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

Friday, 03 October 2025

BBC News

• Free bus use for parents this half termIt is part of a wider strategy to encourage more bus use, with other free travel schemes in play.
• Road and rail disruption as Storm Amy approachesSeveral ScotRail services and ferry journeys have been cancelled ahead of the storm's arrival.
• Sole islander forced off ferries agency board after ship launch rowMurdo Maclennan was ousted weeks after complaining that civil servants rather than islanders had been invited to launch new ferries.
• Dublin airport rail link given the go-ahead The plan is expected to come into operation by the early 2030s and could cost €9.5bn (£8.16bn).

Financial Times

• France detains captain of oil tanker after Denmark drone incursionsFrench prime minister says vessel belongs to ‘ghost fleet’ that has been used to subvert sanctions on Russia
• Munich airport closed after drone sightingsFlights were diverted or cancelled in latest incident involving unidentified objects in European airspace

The Telegraph

• Train cancellations surge 50 per cent after being nationalised [subscription]Train cancellations surged by 50 per cent when the Government nationalised South Western Railway (SWR) earlier this year. Both delays and cancellations rose after the May 2025 takeover of SWR by the government.

Birmingham Mail

• EV drivers handed £32 a month boost over petrol and diesel motoristsDrivers who favour traditional combustible engines have fewer and fewer reasons to stick around with unleaded and diesel ahead of the 2030 ban from the Labour Party government.

Birmingham Post

• South Western Railway's performance plunges piling scrutiny on nationalisationThe sharp rise in delays and cancellations in the months after it was brought under public ownership has been described as "very worrying"

Bristol Live

• Clifton Suspension Bridge needs to raise £20m over long term to avoid closureThe Trust managing the iconic structure says it needs to build up cash reserves to keep the bridge open

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Cruise ship capital of Wales braces for further passenger surge in 2026One operator is planning a 40% increase in calls to the port next year

Wales Online

• £400m rail centre looking to attract multi-billion-pound investmentA competition has been launched to find an energy and data centre partner at what would be the world's first integrated train and rail infrastructure testing facility in one of the most deprived parts of Wales

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• It is 'vital' new railway stations bring trains to Walsall town centre, say regeneration bossesRegeneration bosses in Walsall said it is ?vital? services from new railway stations serve the town centre once they are built.

Lancashire Telegraph

• Lancashire transport blueprint going to consultationLancashire residents have been asked to give their views on a blueprint to deliver a revolution for county transport.

Other Regional Press

• Rail services 'looped' around Mersey if plans approvedPLANS to extend train services across north Cheshire could create a historic rail loop around the Mersey region to Warrington.
• Push for footpath following rail crossing closureCOUNCILLORS in Old Town are working with Network Rail to open a footpath in Wilthorpe following the closure of a railway line crossing.
• Great Western Railway ranked among UK's most unreliableGreat Western Railway (GWR) has been ranked among the UK's most unreliable train operators in 2025.
• MP wins transport role for Liberal DemocratsDidcot and Wantage MP Olly Glover is “looking forward to getting started” after being appointed as the transport spokesperson for the party by Ed Davey

New Civil Engineer

• Case made to extend East West Rail to Norfolk, Suffolk and North EssexA local authority partnership is advocating for East West Rail (EWR) to be extended beyond its current Oxford to Cambridge scope to include destinations in Norfolk, Suffolk and North Essex.

Rail Advent

• Trolley Service Trial on Greater AngliaGreater Anglia has launched a three-month trial for a trolley service on one of its routes. Those travelling between Norwich and Stansted Airport can enjoy a range of items at their seats.

Rail Business Daily

• Final Rail Safety Week podcast highlights tackling violence against women and girlsRail Forum has released the final episode in its Rail Safety Week 2025 podcast series, featuring a conversation between Laura Shoaf CBE, Chair of Shadow Great British Railways, and Elaine Clark OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Rail Forum and Industry Lead for Rail Safety Week.

Rail Magazine

• How road-rail vehicle helps longer aggregates train serve freight terminalDCRail has launched a new flow and celebrated carrying one million tonnes on an existing route in the same week.

Rail UK

• National Centre for Accessible Transport appoints new CEOThe National Centre for Accessible Transport (ncat) has announced that Emma Partlow has been appointed as its new chief executive officer.

Railnews

• Sleeper tickets from Birmingham go on sale A Caledonian Sleeper service is to start calling at Birmingham International from January, connecting the West Midlands with the Scottish Highlands. It will be the first major change to a sleeper route since the Night Riviera between London and Cornwall ceased to include a separate sleeping car for Plymouth 20 years ago.

Railway Gazette

• East Coast Main Line mobile connectivity boostedUK: On-train mobile phone and wi-fi connectivity on the East Coast Main Line has been improved with the installation of additional phone masts between Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Transport Scotland

• Trunk Road Adaptation PlanA new plan to ensure Scotland?s trunk road network remains resilient and reliable in the face of climate change has been published.

Transportxtra

• Alexander majors on rail plans in Labour transport policy speechTransport Secretary Heidi Alexander used her speech at the Labour Party conference to announce that four more train operators would be brought into public ownership by mid-2026 as their contracts expire. This will mean that by the middle of 2026, more than half of all rail journeys will be on publicly operated railways.

RMT

• RMT calls for halt on £700m Tube cleaning contract tenderRMT calls for halt on £700m Tube cleaning contract tender after legal advice reveals Mayor may have been misled.

Other News Sources

• National Highways' £686M Newark bypass scheme green-litA £686M scheme to upgrade and widen a 6.5km stretch of the A46 in Newark has been granted development consent by the secretary of state for transport.