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

Friday, 15 August 2025

BBC News

• Bus routes saved in interim plan, says authorityThreatened bus routes will now continue with no gap in service when the operator pulls out at the end of August.
• Overnight road closures as HS2 bridge is movedA section of the Lawley Middleway is closing from 15 to 24 August, an HS2 spokesperson says.
• Over-60s free travel 'costs £84m in lost revenue'The photocard allows people aged 60 and over who live in London to travel on TfL services for free.
• TfL faces calls to keep Congestion Charge exemptionLabour's transport spokesperson calls plans to end the electric car exemption "counter-productive".
• 'Stranded' seaside villagers call for better busesPeople living in a coastal village say they feel "stranded" and have welcomed national proposals to improve bus services.
• Stranded passengers make precarious railway walkTens of passengers were stranded high on a Singapore railway track after their train suffered a power fault.

ITV News

• Gatwick Airport's outgoing boss 'optimistic' minister will approve expansion planGatwick airport's outgoing boss said he is 'optimistic' the airport's expansion plan will be approved. Chief executive Stewart Wingate claimed the benefits from the West Sussex airport bringing its emergency runway into routine would last 'for generations'.

Financial Times

• Gatwick growth held back because it is already ‘very full’, says airport boss Stewart Wingate calls on ministers to bring forward expansion approval after minimal rise in passenger numbers

STV

• Ferry passengers left stranded on Isle of Gigha after services cancelledDozens of ferry passengers were left stranded on the Isle of Gigha after all services from the island were cancelled.

The Telegraph

• Rail passengers don't want therapy dogs - we just want to get home on time [subscription]It is famously known as the 'dead cat strategy'. A disingenuous distraction tactic used in politics and business where you introduce something so shocking, bizarre or attention-grabbing like throwing 'a deceased moggy on the table' that everyone stops arguing about the original topic and instead starts talking about the new one, right under their proverbial noses.

Times Online

• Gatwick's hopes of second runway hinge on transport links [subscription]Expansion 'under threat' from possible sixfold increase in business rates bill and a lack of public transport infrastructure
• Growing impatience at Gatwick delayWhile Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves remain revved up about Heathrow's eye-wateringly expensive third runway plan, the cheaper alternative idles

City AM

• Gatwick profit jumps after boost to passenger numbers Gatwick airport has reported a double-digit rise in profit in the first half of 2025, driven by a boost to passenger and aircraft traffic volume. Total revenue reached £491.4m in the first half of the year, up 0.7 per cent from 2024.

Bristol Live

• Police crackdown on illegal e-bikes and e-scooters on Bristol Railway PathFour e-scooters were stopped and seized, and two illegally modified electric bikes

Yorkshire Post

• Northern Powerhouse Rail 'is essential for unlocking growth', Lib Dems sayNorthern Powerhouse Rail must be delivered, the Liberal Democrats have said, with the party calling it 'essential for improving transport across the North and unlocking growth'.

Other Regional Press

• Gatwick 'optimistic' minister will approve expansion planGatwick airport's outgoing boss said he is 'optimistic' the airport's expansion plan will be approved.
• MPs urge bus boss to make U-turn on school servicesA bus company boss has agreed to continue consulting with parents and other partners after protests from parents and MPs over the axing of school bus services.
• Rail heritage expert talk on Bridport railway revival planA HERITAGE expert is to share his plan to revive the Bridport Railway just three months after the 50th anniversary of its closure.
• HS2 completes river realignment project in Warwickshire The project included aligning the River Cole near Coleshill

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Work begins on Salisbury Reds depot electrificationWork has begun on the infrastructure required to charge 23 new electric buses, due to arrive at Salisbury Reds? depot in early 2026.

Coach and Bus Week

• Industry costs up by 4%Industry costs have risen by an average of 4% compared to the previous year, according to the CPT?s latest Cost Monitor report

Rail Business Daily

• South West railway petition nears 700 signature markA petition urging the Government to reinstate Phase 5 cliff works on the South West Rail Resilience Programme between Dawlish and Teignmouth is approaching 700 signatures, less than two weeks after it was launched. The campaign has reportedly garnered support from three MPs and the former chair of sub-national transport body Peninsula Transport.
• Transport Secretary backs Office of Rail and Road's review of revenue protection practicesThe Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has accepted the recommendations from the Office of Rail and Road's (ORR) review of train operators revenue protection practices.

Rail Magazine

• Construction of new station getting under way with 86,000 journeys predicted in first yearMore than 86,000 journeys are predicted to be made from a new station in Gloucestershire in its first year of operation.

Railnews

• Northern Powerhouse Rail could be revived The plan to build Northern Powerhouse Rail is reported to be back on the government’s agenda, and it could include a new railway on the alignment of HS2 between Crewe and Manchester. The Prime Minister may announce the change of heart at the Labour Party conference in September.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Trentbarton continues fleet upgrades with Red Arrow coach renewalEast Midlands operator Trentbarton has ordered 10 new Yutong GT12 coaches for its flagship Derby-Nottingham Red Arrow express service, to be supplied by Pelican Bus and Coach.
• Stoneridge next-generation MirrorEye CMS suits new and retrofitStoneridge has debuted its next-generation MirrorEye MP II camera monitoring system that acts in lieu of conventional rear-view mirrors. It is suitable for both new vehicles and retrofit to existing fleet members, the manufacturer says.

Aviation Industry

• Gatwick 'optimistic' about approval for second runwayThe boss of Gatwick has voiced optimism that the green light will be given for development of a second runway.
• CAA to consult on recovery of early Heathrow third runway planning costs The London hub has asked the Civil Aviation Authority to consider allowing its early costs, associated with submitting third runway proposals, to be recovered through charges to airlines.

Other News Sources

• MP welcomes rail service timetable improvements for Sleaford, Hykeham and villagesA local MP has welcomed improvements to rail passenger timetables for her constituency.
• Letter to minister issues 10 'basic' demands on rail accessibilityAccessible transport campaigners have called on the government to sign up to 10 'basic equality standards' that would improve the accessibility of the rail network for millions of disabled passengers.
• Gatwick half-year profit jumps as passenger numbers riseThe airport's half-year profit before tax jumped 11.6 per cent to £125.7m, in the six months to June, from £112.7m in the same period the previous year
• Electric bus charging infrastructure work begins in SalisburyEO Charging has commenced work to fit the infrastructure required to charge 23 new electric buses at the Salisbury Reds' depot, due to arrive in early 2026.
• Cutting edge technology set to improve bus services across regionTwo cutting-edge digital projects are driving major improvements in our region's transport network with early results showing one system already slashing journey times.

News from Europe

• Germany sacks rail chief with train network in crisishe German government sacked the embattled head of Deutsche Bahn on Thursday as it seeks to overhaul the ailing public rail network after years of criticism about deteriorating services.