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

Tuesday, 16 December 2025

BBC News

• Formal bid to extend railway lineA formal bid to extend a railway line which has seen more than 900,000 passenger journeys in the year since it reopened has been submitted.
• New rail timetable 'poor deal' for some passengersA rail user group has said a new timetable for the East Coast Main Line - described as the biggest shake-up for a generation - is a "poor deal" for some travellers.
• Ford to scale back electric vehicle plans, taking $19.5bn hitThe US carmaker is backing away from large electric vehicles, citing lacklustre demand and recent regulatory changes under US President Donald Trump.

The Guardian

• ‘We hate it. It’s desecration’: the real cost of HS2Ten years after I first followed the proposed route, I retraced my steps to see what life was like along the world’s most expensive, heavily delayed railway line. Ten years ago, I walked the route of HS2, the 140-mile railway proposed to run from London to Birmingham, to discover what lay in its path. Nothing had actually been constructed of this, supposedly the first phase of a high-speed line going north. The only trace was the furtive ecological consultants mapping newts and bats and the train’s looming presence in the minds of those who lived along the route.

The Independent

• Huge delays hit Manchester airport after runway shutAll arrivals and departures are taking place on one runway as urgent repairs are carried out

Daily Express

• The £11billion road tunnel set to become UK's biggestPreparations are underway for the UK's largest road tunnel, a £11 billion infrastructure project linking Essex and Kent. Once completed, the Lower Thames Crossing, is expected to open in the early 2030s and alleviate congestion at Dartford while boosting connectivity across the southeast. According to National Highways, congestion on the Dartford Crossing costs the UK more than £200 million every year in time lost sitting in traffic.

Birmingham Post

• New Greater Manchester station could be years away as MP slams 'scandalous' delaysStation projected to boost local economy and improve access to jobs and opportunities
• Travel service boss fears bus franchising could 'kill my business’Combined authority says consultation will continue next year as Tony Mullane says 'What we do is give the punters a choice'
• Bristol Airport to replace diesel buses on A1 and A3 Flyer route with all-electric vehiclesThe South West transport hub says the investment is part of a commitment to reach net-zero operations by 2030

Bolton News

• Free all-day bus travel for pensioners would be 'an early Christmas present'A pilot scheme has shown that free bus travel should be brought back for pensioners and disabled people at peak times, campaigners say.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Botched bus retrofit scheme had 'significant impact' on Clean Air Zone timetableA BOTCHED scheme to retrofit polluting buses with greener engines is likely to have delayed the lifting of Bradford’s Clean Air Zone.

Yorkshire Post

• Government 'hesitancy' around Northern Powerhouse Rail due to 'weak business case'The Government's 'hesitancy' around Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) is due to a 'weak business case' and the ongoing Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), a new report has said.

Bucks Free Press

• Bucks to receive over £9.5 million bus funding amid service revampBuckinghamshire is set to receive £9,547,266 as part of the Government’s landmark £3 billion investment to transform bus services across England.

Cambridge News

• New buses for Cambridgeshire towns in 2026 after services at-risk earlier this yearSome services in two Cambridgeshire towns were at risk of being axed earlier this year

Other Regional Press

• New 'state-of-the-art' help points proposed for Scarborough StationNew help points that connect passengers to a call centre could be installed at Scarborough Station if plans are approved.
• New Railways Bill should pave way for train services to Oswestry and step-free access at Whitchurch Station, MP saysThe new Railways Bill should pave the way for train services to Oswestry and step-free access at Whitchurch Station, an MP has said.
• Halesowen to benefit from West Midlands bus funding boostMORE than £119 million has been announced to help improve bus services across Halesowen and the wider West Midlands to deliver faster, cheaper and more reliable public transport.
• Special Chiltern Railways journey to honour iconic Mark III coachesA CHARITY farewell event will mark the end of an era for an iconic train fleet

Business Live

• Plans for £100m first phase of Cardiff Crossrail project take step forwardThe project's required Transport and Works Act Order has been aprproved.

Modern Railways

• Changing times on Anglia!Anglia is all-change at the moment as the rail industry prepares itself for the biggest reorganisation in a generation.

New Civil Engineer

• Engineers to carry out wide-ranging rail upgrades across Scotland over festive periodNetwork Rail will carry out a series of engineering projects across Scotland over the Christmas and New Year period, closing several sections of track and prompting altered timetables and bus replacements on a number of routes.

Rail Magazine

• March launch for final LNER services in new East Coast Main Line timetableLNER is aiming for it phased services from the December 2025 timetable change to be completed in March, the operator confirmed to RAIL.
• Internal ORR review over Avanti West Coast service decision as it responds to politiciansThe Office of Rail and Road is holding an internal review after the furore over its decision to axe Avanti West Coast's 0700 Manchester Piccadilly-London Euston service.

Railtech

• Germany launches platform for cross-company deployment of rail staffThe rail freight industry is characterised by staff shortages all over Europe, but Germany might have found an effective solution: the WILSON.Share initiative. Led by the pro-Rail Alliance, the new platform allows companies to 'share' staff, be it train drivers, shunters, wagon inspectors or people working in rail construction, despite some persisting hurdles.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Borders Buses and partners work together on antisocial behaviourBorders Buses has worked with Police Scotland and Scottish Borders Council to launch a They're someone's campaign, which has been created to tackle antisocial behaviour and protect bus drivers and other frontline transport staff.

Aviation Industry

• Who is Jonathan Hankin, Menzies Aviation's New Head of ESG?Menzies Aviation has appointed Jonathan Hankin as its Head of ESG to drive its 'All In' sustainability strategy and net zero targets as deadlines approach
• Europe Aviation Trends Show 2025 as Record YearEurope is seeing some of the busiest skies since the pandemic as travel demand surges in 2025, with the United Kingdom preparing for an unprecedented number of passengers travelling over the Christmas season
• Business Aviation Outlook for 2026The introduction of new models, return of 100% bonus depreciation, increased flight hours and otherwise solid demand for new and pre-owned business aircraft are driving a robust market. Flight hours by corporate, fractional, charter and privately operated business aircraft continued to soar in 2025

Other News Sources

• Waymo's self-driving cars now driving in LondonWaymo's autonomous vehicles have been spotted on the streets of London as the company prepares to roll out its passenger service in the city next year.
• More Government investment needed in railways on top of Wellington station says MPLOCAL MP Gideon Amos has pressed the Government to increase rail investment in the Westcountry as nationalisation creeps slowly closer.
• 'Freight isn't just for Christmas' says NR Chief Executive at RFG Christmas LunchRail Freight Group (RFG) hosted its hugely popular Christmas Lunch ... at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London, bringing together over 800 members and guests from across the UK rail freight community to celebrate another year of achievement for the sector.
• National Civils Show recap: industry challenges for 2026 and beyond... A talk from Frank Mimnagh, project engineer, and Jag Chima, deputy tunnels and systems director on the Lower Thames Crossing illustrated the complexity of turning a major tunnelling achievement into a fully operational road network.
• What Is Behind Labour's Northern Powerhouse Rail Delay?Labour's long-delayed plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail have left MPs and mayors frustrated. What's the hold up? Noah Vickers reports
• Light Rail Operators Committee meets in Nottingham to share operational insightsOn Thursday 4th December, the Light Rail Operators Committee (LROC) convened at the Nottingham Express Transit (NET) Depot, bringing together operators from across the UK and Ireland to reflect on operational performance, shared challenges and best practice.