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

Tuesday, 29 July 2025

BBC News

• Cuts to summer train services criticised by MPAn MP has criticised a rail operator for timetable changes that will reduce services over the summer.
• Three women to be voices on board Bradford busesThe voices of three women from Bradford will be used for announcements on board the city's bus fleet.
• Two women killed as crash death toll rises on the A96Four women have died in incidents on the stretch of road in the last two weeks.
• Manchester Airport opens upgraded departure loungeThe newly renovated Terminal 2 includes 13 boarding gates, more than doubling its previous capacity.

Department for Transport

• Mayors and Ministers back British manufacturers and greener busesGovernment ministers and metro mayors commit to greener transport and greater job opportunities across the regions.

Financial Times

• Europe’s roads and rail unfit for war with Russia, EU transport chief warnsBrussels aims to spend €17bn on upgrading transport networks to be prepared for conflict
• CK Hutchison to invite ‘major’ Chinese investor for $23bn Panama ports dealChina’s state-owned shipping conglomerate Cosco in talks to join consortium
• Russia’s Aeroflot cancels dozens of flights after cyber attackAirline hack follows series of online offensives against the country’s state-owned companies
• Singapore Airlines hit by losses at Air IndiaSingaporean carrier’s first-quarter net profit plunges almost 60%
• Houthis vow to escalate attacks in Red SeaIran-backed group says it will attack ships belonging to any company trading with Israel

The Herald

• Scottish bus company unveils major deal in 'key market'Scottish bus company FirstGroup has unveiled another 'strategic acquisition' - the latest in a string of purchases.

The Independent

• The travellers who will soon be able to bypass standard airport customsA new pilot programme, One Stop Security (OSS), is launching this month to streamline airport customs for travellers on connecting flights from London to the US.

The Telegraph

• Britain's awful airports are an apt metaphor for our national decline [subscription]If we spent as much time modernising our infrastructure as we did making excuses, we'd have world-leading terminals

Times Online

• Getting railways on track is some task [subscription]A state-owned railway is planned, but was privatisation really that bad? Passenger journeys more than doubled in the 20 years before a virus changed our habits
• Ministers turning clock back to bad old days of British Rail [subscription]Everyone except Labour can see what's coming down the line: a gigantic state monopoly run by civil servants when what is needed is a unified network and competition

Office of Rail and Road (ORR)

• ORR approves limited new passenger services on East Coast Main Line from December 2025The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has approved some additional services from December 2025 for three open access operators, extending or adding to their existing services on the East Coast Main Line (ECML).

Birmingham Mail

• HS2 update on Birmingham's old Curzon Street Station as 'repair' plans lodgedBirmingham's old Curzon Street Station was the first direct railway line linking Birmingham to London and opened back in 1838

Birmingham Post

• LNER surpasses £1bn in revenue while reducing train cancellationsThe business, which is owned by the Department for Transport, has seen its revenue increase from £866.5m in the year to 31 March, 2025
• Northern Rail sees profits rise despite increase in cancelled servicesThe number of trains cancelled by the business increased from 7.2 per cent to eight per cent in the 12 months to 31 March, 2025, new accounts filed with Companies House show

Bolton News

• What the £100M electrification scheme will mean for train users as it is completedA £100m electrification of the railway between Wigan and Bolton is officially complete after overhead power lines were entered into service this weekend

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bus companies could be forced to sell West Yorkshire depotsBRADFORD and Keighley will be some of the last areas in West Yorkshire where franchised bus services will be rolled out.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Major delays as £3.7m alterations planned for one of Dudley's busiest junctions - here's when work could startA £3.7 million package of alterations is to take place at one of the Black Country's busiest road junctions.

Bucks Free Press

• Plan for yet more HS2 work on Bucks site lodged as project pushes forwardPlans have been lodged for yet more works at Buckinghamshire HS2 sites, amid concerns from residents and the council.

Carlisle News & Star

• Cumbria MPs react to Council announcement of new bus routesLocal MPs have reacted following Cumberland Council's announcement that additional bus routes will be added around Cumbria.

Other Regional Press

• New operator selected to run Solent Airport at DaedalusThe operator, chosen by Fareham Borough Council, will take over from Regional and City Airports (RCA), which has managed the Daedalus site since 2016 under a ten-year contract set to expire in 2026.
• Cuts to south Essex bus route sparks calls for greater use of public transportA BUS service has been slashed from four times an hour to just twice an hour as residents are warned to 'use it or lose it'.
• Council set to u-turn on taxi emission rules and allow vehicles over 15 years old Tighter taxi emission rules may be put on ice and an age limit on cars could be scrapped

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• DHL eCommerce UK doubles LNG fleet with 30 new Volvo trucks to cut emissionsDHL eCommerce UK has announced that its fleet of liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered vehicles has doubled as the company introduces 30 new Volvo FM trucks, increasing the total to 60. DHL’s new fleet will be distributed across key sites in Coventry, Leicester, Birmingham and Milton Keynes, and operate on routes throughout the UK. The trucks will also replace the company’s current diesel vehicles, contributing to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). According to DHL, each LNG truck has a range of up to 400 miles and emits up to 80% less GHG emissions compared to...

New Civil Engineer

• Remedial works begin at A34 Thames Wytham Crossing to address structural weaknessEssential repairs are underway at the A34 Thames Wytham Crossing, a crucial bridge carrying traffic over the River Thames west of Oxford.

Rail Magazine

• Grants help kick-start restoration of derelict shell of 'world's first railway station'The derelict shell of what is hailed as the world's very first railway station has been rescued, with £350,000 worth of kick-start grants from local train builder Hitachi and the Railway Heritage Trust.

Rail UK

• Railway prepares to welcome thousands to Derby rail jamboreeAs a once-in-a-generation celebration of rail heritage and innovation prepares to open its gates, the East Midlands rail network is gearing up to get thousands of visitors safely to and from The Greatest Gathering.

Railway Gazette

• MPs publish guidance on diversity and inclusion in transportUK: The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Women in Transport has issued guidance on fostering a more inclusive work environment on transport construction sites.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Leeds-based Tetley's Coaches is latest purchase by FirstGroupWest Yorkshire acquisition builds on multiple previous coach operator purchases by FirstGroup
• Ten-year pipeline of UK zero-emission bus orders in Panel focusDepartment for Transport, Scottish Government, three Metro Mayors at extraordinary meeting

Other News Sources

• Publicly owned rail operators in the North of England reduce faresPublicly owned train operators, LNER, TransPennine Express and Northern, have worked with Network Rail to launch a joint initiative that aims to make fares cheaper on routes that required an interchange between the operators.
• East Midlands Airport fined £892,500 for environmental pollutionEnvironment Agency investigation discovers drainage water pollution from runway discharge. Airport pleads guilty to charges of breaching environmental permits.
• Arriva Group secures €1.6 billion bus contract extension in the NetherlandsArriva Group to continue operating public bus services in East Brabant following €1.6 billion contract extension.
• New rail body risks repeating British Rail's mistakes, think tank warnsGreat British Railways (GBR) is a 'solution looking for a problem' and could see the UK repeating the mistakes made under British Rail, a centre-right think tank has said.
• 'WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY' TO ADDRESS HERITAGE CONCERNS OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE RAIL PROJECT, SAY RESEARCHERSA study has shown that the East West Rail project in Cambridgeshire poses a risk to the longstanding relationship between the community and the local environment.