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

Sunday, 22 June 2025

BBC News

• Funding granted for minibuses in underserved areasNew minibuses to help people get to school and medical appointments are to hit the road as part of a government investment in seaside communities.
• Liverpool Street station plan a financial 'gamble'Plans to redesign the Victorian Station are not currently financially viable, a report concludes.
• Lime bikes dumped in rivers 'posing pollution risk'The Canal and River Trust says eight or nine are being pulled out a week in one city alone.
• Train passengers evacuated as temperatures soarThameslink apologises to customers for the "difficult and uncomfortable experience".

The Guardian

• Evacuated London train passengers forced to walk along tracks on hottest day of yearPeople report waiting hours in hot carriages after fault near Loughborough Junction brings some services to halt

The Scotsman

• The £20 car engine fine that has been dished out just once in over 3 years and is angering campaignersCalls for an increase in the £20 fine for drivers leaving their engines running while parked have been rejected by ministers, angering backers of tougher measures.

The Telegraph

• HS2 staff ordered to come to office more [subscription]Employees must show up three days a week after project branded an 'appalling mess'
• EU rules that push up car insurance to be scrapped in Brexit bonus [subscription]Government changing law to make sure uninsured drivers don't benefit from fund of last resort
• Khan expected to raise Tube fares every year until 2030. [subscription]Mayor of London increased most TfL fares by about 4.6pc in March, but froze bus fares at £1.75

Times Online

• HS2 boss took home £4.5m during 'appalling mess' of project [subscription]Billions of pounds of taxpayers' money was wasted during the six years Mark Thurston was in charge, a review of the scheme by his successor has found
• Why can't we get a grip on potholes? [subscription]We sink £1 billion a year into fixing our roads, much of it going to private contractors. Is outsourcing the solution or part of the problem?
• Eurostar hands French £121 million dividend bonanza [subscription]The Channel Tunnel train operator said the payouts, which came despite falling punctuality, were in part-repayment of a Covid bailout that staved off bankruptcy
• Boris Johnson's failed £1bn EV charger fund killed off by Labour [subscription]Scheme for electric cars was shunned by motorway services operators after pilots proved commercially unattractive and has been replaced by £400 million initiative
• MPs treated HS2 as a test of virility. No wonder it's been a flop [subscription]The UK's failing flagship infrastructure project has indeed become an icon, but not in the way that any of its creators intended
• Most expensive airport? We're good value, says Heathrow boss [subscription]A new report by KPMG, commissioned by Heathrow, concludes other airports are more expensive if the cost headwinds it faces are factored in

The Mirror

• Eurostar's huge £1.7bn plan to link UK to two countries in just five hoursFollowing rising passenger numbers and impressive financial results, Eurostar is investing £1.7bn to launch a fleet of up to 50 trains that operate three new direct routes, including two from the UK

The Sun

• WHEELS IN MOTION Rail minister Peter Hendy facing private prosecution for texting while driving vintage double-decker busPassenger John Sarson, 68, who made the initial complaint to cops, has applied to prosecute

Sky News

• Rail passengers have to walk along tracks on hottest day of year so far after fault brings trains to haltA fault on a train near Loughborough Junction in south London brought all services to a halt in the area, three of them outside station platforms.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Six kilometers of disused railway lines in Staffordshire could be reopened as council leaders receive an update on plansCouncil leaders are set to receive an update on plans to open more than six kilometres of disused railway lines into a greenway which will connect Lichfield to Chasewater.

Yorkshire Post

• How contractors manipulate infrastructure projects leaving us all out of pocket and frustrated - David BehrensHave you visited Hull lately? Of course you haven't. No-one has. National Highways has made it almost impossible.

Plymouth Herald

• Fears Plymouth's £156m Manadon upgrade will make gridlock 'worse'Plymouth cyclists have slammed proposals for a £156m upgrade of Manadon Interchange by saying it could actually make traffic gridlock worse. The Plymouth Cycling Campaign, which calls itself 'the voice for people who cycle in Plymouth', said the ambitious scheme, designed to help traffic flow more smoothly, will only encourage more people into their cars.

Wrexham.com

• Senedd debates petition to reopen west-coast railwaySenedd members debated calls to reopen railway lines along the west coast of Wales to connect north and south but balked at the estimated £2bn cost.

Other Regional Press

• Bus stop award to celebrate Wales' countryside cornersCPRW (Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales) the Welsh Countryside Charity, has announced the launch of its new Best Kept Rural Bus Stop award - a joyful, light-hearted initiative that celebrates the quiet, often overlooked corners of the Welsh countryside that bring communities together.
• Rail minister blasts 'arrogant' HS2 over crisis-hit flagship projectLord Hendy of Richmond Hill said the flagship development has gone 'badly wrong'
• New rail freight 'cloud factory' could take 40,000 lorries off the A96 every yearPlans have been approved for the new rail facilities on the Aberdeen-Inverness line, but the site's full expansion is not set to be completed until at least 2028.
• New 'cutting edge' Coventry travel system that could 'revolutionise' public transportThe 'revolutionary' Very Light Rail (VLR) system, which is being developed in the West Midlands, was visited by Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood

Forbes

• Why Using Airport Wi-Fi May Be More Dangerous Than EverExperts say hackers are preying on your personal data in more sophisticated ways than ever and you are at your most vulnerable at the airport and other public spaces.

Railway Gazette

• First class seating to be reduced to match changed travel demandNETHERLANDS: National passenger operator NS is to reduce the number of first class seats on Sprinter local services to reflect changes in passenger demand since the pandemic.

Aviation Industry

• Amsterdam Airport Schiphol sues solar farm over dangerous glare disrupting runway operationsSchiphol Airport is suing the owners of a large solar farm near its 18R-36L (Polderbaan) runway, claiming that glare from the panels poses a safety risk to aircraft.
• Aviation Leader Stephanie Wear Steps into New Role at Edinburgh Airport Bringing Four Years of Transformative Success from London Gatwick to Scottish SkiesAviation industry expert Stephanie Wear is set to begin a new chapter as Chief Commercial Officer at Edinburgh Airport, bringing with her four years of impactful leadership from London Gatwick.

Other News Sources

• Work Begins on New Wildlife Bridge as National Highways Expands Eco-Friendly Road Projects Hanaa SiddiqiConstruction is now underway on Cornwall's second green bridge, according to National Highways. Part of the ongoing A30 upgrade between Chiverton and Carland Cross, the new structure is designed to support wildlife movement across the busy roadway. Built as a dual-deck bridge, it stretches over both the brand-new dual carriageway and the original A30 route, now known as the B3288.
• Report warns of widening air connectivity gapEurope's airports may be welcoming more passengers than ever, but air connectivity continues to lag with potentially severe implications for economic growth, cohesion and strategic autonomy.
• Scotland's largest maritime decarbonisation project goes liveScotland's largest maritime decarbonisation project is now live at the Port of Aberdeen, providing green shore power for vessels at eight berths in the port's North Harbour.
• 10,000 people sign petition calling for rail rolling stock to be taken into public ownershipMore than 10,000 people have signed a petition calling for the government to take Britain's trains into public ownership. The petition, hosted by anti-privatisation group We Own It, acknowledges that the government is in the process of taking the rail operators into public ownership (ie. the companies that run the services), but that under the government's plans the trains themselves will remain privately owned.
• Light Rail Round-up: Summer Crowds, Safety Campaigns and Community Heroes In this week's light rail round-up: Nottingham celebrates local changemakers with a newly named tram, Cardiff's £100m Crossrail scheme moves forward, Edinburgh Trams reminds cyclists how to stay safe this summer. Luas prepares for concert crowds in Phoenix Park, Metrolink shares hot weather travel tips and Nexus highlights youth safety work for Rail Safety Week. Plus, the LRSSB reflects on the success of its pedestrian safety campaign.
• Concerns Gloucestershire's new electric bus fleet may have to be charged with petrol or diesel generatorsThere are concerns Gloucestershire's new fleet of electric buses may have to be powered by diesel or petrol generators amid delays in electrifying the network.
• Unlocking data will create reliable and innovative transportPublic transport leaders and industry chiefs called for urgent data sharing, technology integration, and scalable multimodal solutions to modernise urban mobility, during a high-level panel moderated by UITP President Renée Amilcar.