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

Thursday, 16 October 2025

Government

• Chancellor takes on the blockers to get Britain buildingNew roads, reservoirs, airports, and railways held up by lengthy legal challenges will be completed more quickly under new proposals announced by the Chancellor today (15 October), fast-tracking national renewal.

BBC News

• Legal challenge begins against Gatwick expansionA campaign group has launched a legal challenge over the expansion of Gatwick Airport.
• More funding needed for £180m rail bridge projectA county council has asked the government to help fund a project that has reached a cost of £180m to replace an aging rail bridge.
• Will train travel save the planet?Making a journey by rail can be up to 80% greener in terms of carbon emissions than travelling by car. There are exciting new innovations ? like battery-run trains ? hoping to make rail travel even more environmentally friendly.
• Rebuilt rail link 'could give £1bn economic boost'The possible reintroduction of a train service between between Barnstaple and Bideford could generate up to £1bn for the local economy, according to a rail group.
• Could Ozzy Osbourne airport become a reality?Campaigners have urged Solihull councillors to back them in renaming Birmingham Airport.
• The century-old ship sail technology finally catching onThe rotors, first used in 1925 on a journey to Scotland, are being revived to help emissions in shipping.
• Lines reopened after major rail disruptionThe delays affecting Liverpool and Manchester were caused by a points failure, National Rail said.

Financial Times

• Macquarie takes controlling stake in London City AirportAustralian group buys additional 50% interest months after acquiring initial slice in £20bn UK investment push
• Trump campaign to block global shipping emissions deal faltersUS set to be faced down by industry powers, including China, EU, India and UK
• Airlines face disruption as US shutdown continues Delays and cancellations hit travellers in third week of federal government funding freeze

The Guardian

• Plug-in hybrids pollute almost as much as petrol cars, report findsAnalysis of 800,000 European cars found real-world pollution from plug-in hybrids nearly five times greater than lab testsPlug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) pump out nearly five times more planet-heating pollution than official figures show, a report has found.The cars, which can run on electric batteries as well as combustion engines, have been promoted by European carmakers as a way to cover long distances in a single drive – unlike fully electric cars – while still reducing emissions.

Wired Gov

• Chancellor takes on the blockers to get Britain buildingNew roads, reservoirs, airports, and railways held up by lengthy legal challenges will be completed more quickly under new proposals announced by the Chancellor today (15 October), fast-tracking national renewal.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• West Yorkshire residents urged to have say on new transport planWest Yorkshire residents are being encouraged to give feedback on the draft Local Transport Plan, which outlines future travel improvements across the region.
• Rising costs of major road scheme lead to some parts being scrappedSpiralling costs of a multimillion pound scheme to improve traffic on one of the main routes into Bradford will lead to huge chunks of the work being axed.

London Evening Standard

• Driverless taxis will operate in London 'within weeks' in major milestone for city's transport ambitionsWaymo, which is owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, plans to launch its autonomous vehicles in the capital next year after rivals Uber and Wayve announce trials

Wales Online

• Bus drivers across Wales to go on strike in pay disputeFirst Cymru has warned of 'significant disruption' ahead
• Speed limits set to change on 10 Welsh roads after 20mph reviewVale of Glamorgan Council announced that some roads could go from 20pm to 30mp and some are proposed to go from 30mph to 20mph

Yorkshire Post

• Opportunity for the Government to show it is serious about Doncaster Sheffield Airport by investing in road infrastructureThe reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) is going to be a daunting task that requires more than just planes being cleared to take off from the former RAF Finningley site.

Carlisle News & Star

• Airline prices to change by 'less than cost of coffee' with green fuel guaranteeKeir Mather promised that ticket prices will be 'kept under continual review', once the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill clears both Houses of Parliament.

Doncaster Free Press

• 'Gridlock' Doncaster Sheffield Airport exit on M18 hinders growth, business leaders tell Transport SecretaryBusiness leaders from across South Yorkshire have written to the Transport Secretary calling for investment in the motorway junction set to serve Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Plymouth Herald

• Bus passes in England DfT update as new demands launched for changesState pensioners and some other people can currently get a bus pass

Other Regional Press

• Transport for Wales and Network Rail prepare for autumn1,500 miles of track are being treated with high-powered trains this autumn to keep passengers moving safely.
• Over 150 new EV charging points confirmed for KirkleesOver 700 charges will be installed across the whole of West Yorkshire

Calling All Stations - The Transport Podcast

• S4 Ep1: Is Northern Powerhouse Rail the wrong choice? Plus saving the Queensbury TunnelOur launch episode for Season 4 includes interviews with Andrew Gilligan on why he believes the money sought for Northern Powerhouse Rail could be better invested in other railway enhancements for the North of England [3:02] and with Graeme Bickerdike who is campaigning to save the disused Queensbury rail tunnel in Yorkshire as a cycling commuter and tourism route [28:56]. Christian also asks why the British Transport Police has advertised how easy it is to steal a bike [54:12].

Rail UK

• Chris Conway to leave his role as Translink Group Chief ExecutiveChris Conway, who joined Translink as Group Chief Executive in September 2015, announced today, (14th October), his decision to leave the role next Spring 2026.
• Network Rail to carry out vital upgrades in Dorset to improve the line between Poole and DorchesterEngineers will be strengthening a railway embankment in Hamworthy and improving drainage at the Poole sidings to help protect the railway from flooding and improve long-term reliability

Other News Sources

• HIGHWAYS UK: Nick Harris confirms £25bn funding and flags AI innovationNick Harris, chief executive of National Highways, used his keynote speech at the opening of the Highways UK exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham (October 15-16) to confirm the £25 billion funding allocation for the Third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), which will cover the period 2026-2031, bringing confidence and clarity to what we're all going to be doing over the next five years.
• Tilbury terminal £7 million pontoon extension wins planning approval. Ferry return also features in LTC pronouncements by Chancellor and Kent MPFACTORS that might help bring back the Tilbury to Gravesend passenger ferry have been making news this week.
• No formal public inquiry planned into North West Relief Road projectShropshire Council will not be holding a formal public inquiry into the ill-fated North West Relief Road (NWRR) project.
• Anti-Gatwick expansion campaigners initiate legal proceedingsCampaign group Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions (Cagne) has sent a pre-action protocol letter to transport secretary Heidi Alexander as it continues to line up a potential judicial review over the airport?s proposal to bring its standby runway into full use.
• Lumo and Hull Trains Celebrate £724K Impact Through Rail Safety Education in SchoolsLeading open-access rail operators, Lumo and Hull Trains, are celebrating a successful year of supporting rail safety education in schools.
• London Rail Projects Promise Greener, Smarter FutureLondon's transport landscape is undergoing a quiet revolution, and two major projects are at its heart: a transformative freight terminal in Hertfordshire and a high-tech fleet upgrade on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). Both initiatives, announced in mid-October 2025, are set to reshape how goods and people move across the capital and its surrounding regions. They promise not only more efficient transport, but also significant environmental and community benefits.
• Hitachi Rail powers next-generation DLR trains with advanced digital signallingThe first of London's new Docklands Light Railway (DLR) trains has entered passenger service, marking a major step forward for the capital's transport network and a new milestone in Hitachi Rail's long-standing partnership with Transport for London.
• Farnborough Airport expansion would lead to 'a slow erosion of quality of life' for residents, says councillorThe council is urging for a full environmental review into the impact it would have on nearby Surrey towns and villages