INSIGHT

22 FEB 2019

3 TRENDS DRIVING CHANGE IN THE UK BUS SECTOR

At this month's UK Bus Summit, hosted by Transport Times, attendees were in agreement that the bus sector has to change if it is to serve the needs of modern society.

21 FEB 2019

EXCITING ADDITION TO THE UK RAIL SUMMIT AGENDA

We are delighted to announce that Keith Williams (Independent Chair, Williams Rail Review) has been added to the agenda for the UK Rail Summit

19 FEB 2019

PUTTING BUSES AT THE HEART OF AIR QUALITY

"Putting buses at the heart of air quality" was the theme of the fourth and final session of the UK Bus Summit earlier this month. David Fowler reports on this. 

18 FEB 2019

REMOVING THE BARRIERS

"Getting passengers on board buses" was the theme of the third session of the UK Bus Summit earlier this month. David Fowler reports on this. 

15 FEB 2019

AT THE CENTRE OF MOBILITY

"Why buses are central to the future of mobility" was the theme of the second session of the UK Bus Summit. David Fowler reports on this. 

14 FEB 2019

MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS

My mother learned to drive fairly late in life. Until I was in my teens she was happy to leave the driving to my father. But after she passed her test she said something that stuck with me: "up to

12 FEB 2019

MAKING BUSES BETTER WITH OPEN DATA

Taking the bus can have its stresses. Every passenger has stood in the rain worrying that their late bus isn't coming at all and asked: "why didn't I take the other option?"

11 FEB 2019

BUSES: LESSONS FROM ACROSS THE UK

Last week industry leaders came together for the fifth UK Bus Summit. In five years the annual conference has established itself a key date in the bus industry calendar.

8 FEB 2019

ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE BUS SECTOR

The rise of social media has resulted in the explosive growth in volume and influence of the younger generation. As the bus industry gathered for the UK Bus Summit this week so too should they take heed.

6 FEB 2019

MINISTER ANNOUNCES £48M FOR LOW EMISSION BUSES

Communities across the UK will benefit from over 260 new low emission buses, thanks to £48m funding from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles, transport minister Nusrat Ghani revealed today. She was speaking at the fifth annual UK Bus Summit,

5 FEB 2019

YOUNG PEOPLE ARE THE FUTURE OF BUS TRAVEL

Young people are the future of bus travel so it made absolute sense for us, as part of the Liverpool City Region Bus Alliance – a formal partnership between Merseytravel and the area's two largest bus operators, Arriva and Stagecoach-

4 FEB 2019

WILLIAMS RAIL REVIEW

Over the past 20 years, there has been considerable investment in infrastructure and rolling stock, and more emphasis has been placed on customer service ... yet too many people still do not get the service they deserve. Passenger satisfaction scores

1 FEB 2019

WHY BETTER PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ON TRANSPORT SCHEMES CREATES CHEERLEADERS AND IMPROVES WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

Like me, I'm sure many of you are ambassadors for the fantastic careers and opportunities the transport sector has to offer. We all know that transport plays an essential role in our everyday lives. From our daily commute, or to

30 JAN 2019

BUSES ARE THE ANSWER - BUT WE NEED TO PROVE IT

We all know how important buses are. With nearly 4.5bn bus journeys every year, it is the most commonly used form of public transport.

The problem is, it's the best kept secret. We need to change that.

29 JAN 2019

RAIL PASSENGER SATISFACTION – HOW IS YOUR TRAIN COMPANY DOING?

In the latest results from our National Rail Passenger Survey published this morning, overall satisfaction with passengers last journeys fell to 79 per cent, its lowest level since 2008.

28 JAN 2019

MORE MAJOR ROAD CAPACITY?

A key part of our national highway network is the Major Roads Network, rightly identified in a study by David Quarmby and Phil Carey for the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund in 2016 as being neglected territory and in need of

25 JAN 2019

LTAS 2019 - BUS OPERATOR AND RAIL OPERATOR OF THE YEAR SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED

The Shortlist for the Bus Operator of the Year and Rail Operator of the Year at the 2019 London Transport Awards has been announced and is available for download here.

24 JAN 2019

QUESTIONING HS2? REMEMBER TO ASK WHY

It's billed as the defining infrastructure project of a generation, the most ambitious scheme in Europe, and has always drawn cross-party support in parliament. How is it then, less than two years after Phase One secured Royal Assent, some claim

21 JAN 2019

HIGH SPEED RAIL

There is little new under the sun.

Recently, I read a post on LinkedIn by the CEO of a US affinity marketing agency in which he promoted the 'new' concept of issuing a memo setting out the issues prior to the

16 JAN 2019

BUSES FOR A STRONGER SOCIETY

The past few years have been a challenging time for the bus industry.

Against a background of declining passenger numbers, much of our energy has been engaged in debates around the nature of regulation, and what form of relationship we as

15 JAN 2019

SCOTTISH TRANSPORT SUMMIT RETURNS FOR 3RD CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Join us at the Grand Central Hotel on 13th June for the 3rd annual Scottish Transport Summit.

14 JAN 2019

HOW TO GET MORE, HAPPIER BUS PASSENGERS? CATCH THE DEBATE AT BUS SUMMIT 2019!

The Transport Focus national Bus Passenger Survey 2018 will be published in March and will include results for Scotland. It's expected to show broadly good levels of satisfaction (with some very good!) but it's a survey of those who are

11 JAN 2019

EFFECTIVE REGULATION AND MARKET GROWTH GO HAND IN HAND

Can the chaos at London airports from drone sightings be used as a prompt to encourage action on the long-debated topic of drone regulation? The July 2018 Flying High report by UK innovation champion Nesta, showed that the UK was

2 JAN 2019

JAMES BOND’S FUTURE TRANSPORT MISSION

As the last of the Christmas turkey is cleared away and we slump in front of the TV to while away the afternoon watching the traditional 007 film, we find ourselves daydreaming about James Bond's future transport ...

24 DEC 2018

EMBRACING UNCERTAINTY

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

LONDON TRANSPORT AWARDS 2019 - SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

The Shortlist for the 2019 London Transport Awards has been announced and is available for download here.

18 DEC 2018

ENTRIES OPEN FOR SCOTTISH TRANSPORT AWARDS 2019

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

CHANGING FUTURES: THE FUTURE OF CUSTOMER-CENTRIC TRANSPORTATION

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

THE FUTURE OF HYPERLOOP IN THE UK: CUTTING THROUGH THE HYPE

TRL, the Transport Research Laboratory, has completed an independent analysis into Hyperloop...

10 DEC 2018

THE ROAD TO INVESTMENT – LEVERAGING THE POTENTIAL OF OUR ECONOMIC CORRIDORS

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

UK RAIL SUMMIT: RETHINKING RAIL DELIVERY: COORDINATION, STRATEGIC DIRECTION AND CAPACITY GROWTH

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

AN OYSTER SPREAD SOUNDS NICE

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

MAKING MAJOR ROADS MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR DISABLED ROAD USERS

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

A CHRISTMAS GIFT: NORTHERN POWERHOUSE RAIL

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

TRANSPORT FOR NEW HOMES - ARE WE BUILDING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OR MINI-AMERICA?

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

THE FUTURE OF ASSET MANAGEMENT

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

HOW PLANNING AS A PARENT HELPS ME PLAN LONDON’S TRANSPORT

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

INVESTMENT IN TRANSPORT INVOLVES MUCH MORE THAN PUBLIC SPENDING

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

DOES HIGHWAYS ENGLAND DELIVER FOR ITS FREIGHT AND COACH CUSTOMERS?

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

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT: THE KEY TO UNLOCKING THE BENEFITS OF NEW HOUSING

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

BUSES – NOW HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS

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

A NEW GUIDING MIND FOR RAIL

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

REACTION TO TRANSPORT IN 2018 BUDGET

Key figures from the Transport Industry respond to the 2018 Budget

29 OCT 2018

TECHNOLOGY

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

TFL IS PLANNING SIGNIFICANT CUTS IN BUS SERVICES AND NOW ACKNOWLEDGES CYCLING AS A CAUSE OF LONDON RIDERSHIP DECLINE

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

GETTING ON THE FRONT FOOT: HOW THE TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS INDUSTRY CAN PREPARE FOR BREXIT

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

A MISBEGOTTEN MOTORWAY?

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

LIFETIME CONTRIBUTION TO TRANSPORT AWARD GOES TO STEPHEN JOSEPH OBE

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

CORNWALL COUNCIL'S NIGEL BLACKLER SCOOPS 'OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO LOCAL TRANSPORT AWARD' 

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

TRANSPORT SCOTLAND'S ROY BRANNEN AWARDED 'OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO TRANSPORT AWARD' 

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

CELEBRATING THE BEST IN TRANSPORT AT 18TH ANNUAL NATIONAL TRANSPORT AWARDS

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

FIVE KEY STEPS TO STARTING A MAAS MOVEMENT

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

EASY RIDE FOR RAIL INDUSTRY ON COMPENSATION CLAIMS

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

RENATIONALISATION MAY BE EASIER THAN PEOPLE THINK

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

OPERATING COST REDUCTION: DELIVERING MORE FOR LESS

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

ARISE METROPOLITAN BRITAIN

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

A MISSION FOR THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY

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

FIXING A BROKEN RAILWAY AND CONNECTING HEATHROW – WINDSOR LINK RAILWAY

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

WHY CAN'T UK RAIL BE MORE LIKE JOHN LEWIS & PARTNERS?

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

TORY RAIL REVIEW 3.0 - GRAYLING MUST EITHER CONFRONT THE RAILWAY ‘BLOB’, OR SETTLE FOR MORE OF THE SAME

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

LONDON TRANSPORT AWARDS 2019 - ENTRIES OPEN!

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

IMAGINABLE

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

DAY IN THE LIFE OF A TRANSPORT PLANNER - HARRIET GLEN

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

HOW TO MAKE A SUCCESS OF A MAJOR TIMETABLE CHANGE

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

SAFELY DOES IT - INCREASING THE SPEED LIMIT THROUGH ROADWORKS

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

TAKING STOCK: THE IMPACT OF TRANSFORMATION IN THE UK ROLLING STOCK MARKET

Of all parts of the GB rail supply chain, it is arguably the rolling st.ock leasing and supply market that...

14 AUG 2018

SOCIAL MOBILITY IN THE TRANSPORT SECTOR, AN INTERVIEW WITH TFL

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

HOW TO BECOME A TRANSPORT PLANNER: HARD HATS, HI-VIS AND HOUMOUS

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

CAN WE FIND A PLACE FOR E-SCOOTERS?

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

MAKING BRITAIN THE BEST CONNECTED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD

The UK's transport infrastructure is holding us back...

31 JUL 2018

TIMETABLE MELTDOWN

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

THE JAPANESE TRANSPORT EXPERIENCE

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

2018 NATIONAL TRANSPORT AWARDS SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

The Shortlist for the 2018 National Transport Awards has been announced and is available for download here.

23 JUL 2018

LEADING THE WAY FOR WOMEN

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

THE ROLE OF TICKETING TECHNOLOGY IN THE RISE OF MOBILITY-AS-A-SERVICE

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

MANAGING RISKS AND REWARDS FOR BETTER TRANSPORT

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

WHERE ARE ALL THE FEMALE TRANSPORT PLANNERS?

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

DEFINED ZONES WHERE AIR-QUALITY-RELATED RESTRICTIONS

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

REAFFIRMING OUR COMMITMENT TO RAIL PASSENGERS AND BUSINESSES IN THE NORTH

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

OUTSTANDING TRANSPORT PROJECTS AND INDIVIDUALS CELEBRATED AT THE 2018 SCOTTISH TRANSPORT AWARDS

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

SIX OF THE BEST – HOW TO IMPROVE THE OUTLOOK FOR BUS PASSENGERS.

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

CONNECTED, LIVEABLE CITY REGIONS

The final session at the UK Transport Infrastructure Summit considered the question of how to pay for properly connected, liveable cities...

4 JUN 2018

THEMES FOR TRANSPORT IN THE NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE ASSESSMENT

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

THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF FREEZING FUEL DUTY

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

HOW SMART TRANSPORT CAN REDUCE INFRASTRUCTURE PRESSURES

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

MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

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

NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE ASSESSMENT WILL BE “GROUND-BREAKING”

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

BRITAIN’S PLACE IN EUROPEAN TRANSPORT

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

BLOCKCHAIN IS THE IDEAL SYSTEM TO UNDERPIN THE UK’S DIGITAL RAILWAY STRATEGY

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

BRITAIN IS READY

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

WHEN A LOT OF SALT IS GOOD FOR YOU

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

BETTER FUNDED TRANSPORT DEPENDS ON BUILDING RESILIENT CONNECTIONS

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

ELECTRIC VEHICLES - THE FOUR 'R'S

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 LOW EMISSION ZONE - A SCOTTISH TRANSPORT SUMMIT BLOG

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

PRIVATELY FINANCING RAIL ENHANCEMENTS: GOVERNMENT’S LATEST PUSH

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

BENEATH THE CAUTION RADICALISM LURKS

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

SCOTTISH TRANSPORT AWARDS 2018 SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

The shortlist for the 2018 Scottish Transport Awards has been announced and is available for download here.

13 MAR 2018

INTERURBAN BUSES AGAIN

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

DRIVING UK LEADERSHIP IN CONNECTED AND AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

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

ENHANCED DATA ABOUT NETWORKS COULD ENABLE BROADER TRANSPORT BENEFITS

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

INTERURBAN BUSES - REALITY RATHER THAN HOPE

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

15TH ANNUAL LONDON TRANSPORT AWARDS RECOGNISES THE INNOVATIVE TRANSPORT PROJECTS ACROSS THE CAPITAL

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

SHAPING POLICY THROUGH PARTNERSHIP: LOW EMISSION BUS WORKSHOP GLASGOW

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

IS IT WISE TO BE SAYING: “DIESEL POWER? NO THANKS” ?

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

BE A LIFE CHANGER, BE AN ENGINEER

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

LAND VALUE CAPTURE: A ‘WIN-WIN’ FOR TRANSPORT INVESTMENT?

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

INTERURBANS SURVIVE AND PROSPER

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

IDENTIFYING AND CAPTURING THE WIDER BENEFITS OF NEW TRANSPORT SCHEMES

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

WHAT IMPACT WILL DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY HAVE ON THE BUS SECTOR?

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

WHY BUSES ARE CENTRAL TO CITY ECONOMIES

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

THE ROAD MAP TO ZERO EMISSIONS

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

THE ROLE OF THE BUS IN REDUCING EMISSIONS

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

20 COUNCILS TO SHARE £40M BUS RETROFIT FUND

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

BUILDING TRUST BY MATCHING THE DETAIL OF DELIVERY WITH THE PROMISE TO CUSTOMERS

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

THE BUS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART OF EVERY COMMUNITY..

UK BUS SUMMIT 2018 | 8TH FEBRUARY | LONDON
David 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

WE MUST SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY ON AIR QUALITY

UK BUS SUMMIT 2018 | 8TH FEBRUARY | LONDON
Giles 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

SUCCESSFUL BUS SERVICES ALCHEMY? - BUS SUMMIT TO STIR THE POT!

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

THE PARTNERSHIP RAILWAY IN ACTION – DELIVERING PROJECTS ON TIME AND ON BUDGET

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

MAJOR CITIES NATIONWIDE ARE KEY TO BOOSTING PRODUCTIVITY AND RE-BALANCING THE ECONOMY

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

SHOULD CARS GET SPECIAL TREATMENT WHEN BUSES ARE DRIVING A CLEANER FUTURE?

UK BUS SUMMIT 2018 | 8TH FEBRUARY | LONDON

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

HEATHROW PLANS TO TAKE-OFF?

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

MAKING FARES FAIR AGAIN

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

BUSES AND DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY

UK BUS SUMMIT 2018 | 8TH FEBRUARY | LONDON

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

SETTING OUR DIRECTION FOR THE FUTURE

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.

20 DEC 2017

TURNING TRAVEL DATA INTO HARD CASH

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

LONDON TRANSPORT AWARDS 2018 SHORTLIST REVEALED

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

TRANSPORT INVESTMENT UNDER UNCERTAINTY

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

SECRETARY OF STATE ACTS TO SHORE-UP FRANCHISE MODEL WITH HINTS OF DEEPER REFORM TO COME

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

GETTING TO THE ROOT CAUSES OF ROAD CRASHES

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

THE END OF THE LINE

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

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT & INNOVATION REWARDED AT THE 2017 NORTH OF ENGLAND TRANSPORT AWARDS CEREMONY

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 FUTURE IS TRANSPORT

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

PASSENGERS OF THE FUTURE – HOW TO GET YOUNG PEOPLE USING THE BUS

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

SAFETY DOES IT

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

REACTION TO TRANSPORT IN AUTUMN STATEMENT 2017

(Image Source: Getty)

Key industry figures comment on transport within the Autumn budget 2017

20 NOV 2017

WHAT BREXIT CAN LEARN FROM TRANSPORT

'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

WHY THE EURO VI BUS IS ESSENTIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF CLEAN AIR ZONES

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

LIVERPOOL CITY REGION BUS ALLIANCE: 12 MONTHS ON

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

A REAL PARTNERSHIP IS NEEDED FOR GROWTH: THE RAILWAY IS NO EXCEPTION

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

NATIONAL ROAD AND RAIL BUDGETS GO THEIR SEPARATE WAYS

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

AVIATION INDUSTRY NEEDS URGENT CLARITY FROM THE GOVERNMENT ON EXPANSION AND BREXIT

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

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

A STEP CHANGE FOR AIR QUALITY

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

BRIDGE STRIKES ARE A LOCAL ISSUE BUT NEED A NATIONWIDE APPROACH

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

INSPIRING TRANSPORT PROJECTS REWARDED AT NATIONAL TRANSPORT AWARDS CEREMONY

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

TRANS-PENNINE REALITIES

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

IMPROVING PUBLIC TRANSPORT ACCESS TO LONDON'S AIRPORTS

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

FUTURE-PROOFING THE EV REVOLUTION

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

UBER AND TFL ARE NOT AS DIFFERENT AS THEY SEEM

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

TIME FOR A CAPITAL REGION TRANSPORT BODY?

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

DRIVING FORWARD THE TRANSPORT KNOWLEDGE HUB

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

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES!

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

WE MUSTN'T MAKE TRANSPORT INVESTMENT INTO A LONDON V THE NORTH BATTLE

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 DID PASSENGERS GET ON DURING THE WATERLOO UPGRADE WORK?

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

HS1 ADDS £72 MILLION TO KENT ECONOMY IN 2016 AS LEISURE JOURNEYS INCREASE NINE-FOLD

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

IS FRANCHISING WORKING?

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

14 SEP 2017

CHALLENGES FOR NETWORK RAIL

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

14 SEP 2017

PRIORITIES FOR RAIL IN THE UK

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

CHRIS GRAYLING HAILS A RAIL RENAISSANCE

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

TIME FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT TO TAKE PRIORITY

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