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

Thursday, 11 February 2021

BBC News

• Leamside railway line: Calls to reopen service in fullThe 21-mile long Leamside railway line runs between Pelaw in Gateshead and Tursdale in County Durham.
• Trains: Plans for new Cardiff to London services hit buffersRegulator dismisses bid by Grand Union Trains to run new services from Cardiff and Carmarthen.

The Mirror

• High Speed 2 rail line to Leeds hasn't been scrapped, Boris Johnson insistsDoubts had been raised over the eastern leg of the rail line as costs mount - but the PM today said it was his intention to "develop the eastern leg as well as the whole of HS2”

London Evening Standard

• TfL boss Andy Byford: Overhaul funding to avoid ‘self-defeating’ Tube and bus fare risesHe said said annual rises in fares would be “self-defeatingâ€� as they would drive passengers back into cars
• Anti-HS2 protesters splatter pink paint over Department for Transport buildingAnti-HS2 campaigners have splattered pink paint over the Department of Transport building in central London.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Boris Johnson promises to build 'the whole of HS2' high speed rail lineThe Prime Minister spoke following suggestions that the North East and Yorkshire sections of HS2 could be scrapped

Yorkshire Post

• High-speed rail and skills dividend for regionTHE awarding of a prestigious £40m contract by Siemens Mobility to Yorkshire-based GMI Construction Group is far more than a vote of confidence in this region. It is also an investment in the county’s future.

Carlisle News & Star

• £9m competition to transform UK railways has opened.A £9 MILLION competition to find 'cutting-edge' ideas to transform the railways has opened.

Other Regional Press

• Department committed to funding £100,000 Portadown to Armagh railway link feasibility studyThe possibility of a railway link between Armagh and Portadown has inched closer following a ‘positive’ meeting between officials from the Department of Infrastructure and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.

Business Live

• Plymouth railway station upgrade moves ahead with £4m 'shovel ready' cashMoney from the Government's Getting Building Fund will help kickstart the ambitious Brunel Plaza scheme
• Plans for new South Wales to London rail service rejectedGrand Union's bid for six daily return services has been turned down by regulator the Office for Rail and Road.
• Siemens train plant progress 'light at end of a Covid tunnel' - project directorFuture on the Humber is brighter than it has ever been according to Siemens' project director Finbarr Dowling

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Yorkshire company wins £40m Siemens Mobility contract to build the UK's newest train factoryAs part of its commitment to UK jobs and growth and supporting the Government’s levelling up agenda, Siemens Mobility has awarded the £40m contract to build its new rail manufacturing site at Goole to Yorkshire-based GMI Construction Group Plc. It is part of the first phase of investment in Siemens Mobility’s new £200m train manufacturing plant and rail supply chain village, which has seen contracts worth £50m let to UK companies – the majority of which are based locally in Yorkshire.  In addition to the main facility, GMI will construct the four and ...

New Civil Engineer

• Engineering alliance formed to provide ‘consolidated voice’ for sectorA new alliance of UK engineering and research bodies has been formed to provide the sector with a “a single, consolidated voice”.
• Confusion over contractual liability for Covid delays and cost hikesOne in three contracts were not fit to deal with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and, as a result, clients are bearing responsibility for additional costs and time delays, according to research from Turner & Townsend.
• Concerns M25 upgrade could compromise safety of nearby railwayNetwork Rail is concerned that planned upgrades to the M25 in Essex would hinder its ability to run a “safe and efficient operation of the railway”.

Other News Sources

• LNER trains to run at reduced speeds this week – then East Coast passengers face three months of disruptionLNER’s fleet of electric trains has been forced to run at a reduced speed due to the number of repairs needed during the winter weather.