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

Thursday, 01 May 2025

BBC News

• Under 16s could pay more for buses than older teensPlans to discount bus travel for young people in Wales have been botched, according to Plaid Cymru.
• Trial aims to make airport operations sustainableA UK trial aimed at making ground support for the aviation industry more sustainable has been held in Devon.
• Work to upgrade A9 between Moy and Tomatin beginsConstruction work has fully begun on the next stage of the £3bn A9 dualling programme between Inverness and Perth.
• Region to get 10,000 new electric vehicle chargersTen thousand new charging points for electric vehicles are to be installed in the West Midlands, the region's mayor has said.
• No money for north-east London tram - councilPlans for a new tram route through north-east London have stalled due to a lack of funding at the local town hall.
• Fatal train crash safety faults found, investigators sayFour faults were detected in a safety system for a train involved in a fatal crash, investigators have said.
• Significant increase in Tube graffiti, TfL saysReports of increased graffiti on Tube trains, in particular on the Central and Bakerloo lines, have prompted Londoners to complain to the transport authority.
• Council to cut post-16 school SEND transportA local authority is to cut the amount of subsidised transport it provides to post 16-year-old pupils with special educational needs (SEND) travelling to school.
• Priority seats redesigned for London transportPriority seats on London's buses and Underground will be more clearly labelled, Transport for London (TfL) has said.

Financial Times

• Airlines warn of weakening demand for US travel among European tourists Air France-KLM and Lufthansa report signs of changing demand on transatlantic routes
• Airbus chief warns there will be ‘only losers’ from prolonged trade warGuillaume Faury calls for return of sector’s tariff-free trading
• The battle over New York’s congestion tollFor all the controversy over the charge, the evidence so far is mostly positive

Times Online

• New chapter as fireproof shelves bring book swaps back to Tube. [subscription]Book exchanges are returning to some ? but not all ? London Underground stations in fireproof cabinets, after the controversial removal of the mini libraries prompted an intervention from the mayor.

Daily Record

• Shipyard workers 'not to blame' for CalMac ferry fiasco as union calls for more orders to boost fleetEXCLUSIVE: The GMB union said Scotland's ageing ferry fleet needed rebuilt in order to provide a better service to island communities.

Local Government

• Mayors head to Parliament with plan for Northern Arc to deliver green growthSteve Rotheram and Andy Burnham take case for backing Northern Arc to Treasury as new data shows North can drive green growth and unlock £90bn for UK economy

Birmingham Post

• Aston Martin limits exports to US over new tariffsMove by sports car maker follows President Trump's imposition of 25 per cent tariffs on cars imported into the US

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Town centre bus station waiting area 'cautiously' reopens on eveningsA bus station has reopened its waiting area following a spate of anti-social behaviour.
• Cleckheaton and Heckmondwike among areas to benefit from £3.8m for new EV chargersTwenty-three areas in Kirklees could soon be getting new Electric Vehicle Charging Points, as a multi-million-pound cash boost is on the way.

London Evening Standard

• 'Headphone dodgers' who play music out loud on trains are anti-social, suggests Prime MinisterHeadphone dodgers who play music or videos out loud on public transport are part of a wider problem of anti-social behaviour, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
• TfL's war on fare dodgers stepped up amid concern of surge in 'gate-pushers'Efforts to target bus network hampered by lack of Met police support

Manchester Evening News

• Andy Burnham hails 'victory' as Greater Manchester to get first new railway station in 25 yearsPlans to reconnect a Wigan town to the rail network for the first time in 60 years have been given the green light.

Nation. Cymru

• Welsh Government accused of launching 'botched' public transport pilot schemePlaid Cymru has accused the Welsh Government of introducing a 'botched' public transport pilot scheme, which leaves 11-15 years old paying more than 16-21-year-olds.

The York Press

• MPs urge government to press ahead with 'transformational' A64 upgradeThree MPs have joined forces to urge the Government to press ahead with the dualling of the A64 between York and Scarborough.

Yorkshire Post

• West Yorkshire tram network needs £1bn from Government in Spending Review to get spades in groundMayor Tracy Brabin is urging the Government to give West Yorkshire £1bn in the summer's Spending Review to get work started on the region's long-awaited tram system.
• A64: MPs urge government to press ahead with A64 upgradeConservatives Kevin Hollinrake, who represents Thirsk and Malton, and Wetherby and Easingwold MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke, as well as Lib Dems Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon, have written to the Minister for Roads calling for the work to be carried out.

Other Regional Press

• Vandals who damaged door bring trains to haltVandals caused disruption on the rail network this morning by damaging a train door, preventing it from moving.
• MK Mayor recognises good work of Transport teamMK Mayor Marie Bradburn has made a special award to Luciana Smart, Major Projects & Development Manager at MK City Council, for her team's successful delivery of a new Redway in the south of the city.
• Swansea Valley 'forgotten' in Welsh Government transport grant announcementThe Welsh Liberal Democrats have criticised the Welsh Government for overlooking the Swansea Valley in its latest £110m transport funding announcement.

Rail Advent

• New measures announced by Transport for London to combat fare evasionTransport for London (TfL) has announced that it will be employing more investigators as part of what it calls 'a bold new strategy to crack down on fare evasion'

Railnews

• Train in fatal Welsh head-on collision had various sander faults The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has confirmed that there were two blocked sander hoses on a Class 158 unit involved in a fatal head-on collision in mid-Wales last year. One person died and four others were seriously hurt.

Aviation Industry

• BIFA launches new advisory group to focus on Heathrow cargo redevelopmentThe British International Freight Association (BIFA) has launched an advisory body, which will undertake a lot of the activity previously covered by the CCS UK User Group.
• Why did GALBA take the government to court? Because the Jet Zero Strategy is a climate con Author: Nick Hodgkinson, Chair of GALBA On 1-4 April 2025, two judicial review legal cases against the government’s Jet Zero Strategy were heard in the High Court.