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

Wednesday, 17 November 2021

BBC News

• North newspapers urge PM not to scale back rail investmentThe Reach campaign is calling for new inter-city lines throughout the North.
• Crossrail CEO admits complexity 'off the scale'A fixation on a launch date contributed to ballooning costs and delays to the project, City Hall hears.

Channel 4 News

• Government faces backlash from Northern MPs over expected railways backtrackThe government is facing a backlash from some Conservative MPs in northern England ahead of an expected announcement to scrap part of the flagship HS2 high speed rail link between Manchester and Leeds.

Department for Transport

• £360 million investment to transform rail ticketing across the countryContactless pay-as-you-go ticketing to be rolled out across the commuter networks of the Midlands and North over the next 3 years.

Financial Times

• Bradford feels isolated as UK set to scale back ambitious railway plansNorthern English city among areas to suffer from ministers’ expected decision to save billions on key routes

Times Online

• The Times view on the Birmingham-to-Leeds section of HS2: Rail Fudge [subscription]Mothballing the eastern leg of Britain’s high-speed line would not only cost the Tories politically but thwart hopes for a rail network fit for the next century
• Boris Johnson facing backlash over ‘hellish’ northern rail plan [subscription]Boris Johnson is facing a cabinet blame game over his “derisory” rail plan as he prepares to shelve the eastern leg of HS2 and downgrade Northern Powerhouse Rail.

i News

• Northern Powerhouse Rail backlash descends into blame game as more scaled-back plans emergeLiverpool to Manchester leg to be delivered through upgrades, as Andy Burnham warns ‘patch and mend’ approach would be a ‘severe blow’
• HS2 route map: How high-speed rail project will look if eastern leg from Birmingham to Leeds is scrappedThe Transport Department is expected to announce a new plan on Thursday, which will involve £96bn of funding for new routes in the North and Midlands

The Sun

• RAIL BOOST Rail line Maid Marian to be reopened and Robin Hood line to be extended in East MidlandsA RAIL line named after Maid Marian is to be reopened in the East Midlands — while the region’s Robin Hood Line will be extended.

Sky News

• North will be 'short-changed' by Boris Johnson's rail plans, Conservative MP Philip Davies warnsShipley MP Philip Davies, whose constituency is just north of Bradford, says scrapping a Manchester to Leeds link would be "completely unacceptable" and leave his constituents feeling let down.

Birmingham Post

• Why HS2 eastern Leg from Birmingham to Leeds via Nottingham looks dead in the waterIn a major rail review on Thursday, the Government is expected to scrap the HS2 route between the Midlands and Leeds

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Top transport boss brands rail downgrade reports 'deeply worrying'RUMOURS that the government will water down promises to radically improve the North’s rail services are “deeply worryingâ€�, a top transport boss says.

London Evening Standard

• Hopes of Crossrail opening in early 2022 dashedHopes that Crossrail might open early next year were formally dashed on Tuesday.
• Contactless ticketing at 700 train stations to level up the North – DfTThis comes while the Government is also expected to scrap HS2 plans for the same regions.

Manchester Evening News

• London: £7bn Thameslink, £18bn Crossrail, £1bn for a station. The North: A series of broken promises“This part of the network is the buckle in the beltof the North's rail network."
• Andy Burnham warns 'the North is united' on new rail plan and should be built with 'golden link'The Greater Manchester mayor backed the 'Choose the North' campaign as the government prepares to unveil its rail spending plans

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• 'Ludicrous' and 'the opposite of levelling up': Fury as government to scale back North rail plansPromises over the delivery of HS2's eastern leg and the Northern Powerhouse Rail project are expected to be watered down in an announcement on Thursday

Hull Daily Mail

• OPINIONFail to invest now and Hull will be left with creaking, slow rail connections for decadesNorth Hull MP Diana Johnson on why the Prime Minister has to step up and deliver on its rail investment promises

Other Regional Press

• Crossrail line serving Buckinghamshire expected to be complete in 2022The maligned and delayed railway service connecting Buckinghamshire, London and Essex was originally due to open in 2018 and will soon be three years overdue
• Crossrail CEO gives update on when Elizabeth Line will openThe maligned and delayed railway service connecting Berkshire, London and Essex was originally due to open in 2018 and will soon be three years overdue
• Top transport boss says rail downgrade rumours 'deeply worrying''The North has a two-track Victorian railway'
• Hundreds of jobs available with HS2Would-be applicants for construction and support roles are being urged to sign-up for a special jobs fair taking place this week

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• £360M investment to transform rail ticketingOver the next 3 years, the government will roll out contactless pay-as-you-go ticketing across the commuter networks of the Midlands and North – introducing London-style price caps and greater integration with local bus and tram networks.   This is just the first stage of the government’s commitment to roll out convenient and modern digital ticketing across the whole rail network, improving thousands of daily commutes, simplifying journeys and ensuring passengers are charged the best price.   It will also help to create a rail network that will not only deliver the types ...
• iPort Rail and DFDS launch freight shuttle serviceA new rail service has launched connecting the Port of Immingham and iPort Rail with the capacity to move 80 containers per day.   The Humber Express, a partnership between DFDS and iPort Rail, is open to businesses nationwide wanting to make this route part of their supply chains.   Containers will arrive at Immingham by ship from destinations worldwide carrying a wide variety of goods.    They will be loaded directly onto the train at the Port before being moved by rail to Doncaster and from there to onwards destinations across the country.    At the same time, ...
• Network Rail suppliers commit to reducing their carbon footprintNetwork Rail’s Commercial and Procurement team has reached an important milestone in partnering with suppliers to tackle climate change by securing commitments from 50% of suppliers to join the Science Based Targets initiative to reduce their carbon footprint.   Science Based Targets are a key part of Network Rail's Environmental Sustainability Strategy to deliver a cleaner, greener railway.    These are independently verified plans to reduce carbon emissions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.    Networ...

New Civil Engineer

• Crossrail boss explains why Costain and Skanska were taken off Bond Street jobCostain Skanska JV (CSJV) was taken off the Bond Street station job because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Crossrail Ltd chief executive Mark Wild.
• East West Rail | Protective ‘box structure’ saves £70M and six months on flyover jobEngineers delivering stage one of the East West Rail project have saved £70M and six months worth of construction time by implementing an innovative flyover construction method.
• Plans finally submitted for embattled London Overground station after a decade of false startsTransport for London (TfL) has submitted a planning application to Lewisham Council for a new Overground station near Millwall Football Club, which was initially planned to be created in the early 2010s.

Other News Sources

• Wrekin MP raises issue of train cancellations in Shropshire with transport ministersIn a written parliamentary question, he asked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his department is taking to reduce the number of cancellations on West Midlands Railway services.