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

Saturday, 02 August 2025

BBC News

• On-demand bus service to expand after trial schemeAn on-demand bus service trialled in Rutland will be rolled out across the whole county from Monday.
• New bus service to Birmingham Airport from cityA new bus service between Birmingham city centre and Birmingham Airport should improve transport links for people in parts of Birmingham and cut congestion, a bus operator claims.
• Lime loses contract to operate e-bikes in HounslowForest and Voi successfully bid to take over a scheme to operate e-bikes within the borough.
• Glasgow Airport strikes averted after pay settlementAbout 100 workers had been due to walk out, including airside support officers, engineers and managers.
• Millions denied car finance payouts after Supreme Court rulingThe Supreme Court partially upholds an appeal from lenders, who had faced potentially paying compensation to millions of motorists.

ITV News

• Alstom hosts The Greatest Gathering event to celebrate 200 years of railwayThousands of people are expected to come to Derby this weekend to an event which will celebrate 200 years of the modern railway.

Financial Times

• Tesla ordered to pay $243mn in damages after fatal autopilot crashCarmaker found partially liable for accident in Florida involving its driver-assistance software
• Heathrow expansion plans risk driving airlines away, says BA owner’s chiefIAG’s Luis Gallego says potential doubling of passenger charges could leave £21bn new runway ‘empty’

The Guardian

• Heathrow's third runway 'is going to be empty' if it means high fees, says BA ownerIAG warns price paid per passenger could double under airport's plans to invest almost £50bn in expansion

The Herald

• Transport giant acquires historic family-owned bus companyA Scottish transport giant has acquired a family-owned school bus and coach company that has operated independently for 76 years.

City AM

• For London to remain a business travel hub, we’ve got to sort out Heathrow London is currently Europe’s leading business travel hub, but Heathrow is an embarrassment, writes Andrew Crawley While collaboration and virtual meeting tools have become commonplace, organisations are still profoundly aware of the value of in-person connection. People will always want to do business with those they trust, and there’s something about meeting face-to-face that cannot [...]

Local Government

• Completed Armley Gyratory footbridges improving vital routes for walking and cyclingArmley Gyratory's three brand new replacement footbridges are now fully opened, as part of a multi-million-pound scheme to offer improved routes for pedestrians and cyclists, negotiating one of Leeds busiest junctions.

Birmingham Post

• Heathrow tables 'shovel ready' plans for new third runway after rival bid submittedThe airport said it had submitted "shovel-ready" plans for a privately financed runway ahead of the Department for Transport's deadline on Thursday, which it said would clear the way for flights to take off within a decade
• JLR chief executive Adrian Mardell to step downCEO will leave his post at the end of this year after three years in the role and 35 with the manufacturer

Derby Telegraph

• Greatest Gathering of 'like-minded people together' in Derby is 'very special' for rail enthusiastsAround 40,000 people will have visited the exhibition by Sunday evening from across Britain and the world

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow's £49 billion third runway expansion plan sparks major row as Sadiq Khan leads opposition to proposalsHeathrow has delivered to Government a £49 billion plan for expansion of the airport that will see it build a third runway and create a new tunnel for the M25.

Northern Echo

• North East railway history as first ever direct train to London for townRailway history is set to be made as Hexham, a market town in North East England, will see its first-ever direct passenger train service to London.

Sheffield Star

• Major bus station revamp plan and 'mini-interchange' proposed under Sheffield buses shake-upSheffield's Pond Street bus station could see a major revamp, under plans to change how buses operate in the city centre.

The York Press

• Why can't York have an enclosed bus station like this?Why can't York have an enclosed bus station like this? From our letters' page

Bucks Free Press

• New speed limit could soon hit Aylesbury Road as council plans 30mph extensionA 30mph speed limit could be extended in Great Missenden under council plans.

Other Regional Press

• Department for Transport says publishing business case for £6.6bn East West Rail project now is 'not in the public interest'Campaigners have hit out at the government for keeping the business case for the Cambridge leg of East West Rail under wraps, despite sinking billions of pounds into the project.
• Campaigners urge Government to electrify the Midland Mainline and pull the plug on road schemesCampaigners are calling for funding to electrify Phase 3 of the Midland Mainline a shovel-ready rail project that will create thousands of jobs in Derby, boost regional transport capacity, improve rail services and cut climate emissions.
• Profits slump at BMW's Mini Oxford Plant as car sales fallProfits at BMW’s manufacturing division have slumped by around 25 per cent as production numbers fall further.
• Exciting tram and bus plans for Sheffield revealed in biggest project since 1995The new plans could mean new tram tracks in the city centre for this first time since the 1990s

Bloomberg

• Transport Stocks Face Worst Week Since April on Tariffs, ReportsTransportation stocks are on track for their worst week since President Donald Trump's trade war kicked into high gear in April, after a slew of earnings reports indicated continuing challenges ahead.

Train Operators

• Avanti West Coast's Pride Pendolino joins world's largest-ever gathering of trainsPendolino, 390119 'Progress', joins modern and historic trains at sold-out The Greatest Gathering event.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Thames Travel invests in for River RapidsThames Travel has invested £3M in a new fleet of vehicles for its X40 River Rapids route and enhanced the service between Oxford and Reading.

Calling All Stations - The Transport Podcast

• Transport scorecard for Labour's first year and driverless car tech testedChristian and co-presenter Mark Walker examine just which transport schemes ended up being funded by the UK Department for Transport through the Spending Review - and which ones didn't [1:20]. Ever interested in the issue of driverless cars, Christian reports back from a visit to Bosch in Stuttgart, Germany, who are developing software for the driver aids that potentially pave the way for this technology [16:25]. One year on from the election of the Labour Government in the UK, Christian and Mark discuss its scorecard on transport policy and innovation [32:20]. Finally, Christian anticipates 'The Great Gathering' at the Alstom factory in Derby as part of the Rail200 celebrations [41:56].

Highways Magazine

• Brighton opens floating bus stop a month after govt suspends their useActive travel works 'to the A23 between Argyle Road and Preston Drove have installed a controversial 'floating bus stop', just a month after the Government halted 'their roll-out.'

New Civil Engineer

• Heathrow submits plan for 'shovel ready' £49bn airport expansion to governmentHeathrow Airport has formally submitted detailed plans for a new 'shovel ready' £49bn expansion, centred on a third runway, to government.

Rail Business Daily

• World's largest railway festival gets underway at Alstom's UK train factoryAlmost 40,000 railfans from around the globe are at Alstom's Derby Litchurch Lane Works this weekend for the world's largest-ever gathering of historic and modern trains The Greatest Gathering.

Railnews

• Greatest Gathering starts at Alstom in Derby Nearly 40,000 people are expected to visit The Greatest Gathering railway festival at Alstom in Derby over the next three days. The event is part of the wider Railway 200 celebrations to mark the two centuries which have passed since passengers travelled behind a steam locomotive for the first time on the Stockton & Darlington Railway on 27 September 1825.

Other News Sources

• Octopus and Uber to help drivers save £1m with free EV chargersOctopus Energy and Uber have launched a new partnership aimed at accelerating the switch to electric vehicles and reducing the cost of clean transport for drivers.
• New Electric Trains Running Between Coryton, Caerphilly and PenarthBrand new electric trains are now being used on Transport for Wales services between Coryton, Caerphilly and Penarth.
• Hitachi Rail completes acquisition of Omnicom to bolster its digital asset management businessHitachi Rail has acquired the cutting-edge digital rail monitoring business Omnicom from Balfour Beatty in a strategic move to further grow HMAX, Hitachi Rail's digital asset management business.