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

Friday, 06 June 2025

BBC News

• Reprieved bus service is a lifeline, say usersBus users of a service that runs between a market town and a city have reacted with relief after the route was saved. The March to Peterborough 33 route was to have been shortened from 31 August due to "extremely low passenger numbers", according to operator Stagecoach.
• HS2 viaduct operation sees M6 slip road closurePart of a viaduct to carry HS2 over the M6 at Birmingham is being moved into place at the weekend.
• TfL now has 2,000 zero-emission buses in LondonThe bus fleet began in 2016 with 30 vehicles and has expanded in a big push to reduce air pollution.
• Turkish-built CalMac ferry completes first sea trialsMV Isle of Islay, the first of four ships being built at the Cemre shipyard, is expected to join the CalMac fleet later this year.

Department for Transport

• Your chance to try simpler train tickets in Yorkshire and the East Midlands this SeptemberUp to 4,000 rail passengers can take part in each route of the pay-as-you-go ticketing trials.
• More than £32 million to resurface roads and build new cycle lanes in the north east and Yorkshire as region hosts UK's largest women's cycling raceInvesting in safer roads will encourage more women to cycle, build healthier, stronger communities and help ease pressure on the NHS.

Financial Times

• Wizz Air shares plunge 26% as plane groundings hit profits Low-cost carrier posts 41.5% drop in earnings as Pratt & Whitney engine woes continue

The Herald

• Commuting by bus from Edinburgh's suburbs is awful. Here's my solutionIt's not at all difficult to see why Lothian Buses is a regular award winner. The passenger experience on a Lothian bus has become rather a pleasant one; on its new fleet of electric buses, I can sit in relative comfort, charge my phone, and the head-splitting din of sitting over the back axle on an old diesel bus is a distant memory. Its sister Edinburgh Trams provide a similarly acceptable experience. This is a well-run operation.
• Edinburgh Airport chief reveals £1.6 billion lift and hopesThe chief executive of Edinburgh Airport has estimated its annual contribution to the economy will have risen to at least £1.6 billion, as he anticipates further growth and another record year for passenger numbers.

Times Online

• Manual cars are disappearing, but an automatic will cost you more [subscription]The switch could mean higher insurance prices for all drivers - even those keen to keep shifting their own gears
• New Scottish ferry will not be ready in time for summer [subscription]MV Isle of Islay, built in Turkey, was due last October but still has more hurdles to overcome before it can carry passengers
• Birds 'starving' after getting trapped in Network Rail cage [subscription]Campaigners say an attempt to deal with pigeon mess has left birds unable to escape or find food, describing it as 'nothing short of wildlife crime'

City AM

• IAG: British Airways owner faces shareholder revolt British Airways owner IAG is set to become the latest FTSE 100 company facing a shareholder revolt over pay awards to its top execs. Influential proxy adviser ISS has urged IAG investors to vote against a remuneration policy which includes a one-off share award for CEO Luis Gallego, at the group's next annual general meeting

The Mirror

• UK airports to soon allow 2 litres of liquid in hand luggage instead of 1A number of UK airports are set to scrap the 100ml liquid limit soon

National Highways

• Hydrogen powered construction a step closer after successful Lower Thames Crossing trialThe Lower Thames Crossing's plan to replace diesel with hydrogen in its heavy construction machinery will help accelerate Britian's transition to clean power

Birmingham Mail

• Popular budget airline Wizz Air admits one in five planes are groundedWizz Air, which ran more than 63 million flights through the UK last year, has seen profits plunge 62 per cent to £141 million

Birmingham Post

• 'At most one new operator' can move in to East London Eurostar depotThe Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has been assessing capacity at Temple Mills International depot after Eurostar claimed it was "basically full"
• Cornwall MP slams government after county misses out on transport fundingThe Chancellor has announced a £15bn funding package for projects across England
• The £4bn of rail investment that the UK Government needs to fund in WalesTransport expert Professor Mark Barry of Cardiff University makes the case for UK rail enhancement investment in Wales to help address years of under investment out to 2040
• Wizz Air shares crash as budget airline's profits nosedive amid ongoing problemsThe Hungarian budget airline said its results for the year to March 31 had been impacted by the continued grounding of a substantial portion of the group's aircraft flee
• British Airways owner IAG faces shareholder revolt over CEO payThe company has been one of a slew of European airlines to cash in on booming travel demand in the post-Covid era

Bolton News

• Rail regulator demands fairer ticket enforcement after The Bolton News probeThe rail regulator has recommended a series of improvements to the industry after concerns were raised about how rules are enforced following an investigation by The Bolton News
• Share of 1,000 new buses but still no trams for Bolton in multi-billion announcementBolton will benefit from a share of more than 1,000 new electric buses but has missed out again on expansions to the tram network.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Summer bus services to provide links into Swaledale and WensleydaleTwo summer bus services are providing links into Swaledale and Wensleydale.

Manchester Evening News

• Andy Burnham issues statement on future of Bee Network £2 bus fare capThe mayor said investment announced this week would ensure and 'expanded but still low fare system'

Metro

• Inside the new £2,500,000,000 Leeds tram system with airport connectionA new super-tram network in Leeds and West Yorkshire is one step closer to becoming a reality.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Claims A1 dualling is among Northumberland transport projects 'forgotten' despite 31.8 billion fundingThe North East Combined Authority has received £1.8 million for transport projects from Government - but the A1 is unlikely to benefit

Sheffield Star

• Free bus pass: new update on bus passes age change rules for over 60s in England after 1000s back petitionThousands are backing a growing campaign calling for fairer access to bus travel ✍️

Bucks Free Press

• New bike stands and flowerbeds installed on Buckinghamshire streetBenches, flowerbeds and bike stands have been erected on a High Wycombe street as part of a huge multi-million-pound project.

Cambridge News

• Mayor Paul Bristow and MP Sam Carling clash over buses at Combined Authority meetingDuring the meeting, the board voted unanimously to step in and save a bus route

Leeds Live

• Department for Transport update on free bus passes for over 60s in EnglandThe Department for Transport has issued an update amid escalating demands for bus passengers in England to receive the same level of assistance as their counterparts in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. A growing petition on the parliament website, now with 63,000 signatories, calls for a legislative change.

Other Regional Press

• M5 Junction 10 improvements approved by Transport SecretaryTHE Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, has granted development consent for the M5 Junction 10 Improvements Scheme.
• Mayor to push for transport funding from governmentYork and North Yorkshire's mayor has said he will push for significant transport funding from the Government to address challenges facing the region amid concerns major projects remain in limbo.
• Andy Burnham issues statement on future of Bee Network 32 bus fare capThe Mayor of Greater Manchester has said the £2 fare cap on the region's buses will stay as part of his vision for an affordable low fare network
• Cowdenbeath: Rennies Stagecoach bus depot to close - 60 jobs at riskA bus depot in Cowdenbeath is set to close for good next month, with the jobs of 'more than 60' people at risk.
• 'Shrewsbury hasn't had a Sunday bus for 10 years - that's a disgrace!' MP slates 'savage privatisation' of bus servicesIt is a "disgrace" that Shrewsbury does not have a Sunday bus service, the town's MP has said.
• Action needed to save Cambridgeshire Tiger bus pass schemeThe pass, brought in during Mayor Dr Nik Johnson's tenure and used on over one million journeys, allows children and young people under the age of 25 to travel for £1 per journey.
• Bournemouth East MP Tom Hayes calls for better busesTom Hayes, Labour MP for Bournemouth East, has asked for a reliable bus service to Bournemouth Airport every 30 minutes.
• Final plea for £1.6 billion A66 scheme to GovernmentWith just a week to go until the Government's long-awaited Spending Review, a Cumbrian MP has made a final plea for the £1.6 billion A66 dualling project.
• Coventry 'VLR' transport system 'a totally unnecessary project' with 'zero advantages' say readersThe Department for Transport has released £12m for the project, with funding set to be used to expand the track from Coventry Railway Station to the Coventry University Technology Park on Puma Way

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Rachel Reeves visits Mellor and FirstMellor has hosted Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, at its Rochdale facility as she announced funding for the UK's transport network. The MP also visited First's Huddersfield depot.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Wincanton Introduces 24 new electric-powered HGVs to its fleetLogistics provider Wincanton has announced the first arrivals of 24 new electric-powered trucks scheduled to join its logistics fleet this year. The multimillion-pound project will see Wincanton introduce battery electric trucks to its fleet that are expected to hit the nation's roads this summer.

Highways Magazine

• ADEPT launches 'sector-wide' highways carbon calculation programmePlace directors in ADEPT have launched a 'first-of-its-kind' programme, with the support of the Department for Transport, to fund English local highway authorities to measure and reduce their carbon emissions.

New Civil Engineer

• Lower Thames Crossing successfully trials hydrogen-powered heavy machineryThe Lower Thames Crossing project has marked a significant step towards green construction with the successful trial of hydrogen-powered heavy machinery.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Ashton-under-Lyne is first fully-electric Bee Network bus depot83-strong Volvo BZL double-deck fleet on Tameside completes conversion to electric operation

Aviation Industry

• ‘Alternative aviation fuels are useful but not enough,’ says AEF to the Environmental Audit CommitteeOn Wednesday 14th of May 2025, the Environmental Audit Committee held an evidence session as part of its inquiry into whether airport expansion is compatible with the UK’s climate and nature targets. AEF was invited to take part in the first session of the afternoon, alongside witnesses from Green Alliance and the University of Cambridge.