Transport Planning

Heidi Alexander has been appointed as transport secretary after Louise Haigh resigned over a conviction for fraud.

The transport secretary has revealed the first three rail franchises first to come under public control next year under Labour’s renationalisation plans, with South Western Railway first in line.

The transport secretary has set out her vision for ‘more joined up and locally-led transport across England’ in what her department said will be the first integrated national transport strategy in a quarter of a century.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced extra transport cash for regional mayors alongside incremental extensions to existing rail schemes, but departmental spending remains tight.

The Rees Jeffreys Road Fund is offering up to eight bursaries of £10,000 each to help people study a range of transport-related topics at MSc level.

The Institute of Highway Engineers has announced the appointment of Lyle Andrew FIHE as its new chief executive.

Nick Taylor is to step down to step down as chief executive of Waterman Group next year after 42 years at the company.

A new report has revealed significant disparities between local authority areas in electric vehicle (EV) charging provision for EV owners without off-street parking.

Personal travel by people in England increased last year but remained below pre-pandemic trends, with cars still the ‘mode of choice’ for journeys over a mile, according to the latest Government statistics.

A review commissioned by Labour when in opposition has called for an ambitious transport infrastructure plan for the next 50 years, beginning with a transport strategy for England.

The transport secretary has pledged to back councils that implement low traffic neighbourhoods and 20mph limits, with the new government ‘absolutely determined’ to end the Tories’ ‘culture wars’ approach.

The Government has approved London City Airport's plans to increase passenger numbers by more than a third despite objections by Newham Council.

The new transport secretary has confirmed that every local area will be able to take control of its buses through franchising or public ownership.

Passengers may have to be incentivised not to travel by rail because the curtailed HS2 programme will reduce capacity, Parliament’s spending watchdog has warned.

The King has confirmed that the new Government will bring forward legislation to bring bus and rail services more closely under public control.

The new Labour Government has set out a widespread plan for devolution and economic growth in its Parliamentary timetable, with central diktat reserved for planning proposals.

Transport Scotland will partner with Road Expo and Bridges Scotland once again as this leading event returns to the SEC Glasgow on 27-28 November.

Transport for London has set out what it calls a ‘green and fair’ package of proposed charges for the users of two tunnels under the Thames, but mayor Sadiq Khan has backtracked on a pledge to ensure that charges ‘encourage the take-up of the cleanest vehicles’.

Welsh first minister Vaughan Gething has announced plans to introduce bus franchising legislation to the devolved nation in the remainder of the current Senedd term.

Transport heavyweight Lord Peter Hendy has been appointed as a minister of state in the new government.

Louise Haigh has been appointed secretary of state for transport, after serving as the shadow secretary since November 2021.

Transport secretary Louise Haigh has set out a new motto for the Department for Transport and her ministerial team - 'move fast and fix things'.

Mott MacDonald has reappointed Professor Glenn Lyons as Chair of Future Mobility, as he begins his term as the new president of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation.

The Local Government Technical Advisers Group has published new guidance on charging of private electric vehicles on the public highway.

Officers have recommended that Hampshire County Council withdraws from a transport partnership involving three other local authorities.

Labour has promised to give councils multi-year funding settlements for local roads as part of plans to fill an extra 'one million potholes across England' announced in its election manifesto.

The Conservative manifesto pledges to scrap ‘rules that stop Mayors investing in strategic roads’ as part of wider plans to invest in the 'digital, transport and energy infrastructure needed for businesses to grow'.

Councils' plans to spend allocations under the £4.7bn Local Transport Fund will not be subject to much ‘marking’ by central government, a top official has suggested.

Traffex, the UK’s leading traffic and transport event, saw a triumphant relaunch in its new venue in Coventry last month.

Ann Carruthers has set out her priorities for the year ahead as she stepped into the role of president of directors’ body ADEPT.

Public spending plans beyond the current Parliament suggest that the UK will be unable to afford the infrastructure it needs, the Government’s official advisers have said.

New West Midlands mayor Richard Parker has commissioned a roadmap to replace the region’s ‘broken’ bus network with a franchising model, with a transition beginning next year.

West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin is due to announce on Thursday whether the combined authority that she leads will take forward proposals for bus franchising, but bus operators have poured resources into promoting their preferred option.

The Prime Minister’s rhetoric ‘fabricating’ a war on motorists has been ‘incredibly unhelpful’ and does not reflect public opinion, according to a think-tank.

Local authorities in the North and Midlands will be closely scrutinised over their plans to spend cash from the £4.7bn Local Transport Fund announced last autumn, the Government has said.

West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin has confirmed that she will take forward proposals for bus franchising from 2027 onwards in 'the biggest shake up to public transport in the region for decades'.

South Yorkshire’s buses are set to return to public control under a franchising model that would see depots and fleet owned by the mayoral combined authority.

The rail industry has welcomed the Government’s draft Rail Reform Bill but warned that it is ‘no substitute for legislation’.

The Government must do much more to speed up the transition to electric vehicles if it is to meet its net zero targets, including extending support for the rollout of charging infrastructure.

A 'must-attend' event in April will bring together the key parties in ADEPT’s £30m Live Labs 2 programme, which is trialling new ways to accelerate the decarbonisation of local highways infrastructure and assets.

Two metro mayors from opposing political parties have put forward their own plan to run HS2 trains from Birmingham to Manchester following ministers' decision to scrap Phase 2 of the high speed rail line last year.

Transport for London (TfL) is set to deliver the full programme of improvements and renewals for 2024/25 following 'difficult decisions' and a £250m capital injection from the Government.

Labour will not re-instate plans to take HS2 beyond Birmingham if it comes to power, Keir Starmer has said, as the fallout from the decision to truncate the line continues.

Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen has unveiled a £1bn transport package for the region, funded by City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement cash, with the majority set aside for roads.

The Government has missed its target of having six or more rapid or ultra-rapid electric vehicle chargers at every motorway service area in England by the end of 2023, the RAC has said.

The Government has claimed it is ‘on target’ to install 300,000 public electric vehicle (EV) charge points by 2030 after announcing that the number currently available has passed 50,000.

Transport for London has appointed Claire Mann, currently managing director of South Western Railway, as its new chief operating officer.

Scotland’s transport minister praised a bumper year at Road Expo as she opened the devolved nation's largest traffic and transport event with a keynote address.

Lord Davies of Gower has been appointed as a junior minister in the Department for Transport, replacing long-serving minister Baroness Vere.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded Bradford Council £400,000 ‘to kickstart master planning’ on a new railway station.

Ministers Jesse Norman and Richard Holden have left the Department for Transport as part of a cabinet reshuffle that began with the sacking of Suella Braverman as home secretary.

The Government will bring in an automated vehicles bill in the new parliamentary session and legislate to deal with unlicensed pedicabs, King Charles has announced in a King’s Speech that also included a pledge to publish a rail reform bill in draft form.

Transport planners have published a manifesto for the next government with a five-point plan to improve the transport network.

Amey has appointed Danny Gilbert as transportation strategy director, with responsibility for long-term strategic growth across its Transport Infrastructure business unit.

MPs have warned that the Government's proposed new national policy statement for road and rail infrastructure will not solve the issues around legal challenges on climate grounds.

The Government’s infrastructure advisers have called for measures to reduce traffic in cities, including congestion charging and workplace parking levies, but warned that they should not be put in place until there is a viable public transport alternative.

Cheshire East Council is pursuing a compensation deal over the Government’s decision to scrap HS2 north of Birmingham.

Bus operators have expressed frustration over the Government’s pledge to allocate nearly £1bn of redirected HS2 cash for bus improvements in the North and Midlands after ministers allocated just £150m of the promised cash.

Labour leader Keir Starmer has pledged to 'get Britain building again' by supporting new roads and infrastructure through planning sector reforms.

Labour's shadow transport secretary has pledged to nationalise the railways as she set out a transport plan focused on supporting drivers, passengers and communities with more consumer protections, public ownership and devolution.

The Department for Transport has struggled to provide details of nearly £1bn of bus funding for the North and Midlands, announced as part of the decision to scrap HS2 north of Birmingham.

National Highways’ huge scheme at Junction 10 of the M25 has again impacted the Royal Horticultural Society’s flagship garden nearby, leading to the cancellation of a major event.

A flagship £9bn road scheme and a key electric vehicle (EV) charging policy are among the Government plans thrown into doubt, as the prime minister's recent interventions on transport start to unravel.

Rishi Sunak has confirmed the cancellation of the HS2 north of Birmingham but has said that the high speed rail line will still go to Euston, albeit with the scheme taken away from HS2 Ltd.

The Government has announced a number of minor measures to discourage English local authorities from bringing in road safety and traffic reduction measures, billed by the prime minister as ‘slamming the brakes on anti-car measures’.

Rishi Sunak will finally announce the cancellation of the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2, with money for local transport projects to soften the blow, reports have suggested.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has hailed a ‘momentous day’ as the first franchised buses on the region’s Bee Network took to the streets on Sunday morning.

Behind-the-scenes discussions over cuts to HS2 could see the London Euston terminus scrapped, with cash saved potentially used to upgrade Northern Powerhouse Rail, it has been reported.

Contractors have reacted furiously to reports that ministers are considering cancelling the second phase of HS2, which is due to take the high speed rail line to Manchester.

More than 50 businesses in the intelligent transport sector have written to the prime minister to call for the Government to move forward with a Future of Transport Bill in the forthcoming King’s Speech.

Delays to waste collection reforms are seeing authorities hold back on transforming their fleets and procuring electric vehicles.

Declan Collier is to be reappointed as chair of the Office of Rail and Road for a further five-year term, transport secretary Mark Harper has announced.

The Government has released a Mobility as a Service code of practice for app developers, companies and authorities supporting integrated multi-modal journeys.

New housing, roads, public transport, green spaces, schools and jobs have been plunged into doubt after the Government’s housing agency pulled funding for two schemes.

National Highways has generally delivered well for road users over the past year but faces continuing challenges with its big projects, its monitor has said.

Newham Council’s strategic development committee has voted unanimously to block London City Airport’s plans for expansion.

The Department for Transport has confirmed December as the target date for the extension of pay as you go functionality to a further 53 rail stations outside London, which should have been completed by now.

Mónica Mercado Páez, head of AI and data at Virgin Media O2, says that while the transport sector faces a period of change, there is also opportunity.

The Government’s climate change advisers have warned against continued attempts to expand aviation capacity and thrown down a challenge to its road building plans.

More than 5,800 extra green buses are needed in England by 2030 to reach net zero and support the levelling up agenda, according to a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research.

The transport portfolio within the Scottish Government has been ‘explicitly’ restored as a cabinet position, with existing cabinet secretary Màiri McAllan’s remit extended to ‘Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition’.

The transport secretary has chaired the first meeting of a new Maritime Council, the first step in untangling what MPs have called the ‘muddle’ of 184 recommendations in the Government’s Maritime 2050 strategy.

Ministers will need to find cash beyond 2025 to truly transform bus services in the way envisaged by the National Bus Strategy, the chair of the Transport Committee has said.

Transport bosses have announced a pilot of a contactless payment system for rail journeys in Manchester city region but passengers will have to wait until the end of the decade for the promised ‘London-style’ regional fare capping system.

Lord Peter Hendy has been reappointed as chair of Network Rail for two more years, with a brief to ensure a ‘smooth transition to Great British Railways’, despite the absence of a timetable for the new body.

Interim Transport for London commissioner Andy Lord has been appointed to the role permanently, TfL and mayor Sadiq Khan have announced.

Scottish Government transport minister Kevin Stewart has stepped down for the sake of his mental health, having been in post for just over two months.

Leeds Bradford Airport breached planning rules by operating hundreds more night-time flights than it was allowed to last summer, according to the local council.

Traffex and National Highways have announced an official partnership ahead of this year’s event, which takes place at the NEC, Birmingham next week, from June 6 to 8.

Ministers have confirmed government funding for a new £210m rail station at Cambridge Biomedical Campus in the south of the city.

Ministers have scrapped longstanding plans to build two new platforms at Manchester Piccadilly rail station, to the dismay of the city region's mayor.

All seven shortlisted Live Labs 2 projects have successfully met the criteria to move to the deployment and procurement phase under the £30m Government-funded innovation programme.

A new National Highways report says its will focus on making the most of its existing network with an 'increased focus on smaller £2-25m schemes' but mega projects are set to still dominate RIS 3.

Plans for a new body to oversee the rail sector are in disarray following reports that the legislation to establish Great British Railways will not be given time in what is likely to be the final session of Parliament before a general election.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has appointed Jo Shanmugalingam as its new second permanent secretary, alongside Dame Bernadette Kelly DCB.

National Highways boss Nick Harris will deliver the keynote address at Traffex this year as part of a new partnership between the largest client in the UK and the leading roads conference in the country.

A new guide to provide guidance to support local authorities in implementing technology that supports traffic management and the operation of streets has been launched.

The UK’s network of city region transport authorities, the Urban Transport Group, has appointed Jason Prince as its new director.

Micromobility company Beryl has insisted that e-scooters will continue to play ‘a vital role’ in properly integrated multimodal urban transport, despite Parisians voting to end their three existing schemes.

Electric vehicle owners in Surrey will have access to 10,000 public EV chargers as the county council announces the largest deployment of charge points by a UK local authority.

In the Spring Budget, chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced £8.8bn for a second round of the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) in a move that buoyed the local sector after recent funding cuts.

Via East Midlands Limited has appointed Highways magazine Lifetime Achievement Award winner Matthew Lugg OBE as its non-executive chairman.

Motoring organisations have rung alarm bells over the slow rollout of publicly available charge points for electric vehicles after new official statistics showed that the pace of installation is falling behind the take-up of the vehicles themselves.

Transport for London has warned that works related to the new HS2 station at Euston could cause disruption to Euston Road for years.

The Government has reappointed Sir John Armitt as chair of the National Infrastructure Commission for a further two years.

RAC and FairCharge have called on the Government to slash the VAT rate at public electric vehicle chargers after new data showed costs of rapid and ultra-rapid chargers have risen by around 50% since May.

Highways Sector Council chair Leon Daniels OBE has become the 2023 president of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK.

Audrey Denis, strategy manager at Cubic Transportation Systems, argues that a utopian world where people of all kinds can travel freely, sustainably and without stress might be closer than we think.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has backed down on a threat of large-scale cuts to the capital’s bus network after finding additional funding of around £25m a year.

Conservative MP Iain Stewart has been elected as the new chair of the Transport Select Committee, replacing Huw Merriman, who is now a minister in the Department for Transport.

The chancellor has abandoned his predecessor’s list of infrastructure schemes slated for acceleration and confirmed that the Government will only build the ‘core’ version of Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Campaigners have warned the chancellor that the country ‘cannot afford’ to lose more bus routes and called for more cash support, including targeted funding for councils that missed out on recent funding to improve bus services.

The chairman of the UK’s Climate Change Committee has told council bosses to avoid companies that hold back the fight against climate change, citing ExxonMobil as one offender.

The president of ADEPT has said that while it appears that levelling up is back on the agenda for the Sunak administration, climate must not come off the agenda, ‘whatever else is going on’.

Three new Department for Transport (DfT) ministers have had their portfolios allocated, with former transport committee chair Huw Merriman getting the rail and HS2 brief, Jesse Norman given responsibility for decarbonisation and Richard Holden put in charge of roads.

The head of council directors’ body ADEPT has called for 'early clarity' from the Government on its spending plans, and faster progress on enabling local authorities to deal with issues like pavement parking and moving traffic violations.

The new transport secretary has pushed back against pledges by former prime minister Liz Truss that Northern Powerhouse Rail would be delivered ‘in full’ but has said the Government remains ‘committed’ to HS2.

Property group Eddisons has expanded its Manchester-based transport planning and highway design consultancy with three new appointments.

The Department for Transport has its third secretary of state this year, with Mark Harper replacing Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who only came into the role in September.

The Department for Transport has poached the chair of the Transport Select Committee for a ministerial role and sacked another Truss administration minister under a major clearout.

Transport for London has announced new senior leadership appointments ahead of the departure of commissioner Andy Byford.

Politicians in the north of England have called on Liz Truss to honour her pledge to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail ‘in full’, including new track and a station in Bradford.

This year’s ADEPT Autumn Conference will build on the council directors body's priority themes for this year - people, place and planet.

London Transport Commissioner Andy Byford is to leave the role after just two years, but ‘having delivered against the priorities he set at the start of his tenure’, Transport for London has announced.

The RAC has warned that higher electricity prices could derail the Government’s net-zero transport ambitions, despite the minister latest attempt to cushion their impact on households.

The chair of the sub-national transport body whose area includes the proposed East West Rail scheme has called on ministers to provide certainty over the £5bn scheme and another at risk rail scheme in the area.

The company operating Britain’s biggest rail franchise has denied breaking equalities law, despite a leaked internal document that warns it has been in breach for more than a decade.

Research by the AA has revealed huge gaps across the UK where there is little to no residential on-street electric vehicle charging, with government schemes making limited progress.

Dr Ali Alderete Peralta of the Centre for Energy Systems and Strategy at Cranfield University, says that expanding electric vehicle charging requires making the best use of existing infrastructure.

Buckinghamshire Council will not appeal after the High Court backed a decision by planning inspectors to allow four ‘environmentally damaging’ lorry routes for HS2 construction traffic.

Transport users have been advised against all but essential travel as networks in England and Wales face significant disruption from what are expected to be the highest temperatures recorded in the UK.

Kent County Council and its local partners have called for an urgent national response to the chaos and delays approaching the Port of Dover after distributing water and food to those affected through the weekend.

Around 20% of the £1bn Network Rail has spent on major upgrade work to trans-Pennine rail links has been wasted on 'work no longer needed', Parliament’s spending watchdog has said.

Karl McCartney MP has been appointed as a parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Transport, following the departure of Laura Trott, who resigned in protest at Boris Johnson’s leadership.

A more cohesive approach to accelerating the uptake of zero emission vehicles across the UK’s city regions is vital if decarbonisation targets are to be achieved, a new report argues.

ADEPT chief executive Hannah Bartram talks to four women who are leading innovation trials running across local authorities in ADEPT’s SMART Places Live Labs programme.

The Government’s focus on electric vehicles has left it in denial about the role of road building in increasing traffic levels and carbon emissions, its official climate change advisers have warned.

The Scottish Government has now commenced powers in the Transport (Scotland) Act for local authorities to run their own bus services.

Ministers have confirmed the permanent appointment of Chris Boardman as England’s active travel commissioner and announced a raft of appointments to lead Active Travel England.

A new project is getting underway to analyse the potential benefits of increasing connectivity and the use of digital technology on local roads in England to create ‘digital roads’.

The body that represents the rail industry supply chain has called on the Government to ensure that the transition to its new model for the industry does not result in a hiatus in current projects and decisions on future ones.

The Scottish Government has set out its plan to improve the country’s transport network over the next year, with promises to improve public transport and active travel while plans for new roadbuilding appear to have largely stalled.

The new president of ADEPT has urged the Government to give councils the powers, resources and funding they need to deliver net zero.

Self-driving car developer Oxbotica has completed what it says is the first ‘safe and sustainable’ deployment of a zero-occupancy, fully autonomous vehicle on publicly accessible roads in Europe.

Sam Henegan, an associate at Shoosmiths, looks at some of the barriers identified by the recent report into automated vehicles by the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission.

Transport for London has dropped a longstanding pledge to run 37 cross-river buses in East London after opening the Silvertown tunnel, with a likely knock-on effect on traffic.

Levelling up secretary Michael Gove has agreed to let commissioners at Liverpool City Council delay their latest report amid their warnings that plans to turn the council around are in the balance.

The Transport Select Committee has announced an inquiry into the prime minister’s flagship National Bus Strategy, called ‘Bus Back Better’, one year after it launched. With a key deadline coming up, the strategy now looks more like a way of managing decline.

The ADEPT SMART Places Live Labs Programme has published its final programme review, which highlights the successes and difficulties experienced by the trials over nearly three years.

The head of the body that represents rural councils has slammed ministers for pressuring authorities to keep ‘redundant’ plans for bus partnerships with operators.

A senior Department for Transport (DFT) official has played down the possibility that city regions will divert government cash intended for road repairs to pay for their plans to improve bus services.

The Welsh Government has named the panel of independent commissioners who will recommend ‘how to build a sustainable and integrated transport system for North Wales’.

A senior councillor in Portsmouth has said she is still ‘eagerly’ waiting clarification of possible funding for bus improvements in the city, nearly two months after ministers pledged to fund her council’s ‘ambitious plans’.

In a sign of the drastic financial situation the bus sector faces, plans to improve services in South Yorkshire alone depend on hundreds of millions of pounds of government funding that the region is unlikely to secure, it has emerged.

A senior council transport boss has warned that inadequate government cash funding for local authority bus service improvement plans (BSIPs) could lead to wholesale changes to public transport in rural areas.

The first ever female chair of ADEPT’s Transport and Connectivity Board has said she hopes her achievement will give confidence to young people coming into the sector to progress their careers.

The chair of the Transport Select Committee has warned that the British public ‘will not wear’ an attempt by P&O ferries to replace its workforce with overseas labour.

England’s Economic Heartland has appointed Naomi Green as its new managing director.

The giant Stagecoach Group has failed in its attempt to block plans for bus franchising in Greater Manchester.

A charity has called for car parking provision at new housing developments to be capped at a maximum of one space per property.

Opposition MSPs have slammed the Scottish Government after it named a Turkish shipyard as the preferred bidder for a contract to build two new ferries for the Islay routes.

Ministers have cut the working hours expected of a new chair of HS2 Ltd as the Department for Transport relaunched attempts to replace Allan Cook, who left the role last summer.

Local leaders on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority have voted unanimously to confirm franchising as its preferred future model for the region’s buses – two years after first backing the move.

HS2 Ltd does not yet know how much the decision to curtail the Eastern Leg of the new high-speed rail line will save taxpayers, its boss has told MPs.

South Yorkshire metro mayor Dan Jarvis has taken a step towards bus franchising for the region but will also continue work ‘in parallel’ to implement an Enhanced Partnership (EP) model.

Cumbria County Council has decided to drop its legal challenge after losing its second High Court bid for a judicial review of planned local government reorganisation in the county.

North East transport body Nexus has warned that some bus services in Newcastle and North Tyneside will be lost next month, despite a £4.5m rescue package.

Scotrail has said it will wind down services by 4pm on Wednesday ahead of heavy rain and high winds that are forecast to hit Scotland later in the day.

Cumbria County Council has finalised and published a transport infrastructure plan for the next 15 years, despite being slated for abolition.

The Welsh Government has announced a new commission that will develop a pipeline of transport schemes for North Wales.

South Western Railway (SWR) has contradicted a claim by the prime minister that its timetable will return to last December’s pre-Omicron levels in a fortnight, thanks to the lobbying of a Tory MP.

The Government’s announcement of new funding to improve bus services is in tatters after it emerged that no cash has been allocated, even to councils that have been promised funding.

The Department for Transport has said it ‘does not recognise’ a claim that the rail industry has been asked to deliver cuts of 10% over the next financial year, but has not denied the report outright.

Rail infrastructure contractors have lambasted the Government for being two years late on the release of delivery strategies and questioned ministers' commitment to their own Integrated Rail Plan (IRP).

Legal experts have called for a new Automated Vehicles Act to draw a clear distinction between genuine self-driving features and those that merely assist drivers, such as adaptive cruise control.

The Government’s Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) could leave train services in the North of England behind other regions for two centuries, Manchester’s metro mayor has told MPs.

The leader of North Somerset Council has expressed ‘extreme disappointment’ at a decision to allow the expansion of Bristol Airport.

Political leaders in the North of England remain hamstrung in their attempts to improve transport and cut carbon emissions as they lack the powers and funding, a new report has argued.

Ministers have faced criticism after it emerged that funding ‘to improve’ bus services in England has shrunk, with half the £3bn pledged being spent on supporting the industry through the pandemic.

A long-standing Tory commitment to have ‘fully self-driving cars’ on UK roads by last year has not been met, the Government has admitted.

A new blueprint that ‘repositions’ the Scottish Government’s transport investment priorities could see new mass transit schemes for Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen city regions.

The Government has published two key documents that aim to improve disabled people’s mobility and safety while travelling.

With train firms across the UK once again cutting services, it has emerged that Network Rail is not currently attempting to restore the guarantee that timetables will be accurate up to 12 weeks in advance.

The Department for Transport has appointed Gareth Davies, currently a director general within the department, as its new second permanent secretary.

The Great British Railways Transition Team is inviting views from within and beyond the rail sector to inform the development of a 30-year whole industry strategic plan.

The Government has confirmed the release of £35m of Local Growth Fund cash for a park and ride scheme and walking, cycling and bus improvements on the A40 in Oxfordshire, which it described as part of ‘plans to build back greener from the pandemic’.

Electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure is struggling to keep up with rising sales, with more than a quarter of new cars currently being sold capable of being plugged in.

The Scottish Government will struggle to return public transport service levels in the face of uncertain demand following the pandemic, transport minister Graeme Dey has said.

Politicians and transport sector leaders have questioned the Government’s commitment to its ‘levelling up’ agenda in reaction to last week’s Integrated Rail Plan, which saw Northern ambitions dashed.

Northern political leaders have suggested that alternative funding streams, such as the capture of land value increases, could bridge the gap between their ‘vision’ for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and ministers’ watered-down plan.

Electric cars will not solve issues of pollution and climate change or tackle the dominance of the vehicles on roads and footways, local government place directors have been told.

Transport for London (TfL) has warned that London's transport assets, including bridges and tunnels, face closure due to the ongoing multi-billion funding crisis sparked by COVID.

Campaigners have accused the transport secretary of undermining his own decarbonisation pledges after it emerged that he secretly agreed to keep emissions from road transport ‘stable’ – an approach that would see rising traffic cancel out lower emissions from electric vehicles.

Greater Manchester has set out its ambition to become the first city-region with a carbon neutral transport network.

Ministers appear set to ditch both the eastern leg of HS2 and a new Northern Powerhouse Rail line across the Pennines via Bradford.

A cross-party committee of peers has called on ministers to set out a clear strategy for rail fare reform before Great British Railways (GBR) goes into full operation.

Hojol Uddin, a partner at JMW Solicitors, says the concept behind smart motorways is multifaceted and they are not about to be scrapped.

The Welsh Government has dropped its support and funding for the Llanbedr Access Road scheme, which was seen as essential for the development of a spaceport in North Wales.

The Government’s integrated rail plan will be published ‘soon’, the chancellor has said as he announced cash for pay-as-you-go ticketing and the mobilisation of the new Great British Railways, but no new money for rail electrification.

The biggest impact of the Government’s Net Zero Strategy will be from the loss of tax revenues from fossil fuels, particularly as drivers adopt electric vehicles, the Treasury has said.

The technology exists to deliver any system of road pricing that can be delivered politically, a transport policy expert has told MPs.

Councillors in Oxfordshire have backed plans for widespread 20mph limits as part of an ‘ambitious and innovative’ new transport plan that aims to create a ‘healthier, better digitally connected, more active’ county.

Campaigners have accused the Scottish Government of ‘a brazen attempt to revive the failed policy of bus deregulation’ by ‘coercing’ local authorities into signing up to bus partnership models at the expense of possible public control.

Transport Scotland has said it recognises the frustration of communities in the islands off its west coast over disruption to services run by the state-owned operator.

Scotland’s nationally-owned ferry service has bought a second hand ferry to boost resilience on the Clyde and Hebrides network.

The levelling up agenda ‘needs to move beyond rhetoric and on to delivery, requiring targets and metrics to enable Parliament and public to identify success’, MPs have said.

The Metropolitan Police have seized more than 2,500 private electric scooters since the beginning of this year, it has been disclosed as Camden Council joins the capital’s trial of rental e-scooters.

ITS (UK) will be an official partner for this year's Road Expo Scotland when it returns to the SEC, Glasgow Exhibition Centre in December.

The Competition and Markets Authority has expressed concerns over the speed in which local authorities are rolling out on-street electric vehicle charging.

Ministers have promised that the Government's National Disability Strategy will boost inclusivity across the entire transport network but the strategy contains few new commitments.

The Government has agreed to review the National Networks National Policy Statement, which governs the development of major projects on England’s road and rail networks.

MPs have warned of a potential ‘not spot lottery’ for electric vehicle charging and called for a clear policy framework to ensure that industry can deliver the vehicles and infrastructure required to phase out conventionally powered cars and vans.

The communities secretary has pledged to reduce the number of funds that councils have to compete for as part of plans to consolidate the sector's funding.

The UK has only 15% of the electric vehicle charging points it needs to meet net zero, according to new analysis.

The Planning Inspectorate’s decision to allow an appeal over the expansion of Stansted Airport has been branded an ‘insult to local democracy’ by the leader of Uttlesford District Council.

The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation has announced the election of Deborah Sims as its president for 2021/22.

Tim Byles CBE, executive chairman and founder of social investment company Cornerstone Assets, says the delayed Transport Decarbonisation Plan is central to ensuring the speedy roll-out of the charging infrastructure needed to persuade the public that electric vehicles are the future.

Two floors of Wolverhampton’s new i9 office building will be home to the first ministerial department outside of London.

Following her recent appointment as president of Women in Transport, Dominic Browne talks to Jo Field of JFG Communications about her ambitions as president, diversifying the transport sector, and the future of the industry as we recover from the pandemic

Emily Yates, co-founder of the Association of British Commuters, calls for the urgent release of guidance promised by the Department for Transport in the National Bus Strategy.

Ministers have said that spaceports are expected to be in operation in the UK from next summer after laying regulations in Parliament that will mean satellites and rockets can launch from UK soil for the first time.

Ministers appear to be backing away from the idea of electrifying the whole Transpennine rail route, relying instead on bi-mode trains that run on diesel when electric power is not available.

The Government has admitted that current guidance on new models of improving local bus services may not be compatible with its flagship National Bus Strategy.

Amey Consulting has won a place on a £300m framework that will see a range of providers deliver technical and professional services across South East Wales.

Capacity on public transport has been increased and social distancing relaxed from Monday to coincide with the easing of COVID-19 prevention measures in England.

The Government used the Queen's Speech today to make infrastructure investment a core element of its future 'levelling up' plans.

The UK's biggest traffic and transport conference and exhibition is now open for registration for the virtual 15-17 June event, with an impressive speaker line-up featuring some of the biggest names in the industry.

Plans for a county-wide autonomous metro system for Cambridgeshire are set to be scrapped after the election of a new metro mayor for the region.

Liverpool City Council has drafted an improvement plan and letter in response to the Caller report, which called for an intervention in the city.

Ten organisations have written to housing secretary Robert Jenrick urging changes to proposed planning reforms which they argue will lead to a ‘tide of car traffic’ to already overcrowded roads.

Transport for the North chairman John Cridland is to retire in July and the sub-national transport body has now begun the process of appointing his successor.

A former Treasury aide and now Conservative MP is to spearhead the Government’s levelling up programme amid concern it is failing to make an impact in the red wall constituencies won by the Tories in the last election.

The UK’s sixth Carbon Budget will incorporate 'the UK’s share' of international aviation and shipping emissions for the first time, and bring the country ‘more than three-quarters of the way to net zero by 2050’.

Transport for the North has confirmed the appointment of Martin Tugwell as its next chief executive.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps has appointed Sir Jonathan Thompson as a non-executive director 'to represent the Government’s interests' on the board of HS2 Ltd.

The aviation minister has refused to confirm that the country is ‘on track’ to restart international travel next month or to confirm that he will seek further financial support for the industry if the planned re-opening does not happen.

Returning to a car-dominated transport network will put climate targets and a ‘fair’ economic recovery at risk, transport campaigners have warned after a survey revealed that cars will continue to be the preferred mode for most journeys.

It is with enormous sadness that Transport Network reports on the death of our friend Steve Berry OBE, head of highways maintenance, innovation, resilience, light rail and cableways at the Department for Transport.

The Institution of Civil Engineers has questioned whether Britain’s model of planning and prioritising – as led by the National infrastructure Commission – 'is as effective as it could be'.

Transport for London has said it is looking to restore Night Tube services on some lines after its boss said the service could be out of action for a further year.

The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation virtual Spring Conference opens next week (13 – 15 April) under the key theme of Reshaping Everyone’s Future.

The transport watchdog has called on the Government and the rail industry to ‘be straight with passengers’ about the fact that social distancing may not always be possible, despite extra trains, as Britain comes out of lockdown.

The Government is to draw up a second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, having already fallen behind on the prime minister’s pledge of £2bn central government funding during the current Parliament.

The Scottish Government has announced that ScotRail services will come under its ownership from the expiry of the current franchise next year.

Central government cash for buses in England outside London could exceed the £3bn pledged in the Government’s new Bus Strategy, it has emerged.

In the first of a series of case studies, Transport Network looks at Suffolk County Council’s Live Labs project, which has used sensor technology in a quest to develop new SMART approaches across communications, materials, energy and mobility.

County councils have welcomed the Government’s National Bus Strategy for England, which they said, ‘puts councils in the driving seat of reforms’.

The Government has given Network Rail £137m to design and deliver the long-delayed upgrade to the Hope Valley line between Sheffield and Manchester.

Councils are being urged to enter into a statutory ‘enhanced partnership’ or franchising agreements with bus companies in order to receive new funding from the Government.

The Government has released controversial proposals for boosting transport connectivity ‘across and between the whole of the UK', including air duty cuts, better rail connections and research into a fixed link with Northern Ireland.

The Scottish Government has named SWARCO eVolt as the preferred bidder to operate the country’s public electric vehicle charging network from July.

The number of journeys being made by public transport in Scotland fell before the pandemic while vehicle ownership and use reached record levels, official statistics show.

Sub-national transport body England’s Economic Heartland has published an ‘ambitious’ transport strategy which ‘sets out how the region’s transport system can support economic growth while delivering net zero emissions by as early as 2040’.

The Government has launched a consultation on ways to improve the consumer experience for electric vehicle drivers at public chargepoints.

The High Court has overturned London mayor Sadiq Khan’s Streetspace for London Plan, which was introduced in May last year in response to the pandemic.

Glasgow and Edinburgh could get new mass transit systems under the first part of the Scottish Government’s blueprint for strategic transport links.

Jacobs has developed a Travel Service Optimization tool, which it said would transform the home-to-school travel experience for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Brittany Ferries has announced three new weekly freight-only sailings between Ireland and France, aimed at hauliers seeking to bypass the UK 'due to increased customs checks and paperwork'.

Bristol City Council has named Arcadis as its new strategic partner to aid the delivery of new infrastructure, homes and regeneration across the city.

The UK needs to install public electric vehicle chargepoints five times faster than the current rate and spend up to eight times more, or £10bn by 2030, a think tank has said.

Herefordshire County Council has scrapped plans for two major roadbuilding schemes near the city of Hereford, citing the climate emergency and the need to decarbonise transport.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has welcomed 'a significant moment for the city-region’s long-term vision for rail' as its transport body began operating its first railway station.

Residents of West Yorkshire have been asked to give their views on plans for a new transport network that aims to connect the region’s communities to jobs, education and opportunities.

Councils are planning on installing just 35 on-street electric vehicle chargers each by 2025 on average, an investigation has revealed.

Transport for West Midlands managing director Laura Shoaf is the new chair of the Urban Transport Group.

The transport secretary has insisted that the allocation of three quarters of billion pounds towards a rail scheme in the South is part of the Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda, despite providing one twentieth of that sum for a project in the North.

Transport for London (TfL) has made a pitch for £3.1bn government funding for the next financial year as it published details of fare rises and cuts to services.

The Welsh Government has set up a dedicated 'Development Unit' to take forward the recommendations of the South East Wales Transport Commission after endorsing all of them.

Environmental campaigners have called on local authorities to cancel spending on road building and redirect funds to boost public transport and active travel.

The chief executive of Transport for the North has warned that government cuts to its funding will cause a ‘significant scaling back’ of its work, including its ability to progress Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Local government directors are asking councils across England for more information about the pressures on public rights of way due to increased use for exercise during the pandemic.

TRL will this year launch a new academic service to support organisations in the new aspects of the transition to zero-carbon transport.

Rail services across Great Britain are set to be cut to around 72% of pre-pandemic levels.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has selected three firms to develop ‘bold, innovative conceptual designs’ to help inform and potentially transform the delivery of the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM).

Transport for the North (TfN) is to reconvene its contingency planning group to help ‘tailor and protect’ rail services for essential users as demand falls under the new lockdown.

Ministers are considering new measures to prevent new cases of COVID-19 being imported into the UK, including pre-departure testing for people arriving here.

Rail services could be cut by half to hit levels seen during the first lockdown as the latest restrictions again significantly cut passenger demand.

The Department for Transport has established testing sites around the country for HGV drivers wanting to travel to the continent.

Transport authorities have launched what they called ‘the most sophisticated tool currently available’ for modelling bus use in city regions.

The Supreme Court has ruled that ministers were entitled to back the expansion of Heathrow Airport, overturning a Court of Appeal decision earlier this year that would have blocked the third runway.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding will be the president of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK for 2021.

Midlands transport bosses have reacted with dismay to a report that suggests that HS2 could be scaled back to pay for Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Ministers have admitted that the cash available for enhancements to the rail network during the current five-year period will be £1bn lower than promised.

The Government’s pledge to go ‘further and faster to tackle climate change’ has taken a blow after the Department for Transport (DfT) admitted its flagship transport decarbonisation plan has been delayed.

The Government has denied that ‘levelling up’ the rest of the UK means ‘levelling London down' as it published the long-awaited National Infrastructure Strategy, which confirms that plans for Crossrail 2 have been shelved.

The Welsh Government has published its new draft Transport Strategy, which pledges a major reduction in carbon emissions from the country’s transport network.

Transport technology experts have urged ministers to ‘pick up and run with’ the findings of a new report that calls for a step change in work to exploit connected vehicle data.

The Department for Transport has issued a call to evidence on the future of rural transport, with ministers hoping new technology such as drone deliveries can unlock connections.

Charlie Hodgson has taken over as managing director of WSP’s UK Transport & Infrastructure (T&I) business from Steve Smith, who has retired after four years in the role.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to announce plans to re-write the Green Book in the spending review this week, as part of the Government’s commitment to levelling up infrastructure in the North.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps has announced councils' allocations for the £175m second tranche of the Active Travel Fund.

Competing technologies are thinning out and big plans are afoot, Transport Network looks at the options, challenges and debates behind transport decarbonisation.

Transport for London and London’s boroughs have launched a competition to select up to three operators for a twelve-month trial of rental electric scooters.

Only one in six councils in England have installed on-street EV charge points, an investigation has revealed.

The ADEPT SMART Places Live Labs programme has identified four ‘stretch’ aspirations for the next year, with the importance of communications at the forefront.

Transport professionals have called for sustainable transport to be at the heart of the planning system through local targets, ‘rather than an afterthought’.

Vodafone is to deploy and build a 4G and 5G mobile private network at HORIBA MIRA’s Midlands headquarters.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps has tried to backtrack over an assertion by a junior minister that the Government ‘would not approve any proposals for statutory status’ from sub-national transport bodies.

The Government has confirmed that all HGVs using the Short Straits channel crossings will need a permit to enter Kent.

The Government has signed agreements valued at £78m with four 'experienced' ferry operators to mitigate the risk of disruption ‘as the UK and EU adjust to new border processes at the end of the transition period’.

There is no sign of a promised process for approving advanced trials of autonomous vehicles, nearly three years after ministers pledged to ‘make world-leading changes to the regulatory framework’.

Failing to build HS2 in full could add up to £13bn to the cost of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and undermine the business case for the regional rail project, the North’s sub-national transport body (STB) has warned.

Heathrow Airport has begun a Supreme Court appeal against a ruling earlier this year that the Government’s support for a third runway was unlawful.

The Campaign for Better Transport (CfBT) has appointed Paul Tuohy as its new chief executive.

The Government's top infrastrucure adviser has called on ministers to speed up the devolution of funding and powers to city leaders so they can develop ‘transformative’ local infrastructure strategies.

Local authorities have called on MPs to help lobby the Government over the creation of lorry parks to cope with no-deal Brexit border disruption.

Local authority leaders in the Midlands have called on ministers to provide £20m for a regional smart ticketing platform.

MPs have given qualified backing to the legalisation of electric scooters, including privately owned ones, but warned that this should not be to the detriment of pedestrians.

The body that represents the rail industry has announced a new chair and a new structure, with the organisation's functions split under a chief executive and a director general.

Renowned civil engineer Lord Robert Mair CBE has been lined up as chair of the delivery company for the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM).

Staffordshire County Council and Amey have partnered with two electric scooter providers to launch micromobility trials as part of the ADEPT Smart Places Live Labs programme.

Regional transport bosses have backed ministers’ plan to stabilize and reform the rail industry but called for more decentralisation and devolution.

A senior Tory MP has slammed ministers for a lack of detail over what will replace the current system of rail franchising.

Trials of an autonomous passenger shuttle in Cambridge have been scaled back and will no longer seek to use the city’s controversial guided busway.

A metro mayor of has claimed a quick victory over cuts to rail services in his area but warned the train operator that ‘the jury’s out’ on whether it can be trusted.

MPs have criticised ministers for not taking action over British Airways’ controversial employment practices and described the Government’s quarantine regime as providing ‘further barriers to travel’.

Bidding is open to local authorities in England for a portion of at least £2m in the latest tranche of cash for air quality projects.

British micromobility provider Beryl has said it will be the world’s first provider of a city-wide multimodal fleet of pedal bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters.

Highways England chief executive Jim O’Sullivan is to stand down early next year.

The transport secretary has appointed Darren Shirley to lead the Department for Transport’s new Acceleration Unit.

COVID-19 will not result in a drastic shift for infrastructure, but to lead the recovery the sector needs a long-term green strategy, with investment in fibre, 5G and active travel, experts have said.

National Standards Body BSI has published the first taxonomy for specifying the conditions in which an automated vehicle has been designed to function.

A leading think tank has called on transport authorities to help city centres bounce back by allowing flexible part-time season tickets for those who no longer go to the office every weekday.

The Foundation for Integrated Transport (FIT) has appointed Professor Phil Goodwin and Professor John Whitelegg as its first two Senior Fellows.

A major motor insurance firm has compared local transport plans across the UK to understand the future of the city after COVID-19.

Dipesh J Shah OBE will be the new chair of Highways England from 1 September.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has ‘confirmed’ £589m to ‘kickstart’ work on the Transpennine main line through Huddersfield, which is the first part of a £3bn upgrade package announced back in 2017.

England's Economic Heartland (EEH) has launched a new strategy to enable the region's transport system to underpin a green recovery from COVID-19.

The South East of England has won the largest chunk of a £900m cash pot for ‘shovel ready’ projects aimed at giving the economy a quick boost as part of the prime minister’s ‘New Deal'.

Transport for the North has appointed Jeremy Acklam as the new director for its struggling Integrated and Smart Travel (IST) programme.

Scottish ministers have urged residents and businesses to ‘grasp a chance to change the daily commute for good’ as the country begins to re-open.

Campaigners have called on ministers to accelerate the shift to sustainable transport by introducing new charges for drivers and improving public transport, walking and cycling.

The Welsh Government has announced a further bailout for the bus industry that it says will ‘rescue’ operators but also lead to public sector funders beginning to regain control of the industry.

A leading sub-national transport body has expressed disappointment at the lack of new infrastructure spending in the chancellor’s economic statement.

Politicians and transport operators have given a cautious welcome to the prime minister’s announcement that guidance advising people to keep two metres apart will be relaxed to ‘one metre plus’ in England.

One of the chief critics of abortive plans to build a relief road for the M4 at Newport has welcomed news that the body looking at alternatives will now review its own work to take account of the impacts of COVID-19.

Leaders of all 15 local authorities in Lancashire have voted for the principle of a combined authority and an elected county mayor.

Council place directors have written to central government to highlight the role of local authorities in a ‘clean, inclusive and sustainable’ economic recovery.

Council directors have called on ministers to ensure that clean growth is at the heart of post COVID-19 recovery and renewal.

The UK’s three largest airlines have threatened legal action over new quarantine measures for passengers arriving in the UK, which came into force on Monday.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has admitted that net zero carbon cannot be achieved without major interventions in the transport sector.

Chris Ames looks at the whether HS2 will help the UK cut carbon emissions anytime soon.

The head of the body representing the bus and coach industry has warned that the closure of UK schools from tomorrow could put coach firms out of business if councils stop paying them.

London’s Transport Commissioner, Mike Brown MVO, is to delay his departure for a number of months to continue to lead Transport for London (TfL) during the coronavirus crisis.

Local government secretary Robert Jenrick has admitted there is no science behind a threshold that determines whether councils receive cash to cope with flooding.

The Government has advised with immediate effect against all non-essential international travel for at least a month.

A transport union leader has urged the Government to immediately set up a ‘Ministry of Supply’ in the battle against Coronavirus.

The Government has published new travel advice in response to the coronavirus pandemic advising against all but essential travel to some destinations abroad.

The Government has launched a multi-million pound fund to trial new technology aimed at making journeys ‘easier, smarter and greener’.

The Government has published the long-awaited Road Investment Strategy for 2020 to 2025, with a budget of £27.4bn.

The chair of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has said he is ‘disappointed’ by the delay to publication of the Government’s National Infrastructure Strategy but encouraged by ministers’ focus on infrastructure spending.

Council directors’ body ADEPT has called for a national strategy on aviation to address both climate change and the economy.

Broadcaster Chris Packham is challenging the Government’s decision to back HS2 following the Oakervee review, arguing that it will have severe negative ecological and climate impacts.

The Government has declined to deny reports that the Road Investment Strategy (RIS) is to be delayed further.

Struggling Northern Trains has moved into public ownership with a new managing director but a new job for the old one.

The number of journeys by public transport in Scotland has fallen again, according to official statistics, while car vehicle mileage continues to rise.

The Court of Appeal has ruled the Government’s support for Heathrow expansion illegal on climate change grounds.

The Court of Appeal is due to rule this morning on a case that could see the end of plans to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

Liverpool City Region’s metro mayor has described franchising as the ‘leading option’ under plans to overhaul the region’s bus services.

The way connectivity is transforming how we plan and deliver mobility will be discussed in detail at this year’s ITS European Congress in Lisbon from 18-20 May.

The Scottish Government has published its National Transport Strategy (NTS), but arguments over its wider road spending plans could derail the country’s budget.

The Government's plans for up to 10 'Freeports' in the UK have been met with scepticism, despite claims that they would ‘unlock a new era of jobs and prosperity’.

Two years after his predecessor announced plans to reverse some of the massive Beeching cuts to rail lines, Grant Shapps has invited local authorities and community groups to bid for schemes.

A global innovation programme from WSP has highlighted radical engineering actions needed to cope with ongoing demographic, social and environmental changes.

Non-residents could be charged £2 a day to drive into Cardiff after the city council unveiled a £2bn vision to transform the transport network in the city and South East Wales.

The transport secretary has launched the West Midlands’ Regional Transport Coordination Centre (RTCC), which will bring real-time information across all modes of transport together into one place.

An American expert gives a 10-point plan to solving your public sector data issues - or at least solving the problems of getting started.

Edinburgh’s tram network could be extended and many of the city’s streets pedestrianised under ‘radical’ new plans to be considered by councillors.

Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council are to consider a joint plan to tackle congestion in the city and shift people from cars to sustainable transport modes.

Council leaders in Birmingham are planning a dramatic shift away from car use, including discouraging trips through the city centre.

The country’s only statutory sub-national transport body (STB) has had to scale back its roll-out of capped contactless fare payment after bus operators declined to sign up.

The Scottish Government has published its plans to keep the country ‘at the forefront’ of developments in the connected and autonomous vehicle industry.

Urban transport bosses have commissioned a new and improved model to help city regions plan the future of their bus networks.

The Conservative Party has pledged £2bn over the next four years for filling potholes and hinted at restricting the right of transport sector workers to strike.

Investment models used in the energy sector to help limit risk and co-ordinated national policies could help lay the groundwork for a new era of mobility, according to a new report from Amey.

Bus operators have set out a strategy to help tackle climate change and get a billion more passenger journeys by bus by 2030.

Bristol City Council has been forced into developing stronger measures to tackle air pollution, including charging private cars, after it became clear its preferred options ran a serious risk of being unlawful.

Public sector procurement organisation Scape Group has unveiled its new National Consultancy frameworks, which cover the whole of the UK and will be worth £1bn.

Design and engineering consultancy Sweco UK has bolstered its transport planning offering with the appointment of two new directors to its transport modelling and appraisal team.

Five councils will share £600m government cash to support the delivery of up to 50,000 new homes in high demand areas by helping pay for related infrastructure including roads and rail.

Leaders from across the North have today called on the Government to commit to multi-billion pound infrastructure pledges to boost the region’s economic fortunes.

The use of bioenergy needs to be carefully managed to avoid risks to food security, biodiversity and land degradation, the UN’s top experts on climate change have warned.

Transport Network receives an exclusive briefing on how the Midland Metro Alliance teamed up with key partners to keep Birmingham moving during major road closures.

The Scottish Government has published a new National Transport Strategy for consultation, which it described as a step-change in the country’s approach to transport for the next 20 years.

Plans for an autonomous metro system in the Cambridge and Peterborough area took a step forward after the combined authority board approved £1.7m to develop an outline business case.

Plans to pilot a ‘demand-responsive’ bus service across Tees Valley have been approved.

The Government has launched a call for evidence on offsetting carbon emissions produced by transport, which accounted for approximately one third of UK carbon dioxide emissions in 2018.

The Government has ‘no real understanding’ of the impact which the Local Growth Fund has had on local economic growth despite investing £12bn of taxpayers’ money, MPs have said.

The new president of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation used his inaugural speech to call for bold thinking in the sector and a break from the processes of the past.

Council directors’ body ADEPT has called on ministers to put a coherent policy and regulatory framework in place to support local authority efforts to tackle climate change.

Chesterfield Borough Council has decided to relinquish its membership of the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) following the government's insistence that all councils only belong to one such body.

MPs have called on ministers to provide more clarity on plans to make rail links into Devon and Cornwall more resilient and how they will support a transport strategy for the South West.

Key figures in the sector have backed Theresa May’s pledge to eradicate the UK’s net contribution to climate change by 2050 but called for action to ensure that transport genuinely contributes.

Heathrow Airport has launched its masterplan for a third runway, with measures to manage emissions and noise but few concrete proposals for public transport improvements.

A South West Conservative MP has called on the Government to produce a genuine transport strategy for the region after Department for Transport (DfT) officials admitted that they had no plans to honour a promise by Chris Grayling to do so.

A group representing bus users across the UK has published a 10-point plan to reverse the decline in rural services.

Potential spaceports can now apply for a share of £2m to support plans for small satellite launch from aircraft and sub-orbital flight from the UK.

A House of Lords committee has called on ministers to rethink HS2 after finding evidence that the costs of the high speed rail link ‘appear to be out of control’.

The AA has warned that delivery firms could respond to Clean Air Zones by adding to the ever-increasing number of vans on the road, worsening congestion and pollution.

The sub-national transport body (STB) for the South East has set out its case to become a statutory body with wide powers to improve the region’s transport.

Registrations of new all-electric and hybrid vehicles rose significantly last month, despite an overall fall in new car sales.

The Environment Agency (EA) has called for £1bn a year to be spent on flood and coastal defences in preparation for a possible 4°C rise in global temperature but warned that some communities may need to be 'moved out of harm’s way'.

The head of the body that represents the rail industry is to retire amid reports of disagreement over its submission to the Government’s rail review.

Rob Wallis is to leave TRL after six years as its chief executive and chief executive of its parent company.

City transport bosses have backed the view of the Government’s climate change advisers on how the sector should contribute to cutting net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.

An official report has highlighted the role of issues such as accountability, trust and transparency in avoiding the kind of management issues recently seen on major projects such as Crossrail and last year’s rail timetabling debacle.

London Assembly members have accused the charity behind the Garden Bridge project of an ‘an outrageous evasion of scrutiny' after it failed to turn up to a hearing on the fiasco.

Chris Grayling has appointed two new non-executive directors to ‘strengthen the board’ of HS2 Ltd as Crossrail’s former chief executive left the firm.

One of the Traffex 2019 event partners, WSP, is at the forefront of the new technology that will change the way we plan and manage our network. Adrian Malone, head of digital project delivery at WSP talks to Transport Network about new systems, digital twins and virtual reality.

The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation launched its Partnerships Network at Traffex, marking a potential step change in how the sector collaborates and shares knowledge.

Lilian Greenwood, the chair of the Transport Select Committee, told the audience at Traffex '19 that she is driven by a desire to represent people who may not always have a say on transport issues.

A look back at the winter that was in Scotland - but isn't quite over yet - and the opportunities milder weather gave for trials and testing.

Alison Waterworth, rail project manager at Mott MacDonald, on why equality means more meritocracy.

Gordon Mackay’s two-year term as chair of the Society of Chief Officers of Transport in Scotland (SCOTS) comes to an end in May. Transport Network catches up with him to talk winter service, collaboration and all things transport.

Heathrow Airport has announced record passenger numbers after eight consecutive years of growth, despite being declared 'full' - and in need of a new runway - five years ago.

Labour’s shadow transport secretary has accused the Department for Transport of ‘paying lip service to climate change’ and pledged that a Labour government will align the department’s priorities with its commitment to tackle the issue.

A study on behalf of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has found a 'compelling case' for a £4bn autonomous underground metro scheme.

Five legal challenges to the Government’s plans for a new runway at Heathrow will reach the High Court this week.

The National Infrastructure Commission has launched a consultation calling for views on the UK’s infrastructure resilience.

Manchester Airport Group (MAG) is seeking bidders for a Major Capital Works Framework for its three airports worth up to £700m over a maximum of eight years.

The Department for Transport has released maps of the major road network to sub-national transport bodies in advance of bids being handed in this summer.

Highways England has announced its delayed £1.4bn plans to improve the Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet route, which includes one of the East of England’s most congested junctions.

Chris Ames asks whether the Government's announcement on pay-as-you-go will get rail passengers any further forward on genuine smart ticketing, i.e. not very far.

Blurred responsibilities, constant reorganisation and five-year funding models - all provoke debate about Transport for Wales.

Chris Ames talks to Graham Atkins of the Institute for Government about whether it is possible – or even desirable – to take the politics out of infrastructure planning.

Leaders across the North of England have officially approved a £70bn transport plan for the region and will now take steps to submit a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) to Government for rail investment.

The Government is to develop a process to support ‘advanced trials’ of autonomous vehicles, bringing the possibility of driverless cars without a safety operative being tested on UK roads a small step closer.

Future transport projects in London could be undermined if politicians fail to engage with the public, a major infrastructure firm has warned in the wake of the Crossrail debacle.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling has insisted ministers remain committed to building Phase 2 of HS2 but campaigners have accused him of writing a blank cheque.

Tees Valley Combined Authority has given the green light to take a local airport back into public ownership.

This week the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) will discuss plans to invest £350m in transport over the next 20 years, as well as currently unfunded plans for a mass transit system.

Following the explosive claims at last week's London Assembly meeting about the delays to Crossrail, Chris Ames asks whether politicians' claims that they did not get a clear picture deserve any credence.

Environmental campaigners have criticised Heathrow’s plans to add 25,000 flights a year in advance of a proposed third runway, despite the Airport’s Commission’s assessment that the airport is ‘effectively full’.

Former Crossrail chair Sir Terry Morgan has accused Transport for London (TfL) of engaging in a process of manipulation over whether the huge project would be delayed, including editing his briefing notes to mayor Sadiq Khan.

Councils this week started to formally tell Whitehall about their Brexit risk assessments amid fears of crime spikes, public demonstrations and food bottlenecks.

The Future of Technology has been on show at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and Transport Network has been there to see what it means for the ITS industry in the Talking Transport Podcast.

Labour has accused transport secretary Chris Grayling of ‘negligence, dithering and delaying’ after ministers announced plans to give police new powers to tackle drone misuse.

Paul Sainthouse of Dawsongroup has become the new president of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT(UK)) for 2019.

As Parliament returns for a vote next week on the Government’s Brexit deal with the EU, the Department for Transport (DfT) has tested its plans to manage the thousands of lorries that could be held up at Dover by customs checks.

Councils would be required to consult residents before cutting down trees in urban areas under Government plans.

Mike Sellers - port director of Portsmouth International Port - discusses preparing for all potential Brexit eventualities.

WSP has been appointed by Transport for the South East to develop a new transport strategy that will help unlock growth in the South East.

Transport Scotland has awarded the contract to support the second Strategic Transports Projects Review (STPR2) to a combined team of Jacobs and Aecom.

The Government should take an active and direct lead in supporting the development of Mobility as a Service (MaaS), or risk unintended negative consequences, MPs have warned.

The sub-national transport forum for the east of England has announced plans for a summit to kick-start the development of a regional strategy.

Publication of the definitive major road network is imminent but stuck in a queue of government announcements, a senior Department for Transport official has said.

An influential committee of MPs has slammed the Department for Transport’s (DfT) ‘complacent’ contingency planning for a possible no-deal Brexit, accusing it of ‘a potentially toxic combination’ of secrecy and shortcomings.

Transport should be treated as an essential service and regulated by government to provide an adequate service to people in rural areas, a top UN official has said.

Computer road design could take over a significant proportion of work from human consultants over the next decade, under Highways England's Rapid Engineering Model (REM), a senior figure has suggested.

The ITS (UK) summit next week will feature speakers from near and far as well as what promises to be a lively debate on whether driverless vehicles should be seen as heroes or villains.

The local planning authority covering Stansted Airport has narrowly backed the airport’s plans to expand capacity to 43 million passengers a year.

Roads minister Jesse Norman has been promoted to minister of state at the Department for Transport (DfT), replacing Jo Johnson, who resigned last week over Brexit.

The London Assembly’s Transport Committee has raised ‘fundamental concerns’ over Transport for London’s (TfL) restructure of London bus services.

District councillors and the local metro mayor have hailed the continuation of a rural bus service after they provided £10,000 in emergency funding.

Transport minister Jo Johnson has resigned over Brexit, claiming that the proposed withdrawal agreement ‘will be a terrible mistake’ while no deal would inflict ‘untold damage’ on the country and its transport links.

Transport-led projects in the British rust belt need to foster cross-sector initiatives such as educational opportunities, a new report from one of the UK's largest transport groups has argued.

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) have the potential to bring huge change to people's lives, Scotland’s transport secretary has said at a major industry event.

Kier Highways has launched a major new initiative that aims to help transform the sector’s approach to safety, customer service and delivery through innovation and collaboration.

The Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) has opened an office in Glasgow to harness Scotland’s efforts to transform the transport industry.

MPs on the Business Select Committee have called for the phase out of petrol and diesel vehicles to be brought forward by eight years.

The transport sector’s specialist technical body has set out 12 priority considerations to ‘transform the narrative’ around roads, including reviving the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme (HMEP).

London’s deputy mayor for transport has called on ministers to speed up the extension of Oyster and contactless payment to airports near the capital.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has appointed John Larkinson as interim chief executive as it seeks to replace Joanna Whittington on a permanent basis.

HS2 Ltd has released images for two new stations in the Midlands, which it said marks a significant milestone for the £56bn project, following claims that it is running up to three years late.

ADEPT and organisational consultants Proving Services have announced a new partnership that offers exclusive benefits to ADEPT’s local authority members.

County councils have warned of a need for greater strategic planning after the prime minister scrapped restrictions on authorities borrowing to build housing.

Bristol City Council has published a draft transport strategy that includes a mass transit scheme, as well as possible congestion and workplace parking charges.

Councillors in Edinburgh will this week consider a £3.3m plan to introduce a ‘strategic, citywide network of electric vehicle (EV) charging points’.

The director of Finland’s intelligent road project will be a key speaker at a two-day conference and demonstration on connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) in Edinburgh at the end of this month.

The West Midlands will pioneer new transport schemes to make journeys ‘quicker, cheaper and cleaner’ following a £20m funding announcement.

Airlines could lose the right to fly between the UK and the EU from March next year if the Government fails to secure a Brexit deal.

Northern rail, whose passengers suffered some of the worst disruption during the May timetable debacle, has extended its additional compensation scheme to passengers without season tickets.

Local authorities have welcomed recommendations to introduce national minimum standards for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing.

Coming to you from the 25th ITS World Congress in Copenhagen, Talking Transport for Thursday features a range of fascinating conversations about ITS.

The seminar programme for Scotland's largest free conference and exhibition dedicated to traffic, transport and infrastructure, Traffex Road Expo Scotland, is rapidly taking shape.

Registration has opened for one of the biggest traffic, transport and infrastructure events Scotland has ever seen.

An emerging sub-national transport body has called for a groundbreaking National Policy Statement for its region as part of a list of demands to speed up the delivery of infrastructure.

Theresa May has announced a £106m package for projects developing 'green' battery, vehicle and refuelling technology.

The Government has announced a £2m ‘grant’ to support the uptake of e-cargo bikes but has yet to provide details of how the cash will be distributed.

Some London councils are acting too slowly over the roll-out of electric vehicle (EV) charging points, one of the ‘big six’ energy companies has said.

Following parliamentary backing for the National Policy Statement allowing the expansion of Heathrow airport, which the Commons Transport Committee said should only go ahead with various safeguards, Transport Network spoke to committee chair Lilian Greenwood MP about the unresolved environmental and surface access issues.

The City of London Corporation has announced plans to restrict vehicle use on one of its historic streets to ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) in a bid to tackle air pollution.

Business leaders have warned of a ‘two-speed’ England unless the Government adopts a coherent approach to improving infrastructure, including a sub-national transport body (STB) with a clear role for each area of the country.

Council directors’ body ADEPT is inviting members to submit applications to a £25m project designed to bring digital innovation to local roads.

A UK company developing technology for driverless vehicles has started data gathering in two London boroughs as part of its plan to trial a shared driverless passenger service in London next year.

Five London councils, Greenpeace and the mayor of London have started judicial review proceedings against the expansion of Heathrow airport.

The Government’s backing for a new runway at Heathrow is facing a new legal challenge – this time from the backers of the independent ‘Heathrow Hub’ scheme.

Ministers have published plans to ‘super charge’ the performance and accountability of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) following a review.

London mayor Sadiq Khan and councils opposed to a third Heathrow runway have taken the first step towards a possible legal challenge against plans to expand the airport.

Scotland is set to host Britain’s first spaceport, with ministers awarding two firms £29m funding to establish vertical launch operations and develop other innovative technologies.

A new event aimed at debating and discussing how ITS strategies and technology can help solve challenges on the road network will bring together all the relevant stakeholders involved with planning, managing and delivering change.

The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has called on government to take a ‘golden opportunity’ to switch to greener energy generation and a more rapid take-up of electric cars.

A new event that brings together global experts in connected and autonomous vehicles with live demonstrations has been set up to assess the latest developments and debate and discuss the way forward, with future trials and research across the world, including in Scotland.

Contractors and politicians have called on ministers to back the recommendations of the National Infrastructure Commission, which has published its first complete assessment of the country’s infrastructure needs.

Heathrow Airport's chief executive has vowed to ‘crack on with the planning process’, despite threats of a judicial review from local authorities opposed to a planned third runway.

Michael Matheson has taken over the transport brief in the Scottish Government in a new cabinet-level post.

Labour has announced that it will oppose current plans to build a new runway at Heathrow Airport but will allow its MPs a free vote on the issue.

The boss of under-fire Northern rail has told MPs the firm asked in January this year for last month's botched timetable changes to be delayed but was blocked by ‘other players’ in the industry.

The Scottish Government's long-awaited Transport Bill would ban pavement parking and introduce a new partnership model for buses, while allowing councils to introduce franchising or run services themselves.

Westminster City Council has defended itself against accusations it has ‘betrayed’ Londoners with its decision not to make Oxford Street a traffic-free area.

Council leaders have accused the transport secretary of failing to provide full details of the noise and air quality impacts of a third Heathrow runway, but businesses and unions have backed Government plans to expand the airport.

Ministers have announced fines of up to £50,000 per vehicle if carmakers supply vehicles designed to cheat emissions tests, but research has found that new cars are still producing more pollution than allowed by official standards.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed that his Ultra- Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will be expanded up to the North and South Circular roads from autumn 2021.

Local authorities have been urged to set up ‘Energy Boards’ and appoint an electric vehicle champion in a new guide out today.

The sub-national transport body for the Midlands has published what it calls a ‘bold, long-term vision’ to cut congestion on the region’s motorways, including a possible new strategic route linking the M5 and the M6.

The Government has confirmed its backing for a new runway at Heathrow airport ahead of a Commons vote on the issue within weeks.

A ministerial committee chaired by Theresa May is due to discuss plans to build a third runway at Heathrow on Tuesday morning and is expected to send then on for approval by the Cabinet, it has been reported.

Senior politicians and transport experts have criticised the Government’s latest clean air strategy for what they saw as a failure to tackle emissions from transport.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has urged councils to grasp the opportunities offered by the technological revolution in road transport, warning that decisions taken now could have a ‘profound effect' on communities of the future.

The Government's WebTAG transport analysis guidance sees a batch of significant updates this month, including changes covering rail demand forecasting, the wider economic impacts of transport schemes and the economic impact of air pollution.

Directors’ body ADEPT has recognised the achievements of councils in the world of place at its Annual Dinner and President’s Awards.

Ministers have given two sub-national transport bodies £2m to develop their transport strategies.

Senior figures from the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) have met a Department for Transport (DfT) minister to discuss the CIHT’s recent review of shared space and the Government’s accessibility action plan.

The Department for Transport's (DfT) management of two of its most important rail franchises has been ‘completely inadequate’ and could suggest wider weaknesses, MPs have said.

With city leaders turning to the Internet of Things and data analytics, cities are currently undergoing a digital transformation that will revolutionise the way they are managed.

A new guide to help local authorities decide if someone should be granted a taxi or private hire licence has been published today by the Institute of Licensing (IoL).

Over two fifths (43%) of children living in urban areas are concerned about levels of air pollution near their school, according to a new survey.

The Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, has used a trip to London to sign a memorandum of understanding with the British Government to strengthen bilateral cooperation across their respective automotive and technology sectors.

Local authorities must be involved in transport planning in the north of England to ensure increased connectivity delivers sustainable growth, planners have said.

The Government has launched a review of consumer protection in the event of future airline failures that could dwarf the recent collapse of Monarch.

Network Rail has submitted a planning application for a major redevelopment of Gatwick Airport station that it says will transform passengers’ experience.

Ministers are to explore the use of technology to create ‘seamless’ door-to-door journeys for air passengers, including multi-modal ticketing, as part of the Government’s forthcoming aviation strategy.

Newly disclosed official analysis has revealed that over two million households will experience increased noise under plans to build a third runway at Heathrow.

The chairman of England’s first sub-national transport body (STB) to achieve statutory status has hailed ‘a watershed moment for devolution’ and a once in a generation opportunity to improve transport in the North.

England’s first statutory sub-national transport body will take up its powers for the first time next week.

The Government’s plans for a new runway at Heathrow airport should only go ahead with additional safeguards to protect the interests of passengers and address adverse environmental, social and health impacts, MPs have said.

New legislation that will enable the first commercial space launch from UK soil in history was granted Royal Assent on Thursday (15 March).

London boroughs are set to deliver another 2,630 charging points in the next financial year - an increase of over 300% - according to a new survey.

Plans to pedestrianise part of Oxford Street have been backed by a majority of the 22,000 people who responded to the latest consultation but the authorities have pledged to look at issues of safety and accessibility raised by the public.

Ministers have brought forward an exemption to the luxury car tax after black cab drivers were deterred from switching to electric taxis.

Representatives of local authorities in Yorkshire have submitted a ‘detailed and concrete’ proposal to the Government outlining their vision for a county-wide devolution deal.

Three London boroughs have won a share of £766,000 to help accelerate the switch to zero emission vehicles and tackle London’s toxic air pollution, with a further £875,000 coming from the councils themselves.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has added a possible orbital rail line for West London and a proposal for the Sutton Tram extension to an updated 25-year transport strategy for the capital.

In the age of the 'flat white economy', a new report has challenged the ‘monolithic’ view that business primarily needs large infrastructure schemes to help move goods and services around the country.

Attendees at the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) Annual Conference 2018 next week will hear from a range of high profile speakers how the future highways sector will develop in the face of funding shortfalls and new technology.

Stephen Joseph is to step down as chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport (CfBT) in the autumn after 30 years at the helm of the campaign group.

Transport for London (TfL) has been 'caught napping' over the major upheaval caused by technological advances, London Assembly members have claimed.

The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has launched a competition looking for ‘leading lights from across industry’ to help ensure the country’s roads are ready for driverless cars.

Chris Grayling has kept his job as transport secretary after Monday’s cabinet reshuffle, following a bizarre mix up that saw him briefly announced as party chairman.

Heathrow Airport has said it has identified options that could save £2.5bn on the cost of expansion, including not building a dedicated terminal to serve the proposed new runway.

Highways England could receive as much £30bn for the next Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) according to new reports, compared with £15bn capital spending in the current RIS.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling has officially launched the company that will restore the rail link between Oxford and Cambridge.

York City Council has become the third transport authority in four months to refuse to licence Uber.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has again ruled out a 'Congestion Charge' but says he is keeping his options open on bus reforms.

Council directors have called for the idea of infrastructure to be redefined to include ‘the social, economic and environmental frameworks that make places work for people’.

Hertfordshire County Council has warned that neighbouring Luton Borough Council’s planned expansion of London Luton Airport could blight communities and compromise local transport networks.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling has launched a new transport infrastructure efficiency strategy and taskforce to tackle barriers to delivery and value for money.

The Government has launched its Industrial Strategy to tackle the country’s poor productivity, featuring local industrial plans, funding for infrastructure, and four ‘Sector Deals’ including in the construction and automotive sectors.

A £13.4m real-world working test bed for driverless vehicles aims to be up and running in London by spring 2019.

Sub-national transport bodies from across the country are holding regular meetings to coordinate strategies and share best practice, while East Anglian authorities are in early talks over forming another potential regional group, Transport Network can reveal.

Glasgow City Council has insisted that it and its City Deal partners are committed to taking forward ‘a surface access project’ to Glasgow airport, but is rethinking its current plans following a consultant’s report that cast doubt on the scheme.

A Conservative metro mayor has promised that a review of local bus services will fully explore franchising after a plea from ministers for councils to consider using the new powers in the Bus Services Act.

A senior figure at the Department for Transport has refused to rule out the use of competitive bidding when it comes to local or regional funding allocations around the proposed major road network (MRN).

The chancellor has pledged to back the Northern Powerhouse, the Midlands Engine and elected mayors as he announced a pack of new devolution deals.

Chancellor Philip Hammond is set to boost transport technology in today's Autumn Budget, with support for driverless and low emission vehicles, as well as cash for 5G mobile networks and digital skills.

The Transport Select Committee is launching a new inquiry to find out whether bold claims about the transformative power of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) are justified and how it can be taken forward in the UK.

The chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission has called for billions of pounds of infrastructure investment in the Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge ‘brain belt’, which he said could add hundreds of billions to the national economy.

London mayor Sadiq Khan and Westminster City Council have announced plans to create ‘world-class public spaces’ by fully pedestrianising a section of Oxford Street by the end of next year.

The sub-national transport body (STB) for the South East of England has continued to develop its plans to tackle the region’s ‘challenging’ infrastructure issues, with the support of MPs from the region.

Local authorities need to take a proactive approach to avoid falling behind as potentially game-changing digital innovation is applied on the strategic road network (SRN) and in large smart cities, council directors have warned.

Highways England has confirmed that it will spend £250,000 on a study into a possible scheme that could upgrade a section of the A27 in Sussex to dual carriageway, despite progressing a £75m upgrade to the route.

Britain’s railway industry has launched a plan for a ‘partnership railway’ that it says will transform services in the next 18 months, while providing almost £85bn of economic benefits in the long term.

The scale of a new consultation on plans for a new Heathrow runway shows that the Government’s case for expansion is ‘unconvincing’ and further delay almost inevitable, campaigners have said.

The Government’s commitment to improving the UK’s infrastructure is not translating into optimism, with transport firms dissatisfied with the pace of delivery and not confident that things will improve in the near future.

Local authorities should ensure they have strong policies in place requiring active travel connectivity in new developments to address a mismatch between their goals and those of developers, a think tank has said.

Motorway services and large petrol retailers will be required to install chargepoints for electric cars under plans announced by ministers as part of the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill.

Lord Adonis has called the ‘endless delay’ in confirming plans to expand Heathrow airport a ‘serious infrastructure failure’.

The North’s sub-national transport body has called the chancellor’s announcement of funding to 'future-proof' the region’s railways a significant step forward to full Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Barnsley and Doncaster councils refused to back a Sheffield city region devolution deal at a crunch meeting of all four south Yorkshire leaders on Monday morning.

The leader of Bolton Council has defended plans to borrow £100m to fund a £1bn regeneration project.

Bosses at large urban transport authorities have called for faster progress towards improved transport networks, including rapid implementation of the Bus Services Act, a ‘more ambitious’ air quality strategy and more funding for active travel.

The shortlist has been announced for the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) Yorkshire and the Humber Annual Awards.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has agreed a £3.4bn transport blueprint for the coming decade, with an additional, albeit currently unfunded, £165m programme to deliver new cycle networks.

The Department for Transport (DfT) should develop and maintain a publicly available national transport data catalogue and address the issue of standards for big data, a new government-commissioned report says.

Senior councillors and directors have expressed scepticism that 100% business rates retention will bring benefits, according to analysis from the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies.

The Government has promised a review of guidance after an investigation revealed more than half (51%) of local school transport policies in England include unlawful statements.

Leon Daniels is to leave his role as Transport for London’s managing director of surface transport after delaying his retirement two years ago.

Brian Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick Advisory comments on the findings of the latest FiTZ INDEX survey of highways professionals, which shows almost unanimous support for a five-year investment strategy for the local road network and strong support for fewer highways authorities.

John Lamb argues that after Grenfell our civil resilience and response needs to be reappraised.

Council leaders in Yorkshire have agreed to work together to secure a devolution deal from the Government.

A recent meeting of the ADEPT Street Lighting Group went a little bit off track to look at the thorny issue of providing charging for the increasing number of electric vehicles (EVs) on our streets.

Transport bosses have called for a widespread roll out of rail devolution after research suggests it has provided ‘dramatic increases’ in performance, reliability and passenger satisfaction.

Highways England is performing well against most of its performance targets but has areas for improvement, according to the latest report from its regulator.

Ministers have set out their long-term vision for the aviation sector covering issues such as technology, security and environmental challenges.

Something odd is happening with the Department for Transport's WebTAG transport scheme appraisal guidance.

The council that covers the historic city of Bath is set to drop plans to build a park and ride scheme on picturesque meadows to the East of the city, but remains committed to building a new link road in the same area.

Northern Powerhouse minister Jake Berry has ruled out a Yorkshire-wide devolution deal.

The communities secretary has launched the Government’s £2.3bn Housing Infrastructure Fund, aimed at unlocking up to 100,000 new homes in areas of high demand.

The Government has said sub-national transport bodies (STBs) will play a key role in the regional management of its proposed major road network (MRN), but admitted it will need to consult on arrangements where no STB exists.

Council directors have criticised the Government’s newly launched Housing Infrastructure Fund for its competitive bidding process and emphasis on market forces, rather than housing need.

Key figures in the sector have backed the Government’s new Transport Investment Strategy but called for fair funding and rapid action to make the plan work.

Alex Williams, director of city planning at Transport for London, talks to Transport Network about mayor Sadiq Khan's draft transport strategy, which includes proposals for road user charging.

The chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has said Brexit and the hung parliament must not lead to ‘dither and delay’ on key infrastructure challenges.

As the deal between the Conservative Government and the DUP is set to boost roads spending in Northern Ireland, Transport Network takes a look at how the highways network is run in the devolved nation.

A new report predicts that construction sites will be human-free by 2050 and calls for the infrastructure industry to embrace the rise of robotic and digital technology.

The new president of council directors’ body ADEPT, Simon Neilson, has stressed the importance of ‘making the case for place’ as he began his new term.

Civil engineering contractors have backed the Government’s plans to legislate to deliver the next phase of HS2 but reaction to the Queen’s speech has noted the infrastructure projects that were not mentioned.

Bassetlaw DC has become the second lower-tier council to back away from participation in the Sheffield city region’s devolution bid.

The Green Party has pledged to create ‘a people’s transport system’ that makes it easy for people to choose to leave the car at home – ‘or not have one at all’.

Labour has pledged to increase funding to local authorities and review council finance in its manifesto.

A leaked draft of Labour’s general election manifesto pledges to nationalise the railway industry and take HS2 to Scotland, as well as borrowing billions to fund infrastructure and expanding council house building.

The chair of a key committee of MPs has criticised the Government’s refusal to commit to maintaining air quality standards after Brexit and called its estimate of the carbon impacts of Heathrow expansion ‘a fantasy’.

The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) has highlighted a trio of asks for the next government, including a total expenditure (totex) approach to transport infrastructure investment.

Delivering billions of pounds of nationally-funded and local transport investment in the West Midlands will require a level of inter-agency cooperation that has rarely been seen before, as well as new powers, according to the region’s transport body.

Civil engineering contractors have called for the next government to keep its focus on 'the schemes needed to tackle congestion' and tackle costly procurement rules as it negotiates Britain’s exit from the EU.

Buses, taxis and cyclists could be banned from a section of London’s Oxford Street or have their access restricted under plans to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment.

The interim chair of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), Lord Andrew Adonis, has now been appointed on a permanent basis, with Sir John Armitt remaining as deputy chair.

Bernadette Kelly has been appointed as the new permanent secretary at the Department for Transport (DfT).

Highways England has updated its guidance for supply chain partners on assessing their adoption of Lean ways of working.

New metro mayors will have the power to transform their city regions, but there has been little policy development for this purpose, a think tank has said, while bus franchising is among five policies that should be regarded as priorities.

Three forthcoming changes in national policy could fundamentally affect local transport networks, a leading figure in the local government transport sector has said.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has accused the Government of not providing answers to ‘fundamental questions’ about the impact the third Heathrow runway will have on London.

Labour has accused the Government of acting on partisan lines after ministers overturned its amendments to the Bus Services Bill, which completed all its Commons stages this week.

Civil engineers have warned of at least two years of uncertainty after the UK triggered Article 50 to begin its exit from the EU.

Drivers say journey time is the most important factor to measure on England’s motorways and major A roads, according to new research.

The Department for Transport has published three updated sections of its WebTAG transport analysis guidance.

A new Transport Knowledge Hub promises to equip Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), councils and others with the tools and expertise to make 'cost-effective and impactful' decisions on local transport.

Transport for the North (TfN) is working to identify new strategic development corridors on the road and rail network as the basis for 'pan-Northern transport interventions'.

A new report has called for ‘small town England’ to be given new devolved powers over transport and other issues to help it deliver the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

The transport secretary has given a positive response to a proposal from Transport for the North (TfN) to become England’s first statutory sub-national transport body (STB).

Changes to councils’ school transport policies are causing ‘upheaval’ for an increasing number of pupils, the Ombudsman has warned.

Lord Selborne, chairman of the Lords Science and Technology Committee, talks to Transport Network about the issues that the development of connected and autonomous vehicles raise for central and local government.

The Government is giving England’s Economic Heartland Strategic Alliance £625,000 to help shape its priorities and address inadequate transport infrastructure across the region.

Midlands Connect and the Government have released two major reports on the region's transport strategy, with the sub-national transport body outlining £30bn worth of potential improvements.

Councils have accused central government organisations of giving their residents misleading information about controversial infrastructure projects. But are they being too precious?

Southampton City Council wants the city’s port to be the first in the country to implement shore power for cruise liners, to tackle the pollution of ships running their engines while docked.

A committee of MPs has said a Government decision to retain two ministers in their roles as flood envoys means that its persistence has paid off.

New guidance has been published to help councils understand the opportunities and challenges presented by rapidly accelerating advances in transport technology.

Over a third of the local transport authorities in Britain have cut subsidised bus services during the current financial year, despite a long-term fall in contract prices.

At first sight, Chris Grayling has given himself plenty of room to decide that Heathrow has done enough to get backing for expansion. But...

Four councils in Essex have set up an arms-length company that could see them borrow around £480m to develop new ‘garden communities’.

MPs have accused ministers of planning to water down restrictions on emissions recommended by their own climate change advisors, in order to approve expansion of Heathrow Airport.

Transport for the North (TfN) has set out how it will create ‘England’s first pan-regional Strategic Transport Plan’ (STP) but appears to have put back plans to publish an initial draft of the document.

Translink has revealed its latest proposals for the Belfast Hub - a regeneration project based around what will become Northern Ireland's main transport interchange.

Communities minister Andrew Percy has given the go-ahead for the west of England combined authority headed by a directly-elected mayor.

A quiet revolution has been taking place in transport. It is a revolution in how we access services, transforming the lives of people of all levels of mobility, and its main weapons are open data, smartphones, application programming interfaces (APIs) and of course the now ubiquitous app.

A new standardised approach to measuring housing need will be used to reform the NPPF and create a key metric in secondary infrastructure spending in areas like transport, the Government's Housing White Paper has established.

Increased recognition of the role transport plays in providing access to healthcare and reducing social isolation and a renewed focus on the night time economy are key changes in the finalised Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2040.

Councils across the ‘Greater South East’ are working together to lobby for strategic transport schemes and considering a joint infrastructure funding bid for this year’s Autumn Budget.

Highways England faces an ongoing funding shortfall of £0.8bn and the threat of action from its regulator if it does not improve its capital planning and asset management.

The High Court has ruled that an attempt by councils to challenge Government backing for a new Heathrow runway is premature.

Ministers need to replace ‘optimistic assumptions’ on the noise and environmental impacts of an expanded Heathrow with a credible policy framework, Labour has warned.

A senior MP has accused ministers of ‘putting the cart before the horse’ over their approach to carbon emissions from an expanded Heathrow Airport.

County councils across England have continued to push for county-wide unitary status, in the face of opposition from smaller councils.

Controversial plans for a workplace parking levy (WPL) in Cambridge are set to be taken forward and a Clean Air Zone could be implemented in the city centre following a major consultation.

Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that it will not be ordering any more New Routemaster 'Boris Buses' after spending scores of millions on the controversial project.

The High Court has blocked the Sheffield City Region's devolution bid over its failure to consult on the inclusion of Chesterfield in the deal.

The Government's promised green paper on an industrial strategy is now expected in the New Year, perhaps because such things are easier said than done.

The Government needs to be clearer about what its ‘high risk’ devolution agenda is trying to achieve, MPs have said.

MPs have demanded ministers reveal who was responsible for the ‘staggering’ decision to build a £285m airport on an Atlantic island that cannot be used by commercial aircraft.

An influential Tory MP has questioned the evidence behind Heathrow expansion, suggesting the Government may have gone to exceptional lengths to find a methodology that made the case.

The heated debate over light rail in Leeds has been reignited after local politicians criticised the city council for giving up and allocating £270m to other transport projects.

Adrian Tatum meets Sandeep Shingadia, head of programme development at Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), to find out how the metropolitan area will deliver on its huge possibilities.

Transport for London (TfL) commissioner Mike Brown will chair the Government’s Strategic Transport Apprenticeship Taskforce, the transport secretary has announced.

Council leaders have welcomed the chancellor’s promise of new spending on infrastructure to close the regional productivity gap and his recognition of the benefits of devolution.

MPs have welcomed the Bus Services Bill but say they are unconvinced by the Government’s position on the availability of franchising powers, banning new municipal bus companies and supporting rural services.

A committee of MPs will next week question the transport secretary on the environmental impacts of expanding Heathrow after a key body questioned the Government’s presentation of likely greenhouse gas emissions.

Transport minister Andrew Jones has said he will seek to overturn amendments to the Bus Services Bill, in a move that could restrict councils' automatic right to franchising powers.

With rail connections to the South West disrupted again this week, an alliance of councils and businesses has demanded billions of pounds of resilience measures and connectivity enhancements to the region’s rail network.

The lack of clarity around the UK’s economic policy in the run up to Brexit should be addressed by the Government through ‘a clear plan for devolution’ that allows combined authorities to take a local lead, a top infrastructure firm has said.

Chancellor Philip Hammond has unveiled an Autumn Statement which has given no real respite to local authority finances.

Devolution remains ‘at the heart’ of the Government’s approach to supporting local growth, chancellor Philip Hammond insisted in his Autumn Statement today.

Council bodies have used their submissions for Wednesday’s Autumn Statement to restate demands for more devolution and funding for transport.

MPs have accused the Treasury of ‘riding roughshod’ over other departments on environmental issues and putting short-term priorities above long-term sustainability.

One of the country's most important public sector transport groups, England’s Economic Heartland (EEH), has set out its priorities for investment ahead of the Autumn Statement next week.

Labour has accused ministers of further dithering and delays after the Government postponed a final decision on a possible HS2 spur to Sheffield.

Scottish council leaders have reacted with dismay at reports that a planned major reorganisation of local government could see some services devolved to local level and others, such as responsibility for roads, taken over by the Scottish Government.

A potential British Silicon Valley will be left behind its international competitors without a joined-up plan for housing, jobs and infrastructure, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has said.

Cambridgeshire County Council has postponed a meeting to discuss a devolution deal with Peterborough until next week, to allow members time to ‘digest’ the deal.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has backed a potential legal challenge to a third runway at Heathrow, citing environmental grounds and a lack of funding for surface transport improvements.

Ministers and the airline industry have said Brexit will provide new opportunities to strengthen links with countries outside the EU, including the US and Canada.

Edinburgh Airport has launched a public consultation on its expansion plans, which include improved facilities but no new runway for decades.

A leading infrastructure firm has added to the chancellor’s suggestion that he will back ‘modest, rapidly deliverable investments’ with a call for a new, broader type of economic modelling for infrastructure projects.

The ADEPT annual conference this year takes place a day after the Autumn Statement, giving council directors a first opportunity to analyse and debate the key issues with senior figures in local and central government.

A new panel has met to ‘review and challenge’ an emerging transport strategy for Leeds, including how to spend £174m of funding.

A senior MP has called on Chris Grayling to clarify the criteria he would use to assess bids for sub-national transport bodies (STBs), after the transport secretary said they are ‘not the answer for every part of the country’.

Nottingham City Council, which runs a municipal bus company, has received the highest overall rating in a major survey of public satisfaction with highways and transport, including registering the highest score for local bus services.

The High Court has ruled that ministers cannot begin the process of leaving the European Union without a vote in Parliament.

Labour has criticised ministers for failing to include carbon emissions in their priority objectives at a meeting at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) last week.

Breaking county councils up into smaller unitary authorities would fragment key services, including transport, while county based unitaries could save hundreds of millions annually, the County Councils Network has said.

The UK must close an emerging skills gaps in the ‘smart transport’ sector, or risk falling behind for decades in a global race, transport technology experts have warned.

The current arrangements for flood risk management in England are ineffective and should be overhauled, MPs have said.

Leaders from Greater Manchester’s local authorities have approved a draft spatial framework for the region, which prioritises brownfield land and seeks to link hundreds of thousands of new homes and jobs with transport infrastructure.

The Government’s assurances to Nissan included assuring the company that it would seek tariff-free access to EU markets for the car manufacturing industry as part of Brexit talks, the business secretary has said.

A former Conservative transport minister has accused the Government of failing to divulge the cost of new transport links to an expanded Heathrow airport, according to the Guardian.

The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), which will be set up as an executive agency without statutory status from January, has begun the next phase of developing a National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA).

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has warned Heathrow Airport that future Government backing for expansion plans will depend on its engagement with major airlines on ‘designing in’ cost efficiency, to avoid increasing already high landing charges.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has pledged to use his significant powers over transport to make London 'a healthy, resilient, fair and green city’ as population and economic growth put increasing pressure on its transport network.

Ministers have set out proposals to make it easier for drivers to recharge electric vehicles and widen the availability of hydrogen refuelling stations.

Conservative Zac Goldsmith has resigned as an MP over the Government’s backing for an expanded Heathrow airport, while local politicians including London’s mayor have said they are considering challenging the decision in the courts.

A new paper highlights the importance of bringing circular economy principles into the mainstream of infrastructure procurement.

Lincolnshire County Council has rejected plans for a Greater Lincolnshire Combined Authority and ‘killed off’ the prospect of a local devolution deal.

A senior aide warned David Cameron last autumn that the Government did not have an answer on the issue of air quality if it backed plans for a new runway at Heathrow, according to a document obtained by the Guardian.

Labour has called for a 'long-term strategy' for bus funding to halt the decline in bus use, after mileage on council-subsidised bus services outside London fell by 12.3%.

A new report from the UK engineering profession backs the Government’s focus on industrial strategy but warns that Brexit must not restrict access to engineering skills from across Europe.

The Government has outlined two separate processes that must be employed before non mayoral combined authorities can get franchising powers under the Bus Services Bill.

Concerns have been raised over the news that the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) is to be put on a permanent footing without statutory status, including a lukewarm response from its current chair.

This November a major new transport conference hosted by Surveyor Events will lift the lid on the sub-national transport agenda, which from next year is set to transform the sector.

The Scottish Government has backed a new runway at Heathrow, while rival Gatwick is still hoping to expand regardless of any decision in favour of the West London airport.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has welcomed talks with government on devolving further powers, including transport powers, to the region.

Council directors have questioned the adequacy of the Government's cash boost for housebuilding and supporting infrastructure, suggesting it will do little to tackle underlying issues.

Chancellor Philip Hammond has given his strongest backing yet to the Northern Powerhouse but stressed that devolution should be spread right across the UK.

If local authorities want the best devolution deals they must still agree to an elected mayor, a minister has said.

The transport secretary has pledged a further £12m until 2020 for Midlands Connect, ‘to keep up their important work’.

New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that over 90% of the UK population lives in areas where levels of ultra-fine particle air pollution exceed WHO limits.

The dispute between Derbyshire County Council and Sheffield City Region over the future status of the Derbyshire town of Chesterfield has come to a head in advance of a pending legal case over an allegedly ‘misleading and flawed’ consultation.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is proposing major changes to its transport scheme appraisal guidance - known as WebTAG - with plans to make the system more flexible and to integrate wider economic analysis.

Environmental campaigners have backed a warning from business and political leaders in the West Midlands that adding a runway in South East England will undermine regional airports.

Any boost in transport spending should focus on fixing existing transport and on local schemes, ahead of big, ‘totemic’ projects, campaigners have said.

The prime minister has promised to put ‘the whole machinery of government’ behind the Northern Powerhouse and said she is ‘absolutely committed’ to devolution.

The chair of a key Commons committee has written to ministers demanding clear answers on the economic case for airport expansion and describing HS2 as having the weakest economic case of the projects in the Government’s infrastructure programme.

Transport bosses from the country’s biggest city regions have set out a route map for what an effective relationship with Government should look like, including prompt enactment of the Bus Services Bill, more stable funding and tougher action on toxic air.

Countryside campaigners have backed Government plans to encourage housing development near transport hubs and reduce pressure on green space.

HS2 Ltd has been hit by the departure of its chief executive and claims that its recent proposal to change the high speed line’s route though South Yorkshire was not properly researched.

The Government may give ministers a free vote over its forthcoming decision on a new runway in south east England, according to a document filmed on the Tube.

The communities secretary has declared the North East devolution deal is ‘off the table’ after leaders this week voted against taking it forward.

Council directors and politicians have criticised the Government’s National Flood Resilience Review for a lack of new funding and long-term planning.

Ministers have said ‘lessons learnt’ from last winter’s floods have led to a ‘new approach’, but the Government’s review of flood resilience in England includes little new money in response to predictions of much higher rainfall.

Revamping freight and logistics across the North of England can play a vital role in rebalancing the economy and contribute to the sustainability agenda, Transport for the North (TfN) has said.

Devolution discussions in the North East have ground to a halt after leaders failed to agree the terms of a deal.

To mark the end of the silly season, Transport Network is making a mountain out of a molehill by remembering some minor transport scandals and non-scandals. Here are our Top 5 storms in a teacup.

Politicians and transport planners should treat air pollution as a public health priority and recognise the limitations of technological fixes, two leading academics have said.

Leeds City Council is reviewing its model for home to school transport for children with special needs in the face of ‘huge pressure’ as the number of students who qualify continues to increase.

Councils in the West Midlands were key architects of a ‘ground-breaking’ new franchise offer for the region’s rail services, published today.

City of York Council is set to make a major overhaul of its street signs with a focus on helping people with disabilities or dementia.

Derbyshire County Council has launched a legal challenge over plans by Sheffield City Region to include the Derbyshire town of Chesterfield in a new mayoral combined authority.

Councillors in the South East of England are developing proposals for new funding approaches to help support the region's infrastructure investment post-Brexit.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and train operator London Midland have signed a partnership deal, promising enhanced services and passenger benefits, including easier multi-modal journeys.

Tees Valley Combined Authority is consulting on plans to establish an elected mayor by next May.

Chief executive of Highways England, Jim O’Sullivan, has told Transport Network that the roads investment programme for the strategic road network will continue unchanged under the new administration.

Devon County Council has published three route options for a controversial new section of the A30/A303, as it aims to secure funding through the Government’s Road Investment Strategy (RIS).

Ministers have given the go-ahead for a £344m expansion programme at London City Airport, including funding for improved transport links.

Copeland Borough Council has backed plans for a new £10bn nuclear power station in West Cumbria, but joined the county council in calling for investment in infrastructure in return.

Three unitary councils in Hampshire have agreed plans to create a Solent Combined Authority but the county council has again warned of the dangers to countywide services if its district councils sign up.

Senior councillors in Leeds are to consider three new redevelopment proposals for the city, including one that could double the size of the city centre alongside the arrival of HS2.

Civil engineers have rejected suggestions from the head of the National Audit Office (NAO) that Government should rationalise its portfolio of major projects or see it ‘come to a halt under its own weight’ as the civil service is over-stretched by Brexit.

Gloucestershire CC has teamed up with Highways England to help finance a preparatory study that could lead to a £3.5m cycle superhighway between Gloucester and Cheltenham.

Heathrow Airport has unveiled images of how it might look if its bid for expansion is successful, sending a ‘clear signal to the Government’ that the project is ‘ready to go’

Transport bosses in the North East have set out plans for a massive upgrade of rail and light rail across the region.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has launched a three-month consultation on its plans for the region’s transport systems.

MPs have agreed plans to give the Sheffield city region combined authority an elected mayor, but areas outside South Yorkshire, such as Chesterfield, are excluded for now.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has called on prime minister Theresa May to back Gatwick expansion, as the airport announces an extra £200m towards it ongoing transformation programme.

John Hayes MP has returned to the Department for Transport (DfT) as minister of state, after prime minister Theresa May’s extensive reshuffle continued.

Engineers have called for measures to adapt to climate change to be prioritised and properly funded, following a major report that warned of 'cascading' or 'domino' risks to infrastructure.

Derbyshire CC has taken the first step in possible legal action in the row over Chesterfield’s attempts to join the Sheffield City Region's devolution plans, it has emerged.

With Theresa May moving into Number 10 after six years in the cabinet, many of her recent public comments about economic, transport and infrastructure issues will have reflected the Government’s views, rather than her own. Here are five areas where we might deduce which way she will steer policy.

Derbyshire CC has said the public are being ‘hoodwinked’ over a consultation on plans to put a Sheffield mayor in charge of transport and other services in Chesterfield, in the latest twist in a long-running tug-of-war.

More action is needed on climate change as the UK faces ‘cascading infrastructure failures’ and a rise in heat-related deaths, a major report has warned.

Network Rail has pledged to make it easier for disabled people to plan journeys and travel by rail after publishing research showing that a quarter of disabled passengers say they worry about their journeys.

Transport bosses have rejected calls from the competition watchdog for ‘additional hurdles’ to be introduced for franchising proposals under the Bus Services Bill.

Chancellor George Osborne has warned that the Northern Powerhouse must not be left behind in a post-Brexit Britain as a think tank called for major changes to transport and infrastructure in the North.

A group of MPs opposed to the expansion of Gatwick Airport has called on the two remaining contenders to be prime minister to support the expansion of Heathrow, ‘to put the national interest first'.

Communities secretary Greg Clark has hinted that he could back devolution in Leicestershire without enforcing a mayor.

Bus franchising, better orbital links and ‘the next generation of rapid transport links’, including tram-train, are some of the highlights of Greater Manchester's 25-year transport plan.

The HS2 project is already forecast to be running behind schedule and hundreds of millions of pounds over budget for Phase 1 alone, the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned.

The transport secretary has announced that ministers will again delay a decision on the location of a new runway in south east England, in the light of ‘recent events’.

Combined authorities and new transport bodies should be given greater access to flexible financing streams, engineers have said, as they laid out proposals for a revamped model of devolution.

Former London mayor Boris Johnson has announced that he will not stand to lead the Conservative Party – and therefore become the next prime minister – after fellow Brexit campaigner Michael Gove put himself forward for the top job.

The Welsh Government has confirmed that it will hold an independent public local inquiry into plans to build a relief road for the M4 in South Wales.

Following the resignation of Lilian Greenwood, shadow transport minister Richard Burden has resigned, as part of the ongoing revolt against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Leaders in the transport and engineering sectors have stressed the importance of maintaining stability following the vote to leave the European Union, amid fears that turmoil could undermine investment in infrastructure.

Heathrow has claimed that the vote to leave the EU has made its case for a new runway at the airport ‘stronger than ever before’ but opponents have said it cast doubt on whether it ‘will ever be given the green light’.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a formal review of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), the organisation charged with regenerating Old Oak in West London.

To mark National Women in Engineering Day, Transport Network puts the key questions to Kate Morris, AECOM’s director – strategic planning & advisory, transportation.

Major players in the transport sector have backed a campaign to encourage more women into engineering roles to mark National Women in Engineering Day on Thursday (23 June).

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is seeking new powers to enable it to operate a ‘Key Route Network’ for the region, including powers to enforce moving traffic violations and create Clean Air Zones (CAZ).

Gatwick Airport experienced knock-on delays on Monday (13 June) morning after its main runway was temporarily closed on Sunday, reportedly because of a pothole.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) said it will drive forward more than £4bn of transport infrastructure over the coming decade, including more tram extensions, new suburban rail lines, cycle routes and better motorways.

The Department for Transport has denied a Local Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP) claim that its bid for sustainable transport funding failed because it does not have a devolution deal.

A Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has claimed that its £2.4m bid for Government sustainable transport funding was turned down because the area does not have a devolution deal.

The chairman of Gatwick Airport has written to David Cameron with a new pitch to secure the new runway recommended last year by the Airports Commission.

The leader of Hampshire CC has warned of the danger of splitting the county’s highways and transport functions in half under proposals – which Hampshire rejects – for two separate combined authorities in the county.

West Midlands transport chiefs have warned that cutting the number of inter-city trains at stations in the region would make it ‘almost impossible’ to commute between some of its key cities.

The case for building a vast lorry park costing £250m as an alternative to parking lorries on the M20 in Kent through Operation Stack, has not yet been made, according to MPs.

Funding for a proposed ‘Major Road Network’ (MRN) from the future National Road Fund (NRF) should not simply replace existing money given to councils, the architects of the MRN have warned.

Basing plans for the Northern Powerhouse on improved transport connections is misguided, according to a new report.

The much-anticipated Buses Bill will hand franchising powers to areas with directly elected mayors, while others will be able to apply for them. Legislation will also be introduced to facilitate autonomous and electric vehicles.

The Government has vowed to strengthen life chances and continue to bring public spending under control as it revealed a legislative programme with local government at its heart.

New London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s withdrawal of City Hall’s objection to the compulsory purchase of land to expand London City Airport has been criticised as a ‘terrible start’.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has given the go-ahead to the £1.5bn upgrade of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon.

Heathrow Airport has published its response to the Airports Commission’s conditions for building a third runway, claiming that it will ‘exceed the overall package’.

The opportunity to expand airport capacity in south east England provided by the Airports Commission has been lost, a committee of MPs has said.

Cambridgeshire CC has alerted police to allegations of impropriety involving local community transport services.

Independent travel by children is falling and often actively discouraged, leaving children 'neglected in transport provision', a new report argues.

The chief executive of Transport for the North (TfN) has stressed its intention to transform transport infrastructure across the whole region, following suggestions that the Northern Powerhouse is 'M62-centric'.

Businesses and politicians in the North are calling for new tax-raising powers for the region's local authorities and for the rail network to be transferred to Transport for the North (TfN).

The Government-commissioned report that recommended a new runway at Heathrow significantly underestimated the costs of improving surface transport access, which could exceed £18bn, according to Transport for London (TfL).

Highways England will give emerging sub-national transport bodies ‘a prominent role’ in drawing up the next round of route strategies, which will in turn feed into the Government’s second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2).

Stumbling blocks to devolution plans remain in place in a number of regions, particularly over the government’s insistence that authorities should have elected mayors.

Councillors in Chesterfield are now being asked to take a fresh decision in favour of joining Sheffield City Region Combined Authority, following a rapidly executed equalities impact assessment.

Birmingham City Council has launched a research project to help it develop plans for a Clean Air Zone.

The proposed London and South East Rail Partnership should place more emphasis on both affordability and safety and security, local authorities in London have said.

Council directors have called on the Government to compensate councils for losses resulting from future major infrastructure projects, like HS2.

Chesterfield Borough Council has been forced to reconsider its decision to become a member of Sheffield city region after Derbyshire CC threatened legal action.

Engineers and contractors have welcomed the publication of the National Infrastructure Delivery Plan (NIDP), which brings together the Government's ambitions for this parliament.

Former civil service head Lord Kerslake has led a review into devolution, calling for a coherent set of ‘guiding principles’ to stabilise the Union and help overcome decades of centralisation and the piecemeal progress of devolution.

The smart and sustainable travel community has ‘a job of work’ to do to access funding from the successor to the Local Sustainable Travel Fund (LSTF), a senior Department for Transport (DfT) official has said.

The regional transport body Midlands Connect has appointed Sir John Peace - chairman of the global luxury brand, Burberry Group plc - as its independent chair.

Transport for the North (TfN) has indicated it favours contactless payments rather than Oyster style smart cards, as a way to future proof its smart ticketing plans.

Following Transport for London's recent announcement of a £148m investment in boroughs' Local Implementation Plans (LIPs) for 2016/17, Jason Hawthorne, MD of Wagstaffs, looks at how 3D digital visualisation can help transport planning in busy urban environments.

Future contracts for major government transport infrastructure projects will include targets for the creation of new apprenticeships.

The Scottish Government has published a ‘refresh’ of its National Transport Strategy, (NTS) in advance of a potential overhaul, which reveals a 6% fall in overall public transport use since 2006.

Transport for the North (TfN) should become the central devolved decision-maker for the Northern Powerhouse, leading engineers have said, after criticising the Government’s appraisal system.

Councils in Scotland need to improve the way they manage major projects including road schemes, schools, housing and flood protection, according to auditors.

UK local authorities are being invited to apply to join a new European 'City Pool', set up to help them gain better understanding of emerging cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS).

The Passenger Transport Executive Group, known as pteg, has re-launched itself as the Urban Transport Group boasting major new members including Transport for London.

An eye witness report on flood recovery work in Cumbria.

A third of major government projects due in the next five years, including flagship transport schemes such as HS2 are ‘at risk’ of failure Britain’s public spending watchdog has said.

Bristol City Council has launched a new open data web tool that will provide free access to a wealth of transport information, including real-time feeds from buses and car parks.

Jon Masters talks to former transport minister, Stephen Ladyman, about the challenges in the new traffic technology sector.

Key cities are developing as engines of regional economic growth, but could they become victims of their own success when peak commuting capacity requires expensive investment? Rhodri Clark reports.

An expert from infrastructure giant AECOM takes us through the issues highlighted by its recent survey of business with the CBI, including the potential for road user charging in the UK.

Exeter City and Devon County Council have started a two-year project aimed at helping them better to understand travel behaviour in and around the city.

Top Department for Transport civil servant, Phil Graham, has been appointed as CEO of the National Infrastructure Commission.

Legal services supplied to Transport for London (TfL) and the Greater London Authority (GLA) have been called into question by an internal audit report, an Assembly Member has claimed.

The Forth Road Bridge has closed and will not reopen until next year after the discovery of a crack in a steel component, prompting a large-scale mobilization of contingency plans.

Thursday's scheduled Cabinet sign-off on plans for South East airport expansion faces delays – possibly into the new year.

Former deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, has backed Gatwick over Heathrow in the airport expansion debate.

Satellites could soon be used by one county council to monitor traffic flows and journey times and even find potholes it has emerged.

‘Talkative’ bus stops and sensors in parks to encourage people to do more physical activity… sounds like dystopia? In fact it’s Manchester.

The Government should not approve Heathrow expansion until the airport can demonstrate it will comply with key environmental conditions, an influential group of cross-party MPs has said.

Transport Network spoke to one of Tarmac’s board directors and the managing director of Readymix, Jeremy Greenwood, about where we stand and what we are facing.

Leaders in the West Midlands have signed a provisional £1bn devolution deal with government that brings a directly elected mayor to the region from 2017, responsible for a raft of new transport powers.

We caught up with transport minister Andrew Jones at the recent ADEPT annual conference in Manchester for a quick chat about buses, highways and decisions he is glad he does not have to make.

Civil engineers have called on government to provide a delivery route map for the Northern Powerhouse, after a recent BBC survey found the majority of Northerners know nothing about it.

Dan Saunders on how Basemap Ltd helped transport and highways authorities tackle Big Data issues.

Merseyside leaders have signed a devolution deal with government worth some £900m over 30 years that will see a directly elected mayor take power in 2017.

Transport minister Andrew Jones talked to ADEPT directors about his plans for buses, highways, lobbying for cash and Stonehenge.

After winning a contract to help create a masterplan framework for the UK’s first 21st century Garden City, an expert at infrastructure giant AECOM takes us through the issues around building a modern city designed to stand the test of time.

Chancellor George Osborne announced the National Infrastructure Commission senior team today, as he pledged £100bn in infrastructure spending by 2020.

Transport Network caught up with Transport for the North's incoming chief executive, David Brown, to talk about his priorities for this waking giant.

The Midlands Connect Partnership has taken another step forward with a £5m investment from government to help develop a regional transport strategy.

A devolution deal has been signed with the shadow Tees Valley Combined Authority, providing a £450m boost to investment in the region as well as a devolved multi-year transport budget.

The North East Combined Authority has signed a devolution deal with government that will see major transport powers and £900m handed over in return for a directly elected mayor.

Local authority alliances will be given powers to establish statutory regional transport bodies under forthcoming amendments to the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill.

A major new alliance dubbed the Northern Gateway Partnership aims to unite the North and the Midlands regions in boosting economic growth through better transport links such as HS2.

Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire have proposed a joint combined authority with an elected mayor as part of the area’s devolution negotiations with government, it has emerged.

The original author of the independent National Infrastructure Commission, which was launched by the Government this month, believes ‘there is no way to take politics out of infrastructure’.

The Government will not step in to tighten Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) governance structures despite fears of a ‘democratic deficit’ within the key bodies, it has emerged.

Local authorities are struggling with processing the nation's infrastructure needs but there are signs the private sector could be willing to help.

Councils have accused the Airports Commission of ‘burying doubts’ about expanding Heathrow and ‘deliberately underselling’ a rival scheme to develop Gatwick.

Three quarters of all UK journeys are marred by 'pain-points', or negative experiences, according to a major survey from the Government-backed innovation centre, the Transport Systems Catapult.

Concerns raised by senior figures, as further details emerge over business rates devolution.

Transport interchange and station operators are being invited to save potentially millions of pounds by testing the passenger impacts of planned schemes in a new visualisation laboratory from industry innovation hub the Transport Systems Catapult.

Transport for the North (TfN) has appointed a new chief executive, as the body gears up to deliver key advice to government on the Northern Powerhouse agenda.

Council leaders from counties and districts are holding talks this morning to thrash out one of the thorniest issues in local government; how will devolution work in two-tier areas?

Failing central government agencies should be shown a ‘red card’ and have their services brought under local control, a top think tank has said.

The Sheffield City Region has agreed a devolution deal with government that will bring major transport powers and potentially some £900m to the area in exchange for an elected mayor.

Transport for the North (TfN) has been set a timetable for progress in this week's budget with the ultimate aim of a prioritised list of scheme options to be produced by budget 2016.

While the infrastructure sector appears mostly positive about the devolution of business rates and the creation of a National Infrastructure Commission, key figures have warned of the risks attached.

A strategic transport alliance of three major county councils together with four unitary partners is set to establish a high level transport forum to advance plans to integrate services and collaborate on projects across the region, Transport Network can reveal.

The electrification of the TransPennine and Midland Mainline railways will resume after the controversial ‘pause’ of the projects this summer, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.

Further cross-boundary collaborative working between Highways England and local highway authorities is inevitable and essential, senior figures from the sector have said.

Last week’s ferry strike in Calais and the Airport Commission report into airport capacity may have at first glance little in common. However both highlight to us Brits that we are an island highly dependent on a handful of transport pinch points.

David Brewer, executive director of delivery and development at Highways England, talks to Adrian Tatum about the future of the strategic network.

Camden Council has failed to be impressed by the latest plans for the £2.25bn HS2 terminal at London’s Euston station.

Having just taken over the presidency of ADEPT, Heather Barnes has a sizeable task ahead. Yet her enthusiasm is undimmed and she brings to the role a wealth of experience. She speaks to Thomas Bridge about community commissioning, devolution and her secret to keeping motivated.

Transport infrastructure investment should be the top priority for the next London mayor, according to a survey of London businesses.

In an exclusive interview with Transport Network, interim mayor of Greater Manchester Tony Lloyd talks about highways alliances, bus franchising and what London can learn from Manchester.

Three major counties have unveiled a groundbreaking plan to work across their borders and develop an integrated approach to transport and highways planning and delivery.

Restrictions on the allocation of Section 106 funding for infrastructure coming into force this month have left local government ‘apprehensive’ about the future of travel planning.

Transport for London (TfL) is facing a legal challenge from taxi drivers over disruption caused during construction of the Embankment Cycle Superhighway.

Gatwick has launched a scathing attack on the Airports Commission after it gave the nod to Heathrow, hinting it could launch a legal challenge on the basis of its ‘flawed evidence’.

New cross-boundary 'total transport authorities' should be set up in towns and rural areas to provide integrated delivery solutions and take control of devolved powers and funding, a leading economic think tank has urged.

A £1bn City Region bid developed for Edinburgh and South East Scotland will see transport playing a key role in delivering economic growth, Transport Network understands.

Surveyor magazine’s groundbreaking event this September Highways Management: Smarter roads for the future has been approved for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) accreditation.

Council chiefs from the East Midlands have become the latest to enter into devolution talks with ministers, with plans to integrate transport high up on the agenda.

Transport experts at the University of Manchester have delved into archives covering the last 100 years to produce a fascinating insight into failed plans to improve the city's infrastructure.

Greater Manchester has terminated its smart ticketing contract with Atos over 'considerable delays' in the rollout of the flagship scheme.

A new transport investment fund could be established in the West Midlands through local business and other levies, as part of a £6.5bn 20-year plan outlined by regional bosses.

Local authorities can achieve up to 20% greater traffic flow and 30% more rail capacity using smart city integrated solutions, but new finance models may be needed to obtain the right investment.

Transport leaders in the North intend to move past the Government’s traditional appraisal system as they look to deliver on regional strategies, including Greater Manchester's vision for the next 25 years, Transport Network can reveal.

Local leaders and bosses from Manchester and Highways England have held the first meeting of a local strategy board to help define shared priorities for the region's key road network.

A £3.3bn investment strategy to maximise the benefits of HS2 when it arrives in Birmingham in 2026 has been outlined by the city’s local business and council leaders.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has outlined plans for the next generation as it takes control of more powers from government and meets the challenges of rapid growth.

Each of the seven councils in the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) are poised to take responsibility for different portfolios including transport, as they decide on power sharing arrangements for the body.

The North East Combined Authority (Neca) is set to enter into talks with government over a directly elected mayor for the region, as part of a devolution deal likely to include extra transport powers.

Essex CC has called for the creation of its own Greater Essex Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), following cross-party support for the motion.

Official travel statistics and policies have ignored growing trends towards 'varimodal' journeys by often focusing on people's 'main mode', according to a new report.

Cornwall is the first county to gain ‘historic’ new powers under the Government’s devolution agenda, with control of bus services, adult skills and regional investment handed to the unitary council.

More than half of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) intend to ‘align or pool’ local growth funding across areas including transport, planning and infrastructure, according to a new report.

A total of seven councils are now piloting greater community and business involvement in highways and place management, including low-level road maintenance and infrastructure development, Transport Network can reveal.

Chair of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has rejected the Government's claim that it has 'agreed to the principle' of an elected mayor, it has emerged.

By introducing emissions-based vehicle exercise duty on new cars that will go towards the funding of roads, the Chancellor is sending all the right messages to the highways and transport sector. But what about local roads?

Chancellor George Osborne today announced further devolution to Greater Manchester and a raft of new negotiations with combined authorities.

After 30 years experience in highways, Trevor Collett talks to Dominic Browne about his hopes and concerns for the sector and being next in line to be president of the Local Government Technical Advisers Group (TAG).

Councils hoping to create the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) outlined plans to jointly tackle infrastructure, transport and boost economic growth this week.

Full central funding of concessionary fares schemes, devolved local management of the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) and pooled funding for roads maintenance are three key asks from council chiefs ahead of the July Spending Review.

There is an ‘urgent need’ for an immediate suspension of all shared space schemes until more research is carried out into the effect they have on local communities, a new report has warned.

Transport issues have come out top in a poll of smart city spending priorities, as results hint at public confusion about recent technological progress.

The UK needs to spend more than £10bn by 2050 on public refuelling infrastructure in order to meet carbon emission targets for transport, a new report has claimed.

Council officers have welcomed an apparent Welsh Government u-turn over their role in the Cardiff city region Metro project to create an integrated public transport system.

Communities secretary Greg Clark has announced that no devolution deal will be done without the backing of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), in a move likely to prove controversial with some in the local government sector.

Local Enterprise Partnerships are keen to take on more transport powers, while being reluctant to enter the planning arena, according to a new report.

Plaudits have poured in from across the political divide for Sir Peter Hendy following the news he is leaving Transport for London (TfL) after being appointed the new chairman of Network Rail.

The Passenger Transport Executive Group (pteg) has called on the Treasury to recognise the unique benefits of local transport ahead of the July Spending Review.

Transport officers have given a mostly positive reaction to plans to reduce Wales’ unitary authorities from 22 to eight or nine – even fewer than advocated by the Williams Commission last year.

Policies to devolve transport powers and build links to the North must go ‘further and faster’ if cities are to support growth, a report has claimed.

Three county councils have joined forces to demand devolution of more power over taxes and transport to south east England.

Google has formed a new start-up company to tackle urban transport problems and improve infrastructure through technology.

A final response to the Davies commission on airport expansion might not be made until the year’s end, sparking fears the delay will damage UK business.

There should be no re-run on referendums over whether local areas should have directly elected mayors, local government minister Baroness Williams has said.

Senior local government figures in Conservative heartlands have bemoaned the lack of a proper funding mechanism to support strategic infrastructure for new developments.

The secretary of state for Wales is holding a summit for council leaders in the Cardiff capital region to help thrash out a City Deal plan.

The powers handed to metro mayors under the Government’s city region devolution programme will be arranged on a bespoke basis and so could vary from one city to another, Transport Network can reveal.

The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation has released a guide to local transport consultations outlining the legal and statutory duties involved in local or nationally significant infrastructure and place-shaping projects.

New research has highlighted serious concerns over the ability of local authorities to invest in infrastructure and build social housing, as a result of government planning changes.

A £1bn ten-year transformation plan for Manchester Airport has been unveiled, designed to double capacity and provide a direct linkage between Terminals 2 and 3 without expanding the size of the site.

A pilot project in the West Midlands is developing a journey planner that works out not only the best journey but also the most suitable ticket.

Highways England and Kent CC have signed a partnership agreement to improve planning and communication between the two bodies.

Oxfordshire, Cambridge and Peterborough have outperformed London, Manchester and Liverpool to be named the UK’s most innovative Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).

The High Court has ruled that Swansea Council acted unlawfully when making changes to faith school transport, after officers wrongly advised there was an absolute duty to provide free school transport to Welsh language schools.

A group of key South London borough councils have launched a bid for more devolution in their area, with a focus on greater transport powers.

A decision on who will be the interim mayor of Greater Manchester is expected tomorrow, with the winning candidate set to put wheels in motion behind the city region’s historic devolution deal.

City leaders across the country have given a mixed reaction to chancellor George Osborne's conditional offer of devolution based on directly elected mayors, with at least one city region reconsidering its position.

The Welsh Government’s habit of announcing annual transport grants far into the financial year is forcing local authorities into focussing on smaller projects, council chiefs have warned.

Chancellor George Osborne has unveiled plans for legislation today to help enshrine the devolution of powers, including transport controls, to major cities that agree to take on elected mayors.

Fears have been raised over Edinburgh’s multi-million pound funding gap for transport and schooling intended to serve new housing.

The Airports Commission led by Sir Howard Davies has decided to launch a fresh consultation on the question of airport expansion in relation to air quality, it has emerged.

The North West ports operator, Peel Ports, is calling on the UK freight and logistics industry to switch more goods from South East landings to the Port of Liverpool to cut costs and bring down the carbon footprint of inland transportation to the North.

Highways England has thrown its weight behind a groundbreaking event this autumn bringing together strategic roads chiefs, council directors, contractors and the industry’s leading trade bodies to transform the way the local and national elements work in unison.

Chief executive of Highways England, Graham Dalton, told Traffex delegates that local authorities would play a key role in medium and long-term planning on the strategic roads network.

So far the election campaign has been dominated by spending and taxes but transport has started to make some of the running.

Newly released urban design guidance will be promoted by leading professional body the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) at Traffex 2015, along with a new membership offer for apprentices.

The number of people signing up to achieve professional qualifications in transport planning is on the rise again following the recession, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) has revealed.

Transport and town planners need to give more consideration to the interaction between retail and traffic as councils across the country seek to manage congestion and the possibility of ‘peak car’, a foremost expert in transport policy has warned.

Liberal Democrats have unveiled their General Election manifesto with plans to force the country’s most polluted areas to launch Low Emission Zones.

Stephen Joseph, chief executive director of Campaign for Better Transport, is a figurehead in the industry, recognised for his tireless efforts to improve national mobility. Dominic Browne discusses his greatest achievements, the biggest transport myths that need debunking and national transport policy.

The umbrella body for the capital’s local authorities, London Councils, plans to focus on improving the day-to-day management of older and disabled persons’ Freedom Passes and Taxicards, under its business plan for 2015-16.

Top Conservatives have signalled that the West Midlands is next in line for a major devolution of transport powers similar to that recently handed to Manchester.

Highways England plans to develop a ‘multi-layered’ relationship with local authorities centred on individual strategic memorandums of understanding (MOU) with key councils or groups of councils, Transport Network can reveal.

Labour has launched its local election campaign pledging to end deregulation and hand control over local bus and rail networks to the regions as part of a £30bn devolution package.

Pressure is mounting on the Welsh Government after a second of its advisers questioned governance arrangements in the devolved nation, claiming the South Wales Metro transport plan has no suitable delivery body.

One of the UK’s biggest growth areas, the east of London, is being held back by a ‘disconnect’ between officers and local politicians and a lack of sub-regional representation, Transport for London (TfL) has warned.

Bill Taylor, managing director at Ringway, is clear on where progress must be made in the transport sector.

Six Scottish regions are launching a bid for £1bn of city deal cash, with transport and infrastructure improvements emerging as central to the plans.

Restrictions coming into force this month over the allocation of Section 106 funding for infrastructure have left local government ‘apprehensive’ about the future of travel planning.

London mayor Boris Johnson has hailed the protection of the Crossrail 2 route as a ‘major step forward’ for the capital’s congestion-tackling project.

Two bodies have questioned the Welsh Government’s commitment to its much-vaunted South Wales Metro plan.

Dominic Browne talks to the director of transport policy and strategy at Atkins, Greg Hartshorn, about how the sector is entering a new era with more and more complex challenges.

Scottish councils have defended the use of borrowing to fund infrastructure projects, despite warnings from auditors over the management of their £15bn debt.

Chancellor George Osborne confirmed an agreement on a ‘new City Deal’ with the West Yorkshire combined authority in his Budget speech today.

Chancellor George Osborne announced major transport investment strategies for the North, the South West and London in his Budget today, alongside a range of wider infrastructure plans.

A repeat of the West Coast Mainline debacle, which cost the taxpayer up to £45m, is ‘unavoidable’ unless civil service skills shortages are addressed, MPs have warned.

Chancellor George Osborne is widely expected to move the 'Northern Powerhouse’ plan a step closer to reality in his Budget today.

Liberal Democrats have backed plans for a Green Transport Bill, that would hand councils the power to cut speed limits outside schools to 10mph and would ban high emission vehicles by 2040.

Transport leaders were notably vociferous at this week’s Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) National Conference, unafraid to take the Coalition to task over funding, devolution, leadership and maintenance.

A new graduate scheme has been launched by a private transport consultancy to help young talent prepare for working on major national projects.

Democratic accountability has become a key issue for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) after the Government ran foul of European rules on managing cash streams.

Pressure is mounting for a £15bn Government investment in a Transport for London (TfL) style body to ‘fire up’ the Northern economy.

Following news of the Government's plans for a West Anglia Task Force, the London Stansted Cambridge Consortium explains why transport improvements are so important for this region.

Lord Shipley has suggested England’s 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), which handle billions in transport cash, might benefit from elected chairs.

All transport capital and revenue funding should be brought into a single pot that could eventually be devolved to sub-regions and groupings of boroughs, a new report argues.

The Welsh Government will receive a range of transport powers including control over bus service registration and speed limits, with potentially more in the pipeline, under the St David's Day devolution deal outlined by Westminster.

Transport expert and local government patrician, John Elliott, with the latest in a series of articles on the controversial plans for new lower Thames river crossings.

Communities secretary Eric Pickles’ plans to prevent Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) lobbying government has been called ‘barking mad’ by the chair of one of England’s most senior LEPs.

The Government has been accused of ‘burying its head in the sand’ and allowing unsustainable developments to go unchecked after it refused to act on recommendations made by influential cross-party MPs.

Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) could boost English growth figures by £144bn by 2020 if handed greater powers and funding from Whitehall a new report from a leading think tank suggests.

An external body or qualified person could be given legal powers to determine Section 106 disputes between local planning authorities and developers under proposals unveiled by the Government.

Communities secretary Eric Pickles has suggested the number of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) could fall after the election, with a wave of mergers on the cards to help the bodies better reflect ‘real economic areas’.

The economist who led the Holtham Commission on Welsh public financing is criticising Wales’ economic development policies, citing the lack of key transport authorities as an example.

Parking costs are likely to rise in the coming year as councils look to cover spiralling budgets, a poll has revealed.

The mayor and Transport for London have unveiled plans to build an 11km backstreet Cycle Superhighway between White Hart Lane in Tottenham, Stoke Newington, Dalston and the City of London - acting as an A10 bypass.

A council in North West England is lobbying for a range of local transport improvements in a bid to ‘maximise’ potential connections with HS2.

A Welsh local authority is poised to open bus lanes to motorbikes and private hire vehicles under a six-month trial that could slash congestion.

Newham Council has granted planning permission for a £200m expansion of the London City Airport, in a move that could see the airport triple in size by 2023.

A new wave of combined authority plans could see stronger transport controls devolved across England in coming months, as councils look to partner with nearby boroughs.

A further £1bn has been allocated to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) through local growth deals, despite growing concerns over accountability arrangements.

Former Conservative transport minister Stephen Hammond has called for a Department for Infrastructure to help improve project delivery, oversight and coordination.

This month ADEPT’s transport board together with senior figures from associated areas of central and local government debated the links between public health and transport and how directors could become more involved in this cross-cutting agenda.

Transport chiefs in the Midlands have proposed a review of tram, light rail and bus rapid transit options to connect key towns and cities, stating this is a priority for the region.

The Department for Transport has launched a groundbreaking multi-million pound scheme to pilot ‘Total Transport’ solutions in rural and isolated communities.

Education ministers should consider intervening in local transport policy if it is a ‘significant barrier’ to 16- to 18-year-olds staying in education, employment or training, an influential group of MPs has said.

Homeowners in Whitechapel, East London, could see their house price rise by more than 50% in the next five years as a result of the ‘Crossrail effect’ a new study claims.

Traffic levels are set to grow again in the coming years following a decade of near flat-lining, with rural and strategic roads seeing the largest rise, according to Whitehall analysis.

Senior MPs have accused the Department for Transport (DfT) of poor planning, regional bias and poured cold water on the prospect of HS2 providing value for money.

Combined authorities planned for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire would operate under a ‘single appraisal framework’ for infrastructure, Transport Network can reveal.

A newly-completed project led by Reading Council is set to shake up European approaches to standards and competition in urban intelligent transportation system (ITS) deployment.

A senior county council chief has warned against restructuring local government and getting bogged down in ‘bureaucracy’ as ministers try to give combined authorities more flexibility.

Crossrail 2 has taken a step closer to construction with the appointment of four major consultancy groups, which will now develop detailed plans for the project.

Large-scale developments in the North could be hit with greater local levies as councils seek to divert more cash towards transport infrastructure to support billions of pounds of investment, Transport Network can reveal.

Manchester City Council’s leader has defended plans to establish an elected mayor for the city region without a public vote, after facing a public backlash over the proposal with a campaign already launched against it.

The Government is pushing forward with structural reforms to establishing and managing combined authorities and their major transport responsibilities.

Glasgow and Renfrewshire councils are currently establishing a project team to begin work on a Glasgow Airport rail link under the £1.13bn long-term infrastructure investment bound for the region as a result of its 2014 City Deal.

With general electioneering arriving with the start of 2015, one of the nation’s top engineering bodies was not to be outdone and has launched its own General Election campaign to keep infrastructure front and centre over the next parliament.

Cameron and Osborne keep up momentum on Northern Powerhouse plans as Pennine road tunnel feasibility study begins with officials predicting 30 minute cuts in travel times.

Councils will have just 13 weeks to consider a community’s application to establish a neighbourhood plan under reforms announced by the Government.

The top transport authority for south Yorkshire has earmarked £235,000 for a detailed study of new station options for HS2, and the best part of a further £50,000 on a PR campaign around the project despite facing major cuts next year.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority will be raising passenger transport levies to help support a £1.4bn investment in 36 new projects to be completed by 2025.

Tom Bridge examines the latest technology to support disabled and elderly passengers and hears their key transport concerns.

A new ‘social innovation’ model for delivering transport services across Northamptonshire is being considered by the county council, in a groundbreaking move that officers hope will save millions within the first two years.

The entire A303 will be dualled and a road tunnel at least 1.8 miles long will be built under Stonehenge as part of a £15bn roads investment plan.

Leading transport experts have taken a swipe at the Government’s road investment strategy suggesting it could do more harm than good on congestion.

Chancellor George Osborne has confirmed major reforms designed to speed up house building and the release of public sector land in his Autumn Statement.

Chancellor George Osborne failed to announce any further devolution deals in today’s Autumn Statement.

Roads of the future could repair themselves, be made of plastic or solar panels, and could re-charge automated vehicles as they drive to automated car parks. In fact some of this is already happening.

The Government’s £15bn for the strategic road network appears to have shifted the political middle ground with Labour’s new shadow transport secretary Michael Dugher suggesting his party would be more pro-motorist with a localist slant.

Over 1,400 flood defence projects have been chosen to receive government investment, in moves expected to improve protection for 300,000 homes.

A measured approach is needed when discussing the future of the UK's infrastructure needs according to Adept's annual policy prospectus. Dominic Browne reports.

Local government transport, highways and infrastructure services have suffered some of the most extensive cuts over this parliament according to a new report from national auditors, which paints a grim picture of councils’ future financial stability.

Cardiff councillors have approved a Local Transport Plan which includes light rail as well as bus priority measures on suburban corridors into Cardiff – a topic which previously proved too contentious for the council.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that the UK government is in ongoing breach of EU law by failing to comply with EU NO2 pollution limits.

The UK’s top business lobbies have stressed the need for greater roads investment in the run up to the chancellor’s Autumn Statement, backing schemes for tunnelled highways under Stonehenge and the Pennines.

Renewable energy experts in Northern Ireland have launched what is thought to be the world’s first electric car journey planner.

The central organisation for coordinating the work of England’s 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) is due for showdown talks with growth minister Greg Clark over its limited resources, as it faces the possibility of closing down from 8 December, Transport Network can reveal.

City leaders on Merseyside have written to chancellor George Osborne calling for immediate devolution discussions to hand 'significant powers to the region’.

Campaigners for disabled transport access have won a fight to ensure all 40 Crossrail stations are stepfree when the line is fully operational by 2019.

Council directors have called for an ‘urgent review’ of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and the ‘cumbersome, restrictive and inappropriate‘ transport assessment methodology used in their strategic economic plans.

Transport research charity, the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund, has launched a two-year study on ‘Major Roads of the Future’ with the support of the Highways Agency.

Business leaders in Birmingham have warned against including a workplace parking levy in the additional ring-fenced business taxation needed to implement the city's £4bn transport plan - announced last week by transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin MP.

Experts in Wales have outlined a vision of how the next generation’s transport systems could look, predicting that by 2035 driverless vehicles will be on the roads and road user charging could be taken forward under a new Welsh Highways Agency.

Councils in the West Midlands have announced plans to form a regional combined authority designed to improve transport links as it seeks to boost inward investment and create jobs.

A pair of damning polls has found businesses fear the quality of UK infrastructure is worsening while progress on improvement is being hampered by political uncertainty.

Greater Manchester will be handed landmark powers over transport and planning, under an historic devolution settlement agreed upon today.

Over 500,000 people across Greater Manchester will from today be able to use smart ticketing, as phased roll out of ‘touch in’ travel cards continues.

Ed Miliband will today pledge a Labour government would grant cities and counties power over public transport routes, local fares and integrated services.

Plans to create a 'Northern Powerhouse' through an HS3 link from Leeds to Manchester have been backed by the Government after the release of a major report from the boss of HS2 Ltd today.

Local highway authorities could be required to publish weekly congestion reports under plans being considered by transport minister John Hayes.

National resilience to high impact weather such as flooding is expected to improve following the introduction of a new £97m Met Office supercomputer.

Council chiefs have called on chancellor George Osborne to use his Autumn Statement to end the ‘costly bureaucratic hoops’ local authorities have to jump through to win infrastructure funding.

Leading transport campaigners have called for regional decision-making on strategic highways services suggesting it could replicate local authority developments in rail.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has failed to publish accountability arrangements for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) months after the 39 local bodies were allocated billions of pounds of taxpayers' cash and despite a departmental promise to do so, Transport Network can reveal.

Crewe is set to win the recommendation of HS2 Ltd's chairman Sir David Higgins in his eagerly anticipated report on Monday (27 October) instead of its rival Stoke-on-Trent, Transport Network understands.

A comment piece on The challenges and opportunities of localism: introducing evidence to enhance public decision-making on local traffic management schemes.

A major 12-month study lead by some of the country’s top economists has called for a ‘super-connected’ North, with a ‘Northern Oyster card’ and wider London-style transport powers.

Improving transport in the largest cities outside London, with a focus on Manchester to Leeds rail, should be a key national growth priority, a government commissioned report has found.

A pension fund group representing £900bn of assets has joined calls for an infrastructure minister at the heart of government to help drive investment.

Local government has been placed at the heart of prime minister David Cameron’s plans to instigate a ‘cycling revolution’ in this country, with councils called on to form bespoke partnerships with Westminster to boost cycling numbers.

Public investment could see a shift away from transportation towards major house building programmes under Labour with the proposals outlined in the Lyons report today.

Progress made on Silvertown and Gallions Reach Thames crossings as Commission states at least four new crossings are needed to boost economy by £1bn a year.

Croydon LBC has called for new financial powers to help it deliver a £5.25bn regeneration programme by 2031 that would see a major infrastructure boost for the area.

Urban and rural travellers and tourists, users of passenger ferries, and flood-prone communities are among likely beneficiaries of new ‘white space’ broadband technology in which the UK is taking a European lead.

An HS2 director has called for simpler consultation processes and for political parties to unite behind the controversial high speed rail line in order to protect costs as much as possible.

London borough councils should be able to form combined authorities together and broker mini-city deals to support infrastructure strategy and investment in the capital, according to finance chiefs.

Stoke-On-Trent City Council has made its biggest push yet to win a place on the HS2 line with a new report stating it is the ’technically superior, cheaper and faster’ option compared to its arch rival Crewe and 'saves the tax payer at least £2bn’.

Major councils from the East of England have announced a second round of bidding for developers to access low interest rate loans from the region’s £20m Local Infrastructure Fund.

New tax powers for London that could boost the city’s transport war chest by billions have been backed by chief secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, it has emerged.

Techniques borrowed from the gaming industry including challenges, rewards and avatars could ‘genuinely empower’ people in transport planning, an expert working on a 'playable' transport modelling system has claimed.

Government planning rules are putting urban infrastructure ‘under strain’ while limiting access for construction on green belt land.

Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Rossendale and Darwen, Will Straw, has called for major investment in the East Lancashire region to create a ‘hub’ for the aerospace and energy industry and for better connectivity with Manchester.

One of the UK’s leading highways and transportation groups has launched a manifesto calling for a major shake-up in finance and strategic planning to avoid creating isolated communities left in ‘economic vacuums’.

Transport for London (TfL) has unveiled plans for a new Overground station in the Old Oak Common area in west London to support better connections with HS2 and Crossrail routes.

Capacity issues in local government transport supply chains could lead to ‘inflationary pressures’ on pricing, senior council directors have warned.

The Department for Transport has announced upcoming changes to WebTAG providing provides information on the role of transport modelling and appraisal. Among the changes, which all have a relea

In an apparent snub to austerity transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin boasted to today's Conservative Party conference about the level of the government’s transport infrastructure spending.

Local government stalwart ( and 'last of the great county surveyors') Tony Ciaburro has stepped down from chairing the Adept transport board but has said he will remain active in the local government sector and beyond.

Stoke-on-Trent’s dreams of hosting a high speed rail station have taken another blow today with reports that HS2 Ltd chairman, Sir David Higgins, will favour Crewe instead when he makes a progress report next month.

The Department for Transport’s (DfT) approach to road maintenance funding is ‘ludicrous’, with decades of ‘unpredictable and fluctuating budgets’ putting value for money at risk, an influential group of MPs has claimed.

Key English councils have called for reforms to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) - which help deliver transport policies through strategic economic plans - as part of wider attempts to create a new deal on devolved powers to drive growth.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown has suggested Scotland could be in line for more transport controls while fractious arguments between the UK’s leading political parties have led No 10 to reaffirm its commitment to further Scottish devolution.

Councillors in Merseyside have announced plans to develop a detailed investment strategy for delivering £15bn worth of improved transport infrastructure for the North.

Ministers have been urged to avoid rushing through ‘ill-thought-out structural change’ in light of the recent spate of devolution pledges extended to Scotland.

Top accountants have warned the next stage of Scottish devolution, which could hand major financial and infrastructure controls to Holyrood, will not be easy given there is ‘no true picture’ of the devolved nation’s financial situation.

The United Kingdom is set for a radical wave of devolution, as powers over local finances and infrastructure could be handed down from Westminster in the wake of the Scottish ‘no’ vote for independence.

A group of leading academics have backed Boris Johnson’s plans for a massive extension of London’s cycle superhighways, including an 18-mile ‘Crossrail for the bike’, while criticising current transport modelling for cycling.

Government officials are developing monitoring frameworks for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) that could see all 39 partnerships signing up to an ‘evaluation plan’ by next spring, Transport Network can reveal.

The development of sustainable transport systems have benefitted from a raft of funding streams over the past five years. But just how ‘green’ are they? Elsie Bryant reports.

Hauliers have warned a lack of drivers could scupper plans for a merry Christmas this year, with 82% of transport managers suggesting resources were a ‘massive problem’.

The Airports Commission has officially rejected proposals for a 'Boris Island' airport in the Thames estuary, prompting a furious response from its main champion London mayor Boris Johnson.

Lloyds Banking Group has launched a specialist transport and construction team designed to provide industry-specific support for small and medium enterprises across London.

Road schemes designed to tackle some of the UK’s ‘most notorious and long-standing hotspots’ are likely to be announced later this year, ministers have revealed.

Boris Johnson has launched a last minute attempt to boost support for a four-runway airport in the Thames Estuary.

England's councils budget to almost double their use of cash reserves this year with a £2.1bn draw down, as Tube upgrades take the lion's share.

Manufacturing bosses have thrown their weight behind a key Labour policy calling for an independent infrastructure authority.

A sweeping new wave of combined authorities could be formed if informal discussions taking place around the country lead to action, Transport Network has learned.

Transport is the major winner from the UK Construction Pipeline - with the sector making up £66.2bn or 57% of its total £116bn value.

More than £8m to be spent on Bristol Airport's eastern terminal as part of a wider £150m expansion.

Government inaction on climate change could put thousands more people at risk of flooding in the next 20 years, Labour will warn.

A five-year planning dispute over a local airport is thought to have cost a council almost half a million pounds in legal costs alone.

Pressure is mounting for a major boost to transport spending in the North, as new figures suggest the North East receives the least infrastructure funding in England.

Five cities have unveiled a £15bn plan to improve inter-city rail and road connections across the north of England.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin announces the DfT is considering plans to extend Crossrail to Hertfordshire.

'Local authorities in the North could be forgiven for being confused over the Government's policy on transport.'

Can we ever achieve true transport integration across different modes and between cities and towns? Adrian Tatum reports from the latest in a series of Surveyor and TEC round table debates which took place at Intertraffic in Amsterdam, Holland.

Hillingdon LBC and anti-HS2 campaigners have lost their latest legal challenge against the controversial £50bn rail line.

Boris Johnson has drawn up ambitious plans for a massive expansion of London's transport infrastructure by 2050 including proposals to increase its rail and tube capacity by 70%.

Olympic cycling champion Chris Boardman says current transport priorities not ‘logical or sustainable’.

Expert calls for tram investment to end rail electrification row between Westminster and Cardiff.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has approved a £41m project to ease congestion and boost local connectivity.

The Government has announced Local Enterprise Partnerships’ (LEPs') first cash allocations from the Local Growth Fund, with £6bn of the minimum £12bn pot now earmarked for major transport, housing and other growth projects.

England’s largest cities outside London have teamed up with eight Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to boost national business outside the south east, with a view to improving transport links.

The nation is less active and making fewer transport trips than it has in almost 20 years according to the latest national travel survey released today.

Campaigners for better transport connectivity in the South West have handed a shopping list to the Department for Transport (DfT).

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has called for a ‘plethora’ of new river crossings in London following Transport for London’s (TfL) recently launched plans for new Thames crossings.

Councils and Local Enterprise Partnerships must be ‘front and centre’ in unlocking the benefits of HS2 by becoming 'magnets for growth' the Government said today in response to a key report from the HS2 Growth Taskforce.

Gatwick airport has pledged a £256m investment package to help win over local residents to its second runway plans, with offers including cash for jet noise reduction, road improvements and the purchase of houses for demolition.

Crossrail has been labelled a ‘textbook’ example of how to deliver infrastructure projects, with MPs calling for the same approaches to be applied in High Speed 2 (HS2).

MPs have called for testing of a ‘total transport’ solution in isolated communities that are faced with declining access to bus and rail services.

Wiltshire councillors are pressing for a countywide smartcard to cover public transport and parking as well as council services.

More than 35 councils from up and down the UK have joined together with local transport bodies to call for significant upgrades to the East Coast Mainline, in a bid to boost the UK economy by up to £9bn a year.

Redevelopment of Heathrow Airport could create homes for 190,000 people and add £7.5bn to the UK economy, under new plans put forward today.

Hertfordshire CC has expressed its 'regret' after communities secretary Eric Pickles granted planning consent for a local strategic rail freight interchange.

Outdated infrastructure and over-centralised decision making is restricting city growth and costing the UK billions of pounds, a report claims.

Plans for a new airport runway are ‘not rooted in the real world’ and could worsen the north south divide, according to environmental organisations.

New figures suggest the Government has achieved more than £3bn in annual cost savings on infrastructure projects since 2010.

Council transport schemes up and down the country will benefit from a £440m investment following the latest allocations from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) announced today.

Latest plans for a new river crossing in east London have met with calls of concern from transport campaigners and local councils.

Approaches to growth must consider the importance of regional transport in supporting businesses, local government leaders have been told.

An inquiry into the economic case behind the controversial £50bn HS2 line has been launched by an influential group of Lords.

Regions were told to prove they are worthy of more powers, as the devolution agenda continued to build momentum at the Local Government Association (LGA) conference.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has been left red-faced and having to defend its geographical knowledge after a series of blunders in its announcement of Local Sustainable Transport Fund allocations.

Car sharing schemes could ‘revolutionise’ transport Baroness Kramer said today, although industry insiders suggest a range of policy initiatives are needed to help the concept move past the ‘early adopters stage’.

Influential local transport groups have united to support local bus services with a new brochure setting out the case to local politicians and decision makers for bus priority schemes.

Councils chiefs are seeking amendments to the Government’s legislation – launched this month with the Queen’s Speech – to transform the Highways Agency into a Government-owned company.

The County Councils Network (CCN) has criticised government plans to create more combined authorities with key responsibilities for transport and economic development.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has rejected plans to limit speeds on key motorways to 60mph between 7am and 7pm seven days a week.

The leader of Kent CC has criticised the localist credentials of the Local Growth Fund following the Government's announcement of cash allocations this week.

Local economies will ‘suffer’ if the number of regional airports continues to fall, the government commission charged with managing runway capacity will hear.

Council chiefs have slammed the Government over the difficulties local authorities have to surmount as they bid for local infrastructure and growth cash, claiming that ‘the public purse is having to spend tens of millions on bidding for its own money’.

David Cameron has confirmed £500m of new money for Glasgow's City Deal, which will see Scotland’s biggest city create a £1.1bn infrastructure fund focused on transport.

Chancellor George Osborne has revealed a £34.4m transport investment for Liverpool as part of his plans to create a ‘Northern Powerhouse’.

Labour has floated plans for a £30bn devolution package, in a move that could see Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) given even more control of transport spending.

Improved urban transport is key to local economic growth yet is not given the priority it requires, a think tank has warned.

Leading transport union, RMT, is set to hold summit talks with MPs this month as it launches an 'all-out' fight against the Government’s plans for Northern Rail and the TransPennine Express.

Landowners have called on HS2 Ltd to provide ‘common sense settlements’ for businesses affected by the planned high-speed rail route.

Engineering consultant,Parsons Brinckerhoff, has appointed Martyn Brooks as director for local government services within the company’s expanding UK highways, transportation and asset management business. Mr Brooks has 30 years of experience and joins from CH2M Hill, where he held a range of management positio

Labour has vowed to abolish the Single Local Growth Fund's competitive bidding process and replace it with a £30bn devolution package that would boost Local Enterprise Partnerships’ (LEPs) transport funds.

Leading engineers sent out a grave warning this month on the state of the local transport network, giving it a Grade D or ‘at risk’ status.

Government plans for the Northern Rail franchise and for HS3 send out seriously mixed messages about rail in the north of England.

The European commissioner for transport Siim Kallas has announced major plans for ‘EU-wide multimodal travel information, planning and ticketing services’, while maintaining that the ‘market’ must lead the way on innovation.

Chancellor George Osborne today outlined his vision for a High Speed Rail 3 (HS3) link running east to west in the north creating a regional economic ‘powerhouse’ stretching across the Pennines.

The Government has rejected a series of recommendations made by a cross-party committee of MPs designed to improve the environmental protections around the construction of HS2.

The new president of the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT), David Gibby, has pledged to keep transport ‘high on the political agenda’.

The Government’s replacement for the beleaguered Private Finance Initiative (PFI) funding model for major public infrastructure works, including highways schemes, has no test to ensure taxpayers get value for money influential MPs have warned.

A group of councils in the North East are set to tender a highways surfacing contract framework worth at least £30m - with some estimates reaching as high as £100m over its potential five-year term - as part of the wider NE Highways Alliance project.

Prime minister David Cameron has celebrated the ‘political consensus’ surrounding Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), despite continued criticism from MPs and within the local government sector.

Chancellor George Osborne has hailed the end of construction on London’s newest tunnel under the Thames as part of the £14.8bn Crossrail project.

Planning permission has been granted for a major new £7m transport hub in Portsmouth’s The Hard area, a popular gateway to the city.

The BBC has triggered concerns over the future of Cardiff Central bus station by unveiling plans for a new building development.

Full year results for Network Rail this week revealed the operator struggled to cope with a surge in passenger numbers and poor weather resulting in an increase in delays, despite a record annual investment of nearly £7bn.

Transport minister Baroness Kramer has officially marked the completion of more than £40m of construction and engineering projects in Portsmouth, including the new £12.6m Northern Road Bridge.

A new smart transport innovation centre has been opened in Milton Keynes as part of efforts to establish the UK as a business leader in mobility technology.

Transport for London (TfL) has celebrated record results in its draft 2013-14 Annual Report, which shows customer satisfaction rising to an all time high despite more passengers than ever using the network.

The Government has unlawfully caused an ‘indefinite’ development blight along the proposed route for the first phase of HS2 from London to Birmingham, the High Court has heard.

The Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal is officially launched today, with work set to start on £430m of infrastructure improvements including new roads and other transport schemes designed to boost economic growth.

East Sussex CC has backed Gatwick Airport's bid to expand in advance of the Airport Commission's recommendations on the future of UK airport capacity.

Revised plans for London’s Crossrail 2 project could see alternate routes adopted along lines linking the capital with Surrey and Hertfordshire.

The Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL) have unveiled plans to provide step-free access at every station on the entire route of Crossrail.

London’s productivity could increase by £12.5bn a year by 2030 with the right transport spending on schemes such as Crossrail 2 according to engineering giant Siemens.

Camden LBC has outlined a £26m plan to transform the Tottenham Court Road area of the West End ahead of the new Crossrail station in 2018, when Tottenham Court Road station will be busier than Heathrow Airport.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) are investing £270m in developing an interference-proof device capable of pinpointing a location anywhere on the globe without the use of satellites.

Newcastle University has appointed architects Hawkins\Brown and consulting engineers BuroHappold to create a £50m ‘living lab’ to research and test new ‘smart-city’ technologies.

Kent and Medway councils have poured more cold water on Boris Johnson’s ambitions to have a £148bn Thames estuary airport, with a new survey showing scant support for the scheme.

The House of Commons transport select committee has quietly put a bomb under key elements of the Government's transport policy.

Conservative HS2 rebel, Cheryl Gillan, writes exclusively for Transport Network following the Second Reading of the HS2 (Phase 1) Hybrid Bill, which passed through the Commons last week, but perhaps not with flying colours.

Investment in roads will have to ‘substantially’ increase over the next decade with the Government having to find 'new funding streams' to support increased demand, MPs have said.

The competition between Heathrow and Gatwick's expansion plans has hotted up with both airports announcing revised proposals to try and win permission to build the UK’s next runway.

London mayor Boris Johnson has unveiled initial plans for a 22-mile £30bn underground ring road in London, dubbed the ‘Inner Orbital Tunnel’.

Buckinghamshire CC is set to launch a major cross-party inquiry into the future of the county’s public transport services.

Ministers should provide more specific examples of nationally important transport schemes and develop an integrated strategy reaching across national and local networks, an influential group of MPs said today.

The final verdict on a £30m bypass in Cambridgeshire could go to communities secretary Eric Pickles, after influential figures implored the minister to step in.

Local authority pension funds (LAPFs) can get a ‘pretty tasty cherry’ on top of their usual returns if they invest in local infrastructure projects, a think tank has claimed.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has released an improvement plan conceding an 'urgent need' to increase its commercial skills and vowing to develop a stronger integrated national strategy.

The Government has announced plans to overhaul legislation to support the formation of combined authorities or ‘super councils’ with responsibilities for local transport and economic development.

The chief executive of transport infrastructure giant Balfour Beatty has resigned ‘with immediate effect’ as the firm issued a profit warning and announced it is considering the sale of Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Major cities need greater freedoms over local fundraising if they are to make transport networks grow the local economy, a think tank has warned.

The Government has announced plans to overhaul legislation to support the formation of combined authorities or ‘super councils’ with responsibilities for local transport and economic development.

London's Heathrow Airport is considering doubling the length of its Ultra driverless ‘pod’ network, directors have revealed.

The £15bn Crossrail line has become embroiled in controversy after documents leaked to the Observer newspaper suggest industrial relations are close to collapse with workers scared to report injuries for fear of being sacked.

MPs have comprehensively backed legislation enabling the planned HS2 link between London and the West Midlands, however two fresh legal challenges have been brought against the £50bn line from local opposition.

Prime minister David Cameron and chancellor George Osborne today jointly kicked off a year of major infrastructure investment, with £36bn of spending planned across 200 projects.

Local transport minister Norman Baker has given the first major details of what local authority transport professionals can expect from the new legislation of signage coming into force from 2015.

Transport for London (TfL) has created the world’s first transport health action plan but what more can be done in local authorities to realise more cross-departmental working.

London Underground has announced a seven-year £330m programme to upgrade 70 stations including, Embankment, Paddington, Earls Court, South Kensington and Charing Cross.

Deputy chair of HS2 Ltd Sir Howard Bernstein has said councils need to consider using framework agreements to help maximise the local growth potential of the planned £50bn new rail line.

The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has acquired the Transport and Travel Research Limited (TTR) consultancy making it a wholly owned subsidiary of TRL.

MPs have labelled the disruption at Gatwick airport last winter a ‘wake-up call’ for the aviation sector ‘to get on top of operational resilience issues’ and have called on the Government and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to review the situation.

Bristol has launched a £500,000 journey time monitoring system (JTMS) designed to tackle congestion in the city, with the help of cross-departmental and cross-agency funding.

The current president of ADEPT, Steve Kent, wants to see the organisation adapt to the fast pace of the industry and have the ability to communicate better on a number of levels.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has sounded out his party's leadership on creating a Cabinet ‘superpost’ for him in the form of an infrastructure secretary responsible for transport, business and housing, it has emerged.

The Government has failed to provide proper environmental protection against HS2's impacts, which could endanger areas of ancient woodlands and the rare species MPs have warned.

The south east saw a major boost to its airport services this week, with the opening of London Southend Airport’s extended terminal and Easyjet pledging to create 2,500 jobs at London Luton Airport if the Government approves expansion plans.

Infrastructure costs for major transport schemes like HS2 are set to grow over the next five years as projects face rising labour and material prices, an industry body has forecast.

Cheshire East Council has announced plans to convert its transport department into a wholly owned council company, under wider plans to become a strategic commissioning council.

'Highways investment planning could be integrated with growth plans so that they help facilitate and accelerate growth.'

Halton BC and the Merseylink consortium have reached financial close on the Mersey Gateway project, a new six-lane toll road over the River Mersey, with the bridge expected to be open by autumn 2017.

Gatwick Airport bosses have launched a new campaign as part of their ongoing battle with rivals Heathrow over expanding the nation’s airport capacity, suggesting their bid could deliver more connections, more quickly with less environmental impact.

A new report has highlighted a stark difference between political opinion and practice on integrated transport, with 39% of MPs strongly agreeing that it should be a priority while only 9% strongly agree that it actually is.

Freight transport bosses have criticised the organisers of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow for a lack of information about transport planning.

Three new bodies with responsibilities for regional transport and development are set to be launched on 1 April after MPs approved the creation of Merseyside, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire combined authorities.

A government HS2 taskforce has said the controversial £50bn project needs a dedicated minister to ensure maximum local regeneration and growth.

A senior Transport for London (TfL) official has used a national conference speech to highlight schemes used overseas to help support continued investment in urban transport, suggesting our funding mechanisms are behind international gold standards.

Cambridgeshire CC is set to copy the groundbreaking work of New York transport commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, who transformed the Big Apple developing 26 acres of pedestrian space, including 2.5 acres in Times Square.

Transport Scotland chief executive David Middleton has announced plans to speed up the dualling of the A9 central spine route from Perth to Inverness to complete the project by 2025.

The creation of garden cities will help Chancellor George Osborne's Budget pledge to build more than 200,000 new homes for families.

A recent study looked into the distances that commuters travel to work and whether the area that they lived in had a vital part to play.

Chancellor George Osborne’s understated Budget has provoked accusations of a missed opportunity from economic and transport experts.

England’s core cities have joined calls for chancellor George Osborne to use today’s Budget to devolve property taxes to boost local transport and business infrastructure investment.

Council transport directors are set to join forces with the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) to address the skills ‘crisis’ in the local transport sector, Transport Network can reveal.

Council directors have called on chancellor George Osborne to make financial devolution and local fiscal freedom a major plank of his Budget on 19 March, Transport Network can reveal.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced major changes to HS2 following a report released today by the new head of the controversial £50bn line.

Transport for London (TfL) has announced the winners of the £100m ‘mini Holland’ fund for councils to improve cycle safety and road-design across the capital.

Northamptonshire CC has agreed to spend up to £100,000 to hire a parliamentary specialist to lobby Westminster for the best deal over HS2, including a possible new by-pass for the county.

What does the industry gain from paying more attention to the social and economic benefits of investment in local infrastructure? And how can we use this to influence future funding? Dominic Browne reports from the latest in a series of round table debates.

Ben Lucas outlines the scope of the City Growth Commission’s examination of what can be done to give ‘metros’ the fiscal and revenue powers needed for urban areas to achieve their growth potential - taking in the importance of transport and infrastructure

Transport minister Baroness Kramer has revealed there will be significant changes to the way local transport schemes are appraised in the future, with a greater emphasis on wider economic growth rather than simple timesavings.

More than 20 councils have committed to launch a municipal bonds agency later this year to help boost local transport infrastructure investment, the Local Government Association (LGA) has revealed.

A leading BBC broadcaster and economist has called for major transport investment to help create a 'megacity' of the North to rival the success of London.

The Cabinet Office has given its support to plans for a ‘super council’ in the North East, which would see seven local authorities collaborating on transport and skills.

Britain’s leading business lobby has called for more integrated infrastructure services that take account of 'wider social contributions'. The call was made as part of a push for greater outsourcing that bosses say could save billions.

Environment secretary Owen Paterson unveiled a 20-year Flood Action Plan for Somerset today, including proposals for major transport resilience projects that could run to more than £100m.

Two different sides to the HS2 programme: Birmingham City Council revealed its HS2 masterplan, including the new Birmingham Curzon station, while Camden LBC launched a war of words over the redesign of Euston.

Bristol City Council cabinet this week approved plans for a £21m transport investment in the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone.

The UK is ranked the sixth worst in Europe for traffic congestion with the average driver wasting around 30 hours a year in gridlock, according to a major annual report.

The troubled relationship between leading transport unions and bosses in London shows no sign of improving as Tube union RMT confirmed today that it will begin balloting members on another strike.

As we slowly emerge from the grip of a flooding crisis, James Evison gives a personal account of his experiences and suggestions for how communities can move forward.

Cancelling the controversial £50bn HS2 project would be ‘catastrophic’ for the UK economy, costing the country billions and leaving it with congested networks, according to an industry report.

A raft of major transport powers should be transferred from Westminster to the Welsh Assembly, according to the final report from the Government’s Silk commission on Welsh devolution.

A major annual survey of all local government websites has found the lowest resident satisfaction rating was for information about road closures and diversions, at just 14%.

Flooding minister, Dan Rogerson, has admitted the scale of the flood risk associated with the controversial High Speed Rail 2 line had not been fully assessed.

Transport for London (TfL) has produced what is believed to be the world’s first transport health action plan, committing to a continued partnership with the NHS until 2017.

Network Rail has given a progress update on the restoration of the Dawlish rail line, which will now not be completed until mid April at the earliest, and awarded some £300m of framework aggreements.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has pledged to ‘look at ways’ to deliver a three-hour rail connection between Plymouth and London, as West Devon calls for an alternative route to the coastal Dawlish line.

Cardiff City Council cabinet has approved plans for a £4bn regional transport system that could be built by 2030.

A lack of investment in urban transport has resulted in the UK’s economy falling way behind European rivals costing the country billions of pounds, a new report suggests.

Newcastle Airport has unveiled plans for a major business park on its site, which could create up to 7,000 jobs and provide much-needed transport links to businesses in the north east.

Liverpool City Council is set to launch a cycle hire scheme in April after appointing UK supplier HourBike Ltd to run the project.

Heathrow's bid for expansion has received a boost after a transport think tank claimed the UK needs a three-runway hub airport in order to continue to compete with international rivals.

The historic city of Chester is set to expand its pedestrianised zone as part of a wider £150m transport strategy approved by the local council.

Interest in a career in engineering among young people has seen a rise of 6% since the Government attempted to promote the industry, it has been claimed.

The UK is ranked the world’s most ‘at risk’ country from intense storms in a new report, increasing pressure on the government to improve the UK’s transport resilience.

Downing Street has vowed to review the resilience of the transport network as the prime minister sends out the first signals that Britain could emerge stronger after this catastrophic period of storms and flooding.

A group of environmental and planning experts have claimed some of the damage caused by the recent flooding crisis could have been prevented using the correct water management techniques.

While Britain's athletes struggle on in Sochi, a highways officer from County Antrim has come fifth at the 'world snow plough championships' where he represented the UK.

The damaged Dawlish railway line and communities in areas including Somerset have been left without planned flood defences due to government funding cuts it has emerged.

Roads minister Robert Goodwill says 'capacity will be a problem' in delivering the Government’s £24bn highways investment commitment by 2021.

David Cameron has warned ‘we have to fight on every front’ today as heavy rain and gale-force winds are predicted to sweep across southern Britain.

Replacing the Hammersmith Flyover with a tunnel could take just three years and in theory might be self financing by releasing around £1bn worth of former highway land, according to the local council's latest study.

The prime minister has promised to look at restoring train lines and transport links hit by the flood crisis as ‘a matter of urgency’.

The country was left reeling last night as hurricane-force winds of more than 100mph battered the North West and Wales closing major rail lines and roads and leaving a trail of devastation.

Less than half the cost of the proposed £12bn Crossrail 2 development might need to come from central government, meeting key Treasury demands.

Chancellor George Osborne has launched a £600m rail investment programme for the North of England, set to create up to 20,000 jobs and boost the northern economy by billions of pounds.

Cyclists could be better protected if councils were granted stronger powers to target dangerous drivers, council leaders have said.

The ongoing flooding crisis has sparked a rift between senior Conservatives in the Cabinet, with reports of a war of words between environment secretary Owen Patterson and communities secretary Eric Pickles.

Scottish independence would benefit the nation’s transport infrastructure, Holyrood ministers claimed today as they confirmed plans for the sector in an independent Scotland.

Road tolling to pay for an expansion of the A14 was ‘universally unpopular’ according to a public consultation undertaken by the Department for Transport (DfT).

A ‘total ban’ on night flights across London should be put in place by 2017, according to boroughs in the capital.

In the latest in our series on Smart Cities, mobility expert Mike Schofield, discusses the key issues around the future of urban transport.

The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has announced it will be taking part in a major European Commission project into wireless charging for electric vehicles.

In the first of our smarter cities series, David Willetts, minister of state for Universities and Science, talks about the UK’s tradition of innovation in the city space and its future in the growing smart city market.

A City Deal for Oxford and the surrounding area will provide £55m of government funding for projects including local road and transport improvements.

The importance of stations as gateways to the towns they serve has been historically undervalued by both the rail industry and local authorities.

The theme of this year’s annual ADEPT conference was ‘Localism and Growth’ with an emphasis on growth - described by president Steve Kent as ‘the word of the day and what we are about’.

Traditionally, business group interventions into transport policy consist largely of demands for more infrastructure, especially big new roads. But it does not need to be this way.

What should your future transport strategies be and how can our transport systems be more effective and efficient?

David Cameron pledged that river dredging in Somerset will start as soon as possible in prime minister’s questions today, as the Government’s emergency response committee met to discuss the issue of flooding.

Economic growth in northern cities is being hampered by weak transport links and insufficient power over local budgets, a think tank has claimed.

The Environment Agency has defended its response to recent flooding in the wake of criticism that it has not done enough to dredge dangerous rivers.

Narrow and restrictive cost-benefit appraisals are holding back the infrastructure sector in its bids to boost growth, according to a new report.

More flood warnings have been issued by the Met Office for southern England, as some local MPs voice growing public anger over situation.

Production of cars in the UK has reached its highest levels since the economic crash, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

A new college for the next generation of transport engineers has been opened in London, named in honour of the late Conservative local government grandee Sir Simon Milton.

Telecoms industry regulator Ofcom has signed off on delivering new satellite-based broadband technology for transport including trains and aircraft.

Network Rail has announced it will have closed 10% of the UK’s rail crossings by April this year.

Debate about the much-anticipated Airports Commission heated up yesterday as its chair Sir Howard Davies hit out at mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and said the review could have been delivered before the next election.

Hundreds of missing pages of the environmental impact documentation for High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) has resulted in an extension to public consultation – putting parliamentary progress at risk.

Highways capacity will be a key focus of the new Plymouth City Deal, as part of efforts to tackle local growth barriers.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson's £1bn plans to build 420,000 new homes in the capital over the next decade have raised congestion and parking concerns.

The City of Edinburgh Council has approved its local transport strategy for 2014-19 that could see emission control measures for surface transport employed in the city, as well as 20mph limits.

MPs have been warned over the danger of transport cuts to rural communities, with campaigners claiming less than half of households in the most rural areas have a regular bus service.

Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has told the Yorkshire Post the county's £1bn plan for a combined transport fund will still go ahead despite concerns over forthcoming Whitehall legislation.

CIHT The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) is holding its first national conference of 2014 on 19 March at the CBI Conference Centre, Centre Point Tower 103 New Oxford Street, London. The conference is entitled ‘Routes for Growth – ho

A four-year deadlock over the publication of drainage rules for new housing developments drags on as the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) admits an April deadline will not be met.

Millions are due to be spent on improving flood defences across south-east England’s rail and airport networks, leading figures in the industries have told MPs.

Disability campaign group Transport for All protested outside the Departm