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

Sunday, 09 March 2025

BBC News

• Discounted bus travel for young peoplePeople aged between 19 and 25 will be eligible for discounted bus travel for the first time in Cornwall, the council has said.
• Consultation launched on key route improvementsThe £45m proposal for the A650, along Tong Street and Wakefield Road, also aims to make public transport and active travel such as walking and cycling more reliable and accessible.
• 'Not all train drivers are blokes with big beards'Rail company LNER wants more women to apply to drive its trains. Only 13% of its current drivers are female, according to a report, external published in October 2024.
• Superloop 2 bus proposed to replace 472 routeA consultation into a new Superloop express bus service linking part of south-east London has opened.

Financial Times

• New UK planning rules aim to halve approval time for major projectsThe UK's housing minister has said that new planning rules to be outlined next week aim to halve the time it takes to get approval for major infrastructure projects such as wind farms and power stations.
• Virgin Group looks to raise £700mn to fund Eurostar rivalRichard Branson’s group is one of several planning a new cross-Channel service

Times Online

• Heathrow boss: M25 will have to be ripped up for runway expansion. [subscription]Thomas Woldbye dashes hopes that serious disruption can be avoided during construction of a third runway at London's biggest airport
• Great British Railways brand to appear on trains from May [subscription]The British Rail 'Double Arrow' logo was launched in 1965 to demonstrate a modernised train network under Labour prime minister Harold Wilson. Sixty years on and the current Labour administration is plotting a similar branding shake-up but this time to champion the quintessential 'Britishness' of the railways.
• Should there be a frequent-flyer tax? It could hit families the hardestOur chief travel writer on the options to target greenhouse-gas emissions and how a levy could be used in the quest to achieve Jet Zero
• I saw 62 fare dodgers in 90 minutes on the Tube. It's everywhere [subscription]Transport for London loses £130m a year to bumpers and tailgaters on the Tube. We watched the gates with plainclothed inspectors trying to stem the tide

i News

• How England's rail network compares with Europe on fares, punctuality and speedThe recent train fare increase in England and Wales has seen fares go up by 4.6 per cent and the price of most annual railcards designed to save money with a one-off fee increase by £5. Some journeys on London's rail network that take just two minutes now cost as much as £4.20 and a return from Finsbury Park to Harringay will cost £7.20 for four minutes total onboard.

Manchester Evening News

• The big, ugly Manchester questionThe Manchester Evening News speaks to Network Rail boss Rob McIntosh about the future of railways in the North of England

Nation. Cymru

• Welsh Government accused of 'waving the white flag' on missing HS2 billionsPlaid Cymru has accused the Welsh Government of abandoning the fight to secure billions of pounds for Wales from the UK Government's HS2 rail project.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• London Underground station where 26 people have fallen in gap between train and platformThe data regards the Bakerloo line platforms at Waterloo Underground station, with the incidents having occurred between May 2020 and the end of last November

Wales Online

• Top Welsh politician calls for north Wales rail line to be electrifiedWelsh Tory leader Darren Millar said greater investment is needed in Wales' rail infrastructure

Kent Online

• Lower Thames Crossing linking Kent and Essex costs £1.2 billion before construction startsMore than £1.2 billion has been spent on the Lower Thames Crossing despite construction still not being under way, it has been revealed.

Other Regional Press

• Major plea over HS2 by Birmingham leaders 'or risk losing full benefits' of high speed rail lineBusinesses in Birmingham are calling for the HS2 extension to Crewe to unlock economic growth and fulfil its original goals, warning of reduced impact without changes.

Other News Sources

• Stagecoach to replace Basingstoke buses with newer modelsBASINGSTOKE'S ageing bus fleet is due for an upgrade this year with buses that are more than 20 years old to be replaced with newer models.
• Abbey Wood station sees increase in violent and sexual crimeThe number of violent incidents and sexual offences has increased at Abbey Wood station.

News from Europe

• Hydrogen Trucks Reach 10,000 KM Milestone Transporting Dry IceLess than two months ago, the HOYER Group and Nippon Gases Deutschland, together with hylane, put the first hydrogen-powered truck for dry ice transport into operation. A special moment also because Minister of Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur personally drove the truck to the handover to convince herself of the technology. Today, the vehicle has already covered over 10,000 kilometers.