Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Tuesday, 26th September 2023
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Tuesday, 26th September 2023
Rishi Sunak is reportedly alarmed by the runaway cost of HS2 as he faces a Cabinet split over the potential axing of the rail project’s northern leg.
An article on the Hits Radio website says a growing number of senior Tories have warned the Prime Minister against the cancellation of HS2’s Birmingham to Manchester route.
Mr Sunak, who on Monday did nothing to quell fears he is preparing to either scrap or delay the leg, has told allies he is not prepared to watch the cost continue to rise, the Times reported.
The newspaper said he is concerned about a lack of cost controls and high salaries at the company overseeing the project after he was shown figures suggesting the overall price could top £100 billion.
Mr Sunak is also said to be considering terminating the line in a west London suburb rather than in Euston as planned to save money.
Millions of train journeys that took commuters in and out of the capital during the week are no longer taking place, prompting fears that the drive to return workers to London is failing.
An article on the Mail Online says last night, shocking figures revealed that London’s three main commuter railways are carrying 22 million fewer passengers than they did four years ago.
South Western Railway told a London Assembly inquiry its metro service in and out of Waterloo was down 68 per cent.
Govia Thameslink now carries 20 million passengers compared with 30 million pre pandemic, while Southeastern’s numbers have fallen from 15 million trips a month to 10 million.
The dramatic decline, revealed by the Evening Standard, has led to rallying calls from City bank bosses, senior MPs and London Mayor Sadiq Khan for workers to ditch their work from home lifestyles and return to the capital’s deserted offices.
Derelict rooms at Bristol Temple Meads will reopen as shops and public facilities as part of a lengthy restoration project. Network Rail is refurbishing and restoring the railway station’s giant roof built in the 1870s as well as a wider programme of changes across the railway station.
An article on Bristol Live says scaffolding will stay for another three years yet, according to a new Bristol City Council report. It states that construction on the roof is due to finish in December 2025 while the scaffolding will be removed by December 2026.
New anti-ramming barriers will also be installed in spring next year to prevent terrorist attacks. Derelict rooms along Station Approach will be reopened with new toilets.
Historic listed buildings at a railway station are set to be restored following a grant from the government.
An article on the BBC website says a £246,146 grant was awarded to Shropshire’s Gobowen Station through the Community Ownership Fund.
Money will be spent on external repairs and improvements to buildings that flank both platforms.
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