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

Tuesday, 11 December 2018

BBC News

• Crossrail delay: £1.4bn bailout as autumn 2019 launch delayedThe £15bn route, Europe's biggest infrastructure project, has been delayed for a second time.

ITV News

• Former Eurostar terminal returns to Waterloo after 12-year hiatusA former Eurostar terminal at London Waterloo is being brought back into passenger use after being mothballed for 12 years.
• Toilet charges scrapped at Leeds StationToilet charges are to be scrapped at one of our region's busiest train station. The facilities at Leeds station will be free from next week.

The Guardian

• Delayed Crossrail could cost almost £3bn more than plannedCrossrail could now cost almost £3bn more than budgeted, and the opening of the rail line across London is set to be further delayed until at least 2020.
• Shire railways are losing out to LondonIt is no surprise that, with all eyes turned towards Brexit, politics has reverted to type with the “north-south divide” reasserting itself (North of England continues to see cuts in public spending, report finds, 5 December).

The Herald

• ScotRail apologise over 'shambles' introduction of new winter timetableSCOTRAIL have apologised after thousands of passengers were hit by cancelled trains, overcrowded carriages and service delays as the first working day of its new timetable turned into what some described as a "shambles".

Times Online

• Crossrail is actually a success story [Subscription]Sir Terry Morgan, Crossrail’s chairman, has been made the public scapegoat for the project.
• Commuters’ jobs put at risk by latest ScotRail chaos [Subscription]The introduction of ScotRail’s new timetable designed to deliver “faster journeys, more seats and more services” has been marred by cancellations and delays.
• Crossrail handed extra £2.2bn amid fears of two-year delay [Subscription]The Crossrail line through London — Europe’s biggest construction scheme — has been given a bailout worth up to £2.2 billion amid warnings that it could be delayed for two years.

Network Rail

• New platforms open at Britain’s busiest railway station as part of £800 million investment for passengersThe former Eurostar terminal at Waterloo station reopened permanently this morning (10 December) for the first time since international services moved to St Pancras in 2007, as part of the £800 million project to increase capacity on the South Western Railway network.

London Evening Standard

• Crossrail scheme given £1bn bailout - paid for by London businessesA £1-billion-plus bailout for the crisis-hit Crossrail scheme is set to be announced today - with London businesses picking up the tab.

Northern Echo

• Teesside International Airport or Durham Tees Valley? Mayor wants to know what you thinkONE of the most contentious name changes in Teesside's history could be reversed as a public vote goes ahead on the future of Durham Tees Valley Airport.

Yorkshire Post

• Northern transport bosses insist London Crossrail delays and £2bn bailout will 'not impact' Yorkshire projects London will foot the bill and delays to the Government’s flagship Crossrail scheme should not impact on infrastructure projects in the North, transport bosses have said, as it emerged that a bailout of nearly £2bn was needed to complete the project.

Kent Online

• Network Rail turn down plans for Kingsnorth train stationA village's dream of a small train stop could be abandoned due to lack of support.

Other Regional Press

• Rail boss confident of new December timetable changesThe face of Govia Thameslink Railway has pledged a return to the service levels which existed before the timetable chaos which kicked off in May.
• If you're disabled these Kirklees train stations are out of boundsHalf of our stops don't have wheelchair access, far worse than the Yorkshire average

New Civil Engineer

• Exclusive | HS4Air plan to link Heathrow and Gatwick rejectedThe £10bn HS4Air rail scheme connecting High Speed 1 (HS1) with High Speed 2 (HS2) via Gatwick and Heathrow airports has been rejected by the government, New Civil Engineer can reveal.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Crossrail set for further £1bn bailout and potential further delayMinisters are expected to announce a fresh £1bn bailout for Crossrail and admit that the project might need to be delayed beyond 2019. According to the Financial Times, officials from the DfT and TfL, who have been in emergency talks for months, held further negotiations on Sunday ahead of...
• Taking to the skiesNetwork Rail’s commitment to driving innovation is best encapsulated by its latest scheme involving high-definition imagery drones, or UAVs. RTM’s Jack Donnelly sat down with the Thameslink Programme Network Rail project sponsor, Paul Ashman, to find out more. When a piece of...
• Crossrail given £1.4bn bailout as launch date pushed back once againCrossrail has suffered further delays to its schedule beyond the autumn of 2019 and London transport bosses have today announced a £1.4bn bailout of the flagship project – even worse than first estimates – in what represents yet another blow for the troubled scheme. A day after...
• New chair and deputy nominated for Crossrail amidst further delaysTony Meggs has been nominated as the new chair of Crossrail, replacing Sir Terry Morgan as the head of the £15.4bn project. The news comes at a turbulent day for the scheme, with TfL announcing a £1.4bn bailout and pushing back the launch date further, this time to 2020. The London...

Other News Sources

• High-speed rail research institute in Leeds receives £13m backingIt is hoped the institute would strengthen Yorkshire's reputation for high-speed rail research and development and attract more business to Leeds.