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

Wednesday, 18 June 2025

BBC News

• Dartford Crossing charge to increase for motoristsTransport Minister Lilian Greenwood says the charge is "no longer sufficient" to manage demand.
• TfL issues fines for e-bikes abandoned on roads Transport for London said it has been enforcing a new policy on rental e-bikes parking on the road.
• Stagecoach services to resume as drivers weigh up new pay dealMore than 400 drivers at depots throughout Ayrshire have been on strike since 9 June.
• Nissan unveils new electric car to be built in UKThe new Leaf will be powered by batteries also manufactured in Sunderland.
• MP outlines major transport plan for regionThe MP for Boston and Skegness has outlined plans to improve transport links and ease congestion in the area.
• Opening of HS2 line set to be delayed beyond 2033The opening of HS2 will be delayed beyond the target date of 2033, the BBC understands. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to tell Parliament on Wednesday that there is "no reasonable way to deliver" the railway line on schedule and within budget - but is not expected to say when the route will finally start operating.
• Victorian viaduct to undergo £7.5m upgradeA landmark railway viaduct spanning a Derbyshire valley is set to undergo a 37.5m refurbishment.

Department for Transport

• Transport Secretary draws line under HS2 'mismanagement' with bold reset planAll recommendations from the James Stewart review into HS2 to be accepted by government as Mike Brown takes over as HS2 Ltd Chair.
• Resetting the High Speed Two (HS2) programme - Oral StatementA statement outlining the future of High Speed Two (HS2), including new management and a bold reset plan.
• Dartford Crossing charge updateFrom 1 September 2025, an increase in charges for car drivers will be a maximum of £1, with significant discounts for local residents and account holders.

Financial Times

• Airlines forced to skirt war zones as problems mountEuropean carriers hardest hit by Israel-Iran conflict
• Russian court approves state seizure of Moscow’s second-largest airportGovernment wins ruling to expropriate Domodedovo airport in escalation of dozens of forced nationalisations
• Safety checks found ‘no major concerns’ on Air India 787 fleet, says watchdog Statement by DGCA makes no mention of preliminary findings on the cause of last week’s accident
• Visual analysis: GPS interference raises risk of accidents in Strait of HormuzCollision between two oil tankers raises anxieties in the region amid conflict between Israel and Iran

The Guardian

• Reviews show Tories wasted billions of pounds on HS2, transport secretary to sayHeidi Alexander to reveal overspends due to poor management, badly negotiated contracts and design changes

The Herald

• Transport Secretary to draw 'line in the sand' over HS2 as she reveals failingsThe Transport Secretary is set to lift the lid on the lack of oversight that contributed to the spiralling costs of HS2.

The Scotsman

• George Street: New visuals of £35m Edinburgh street revamp as council bold on costThe cost of Edinburgh's most high-profile street upgrade scheme is expected to fall further as the plans take shape, the city council has confidently predicted.
• Data reveals: Driving electric pays off most in ScotlandIn 2025, owning an EV can lead to major cost savings, but only if you live in the right area and charge the smart way.

The Telegraph

• I was sacked for blowing the whistle on HS2 - it shows our political system is broken [subscription]Stephen Cresswell cleared his name and won over £300,000 in compensation from HS2 - but the battle damaged his health, and left him angry
• Starmer to delay HS2 after 'litany of failure' revealed [subscription]Deadline of 2033 to be missed as report highlights errors that increased costs by £37bn
• Cyclists send record number of Jeremy-Vine style videos to police. [subscription]More than 15,000 clips of cyclists being overtaken too closely by motorists were submitted to forces in England and Wales last year

Times Online

• China nears peak oil demand amid 'extraordinary' EV sales. [subscription]A surge in the adoption of electric vehicles will lead to crude consumption falling within two years, the International Energy Agency predicts
• 'Wild West' gets wilder as another e-bike giant rides into London. [subscription]Bolt is looking to challenge Lime's dominance on the capital's streets, promising that its charging model means riders won't jump the lights
• Should over-60s still get free travel? [subscription]Transport for over-60s costs taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds a year across the country. We ask if it's time for a rethink
• HS2's 'litany of failure' goes on as line faces two-year delay [subscription]The transport secretary says the previous Tory government failed to prevent costs spiralling out of control and the project has made the UK a 'laughing stock'

Network Rail

• Footage released of East West Rail's first commercial freight trainThe first commercial freight train has travelled along the East West Rail line as part of its journey into a new strategic rail freight interchange in Northampton.
• Network Rail using drones to expand proactive surveillance in battle against crimes like trespassProactive drone patrols are boosting Network Rail's fight against crime and helping to identify other issues on its East Midlands route.
• Network Rail to begin tree and vegetation management on iconic West Highland LineNetwork Rail is set to undertake an extensive programme of vital tree and vegetation management work, which will also open up even more incredible views on one of the world's most scenic routes.

Sky News

• Government to announce another delay to HS2Heidi Alexander will blame the Tories for "wasting billions" as official reports reveal a "litany of failure" over the troubled project.

Birmingham Mail

• Pay-per-mile car tax update as drivers fear 'being charged for air we breathe'Government has been urged to introduce pay-per-mile car tax, with the calls led by green activists, road experts and even the Sir Tony Blair Institute thinktank.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds Bradford Airport: First look inside as new terminal extension officially opens in 'huge milestone'Holidaymakers flying in and out of Leeds Bradford Airport will benefit from upgraded terminal facilities from today.

Yorkshire Post

• Dream of a 'Northern Super Region' can become a reality through mayors, money and rail masterplan: David PrescottLast week I wanted to travel the 100 miles from Hull to Manchester by train for a timely debate on English devolution and what it meant for the North. The train I had to take would have taken me 2 hours and 46 minutes, with a change at Halifax. But if I wanted to head 200 miles south to London, I could get a direct Hull Trains service and arrive five minutes earlier.

Plymouth Herald

• Plymouth's £5m Royal Parade bus stop upgrade hit by more delaysPlymouth's temporary shipping container bus shelters are set to remain a feature of the city centre for longer as the £5m Royal Parade upgrade is delayed and the cost rises. Plymouth City Council has decided to 'defer' the scheme - which will now cost an additional £250,000.

Other Regional Press

• Cambs Mayor "playing politics" over Tiger bus pass futureThe Labour party has launched a petition to 'save' the popular Tiger bus pass scheme but the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) says there has been a misunderstanding.
• Arran set to get 12 new buses at a cost of £2,348,000ARRAN is set to get 12 new buses and extra funding to keep local transport running during some tough times for the island.
• Moray Council to introduce new 20mph speed limits in towns and villagesThe council is introducing new 20mph speed limits on roads in towns and villages across the area.
• Wrexham: Transport plan to help young people in job marketAMBITIOUS plans to transform public transport in North Wales will help people like a young woman who faces a nightmare four-hour daily commute to work.
• Transport Secretary to draw 'line in the sand' over HS2 as she reveals failingsThe Transport Secretary is set to lift the lid on the lack of oversight that contributed to the spiralling costs of HS2.

Coach and Bus Week

• Scotland announces new ZE transition funding for heavy vehiclesTransport Scotland has announced new funding worth £400,000 to help prepare workforces for the switch to zero-emission heavy duty vehicles (HDVs). The Scottish Government says that developing the skills to build, operate, repair and maintain zero-emission HDVs and their charging infrastructure is key to Scotland, as is taking advantage of the technological and financial opportunities offered by the transition

Construction News

• Balfour Beatty names new Scotland regional managing directorBalfour Beatty has promoted Nick Rowan to the role of managing director in its Scottish business, with effect from 4 August.

Highways News

• Scottish councils to be given full powers to introduce road chargingMinisters are to provide councils with the powers needed to charge drivers for using roads as part of a new strategy to cut car use. The move came after the City of Edinburgh Council's transport leader said last month charging should be considered, but the relevant legislation remained incomplete.
• Suffolk awarded £8m funding for bus service improvementsSuffolk County Council has secured a grant of £8m from the Department for Transport for new and enhanced bus services in the county.
• Wakefield Council gets extra £2.4m of investment to improve its roads and pavementsWakefield Council is to approve extra funding from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, to help fund repairs and maintenance on its road network.
• Mott MacDonald re-appointed as DfT Futures and Foresight Support AdvisorMott MacDonald has been re-appointed by the UK's Department for Transport (DfT) to serve as its Futures and Foresight Support Advisor. The company will continue supporting the DfT in embedding 'futures thinking' into its strategic planning and decision-making processes, enabling the department to explore long-term trends, uncertainties and emerging challenges.
• Egis appointed to £120m Transport for Greater Manchester FrameworkEgis will be able to provide professional advice and services related to the design and engineering of fixed track transport systems, including high speed rail, light rail, metro and busways.
• Intelligent Transport Systems 'fundamental' to DfT MinisterThe Future of Roads Minister has confirmed support for digital Traffic Regulation Orders and Digital Controller Interface Specification as she hailed the Birmingham's hosting of the 2027 Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress and praised the industry as a whole in a speech in Parliament today, as she pointed to the contribution her department makes through the Transport Technology Forum.

New Civil Engineer

• A much-needed wake-up call: why resilient infrastructure is no longer optionalDisruption to national infrastructure is generally expected from time to time, but the last few months have seen a notable increase in the scale and frequency of high-profile incidents, all due to power failures. A fire at one of the substations supplying power to Heathrow Airport brought the entire operation to a halt
• Lower Thames Crossing footbridge design competition fostered new ways of thinking about low carbon infrastructureIn collaboration with NCE, the £10bn Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) project launched a competition to find forward-thinking designs for a low carbon footbridge to be built over the A127.

Rail Advent

• WATCH: First commercial freight train runs along East West RailA milestone in the construction of East West Rail was met yesterday when the first commercial freight train travelled along the line as part of its journey.

Rail Magazine

• Railway 200: exhibition train nearly ready as its dedicated '66' receives new liveryRailway 200's four-coach exhibition train Inspiration is close to completion at Derby's Loram workshops, ready for its official launch at the Severn Valley Railway on June 27.

Railnews

• First freight train travels along East West RailA freight train has used the restored section of East West Rail between Bicester and Bletchley for the first time since the route was completed in October last year.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Bus lane and bus stop removal meets opposition in EdinburghA proposal to create a new cycle route in Edinburgh while removing a bus lane as well as withdrawing or relocating bus stops has been criticised by a local campaign group.
• German design house unveils 'bus for everyone' conceptGerman design house Neomind has unveiled a concept for a 'Universal Bus' that places inclusivity at the heart of public transport design (pictured).
• Arriva to debut Cymru Coastliner coach service in North WalesExpress CC12 will run between Llandudno and Rhyl for two months in the peak summer season
• Bus rapid transit prominent in Stoke-on-Trent transport visionPlan is reliant on long-term funding certainty, but 'some features' could be introduced in 2026
• No budget for bus franchising projects, says transport expertWhile several mayoral combined authorities are pursuing bus franchising, a leading transport economist has questioned whether there will be sufficient budget for such projects.

Transport Scotland

• Achieving Car Use Reduction in Scotland: A Renewed Policy StatementOur shared ambition to reduce car use, and the amount of kilometres travelled in Scotland by car, was motivated by our collective desire and commitment to tackle the climate emergency, and to encourage more people to travel more sustainably for short and longer journeys.

Other News Sources

• Road deaths rise a wake-up call for businessesRECENT STATISTICS show that UK road deaths in 2024 rose by 1% year-on-year. This equates to losing at least four people every day on our roads. Nick Butler discusses how this is a backwards step for the UK and a wake-up call for businesses who have a duty to protect their drivers.
• Why this tunnel has become the UK's costliest £9bn delay.The UK government confirmed an additional £590 million in funding for the Lower Thames Crossing, which is a tunnel under the river that's been promised, postponed, and redesigned for more than a decade now. This new funding comes from the £1 billion infrastructure fund. To many in Kent and Essex, it is catching a familiar tune where cash is deployed, now construction is implemented later, and questions never quite go away. This Project's goal is to reduce congestion at Dartford. Along with improving the freight flow from Europe, it offers a second major river crossing to the east of London. But with this new influx of investment, it is still many years from being built, some argued, might arrive just in time to be out of date in 2031
• Scots to be charged for driving their cars on Scottish roads as SNP plot congestion charge powersScottish Government Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop previously furiously denied reports that Scots would be billed for driving on Scotland's roads, but that is exactly what Transport Scotland are looking at now.
• Better Transport Week 2025 begins!Monday 16th June marks the beginning of Better Transport Week 2025, which officially launched at Leeds City Station.
• Next Steps Underway for Cardiff Parkway Transport and Economic HubCardiff Parkway Developments has said that 'extensive work is taking place' to bring the railway station and business park to fruition.
• Transport body appoints five law firms to professional services frameworkTransport for Greater Manchester has appointed five law firms to the legal services lot of its 2025 professional services framework.