Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Tuesday, 18 February 2025

BBC News

• Appeal to keep 'only bus route linking two towns'Stourbridge MP Cat Eccles leads calls for the continuation of a bus service which is set to end.
• Holyhead port set to fully reopen on 1 JulyThe port owners say it hopes the second berth will be back open by 1 July
• No 20mph roads to revert to 30mph, council saysThe authority says its "top priority is the safety of all our residents and visitors".
• Drivers to get fines for parking outside schoolsThe Safe Haven Outside Schools pilot will see penalty fines of £35, which double after 14 days.
• Reeves' intervention in car loans case rejectedThe UK's highest court has rejected the Treasury's attempts to intervene in the landmark case.

Department for Transport

• New rail watchdog to give passengers a voice and hold railway to accountHave your say on how new Great British Railways (GBR) will work to provide reliable services for passengers across the country.
• New funding to help create the next generation of aviators and boost the economyLatest round of Reach for the Sky programme awarded £810,000 to 16 organisations across the UK.

Financial Times

• All 80 on board safe after Delta plane flips over on landing at TorontoRegional jet crash injures 19 on flight from Minneapolis but no fatalities reported

The Guardian

• E-scooters blamed for big jump in children caught in UK driving without insuranceHundreds of teenagers have been given an IN10 police endorsement since 2020, says road safety charityElectric scooters have been blamed for a surge in the number of children being penalised for driving without insurance.Since the start of 2020 almost 800 children aged between 13 and 16 have been given an IN10 endorsement – the code used by the police for “using a vehicle uninsured against third party risks” – according to data obtained by a road safety charity. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Consultation on rail reforms to openThe plans will include the creation of a public sector body called Great British Railways. The plans, which have previously been announced, include the creation of Great British Railways, a public sector body which will manage rail infrastructure and train operation, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

The Telegraph

• Train crashed into scrap rails left on track by 'unsupervised' workers [subscription]Maintenance crews left a piece of scrap rail across the South West Main Line causing a partial derailment that shut the link for a day

The Mirror

• Inside the Delta miracle escape for 80 passengers in Toronto crash before plane 'exploded'A passenger filmed remarkable footage of people being helped from a Delta Airlines plane that was upside down on the runway at Toronto Pearson Airport after flipping upside-down on landing

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Failed emission technology leads to high pollution levels on major Bradford roadsTECHNOLOGY that was supposed to reduce emissions from Bradford’s buses has “contributed significantly to the exceedance of legal pollution limits” in parts of Bradford.

Bristol Live

• Airport accused of 'doing nothing about climate change' as plans are revealedBristol Airport's Master Plan to 2040 sets out proposals to increase passenger capacity
• Motorists blame 'inadequate signage' as 2,000 tickets issued in new 20mph zoneThere were 60 times more speeding offences recorded on St John's Lane outside The Brunel pub in just a few weeks after the limit was dropped from 30mph to 20mph

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow expansion branded 'criminal' as fourth-generation Sipson villagers fear homes will be destroyedVillagers in Sipson have lived in the shadow of Heathrow airport for decades. As new expansion plans are unveiled, locals once again fear losing their homes
• Train derailed at 85mph after workmen left piece of track in 'hazardous' positionThe South Western Railway train was carrying approximately 100 passengers at the time of the collision in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey

The York Press

• Government commits £15m to safeguard National Railway Museum expansion plansThe Government has committed £15 million to the expansion of the National Railway Museum - and to help ensure the future of the wider York Central development.

Yorkshire Post

• Merit in the idea of sharing the risk on reopening costs for Doncaster Sheffield AirportWith the financial risk becoming increasingly apparent when it comes to reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), the suggestion by the Tories on Doncaster Council merits serious consideration.

Burnley Express

• Fleet of new minibuses to tackle costs of £55m will not be on road until OctoberA fleet of new minibuses bought by Lancashire County Council to help bring down school transport costs will not come into service until October – more than a year after it was ordered.

Other Regional Press

• Government unveils plans for 'powerful passenger watchdog'THE Government has today announced what it describes as a 'landmark rail reform bill' that will establish a new passenger watchdog.

New Civil Engineer

• Network Rail fined £3.75M for safety failings leading to fatal 2019 incidentNetwork Rail has been fined £3.75M and ordered to pay costs of £175,000 after pleading guilty to breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 relating to the deaths of two lineside workers in 2019.
• Great British Railways to be operational by late 2026 'at the earliest'The new state-owned UK rail operator Great British Railways (GBR) will be fully operational by late 2026 'at the earliest' due to the scale and complexity of the required reforms, transport secretary Louise Haigh has said.

Rail Advent

• Over 150,000 customers choose new Pay As You Go rail ticketing in WalesTransport for Wales say that more than 150,000 passengers have used the Pay As You Go ticketing system in South Wales.

Rail Business Daily

• New rail watchdog to 'give passengers a voice' and 'hold railway to account'The Government has today (Tuesday 18 February) unveiled plans for a landmark bill to rewire Britain's railways, including setting up a 'powerful passenger watchdog' that will 'give passengers a voice and hold train operators to account.'

Railnews

• Industry awaits details of Great British Railways consultation The launch of a consultation into the shape of the future ‘directing mind’ Great British Railways is promised today by the Department for Transport. GBR will need a change in the law to take over from Network Rail and take charge of most passenger train services.

The Business Desk

• Regional leaders welcome bid to establish Great British Railways watchdogPolitical and civic leaders have welcomed plans for a landmark Bill to rewire Britain's railways, including setting up a powerful passenger watchdog to give passengers a voice and hold train operators to account.

Aviation Industry

• Doncaster-Sheffield Airport (UK) a blueprint to reopen an ex-private sector airport as a PPPIts prospects were scorned by many industry analysts, mainly on account of local opposition, but it did surprisingly well, eventually reaching almost 1.5 mppa in 2019.

Other News Sources

• Britain's London-centric economyGrowth, growth, growth. It was the buzzword of last year's general election, heralded by Sir Keir Starmer and his allies as the much-vaunted silver bullet that would put an end to decades of stagnation and unlock a new generation of prosperity for the United Kingdom
• Network Rail given six months to resolve Old Oak Common land issue which could delay HS2Network Rail has until July to acquire land for a maintenance depot at Old Oak Common - or risk delaying the HS2 project.
• Scarborough and Whitby MP Advocates for Increased Rail Funding on the Yorkshire CoastSpeaking in a Westminster debate, Alison Hume has emphasised the need to address the "long-term neglect" of rail transport in the north.
• Sussex MP calls for Eurostar to return to South EastHelena Dollimore MP for Hastings met with the Rail Minister, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on Friday to discuss the restoration of Eurostar services to Ashford International.