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

Saturday, 18 October 2025

BBC News

• Extra carriages for rail line's peak-timeExtra carriages will be put on for a rail line's peak-time services due to demand being significantly higher than anticipated.
• Funding agreed for late-night buses pilotTranslink welcomed the scheme "to extend late-night bus services on Friday and Saturday evenings in Belfast".
• E-bike hire schemes 'like Wild West', mayor saysThe e-bike sector is unregulated, with individual London boroughs having different rules.
• Anger as historic Clyde ship towed out to sea and sunk in Hawaii Falls of Clyde was scuttled by the authorities in Hawaii despite a campaign to return to its birthplace for restoration.
• Landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions in tatters after US pressurePresident Trump intervened in the talks calling the deal a "green scam".
• Lamborghini swerves away from all-electric futureCustomers still want "the sound and the emotion" of internal combustion engines, the company's boss Stephan Winkelmann said.

Financial Times

• Historic shipping climate agreement delayed after US blocking tacticsEleventh hour derailment of the UN-backed Net Zero Framework comes after Trump attack on ‘green new scam’
• London commuters lose class-action lawsuit over rail fare overchargingThree train operators defeat legal claim that they charged passengers twice for part of their journeys

The Guardian

• Shipping emissions levy shelved as countries bow to US pressureLong-planned charge on greenhouse gas emissions postponed as Trump officials accused of intimidation tacticsUnder intense pressure from Donald Trump’s government, countries have postponed plans to force shipowners to start paying for the damage they do to the climate.US officials were accused of “bullying” and “intimidation”, as nations met in London for what should have been the rubber-stamping of a decision made months ago to place a small levy on the greenhouse gases from global shipping. Continue reading...
• Driverless cars are coming to the UK – but the road to autonomy has bumps aheadWaymo plans London robotaxis as early as 2026, but the history shows hype, hesitation and a few missed turnsThe age-old question from the back of the car feels just as pertinent as a new era of autonomy threatens to dawn: are we nearly there yet? For Britons, long-promised fully driverless cars, the answer is as ever – yes, nearly. But not quite.A landmark moment on the journey to autonomous driving is, again, just around the corner. This week, Waymo, which successfully runs robotaxis in San Francisco and four other US cities, announced it was bringing its cars to London. Continue readin...

The Herald

• Scenic Kyle of Lochalsh line to close for vital repairsA major upgrade to one of Scotland?s most scenic rail lines will begin this weekend.
• ScotRail staff subjected to 'appalling' abuse on the jobScotRail staff have been verbally or physically assaulted more than 1,500 times since 2020, new figures have revealed.

City AM

• Rachel Reeves gears up for £1bn savings in Motability  Rachel Reeves is reportedly planning a £1bn savings package through cuts to the Motability scheme offered to disabled people.  As part of a drive to plug a £30bn hole in the public purse, the Chancellor is considering reducing the number of BMWs and Mercedes some disability claimants can access through the Motability scheme, which is [...]

Mail Online

• Budget airline jet almost dives into the sea at 300mph, pulling up at the last moment less than 200ft from the surface, just after take-off in ItalyEleven seconds after takeoff from Catania Airport, an Airbus A320 operated by Air Arabia lost altitude and fell through the air, falling to less than 200ft above the water.
• Reeves sets sights on Motability to save £1billion in Budget: Will Chancellor scrap tax breaks for disability car scheme users?The Chancellor is considering scrapping tax breaks which spare Motability's 860,000 users from having to pay VAT or insurance premium tax on their leased vehicles.

This is Money

• RAY MASSEY: My charging hell shows why electric has a long way to goThe cars are not the issue - the national charging network is. And the nightmare I recently endured shows it's still not fit for purpose.

Birmingham Mail

• 31mph warning for drivers on 27 Birmingham roadsSweeping changes on Birmingham road over the coming months as drivers warned to be prepared

Birmingham Post

• Huge number of pay as you go Transport for Wales passengersTfW has also unveiled a new £10.5m train wheel lathe facility in Holyhead
• Barnetising HS2 for Wales not going to happen says rail ministerLord Hendy before joining the UK Government recognised the unfair funding deal for rail in Wales from the Westminster administration
• Ferrari CEO says Labour's tax changes are behind UK car allocation cutsFerrari has blamed the Labour government's crackdown on wealth for its decision to cut the number of cars it sells in the UK, saying that a 'stabilisation' in demand was happening in the country

Bolton News

• Transport for Greater Manchester workers set to strike in pay disputeOver 200 Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) workers will strike after rejecting a 3.2% pay offer

London Evening Standard

• New £700m addition to London Overground 'would be renamed to reflect area's culture and history'Sadiq Khan confirms that his rebranding of the Overground - dubbed 'virtue-signalling nonsense' by critics - would be extended to the West London Orbital

Manchester Evening News

• 'I'd pay at least twice that to avoid Birmingham' The M6 toll now costs a tenner, but is it any faster than the normal motorway?

The York Press

• MP visits East Yorkshire train manufacturing plantBridlington and The Wolds MP Charlie Dewhirst recently visited Siemens Mobility’s Goole Rail Village in East Yorkshire.
• NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNCIL: Decision expected next year on A64 upgradeCampaigners wanting the A64 upgraded to a dual-carriageway will find out next year if the scheme will be added to the government’s list of priority work.

Wales Online

• Controversial new Penarth parking meters painted entirely black by vandalsWhen the proposal for parking charges was announced the council received a backlash from the community, councillors and businesses operating across the county
• 'It's about getting more money for the council': How people feel about huge parking changes in cityWe went to one of the busiest places in Cardiff for parked cars but surprisingly didn't come across many people in favour of new council plans to charge heavier vehicles more to park there

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Ticketless ‘tap-in-tap-out’ trams will see an end to much-loved West Midlands Metro conductors in new yearInfrastructure is being installed to make the Midland Metro ticketless – and to remove conductors from its trams.

Other Regional Press

• Update on major scheme to improve A34 junction for AbingdonMajor construction work to create a new £36m A34 junction for Abingdon is on schedule, according to a leading county councillor
• Major disruption as 13 roads shut in one townHighways bosses have apologised for a “high volume” of road closures as gas, highways and emergency works take place, shutting 13 roads.

Railnews

• RMT declares pay dispute with Network Rail The RMT has declared a dispute with Network Rail over pay, and is calling for talks. Network Rail, whose chief executive Andrew Haines retires from the company today, said it is ‘disappointed’.