Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Thursday, 3rd November 2022
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Thursday, 3rd November 2022
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has shelved Liz Truss’s promise to build the flagship Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) due to the pressure on the public finances following September’s mini-budget, an article from iNews reports.
The news came as the Prime Minister’s press secretary said Mr Sunak would carry out an “across-the-board” review of the pledges he made during the summer Tory leadership battle – including a commitment to “the full construction” of NPR – to see if they were still “deliverable” amid severe economic pressure.
Ms Truss had pledged to reverse ministers’ watering down of NPR and move forward with plans for a full new high-speed Leeds-Liverpool line via Bradford, at an estimated cost of £43bn.
Northern leaders warned Mr Sunak that sticking to the watered down £17bn NPR plan revealed in the Government’s controversial rail strategy last year would be a “serious setback for levelling up”.
Network Rail has been told it must improve “poor train performance”, as it was revealed train delays are getting worse.
New figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) show the decline in train performance has accelerated in recent months, with just 70.2% of passenger trains arriving at stations on time in September, compared with 72.6% in April.
The article from ITV said Network Rail blamed the hot weather, strikes, industrial unrest, and a lack of infrastructure reliability on the decline.
The TSSA has called off its upcoming strike action, in order to progress constructive talks with Network Rail.
Strikes were due to take place on Saturday (5 November), Monday (7 November) and Wednesday (9 November), however the union has withdrawn plans for some industrial action.
Network Rail’s chief negotiator Tim Shoveller said the last week had seen “intensive talks and progress” and that both parties were keen to find a solution.
The UK’s highest railway could be set to reopen early next year – almost five years after structural problems shut it down.
The Cairngorm funicular, which connects a base station with a restaurant and ski area 1,097m up Cairn Gorm Mountain near Aviemore, has been closed since September 2018.
An article from the BBC said The Highlands and Islands Enterprise said it was possible the funicular could be available for the 2022-23 snowsports season, if repair work to get it operational again progresses as planned.
0113 2082620
info@railbusinessdaily.com
15 Mariner Court, Wakefield WF4 3FL
