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

Thursday, 17 April 2025

Cogitamus

• TransportInfo will be taking a short break TransportInfo will be taking a short break over the Easter holiday and will not be updated from Friday 18 April until Monday 21 April 2024. We will see you bright and early on Tuesday 22 April 2024

BBC News

• Plans announced to propel aviation innovationPlans have been announced aimed at propelling Norfolk to the forefront of aviation innovation in the UK.
• City approves 32m for pothole preventionNearly £2m is to be spent on pothole prevention as part of highways improvement works, a local authority said.
• Burnham calls for end to out-of-town taxi licencesThe mayor of Greater Manchester has called for the government to introduce new laws to end what he described as a "broken system" of out-of-area taxi licensing.
• Council fined millions after three busway deathsA council has been fined £6m after three deaths on the world's longest guided busway.
• Airport pleads guilty to river pollution chargesEast Midlands Airport (EMA) has pleaded guilty to polluting the River Trent with waste water containing runway de-icer on three occasions.
• Work starts on airport's new passenger terminalWork has begun to build a new passenger terminal at Blackpool Airport as it continues with its expansion plans.
• Belfast-Dublin trains off over Easter weekendThe bus substitutions will be in place on Saturday, Sunday and Monday over the Easter weekend.
• Almost 100,000 drivers caught speeding so far this yearThe PSNI introduces its new road safety campaign ahead of the Easter weekend.
• Tesla whistleblower wins legal battle against Elon MuskEngineer Cristina Balan raised a safety concern about a design flaw which could affect the cars' braking in 2014.

The Telegraph

• Electric cars break down more than petrol vehicles, warns AA [subscription]Motoring association says belief in better reliability of EVs is a ?common misconception?

Times Online

• Tesla sales decline in California amid backlash against Elon Musk [subscription]Tesla?s California electric vehicle registrations fell 15.1% in the first quarter, signalling growing challenges for the Elon Musk-led carmaker in the US market

City AM

• The London taxi trade is dying, and it only has itself to blame A new report has predicted the demise of the iconic London taxi, and Uber isn't to blame, writes James Ford.

Local Government

• Mayor welcomes roll out of 170 new zero-emission electric buses on the region's roadsWest Midlands residents can now enjoy smoother, quieter and greener bus journeys thanks to a new fleet of zero emission buses now in service across the region.

Birmingham Mail

• UK's first-ever solar-powered defibrillator installed in Midland bus shelterThe defibrillator cabinet - powered by three high-capacity solar panels on the shelter's roof - is located on the side of a bus stop in Creswell, Staffordshire

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Almost half of public EV charging points in West Yorkshire are in LeedsAlmost half of all public electric vehicle charging points in West Yorkshire are located in Leeds – a new report has revealed.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Active travel gets cash boost but 'meanwhile the potholes grow larger'Not all readers are happy that transport cash in Gwynedd has been spent on active travel schemes

London Evening Standard

• Gatwick airport strikes to go ahead as workers reject latest offerGatwick Airport is bracing for disruption this Easter as staff walk out over pension schemes, late payments and illegal shift patterns

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester taxis are 'broken', and this is Andy Burnham's plan to fix themAndy Burnham unveiled plans to fix the 'broken system'

Nation. Cymru

• Transport for Wales tests brand new electric tram-trains on Valleys linesBrand-new electric tram-trains are now being tested on the recently electrified Valleys railway lines, as Transport for Wales (TfW) take another step forward with delivering the next phase of the South Wales Metro.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Leamside Line could bring new train services to 100,000 people as map showcases possible stationsCommunities like Penshaw, Fencehouses, Belmont, and Bowburn are among the areas where train stations could be opened if the Leamside Line was restored

Bucks Free Press

• HS2 confirmed lorries drove through undesignated roads in Bucks townHS2 have confirmed lorries have used non-designated routes through Chesham Old Town on Church Street on Thursday, April 10.

Other Regional Press

• Brand new all-week bus service set to connect Essex towns with busy cityThere is a new bus service and some routes will have revised timetables to improve punctuality
• Delyn MS gives update on several issues including transportLast week in the Senedd, I raised the issue of accessibility on our transport network.

Construction News

• Skanska seeks subcontractors for Lower Thames Crossing works - This story was written with AI assistance from HarmsworthSkanska Construction UK has opened five separate tenders linked to enabling works for the Kent side of the £9bn Lower Thames Crossing.

New Civil Engineer

• £1.9M resurfacing of A66 in Cumbria commencesA £1.9M resurfacing project aimed at enhancing road safety and reliability for users in Cumbria's North Lakes region commenced on Monday, April 14.

Transport Action Network

• A bumpy road ahead?In a volatile world where things are changing fast and the economic outcome is uncertain, now is the time to invest in resilience and looking after what we've got. And when we say resilience, we don't mean an excuse to add another lane or build another road to cope with more traffic. These measures are often dressed up as 'resilience' but then have the opposite effect as they increase traffic and congestion over a wider area.

Aviation Industry

• Unifi secures Oxford Airport ground handling and security contractsUnifi has secured its first business aviation ground handling contract and its third Fixed Base Operation/FBO security contract in the UK, marking a major expansion of its services and a new milestone in its global growth.
• Record Passenger Year for Birmingham AirportBirmingham Airport (BHX) had a record year in 2024/25 with over 13 million passengers during 2024/25, a new peak for the transport hub. Latest figures issued by BHX reveal that 13.004 million passengers travelled through the airport in the 2024/25 financial year.
• This Airport Generates Its Own Power To Avoid A Blackout Like London Heathrow'sThe North Hyde substation fire in Hayes, London, on March 20th caused a power failure at London Heathrow Airport which left 200,000 passengers stranded, along with canceling more than 1000 flights.

Other News Sources

• How Heathrow expansion puts London's industrial market in play850,000 sq ft of industrial space will need to move the question is, where?
• How AI will shape the sector's futureTo mark MT's 120th anniversary, we asked leading figures from the road transport world to predict how the industry might look 120 years from now. Here, Paul Sanders, chairman of the Associaton of Pallet Networks, gives us his thoughts
• Nottingham City Council welcomes £16.4million transport funding boostMore than £16m of external funding will be invested into Nottingham city's transport network in 2025/26 thanks to the new East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA).