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

Wednesday, 21 October 2020

BBC News

• Reading West railway station set for £3.3m revampA planning application has been submitted for £3.3m worth of improvements to Reading West railway station.
• Sadiq Khan condemns 'draconian' conditions of TfL rescueSadiq Khan says Londoners face a

Financial Times

• Government threatens to take direct control of Transport for LondonMayor Sadiq Khan told he must accept ministerial demands, including higher fares, if he wants bailout

The Guardian

• Former tree of the year felled in Warwickshire to make way for HS2Locals say loss of 250-year-old pear tree in Cubbington is 'absolutely devastating'. Residents have spoken of their “utter devastationâ€� after a 250-year-old pear tree in Warwickshire, a famous local landmark and England's tree of the year in 2015, was felled to make way for the HS2 rail line.The tree, thought to be the second-oldest wild pear tree in the country, had become a focal point in the protest against HS2, a high-speed rail line that will connect London and Birmingham, and which protesters say will cause huge environmental damage.
• Ministers threaten to take direct control of Transport for LondonGovernment accused of making punitive demands in rescue funding talks. The government has been accused of demanding “punitiveâ€� conditions to agree a funding deal with Transport for London.

Times Online

• Tree of the year felled to clear way for HS2 link [subscription]HS2 bosses have been accused of misleading the public after contractors chopped down a 250-year-old tree.
• Trains should drive the green industrial revolution - Nick Crossfield, Alstom [Subscription]The prime minister is right to pledge not just to build back better but to build back greener: harnessing skills and expertise to support jobs, exports and investment as we move towards a lower-carbon future.

City AM

• MPs back call to shift transport funding to low emission schemesTransport funding should be shifted from projects that increase carbon emissions towards low and zero carbon schemes, according to a new report which has been backed by Transport Committee MPs.
• Government warns that it will 'take control' of TfL unless bailout demands metThe government has warned Sadiq Khan that it will take the management of Transport for London (TfL) into its own hands if the Mayor does not accept its demands as part of a new bailout deal.
• Mayor "cannot accept" TfL bailout conditions - including a Council Tax hikeSadiq Khan has today warned he “cannot accept” conditions attached to Whitehall’s bailout of Transport for London. The Mayor claims The post Mayor "cannot accept" TfL bailout conditions - including a Council Tax hike appeared first on CityAM.

Mail Online

• Ministers threaten to strip Sadiq Khan of control over Transport for LondonLondon mayor Sadiq Khan needs a £4.9bn settlement to bail out TfL for the next 18 months after passenger numbers collapsed and revenue crumbled as a result of the pandemic.

Yorkshire Post

• Airport rail link setback is bad news for Northern Powerhouse – The Yorkshire Post saysTHE GOVERNMENT’S decision not to advance the proposed rail link to Doncaster Sheffield Airport is so short-sighted on so many fronts that it will prompt many to question its wider commitment to the Northern Powerhouse.
• Dismay as Doncaster Sheffield Airport rail link plan droppedMINISTERS are being urged to think again after vetoing proposals to build a direct rail link to Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

North Wales Live

• Merseyrail to cut services as Liverpool enters Tier 3 lockdown Current advice states that those wishing to use public transport should only travel if they need to, such as to work or school

Sunderland Echo

• East Coast Main Line clogged with services as capacity reached - North East chiefs call for investment so region can have rail links it needsA transport chief has warned that the North East is unlikely to have all of the train services it needs due to a lack of investment in a vital regional route.

Other Regional Press

• Disused rail line to become woodland walk and cycle pathIt's full steam ahead for the project

Railnews

• Bombardier signs £248m Arriva deal A train maintenance contract has been agreed between Bombardier Transportation and Arriva CrossCountry which is worth £248 million over three years. It follows a new award to Arriva by the government.

RMT

• RMT on reports tonight that Government are threatening a total takeover of TFLGeneral Secretary Mick Cash said: "The speculation that the Government are threatening to take direct control of TFL sounds like more bullying by this administration designed to impose their will on Londoners and ride roughshod over local democracy.

Other News Sources

• Margaret Calvert designs new typeface for Network Rail wayfinding systemAn update of one of her best-known typefaces, Rail Alphabet 2 is a collaboration between Calvert, Henrik Kubel and design consultancy Spaceagency.
• Transport For Wales Staff To Move Into New Building Next MonthRCT Council’s £38m Llys Cadwyn development in Pontypridd is now officially complete with the final building handed over to the Council today – and the keys given to Transport for Wales for its staff to move in next month.
• Coronavirus: How Greater Anglia is keeping its trains clean with biological monitoring and fogging gunsBiological detection units, fogging guns and Ghostbusters-style backpacks… welcome to train travel in 2020.
• Van Elle kicks off HS2 ground improvement schemeVan Elle has started its first ground improvement contract for High Speed 2 (HS2), providing embankment support to enable the first phase of construction in north west London.