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

Monday, 14 April 2025

BBC News

• Lifeline for under threat commuter serviceA train service at risk of being scrapped under timetable changes has been given a possible lifeline.
• Torbay Stagecoach fleet to become 100% electricA new fleet of all-electric buses will be deployed in Torquay this winter, thanks to a funding boost from the Department for Transport (DfT), Torbay Council has said.
• Hopes car ban in city will create 'café culture' Some businesses worry restricting access will hit trade and make access difficult for disabled people.
• More boats ignore tolls on Broads, says authorityThe Broads Authority says it issued 1,708 notices to boat owners who had not paid fees in 2024.
• Work on railways set to cause Easter disruptionThameslink, Southern and Southeastern trains are due to be affected across the four days.
• In Canada's car capital, auto workers brace for the worstThe auto sector in Windsor, Ontario, has employed generations of Canadians. Now the future is uncertain and US tariffs are "like a stab in the back".

Financial Times

• Navigating public transport and infrastructure to workFor disabled jobseekers, accessible trains and buses are a route out of worklessness into employment and higher pay

The Guardian

• Network Rail has stockpiled a year's worth of rails in case of British Steel disruptionReserves would give six months to find alternative supply if Scunthorpe blast furnaces are switched off
• UK drivers face ‘hat-trick of hold-ups’ over Easter bank holiday weekendRAC says 19m leisure trips planned over four-day break with peak congestion expected from Thursday to SaturdayDrivers heading off for Easter getaways face a “hat-trick of hold-ups” as the four-day weekend coincides with the end of the holidays for many schools.Traffic will be “equally severe”, the RAC said, on Thursday, Good Friday and Saturday, with an estimated 2.7 million leisure trips by car planned across the UK each day. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Easter holiday travel chaos awaits with disruption expected on trains, flights and roadsExclusive: The Independent predicts the worst traffic jams will be on the M5, M6, M25 and A303

Times Online

• Polestar boss attacks decision to ease emission targets [subscription]UK chief of the electric carmaker accuses ministers of doing the opposite of encouraging people to buy greener cars

Liverpool Echo

• Calls for huge Merseyrail change to 'keep fares down'Eddie Dempsey is the newly installed RMT general secretary and has the region's rail network in his crosshairs

Nation. Cymru

• £1.05 million of transport grants awarded to road projectsA Cynon Valley road project and the latest phase of a walking and cycling route in Rhondda Fach are among the schemes in Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) that will get their share of Welsh Government transport grants next year.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• New direct bus service from Aberdeen to Edinburgh Airport ready to launchThe service has previously been introduced in Dundee by the McGill's Group

South Wales Argus

• £110m investment announced for transport schemes in WalesMillions of pounds have been allocated for transport projects across Newport and South Wales.

Other Regional Press

• GWR and Network Rail join forces to improve service deliveryGreat Western Railway (GWR) and Network Rail have united their control functions to improve service delivery.
• Summer of overnight A35 closures could be 'crippling' to businessesLocal business owners are expressing a growing concern over the upcoming A35 roadworks, which are set to cause significant disruption during ‘six of the busiest weeks of the year’

Bloomberg

• These Are the World's Busiest AirportsDubai International Airport extended its lead as the world's busiest international airport in 2024 as global travel surged past pre-pandemic levels, according to the Airports Council International.

Rail Advent

• New planters to brighten up Hertforshire rail station with floral displaysA grant from Greater Anglia has provided funds for two planters to be installed at St. Margarets railway station in Hertfordshire.

Rail Magazine

• Comment: Competition hots up on the Channel Tunnel routePaths are available for trains to and from the continent, but maintenance facilities and stabling berths are in shorter supply, notes Philip Haigh.
• Mendip Rail sees off final rake of old hopper wagons - outlines benefits from replacement fleetMendip Rail has seen off the last of its O&K hopper wagons that carried aggregates in and out of its Somerset quarries for more than 35 years.

Railnews

• Network Rail was prepared for British Steel closureNetwork Rail was prepared for disruption affecting steel production, it has emerged, after a weekend in which Parliament passed a Bill allowing the government to take control of the British Steel works in Scunthorpe.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Spring statement poses concern for long-term bus funding hopesThe dim outlook of the UK economy - as seen in the spring statement - could spell bad news for the coach and bus industry, believes our political expert
• Peninsula Transport: Giving coach a strong voice in the south westPeninsula Transport, a regional body sitting at the level between local authority and government, is seeking to gain better recognition for coach operators and services.

Other News Sources

• Creating one train coordination platform for intermodal players with RailSyncDigitalisation is a key step for the improvement of rail freight, an industry in dire need of being modernised. Making communication between all the parties involved more efficient is an important aspect of this, and RailSync wants to play a big part in both of it.
• MPA calls on NISTA to boost delivery on infrastructure strategy... Infrastructure delivery has long been a concern for MPA members, with projects such as HS2, RIS 1 & 2 (Road Investment Strategies) and East West Rail subject to repeated delays, descoping and partial or full cancellation. That's been exacerbated by the fact that most projects do not involve the material supply chain in advance, according to the MPA, although it acknowledges recent improvements, with the Lower Thames Crossing being a great example of early engagement.
• Sea Change in Cybersecurity: USCG's New Maritime Reg Set to Transform Digital Safety at SeaThe $5.4 trillion global maritime industry faces a perfect storm of cyber vulnerabilities, and a new government regulation aims to be the lighthouse guiding stakeholders to safer digital harbors.On January 17, 2025, the US Coast Guard (USCG)…
• Ship Recycling Market Fearful of Tariff Developments“An extremely volatile week of tariff announcements, suspensions, mishandling of economic affairs and fluctuating markets has left Indian sub-continent ship recycling destinations on edge, fearful of the next moves by a seemingly irrational and aggressive Trump regime…
• Call for action to stop people being 'trapped' at level crossing for 15 minutesThere are calls for a footbridge to be built over Worthing level crossing because pedestrians are sometimes having to wait more than 15 minutes.