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

Wednesday, 21 May 2025

BBC News

• Uber agrees to 'co-brand' Channel Tunnel trainsTransport app Uber will "co-brand" trains running through Kent and the Channel Tunnel, it has announced. The company said it had formed a partnership with Gemini Trains, which is developing plans to launch international rail services from London St Pancras which would stop in Ebbsfleet.
• HS2 construction prepares for M6 'viaduct slide'The installation will require weekend closures of the motorway as the structure is slid into place.
• Ryanair tells flight attendants to repay salary risesThe Irish airline is pursuing members of a Spanish union to hand back up to €3,000 following a ruling.
• Doubts over whether Brits can use EU e-gates this summerIt is unclear whether UK travellers can avoid long queues this summer and use e-gates at European airports.

The Guardian

• Flights at New Jersey airport capped temporarily amid air traffic control issuesCuts to continue through October amid runway construction aimed at curbing delays and cancellations

The Independent

• Trauma leave, closed runways and 3D-printed parts: Chaos has ensnarled Newark airport. Here's what's really going onFAA said no one was hurt and operations were not interrupted as a result of Tuesday's communication outage at Newark
• Uber deal with Channel Tunnel trains will allow users to book tickets to Europe on appMore trains will soon be available from the UK to Europe under new plans

City AM

• Uber unveils tie-up with Eurostar challenger Uber is planning a partnership deal with one of the firms seeking to oust Eurostar as the sole operator of the Channel Tunnel. Gemini Trains, spearheaded by the Labour peer Lord Berkeley, is one of several competitors looking to break Eurostar's 30-year monopoly on cross-channel services.

Network Rail

• Tackling cable theft with innovative techCable theft is illegal, costs the railway millions every year and can cause severe delays and disruption to your journeys.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Sun sets on Heaton Lodge footbridge as work takes shape on Ravensthorpe roadbridgeA HUGE crane was brought in as engineers installed 20 pre-cast concrete beams as they worked to build a new roadbridge over a railway line in West Yorkshire.
• Huddersfield to Leeds trains to face disruption for nearly four weeksTrain services between Huddersfield and Leeds are set to be disrupted for nearly four weeks.
• Huddersfield to Leeds trains to face disruption for nearly four weeksTrain services between Huddersfield and Leeds are set to be disrupted for nearly four weeks.
• 'It would be a fantastic moment for this new rail line'York Outer MP Luke Charters wants the Transpennine rail line to be named the Turing Line after Alan Turing.

Bristol Live

• Roadworks chaos on Filton Flyover will cause 'rat runs and congestion'The A38 Flyover at Filton is set for 'major' maintenance work as council warns of traffic chaos until December

Metro

• Uber to rival Eurostar with cross-channel trains and there's a major difference for UK travellersFor three decades, Eurostar has been the only company operating passenger trains in the Channel Tunnel.

The York Press

• 'Difficult decisions' over two major York schemes as £128m funding gap opensDifficult decisions will have to be taken on York’s Station Gateway and Outer Ring Road projects amid spiralling costs, senior councillors have said.
• 'It would be a fantastic moment for this new rail line'York Outer MP Luke Charters wants the Transpennine rail line to be named the Turing Line after Alan Turing.

Yorkshire Post

• Bradford: All bus services returned to Bradford Interchange for first time in 16 monthsAll bus services have now returned to Bradford Interchange meaning the station is now fully operation for the first time since January 2024.

Blackpool Gazette

• Multi-million pound bus service improvement plan pressing ahead in BlackpoolA massive funding boost for bus services in Blackpool will help encourage more people across the Fylde coast to use public transport, it is hoped.

Kent Online

• Eurostar rival Gemini Trains partners with Uber to launch train services from Ebbsfleet International to Paris and BrusselsUber has announced it is partnering with a rail company which plans to bring Channel Tunnel services back to Kent.

London Mayor Watch

• Heathrow Express has introduced its earliest train service yetWaking up before sunrise to catch an early morning flight at Heathrow is often a struggle but thanks to Heathrow Express, things are about to get a little easier.

New Civil Engineer

• Why Webuild opted for rare hyperbaric excavation method to construct an Italian rail tunnelA rare tunnelling method is being deployed to build a 650m section of the Casalnuovo Tunnel which lies within an aquifer, as part of the Naples-Bari high-speed rail project in Italy.

Rail Magazine

• Rail Minister outlines support for HS2 CEO as he carries out 'reset'Rail Minister Lord Hendy has given the new HS2 Ltd Chief Executive his backing as he carries out a 'reset' of the project.
• Network Rail explains work done to fix almost daily Great Western Main Line failuresDelay minutes between London Paddington and Reading have reduced by 125,000 year-on-year after the first 12 months of Network Rail's project to fix daily problems along the route.
• Network Rail begins process to replace rail infrastructure monitoring trainsNetwork Rail has begun the process for a £1.2 billion replacement of its rail infrastructure monitoring service.

Railnews

• Passengers welcomed to new Scottish station The line between Glasgow Central and East Kilbride has reopened after work on a £143 million scheme to electrify the railway, which has also gained a rebuilt station at Hairmyres.

Railway Gazette

• Mayor makes another bid for station devolutionUK: Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has called for powers to take over and regenerate disused railway land and derelict station buildings.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Metroline and Realise launch bus driver apprenticeship schemeMetroline has teamed up with training provider Realise to launch an apprenticeship programme for would-be bus drivers in Manchester.
• Biofuels: Critical to coach and bus decarbonisation despite troublesElectrification dominates decarbonisation talk, but for some of the sector that is years away
• Power network resilience: Building it into an electric bus depotResilient power supply is critical to operation of electric bus fleets. Zenobe looks in closer detail
• Pilot schemes set to explore models for rural bus franchisingLocal Transport Minister asserts bus franchising can work in rural areas, while long-term funding, socially necessary services and the future of fares initiatives are also addressed at Transport Committee session

The Business Desk

• East Midlands Airport reveals plans that could provide take-off for 20,000 jobsEast Midlands Airport today (May 21) unveiled plans that could create more than 20,000 jobs by making land around its runway available for development.

Urban Transport Group

• Spending Review is 'critical moment' to secure future of public transportThe Government is being urged to use its forthcoming Spending Review to commit to funding that will secure the future of public transport, which is a core enabler of local and national economic growth.

Other News Sources

• Call to improve bus services for blind people in WalesOnly one in ten blind or partially sighted people can make all their necessary journeys in Wales by bus, according to a report by RNIB Cymru.
• Half term strikes to hit Gatwick but airlines including easyJet confident of running full schedulesStaff at company that refuels EasyJet, Uganda Airlines and Air India set to walk out next week but another strike had been called off
• Taxi drivers outraged after seafront taxi rank is moved for new bus laneBrighton and Hove City Council is currently trialling a traffic regulation order, which started on May 1, introducing a new bus lane on Marine Parade, Brighton.