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

Wednesday, 06 October 2021

Cogitamus

• Rail freight flourishes as passenger operators strive to evolve - Chris StokesThe current serious shortage of HGV drivers is good news for rail freight companies, who now have potential customers beating a path to their door.

BBC News

• York to bid for Great Britain Railways headquartersThe city's council leader Keith Aspden said it would make "perfect sense" for Great British Railways (GBR) to be based there.
• Translink urged to add extra carriages on Derry-Belfast train lineA rail lobby group wants Translink to add 21 new carriages to the line as soon as possible.
• Westminster Tube station evacuated due to billowing smokeLondon Fire Brigade deploy six fire engines and 40 firefighters after reports of smoke.
• New pay offer in bid to halt ScotRail strikesA fresh deal is expected to be put to railway workers after six months of industrial action, the Scottish government says.

Times Online

• ScotRail offers more pay to avert strikes during Cop26 [Subscription]Last night representatives from unions and ScotRail were meeting to try to resolve the dispute. Graeme Dey, Scotland’s transport minister, told union leaders to “understand the importance of the [climate conference]” and to work with bosses to resolve their grievances.

London Evening Standard

• Scottish Government accused of ‘irresponsible nationalism’ on transport reviewAlister Jack suggested there had been no input from Holyrood on Sir Peter Handy’s Union connectivity review.
• Tunnelling protesters cost HS2 firm £3.5m, court toldA group called HS2 Rebellion dug tunnels underneath Euston Square in north London.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• MP dismisses Northern's Covid 'excuses' following overcrowding on Durham Coastline railwayRail operator Northern's claims blaming overcrowding on the Durham Coastline on the coronavirus pandemic has been branded an "insult" by a County Durham MP.

Northern Echo

• Call it off, Grant. You've just found your winner...IT seems a no-brainer. They might as well call the competition off. Darlington is surely the obvious choice to be the home of Great British Railways.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Boris urged: "Don't fob off" East Midlands over HS2Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood has said that "Levelling up is a bad joke at our region's expense."

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Plans to close Cottingley Rail Station confirmedRegional transport chiefs want to close Cottingley Rail Station in south Leeds, as part of multi million pound plans to build another station further down the track.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New competition to find first HQ of Great British RailwaysTransport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that a competition will be run to identify the headquarters for Great British Railways (GBR), the single, accountable public body responsible for running Britain’s railways. As part of major reforms designed to ensure decisions about the railway are brought closer to the passengers and communities they serve, GBR will require a new national headquarters alongside regional headquarters. The government will soon launch a competition by welcoming expressions of interest with a commitment that the national headquarters will be bas...

Construction Enquirer

• Network Rail reveals latest top 20 supplier spendNetwork Rail’s top 20 suppliers were paid a total of just over £3bn last year – nearly half of the infrastructure provider’s total £7.4bn spend with suppliers.

New Civil Engineer

• Search on for Great British Railways headquartersThe initial steps towards the implementation of Great British Railways have been revealed, with transport secretary Grant Shapps announcing a competition for towns and cities to make a bid to be the location of the public body’s national headquarters.
• Queensbury Tunnel | National Highways completes problematic repair of disused Yorkshire tunnelNational Highways has announced that work to repair and strengthen a disused railway tunnel in Yorkshire has drawn to a close.
• Four major NMCN contracts facing uncertainty after firm’s collapseThe collapse of utility-specialist NMCN leaves a number of major projects in the lurch.
• Crossrail | What’s behind the curtain at Farringdon station?The paved street leading to Crossrail’s Farringdon station might not be yellow, or brick for that matter, but there is a frisson of anticipation on the approach that is akin to the fabled Wizard of Oz.

Other News Sources

• Former infrastructure commissioner raises concerns over public transport recoveryThe former commissioner of the Infrastructure Commission for Scotland has raised concerns about the public transport sector's ability to recover following the pandemic.
• Integration is essential to the post-COVID-19 recovery of local public transportAlistair Gordon, CEO of Keolis UK, outlines the progress that the transport operator has made in transitioning to sustainable fuel alternatives, and outlines how the bus sector can improve connectivity for passengers after the pandemic.