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

Saturday, 01 March 2025

BBC News

• MPs call for new Heathrow rail linkFour Berkshire MPs have called on the government to support a new rail link to Heathrow Airport.
• 'Disappointed' residents have their say on paused Glider plansSome residents in Glengormley and Carryduff express their frustration after Glider plans were scaled back.
• Service marks 50 years since Moorgate Tube crashA Northern City line train crashed after failing to stop at the station, killing 43 people.

Financial Times

• HS2 is case study in ‘how not to run a project’ say MPsPublic accounts committee casts doubt on ministers’ ability to successfully deliver high speed rail link
• British Airways owner warns business travel will not return to pre-pandemic levelsIAG posts record annual profits driven by high-spending leisure passengers

The Guardian

• Transatlantic ticket sales lift British Airways and IAG to ever higher annual profitsInternational Airlines Group says results reflect turnaround investment in BA as passenger numbers reboundBusiness live – latest updatesBooming transatlantic ticket sales have lifted British Airways and its parent group to ever higher annual profits.International Airlines Group, led by BA, announced post-tax profits edging up to €2.73bn (£2.26bn) for 2024, with operating profits up by 22% on the previous bumper year to €4.3bn (£3.55bn), as passenger numbers continued to rebound from the Covid-era collapse. Continue reading...
• Rail passengers in England and Wales face steep fares rise from SundayCampaigners say if government can find money to freeze fuel duty for motorists they can do similar for railwaysRail passengers in England and Wales face a steep increase in the cost of travel from Sunday, with fares rising by 4.6% and most railcards going up by £5.The government said the rise is needed because of the dire financial state of the railway, but transport campaigners contrasted it with Labour prolonging the freeze on fuel duty for motorists. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Scottish bus company completes blockbuster buy of city player 4 hrs agoA Scottish bus company has completed a major deal to buy a major operator owned by the French government.
• Scotland's next new railway line just got a little bit closerSummer last year, beautiful sunny day, and I'm on a train with John Swinney and not just any train either. It's the first train on the newly restored line to Levenmouth in Fife and I say to Mr Swinney "do you support more of this kind of thing then, reopening old lines?" And he says "oh yes, trains are good" but he also says some stuff about austerity and UK cuts so I'm not sure how serious he is. I'll believe it when I see it.

The Independent

• How Heathrow’s great reshuffle could work – these are the potential passenger benefitsExclusive: Could this be the ideal solution to one of aviation’s must enduring puzzles?

Times Online

• IAG to give ?1.4bn back to shareholders after profits double [subscription]The British Airways owner reported a stronger-than-expected Christmas trading quarter

City AM

• Rolls-Royce shares could soar 50 per cent, says BofA Shares in engineering giant Rolls-Royce could rise a further 50 per cent following an already stellar two-year rally, analysts at Bank of America have said. Analyst Benjamin Heelan on Friday lifted his price target to 1,150p from 830p, according to Bloomberg, prompting shares to rise over three per cent by mid-day. It came just a [...]

Daily Express

• The 3,600-mile spectacular African train ride where tickets can cost as much as £20kAlong the 3,600-mile route, passengers get an opportunity to visit some of the continent's most spectacular sites and tourist attractions.

Mail Online

• The mystery behind Britain's worst ever Tube crash: Fifty years after Moorgate disaster claimed 43 lives, questions remain over why driver did not stop - as fireman remembers battle to rescue survivorsShortly before 9am exactly 50 years ago, a speeding Northern Line train ploughed into the thick concrete wall that marked the end of the track at Moorgate station.
• Rail passengers face fresh ticket price misery: Millions to be hit by 4.6% hike from tomorrow... while thousands of journeys are cancelled at the last minute every weekendFees will be increased and so will most railcards - for the first time in 12 years - with some going up by almost 17 per cent, from £30 to £35.

This is Money

• Parking is so expensive it puts two-thirds of drivers off visiting their local high streetA study from the AA and a report from Direct Line have both found that parking fees are a key reason why people aren't going shopping on the high street.

Birmingham Post

• British Airways owner IAG's profits soar as share buyback announcedInternational Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG), which also owns airlines including Aer Lingus and Iberia, reported operating profit of €4.3bn (£3.6bn) in 2024
• Rolls-Royce shares could rocket 50% after stellar two-year rally, analysts claimShares in the British engineering giant have risen more than 100 per cent over the past 12 months, helped by a surge in demand for its jet engines and defence technology

Bolton News

• Northern release 'AI-driven' app to make navigating stations more easierCustomers can now use a free app that allows them to navigate Bolton railway station more easily
• Bee Network’s ‘ghost buses’ leaving passengers waiting for services that never arriveTransport bosses have acknowledged a "ghost bus" problem in Greater Manchester when "live time" systems count down the minutes until arrival only for services not to show up
• Scheme to allow households create a parking bay outside their house given green lightA long-anticipated scheme to let people across Bolton apply to have disabled parking bays outside their homes has finally become a reality.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• New major roadworks set for town in West YorrkshireCONSULTATION has now opened on how extensive major roadworks in Halifax will progress.
• Generational divide over plans for trams between Leeds and BradfordBRADFORD Council will continue to push for a tram line that passes through Holme Wood and re-use old rail routes – despite that route not being the most popular with the public.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Tourists urged to ditch cars for the train but some say it 'is simply too expensive'The campaign by North Wales Tourism is aimed at travellers from big cities like London, Manchester, Birmingham and Cardiff using trains run by Transport for Wales (TfW) and Avanti West Coast

Liverpool Echo

• Metro Mayor tells Evertonians 'bear with us' as he appears on Royal Blue podcastSteve Rotheram visited the ECHO's Royal Blue podcast to discuss transport issues around Everton's new home

Northern Echo

• Government told to address issues around £460m Hitachi dealHitachi in Newton Aycliffe, which just three months ago benefitted from a landmark £500m deal to build trains for Lumo and Hull trains, is at risk of missing out on a new contract as the Government has opposed the firm?s route expansion plans.
• Warning of 'huge impact' £50m transport budget cut will have on County DurhamA £50 million cut to transport funding for County Durham has been labelled “short-sighted” and criticised for the “huge impact” on residents.

The York Press

• New bus stops outside York railway station as major project takes step forwardFour bus stops outside York railway station are to be relocated as a major project to create a new public space in the area takes a step forward.

North Wales Live

• Arriva and Stagecoach explain how Liverpool buses get their numbersArriva and Stagecoach shared the clever logic behind bus numbers in Merseyside

Other Regional Press

• Huge new plans for faster train connection from Coventry to East MidlandsJourney times would be almost halved if it goes ahead
• Birmingham to London train journeys to be disrupted this weekendTrain journeys from Birmingham to London Marylebone will be disrupted on Sunday.
• Pothole compensation claims against county council more than double in three yearsOxfordshire County Council have spent more than £9.8 million on pothole repairs over the last three years, and faced hundreds of compensation claims.
• Calls for senior councillor to resign over Portswood Road bus gateOpposition councillors in Southampton are calling for the councillor at the forefront of the Portswood Broadway bus gate scheme to step down.
• Bluestar celebrates launch of new Southampton bus serviceA new bus service, Bluestar 19a, is now connecting key locations in Southampton.
• Full list of 59 cars that will cost £2,745 more to tax from April 2025The Government has announced a huge overhaul in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) rates, with 59 cars from 24 brands set to face the biggest £2,745 car tax hikes from April 2025
• Car tax to double for 59 vehicles from April - see if yours is affectedThe imminent changes to car tax will see Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) rates double for high-emission models, potentially increasing by up to £2,745. Is your car affected?
• New Coventry speed cameras branded 'cash cows' being installed across cityThe decision has been taken on the back of evidence that speed cameras have been 'effective' elsewhere in Coventry and it is hoped that they will improve road safety and make major city routes 'safer'

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Viasea Shipping relaunches London Thamesport ServiceNorwegian short sea container operator, Viasea Shipping, has relaunched its service between London Thamesport, Northen Europe and the Baltic region. The new service will call at London Thamesport every Saturday and is part of Viasea’s ongoing commitment to improving operational efficiency and reliability. The revised service has been introduced in response to growing demand for cargo shipments from the south of the UK to Northen Europe and the Baltics. Commenting on the new sailing, Mark Taylor, Director, London Thamesport​, said: “We are aware that Viasea had a n...

Railnews

• HS2 is damaging Britain's reputation, says MPs' report The struggling HS2 project has become a ‘casebook example’ of how not to run such a scheme, according to a committee of MPs. The Public Accounts Committee said the Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd had failed to work together effectively, and that the project is now a ‘reputational risk’ to the country.

Other News Sources

• New road layout transforms route through centre of Surrey townSurrey Highways ask that motorists take care while road users adjust to the new layout