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

Friday, 01 October 2021

The Scotsman

• ScotRail ticket offices under threat to help fund staff pay increaseSome ScotRail ticket offices could be closed or downgraded to help fund a pay rise for its 5,300 staff, The Scotsman has learned.

Times Online

• Southeastern pension fund liabilities on the line [subscription]After an excoriating attack on Go-Ahead by Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, over breaches of faith, trust and legal obligations, there are questions over whether it will retain its other big London commuter network, GTR, which operates the Thameslink and Southern services. That has led to a near 25 per cent crash in Go-Ahead’s share price and if GTR too is renationalised that will lead to even greater pension liabilities falling on to the taxpayer.

Network Rail

• Transport Minister visits Aberdeen to Central Belt Enhancement ProjectTransport Minister, Graeme Dey visited the team delivering the Aberdeen to Central Belt Enhancement Project and heard first-hand about the next phase of works which is due to commence next month.

Yorkshire Post

• HS2 ministers 'have not been held to account for hugely underestimating costs to taxpayers', say MPsMinisters who signed off low estimates for the costs of HS2 “have not been held to account for their miscalculations at the taxpayers’ expense”, MPs have warned.

Other Regional Press

• North-east rail upgrades on track to start next monthThe next phase of railway upgrades that could slash journey times between Aberdeen and the central belt by more than 20 minutes is due to start next month.
• Lifts proposal for the railway stationNew lifts and alterations to some platforms could be coming to Bridlington Railway Station.
• Weymouth rail station revamp is approvedTHE £1million revamp for Weymouth rail station has been approved despite being described as “half-bakedâ€� and falling far short of what the town needs.

New Civil Engineer

• First mile of tunnelling completed on HS2’s Chiltern TunnelsThe first of what will become a fleet 10 tunnel boring machines (TBM) that will work on High Speed 2 (HS2) has completed construction of the mile of tunnel on the Chiltern Tunnels.
• HS2, Brexit and Covid leaves council desperately short of engineersA local authority has revealed that it is struggling to deliver highways construction projects because of a shortage of engineers likened to the national haulier crisis.
• Crossrail opening date to ‘crystalise’ after October blockadeWork to be completed during an October blockade on the Crossrail project will give a better indication of when the railway will be complete and open to the public.

Transport Network

• No end in sight for HS2 costs or delays, PAC saysInfluential MPs have told the Department for Transport (DfT) to get its act together on HS2, stating they are ‘increasingly alarmed’ at the lack of direction, decision-making and engagement with the public, which is causing delays, as well as cost overruns.
• MPs call for metrics and monitoring to prevent white elephantsThe levelling up agenda ‘needs to move beyond rhetoric and on to delivery, requiring targets and metrics to enable Parliament and public to identify success’, MPs have said.

Other News Sources

• Plans Unveiled To Rescue Railway LineThe Newport-Gloucester line connects South Wales with the West Country, Midlands and north of England, providing a vital link for passengers.
• New Train Carriages Introduced As Part Of £66m InvestmentNew train carriages have been introduced into NI's rail services for the first time as part of a £66million project to transform railway infrastructure.