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

Monday, 28 July 2025

BBC News

• New night routes and earlier starts for city's busesA number of changes have been announced to bus routes in Bristol, including the city's first ever 24-hour service.
• Rail union reports 'escalation' in train violenceA rail workers' union has said there has been a "serious escalation of violence and anti-social behaviour" on routes in London and the South East.
• Rail staff offer missing people 'route to safety'A train operator and a charity are working together to help people who have gone missing.
• Trains halted by shrinking peat affecting tracksRail services are being disrupted as engineers stabilise tracks affected by the ground moving in recent hot weather.
• Branch line closes for five days for track workA railway branch line is closing for five days for work to repair and replace sections of track.

Financial Times

• CK Hutchison to invite ‘major’ Chinese investor for $23bn Panama ports dealChina’s state-owned shipping conglomerate Cosco in talks to join consortium
• Heathrow’s third runway could actually be good valueThe numbers making the rounds are big. But not all the spluttering is justified

The Guardian

• At least three people killed after train derails in southern GermanyRegional passenger train carrying about 100 people derails near Riedlingen, leaving more people seriously injured.
• Hundreds of DfT civil servants to be moved to state-owned rail operatorDepartment says no redundancies as a result but sources believe jobs will go in push to cut posts and overhaul railways

The Scotsman

• Swinney: New work for bus maker Alexander Dennis being exploredThe Scottish Government is actively exploring a package which could deliver new work to the troubled Alexander Dennis bus maker, John Swinney has said.

The Telegraph

• Eco rail firm on brink of collapse over rising electricity prices [subscription]Varamis, which hopes to 'decarbonise' high-speed freight, has ceased operations until September

Times Online

• Great British Railways 'risks repeating the mistakes of the past'The government's state-owned framework for the railways risks 'morphing into the ghost of British Rail' unless ministers find ways to boost competition and develop fresh income streams, a new report warns.
• How to make Great British Railways a success [subscription]Nationalised rail body must appeal to passengers or risk seeing the network spiral into decline
• Secrets of Ryanair: make-up rules, beard limits and snack commission [subscription]Cabin crew whistleblowers reveal the ups and downs of traversing the skies with Michael O'Leary's famously penny-pinching budget airline

City AM

• Great British Railways risk repeating British Rail mistakesPlans for the government's flagship rail reform body, Great British Railways (GBR), risk reviving the failings of the past if urgent changes aren't made, a leading think tank has warned.

Network Rail

• Trains running through the Blackheath tunnel again following pioneering repair work to boost performance10-week programme of essential repairs on 175-year old Victorian structure comes to an end as trains between Blackheath and Charlton stations resume.
• Wigan to Bolton railway cleaner and greener after £100m electrificationA £100m electrification of the railway between Wigan and Bolton is officially complete after overhead power lines were entered into service this weekend.

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham Airport night flights under scrutiny after increaseBirmingham Airport is keeping to the number of night time flights allowed in and out at night, councillors on a new committee heard.

Bolton News

• Rail programme helps women get back to work and find careersA rail careers programme is helping women return to work and explore new opportunities.
• Wigan to Bolton railway £100m electrification completedA £100m electrification of the railway between Wigan and Bolton is officially complete after overhead power lines were entered into service this weekend.

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow-funded group sending 'incredibly misleading' mail to homes across west London, campaigners allegeA lobby group pushing for a third runway at Heathrow has been accused of distributing 'incredibly misleading' leaflets to homes in west London while receiving funding directly from the airport.
• Rail station lift entrapments lasting more than 75 minutes nearly doubleSome 125 cases were recorded in the 12 months to the end of March, analysis of Office of Rail and Road data by the PA news agency found.
• The barrier to better transport? Our mayor's attitude to fare dodgersIs there a more infuriating sight in London today than TfL staff ignoring blatant fare dodging, as pushy thugs barge through the barriers right under their heavily unionised noses. Fare evaders bashing through the Tube gates is now a common sight or indeed a common sound, since the machines go berserk as they ram through them. I can't be the only traveller who feels like I witness this on nearly every journey.
• Blackpool road and transport 'transformation' confirmed by the governmentA long-planned vision to improve traffic flow and transport options in Blackpool will get the government cash it needs to be realised, it has been announced.

Oxford Mail

• Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel up for national awardOxford Bus Company and Thames Travel have been shortlisted in the large bus operator of the year category at a national industry awards event.
• Oxford: New Botley Road walkway will be ready as promisedA new walkway being built by Network Rail contractors will be ready by the end next month.

Other Regional Press

• Cardiff Airport 'abandoned' as First Minister fails to visit onceMinisters accused of turning their backs on taxpayer-owned airport
• West Leeds set to pilot publicly controlled bus servicesWest Leeds is likely to be one of two areas to pilot bus franchising from 2027, West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has said.
• Petition grows against planned closure of Mold Bus Station toiletsA petition opposing Flintshire County Council's plan to close the public toilets at Mold Bus Station has gained momentum, with hundreds signing since its launch over the weekend.
• Monmouthshire MS Peter Fox demands Network Rail improve accessibilityMEMBER of the Senedd for Monmouth, Peter Fox, has called on Network Rail to fully commit to improving accessibility at Chepstow Train Station once for all.
• Huge update on air quality levels in Manchester due to local transportAir quality across Greater Manchester is getting better because of major investments in cleaner, greener public transport.

Business Live

• Transport giant Arriva sees sales reach €2.46bn in year it was acquired by US investorsThe Sunderland based group now has a workforce of more than 36,200 people in 11 countries around Europe

Construction Index

• Bam loses rail boss to Balfour BeattyBalfour Beatty has named Richard Watts as the next managing director of its UK rail business.

Rail Magazine

• GB Railfreight Class 99 becomes most powerful loco on UK network as it hauls test trainThe first Class 99 to work on the national network under its own power was 99001 on July 23 when it worked the 2150 Peterborough yard-Doncaster Decoy Yard test train.
• Hopes TfL funding deal will lead to new Bakerloo Line trainsTransport for London hopes a new fleet of trains to replace the Bakerloo Line's 52-year-old units can be ordered now a new funding deal has been agreed.
• RIA celebrates 150 years in the industryThe Railway Industry Association (RIA) celebrated its 150th anniversary on July 10 with a 'RIA 150 celebration' in London.

Railway Gazette

• Transport for London taps into start-ups? emerging technologiesUK: Transport for London has appointed Plexal as Innovation Operation Supplier under a multi-year partnership which aims to equip its innovation team with insights and resources to drive the development and adoption of new technologies from start-ups.

Other News Sources

• Lufthansa and Munich Airport introduce Ottobots in Terminal 2Ottonomy's autonomous Ottobots are now rolling through Terminal 2 at Munich Airport, offering a fresh layer of passenger convenience. These smart service robots are designed to engage travellers through intuitive interactions, starting with a simple QR code scan on their side.
• Former Stanford-le-Hope Station 'demolished without c2c consent'The former Stanford-le-Hope Station was demolished without a rail company's consent, it has been claimed after questions were raised about the cost of replacing it.
• Hopes rise of new bus work for Alexander DennisThe Scottish Government said it is actively exploring a package which could deliver new work to Alexander Dennis's threatened Scottish facilities.
• East Midlands-made rail equipment heads north to power Tyne and Wear Metro upgradeA major milestone in the £100m upgrade of the Tyne and Wear Metro has been reached, as the first batch of overhead power line equipment designed and manufactured entirely in the East Midlands was dispatched last week.
• UK Varamis Rail temporarily powers downPioneering British electric express logistics operator Varamis Rail has temporarily halted services amid rising costs and industry pressures. Industry observers and insiders have variously speculated about the fate of the company. None appear to have spoken directly with the company. Speculation ranges from electricity costs to technical issues. Varamis Rail, however, refutes claims made online that the company had encountered regulatory matters.
• 'Designing tomorrow's Glasgow through nature-based solutions, subsurface data and inclusive designGlasgow City Council spatial planning manager for research and development Gillian Dick on how town planners balance sustainability with long-term resilience.
• NAO that's what I call busesBus services are in decline, according to the latest bus report from the National Audit Office. Can the Government's Bus Services (No 2) Bill help reverse their fortunes?

News from Europe

• Amsterdam Airport Schiphol quieter and busier in strong first half of 2025, thanks to new fee incentivesRoyal Schiphol Group reported a strong operational and financial performance in the first half of 2025, marked by rising passenger numbers, increased investment, and a notable shift toward quieter aircraft due to a new airport fee structure.