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

Tuesday, 24 June 2025

BBC News

• Free driverless bus trial starts in CambridgeThe first driverless bus trial with passengers has started in Cambridge.
• First EV bus for Cornwall to cut carbon emissionsThe first electric bus for Cornwall has been launched in Falmouth as part of a shuttle service that will serve the town centre and cut carbon emissions.
• Future of local bus routes in Dumfries and Galloway revealedMost local bus services in Dumfries and Galloway will continue when Stagecoach stops services in the region, according to the local authority.
• Minister 'not giving up' on A5 as judge rules against schemeA judge has upheld a challenge taken by some landowners against the construction of a new road.
• A5 ruling shows impact of Stormont climate change legislationIt will have implications not just for the A5 but for other road projects and possibly wider areas of Stormont policy, such as agriculture.
• Consultation launched on Thamesmead DLR extensionTfL says the scheme could unlock up to 30,000 new homes and 10,000 new jobs.
• Tube graffiti 'like Gotham City' says MPTransport for London is cleaning more than 2,000 tags from trains on the Central Line.

ITV News

• Forty-five bus contracts awarded in Dumfries and Galloway after agreements reachedForty-five bus contracts have been awarded to bus operators in Dumfries and Galloway, but the council says some routes with low passenger numbers will be scrapped.

Financial Times

• Air India’s inflection pointAlso in this newsletter, India opens up the space industry, and John Lombard’s mantra

The Guardian

• Overblown infrastructure projects damage lives and imperil democracy. Why is Britain addicted to them?The Lower Thames Crossing proves the point. It's a white elephant plan, sucking money from local projects that could actually improve lives

The Independent

• Voices: ‘This project has always been the wrong way round’: Readers split on future of HS2Independent readers are split on the future of HS2. While some argued, ‘if you were only going to build half, you’d build the other half’ in the North, others said the project should be scrapped before more money is wasted

The Scotsman

• Free shuttle bus service to railway station for commuters in West Lothian developmentA new shuttle bus service will launch at the end of the month giving commuters free access to a West Lothian railway station.

Network Rail

• Another step closer to faster, greener services across the PenninesOn Friday (20 June), Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) engineers completed the latest series of upgrade work between Huddersfield and Leeds.
• Scotland's Railway to help fund inspiring community projectsScotland's Railway is launching a £40,000 community fund to help support the development and delivery of inspiring local projects across Scotland.

Birmingham Mail

• British Airways 'trials' in-flight change with thousands set to benefitBritish Airways, which flies from Birmingham, has introduced a controversial change to in-flight drinks as part of a sustainability trial.

Birmingham Post

• EasyJet adds Airbus plane to Bristol Airport fleet as it launches flights to Spain and ItalyThe carrier now has 19 aircraft at the South West transport hub

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Aerial image shows new railway cutting emerging amid huge changes at busy junctionA NEWLY-RELEASED aerial picture shows the vast scale of earthworks taking place at one of West Yorkshire's most congested railway junctions.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Heritage railway's plan for new station in Eryri village approved on appealThe Eryri National Park Authority will also have to pay costs to the Ffestiniog Railway Company

London Evening Standard

• London Tube fares will remain most expensive in Europe after Government orders four years of hikes, warns watchdogLondon will continue to have some of the most expensive transport fares in Europe after the Government ordered four years of above-inflation hikes, the capital's passenger watchdog has warned.

Metro

• 'Bonkers' UK bus is 'world's rarest' and only runs on the fifth Saturday of the monthIf you live in Devon and fancy a day by the seaside, there's a handy bus service that can take you to the coast.

Wales Online

• New cycle path which people want to use but can'tThe project hasn't completely hit the buffers though and the end is in sight

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• In pictures: Huge crane hoists a new footbridge onto a long-awaited Birmingham railway stationWork on a long-awaited new railway station in Birmingham reached another milestone with the installation of a new footbridge.

Cambridge News

• Significant road charge increasing for motorists soon with thousands affectedMotorists are bracing for 'significant' new road charges in the coming months, with the Dartford Crossing set to hike its fees from September 1, impacting thousands of drivers across various vehicle types.
• Self-driving buses open to passengers for free journeys around CambridgeThe autonomous bus service will follow a loop around parts of north west Cambridge as part of a trial

Other Regional Press

• Bus franchising proposed to improve public transportA bus franchising model could be used to improve a disjointed public transport network in rural North Yorkshire.
• HS2 Birmingham-London link: Frustration grows in West Midlands as HS2 timeline derails againThe HS2 project was meant to revolutionise travel between London and the Midlands, but delays and budget overruns now cast doubt on its completion.
• Tenby station rebranded as "Home of Long Course Weekend" in sustainable travel pushSporting event teams up with Transport for Wales to promote greener travel and boost local economy
• Huddersfield rail users warned as 30-day closure loomsIt will be taking place later this summer

Rail Magazine

• "A potential gamechanger": Siemens Mobility launches new Rail Charging ConverterSiemens Mobility launched its new Rail Charging Converter (RCC) at Rail Live on June 19, in a move which its Joint-CEO for Siemens Mobility UK & Ireland, Rob Morris said was a 'potential gamechanger.'
• South Western Railway to retain ageing Class 455s for up to five more yearsFaced by continued delays in getting Class 701 electric multiple units into traffic, newly nationalised South Western Railway looks set to sign a £55.4 million contract with Porterbrook to retain 79 of its four-car Class 455s for at least three more years - and possibly up to five more years until May 2030.

Railtech

• No, HS2 hasn't hit £100 billion - but it's not far offHas HS2 breached the 100 billion pound barrier? That much has been touted on social media channels. However, to the relief of the high-speed rail company and the UK government, that figure seems inflated, at least for now. While the stretch with the cancelled Manchester connection is still estimated to be almost at that figure, the current rump of a shuttle between London and Birmingham is apparently much less.

Railway Gazette

• GBRX to develop rail sector artificial intelligence strategyUK: Innovation body GBRX has begun work to develop a strategic approach and understand the practical conditions required to use artifical intelligence across the rail industry.

Other News Sources

• The Greater Cambridge Partnership's Connector project is bringing self-driving passenger transport to the city.A 15-seater autonomous bus will operate between Madingley Road Park & Ride, and around the University's Eddington neighbourhood and Cambridge West Innovation District.
• Every railway line extension in London: Sadiq Khan's Thamesmead DLR ambition gets to next stageSir Sadiq Khan's dream of extending the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Thamesmead is now a step closer after a second public consultation opened.
• HS2 in Crisis: A Scandal Years in the Making, Rooted in Off-Payroll ReformsThe UK's flagship infrastructure project, High Speed 2 (HS2), is once again under intense scrutiny.
• Network Rail's plans at listed railway stationNetwork Rail seeks approval to retain a replacement ceiling in a Grade II-listed railway station building.

News from Europe

• Alstom Boosts French Rail With €1.7 Billion Train DealAlstom snagged a €1.7 billion contract to provide 96 state-of-the-art trainsets for France's RER D line, advancing the nation's rail infrastructure.
• The State of the EU's Rail InfrastructureEurope's railway infrastructure is at a critical moment. After decades of underinvestment, the network is expected to deliver greater reliability and capacity, while also becoming more resilient to natural disasters and external threats, including sabotage.