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

Wednesday, 03 December 2025

BBC News

• MP bemused by lack of rail junction upgradeAn MP has been left "quite bemused" about why a major rail junction upgrade still has not happened.
• Tram driver strikes postponed amid 'fatigue' talksThe Unite union says its members will vote on a new offer of improved rotas and shift patterns.
• 'I don't know who would leave it there' - clearing up badly parked e-bikesCouncils have called for greater powers to be able to seize e-bikes left badly parked in their areas.
• Airbus to inspect some planes over 'quality issue' with panelsThe announcement comes days after a massive recall affecting thousands of the firm's A320 fleet.
• 'Carspreading' is on the rise - and not everyone is happy about itIn the UK and across Europe, cars are becoming longer, wider and heavier.

Financial Times

• Taxpayers to contribute more than £3bn to Lower Thames Crossing Increase comes despite ministers’ attempts to have private sector shoulder most of bill for 14-mile road and tunnel

The Guardian

• Search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 to resume more than 11 years after plane went missingThe country’s transport ministry said the search would resume on 30 December and confirmed that US robotic company Ocean Infinity would take part The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will resume this month, the Malaysian transport ministry has said, more than a decade after the plane disappeared in one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.In a statement on Wednesday, the transport ministry confirmed the search would resume on 30 December, saying that US-based robotic company Ocean Infinity would recommence a search of the seabed over a period of 55 days, conducted ...

The Telegraph

• Labour's licence to crush rail competition [subscription]Private sector rivals worry they will be squeezed out in favour of newly state-owned operators. Britain's soon-to-be-nationalised railway threatens to extinguish the last vestiges of competition across the 200-year-old network but not in the way most would expect.

Times Online

• Hybrid drivers face double tax whammy with 1.5p a mile levy [subscription]The electric vehicle excise duty announced in the budget will apply to plug-in hybrids even when they are running on petrol or diesel
• Edinburgh to London in under four hours on HS2 may be pipe dream [subscription]Travellers may have to kiss goodbye to shorter journeys after the UK government fails to safeguard the route of the delayed high-speed line north of Birmingham

i News

• How the 'road to hell' could get even worse to make way for Heathrow expansionThe owners of Britain's busiest airport say they can 'realign' the M25 without disruption - but campaigners and engineers fear chaos on the motorway and in local communities

Network Rail

• £13.5 million government investment to transform Carlisle stationPassengers using Carlisle station will benefit from a £13.5 million government investment to transform the historic station into a modern transport hub that's easier to use and better connected to the city.

Birmingham Mail

• Jaguar Land Rover design chief behind 'woke' rebrand ‘escorted from office’The designer behind the JLR redesign and overhaul has reportedly been dismissed from the carmaker just days after a new chief executive took over.

Birmingham Post

• Cornwall Airport to carry out major upgrade in bid to improve 'safety and reliability'The transport hub says the investment is part of a programme of infrastructure works at the site
• Huge boost for £140m project to transform Cardiff Central stationA go-ahead announcement is expected this week

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Huddersfield experts share research at Colorado summitResearchers from the University of Huddersfield shared their railway research expertise at the 14th World Congress on Railway Research.
• MP visits Kex Gill Realignment with Shadow Transport SecretarySKIPTON MP Sir Julian Smith has visited the site of the multi-million pound realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill.

LBC

• Did the budget build a path to construction recovery, or just pile on another layer of uncertainty?Despite reassuring rhetoric that infrastructure is fundamental to economic renewal - and the announcement of major backing for projects such as the Lower Thames Crossing, Northern Power Rail, and local service construction - the Budget still leaves a gap between the scale of the challenge and an instructive way forward for achieving the right pace of delivery.

Nation. Cymru

• Transport for Wales goes live on the Rhymney lineTransport for Wales has taken another major step towards completing the electrification of the South Wales Valley lines, as the overhead wires across the Rhymney railway line are switched on.

Yorkshire Post

• Rail is reliable, inclusive and green all at once: Stuart JonesWhen I think about the North's future greener, fairer, more connected I think about trains. Not because rail solves everything, but because when it's done well, it becomes far more than a mode of transport. It's a catalyst for skills, innovation, culture and opportunity.
• Exclusive:'It's all there': Munich Airport International names 'unique' point to Doncaster Sheffield AirportThe size of Doncaster Sheffield Airport's runway is 'unique' amongst its regional competitors and was key to persuading Munich Airport International to get on board with the reopening project, the firm's managing director has said.

Cambridge News

• Fears village could be ‘cut in half’ prompts plan to reinstate busway crossingA petition signed by more than 2,400 people called for Cambridgeshire County Council not to block some of the existing informal crossings over the guided busway.

South Wales Argus

• Overhead wires switched on for train electrification schemeThe activation took place on the Rhymney line between Caerphilly and Rhymney in south Wales, marking a key milestone in Transport for Wales' (TfW) efforts to complete the electrification of the South Wales Valley lines.

Other Regional Press

• 'Approve it!' - Office of Rail and Road urged to signal green light for Shropshire-London rail serviceThe Office of Rail and Road has been urged to "listen" and approve new proposals for a rail service that would connect Shropshire directly with London.
• Network Rail plans for Wilton Rise bridge creating York Central linkPLANS for a new accessible walking and cycling bridge linking Holgate with the York Central development have been lodged, including images showing how it could look.
• Marks Tey rail station left off accessibility improvementA train station near Colchester will not benefit from accessibility improvements, after an MP shared residents' pleas for help.
• Bournemouth Airport with one of lowest flights cancelledBournemouth Airport has topped the list for the lowest cancellation rate in the UK.
• Call to reopen disused Watford railway station tops 500 signaturesA call to reopen the disused West Watford Station has gathered more than 500 signatures as campaigners seek to put it before the council.
• Plans to improve town's transport 'do not propose real solutions', says bike groupPlans to improve local transport in Bicester and Mid Cherwell 'do not really propose real solutions', says a bike group.

Construction News

• Experts call for stable PPP model after contractor liquidationThe construction sector needs to be 'wooed' for it to accept a new form of public-private partnership (PPP), experts have said in the wake of the collapse of a PFI contractor.

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 accounted for 69% of total spend on rail infrastructure and rolling stock last yearThe High Speed 2 (HS2) mega-project accounted for 69% of all expenditure on rail infrastructure enhancements and rolling stock for the period April 2024 to March 2025.

Rail Business Daily

• Railway engineers take on 'Britain's biggest Christmas jigsaw puzzle'Network Rail says railway engineers are set to take on a project dubbed 'Britain's biggest Christmas jigsaw' this festive season.

Rail Magazine

• Rolling stock withdrawal plans altered after Unimetals liquidationRecycling company Unimetals has filed for liquidation, causing issues across the rail network.

Other News Sources

• MP welcomes shift in attitude ahead of Ely Junction debateA Cambridgeshire MP believes there's a shift in attitude towards improving Ely rail junction. The scheme - where lines from Cambridge, Peterborough, Norwich, King's Lynn and Ipswich all meet - missed out on funding in the Government's Autumn Budget.
• Bristol Airport Announces it is Transforming its Departures LoungeBristol Airport (BRS), the regional airport serving the South West of England and Wales, has announced it will be renovating its Departures Lounge and its Assisted Travel Lounge as part of its £400 million airport transformation plan, following the opening of its Public Transport Interchange.
• Cornwall Airport Newquay announces upgraded radar system for improved safety and reliabilityAs part of a of a wider programme of infrastructure modernisation, Cornwall Airport Newquay is upgrading its radar system to help manage Cornwall's airspace more efficiently
• Real Estate 2026: Trends to watch, challenges to tackle, opportunities to seizeAbsent Stamp Duty reform, ISA allowance cuts, and no replacement to Help to Buy, first-time buyer activity may slow. On the positive side, infrastructure commitments, including renewed funding for the Lower Thames Crossing, could boost connectivity and property values in east and south-east London, supporting developers and investors over time.
• Peel Ports Group becomes first UK port operator to join CO2nstructZero frameworkPeel Ports Group has become the first UK port operator to join the Construction Leadership Council's Co2nstructZero programme.
• Essex set for major road boost with 3265 million funding for repairsADAM Fox, Labour candidate for Mayor of Greater Essex, has today welcomed the Labour Government's record funding boost for road maintenance, including a total of £192.9 million in baseline funding and £71.9 million in incentive funding for councils across Greater Essex.
• More weekend flights and bigger planes if Farnborough Airport expansion plans approvedThe planning application has been submitted and neighbouring councils are now giving their feedback