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

Monday, 10 February 2020

BBC News

• Storm Ciara: Rail passengers warned of further storm disruptionWeather warnings remain in place as the after effects of Storm Ciara continue to be felt across the UK.
• West Midlands Trains: Under-fire rail firm must invest £20m extra on servicesTransport Secretary Grant Shapps says people must be able to rely on West Midlands Trains.
• HS2: Six reasons why the rail route is so expensiveThe controversial high-speed rail project could potentially cost as much as £106bn.

Financial Times

• Johnson to order boardroom shake-up at HS2Decision to proceed will be welcomed by business leaders but is likely to anger some Tory MPs
• Transport for London’s rail system offers a useful templateNetwork provides framework for government overhaul of privatised franchising

The Guardian

• Prioritise Liverpool-Leeds rail link over HS2, says BurnhamManchester’s mayor says the Transpennine railway line is more important for northerners than HS2
• Prioritise Liverpool-Leeds rail link over HS2, says BurnhamManchester’s mayor says the Transpennine railway line is more important for northerners than HS2 Boris Johnson should prioritise a new Transpennine railway line before the Manchester section of HS2, the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has said.Following media reports that the prime minister is set to approve the London to Birmingham phase of HS2, Burnham called on Johnson to simultaneously build Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), a new line connecting Liverpool to Leeds. Continue reading...

The Independent

• HS2: Boris Johnson set to give green light for multi-billion pound rail projectGreater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham calls for PM to bring forward railway to link northern cities
• HS2: Boris Johnson set to give green light for multi-billion pound rail projectGreater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham calls for PM to bring forward railway to link northern cities

The Telegraph

• Boris Johnson to announce glut of infrastructure projects to appease HS2 criticsPrime Minister set to announce Phase 1 and Phase 2a of HS2 will go ahead

Times Online

• Andy Street, the Midlands mayor whose fate is tied to HS2 [subscription]“Should we go ahead? It depends on whether you think Andy Street’s mayoral chances are worth £106 billion.” That is the view of Lord Berkeley, a Labour peer, who quit as deputy chairman of the government’s review of HS2 last November in protest at what he claimed was a one-sided process.
• Boris Johnson to repay the north by approving HS2 [subscription]Boris Johnson will call this week for work on the northern phase of HS2 to be speeded up as he gives the controversial project a green light.

Mail Online

• Prime Minister is to give green light to HS2 and back new 'free ports'Boris Johnson is to fast-track plans to create 10 'free ports' in the UK. He wants the 'biggest upgrading' since the Victorians, a government source said. He is to also give HS2 the green light.

The Mirror

• Boris Johnson to backtrack on HS2 rail link to the North and finally approve plansApproval of the controversial HS2 line to Birmingham looks set to receive Boris Johnson's go-ahead this week, in an infrastructure blitz including new freeports, but the Manchester extension looks doubtful

Birmingham Post

• Parliament to hear about 440-site rail freight freight and warehouse park planned for Leicestershire countrysideThousands of people raised concerns about plans for a 440-acre industrial park on land near their homes
• Green light set for West Midlands Metro extensionCombined authority's board poised to approve new one-mile section of track to connect network with HS2 station

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Trains cancelled on Conwy Valley and Cambrian railway lines due to Storm Ciara damagePictures show tracks have been left underwater and covered in debris

London Evening Standard

• London Euston station closed due to overcrowding amid Storm Ciara disruptionFollow our live Storm Ciara updates here

Northern Echo

• Network Rail bosses vow to restore passenger 'trust' in the North-East THE people in charge of ensuring Britain's rail services arrive on time and safely have vowed to

Other Regional Press

• Passengers told to avoid railways completely as chaos on tracks revealedPassengers are being told to stay at home

Railnews

• West Midlands Trains ordered to invest £20m West Midlands Trains has been ordered to invest £20 million to improve services and recruit more drivers. The money also be used to reduce some fares. The Department for Transport said operators should consider its latest move as a ˜warning™ that poor performance and a ˜failure to meet contractual obligations will be met with a firm response™. Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: ˜One of my priorities is getting the trains to run on time, and as a commuter myself I understand all too well the frustration caused by endless delays and cancellations.™