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

Friday, 07 March 2025

BBC News

• On-demand bus service to connect isolated villagesA new on-demand bus service straddling two counties is to be launched later this month.
• Worst railway stations named and shamed for first timeMillions of passengers will be able to see cancellation and delay data in train stations.
• Holyhead port damaged before Storm Darragh peakedStena says the damage was caused by two ferries making "contact" with one of the berthing terminals.
• Cleaner air for Londoners after Ulez - reportLondon pollution has reduced after the controversial expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone, a report finds.
• Carmakers win break from Trump's tariffs on Canada and MexicoTrump says he will exempt cars from the new import taxes, while continuing his criticism of Canada.
• SpaceX rocket explodes, raining debris from sky for second time in a rowIt grounded flights in Orlando, Miami and Palm Beach after debris concerns from Starship's failed launch.

Financial Times

• Air France-KLM targets ‘unbelievable’ spending of American travellersSurge in demand for premium leisure will help airline group boost profits, says chief Ben Smith
• Greek premier faces no-confidence vote as rail disaster fallout deepensKyriakos Mitsotakis will face down calls to quit over his government’s handling of the country’s worst train crash

The Guardian

• London air pollution down since Ulez extended to outer boroughs, study findsLevels of deadly pollutants have dropped, with significant improvements in capital?s most deprived areas
• SpaceX’s Starship explodes in second failure for Musk’s Mars programBack-to-back mishaps indicate big setbacks for program to launch satellites and send humans to the moon and MarsSpaceX’s Starship spacecraft exploded on Thursday minutes after lifting off from Texas, dooming an attempt to deploy mock satellites in the second consecutive failure this year for Elon Musk’s Mars rocket program.Several videos on social media showed fiery debris streaking through the dusk skies near south Florida and the Bahamas after Starship’s breakup in space, which occurred shortly after it began to spin uncontrollably with its engines cut off, a SpaceX livestr...

The Herald

• Murray: SNP's Glasgow rail decision still harming economyJohn Swinney's decision to scrap Glasgow's Airport Rail Link in 2009 was a missed opportunity for Scotland's economic growth, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray will say.

The Independent

• London boroughs which opposed Ulez expansion see biggest pollutant cut ? studySir Sadiq Khan extended the ultra-low emission zone to cover all London boroughs on August 29 2023.
• Germany's access all areas pass allows unlimited train travel and public transport for just £1.60 a dayHamburg to Munich and Cologne to Berlin: 48 buys a month of travel in central Europe's largest nation

The Telegraph

• Net Zero may be bankrupting us, but it's transport inequality thats worrying the green lobby [subscription]We may be on course to bankrupting the country in the pursuit of Net Zero, but are we doing it inclusively? That is the question troubling the Climate Change Committee, the quango headed by Emma Pinchbeck, which has received around £16.4 million over the 2020 to 2023 period, with an indicative funding of £8m in 2024-25.

Times Online

• Eurostar halted by WW2 bomb on Paris tracks near Gare du Nord [subscription]Trains to and from the busiest station in Europe were cancelled after the discovery during maintenance work

The Mirror

• SpaceX's huge Starship rocket comes crashing down minutes into test flightAnother SpaceX rocket has blown up during its test flight - this time a mammoth Starship rocket, which exploded minutes after being blasted off from Texas in the US

Local Government

• Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy marks major achievements over last three years and outlines new action plan up to 2027A report to senior councillors outlines the good progress being made on the council's ambitious Connecting Leeds transport strategy, but highlights that more needs to be done and more funding allocated to meet its aims.

Sky News

• All Eurostar trains to London cancelled after unexploded WWII bomb foundAll Eurostar trains to London have been cancelled after an unexploded Second World War bomb was found near train tracks.

Birmingham Mail

• Inside new look trains on Birmingham route where First Class removed to 'increase capacity'A rail operator has removed the First Class area on a refurbished fleet of trains that will serve Midland stations, including Birmingham New Street, Leicester and Nottingham.

Birmingham Post

• Rolls-Royce CEO's pay slashed by almost £10m despite huge rise in FTSE 100 sharesTufan Erginbilgic, who was appointed chief executive of the aerospace giant in 2022, saw his paypacket drop after receiving a bumper award in his first year

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• New masts for overhead electric wires among huge changes during rail upgradeIt's a case of out with the old and in with the new this month as huge changes take place along the route of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU).

Daily Post (North Wales)

• 'Postcode lottery' in Welsh student transport attacked by college bossWelsh Government admits the 'availability and affordability of transport can be a barrier to accessing education or training'

London Evening Standard

• Ulez expansion to Greater London boundary has driven air pollution down, TfL revealsNitrogen dioxide down 4.8%, carbon dioxide down 1% but traffic increases

Manchester Evening News

• Finally, the A555 Manchester Airport Relief Road might not floodNew improvements are being planned

Cambridge News

• Smaller bus operators will be 'meaningfully involved' in bus franchisingCambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) has assured that smaller bus operators will not be forgotten as bus franchising implementation begins. In February, CPCA mayor Dr Nik Johnson decided to go ahead with a proposed bus franchising scheme for the region, bringing services under greater public control.
• Smaller bus operators will be ‘meaningfully involved’ in bus franchisingThe first contracts are expected to go live in 2027

Other Regional Press

• Could a tram-train be the solution to Stratford's transport issues?
• Love and high-octane chases in GWR's new instalment of Famous Five adA new instalment of Great Western Railway’s much-loved Famous Five TV campaign inspiring train travel across the South West aired on Wednesday, March 5.
• UK pay per mile tax update as calls on government for new 'eco measures' increaseNew study indicates more drivers believe a system will be introduced as revenue from petrol and diesel cars decreases

New Civil Engineer

• Machine learning and digital custodianship could help Network Rail with asset inspectionsMachine learning and digital custodianship could help Network Rail with the systemic issues that exist within its structures inspections regime, according to an artificial intelligence (AI) tech company.

Railnews

• RMT names new general secretary The RMT has announced that former railway worker Eddie Dempsey has been elected unopposed as the new general secretary. He was previously senior assistant general secretary, and will take over from Mick Lynch tomorrow.

Transportxtra

• Essex-Kent public transport and rail freight plan alternative to Lower Thames CrossingA report on 'High capacity alternatives to a road-based Lower Thames Crossing' proposes scrapping the £10 billion proposed new road in favour of public transport and rail freight investments requiring around £2.5bn.

Green Miscellany

• Essex-Kent Superlinks tabled as cheaper alternative to Lower Thames Crossing£9billion could be spent more effectively by shelving plans for a new road link and tunnel route.

Other News Sources

• Essex-Kent Superlinks tabled as cheaper alternative to Lower Thames Crossing£9billion could be spent more effectively by shelving plans for a new road link and tunnel route. The campaign group Transport Action Network [TAN] has campaigned heavily against the proposed Lower Thames Crossing, which would see 23km of new road created to connect the A2 and M2 in Kent to the
• Transport minister visits Wrightbus Oxfordshire factoryWrightbus has announced it will create 50 additional jobs at its NewPower factory in Oxfordshire as it ramps up the transformation of diesel buses to electric.
• It's official: London's public transport is now the most expensive in the worldFollowing a 4.6 percent increase in TfL prices last weekend, London has beaten Berlin to become the most expensive city to get around

News from Europe

• 'Not interesting financially' | State-owned operator ends the use of hydrogen buses: reportFive H2-powered models in Antwerp taken out of service due to expense and problems accessing technical support