Read the latest insight, opinion and analysis from contributors who are at the heart of the transport business, view our reports and access our full monthly archive.
20 DEC 2017
The value of data has been growing, but so have the costs of managing it. To be competitive in 2018 transport operators will need to be increasingly smart in the way they use data and the UK Data Protection Bill
18 DEC 2017
The Shortlist for the 2018 London Transport Awards has been announced.
The winners will be announced at the 15th Annual London Transport Awards on 1st March at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel.
The event will be hosted by Leon Daniels, who retires
15 DEC 2017
The world is on the cusp of a transport and societal revolution which, over the next 10 to 15 years, "will drive change on the scale of the Industrial Revolution".
So said KPMG global head of public transport and UK head
13 DEC 2017
The successes of Britain's rail franchising system are well established. A doubling of passenger numbers since privatisation, steady increases in punctuality and passenger satisfaction between 2001 and 2013 and a rail system with the best safety record in Europe are
11 DEC 2017
The news that yet another person has died in a road crash makes for grim but depressingly-frequent reading in the press.
We are reassured that our national road safety record stands up well to global comparison. In international terms we have
4 DEC 2017
Recent announcements suggest policy-makers get the significance of transport in meeting wider economic and social aims. As Stuart Thomson put it recently when writing for Transport Times about the Government's newly published Industrial Strategy, 'Transport
30 NOV 2017
The best of Northern England's transport industry were honour on Thursday 30th November at the 2nd Annual North of England Transport Awards, with 300 senior industry professionals in attendance. Hosted by BBC Breakfast Presenter Steph McGovern, the ceremony was held
28 NOV 2017
The Industrial Strategy White Paper is one of the most important documents this Government will release. Not only is the Strategy trying to overcome our persistent productivity issue but it also shows what our post-Brexit economy could look like. Transport
27 NOV 2017
A few comments from younger bus passengers taken from our forthcoming work on 14-19 year olds and bus services:• "Display bus fares at the bus stop, with the timetable. Advertise any discounts more. They could have child, teen
23 NOV 2017
On many occasions, when I'm out in my car, I see examples of very good driving, but occasionally of really dangerous driving too.
I care a great deal about road safety and for Highways England it's our number one imperative.
People working
22 NOV 2017
(Image Source: Getty)
Key industry figures comment on transport within the Autumn budget 2017
20 NOV 2017
'Brand UK' is characterised internationally as representing a stable open trading nation, but in a fast-changing world the role of nation states is changing. Transport is perhaps the most tribal of all economic sectors with many 'ists' and 'isms' applying
17 NOV 2017
Prior to carrying out research on vehicle emissions earlier this year I subscribed to the view that all diesel vehicles should be banned from Clean Air Zones. I now see the latest Euro VI Diesel bus as a crucial part
16 NOV 2017
In Merseyside we've just celebrated 12 months of the Liverpool City Region Bus Alliance – a formal partnership between Merseytravel, Arriva and Stagecoach, who together make up around 80 per cent of our commercial bus market.
And what a 12 months
9 NOV 2017
Partnerships are strongest when the parties involved respond to change together. In families, in teams, in organisations and as a nation, we grow stronger when we confront change with a shared sense of purpose.
Delivering the improved railway that Britain's commuters
6 NOV 2017
As the National Infrastructure Commission says in its current assessment, now out to consultation:
"It will be crucial to get more out of existing infrastructure, and technology, pricing and demand management will all have a role to play. But while these
3 NOV 2017
A strong aviation industry is crucial to the UK's status as a global, outward looking nation; it is particularly important following our decision to leave the European Union. The British aviation industry is the largest in the EU and the
30 OCT 2017
Motorway services are an essential part of a long journey. Whether you are a family heading off on holiday or a lorry driver travelling hundreds of miles every day they offer the chance to rest and refresh. People's needs are
27 OCT 2017
This week the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, took the biggest step towards improving London's air quality since the introduction of the congestion charge 14 years ago.
The capital's air quality has frequently breached EU limits in recent years but the
26 OCT 2017
One of the railway's most frequent and expensive safety issues begins on the road network. Every year in Britain there are about 2,000 bridge strikes, where road vehicles hit railway bridges and viaducts – that's an average of more than
13 OCT 2017
The people making a real difference to transport across the UK were recognised at the prestigious National Transport Awards at the Westminster Park Plaza in London last night. Hosted by former Labour Communications Director Alastair Campbell the awards attracted over
9 OCT 2017
When Secretary of State Chris Grayling spoke in Manchester on September 22nd of the need to consider Digital Railway technologies in the north as well as the south of the country, few would disagree. And he was right to point
4 OCT 2017
In a growing and congested city, and to make best use of aviation capacity, it is really important that passengers can easily access airports by public transport.
However, our research has shown major shortcomings in surface access for each of London's
2 OCT 2017
In a bid to encourage the use of electric cars, the UK government recently announced a controversial plan to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2040. As traditional petrol
29 SEP 2017
TfL's decision to ban Uber may have come as a surprise to trendy Londonists, and Hoxton's artisanal cupcake bakers, but to economic historians, the drama highlights the extraordinary policy continuity of what we used to call "London Transport"...
27 SEP 2017
This is a time of change for transport planning, with a move to breaking down the artificial barriers created by local authority boundaries. The creation of bodies such as Transport for the North has generated impetus to improve transport links
25 SEP 2017
Local Growth Fund resources of over £7bn have been channeled through Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) since 2014 to fund projects up to 2020/21. The Transport Knowledge Hub has been established to ensure that LEPs have the right tools and knowledge
21 SEP 2017
Last year's party conference season saw the Conservatives riding what many believed to be an insurmountable lead with a new Prime Minister in the form of Theresa May and a new mission to take the UK out of the European
20 SEP 2017
The recent criticism of the Government for not giving sufficient priority to the North of England on transport investment does not stand up to scrutiny either historically or on a regional basis.
It is has been a common occurrence for envious
18 SEP 2017
How bad can the disruption be for passengers, when one of Britain's busiest railway stations is closed for more than three weeks?
Investment in Waterloo Station is welcome. But this major engineering work was a considerable challenge, particularly as the franchise
15 SEP 2017
Over half (54%) of tourism businesses in Kent believe that HS1 has specifically benefitted their own business. For every HS1 leisure journey made to Kent in 2016, £81 was added to Kent's local economy.
Almost 6,000 tourism sector jobs in Kent
14 SEP 2017
Speaking in the first session of yesterday's UK Rail Summit, entitled Is Franchising Working, FirstGroup chief executive Tim O'Toole said: "I represent the status quo. " Defending the current environment, he said its record on a range of statistics from
Network Rail chair Sir Peter Hendy opened the second session, on "The Challenges Facing Network Rail" by welcoming the secretary of state's remarks about better integration of track and train and said the organisation had been actively pursuing this aim.
"Under
London Transport Commissioner Mike Brown talked about priorities identified in the Mayor's Business Plan, covering five years, and Transport Strategy, looking 25 years ahead.
Improving suburban rail services would play a key part, he said. Concerning the argument for TfL taking
13 SEP 2017
Britain's railways have been in a constant state of flux since World War II, Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling told today's Transport Times UK Rail Summit.
Nationalisation had been followed by a succession of reorganisations, all attempts by the
11 SEP 2017
The Scottish media has been dominated by one story in recent weeks: The Queensferry Crossing. Whilst undoubtedly an amazing engineering feat, the bridge represents a worrying trend in Scottish transport of increasing priority for private cars ahead of public transport.
Public
6 SEP 2017
Securing a resilient road crossing of the Forth has been a political tightrope for 25 years so there are big celebrations about the opening of the iconic new Queensferry Crossing. The opening of the new bridge to traffic will provide
The Shortlist for the 2017 North of England Transport Awards has been announced.
We are delighted to say that we have once again received an overwhelming number of entries for this year's awards from right across the North of England.
4 SEP 2017
When not just one project, but a whole programme runs late and way beyond budget, there is only one option: blow the whistle and have a stand-still period. The Secretary of State was right to be shrill in the case
24 AUG 2017
There has been a lot of comment in the press over recent announcements from the Department of Transport. Firstly, and positively, the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling confirmed the HS2 Phase 2b routes from Crewe to Manchester, and from the West
21 AUG 2017
For the third consecutive year of our annual report on customer service and experience, public transport operators have come out as providing the worst customer experience.
Nearly four in 10 (38%) respondents cited public transport & train operators as one of
14 AUG 2017
How a train company handles their contact with passengers when things can go wrong can cement their view of the company. This applies to how they handle complaints. Handling complaints well can inspire trust. Most passengers are pragmatic and accept
9 AUG 2017
So, the age of the internal combustion engine is finally coming to a close: the game is up for diesel and petrol vehicles on British roads.
That's what the Government's new strategy for combatting air pollution would have you believe at
31 JUL 2017
The recent announcements from Chris Grayling on Crossrail 2 and rail electrification seem to have driven a divide between the North and South of England but if any investment is to be secured then unity needs to be the way
26 JUL 2017
Rail passengers in London and the South East and Scotland are more satisfied withtheir railway journeys after a long period of patchy performance.
Transport Focus's has just published the latest National Rail Passenger Survey which measured satisfaction of more than
21 JUL 2017
The Shortlist for the 2017 National Transport Awards has been announced.
We are delighted to say that we have received over 330 entries for this year's awards from right across the UK.
It is over 200 years since road pricing was first suggested but there are only three significant schemes in operation: London, Singapore & Stockholm. All are ongoing and popular, even though they cover only a small % of the city
18 JUL 2017
At last an agreement has been reached that will allow Elizabeth line (Crossrail) services to reach Heathrow's Terminal 5 from December 2019. The agreement the airport has reached with DfT and TfL will see two Elizabeth line trains an hour
14 JUL 2017
Why should roads be free to use at the point of use? We don't expect to use airports or railways without paying for them, but when we're on the roads we forget the cost of building and maintaining them –
10 JUL 2017
When things don't go to plan it is time for a new strategy. The realities of new technology, changing demography, rising fiscal stress, and evolving social attitudes are that most UK transport strategies need a fairly fundamental revamp. To create
5 JUL 2017
These are revolutionary times. The digital technology revolution is happening at break-neck speed, made possible only because those leading the charge are the millennial generation that grew up in a world mediated by mobile software systems, behind which the physical
3 JUL 2017
It's just over two years since Highways England came into being and we are making good progress, delivering what we committed to in our delivery plan and making our contribution towards growing the country's economy.
We continue to focus on our
28 JUN 2017
This was the week the NIC demonstrated it will be no docile pet of government, and unafraid to use its bark – and if necessary bite – to hold Ministers to account on infrastructure planning and delivery.
Coming after a Queen's
22 JUN 2017
Industry figures comment transport within the Queen's Speech
21 JUN 2017
The Mayor's Transport strategy is a breath of fresh air-and not just in a metaphorical way. It is visionary and robust. It gets the balance right between enticing Londoners to continue the shift away from car travel to more sustainable
19 JUN 2017
The Government's new plan sidesteps charging in clean air zones and, by focusing on emissions per vehicle rather than per passenger, proposes targeting vehicles in reverse order of the pollution they cause.
16 JUN 2017
The best of Scotland's transport industry were honoured last night at the 15th Annual Scottish Transport Awards, with 370 industry professionals in attendance. Hosted by writer, presenter and actor Sanjeev Kohli, the ceremony was held at the Radisson Blu Hotel
7 JUN 2017
The publication of general election manifestos naturally had us all poring over their details hunting for mentions of our pet projects. This is understandable insofar as big schemes like Crossrail 2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail have been pitched against one
5 JUN 2017
The need to consider the implications of Brexit for the transport sector will be one of the first issues the new Secretary of State must get to grips with.
Over the last few weeks, DfT officials will have prepared for all
30 MAY 2017
One of the main questions I've been asked this past week is what the party manifestos mean for the next generation of major transport infrastructure schemes, and for Crossrail 2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail in particular.
Northern Powerhouse Rail has so
22 MAY 2017
In a Brexit-dominated election, issues like transport will struggle to get noticed. But the next Government of whatever shape will face a number of transport challenges which can't be ducked or ignored.
The first is air pollution: how to clean up
15 MAY 2017
What will the election mean for Transport?
With the election approaching and a Conservative victory widely predicted, it is a good time to wonder what a popular mandate for "Mayism", unfettered by a slender Commons majority, might mean for transport...
8 MAY 2017
It's not widely appreciated how far Europe contributes to UK infrastructure planning and funding, but it will be necessary to create a structure to replace it by the time the UK leaves the EU.
For the next two years, the big
2 MAY 2017
The delay to the Government's response to the High Court ruling on air quality is a pity. Though the official line is that it has been delayed because of the election, it is a missed opportunity for the Government to
26 APR 2017
The UK Rail Summit due to take place on 4th May is being rescheduled due to pre-election purdah.
An annoucement on the new date will be made in due course.
14 APR 2017
DEFRA is due this month to publish its new Air Quality Plan. Government has already lost two court cases on this issue, so the pressure is on.
Concern over air quality is no longer just the preserve of environmental groups and
10 APR 2017
The Vehicle Technology and Aviation Bill seeks to prepare the ground for a future of driverless cars and electric vehicles as well as protecting pilots from the misuse of laser pointers, says John Hayes
Winston Churchill wrote that "the future is
6 APR 2017
The Shortlist for the 2017 Scottish Transport Awards has been announced and is available to download here.
In association with Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government, Transport Times has launched the Scottish Transport Summit which will be held alongside the Scottish Transport Awards on 15th June in Glasgow.
The aim of the Summit is to bring together key decision-makers, practitioners and thinkers
31 MAR 2017
Local Enterprise Partnerships have a big task on their hands. The last government gave them responsibility for distributing the Local Growth Fund, which brought together a number of funding streams from several Whitehall departments – much of it from transport
27 MAR 2017
Greener Journeys is pleased to be a sponsor of the Transport Knowledge Hub, which launches today at the LEP Annual Conference at the QEII in Westminster.
Transport is central to unlocking growth, which is why transport infrastructure investment accounts for such
20 MAR 2017
Rail privatisation led to an influx of new ideas. But the pace of progress has slowed. A return of the pioneering spirit is needed to meet the challenges the industry faces.
What is the future of transport? Is it Elon Musk's
13 MAR 2017
Current governance structures allow connectivity problems to be passed around rather than solved. Reforms to allow communities to take more control are overdue.
Connectivity is a widely stated goal, but not everyone is clear what connection they want. Electronic broadband connectivity
8 MAR 2017
A £690m competitive fund for tackling congestion was a surprise but welcome announcement in chancellor Philip Hammond's first Budget today.
The fund was one of a number of allocations from the £23bn National Productivity Investment Fund set up in last year's
6 MAR 2017
An incremental approach holds sway in investment decisions when a bolder approach such as total route modernisation would allow improvements to be introduced faster and more cost-effectively.
Like it or not, the rail sector is going to have to use the
3 MAR 2017
The best of London's transport industry were honoured last night at the 14th Annual London Transport Awards with 400 industry professionals in attendance. Hosted by Channel 4 News Presenter Cathy Newman the ceremony was held at the Park Plaza Riverbank
27 FEB 2017
The third UK Bus Summit earlier this month wavered between optimism and pessimism. There was confidence that features such as free Wi-Fi, USB chargers, real-time information and better-appointed interiors, together with bus priority measures, have the potential to attract new
20 FEB 2017
Research from Transport Focus discovered that road users accept that disruption is unavoidable if improvements are to be made to the road network – but only up to a point.
Is there a typical user on the strategic road network? Probably
13 FEB 2017
Traffic is rising fastest among lorries and vans rather than private cars, a result of retail and consumer trends. The challenge is to limit the increase without harming productivity.
Road traffic just keeps on growing, just like in the cheap oil
9 FEB 2017
Progress of the Bus Services Bill has been slower than expected, but the Government is committed to it becoming law before the mayoral elections in May, bus minister Andrew Jones told the third UK Bus Summit today.
But the Government would
6 FEB 2017
Buses are England's most used form of public transport, accounting for over 4.5 billion passenger journeys a year. Buses support our economy and connect our communities to the workplace, as well as to vital public services such as healthcare and
30 JAN 2017
The London Assembly transport commitee's dramatic intervention last week looked set to reignite the congestion charging debate.
Congestion has been rising again on the streets of the capital, fuelled by increasing numbers of delivery vans and private hire vehicles, and reallocation
23 JAN 2017
Transport for London is addressing demands from users for buses that are greener, more reliable, affordable and convenient.
London's bus network is crucial to how our capital city functions. It carries almost 2.4 billion passengers a year – more than all the
16 JAN 2017
Planning for the UK's long-term growth and prosperity will need an integrated approach to infrastructure, connecting railways with roads, ports, airports and freight depots
By setting out its preferred route for the second phase of HS2 earlier this month, the Government
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