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

Tuesday, 25 November 2025

BBC News

• Cycling journeys up by 43% in London, report findsCycling journeys have increased to more than 1.5 million daily this year, according to a new report.
• 'End of an era' for 1960s airport terminalPassengers reminisce about the airport terminal as large sections of it close for good.

Department for Transport

• Heathrow Airport Limited?s third runway proposal will be basis for expansionDecisive action on third runway to support trade, tourism and hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Financial Times

• The missing piece in Labour’s rail renationalisation schemeWhether trains are public or private is not the deal-breaker for a well-functioning service — it is about a better delivery model
• UK ministers back Heathrow airport’s £49bn plan for third runwayProposal to expand London hub will require moving part of the M25 motorway

The Guardian

• End the tax break that makes flying cheaper than trains | LettersAirlines benefit from a tax system that helps them keep fares low, writes Anna Hughes

The Telegraph

• Heathrow secures victory over hotel tycoon for third runway plan [subscription]Transport Secretary to confirm backing for the airport's £49bn proposal after ministers rejected a rival bid

Times Online

• Half of Britons support scrapping HS2 to plug budget shortfall [subscription]Support for HS2 has collapsed even in the West Midlands, with the region joining the national majority who say cancelling the project is the better option
• Old, cold and dirty West Highland Line is going off the railsScotRail has been accused of running freezing and filthy trains on the 'Polar Express' from Glasgow to Oban and Mallaig but an MP had warm words for the staff
• The Highland ferry so old it belongs on historic register [subscription]The MV Maid of Glencoul, first launched in 1975, has been used on the Corran service for more than 40 years and will not be replaced until at least 2028
• BMW and Mercedes-Benz cars removed from Motability scheme [subscription]Premium vehicles will no longer be available under the controversial vehicle leasing programme for people with disabilities
• Ministers back Heathrow airport's £49bn runway plan over rival scheme. [subscription]The government has rejected an alternative expansion proposal from Surinder Arora, the hotelier

City AM

• Government to back 'gold-plated' Heathrow expansionThe government is poised to plough ahead with a controversial £49bn plan to build a third runway over the M25 proposed by the owner of Heathrow airport, despite warnings from airline bosses that it will make the hub more expensive and the construction process considerably more complicated.
• London is getting the wrong new railway The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension to Thamesmead is the wrong railway, at the wrong price, for all the wrong political reasons, argues James Ford Ooops. Rachel Reeves is about to shoot herself in the foot. Again. I thought about keeping quiet about this imminent act of self-harm.

Local Government

• Popular on demand bus service expanding furtherWorcestershire's popular on demand bus service is expanding, giving more people across the county access to flexible, convenient ways to travel.

Sky News

• Luxury cars removed from Motability schemeLuxury cars will no longer be available for Motability recipients, it has been announced, with the government saying more money will also go to British manufacturers under changes.

Birmingham Mail

• Some drivers face 18p per mile charge under Rachel Reeves' new 3p planThe average cost per mile to charge an EV using a domestic tariff is 5.88p per mile.

Birmingham Post

• Cornwall to London flights resume as Skybus takes over routeFlights were cancelled last month after previous operator Eastern went into administration and grounded its fleet

Bolton News

• Aer Lingus must 'answer' questions over plan to close Manchester baseAer Lingus is under fire for plans to close its Manchester Airport base, putting over 200 jobs at risk, including 150 cabin crew

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• TransPennine Express recruiting for up to 53 train conductors across the NorthTransPennine Express is on the lookout for up to 53 new conductors across the North of England, including York.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Extend rail fare freeze to Tyne and Wear Metro, North East mayor tells GovernmentLabour ministers have announced the first freeze to rail fares in 30 years, but it will not apply to the Tyne and Wear Metro as things stand

The York Press

• ‘Risk of collapse’ for part of York Railway Station frontage - emergency plans inPlans have been submitted for the emergency removal of the former bus shelter canopy fixed to the station, a Grade II* listed structure in Station Road.

Other Regional Press

• Thurrock Council plans for £2 million bus improvementsTHURROCK Council has been awarded nearly £2 million from the Department for Transport to improve bus services across the borough as a new Sunday service to a Grays diagnostic centre is set to start.
• First Bus quits Cornwall as rising costs bite as some say 'what now?'First Bus South will cease operations in Cornwall after February 14 with 275 jobs at risk across five depots, though Go Cornwall Bus is working on alternative services
• "Vital" Pompey Link on-demand bus service from Paulsgrove to Port Solent gets a year extensionPortsmouth's 'innovative' on-demand bus service, Pompey Link, will now continue to connect Paulsgrove and Port Solent until the end of March 2027, following a positive first six months of operation.
• Congestion charge protestors say trade 'suffering' after gatecrashing MP eventA group of protestors have called out for supporting Oxford’s congestion charge, after gatecrashing an event in support of small businesses.

Train Operators

• Avanti West Coast's iconic Pendolino fleet named most improved at railway awardsThe intercity operator recognised for the first time at the Golden Spanners.

Rail Magazine

• "Nothing in it is remotely new": criticism over Government's Accessibility RoadmapConcerns that the Government's newly released Accessibility Roadmap 'does not go far enough' have been raised by campaigners.
• How Railways Bill is set to change Office of Rail and Road's functionsThe Office of Rail and Road has provided more detail on how some of its roles and responsibilities will change as part of the Railways Bill.
• Time for Merriman to champion high-speed rail - Christian WolmarI rather like Huw Merriman, who was Rail Minister in the last Conservative government.

Railnews

• CrossCountry strikes to restart after talks fail Talks to end the dispute between the RMT and CrossCountry have failed, and the union has announced new strike dates. The dispute is mainly over pay, including overtime rates, rest day working and differentials between grades.

Railway Gazette

• Streamlined guidance aims to facilitate third party investment in rail infrastructureUK: The Office of Rail & Road has published streamlined guidance designed to make third party investment in rail infrastructure easier.

Transport Times

• Rebuilding Britain's Railways: Understanding Labour's New Bill - Mark WalkerI was in my early thirties when I found myself with a huge responsibility. As part of my job as the Political Officer of the RMT trade union, I was assigned to work with the opposition Labour Party on its response to the legislation being introduced by John Major's Conservative Government to break-up and privatise Britain's hitherto state-owned and integrated national railway system.

Other News Sources

• Kent discussions continue on the need to drive infrastructure improvementsEuropa Worldwide Group recently welcomed local MP Jim Dickson to its Dartford headquarters to discuss how the firm can continue to support work being done to ease congestion in the area.
• Lessons from Heathrow: Repairing Britain's resilience gapThe power outage at Heathrow in March 2025 now seems a distant memory, but before it fades completely, we should pause and ask what lessons we can draw for our national resilience from the issue.