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

Tuesday, 17 June 2025

Government

• Boosting British jobs and skills key for firms to win major infrastructure projectsCreating high quality British jobs and boosting skills in local communities will be key requirements for companies to win contracts for major infrastructure projects, under proposals to be consulted on.

BBC News

• Airport spends £10m on solar farm to reduce emissionsMore than 12,000 panels have been installed on Birmingham Airport's noise bund.
• Transport union warns of walkouts in dispute over payNo dates have been set for action but TSSA said "any action" will affect services in the summer months.
• Rail company installs water meters to reduce wasteA railway company has installed more than 150 automatic water meter readers at depots and stations in an attempt to minimise waste.

Department for Transport

• Transport Secretary secures major rail supply deal to protect thousands of British Steel jobsThe contract will see British Steel supplying a minimum of 337,000 tonnes of long and short rail in the UK over the next 5 years.

Financial Times

• Airbus unveils close to $10bn of orders at Paris show overshadowed by Air India disasterThe world’s two largest planemakers usually vie for large deals but Boeing has scaled back its presence
• Air India crash hands owner Tata a defining crisisAirline was more than halfway into a post-privatisation turnaround when tragedy struck

The Guardian

• Oxford Street will be pedestrianised as soon as possible, says London mayorSadiq Khan says regeneration plans for central London shopping street have received 'overwhelming support'
• 'The railway that got the world on track': a walk through 200 years of history in County DurhamA new trail follows the 26-mile route of the world's first passenger train journey on the Stockton and Darlington Railway

The Independent

• Rail deal worth £500m will help save Scunthorpe steelworks, says ministerTransport Secretary Heidi Alexander is visiting the Scunthorpe plant to finalise a major rail steel deal between Network Rail and British Steel.

The Telegraph

• Don't be afraid of Boeing planes, insists airline boss. [subscription]Riyadh Air chief says 'speculation the enemy of good' after fatal crash involving 787 Dreamliner
• Foreign steel to be used for nearly a fifth of British railway upgrades [subscription]Foreign steel will account for almost a fifth of Britain's future railway upgrades following a 'landmark' government contract.
• Reeves ploughs another £590m into over-budget Lower Thames Crossing [subscription]Tunnel was first proposed in 2009 but is at least six years behind schedule and costs have rocketed

Times Online

• Cut parking for second cars to make room for e-bikes, says rental firm [subscription]Forest says households with two cars should give up space for dedicated electric bike bays
• £2bn green hydrogen project on Humberside pulled by US group [subscription]Air Products blames 'lack of commitment' by ministers to the shovel-ready scheme
• Pumping money into infrastructure may not keep Labour in power [subscription]Earlier this month I sat down with Heather Boushey, a leading figure in the Biden administration, for an event hosted by the Institute for Public Policy Research.

Network Rail

• Network Rail trialling long range drone flights to help improve railway network safetyThe Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has approved the use of drones flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) surveys of critical national infrastructure (CNI) including the railways.
• Contract awarded to improve accessibility at Chalkwell stationNetwork Rail has awarded a contract to improve accessibility at Chalkwell station to Octavius, to make the station step-free for the first time.
• More progress made on £1.4bn digital signalling schemeRail passengers are being thanked for their patience after further upgrade work was delivered on the East Coast Main Line.
• £84m project delivering overhead line improvements completed on time and under budgetA major project to upgrade overhead line equipment between London and Bedford has been successfully delivered by Network Rail on time and under budget.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Leeds Bradford Airport's new £100m terminal opens to passengersLEEDS Bradford Airport’s brand new terminal officially opened today, marking the end of phase one of the £100 million expansion project — but airport bosses warned that more disruption is to come as the regeneration enters its next phase.

Northern Echo

• Rachel Reeves; North East is 'crying out' for investmentThe Chancellor has acknowledged that projects in the region have been "crying out for investment" when asked about the rejuvenation of a mothballed County Durham rail line.

The York Press

• First Bus in York gets first of £20m new ticket machinesFirst Bus in York is spearheading a £20 million investment in new ticket machines.

Wales Online

• Transport for Wales rail passenger numbers soarLatest figures from the Office for Road and Rail show that a huge rise to 31.3 million and the highest percentage rise for any UK rail operator

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Calls for greater local authority scrutiny as West Midlands transport projects attract billions of pounds of investment from the governmentCouncil leaders have called for enhanced scrutiny in the wake of billions of pounds being committed to transport projects in the West Midlands.

Yorkshire Post

• Leeds Bradford Airport: Exclusive first pictures inside new terminal at LBAPhase 1 of the transformative £100 million terminal expansion is almost complete and some passengers arriving at the airport will be selected to go through the new arrivals process as a way of trialling this experience, including the brand-new baggage reclaim area designed to streamline the arrivals process for travellers.
• Transport investment is Yorkshire's chance to build a stronger economy: Phil MurdenYorkshire is entering a pivotal moment for economic development. A wave of funding for public transport has been committed to the region as part of the Spending Review, creating a golden opportunity to build infrastructure that matches Yorkshire's growth ambitions.

Plymouth Herald

• Chance to get on Plymouth's newest electric bus before it starts serviceIt's the latest addition to the Plymouth public transport service

Bus-News

• Greater Manchester's Bus Priority Schemes See Improved Travel Times and SafetyA new report has highlighted the impact of Greater Manchester's 122 million GBP Bus Priority Programme, now integrated into the Bee Network. The report demonstrates improvements in journey times, public transport use, road safety, and active travel.

New Civil Engineer

• Raft of leading consultants confirmed for Greater Manchester transport frameworkMajor players including Arcadis, Stantec, Mace and WSP have been appointed to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM)'s four-year Transport Professional Services (TPS) Framework.

Rail Advent

• Network Rail Complete 384m Project on TimeNetwork Rail has successfully completed its overhead line equipment upgrade on time and under budget.

Rail Business Daily

• Rail Safety Week 2025 launches with united industry call 'everyone home safe every day'As Rail Safety Week 2025 gets underway, the UK rail industry is united by a shared commitment: to ensure every single person using, working on, or living near our railway returns home safe every day.

Rail Magazine

• Network Rail signs huge rail supply contract with British SteelA major five-year contract worth £500 million between Network Rail and British Steel has been signed, securing more than 337,000 tonnes of rail track supply and safeguarding thousands of UK manufacturing jobs.

Rail UK

• RIA recognises latest positive rail customer statisticsFollowing the positive news for rail investment in the Government's Spending Review last week, the Railway Industry Association (RIA) welcomes the latest rail usage statistics published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and the Department for Transport (DfT).

Railway-News

• £500 Million Network Rail Deal to Secure British Steel JobsThe Transport Secretary has announced a five-year, 500 million GBP agreement between Network Rail and British Steel, safeguarding thousands of manufacturing jobs and supporting the continued operation of the Scunthorpe steelworks.

Transport Action Network

• Reaction to £1bn transport funding announced todayTAN's reaction to today's announcement by HM Treasury of £1billion for repairing existing structures and funding the Lower Thames Crossing Chris Todd, Director of TAN said: "The Lower Thames Crossing is such an embarrassment that its latest funding announcement had to be combined with announcements about repairing bridges, tunnels and flyovers."

Other News Sources

• Alstom secures £50 million contract to enhance and service Class 222 trains for LumoAlstom, global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, has signed a £50 million contract in partnership with FirstGroup and Eversholt Rail for the refresh and maintenance of five, six-car Class 222 Meridian trains. This comes ahead of open access passenger services being launched between Stirling and London under FirstGroup's Lumo brand.
• Land Sheriffs boost UK rail safety with new trespass and welfare patrol deployment initiativeLand Sheriffs launch targeted trespass and welfare patrols across key UK stations to reduce disruption and improve passenger safety.
• Glasgow needs a mayor and a devolution deal to unlock economic growthGlasgow is at risk of falling behind England's major cities unless it receives a devolution deal and a directly-elected city region mayor, according to Centre for Cities.
• Keith Ludeman awarded OBE for leadership in UK transport and sustainable highspeed rail developmentKeith Ludeman receives OBE for his pivotal role in steering London St. Pancras Highspeed through Covid challenges and pioneering sustainability initiatives.
• Preferred candidate for Transport for Wales chair announcedThe cabinet secretary for transport and North Wales Ken Skates' preferred candidate to be chair of the Transport for Wales board has been announced.