18th October 2013
- MP speaks of his experience falling under a train
- New HS2 chairman ‘will consider’ building from north
- Hundreds of Tube jobs ‘lost’ in ticket office closures
Main stories this week
The [Daily Mail] interviews David Ruffley MP, who survived falling under a Gatwick Express train at Victoria.
Sir David Higgins, who takes over as chairman of High Speed 2 in January, told the Transport Select Committee he would “certainly look at” building the line from north the south. [Daily Telegraph]
- It comes as anti-HS2 campaigners told the Supreme Court the Government had “cut corners” in their haste to push through the planned railway, neglecting to conduct a proper environmental assessment and leaving the plans in breach of EU law. [The Times]
Hundreds of Tube ticket offices will be scrapped next year as Mayor Boris Johnson seeks to cut thousands of London Underground jobs, it was claimed. [Evening Standard]
New services
Nexus is drawing up plans for a major expansion of the Tyne & Wear Metro light rail network with seven potential corridors under consideration. [Transport Briefing]
The successor to First Capital Connect will be required to provide more overnight trains to serve Luton Airport Parkway station. [JPress]
City officials have insisted that testing of Edinburgh’s £776 million tram system will not be further delayed by the appearance of cracks in concrete supporting a section of the line. [The Times]
Other news
Network Rail put financial considerations above public safety, suppressed information about fatal accidents and may have conspired to cover up its failings, the families of children killed or maimed at level crossings have claimed. [The Times]
More than 23,000 passengers have signed the petition to stop the East Coast line between Scotland and London being re-privatised. [The Herald]
The Gatwick Express will be completely closed during the Christmas holiday period. [BBC News]
Finance and companies
Eurostar said there were signs of a sustained recovery in the UK economy after reporting its best quarterly performance since the downturn hit in 2008. [Financial Times]
