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

Thursday, 06 February 2025

BBC News

• No details on why port closed due to insurance claimHolyhead port owner Stena Line says it cannot discuss incidents forcing the closure due to the claim.
• Rail company recovers £1m in unpaid fares The rail company said it had 8,064 cases of passengers who had not paid fares in 2024.
• London drivers pay more than £70m in Ulez finesDrivers in the London borough of Croydon paid more than any other, Transport for London data shows.

Financial Times

• British Airways backtracks on overhaul of frequent flyer club perksAirline makes some concessions after suffering backlash over sweeping changes
• How the other half fly: inside Heathrow's revamped VIP loungeWhen Scottish twins Sonia Dixon and Adrienne Campbell started welcoming royals, popes and heads of state to London's Heathrow airport in 1989

The Guardian

• Police investigate after several trains hit by projectiles in CambridgeDrivers raise safety concerns as projectiles ‘aimed at’ services close to Cambridge North station, damaging trainsTransport police are investigating a series of incidents in which trains were struck by projectiles in Cambridge.Services operated by Greater Anglia and Great Northern were hit between Cambridge and Cambridge North stations, with reports of up to 20 carriages damaged. British Transport Police said there had been no reported injuries. Continue reading...

The Scotsman

• Transport spending takes a hit - Sue WebberWhile the SNP was crow-ing about how it was increasing public spending, it turned out the news for transport wasn't quite so good.

Times Online

• Public transport row could ground Gatwick's second runway plansPlanning rules dictated by the number of passengers arriving by train or bus and noise constraints could halt the scheme to increase the airport's flight capacity

Transport Committee

• Transport Committee seeks clarity on Govt's plans to solve driving tests turmoilTransport Committee Chair Ruth Cadbury MP has written a letter to the Government seeking further information on its plans to bring down waiting times for driving test slots.

Daily Express

• Major UK airport reveals £1.3bn overhaul with massive new WetherspoonsManchester Airport has revealed the next stages of its renovation to modernise Terminal Two, first announced in 2015.

Mail Online

• Price of petrol and diesel has risen for four consecutive monthsPetrol went up 2p a litre in January to an average of 139p and diesel by nearly 3p to 145.7p (from 142.9p), the RAC says.

The Mirror

• Inside £16bn airport built on an island that is sinking into the seaBuilt on artificial islands described as a 'sponge', Kansai International Airport in Japan is slowly sinking into the water - and 'significant intervention' is drastically needed

The National

• Heathrow row highlights UK's "can't do" attitude a new approach is neededIt is hard not to emit a yawn when hearing about the plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

Birmingham Post

• Nissan-Honda merger talks run into difficulties, reports suggestA proposal to make Nissan a fully owned subsidiary of Honda is said to have scuppered talks
• The Greater Manchester station set to become a key 'growth location'The government is working with Greater Manchester leaders to release land around transport hubs to kickstart development

Bristol Live

• Evening car parking fee hike back on table despite safety fearsThere are fears the extra fees could hit some groups more than others

London Evening Standard

• Second runway at Gatwick A decision on the £2.2 billion investment is experted from ministers by the end of the month

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• British Airways controversial loyalty scheme changes forces airline to backtrackLess than 2 months after the changes were proposed, the airline giant is forced to capitulate to consumers

Wales Online

• 'It's pretty ugly' say people living next to newly electrified railway lines The electrification of railway lines in Cardiff has seen the installation of huge metal gantries and wires

Yorkshire Post

• How a cautious approach to reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport could prove to be a shrewd moveThe pledge from South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard to get the plan to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) independently audited is a positive step. It is right that local leaders approach the reopening with great caution given the amount of public money that is at stake.

Bucks Free Press

• Railway recovers £1 million+ in fare dodgers crackdownChiltern Railways has recovered more than £1 million in lost revenue in a crackdown on fare dodgers

Doncaster Free Press

• A former Conservative MP bidding to become the city's mayor has said the devil is in the detail over the announcement of a new international operator to re-open Doncaster Sheffield Airport as he warned of a massive impact on the council's finances.

Other Regional Press

• Will Shackleton play a role in Heathrow expansion?MP GREGORY Campbell has renewed calls for Ballykelly to play a role in resurrected Heathrow Airport expansion plans.
• Lower Thames Crossing greenwashing claim challenged by campaignersCAMPAIGNERS from Transport Action Network (TAN) have ridiculed National Highways' attempt to brand Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) as the "greenest road ever" , describing this as "putting green lipstick on a pig" and a rehash of previous announcements. Costing over £10 billion, the project would be the biggest new road in a generation, requiring huge quantities of concrete as well as unleashing a huge wave of traffic in the middle of a climate emergency.
• ‘Like putting green lipstick on a pig’: Campaigners ridicule Lower Thames Crossing claimsNational Highways’ ambition to make a multi-billion-pound road connecting Kent and Essex the “greenest” in the UK has been rubbished by campaigners.
• Muddy canal towpath to be resurfaced near Huddersfield in huge railways projectCanal towpath improvements part of huge railway project to support 'accessibility'

Railnews

• Plans for Mid Cornwall Metro delayed Plans to double the frequency of trains between Par and Newquay in May as the first stage of the £56 million Mid Cornwall Metro have been delayed until later this year. The more frequent service had been set to start with the May timetable, but Network Rail said it is now expected to be launched later this year, while work is continuing on the installation of digital signals

Transportxtra

• Kent council pushing for upgrade of A229 ahead of potential opening of Lower Thames CrossingKent County Council has launched a second public consultation into plans to improve the A229 at Blue Bell Hill, describing it as one of the county's worst roads in terms of congestion and road safety.
• Cumming joins Transport for All as chief researcherRuth Cumming has joined the disabled-led campaign group Transport for All as Senior Research Officer. She previously spent nearly three years at Sustrans, most recently as Liveable Cities and Towns Coordinator.

Urban Transport Group

• Transport devolution is delivering, but must go ?further and faster? to unlock economic growth ? report highlightsEnglish transport devolution is delivering real change across major cities, from enhancing connectivity to boosting housebuilding, but must go ?further and faster? to unlock additional economic growth.

Other News Sources

• UK's Lower Thames Crossing targets 70% less carbon footprintThe Lower Thames Crossing project aims to reduce the carbon footprint with a new target of less than 840,000 tonnes, a 70% reduction from initial predictions, by refining road design and using low-carbon steel and concrete
• Mayor launches expert Taskforce to tackle region's transport challengesRichard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, has appointed nine experts from across the region to help him improve transport services and transform thousands of lives for the better.
• Maersk Initiates Share Buy-BackA.P. Møller - Maersk has decided to initiate a share buy-back program of up to DKK 14.4 billion (around $2 billion) to be executed over a period of 12 months.The purpose of the program is to adjust the capital structure of the company ultimately through cancellation of shares repurchased.
• Hoegh Ready for FID for Hydrogen Deliveries to GermanyNorwegian shipping firm Hoegh Evi expects to take a final investment decision (FID) this year on an ammonia-derived hydrogen project to deliver clean fuel into dedicated German grids, chief executive Erik Nyheim said.The company operates three of its nine floating storage and regasification units (F
• Hapag-Lloyd Confident About Tariff ResilienceContainer shipping liner Hapag-Lloyd will be able to cope with the advent of U.S. tariffs on Chinese products, its chief executive told reporters on Tuesday."It is too early to push the panic button," CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said in the remarks published on Wednesday…

News from Europe

• Dusseldorf Airport gains more surface linksAs Business Traveller has reported over the years, domestic travellers can access Germany's airports efficiently whether by plane or train.