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.
24 DEC 2018
It's that time of year, when we look ahead and try to predict what the future will hold. 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of SYSTRA in the UK, across the company we've been thinking about the future and what it
20 DEC 2018
The Shortlist for the 2019 London Transport Awards has been announced and is available for download here.
18 DEC 2018
The entry process for the Scottish Transport Awards 2019 is now open. Entries will be accepted online until Friday 15th February 2019.
17 DEC 2018
Across all sectors, we have seen customer expectations increase dramatically over the past few years. Indeed, areas of service that once delighted customers and gave them a 'wow' moment, are often now seen as the bare minimum service offer with
11 DEC 2018
TRL, the Transport Research Laboratory, has completed an independent analysis into Hyperloop...
10 DEC 2018
For centuries, some of the world's most successful settlements have been built around critical linear infrastructure – rivers, canals, roads and railway lines.
6 DEC 2018
Transport Times is delighted to announce that The UK Rail Summit will take place in association with KPMG on 13th March 2019. It will be held at the KPMG offices in Canary Wharf, London.
4 DEC 2018
As Mike Brown says, TfL expects to be no longer accept paper-based travel cards within 5-10 years and see Oyster card usage decline as more people switch to paying with bankcards or mobile phones
29 NOV 2018
Today we published new research that shines a much-needed light upon the experience of disabled road users, explains how much can be done to make the road system more inclusive, and widens the discussion on making transport accessible beyond the
27 NOV 2018
Is it too early to start talking about Christmas? I only ask because the Chancellor – not someone usually confused with Santa Claus – has just announced in his Autumn budget statement a £37m boost for development of Northern Powerhouse
21 NOV 2018
In the 1970s whilst still at school, I became interested in what made for a successful suburb. We lived in North West London in the heart of Metroland and I travelled to school by London Transport.
19 NOV 2018
Advances in technology, data and analytics have paved the way for smarter, faster and more robust decisions, but are asset-intensive organisations in the transport industry ready for digital transformation?
12 NOV 2018
Having worked as a transport planner in variety of positions at Transport for London (TfL) for the past eight years, I have experience in different fields, from road safety and transport management to survey design and data analysis.
8 NOV 2018
In mid-October the Institution' of Civil Engineers launched their 2018 state of the nation report on infrastructure funding. This report came a few days after the Department for Transport closed their current consultation on their transport appraisal methods to inform
6 NOV 2018
Look around you. Virtually everything you can see has been delivered on a truck. The efficient distribution of freight becomes more important by the day as online shopping booms.
5 NOV 2018
There is widespread consensus that as a country we need to build significantly more homes if we are going to address the national housing crisis; to the tune of some 300,000 per year. At the same time, the role of
2 NOV 2018
To the extent that there is any media coverage of buses, it tends to be bad news. The stories are about cuts in services leaving people isolated, declining use and fares increases. I've helped contribute to this over time –
31 OCT 2018
The organisational structure of the UK's railways is no longer working. Passengers have endured 18 months of turmoil, culminating in the May timetable chaos. Secretary of State Chris Grayling has ordered a "root and branch" review.
30 OCT 2018
Key figures from the Transport Industry respond to the 2018 Budget
29 OCT 2018
What do we all know about new technology? It was a question I found myself musing on whilst at the recent Transport Technology Forum gathering in sunny Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
26 OCT 2018
Bus use in London has now fallen c 8-10% from its quarterly peak in Q1 January-March 2014 to the latest data covering the period until June 2018.
24 OCT 2018
Developments over the last few days highlight the complexities of agreeing the terms of the UK's exit from the European Union, never mind establishing our future political and economic relationships. The chances of a "No Deal", or an acceptable deal
22 OCT 2018
The battle of Otmoor raged in 1980 and resulted in the M40 taking a swerve around it. It is a Nature Reserve managed by RSPB, and lies astride the 'east of Oxford' options for the planned Oxford-Cambridge Expressway (a motorway
19 OCT 2018
Last Thursday the transport industry gathered to recognise and celebrate the organisations and people who have made a real difference in the past 12 months.
The judges nominated a number of individual winners including Stephen Joseph OBE who took away the
17 OCT 2018
In his role as Service Director for Transport and Infrastructure Nigel has led the successful application for a 4 year Public Service Obligation to support the Newquay to London air service, and the Cornwall Rail Improvements Package.
15 OCT 2018
The 'Outstanding Contribution to National Transport' honour was awarded to Transport Scotland's Chief Executive Roy Brannen.
Roy took over as Chief Executive in November 2015 after having held several different positions in the Scottish Government since joining in 1999. He is
12 OCT 2018
The best of the Nation's transport industry were honoured last night at the 18th Annual National Transport Awards at the Westminster Park Plaza in London. Hosted by former Broadcaster and Presenter Jeremy Vine, the awards attracted over 600 senior transport
10 OCT 2018
It doesn't take governments, city authorities or academics to tell us our cities are getting increasingly congested and, consequently, trickier to navigate. We are all witness to gridlocked roads, inefficient train timetabling, overcrowded subway systems and backed up buses. And
3 OCT 2018
The email pinged into my inbox. The money pinged into my account. Virgin trains compensation for the delay to my train to Manchester, really easy just the way it should be. Of course, this type of automatic compensation only works
27 SEP 2018
The stock response to Labour's ongoing left turn is to cite "a return to the failed policies of the 1970s" and to calculate the enormous costs of acquiring the equity of the companies targeted. This kind of commentary then goes
26 SEP 2018
The UK is a market leader in maximising the intensity with which our transport assets are utilised. Over recent decades we have worked to squeeze ever more capacity out of our transport infrastructure – whether it be London's Underground system,
24 SEP 2018
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy fans know the answer is usually 42, but this year's National Infrastructure Assessment goes one better. It wants £43bn spent on transport in regional cities to improve productivity, reduce congestion and underpin growth in housing
21 SEP 2018
The pace of change in the UK's mobility landscape is arguably at its fastest ever. New forms of transport are emerging, and customer expectations are continually being redefined by experiences that would once have been unimaginable.
19 SEP 2018
The British railway network is littered with bad planning decisions. For all the vim and technical precocity of the Victorian era's market-led approach to railway construction, Britain's rail network has remained a series of unconnected lines and branches leaving a
17 SEP 2018
John Lewis is an imperfect but interesting template for the UK Rail industry
John Lewis has long been one of Britain's most admired companies. Like much of Britain's middle class I sleep on John Lewis sheets, eat Waitrose food and look
12 SEP 2018
The announcement that the DfT is considering yet another "fundamental review" of the UK's rail architecture was, perhaps, an inevitable response to a summer of timetable problems amidst the populist appeal of Labour demands for full-scale renationalisation of the sector.
5 SEP 2018
The entry process for the London Transport Awards 2019 is now open. Entries will be accepted online until Friday 19th October 2018.
Now in their 16th year, the London Transport Awards are supported by Transport for London, London councils, London TravelWatch
30 AUG 2018
One of my favourite films is the Player (less than a fiver on Amazon – a bargain) a darkly humorous look at what it takes to get on in the film industry; working in production rather than as an actor.
28 AUG 2018
What was your path into transport planning?
My first taste of transport planning was through joining the transport planning graduate scheme at Transport for London in 2013, shortly after graduating in Geography from Durham University. It wasn't hard to motivate myself
24 AUG 2018
Soon enough, we will get an official report from the ORR on what went wrong with the major timetabling changes made in May this year.
22 AUG 2018
There's a certain amount of risk that comes with roads; driving 1.5 tonnes of metal at 70mph is an activity we should never take lightly.
We and our supply chain work in and around this environment and all understand the care
20 AUG 2018
Of all parts of the GB rail supply chain, it is arguably the rolling st.ock leasing and supply market that...
14 AUG 2018
There is an assumption that if you work for Transport for London (TfL), then you must be a Tube driver, Ticket Inspector or a Customer Services Assistant. To some extent, this is unsurprising – these are the jobs at TfL
8 AUG 2018
There are many transport planners who end up in the profession and wonder how they got there. But there are also transport planners who chose the profession deliberately.
6 AUG 2018
Having swept through the USA, and now available on a dockless hire basis in Paris and in at least four German cities, e-scooters have much to offer. In the States, they are seen as a solution to the 'last mile
2 AUG 2018
The UK's transport infrastructure is holding us back...
31 JUL 2018
How has the rail industry managed to turn a good news story into the #timetablecrisis? The current chaos on Thameslink, Great Northern and Northern is deeply frustrating for passengers. Passengers need a stable timetable – one they can rely to
27 JUL 2018
Japan is famed for its high speed Shinkansen bullet trains, but it is not so well-known for the consistent high quality of all its transport, from conventional trains, through tramways and buses to taxis.
25 JUL 2018
The Shortlist for the 2018 National Transport Awards has been announced and is available for download here.
23 JUL 2018
Women in construction are a minority, making up around 14 per cent of construction industry professionals. However, Kimberly is leading the way for women in construction through an apprenticeship with Transport for London (TfL). After completing her Level 3 in
10 JUL 2018
Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a new mobility model that relies on digital platforms to integrate end-to-end trip planning, booking, electronic ticketing, and payment services across all modes of transportation in an urban setting. It is a marked departure
5 JUL 2018
How is the risk of transport failure managed? From a bus breaking down to a major bridge failure, the resilience of transport systems depends on clear allocation of responsibilities for coping with each contingency. As the final statements are made
27 JUN 2018
I began writing this piece thinking romantically of the Waterloo Bridge (my favourite of all the London Bridges). I had been told from an early age (by parents who told me and my two siblings that whatever your gender you
25 JUN 2018
I have, on occasion, been accused of being cynical. Sometimes I have felt this to be unduly harsh criticism, but other times it is a badge I wear with honour - so long as we are talking about 'cynical' defined
18 JUN 2018
On Tuesday 12 June 2018, members of the Transport for the North partnership board met in Manchester to discuss the issues regarding rail service disruption across the network operated by Northern.
15 JUN 2018
The people and organisations that make a real difference to transport across Scotland were recognised at the 2018 Scottish Transport Awards last night. Attended by over 450 industry professionals, the ceremony was hosted by comedian and radio presenter Fred MacAulay
11 JUN 2018
It is clear that the bus sector is facing some very strong challenges as a result of changing societal trends and continued growth in car ownership outside London. These trends are likely to continue to create a drag on bus
6 JUN 2018
The final session at the UK Transport Infrastructure Summit considered the question of how to pay for properly connected, liveable cities...
4 JUN 2018
The whole of session three was devoted to the National Infrastructure Commission, which used the opportunity to survey delegates' opinions on three key questions to feed into the forthcoming National Infrastructure Assessment.
1 JUN 2018
Increasing costs for road users is politically difficult. This is one of the reasons why we have had seven years and eight consecutive budgets where fuel duty has been frozen at a time of historically low oil prices and
31 MAY 2018
In the second session at the UK Transport Infrastructure Summit, last week, speakers focused on digital technology and how smart transport can reduce infrastructure.
David Fowler reports on the session below...
29 MAY 2018
Last week's UK Transport Infrastructure Summit offered key delivery organisations the opportunity to communicate what they see as their priorities for major infrastructure projects within the UK.
David Fowler breaks down our first session below
23 MAY 2018
In a few weeks time the National Infrastructure Commission will publish its first National Infrastructure Assessment."It will be truly ground-breaking, offering an analysis of the UK's long-term needs, assessing national policy and looking across several key sectors," promised commission
22 MAY 2018
With the current UK political scene dominated by discussion of Brexit and the implications that this will have on building a Britain fit for the future, it is easy to forget that in the transport sector, there are things that
17 MAY 2018
Away from the volatile spotlight of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is the distributed ledger system that allows these digital economies to function. Blockchain is about trust and transparency – and features prominently as an important technology and innovation trend that
8 MAY 2018
Good transport infrastructure underpins economic growth. That's why this conference is so timely.
Britain has never needed direct connections to the growing economies of the world more than it does today. In coming weeks the UK Parliament is expected to
1 MAY 2018
I'm not a health expert so I'm not qualified to talk about the benefits of salt intake in the body. As director of Operations at Highways England, however, I can tell you about the challenges we faced during the winter,
30 APR 2018
In an uncertain and fast changing world, resilience has never been more important for the transport system. Recent events show that transport systems are far from being fail safe and that much more could be done to make the case
24 APR 2018
I like electric vehicles – cars and motorcycles. I've driven and ridden quite a few over the last decade or more. And here I'm simply speaking about the driving experience, rather than extolling their environmental qualities. Smooth and quiet for
23 APR 2018
Glasgow City Council's Convener for Sustainability and Carbon Reduction, Cllr Anna Richardson will be speaking in the Scottish Transport Summit. Below she gives an insight into what might be discussed.
16 APR 2018
Following its reclassification to the Government Balance Sheet, the days of Network Rail delivering billions of pounds worth of investment each year, financed by borrowing against its regulatory asset base are gone. Indeed, whilst DfT has allocated £10bn of funds
10 APR 2018
When I was at the DfT a decade ago, the main activity late on a Friday afternoon was a call from the likes of the Sunday Times demanding comment on the latest transport controversy. This would invariable spark a search
21 MAR 2018
The shortlist for the 2018 Scottish Transport Awards has been announced and is available for download here.
13 MAR 2018
You wait a long time for an article on interurban bus, dear reader, and then three turn up in just a few weeks.
At a time when bus use elsewhere is declining and services are being cut back, the interurban segment
12 MAR 2018
Not a day goes by without further news of new trials and technology advancements in respect of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) and the associated potential for platooning and ride sharing. And yet, for the average person, the advent of
8 MAR 2018
In the latest Scottish Transport Statistics published in February there is an interesting analysis of the patronage at railway stations opened since 1970. The context in 1970 was of a railway network that had seen decades of falling patronage. In
5 MAR 2018
Jim Steer makes a strong case for the Interurban bus but in reality the situation in the UK is far from ideal. For every high quality, frequent service like the 36 from Leeds to Harrogate and Ripon there are dozens
2 MAR 2018
The most inspiring projects and organisations across London's transport industry were honoured last night at the London Transport Awards with 350 industry professionals in attendance. The night marked the 15 year anniversary of the ceremony and was hosted by Leon
28 FEB 2018
The LowCVP is hosting a Low Emission Bus Workshop in Glasgow on the 8th March in collaboration with Glasgow City Council and Transport Scotland. The free event is aimed at local authorities and bus operators wishing to learn more about
26 FEB 2018
It is a great pity that the world is not a more straightforward place. Complexity is the bane of the soundbite era. It confounds the politicians and the policy-makers for whom the holy grail is a simple, single, ideally affordable,
23 FEB 2018
Good engineering changes people's lives for the better. Almost every product and service we use in life has an engineering content to some extent. Fundamentally, it is at the core of what we do at Highways England.
22 FEB 2018
Last month on this blog, my KPMG colleague Ian Clarke alluded to the role of Land Value Capture (LVC) in supporting investment in urban transport infrastructure to boost productivity and re-balance the economy. He pointed to the windfall gains on
21 FEB 2018
Not all bus services are in decline. Quality scheduled buses operating between major towns and some cities – call them interurban – are doing well. And their role, especially in providing connectivity for smaller and more remote places, is overlooked.
19 FEB 2018
The critical role of transport infrastructure in supporting economic growth is widely recognised by politicians and policymakers alike. Yet we still face significant challenges in both funding new projects and in persuading decision makers that the full benefits of transport
15 FEB 2018
David Fowler reports on the fourth session at last week's UK Bus Summit - 'What impact will disruptive technology have on the bus sector?', chaired by Anthony Smith, Chief Executive, Transport Focus.
13 FEB 2018
David Fowler reports on the third session at last week's UK Bus Summit - 'Why buses are central to city economies', chaired by Professor David Begg.
10 FEB 2018
David Fowler reports on the second session 'The road map to zero emissions', chaired by Anthony Smith of Transport Focus, at yesterday's UK Bus Summit 2018.
9 FEB 2018
Yesterday's UK Bus Summit gave key industry professionals the time to examine why buses are an integral part of the solution to Clean Air Zones (CAZs) rather than the problem. The event gave speakers and delegates the opportunity to disseminate
8 FEB 2018
In her first formal speech since joining the DfT, new transport minister Nusrat Ghani announced £40m of funding to allow 20 local authorities to retrofit buses with clean technology. Speaking at the UK Bus Summit at London's QEII Centre today,
2 FEB 2018
What would transport systems look like if they were designed by users? From the Carillion collapse to controversy about bus and rail fare rises, the public discourse in 2018 has been more about who should deliver transport infrastructure and services,
1 FEB 2018
UK BUS SUMMIT 2018 | 8TH FEBRUARY | LONDONDavid Brown, Chief Executive, Go-Ahead: The bus is such an important part of every community
David Brown will be speaking at the event next month, in a session on the the role
29 JAN 2018
UK BUS SUMMIT 2018 | 8TH FEBRUARY | LONDONGiles Fearnley, Managing Director, First Bus: We must seize the opportunity on air quality
Giles Fearnley will be speaking in a session entitled 'The road map to emissions' and below he discusses
26 JAN 2018
UK BUS SUMMIT 2018 | 8TH FEBRUARY | LONDON
Anthony Smith will be chairing two of the sessions at the UK Bus Summit next month. Below, in his blog he discusses the relationship between local authorities and bus companies in order
24 JAN 2018
It was very exciting to be present at the reopening of the new London Bridge station a few weeks ago. Not only is it a widely-acclaimed piece of architecture, it is part of the railway's long-term plan for change that
22 JAN 2018
Many of the most productive jobs are in our major cities, so the 'north – south' question is framed too crudely. The debate should be about how we make all of our major cities as productive as they can be...
19 JAN 2018
Claire Haigh will be speaking at the event next month, in a session on the role of the bus in reducing emissions. Below, in her blog she gives a brief foresight into
16 JAN 2018
Starting the New Year with a bang, Heathrow are set to kick-off a public consultation on plans for its expansion. Supporters and opponents will be watching carefully. The battle is now start in earnest.
On 17th January, Heathrow Airport Limited will,
15 JAN 2018
Understandably, most rail sector people are anxious about the consequences of major re-organisation under a Labour Government committed to a "fully integrated railway in public ownership".
But the party's rail policy adviser, Ian Taylor, argues that fragmentation has been damaging and
12 JAN 2018
Paul Buchanan will be speaking at the event next month, in a session on the impact disruptive technology may have on the bus sector. Below, in his blog he gives a brief
3 JAN 2018
Since Highways England became a Government Company in 2015 we have completed 18 schemes on or ahead of schedule and have a further 15 major projects currently in construction.
Within the £15bn Road Investment Strategy we have some specific designated funds.
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