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

Friday, 28 May 2021

Financial Times

• Why commuters won't easily be lured back to the officeThink bigger: train cars that offer all-you-can-eat sushi on conveyor belts, or are fitted with Peloton bikes

The Scotsman

• British Transport Police’s new female leadership should be the catalyst for accelerating gender balance at the top – Alastair DaltonTransport remains a very male-dominated industry in Scotland so the appointment of more female leaders should be celebrated and highlighted.

Times Online

• HS2 will go to Leeds and may even arrive early, says Grant Shapps [subscription]The HS2 rail project will go all the way to Leeds and could arrive sooner than forecast, the government has said, scotching speculation that mounting costs would prevent from the full scheme proceeding.

London Evening Standard

• Full speed ahead! Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirms HS2 rail project will go all the way to LeedsThe spiralling cost of the high-speed project had caused speculation over the eastern leg.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announces eastern leg of HS2 high speed line will go aheadThe Government has rejected calls to scrap HS2 services due to run into Yorkshire and the North East

The York Press

• Transport in the North on future of railways in Yorkshire THE North’s leaders have called on the Government to publish a long-term plan for transport amid promises for investment in the region's railways.

Carlisle News & Star

• Avanti West Coast introduce new Standard Premium class on Pendolino servicesAVANTI West Coast has become the first UK train operator to offer an extra travel class.

Leeds Live

• West Yorkshire still waiting for delayed crucial rail improvement planThe rail minister has insisted it will be confirmed 'soon' - but would not say when
• HS2 will go to Leeds, promises transport secretary Grant ShappsTransport Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed the HS2 rail project will go all the way to Leeds after fears over mounting costs had prompted speculation over the full scheme going ahead.

Other Regional Press

• ScotRail hit with backlash after 'awful' comment over train cancellations this SundayScotRail has received a backlash from customers after a tweet was published over the RMT strike.
• Oxford railway station inside looks almost the same as it did in 1990Oxford railway station is to get a major revamp after the Government pledged £69m towards the scheme.
• Great British Railways plan a ‘political ploy’ to save union, warn rail expertsRail passengers in Scotland could suffer under the UK Government’s Great British Railways plan, experts fear.
• Tory Batley candidate welcomes Yorkshire rail investment - with a photo of BristolThe Conservative party candidate for Batley and Spen showed his support for the TransPennine upgrade today - by tweeting a picture of a train in Bristol.
• Yorkshire mayors tell Government to 'urgently' publish rail plan'We've been waiting now for six months, wasting time and holding up our efforts'

Train Operators

• Chiltern Railways puts Britain’s first hybrid-powered train to the testBritain’s first hybrid-powered train was put through its paces during a test run with senior members of Chiltern Railways in Derbyshire earlier this week. The Class 168 Chiltern train has been fitted with a Rolls Royce MTU hybrid drive which will cut noise emissions in stations and deliver zero emissions when operating under battery power.

New Civil Engineer

• Upgrading existing stations and funding new rail links is essential to success of Old Oak CommonUpgrading existing stations and funding new rail links is essential to the success of the Old Oak Common regeneration project, according to Transport for London (TfL) transport planning manager Chris Porter.

Rail Business Daily

• Greater Anglia publishes new promise to improve accessibility of rail serviceGreater Anglia has outlined its commitment to making the railway more accessible to all customers – the most recent in a series of measures the company has taken to improve disabled customers’ experience of rail travel.
• Government urged to publish multi billion-pound rail investment plan for the NorthThe North’s leaders have called on the Government to urgently publish a long-term plan for the region’s railways, to give essential certainty on investment and delivery of major projects.

Railnews

• RMT predicts ˜long summer™ of ScotRail strikes The RMT has announced new strike dates for ScotRail ticket examiners, who have joined their conductor colleagues by walking out every Sunday in disputes over pay for rest day working.
• HS2 Ltd accused of being ˜dishonest, misleading and inconsistent™ A new report published today accuses HS2 Ltd of being ˜dishonest, misleading and inconsistent™ in its dealings with people affected by construction of the high speed line. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman highlights the case of one family which suffered from HS2™s failure to ˜properly engage and communicate™ when the sale of their home triggered an entitlement to compensation. It adds that the case was ˜repeatedly mismanaged™. The company has responded by describing the case as ˜historic™, and saying that it has since changed its ways.

Other News Sources

• New £33m depot to be built in Cadder to service high speed trainsA new £33 million train depot and staff accommodation facilities are to be built within the existing Cadder railway yard, which sits between Bishopbriggs and Lenzie.
• Full speed ahead! Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirms HS2 rail project will go all the way to LeedsThe spiralling cost of the high-speed project had caused speculation over the eastern leg.
• MP says rail move could benefit cityTHE GOVERNMENT’S move to nationalise the railway with a new train operator could be ‘great news for Worcester’.