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

Tuesday, 07 January 2025

BBC News

• Station approval delay indefensible - council leaderCardiff council's leader calls for the first minister to end uncertainty over the proposed station.

Department for Transport

• Secretary of State for Transport's expectations for how open access will operate alongside a publicly owned railwayThe Secretary of State for Transport's expectations for how the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) will consider new open access applications.

Financial Times

• UK high-speed rail line told to cut charges Regulator rules fees should come down by 3.8% compared with HS1’s proposal

The Guardian

• Regulator forces HS1 rail line to cut charges in push to open up route to Eurostar rivalsORR hopes £5m cut in fees will attract new operators on line from St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel

Times Online

• ScotRail train ticket offices fail checks as cutbacks announced [subscription]Performance inspections show station staff and sales booths are getting the worst possible scores, sparking concerns from campaigners

Birmingham Post

• HS1 Eurostar route to cut ticket prices after watchdog orders 3.8% reductionThe Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has ordered HS1 to reduce its charges compared with its most recent plans, which will save passengers and freight trains up to £5million annually
• Welsh Government planning decision delay on Cardiff Parkway indefensible says council leaderHuw Thomas has written to First Minister Eluned Morgan warning that the continued delay could also be deterring investment into Wales

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Huge rail projects take place in Leeds and Mirfield - but Huddersfield work delayedA SERIES of major upgrades have taken place over the Christmas and New Year period across several railway sites in West Yorkshire

Wales Online

• Nearly three year wait on Cardiff Parkway decision indefensible says Cardiff leader Huw ThomasHuw Thomas has written to First Minister Eluned Morgan warning that the continued delay could also be deterring investment into Wales
• 'The train service is a mess' Anger as 650 trains cancelled in parts of Wales in just a yearWales Online readers have reacted to the news that over 650 Transport for Wales trains meant to transport people to Swansea and further west were cancelled in just one year

Rail Magazine

• Transport Secretary raises open access concerns in letter to ORRTransport Secretary Heidi Alexander has raised concerns about the impact of open access operators on contracted train services.

Railnews

• Rail suppliers ‘remain strained’ since election The immediate outlook for companies supplying the railway has remained ‘strained’ since the Labour government was elected in July, according to the Railway Industry Association. RIA is asking the government to take the opportunity offered by the Treasury’s Spending Review 2025, due in the summer, to smooth out ‘boom and bust’ work cycles.
• Transport secretary gives open access a yellow light Transport secretary Heidi Alexander has sounded a note of caution over future open access services, and has issued new advice to the Office of Rail and Road, which decides whether to grant licences. She emphasised in her letter that the formal guidance had not changed, but added that ‘I hope it will be helpful to the ORR by setting out my expectations’.

Other News Sources

• Train fire sees passengers evacuated from station: all we knowA fire under a train temporarily closed Gatwick Airport railway station.