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

Thursday, 29 May 2025

BBC News

• Heathrow chief asleep as airport closed - reportFindings from a review commissioned by Heathrow management into March's power cut are published.
• UK car production falls sharply in AprilThe number of new vehicles made in the UK was the lowest figure for April - outside the pandemic - since 1952.

Financial Times

• Brazilian airline Azul files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protectionCarrier’s move highlights crisis facing region’s airlines and casts doubt over merger with rival Gol
• Heathrow chief out of reach during shutdown as phone was on silent, says report Thomas Woldbye expresses ‘deep regret’ at being uncontactable, leaving his deputy to take decisions

The Guardian

• Lower Thames Crossing could triple tolls at Dartford tunnel, campaigners sayIf private finance is used for road tunnel, analysis finds it would need to charge £8.10 for cars and £14 for lorriesTolls on motorists to cross the Thames east of London at Dartford could triple if the Lower Thames Crossing is built using private finance, campaigners have claimed.Plans for the £9.2bn crossing were signed off in March and the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said the government was exploring options to privately finance the project, which is Britain’s biggest roadbuilding scheme.

Times Online

• Passengers trapped for three hours on Thameslink trains. [subscription]Electrical failures hit commuter services between St Pancras and West Hampstead from 8pm, with disruption also reported around Gatwick
• UK auto industry releases worst April production figures since 1952 [subscription]British car plants are producing fewer vehicles than they were during the pandemic

City AM

• Nissan: UK taxpayers to guarantee £1bn loan amid Sunderland plant uncertainty The UK taxpayer is to guarantee a £1bn loan to Nissan as part of a major restructuring of the struggling carmaker. The Japanese firm announced plans earlier this month to axe 20,000 jobs globally and shut down seven factories.
• Heathrow 'esponded well' to power outage despite sleeping CEO, report says Heathrow Airport 'responded well' to the power outage incident in March despite its chief executive sleeping through a key decision on whether to stop operations, an internal review, commissioned by the airport, found.

The Mirror

• Heathrow boss slept through disastrous power outage with his phone on silentSenior staff at London Heathrow Airport couldn't reach Thomas Woldbye, Chief Executive Officer, to inform him they had decided to suspend operations because of a fire at a substation in Hayes

Labour List

• Thames Estuary motorway must not devour UK's green transport budgetIt's more important than ever that the Labour Government makes sure every pound it spends really counts for everyone across the UK.

Birmingham Mail

• Labour could end fuel duty freeze with millions of UK drivers warnedFuel duty dropped £200million last year as more drivers bought electric vehicles, with the Labour Party goverment set to shake things up.
• Birmingham Airport's night-time flights to be monitored after increase sparks complaints'Critical friend' new committee set up after Solihull Council agreed to increase BHX night time flights despite opposition
• Cyclists and e-bike riders face £400 fine and criminal record for running red lightsThe City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police have been actively targeting riders who flout traffic regulations as part of a major crackdown.

Birmingham Post

• Nissan turns to '£1bn UK Government-backed loan' as part of funding planThe troubled car maker is looking to raise huge sums to keep itself afloat

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• 20mph zones introduced to make Manningham's streets saferHighways officers are reviewing data to see if new 20mph zones in Manningham have made the area’s roads safer.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Welsh Government told to look to 'Victorians' for rail network improvementsThe Welsh Government has announced plans to revolutionise the rail network

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Durham rail passenger says proposed timetable change will make commute inconvenientAndrew Rice, from Esh Winning, commutes to Lowestoft at least twice a month where he works as an offshore assessor

Other Regional Press

• Smart motorways have higher rate of recorded breakdownsSmart motorways have a vehicle breakdown rate nearly three times higher than conventional motorways, new figures show.
• CrossCountry opens £100,000 fund for community projectsThe Customer and Communities Improvement Fund (CCIF) will provide a total of £100,000 throughout the year for initiatives across the UK, including in Bournemouth, that deliver social and environmental benefits.
• Devon railway station poised for fresh burst of characterA new wave of funding is turning it into a vibrant hub of colour and history

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Unipart win three-year contract with helicopter manufacture LeonardoUnipart, supply chain performance improvement partner, has won a three-year contract with Leonardo, a global industrial group building technological capabilities in aerospace, defence and security.
• Stagecoach unveils plans for first fully electric fleet and depotStagecoach has announced plans for its first fully electric fleet and depot in Stockton-on-Tees in a celebration event took place at Acklam Hall, Middlesborough on 19 May. The site will house a fleet of Yutong electric buses, including the company’s first Yutong double-decker. According to stagecoach the new electric site will also open the door for business innovation as the Stagecoach Solutions team unveiled a new B2B offering.

Rail Magazine

• Lord Hendy outlines work to do to improve renationalised South Western operationRail Minister Lord Hendy has said there is 'a bit to do with the South Western' after its renationalisation.

Railnews

• Derby engineers move to Alstom Litchurch Lane in jobs boost An established firm of railway engineers in Derby is moving from its premises in Pride Park to the Alstom site in Litchurch Lane, which is the largest rolling stock works in Britain. Around 25 new jobs will be created.

Other News Sources

• Smart motorways have higher rate of recorded breakdownsSmart motorways have a vehicle breakdown rate nearly three times higher than conventional motorways, new figures show.
• We need a new and fair infrastructure funding model now if we are to build for the futureDelivering critical infrastructure and public facilities is a complex process that carries huge risk for small rewards. That system has to change, says John Wilkinson, chief operating officer at BAM UK & Ireland
• What the Lower Thames Crossing and Euston station projects say about the government's private finance plansThe government has said it will fund the giant Euston station and Lower Thames Crossing schemes using private finance. With the Treasury mulling a broader injection of private capital into public projects, Joey Gardiner examines how ministers are going about it and the prospects for success

EIN News Subscription

• Heathrow chief’s phone on silent mode as fire caused airport to close, inquiry findsAttempts to tell Heathrow airport’s sleeping chief executive that the airport had been closed because of a power outage failed because his bedside phone was on silent, an inquiry has found.
• Skyservic unlocks global Wi-Fi with Gogo Galileo HDX STC for Bombardier Challenger aircraftSkyservice Business Aviation has expanded their avionics offering with a new Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the Gogo Galileo HDX system on Bombardier Challenger CL604, CL605 and CL650 aircraft.