Reports are claiming that funding for Transport for the North is set to be slashed, apparently as a result of TfN’s criticism of the government’s Integrated Rail Plan in November. There has been no official confirmation, but it is being said that although TfN had applied for £104.5 million to support the development of high speed rail over the coming year, it will receive only £1.5 million for ‘analytical support’. Its core funding is also being reduced from £10 million to £6.5 million, and there are fears that redundancies will follow.

Driverless Underground trains may be back on agenda

A long term funding settlement for Transport for London may only be agreed if the Mayor reconsiders the idea of driverless trains, it has been reported. The idea has already been examined, but critics have pointed out that the infrastructure of driverless metros is designed for automatic working, while the Underground’s deep tube lines could not be provided with necessary escape routes without very costly reconstruction.