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

Friday, 21 February 2025

BBC News

• Bus company questions council's net-zero ambitionsA bus company has questioned Brighton & Hove City Council after it ditched its electric buses in favour of a diesel fleet on its supported services for the next four years.
• Train line cable thefts cause major disruptionThere was major disruption on a train line after signalling cables were stolen overnight.
• Under-21s get £1 bus fares in £100m budget dealWelsh government and Lib Dem leader announce deal on budget, with money for childcare and councils planned.
• TfL trial new way to cut construction vehicle emissionsTfL hopes these new technological advances will play a vital role in reaching net zero carbon by 2030.
• I'm not happy with Boeing, Trump says over Air Force OneUS president says he is looking for alternatives because Boeing is taking too long to build new planes

Financial Times

• Japan to court Tesla on Nissan investmentFormer prime minister and ex-Tesla board member plan to approach Elon Musk to support struggling carmaker
• Australia warns airlines over Chinese ‘live fire’ exercisesForeign minister Penny Wong to confront Chinese counterpart over drills off east coast

The Guardian

• Cycling to school almost became extinct – until one man revived the bike busSam Balto took the idea from a local school to the White House and beyond, inspiring a global movement in which children feel the benefits of cycling together“It’s a movement, not a moment.” That’s the mantra from Sam “Coach” Balto, a former school teacher from Portland, Oregon who quit his day job to stoke a revolution called the “bike bus” – groups of kids and families cycling to school together.
• UK lenders paid car dealers cash upfront that may have led to costlier loansExclusive: ‘Advance commissions’ said to total millions of pounds allegedly pushed customers to certain providersUK lenders paid “advance commissions” to car dealers that may have encouraged them to push costlier loans on to consumers, legal filings linked to the motor finance scandal reveal.

City AM

• London St Pancras owner inks new partnership as it eyes services to Italy and GermanyThe company in charge of St Pancras International is luring in competition for Eurostar by nearly tripling passenger capacity and launching a range of new European routes.

The Mirror

• UK airport plans huge new high-speed rail station making it much easier to get toWhen HS2 is completed, journey times from Birmingham to the main London interchange at Old Oak Common could be as low as 32 minutes, making travel from Birmingham Airport much easier

Birmingham Post

• Oxford Road Station revamp: Council's full list of concerns as leader says 'the last thing we want is 10 years of delays'Network Rail bosses want to 'remodel' the city centre station by effectively removing two platforms

London Evening Standard

• Which are Britain's most and least reliable trains?New analysis comes as German chancellor mocks Britain for its 'broken tracks and bad trains'

Nottingham Evening Post

• Update on 'unjust' bus pass rules as Government reponds to plans for free travel for all over 60The Government has responded to an online petition demanding free bus travel for all people over 60 in England

Other Regional Press

• East West Rail "must do more to protect priority natural habitats and rare bats", says Wildlife TrustThe East West Railway Company (EWR Co) must do more to protect priority natural habitats and rare barbastelle bats along the planned line, according to wildlife experts.
• Deal struck to restore services on Heart of Wales LineServices will be restored to the Heart of Wales line after an agreement was reached for the Welsh Government budget.
• Go North East 'not sending modern buses to Manchester'The allegations were made by unions, with parent group Go Ahead having recently won a major contract in the area. Go North East also revealed it had not been notified of any official ballot for strike action after Unite the Union warned members could walk out after a row with the firm over safety and treatment of staff.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• McGills: threatens legal action against franchisingMcGill's Group has launched searing condemnation of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT)'s proposed bus franchising plans, and threatens legal action against SPT.

New Civil Engineer

• The hidden engineering challenges behind London's skyline boomLondon's skyline is rapidly evolving and, with nearly 600 new skyscrapers potentially planned over the next decade, the city is being reshaped into what some are calling a 'Manhattan-on-Thames'
• How the Northumberland Line restoration team responded to obstacles above and below groundThe restoration of passenger rail services to a region that has been without them for 60 years is re-setting the connectivity and social landscape of the north-east of England, while tackling the engineering challenges posed by the legacy of its industrial past.

Rail Business Daily

• Green Signals: Focus on Railways Bill consultationThe Government has finally released its consultation into the forthcoming Railways Bill. But is it worth the wait?

Railnews

• Eurotunnel and HS1 concession sign agreement to boost traffic Eurotunnel has signed a memorandum of understanding with the owners of the concession to operate HS1, which has just been renamed London St Pancras Highspeed. The agreement is being described as a ‘landmark partnership’, and is intended to increase the growth of cross-Channel traffic.

Route One

• Camera monitoring system option in lieu of mirrors for Yutong GT12The Yutong GT12 coach is now available to order with a camera monitoring system (CMS) in lieu of conventional mirrors. The first two such examples have arrived in the UK and are for Safeway Coaches of Batley.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Second-generation Wrightbus StreetDeck Hydroliner is detailedWrightbus has detailed a second-generation model of its StreetDeck Hydroliner hydrogen fuel cell-electric double-decker that will bring a "significant saving" on purchase price when compared to the existing variant.
• PFI could be answer to bus funding challenge, says analystTransport Investment Limited Director David Leeder says private funding will be needed to fund Labour's ambitious bus plans

Sustainable Bus

• UK bus market hit a 16-year high in 2024, with 1,570 zero-emission unitsUK bus and coach market achieved in 2024 a second consecutive year of growth and, what is more, will be recorded as the best annual performance since 2008, according to the latest figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)
• First Go Ahead e-bus order for Volvo Buses: 25 BZL models to operate under TfLVolvo Buses announces it has secured its first electric vehicle order from Go Ahead, the largest operator of bus services in London.

Transportxtra

• Lower Thames Crossing necessary to ease pressure on Dartford Crossing, says FarageLeader of Reform UK and MP for Clacton Nigel Farage has expressed his support for the proposed Lower Thames Crossing, putting him at odds with a fellow Reform UK MP.
• Lower Thames Crossing will regenerate surrounding area, says KhanMayor of London Sadiq Khan has voiced his support for the building of the Lower Thames Crossing, stating that it is pro-business and will re-generate the surrounding area.

Other News Sources

• Tracsis secures Tap Converter PAYG system contract in UKThe Tap Converter system will be the backbone of PAYG travel, supporting the UK Government's vision for a modernised rail network.
• 200 years of rail a step change is neededThis year will see the celebration of the first commercial railway " the Stockton to Darlington" which was the forerunner of our present guided transport system. We have father and son, George and Robert Stephenson to thank and I look forward to the planned activities which include running in steam the replica of the 'Rocket' locomotive.
• New analysis shows open access rail services pay their way and unleash huge economic and customer benefitsFirstGroup's pioneering open access rail operators Lumo and Hull Trains have published new analysis highlighting the positive effects of open access operations for customers, the rail industry and wider UK economic growth.
• Anger after government appears to drop Tory plans to put accessibility at heart of new national rail bodyLabour appears to have dropped the Conservative government's pledge to place accessibility right at the heart of the new national body that will run the railways.
• TfL trials mobile charging with electric construction vehicles for the first timeTransport for London (TfL) is working with the construction industry on a new trial of zero emission construction vehicles, which involves a UK first method of mobile recharging.
• Kent Wildlife Trust is asking people to participate in the A229 consultation before 17th March. It is said the scheme is needed to support the additional traffic created by the proposed Lower Thames Crossing.
• Contract awarded for £41m Surrey road upgrades near M25 to make way for construction of 3,000 new homesThe road upgrades will allow for the construction of 3,000 homes across ten sites in Surrey