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

Saturday, 02 October 2021

BBC News

• Metrolink: Tram strikes resume after pay talks break downThe Unite union says Metrolink tram drivers deserve a

ITV News

• The new trains with WiFi, air conditioning and power points...but no toiletsIt has been just days since Southeastern railway hit the headlines for breaching its franchise agreement to the tune of £25million.

STV

• All aboard: ScotRail launches Santa Express for festive seasonThere will be a total of five journeys on the Santa Express on December 4, 11 and 18.

The Guardian

• The rail franchise system is so confusing, no wonder Southeastern mislaid £25mThe government failed to notice millions of taxpayers’ money missing for seven years. Now the company has lost its licence

The Telegraph

• Sadiq Khan ‘putting women’s safety at risk’ by keeping Night Tube shut [subscripton]London Mayor urged to reintroduce all-hours service in aftermath of the murder of Sarah Everard
• Tory MPs are sick of tax hikes and green spending - David Davies MP [Subscription]The French politician Jean-Baptiste Colbert described the tax riddle best: “The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest possible amount of feathers with the smallest possible amount of hissing.”

The Mirror

• HS2 Eastern Leg must be built, Boris Johnson is warned on Tory conference eveBoris Johnson is urged not to ditch a key transport link for the North as the Tories gather for their annual conference.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Calls for 'rapid progress' on rail plan to help level-up the NorthTHE Government is being urged to make "rapid progress" on Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP).

The York Press

• Council chiefs give the go-ahead to buy land for new Haxby railway stationA potential site for a new railway station in Haxby can be bought by City of York Council, top councillors decided on Thursday.

Bucks Free Press

• Video shows what the first mile of the HS2 Chilterns tunnel looks likeThe first 2,000 tonne tunnelling machine passed the one mile mark this week during the construction of the first tunnels for the controversial HS2 line underneath the Chiltern hills.

Other Regional Press

• Darlington railway station's £105m transformation moves a step closer as plans are approvedThe plans include a new entrance and station building

British Trams Online

• Nexus staff take a look at Stadler’s Switzerland plant where new Metro trains will be assembledA team of staff from Nexus have recently headed over to Switzerland to take a look at Stadler’s St Margrethen plant where the new fleet of trains for the Tyne and Wear Metro are set to be constructed with the first due to arrive in the northeast at the end of 2022. The 8,500 square metre plant was only opened two years ago and is said to be one of the most state of the art manufacturing facilities in Europe.

Rail Advent

• Isambard Kingdom Brunel statue unveiled outside Bristol Temple Meads railway stationNetwork Rail has announced that a statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel has been unveiled at Bristol Temple Meads.

Other News Sources

• Firms shortlisted for HS2 phase 2a UK High speed rail developmentSix firms have been shortlisted for the tender on a major two-part enabling works contract for the HS2 phase 2a route from the West Midlands to Crewe. The £240m contract will be developed for three years. It splits work on the route into two different packages with one contractor working on the northern sections while the other contractor working on the southern part.
• HS2 Minister visits Birmingham to open new INFRA Skills training centreOn Monday, September 27th, Andrew Stephenson, Minister of State at the Department of Transport and the HS2 Minister, officially opened the new purpose-built INFRA Skills Training Centre in Aston, Birmingham.
• French Senate warns of impending SNCF financial crisisFrance’s Senate Commission has issued a warning that SNCF is facing a possible financial crisis.
• Women are calling on TfL to bring back the night tubeEven though clubs are back and London nightlife feels *almost* normal, something is