade of chaos and overspend: What next for beleaguered HS2As Transport Secretary announces review into spiralling costs, here's timetable of how project went off the rails

Mail Online

• TfL considers plan to increase e-scooter speed limit in London and lower age limit for riders to 16This proposal is being considered despite 35 people being hospitalised in London with 'serious injuries' since e-scooter rental trials were launched in the capital in 2021.
• AA backs calls to ban younger drivers from giving lifts to friends just after they pass their test - after spate of horror car crashes that have claimed young livesFollowing calls by the grieving mother of an A-level student who died in a road crash with three young friends, the AA has backed graduated driving licensing for under-21s.

The Mirror

• HS2 costs 'spiral out of control' as ministers forced to step inTransport Secretary Louise Haigh blasted the 'dire' handling of the high speed rail project, which has been beset by delays and rocketing costs since it was first announced in 2009

Birmingham Mail

• New 'smart' AI speed cameras catch hundreds of drivers on Midlands roads in monthsNew cameras have been rolled out at speeding hotspots

Birmingham Post

• Rochdale MP champions revival of direct London rail link after 27 years, boosting local economy and connectivityTown has not had a dedicated service to the capital since 2000

Bristol Live

• New driving rules could introduce 'G' plate and restrict some peopleThe tougher rules could see drivers banned for things like not wearing a seatbelt

Manchester Evening News

• HS2 announcement as government addresses calls for new line to ManchesterIt follows reports that the senior government figures are looking at the proposal dubbed 'HS2 light'

Northern Echo

• Will Keir Starmer stick to his promise and save Hitachi in Aycliffe?Playing politics in the weeks leading up to a General Election is nothing new. You could go back decades and consistently find exaggerated or misleading promises by future Prime Ministers or senior Government figures that would fail to become reality.

Get Surrey

• 'Crucial' London buses 'busy and late' after 'enormous development' as TfL told to improve themSadiq Khan says services have 'fallen slightly below the minimum performance standard'

Other Regional Press

• Transport Secretary dismisses any rumours of HS2 being reinstated North of BirminghamThe Transport Secretary has announced tough measures to bring the cost and delivery of HS2 back under control
• 'Only matter of time until someone gets hearing damage' on section of Tube - new tech to stop itNew technology has been rolled out in an effort to curb vibrations
• The Essex towns that need a station on the London UndergroundAs the map expands each year, some of these are more possible than you may think!
• Dial-a-bus scheme for 91/93 Peebles route to be discussedPROPOSALS for a 'dial-a-bus' scheme for two services will be explained at a meeting in Skirling village hall.
• 'Chatty bus' connects people on World Mental Health DayA 'chatty bus' aimed at connecting people and tackling loneliness took to the road to mark World Mental Health Day on 10 October.
• Big plans for future of Exeter bus stationExeter's bulldozed bus station will be transformed into a multi-million-pound development featuring homes, retail outlets and public spaces, members of the city council have been assured.
• Cyclist's anger over 'bloody awful' experience in HuddersfieldCampaigners calling on local government to improve infrastructure across Kirklees for cyclists and pedestrians

Construction Enquirer

• Bid race for £225m Network Rail building works dealNetwork Rail has started the hunt for contractors to deliver a planned £225m programme of upgrade and repair works to its properties.

Construction Index

• Transport Secretary slams HS2 as 'dire failure'"Since becoming transport secretary I have seen up close the scale of failure in project delivery - and it's dire," says Louise Haigh.

Rail Business Daily

• Five years since rail enhancements pipeline last published new Government urged to provide clarityThe Railway Industry Association (RIA), which represents UK rail suppliers, has today urged the new Government to provide clarity about its plans for rail enhancements in order to give confidence to businesses to keep investing in the UK.

Railnews

• Government announces major review of ‘dire’ HS2 The Government has dismissed reports that construction of HS2 could be going ahead between the West Midlands and Crewe, and is launching an independent review of the costs of Phase 1 between London and Birmingham with the intention of learning lessons from the troubled history of the high speed line.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Women in Bus and Coach momentum is strong at 2024 summitThe second annual Women in Bus and Coach summit took place in Manchester at the start of October. Momentum continues to build, and there's still much work to do

Other News Sources

• HS2: Piling work begins at Birmingham's Curzon Street stationWork has started on the installation of 2,000 piles for the foundations of High Speed 2's (HS2's) Birmingham Curzon Street station.
• Sheffield taxi drivers refuse to renewal rank permits in protest over unfair station conditionsTaxi drivers in Sheffield have announced they will no longer renew their permits to operate at the city's railway station until East Midlands Railway (EMR) addresses long-standing operational concerns.
• 'Incident' at Yoker rail yard prompts investigationAN 'incident' at a rail depot has prompted an investigation.
• MP Caroline Nokes praises 'fantastic' Romsey Signal Box during visitDuring her visit, she was allowed to pull the levers that control several signals outside.