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

Thursday, 06 February 2020

BBC News

• Film highlights 'toxic fumes' from trains at Leeds' rail depotA union has released footage of "toxic" diesel fumes being emitted by a train as it pulls into Leeds' rail depot.

The Guardian

• The Guardian view on HS2: let the train take the strain | EditorialHS2 is well behind schedule and over budget. It can only work as part of an integrated transport plan designed to cut carbon“When in a hole, stop diggingâ€� is an iron law of politics, but not one that Boris Johnson recognises. He made his name by flouting conventional wisdom and gives the impression there’s no reason to stop. In the case of High Speed 2 – a railway where costs have doubled to around £100bn – he joked to schoolchildren last week that with a hole this big “the only thing to do is keep diggingâ€�. Yet Mr Johnson knows the arguments are finely balanced: between those who claim the sc...
• Will HS2 really benefit the north?As the government prepares to give the green light to a new high-speed rail line between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, Helen Pidd looks at the dire state of transport links in the north of England.

Mail Online

• HS2 decision delayed as Government is warned the full cost could reach £150 BILLIONDowning Street said that a decision on the divisive project was not expected this week as Boris Johnson's government continues to be at odds over whether to go ahead.

Birmingham Mail

• Boris Johnson meets Conservative MPs to discuss HS2 high speed rail decisionMany new Tory MPs in the north are sceptical about HS2
• HS2 company branded 'chronically inefficient and institutionally callous'Conservative MP Jeremy Wright (Kenilworth and Southam) took aim at HS2 Limited over their handling of the project, which has been delayed

Daily Post (North Wales)

• £500m fund could see new life breathed into North Wales ghost railwaysUntil the infamous ‘Beeching Axe’ swung in the 1960s, regular passenger services ran along the Anglesey central line between Gaerwen and Amlwch, as well as the Bangor and Caernarvon railway

London Evening Standard

• Shaun Bailey: I'll raise fares to improve public transportTube fares should rise to help fund transport schemes that have been delayed or shelved, Tory mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey said today.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• The once-thriving North East railway station that was left deserted and desolateBlackhill in County Durham, which closed 55 years ago and was demolished a decade later, was one of a number on the Derwent Valley line
• Transport Ministers threaten to take action against TransPennine Express if services fail to improve'We have been clear with the operator that it must take urgent steps to address the poor performance'

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Revealed: Tube-style vision for £15bn West Midlands Metro and rail revolutionAndy Street has unveiled plans to open up eight new Metro lines and 21 new rail stations as part of a scheme to revolutionise public transport across the region.

Other Regional Press

• Cotswold line: West Oxfordshire set for £200m rail upgradeUP TO £200m could be spent to improve the Cotswold line railway, by running extra trains between Oxford and Worcester.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Heritage Great Britain invests £1.1m into Snowdon hybrid locomotivesHeritage Great Britain, who are responsible for operating Snowdon Mountain Railway, have invested £1.1m in their new hybrid diesel locomotives to service the popular Welsh tourist destination.
• Network Rail awards £257m contract for portable plant Network Rail has awarded a contract to VP Plc worth £257m for the hire, supply and maintenance of portable plant. The agreed contract covers all 13 of Network Rail’s routes, and the maintenance and repair of 28,000 items of portable rail equipment owned by Network Rail, as well as...
• West Midlands Mayor Andy Street unveils £15bn transport planAs part of his re-election campaign, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has unveiled his ambitious £15bn transport plan for the region.
• Lord Berkeley addresses government in letter to Grant Shapps over HS2Debate around HS2 remains constant and divisive, with both sides arguing potential benefits to the Northern region should the project either go ahead or be shelved.

Railnews

• Eurostar sets its sights on more growth Eurostar chief executive Mike Cooper has told Railnews he is hoping that the next stage of Eurostar™s development will see its route network extended into Germany. A key factor is the proposed merger of Eurostar and Thalys, which already runs high speed trains between Paris or Lille to Brussels, continuing from there to Amsterdam or Germany, where Thalys serves a number of cities including Cologne, Düsseldorf, Essen and Dortmund. Eurostar ran a preview service for invited guests from Amsterdam to London on 4 February. It was the first time that a train for London had carried passengers from t...