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

Tuesday, 04 March 2025

BBC News

• 'Inaccessible rail station makes me feel terrible'"It puts you in a position of frustration and makes you feel terrible on the inside." That is how wheelchair user Scott Stonebridge described being unable to board the train at his nearest railway station in Saltash, Cornwall, due to the large gap between the train and the platform.
• Night bus to run as a commercial service from 2026A night bus service in North Devon aimed at improving safety is expected to be run as a commercial service from next year.
• Screening lanes unveiled to curb airport queues The lanes at Birmingham Airport are opened following months of major delays for passengers in 2024.
• Will new road be 'key infrastructure' or 'insanity'? The road would link the main A1/N1/M1 Belfast to Dublin road with the A2 Warrenpoint to Newry dual carriageway.
• Snake Pass closures need to be tackled say mayorsSnake Pass is an example of poor transport links in the north, two regional mayors have said.
• Fresh delays to Turkish-built CalMac ferriesThe first of the fleet, MV Isle of Islay, will not be finished until the end of June at the earliest.

Financial Times

• British start-ups need a new road to driverless vehiclesOxa and Wayve are making hard choices in the face of well-funded Chinese and US competition

The Guardian

• UK rail passengers may lose patience as problems take years to fix, says ministerLord Hendy says important changes are happening but they follow ‘six years of torpor’Passengers may lose patience with the government before it can make the changes needed to fix the railway, the rail minister, Lord Hendy, admitted, as he promised that action was coming after “years of torpor”.The government is midway through a consultation on plans for a reformed, integrated Great British Railways (GBR), with legislation to enact it coming later in 2025,

The Herald

• ScotGov told to act on ScotRail ticket office hours 'law breach'The transport secretary has been told to urgently intervene over plans to significantly cut ticket office opening times at over 100 Scots stations as it is believed to breach the law over promoting equality and reducing discrimination through age, race or sex.

The Independent

• Want lower rail fares to lure people out of their cars? We need a rail revolutionTrain Talk: Conventional wisdom swerves the need to cut costs and raise (some) taxes

The Telegraph

• British Airways opens new Gatwick hangar to cut summer holiday delays [subscription]The move follows the airline being rated among the worst in Europe for cancelled flights

Times Online

• Further delays for Turkish-built CalMac ferries [subscription]The first boat may not enter service until August, months behind schedule, with one MSP saying the buck stops with the SNP
• Tesla's sales slump bites as Europeans reject Elon Musk [subscription]The chief executive's actions as a key figure in the Trump team have turned some buyers and owners away from the brand

Birmingham Mail

• Jet2, Easyjet, Ryanair, TUI passengers urged to carry receipt and make it 'visible'Liquid containers must not exceed 100ml to be allowed in your carry-on luggage, with any liquids over the limit placed in hold luggage instead.

Birmingham Post

• Uber-backed AI startup that could rival Tesla takes on Europe's largest car marketWayve, a startup that develops self-driving car technology, is to open a new hub in Germany as it looks to expand internationally, taking on the likes of Tesla and Waymo
• Manchester Airport to get third Premier Inn hotel as bosses eye new siteAirport bosses say new hotel will 'create positive frontage to a new urban square'

Bristol Live

• Changes to the bus network across Bristol and the wider region - in full These are all the changes coming to the bus network in April
• Potential Clean Air Zone price hike slammed as 'money for nothing'The proposal to adjust the fees was not highlighted during a lengthy council budget meeting, but was later approved as part of measures to manage the city's budget

Leicester Mercury

• Direct Leicester to Coventry rail line could slash journeys to just 32 minutesCampaigners say the project could generate £400 million in economic benefits

London Evening Standard

• Detailed plans unveiled for new Superloop bus route in south LondonThe SL11 forms part of the Superloop 2 network of express bus services promised in Sir Sadiq Khan's manifesto last year

Manchester Evening News

• This is exactly what Manchester missed out on by scrapping HS2A new report comes nearly 18 months after the Northern leg of HS2 was cancelled
• Andy Burnham wants to run our railways - but what does that actually mean?A new report has urged the government to give mayors like Andy Burnham more of a say over fares, ticketing and timetables

Nation. Cymru

• Plans for new railway station hit the buffersPlans to recreate a railway station at Pontrilas on the Hereford-Abergavenny line have hit a further setback.

The York Press

• First Bus announces Park and Ride price increases in YorkCharges to use York's Park and Ride service are set to rise - a move which opposition councillors have called a "blow" to residents.

Bucks Free Press

• MP on the 'severely mismanaged' HS2 construction in BuckinghamshireChesham and Amersham’s MP Sarah Green has heavily criticised the management of the HS2 project, describing it as a ‘tragedy’.

Kent Online

• Eurostar CCO Fran?ois Le Doze says bringing trains back to Ashford and Ebbsfleet International 'doesn't make sense right now'A Eurostar boss has said bringing his trains back to Kent ?doesn?t make sense right now? due to the huge amount of investment needed.

Other Regional Press

• Powys councillor says school bus policy is legally robustSchool transport in Powys is legally robust, a councillor has said after facing a question about Welsh Government rules.
• Merseyrail could extend contract for another five yearsThe train operator company that formed to run Merseyrail's network could be given the chance to extend its contract.
• Western Rail Link to Heathrow: More MPs back project'Thousands' of new jobs could be created through a Western Railway Link to Heathrow Airport, a Berkshire MP has said.
• Graham to deliver £42M upgrade to A320 road in SurreySurrey County Council has appointed Graham as the principal contractor for the A320 improvement scheme in Runnymede, which includes the construction of new embankments and other ground engineering works.
• Lifts remain broken at Warwick Parkway - MP criticises 'indefensible' delaysLocal MP Sir Jeremy Wright has called for urgent repairs at Warwick Parkway station where the lifts remain broken.

Construction Enquirer

• Affordable HS2 Crewe to Euston plan submitted to TreasuryThe industry's High Speed Rail Group has submitted outline plans to the Treasury to rescope the HS2 project to unlock maximum economic benefit within a constrained budget.

Construction News

• Gatwick expansion needs to be part of wider infrastructure pipelineIndustry figures have welcomed the government's signal it will support the expansion of Gatwick Airport, and called for it to be brought forward quickly as part of a wider pipeline of work.

Modern Railways

• Rail's much needed chance to draw breath and refocusChancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves' announcement of a third runway for Heathrow Airport plus completion of East West Rail to Cambridge generated a predictable response from some commentators, who argued that new routes, reopenings and more services should be on the agenda not expansion of climate-wrecking aviation.

New Civil Engineer

• High Speed Rail Group tells government how to deliver 'realistic' and 'responsible' HS2The High Speed Rail Group (HSRG) has presented a set of vital recommendations on the delivery of High Speed 2 (HS2) to the UK government, as it prepares for the upcoming Spending Review.
• Campaign group outlines package of 'cheaper' public transport alternatives to £9bn LTCA campaign group has put forward a number of transport alternatives it believes could be delivered for 'cheaper' and with more benefits than the proposed £9bn Lower Thames Crossing (LTC).

Rail Advent

• Opening date confirmed for new Northumberland railway stationIt has been confirmed that Newsham station on The Northumberland Line will open on Monday, 17th March.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Empower Local Leaders to Transform Rail Services, Report UrgesMayors and devolved authorities must have a central role in the running of local rail services in the forthcoming Rail Reform Bill, to ensure rail complements local plans for growth, housing, skills and the environment, according to a new report.

Railnews

• City Mayors step up bid to control local linesCity Mayors have made a new bid to make sure that they have a central role in running railway services in their areas, as the Rail Reform Bill takes shape.

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow set to expand terminals 2 & 5 before pushing for third runway by 2035Flights to the UK could almost double in the next decade. London Heathrow Airport has confirmed multi-million-pound terminal expansion plans and a new runway timeline as CEO Thomas Woldbye said planes could take off from the third runaway within 10 years.

Other News Sources

• Greater Cambridge Partnership to use online simulations for autonomous bus trialsThe Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) has highlighted the use of online simulations as part of a pilot of autonomous buses in its region.
• Will Russia get a new private rail freight operator?Big changes may be on the horizon for the Russian rail freight sector due to the possible establishment of a new railway operator, with a fleet that may consist of up to 200,000 wagons. It seems that the new operator will be established on the basis of Freight One (PGK) the largest privately owned logistics company in Russia local leasing company Transfin-M and the railway operator Atlant.
• Empower Local Leaders to Transform Rail Services, Report UrgesMayors and devolved authorities must have a central role in the running of local rail services in the forthcoming Rail Reform Bill, to ensure rail complements local plans for growth, housing, skills and the environment, according to a new report.