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

Friday, 23 May 2025

BBC News

• Political wrangles, Reform and the battle to reopen Doncaster's airportOn Friday, 37 Reform councillors will take their seats in the Doncaster Council chamber for the first time. Their new majority comes at a pivotal time for the city, where Labour mayor Ros Jones was re-elected on a ticket of promises to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
• First nationalised train will be replacement busAmongst collectors of memorabilia there is one specialised field - train tickets.
• Direct rail service plan supported by PMPlans for a new passenger rail service running direct trains between north Wales, the West Midlands and London have received support from the prime minister.
• Heathrow workers' strike may intensify - unionStrikes by hundreds of workers who assist Heathrow airport passengers with restricted mobility will intensify unless a pay dispute is resolved, a union has warned.
• New road and hangars for Blackpool Airport approvedPlans have been approved for a new road and extra hangars at Blackpool Airport.
• Council to fight Farnborough Airport expansionA Surrey council has voted to fight an airport's expansion plans.
• EasyJet to open airport base five years after exitAirline EasyJet is to open a new base at Newcastle International Airport nearly five years after it left the site.
• Direct rail service plan supported by PMThe prime minister says he will ensure MPs meet with the transport minister to discuss the proposals.
• £2.1bn north Wales rail overhaul plans unveiledIt would mean better stations and more trains, say ministers seeking to "turn dreams into reality".
• 'Give it time' - ScotRail defends AI announcer IonaA new synthetic voice is being introduced across Scotland's trains to deliver onboard announcements.
• Electric plane tech centre to be built near Glasgow AirportUS start-up ZeroAvia says 350 jobs could be created at new centre to develop hydrogen fuel cells for planes.
• Heathrow workers' strike may intensify - unionUnite says about 800 of its members employed by firm Wilson James are now taking industrial action.

Department for Transport

• Transfer of South Western Railway's services into public ownershipSouth Western Railway's services will transfer into public ownership on 25 May 2025.

Financial Times

• EasyJet on track for record year as travellers shrug off economic anxietiesLow-cost airline targets highest-ever profits as buoyant consumers continue to spend on travel
• A flagless fleet is threatening the seasWestern governments must tackle the maritime lawlessness their sanctions helped create
• EasyJet and peers spy a just-hot-enough summerLow-cost airlines report pick-up in bookings for next few months despite slowing economic growth

Times Online

• China?s BYD electric cars overtake Tesla sales in Europe [subscription]?Watershed moment? as a newcomer on the Continent sells more EVs than Elon Musk?s long-established brand
• South Western Railway to be nationalised this weekend [subscription]Labour hopes bringing operators into public ownership will improve travel under its plans for Great British Railways

City AM

• The Elizabeth Line has clocked enough miles for 45 round trips to the moon The Elizabeth Line has clocked up enough miles in its first three years to reach the moon and back 45 times, it has been revealed. More than 600m passenger journeys have been made on the UK’s single busiest railway service since operations began in 2022, according to Transport for London (TfL). That means London’s ‘Lizzie [...]

The Mirror

• Major UK airport's ?1.3bn mega upgrade will transform 'hated' terminalOne of the UK's busiest airports has finally revealed plans to transform its terminal which Brits have branded 'truly abysmal'. Handling around 30 million passengers every year, Manchester Airport is the largest of its kind in the north of England - with around 261 flights leaving the hub daily.

Network Rail

• Joint Network Rail (Wales and Borders) and TfW statement: Re Leominster collisionThe 08:30 Manchester Piccadilly - Cardiff Central service has hit a trailer at a farm crossing between Ludlow and Leominster, and this will cause disruption along the Marches line for the remainder of the day.

Sky News

• Passengers injured after train hits trailer on level crossing - as police arrest manMore than a dozen people have been injured after a train hit an agricultural trailer on a level crossing in Herefordshire, according to emergency services.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• LBA launches 'iconic views' campaign to celebrate terminal expansionLeeds Bradford Airport (LBA) has launched a campaign to discover Yorkshire’s most iconic views, in celebration of its new terminal expansion which is set to open this summer.
• LBA launches 'iconic views' campaign to celebrate terminal expansionLeeds Bradford Airport (LBA) has launched a campaign to discover Yorkshire’s most iconic views, in celebration of its new terminal expansion which is set to open this summer.

Bristol Live

• Ryanair and Easyjet slammed for 'exploiting' millions over one flight ruleThe European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and its 16 member organisations from 12 countries have filed an official complaint to the European Commission, which could land the seven airlines involved hefty charges.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Welsh Government's 15 steps to improve train and bus services under 'Network North Wales'Network North Wales will see metro style train services, and a new direct rail link between Wrexham and Liverpool
• Crashes on 20mph and 30mph roads in Wales at lowest level ever recorded - while deaths also downRoad deaths were down nearly 20% on the previous year
• Six hurt as Transport for Wales train hits tractor and trailer at level crossingThe collision took place on a Cardiff bound train as travellers face disruption across the network including on services from the capital to Holyhead

Leicester Mercury

• New bus routes announced for Leicester, Loughborough, Fosse Park, Coalville, Shepshed and HinckleyThe new routes are set to start this summer

London Evening Standard

• Moment commuter who dodged £20,000 of rail fares is snared at London Waterloo stationUndercover officers tracked his movements before apprehending him when he arrived at the platform at Waterloo

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester Airport issue new statement after major change for drivers who pick up and drop offBarrier-free car parks are now in action across all terminals at Manchester Airport which has "improved traffic flow", "removed tailgating" and resulted in "safer roads and improved customer experience".

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Major Birmingham developments approved this year including HS2 revision and Edgbaston expansionThis year has already seen some huge Birmingham developments given the green light by planners at the city council.

Yorkshire Post

• Maybe we did need another report into the state of the railways in Yorkshire - Ismail MullaConnectivity is vital when it comes to economic growth. The more mobile a population, the more a region benefits. Good public transport links are also a great enabler of social mobility.

Oxford Mail

• Rail minister Lord Hendy invited to revisit OxfordRail minister Lord Hendy is being invited to revisit Oxford to give residents a progress report on the ?161m rail scheme which shut Botley Road.

Other Regional Press

• LBA launches campaign to celebrate terminal expansionLEEDS Bradford Airport (LBA) has launched a campaign to discover Yorkshire?s most iconic views, in celebration of its new terminal expansion which is set to open this summer.
• Leeds Bradford Airport handed ?160 million terminal expansion boostLeeds Bradford Airport received a ?160 million boost for terminal expansion.
• Rail journeys into Wales ?shouldn?t take so long?When you?re going from one end of the country to the top of another over 300 miles, you price in the fact it is going to take eight trains and 12 hours there and back.
• Railway revamp unveiled in Mayor?s plansMAJOR plans to transform South Yorkshire?s ?creaking railway infrastructure? - including upgrading the Penistone Line and introducing new services from Barnsley to London - have been officially unveiled.
• North London Tube station to finally get step-free access after 'years of campaigning'A North London Underground station will finally get major upgrades, including step-free access following years of campaigning by local politicians. Other changes include more tickets to reduce overcrowding and improvements to the toilets, although it will result in the closing down of a barber shop outside the station.

Bus-News

• Mobico Group Announces Revenue Decline for UK National Express ServicesMobico Group, the parent company of National Express, has reported a 2% decline in UK revenue for the first quarter of 2025, as the company continues efforts to stabilise its domestic operations.

Modern Railways

• Manchester seeks next Metrolink operatorTransport for Greater Manchester is starting the process to select the next operator of the Metrolink light rail network after the current contract ends in July 2027. It is currently operated by Keolis/Amey.

Rail Business Daily

• New report says Midlands Rail Hub could 'speed up' housing deliveryA new report from Midlands Connect says that the Midlands Rail Hub project could 'help speed up' major housing projects throughout the Midlands, as well as making them more attractive.

Railnews

• FirstGroup prepares for SWR handover to state FirstGroup, which has a majority share in South Western Railway, has issued a farewell message as the countdown to Sunday's renationalisation goes on.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Wales bus franchising affordability and deliverability are questionedCaBAC and CPT Cymru air doubt over assumptions and forecasts around bus reregulation work

Aviation Industry

• Southampton airport claims ?transformative step forward? as new scanners go liveSouthampton airport introduces new scanners, claiming a ?transformative step forward?.
• So who holds the Heathrow Parking Pods contract?The state of the interiors raises serious questions about the safety of the Pods.

Other News Sources

• New Liverpool-Manchester route "not a pipe dream", says former Rail MinisterThe Liverpool-Manchester Rail partnership is ?not a pipe dream?, according to former Rail Minister Huw Merriman, who chairs the project.
• Network North Wales to transform region's public transportAN ambitious vision to deliver an integrated, high-frequency public transport network for North Wales, with frequent metro services at its heart, has been unveiled today (Thursday, May 22).
• Hydrogen bus delivers industry leaders to Westminster in £6.5bn HySpeed pushMore than 20 UK energy-intensive businesses arrived at Westminster today in a hydrogen-powered bus to drive forward the HySpeed campaign to over 40 MPs and peers.
• Unite welcomes East Midlands Airport expansion plansUnite has cautiously welcomed the news that East Midlands Airport is seeking to expand.
• Leeds Bradford Airport lands £160m financingOwner InfraBridge has plans for expansion and upgrades
• East Midlands Airport unveils cargo hub plansEast Midlands Airport unveiled plans that could create more than 20,000 jobs by making land around its runway available for development.
• Charging Into the Future: Hyundai and Incheon Airport Debut AI EV RobotsThis collaboration should confirm the practical benefits of future mobility technologies by combining Hyundai Motor Group?s robotics and AI capabilities with Incheon International Airport Corporation?s operational experience.