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

Monday, 22 November 2021

Financial Times

• Johnson will U-turn on scaling back HS2, Osborne predictsFormer UK chancellor says pressure will mount on PM to change course ahead of election

The Guardian

• Andy Byford: ‘We can’t let London’s transport fall into managed decline’TfL’s passionate boss has never owned a car: but now he fears a funding squeeze will mean a return to the bad old days on the tube
• Start of final Crossrail trials in London raises hope of early 2022 openingVolunteer passengers will be aboard central TfL section of Elizabeth line as part of final testing phaseHopes that Crossrail will open in central London in early 2022 – this time on schedule – have been boosted as the troubled £19bn scheme moved into its final phase of testing at the weekend.The start of months of trial operations, which will involve thousands of volunteer passengers to test how the system will function, including in emergencies, was described as a “significant milestoneâ€� by Transport for London and the mayor. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Boris Johnson strips Transport for the North of powers after it criticises his rail cutsGovernment drops Northern transport authority as ‘co-client’ of new rail line. Ministers have removed funding and powers from the umbrella transport authority for the north, in what Labour described as a “Whitehall power grab” following the body’s furious reaction of swingeing cuts to the flagship Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) project.

The Telegraph

• The Government’s new rail plan makes a mockery of 'levelling up' [subscription]Construction has so far been centred on the London to Birmingham leg, but the two cities are already well connected
• Northern businesses 'bruised' by blow to rail investment, warns CBI chief [subscription]Northern businesses are “upset” and “bruised” at the Government’s move to scrap HS2’s Eastern leg and cut back the much-vaunted Northern Powerhouse project, the head of the CBI has said.

City AM

• Crossrail’s trial operations to begin ahead of openingTrial operations on the Crossrail are finally underway ahead of its opening in the first half of 2022, almost three years after the project’s initial deadline. Operations will involve exercises to ensure the project’s safety and reliability, while also testing the timetables. Over the coming months, more than 150 scenarios will be carried out – [...] The post Crossrail’s trial operations to begin ahead of opening appeared first on CityAM.

i News

• When will Crossrail open? Latest on delayed opening date and London’s new Elizabeth Line route mapCrossrail, which will officially be known as the Elizabeth Line, was originally due to open on 9 December 2018

Sky News

• 'Virtually everybody' disappointed by govt's new rail plans for the North, peer saysPlans for HS2 were originally meant to connect London with the city centres of Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds - but the eastern leg to the latter city has now been scrapped. Plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail have also been downgraded.

Belfast Telegraph

• UK government set to officially scrap Northern Ireland to Scotland bridge plansLong running plans to build a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland won’t go ahead, it’s reported. The Telegraph said that transport expert Sir Peter Hardy said the expert was not viable after being asked by the government to examine if such a project was feasible, but said “it would technically be very challenging at the moment”.

Wrexham.com

• Doubling frequency of trains on Wrexham-Bidston line – Rail freight operator objects to proposalsLocal business and council leaders are urging the rail regulator to authorise a proposed increase in passenger services between Wrexham and Bidston station after a rail freight operator objected to the plans.

Other Regional Press

• England-Wales road and rail links to be discussed in ‘Union connectivity review’ after bridge to Ireland scrappedRoad and rail links between England and Wales and from England into Scotland will be the focus of a ‘Union connectivity review’ published this week – after earlier plans for a bridge to Ireland were scrapped.

Business Live

• Train-maker Alstom and rail operator Eversholt Rail joining forces to create UK's first hydrogen train fleetAlstom wants to design and build a fleet of 10 hydrogen powered trains, each with three units

New Civil Engineer

• Crossrail has just £253M left to spend on completing Elizabeth lineCrossrail Ltd has just £253M left to spend before available funding runs dry. With the railway still on track to open during the first half of next year, Crossrail Ltd has long said that it is unlikely to complete the project with the currently available funding.

Other News Sources

• Doubling frequency of trains on Wrexham-Bidston line – Rail freight operator objects to proposalsLocal business and council leaders are urging the rail regulator to authorise a proposed increase in passenger services between Wrexham and Bidston station after a rail freight operator objected to the plans.