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

Monday, 23 June 2025

BBC News

• 'Take East seriously', mayor warns governmentPaul Bristow says the lack of any mention of improving the Ely rail junction in this month's spending review threatens to undermine the region's ambitions for growth and could "demonstrate the East is not being taken seriously".
• Leaks pulled new Metro trains from serviceA number of new Tyne and Wear Metro trains were withdrawn from service due to water leaks, operator Nexus has confirmed.
• New stops to be added in bus service revampNew stops at railway stations and tourist attractions are being introduced as part of a revamped bus service launching across Leicestershire.
• £20m investment to secure port's futureA plan to upgrade Fishguard port was ditched in 2018, causing concern about its future.
• Consultation launched on Thamesmead DLR extensionTfL says the scheme could unlock up to 30,000 new homes and 10,000 new jobs.
• London transport photo archives to go on displayA new exhibition opens showcasing historical snapshots from the capital's public transport network.

Financial Times

• BA and Singapore Airlines cancel Dubai flights after US bombs IranMore than 150 carriers have diverted or suspended flights

The Guardian

• Minibuses for rural routes are in production [letter]The business opportunity in manufacturing small buses in Britain has already been spotted, writes Richard Bramall

The Herald

• Hope for 100s of Scots jobs hit by bus firm plan to go to EnglandThe bus firm at the centre of a row over its move to England after receiving £90 million of public money for Scottish jobs has offered a grain of hope of a reprieve for hundreds of jobs - following government intervention.

The Telegraph

• 'Get the b----- job done': The HS2 nightmare being prolonged by Starmer's delay [subscription]The line's completion has been pushed back beyond 2033. Wendover residents share the reality of living amid the 'never-ending' construction
• I stood up to a fare-dodger on the Tube while TfL just shrugs. [subscription]It is infuriating to watch authorities turn a blind eye to this blatant flouting of the law

Times Online

• On the front line of London's fare dodging epidemic [subscription]A Thameslink ticket inspector says people from all walks of life will try not to pay the fare and warns that the company is prosecuting evaders

The National

• Scotland 'should not be treated as afterthought' of HS2 projectSCOTTISH taxpayers will have contributed billions of pounds to HS2 so should not be treated as an 'afterthought', the SNP have said.

Birmingham Mail

• New driving law from September 1 in England is 'so significant' for motoristsA Dartford Crossing hike could cause thousands of motorists to face "financially challenging" driving conditions. The Department for Transport announced that the price increases will affect all vehicle types using the vital Thames crossing.
• Labour 'abandons' promise for millions of drivers with motorists warnedReeves instead has allocated £400million across five years "to support the rollout of charging infrastructure" during this month's Spending Review.

Bolton News

• Flying Scotsman to appear at world's largest gathering of railway vehicles in UKThe Flying Scotsman will appear at the world’s largest gathering of historic and modern railway vehicles at the Greatest Gathering event in Derby.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• UK bus company offers free tickets for people turning 30 in JuneFirst Bus is offering people who are turning 30 in June free tickets to celebrate the company's 30th birthday

Daily Post (North Wales)

• 'This could have been a horrific incident': Ken Skates on the Conwy Tunnel fireThe Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport paid a visit to the tunnel praising efforts to get it reopened and reassuring about safety measures in place

Edinburgh Evening News

• Grass-roofed bus shelters and £60,000 tree scheme planted up in West LothianGrass-roofed bus shelters are being created in West Lothian as part of a five-year drive to create a more bio-diverse landscape.

London Evening Standard

• Flying Scotsman to appear at Greatest Gathering eventUp to 30,000 people are expected to attend the event in Derby, which runs from August 1-3.

The York Press

• North Yorkshire schoolchildren win road safety campaignPupils at Kirk Fenton CE Primary School near Tadcaster are celebrating a major success this week as new 20mph speed limit signs are installed through the centre of Church Fenton.

Plymouth Herald

• Disbelief as cost of Plymouth's Royal Parade bus upgrade skyrockets to £7.5mA delayed plan to improve Plymouth's Royal Parade has come under intense criticism after it emerged it will take even longer to complete and the price has gone up by £2.5m. Reacting on social media, citizens have branded the scheme a 'waste of money' and are sceptical that it will be completed on time and on budget.

Other Regional Press

• New rail chief vows to end Devon's transport divideTim Steer now leads efforts to reconnect communities and revive a lost rail link
• CalMac wins award for 'Every Journey Starts a Story'A LOCAL ferry operator has won a top gong at the Scottish Transport Awards.
• MPs urge action on Devon's vulnerable rail lineThe government is being urged to do more to protect the vulnerable railway line in and out of the westcountry.
• Air pollution falls in LTNs and surrounding roads from previous yearAir pollution within Oxford’s Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) as well as within its boundary roads has fallen according to Oxford City Council.

Business Live

• New Bangor to Carmarthen rail route would cost £2bnSenedd members have debated calls to reopen railway lines

Rail Advent

• Gold Disc Given to Avanti West CoastAvanti West Coast has been presented with a gold disc in recognition of its efforts to help young people stay safe on the railways.
• Network Rail to Revamp a Lincolnshire Level CrossingNetwork Rail has invested £215,000 to upgrade a level crossing in Spalding.

Rail Magazine

• Stewart Review lays bare fundamental issues with HS2The failings of the HS2 project have been laid bare in the Stewart Review as years of chronic mismanagement and failures at all levels were revealed in the scathing report.
• Five-year £100m refurbishment of Govia Thameslink trains nears completionGovia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and rolling stock company Porterbrook are nearing the end of their huge Project Aurora fleet modernisation programme, and are preparing for the final Class 377 and 387 Electrostars to exit GTR's Selhurst Depot in South London - on-time and on budget.

Railway Gazette

• Train'd Up management buy-out backedUK: Chiltern Capital has backed a management buy-out of online rail and engineering apprenticeship company Train'd Up Railway Resourcing, with a debt facility provided by alternative lender ThinCats.

Other News Sources

• The infrastructure strategy opens the door to private financeLast week's infrastructure strategy put off a final decision about using private finance for social infrastructure until the autumn. But, Joey Gardiner writes, it has still set out an important principle that such schemes are not entirely off-limits
• Dartford Crossing hike could cause thousands to face 'financially challenging' driving conditionsThousands of drivers will face increased financial pressure from September when the Dartford Crossing implements its first charge rise in over a decade.
• Southern axe bike racks over car bomb fears at East CroydonRail operators Southern say that they intend to remove bicycle racks from outside East Croydon Station because of security considerations, including the possibility of a car bomb attack on the London to Brighton mainline.
• Siemens Mobility receives order for 50 Vectron locomotivesAkiem, a leading European locomotive and passenger train leasing and maintenance company, has placed a firm order with Siemens Mobility for 10 Vectron Dual Mode (VDM) locomotives, with an option for 40 additional locomotives. This order is part of the framework agreement signed in August 2021 for the supply of locomotives and associated services. The first locomotives are due to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2026.
• Shipping Lines - The real value of a reliable shipping/port agent can't be underestimatedIrrespective of size or cargo throughput an efficient port depends on numerous personnel, male or female, in order for it to operate smoothly, writes John Aitken.