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

Monday, 20 October 2025

BBC News

• Rail firm losing £45.5m revenue from fare evasionSouth Western Railway was the first company to be renationalised by the Labour government in May.
• Highland rail line closes as £4.5m upgrade beginsThe Kyle line which connects Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh will remain closed for three weeks.
• Bus and train passengers urged to get on board for book weekTranslink passengers are being encouraged to read or listen to more books on their journeys in Northern Ireland.
• Has the Elizabeth line led to a rise in rental prices?Data suggests rents along the line's route have risen disproportionately since it opened in 2022.

The Guardian

• ‘It’s madness’: bat enthusiasts fear planning bill will derail years of conservationResearch project team say Labour’s proposed nature restoration fund would end up being a ‘pay-to-destroy system’“There are the most extraordinary things we could learn from them,” says Brian Briggs, as he checks yet another of the bat boxes that he and his wife, Patty, have put up just outside Heathrow. “They’re completely fascinating, from all kinds of angles.”It’s a damp Sunday morning at Bedfont Lakes country park, and the Nathusius’ research project team, led by Patty, is checking the artificial roosters, looking at the health and...
• The Guardian view on hybrid cars: profitable for carmakers but not very green | EditorialPlug-in hybrids pollute more than their manufacturers claim – and delay the real shift to electric and shared mobility“Why the future is hybrid,” chirruped the Economist in 2004. While electric vehicles (EVs) looked like science fiction, that prediction looked prescient. Fast‑forward 20 years and battery technology has improved dramatically; EVs are affordable. Last week it emerged that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) aren’t very green. The sales pitch had been that motorists could use “clean” battery power for city jaunts and dirty petrol fo...

City AM

• Former BT boss in advanced talks to be next chairman of Heathrow The former BT Group chief Philip Jansen is lined up to be the next chairman of Heathrow Airport as it prepares to deliver a nearly £50bn expansion. Jansen, is in advanced talk with the board and shareholders of the UK’s largest aviation hub about taking on the role, according to Sky News. Sources said an [...]

Birmingham Mail

• Tui and Jet2 issue holiday price warning to Rachel Reeves over tax hike fearsTui and Jet2's bosses have warned holidays could soon become more expensive

Birmingham Post

• More buses and better batteries: How Merseyrail plans to cope with cold winter weatherPlan follows train network issues in January's cold snap

Bolton News

• Generous donation to help animal shelter with vet feesTaylor Wimpey Manchester has donated £400 to the Destitute Animal Shelter in Great Lever to support veterinary care for animals in need

Daily Post (North Wales)

• More than 130,000 potholes fixed or prevented on Welsh roads in last six months, says Welsh Government Cardiff 'worked closely' with local councils on improvements covering more than 260 miles

Liverpool Echo

• Compulsory purchases could be used as part of massive bus shake upCouncils across the Liverpool City Region have issued a list of public notices in the past seven days. These are important documents which act as a public record of key decisions in the city region and keep citizens across the local authority areas informed of their council's decision making.

London Evening Standard

• London Euston 'carnage' as travellers are locked out of station after emergency incident sparks travel chaosTravellers reported 'absolute carnage' at a major London railway station after an emergency incident caused major disruption to services.

Manchester Evening News

• The idyllic Greater Manchester village that's a 'transport desert'There's a beautiful village tucked away in the depths of Oldham - there's just one problem.

Carlisle News & Star

• Julie Minns MP backs plans to deliver better busesJulie Minns MP has backed plans to deliver better buses across Cumbria as the Government announced the expansion of its bus franchising pilots into the area.

Rail Magazine

• The little things will make a big difference - Christian WolmarIf there is one fundamental task for Great British Railways, it is to make the railways great again. And that means putting passengers at the heart of the service.

Railnews

• Wasting money on a gold-plated railway Sir Andrew Haines has retired as chief executive of Network Rail after seven years in charge of the national railway infrastructure owner. He has left at a time when Network Rail itself is heading for retirement, as Great British Railways approaches. Andrew Haines has now spoken for the first time about the realities of today’s railway to Railnews reporter Phil Marsh.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Volvo presents strides in decarbonisation for coach and bus rangeA new factory dedicated to the manufacture of zero-emission vehicles with MCV, and a BZR coach variant, are among the latest announcements
• Stability is imperative for the UK bus manufacturing ecosystemOne of this government's five missions when entering power was to make Britain a clean energy superpower. Clean energy including the industries and supply chains that will deliver net-zero by 2050 is seen as central to the UK's industrial future.
• Internal combustion: don't write it off any time yet, says CumminsSome areas of coach and bus are moving rapidly towards zero-emission technologies. But others will continue to lean on internal combustion for a long time yet. Cummins has shared the path it expects the latter to follow as part of what General Manager, Europe On-Highway Felipe Rocha says will be 'a broader mix of technologies' deployed by vehicle builders to deliver decarbonisation.
• Transport Minister misses opportunity on integrationThe Transport Secretary's recent speech leaves our political expert perplexed by the absence of mention of transport integration
• Lothian marks 100 years of night bus services in EdinburghLothian is marking 100 years of night bus operations in and beyond Edinburgh, observing how two seasonal services launched in 1925 have grown to 18 routes that run across the Scottish capital and into Midlothian, East Lothian and West Lothian.