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

Friday, 15 January 2021

BBC News

• Residents win battle to reopen Deganwy railway footpathResidents have won a 10-year battle to reopen a section of coastal footpath crossing a rail line in a north Wales town.
• Network Rail sorry for disability 'distress' over lift closuresWheelchair users had to drag themselves up steps or use a stair-climber during refurbishment work.
• TikTok level crossing stunt 'staggeringly stupid'Police and rail bosses condemn a social media post featuring a car parked on a level crossing.
• Coronavirus: 'Wall to wall with people' on London undergroundFootage shows a large crowd of people waiting to board a Tube train at Canning Town station.

The Telegraph

• Rail networks to reduce services to avoid running ‘ghost trains’ [subscription]Operators will focus trains on morning and evening peak travel times to ensure a reliable service for key workers

City AM

• Transport for London facing £2bn a year funding gap, warns reportTransport for London (TfL) is facing a funding gap of up to £2bn every year as a result of Covid-19, The post Transport for London facing £2bn a year funding gap, warns report

Birmingham Post

• New £16million rail station for Exeter's Marsh Barton to begin within weeksThe rail station was due to open in 2016 but has been beset by delays and spiralling costs
• HS2 joins Ladder for Greater Birmingham apprenticeship driveHigh-speed rail project becomes an employer partner of our apprenticeship campaign

Manchester Evening News

• 'It looks like levelling down' - Government slashes northern transport budget and shelves London-style contactless rail ticketingIt means plans to bring northern rail passengers in line with their London counterparts are scuppered, at least for now.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Transport leaders launch battle against plan to downgrade HS2 and Northern Powerhouse rail networksTransport for the North has rejected proposals to axe the North East leg for the High Speed Two rail scheme

Plymouth Herald

• Plymouth London Tube-style underground ambitions announced in major new report on future of UK travelTwo South West cities - chiefly Plymouth and Bristol - have been identified as ideal locations for the slick transport network

Other Regional Press

• Sheffield mayor Dan Jarvis says HS2 must go ahead in YorkshireTransport chiefs have criticised proposals by Government advisers to scrap the Yorkshire leg of HS2.
• Community railway plan for Bridport It's been almost half a century since trains ran from Bridport, and the branch line from West Bay to Maiden Newton is now only a memory.

Train Operators

• East Midlands Railways unveils newly designed seats for state-of-the-art Aurora fleetPassengers travelling on East Midlands Railway’s (EMR) Aurora trains will be able to sit back and relax thanks to unique seats specifically designed for the company’s new fleet.

British Trams Online

• Ice on the overhead causes Edinburgh Trams delaysIce on the overhead is an issue which often affects tram services over the winter months but in order to counter this most tram companies send out special “ice breaker” trams overnight to ensure that a normal service can run. But still occasionally these don’t do the job and services are affected, and that was the case for Edinburgh Trams on Tuesday 12th January.

New Civil Engineer

• Northern transport revolution ‘threatened’ by TfN budget cutsGovernment pledges to “level up” the UK by investing in Northern transport schemes are “threatened” by the government’s decision to slash central funding to Transport for the North (TfN).
• Forth rail tunnel plan considered technically viableTunnelling specialists have welcomed proposals to build a new rail tunnel crossing below the Firth of Forth in Scotland as part of plans put forward by the Scottish Green Party to improve the rail network and deliver on carbon net zero transport promises.

RMT

• RMT calls for Grant Shapps to intervene in Hitachi disputeRMT calls for Grant Shapps to intervene as it declares dispute with rail firm Hitachi and reveals scandal that UK taxpayers are paying for Japanese company to fire UK rail workers.