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

Tuesday, 21 December 2010

BBC News

• High-speed rail is to be alteredThe planned route of the high-speed rail line from London to Birmingham has been altered after protests about its impact on homes and the countryside.
• Rail route will run through my homeThe Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, has defended plans to build a high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham.
• Bank Tube 're-tunnelling' plansBank Tube station in the City of London to be re-tunnelled as part of a planned revamp.
• Rail strike over bank holiday payWorkers at Northern Rail are to strike on 27 and 28 December in a row over Bank Holiday pay, it is announced.

Department for Transport

• New High Speed Rail Proposals Unveiled Transport Secretary Philip Hammond today confirmed that the Government’s proposed high speed rail network - which would link London to the West Midlands, Manchester and Leeds - will include a direct link to Heathrow and to the European high speed rail network.
• New High Speed Rail Proposals Unveiled Transport Secretary Philip Hammond today confirmed that the Government’s proposed high speed rail network - which would link London to the West Midlands, Manchester and Leeds - will include a direct link to Heathrow and to the European high speed rail network.

Financial Times

• Network Rail to pay for fraud inquiryNetwork Rail will pay for an independent inquiry into allegations of misuse of public funds that have dogged the publicly funded company for months
• No direct Heathrow high-speed line 'for decades'There will be no direct high-speed rail services to Heathrow airport during the initial development of the system, the transport secretary said

The Herald

• Scottish cities could get direct rail link to the continentDirect trains could run from Glasgow and Edinburgh to the continent under revised plans for a high-speed rail network published by the UK Government yesterday.

The Independent

• Fears of Tory rebellion over high-speed railMinisters announced a series of changes yesterday to plans for a £12bn high-speed rail link from London to Birmingham in an effort to avert a Conservative rebellion against the scheme.

The Telegraph

• High-speed rail madness: some useful links [blog]The continued meltdown of the country’s transport network (even though, at the time of writing, the last snow in London fell more than two days ago) is the best reminder we could need that, instead of wasting our money on flashy high-speed rail vanity projects, we need to get the ordinary, everyday basic network in order.
• High-speed rail line will be 'pleasing to look at' The controversial new high speed rail line will be "something that people are pleased to look at," Philip Hammond has told critics of the plan.
• High-speed rail 'will make Coventry a London suburb' People living in towns as far north as Coventry will be able to become daily commuters to London when the planned high-speed rail link is built, ministers have promised.
• High-speed rail: no direct Heathrow link until 2030s The new high-speed rail line will not be linked to Heathrow airport until the 2030s, ministers have announced.

Mail Online

• HS2 route change will 'significantly mitigate' impact of 250mph trains says Transport SecretaryTransport Secretary Philip Hammond sought to stem a middle-class revolt by ‘re-aligning’ up to 50 per cent of the 109-mile London to Birmingham route to ‘mitigate’ its effect on the landscape and homes.
• Great Queue of St Pancras: Thousands wait hours for a Eurostar in Arctic chill... only to be turned awayA freezing record-breaking queue snaked all around St Pancras International station – taking some 6,000 people past the British Library and back towards Euston.

Network Rail

• FINAL WORK DATES ANNOUNCED FOR LONDON OVERGROUND UPGRADE
• CHRISTMAS LAUNCH PAD FOR MASSIVE IMPROVEMENTS TO READING'S RAILWAY

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham to London High Speed Rail opponents vow to continue fight Opponents of a planned high speed rail line between London and Birmingham have vowed to continue their fight despite a series of changes to the planned route.
• Snow in Birmingham: Disruption caused to train services THE icy grip on the Midlands also caught train travellers in its grasp with massive disruption on the railways.

Bolton News

• Rail misery as Northern Rail workers look set to strike Workers at Northern Rail, which operates trains serving Bolton, are to strike on December 27 and 28 in a row over Bank Holiday pay, it was announced today.

London Evening Standard

• Police turn away Eurostar passengers as thousands queue in freezing coldPolice forced to turn away Eurostar passengers trying to get home for Christmas as thousands queue for up to six hours at St Pancras
• Bob Crow seek mass strikes over cutsRail union chief Bob Crow calls for mass strikes and trouble on the streets as David Cameron prepares for a historic meeting with union leaders
• Rail workers in Bank Holiday actionWorkers at Northern Rail are to strike on December 27 and 28 in a row over Bank Holiday pay, it has been announced.

Metro

• Eurostar passengers trapped in Britain by big freezeUp to 10,000 Eurostar passengers became the latest victims to suffer Christmas getaway misery as they were trapped in Britain by the big freeze.

Bucks Free Press

• High Speed rail route confirmed A HIGH speed railway line will be built through the Buckinghamshire countryside, the Transport Secretary confirmed today.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Hundreds stranded as rail services cutFrom The ET: FRUSTRATED commuters lined the frozen streets in their hundreds after almost all train services through Peterborough were halted yesterday (Sunday, 19th December).

Railnews

• News: Preferred route for HS2 set to be revealed today The preferred route for the first section of High Speed 2 is due to be announced today. The transport secretary has confirmed his support for the project, partly because the West Coast Main Line is expected to run out of capacity by the early 2020s. He has also criticised opponents, who he said had provided ‘complete misinformation’.