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

Monday, 29 September 2025

BBC News

• How a maverick engineer helped shape modern railWhile the achievements of engineers like Isambard Kingdom Brunel and George Stephenson are known the world over, one of the most interesting was the last chief mechanical engineer of the Southern Railway, Oliver Bulleid.
• Call to relax time limits on disability bus passesA campaign group is calling for time limits imposed by some councils on bus passes issued to disabled people to be relaxed.
• Chancellor 'understands' high-speed rail cynicismRachel Reeves says the government is working to get the delayed Liverpool Manchester link right.
• How rail closure for £20m works will affect travel Rail services will be suspended in Stockport for two days causing disruption on the West Coast Main Line.
• TfL In Bloom contest brings colour to Tube stationsThe In Bloom competition sees staff decorate their stations and depots with gardens, flowers and plants.

Department for Transport

• Cutting-edge rail ticket technology trials launch in the NorthPassengers can now sign up for Northern Train's digital ticketing trial.

Financial Times

• ‘Moral hazard’ warning after £1.5bn government loan guarantee for JLRCarmaker receives official backing after cyber attack that has halted production

The Guardian

• Starmer asks Conservative peer to write planning bill to block judicial reviewsOne option could be to leave treaty that allows legal claims against projects such as Heathrow expansion

The Telegraph

• Don't ruin new runway with tax raid, Gatwick boss tells Reeves [subscription]Airport executives wait with 'bated breath' for details of business rates overhaul
• Train fares to be charged by tracking passengers' phones. [subscription]Passengers will pay for train tickets by having their phones tracked under a new trial. From Monday, passengers travelling on Northern train services between Harrogate and Leeds will be able to pay for their journeys by boarding a train and pressing a button in an app on their phone.

Times Online

• How successful has Wizz Air's All You Can Fly scheme really been? [subscription]Thousands have stumped up £499 for the airline's annual pass that gives them a chance to jump on any flight to almost 200 destinations across Europe and beyond

City AM

• Government rescues Jaguar Land Rover with £1.5bn loan The UK government will underwrite a £1.5bn loan guarantee to Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in a bid to support its suppliers as cyber-attacks continue to halt production. Business Secretary, Peter Kyle said the loan, from a commercial bank, would project jobs across the UK, in particular in the West Midlands and Merseyside.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Northern passengers can travel without buying ticketsPassengers can now board the trains between Harrogate and Leeds without purchasing tickets in advance, if they take part in the latest digital ticketing trial.
• Two schools in Bradford to permanently adopt scheme closing roadsTwo schools in Bradford are permanently adopting a scheme which closes roads outside the settings during drop-off and pick-up times.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Bus firm slams 'masterpiece of parking' and threatens to withdraw serviceOperators take to social media to highlight persistent problems for their drivers in rural village

Morning Star

• Rail unions pressure Labour to turn pledges on public ownership into actionTRANSPORT union leaders gathered at a Labour conference fringe event today and pressed the party to turn pledges on public transport into urgent action.

Wales Online

• Cable thefts cause major disruption on South Wales Valley rail linesThe South Wales Valley rail network is experiencing an increase in cable thefts, leading to significant disruption for passengers and costly repairs of over three quarters of a million pounds.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Northern trains: Ticketless rail travel to be trialled on Leeds-Harrogate and Sheffield-Barnsley routesTravellers on Northern trains between Harrogate and Leeds won't need to buy a ticket before hopping onboard, if they take part in the latest trial of digital ticketing.

Yorkshire Post

• Time to redress the imbalance and give the region the public transport service it deserves - Andy BrownThere are around 9.8 million people living in London which is a lot of folk who need to be moved about and justifies significant investment in public transport. The population of Yorkshire is 5.2 million which means that with Greater Manchester at 2.9 million, Liverpool at almost half a million and the rest of Lancashire at 1.5 million the two former counties have about the same size of population as the capital.

Other Regional Press

• Leaders call for direct trains from Norwich to OxfordA cross-country rail line connecting Norwich to Oxford should be one of the region's top transport priorities, a powerful group of council and business leaders have argued.

Rail Business Daily

• Cutting-edge rail ticket technology trials launch in the NorthPassengers in the North are the latest to benefit from simplified train tickets, with the further roll out of digital trials.
• Rail 'a catalyst for growth' says new reportCampaign for Better Transport is calling for greater recognition of the value of the rail network in delivering sustainable economic growth and regional equality as it publishes its latest report at the Labour Party Conference today (29 September).

Rail Magazine

• Network Rail explains how new East Coast Main Line timetable is affected by winter blockadesThe phased introduction of new services on the East Coast Main Line from December is partly an acknowledgment of extra services during the West Coast Main Line closure in January.
• Rail Minister: competition The Rail Minister has again publicly supported calls for international rail services to stop in Kent again, saying competition offers 'the best prospect' of stations being used again.
• Transpennine Route Upgrade has the credentials to improve rail in the NorthHS2...Northern Powerhouse Rail...an 'Elizabeth line for the North'. Why is more not being made of the Transpennine Route Upgrade's potential to improve the region's rail services?

Railnews

• DfT names next operator to be renationalisedThe Department for Transport has revealed that the latest train operator to be given a date for renationalisation is Govia Thameslink Railway.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• South Yorkshire bus franchising operator day set for 12 NovemberPre-market engagement event in Sheffield will enable potential bidders to learn more of plans