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

Tuesday, 17 May 2022

BBC News

• Rail firm fined after trench collapse near Stafford railway stationA railway construction company has been fined £550,00 for health and safety breaches after an unsupported trench collapsed, burying a worker.
• ScotRail plans to cut third of services, says RMT unionThe RMT union said the timetable plans could cause
• ScotRail train driver shortage triggers wave of cancellationsTrain services remain disrupted after about 300 were cancelled on Sunday in an ongoing pay dispute.

Department for Transport

• Nigel Stevens appointed new Transport Focus ChairNew Chair to champion passengers while overseeing change to ensure Transport Focus works effectively with Great British Railways.

Financial Times

• HS2 protests set to cost high-speed UK rail line up to £200mnProject heads to seek injunctions to control demos along entire length of route, MPs told

Times Online

• Rail strikes would damage industry, warns Grant Shapps [subscription]Rail union leaders risk “damaging their own industry” if widespread strikes go ahead this summer, the transport secretary has warned.

City AM

• Rail could cost £6bn per year without government reformMaintaining the railway sector without government reform could cost up to £6bn of taxpayers’ money a year, warned a report published today. An analysis by UK think tank Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) argued that without a complete makeover, the network will fall into a decline and underinvestment scenario that could force the government to either increase income tax or cut services to revive it.
• The prodigal daughter returns: a love letter to the Northern Line after four long monthsBeing grateful for the Monday morning commute is normally the purview of yoga bloggers or influencers, not journalists. But yesterday was a moment to rejoice as the Bank branch of the Northern Line finally reopened its doors after four long months of stasis. The closure of the Moorgate to Kennington service was announced last year [...] The post The prodigal daughter returns: a love letter to the Northern Line after four long months appeared first on CityAM.

Belfast Telegraph

• Edward to mark completion of Crossrail with Elizabeth line journeyThe Earl of Wessex will mark the completion of London’s Crossrail project by travelling on the Elizabeth line.

Birmingham Mail

• New Moseley railway station - plans, pictures, where it will be and when it will openCommunities in Moseley, Stirchley and Kings Heath have been waiting for over a decade - and now it seems the reopening of the Camp Hill line is finally happening

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Call for Bradford rail services to be reinstated by the end of the yearTHE Leader of Bradford Council has called for Northern to reinstate rail services as soon as possible after cuts introduced this week.

Wales Online

• Big overspend expected on the £734m South Wales Metro rail projectWales' major rail electrification of project is being hit by soaring inflation

Yorkshire Post

• 'We need more trains not less': Yorkshire commuters react to Northern’s 'more reliable' reduced timetableWith Northern’s reduced timetable coming into effect, cuts to services on several Yorkshire routes have been impacting commuters and passengers alike.
• Oliver Coppard seeking 'ambitious' expansion plan for Sheffield's SupertramMr Coppard, who was elected earlier this month, told The Yorkshire Post he is considering ordering a review of how the system currently operates and what can be done to improve it, similar to one carried out by Sheffield MP Clive Betts in 2020 on the region’s bus system for then-mayor Dan Jarvis.

Other Regional Press

• Still no sign of TfW’s new Class 230 trains after three years of delaysThe introduction of brand new trains on the Wrexham – Shotton – Bidston line will not begin this week due to ongoing technical issues, Deeside.com understands.
• Urgent meeting in Senedd to discuss future of Heritage Railways in WalesAN URGENT meeting has been organised in the Senedd tomorrow (Tuesday, May 17) to share concerns about the future of Heritage Railways in Wales.
• Warrington West railway station wins awardWARRINGTON West railway station in Chapelford has won an award. The site, which opened in 2019, won an award for the best kept station in Warrington and Halton.
• Grant Shapps MP: 'We are revolutionising rail travel'To mark the introduction of a new railway timetable, Grant Shapps MP has insisted his plan for a joined-up rail and bus network will "revolutionise" travel throughout the country.
• Why train service from Watford to Euston have been cutThe London Northwestern Railway has explained why there are fewer weekday peak time services between Watford Junction and London Euston.

Railway Gazette

• Next Chair of Transport Focus appointedUK: Nigel Stevens has been appointed as Chair of Transport Focus, the arm’s length body of the Department for Transport which acts as the independent statutory consumer watchdog for rail passengers in Great Britain; bus, coach and tram passengers in England outside London; and all users of the Strategic Road Network in England.