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

Thursday, 18 December 2025

BBC News

• New bus fleet criticised over single-door accessPlans for a publicly-owned fleet of electric buses in West Yorkshire have been criticised by campaigners for not including more doors on the vehicles for people with mobility issues or pushchairs.
• Trains cancelled after railway line floodsTrains have been cancelled after a burst water main caused a railway line to flood.
• Restoring railway 'could take 20 years'The line between Londonderry and Portadown is seen as key to improving cross border travel across the island of Ireland.
• Train crashed into buffer due to driver microsleepA train crashed into a buffer at London Bridge station due to a driver microsleep, a report finds.
• Trains suspended after high waves hit tracksScotrail confirmed services to Largs and Ardrossan services will terminate at Kilwinning.
• On-demand bus service replaced with fixed routesAn on-demand bus service has been scrapped in favour of two fixed routes after it was branded not good value for money.

Financial Times

• Carmakers sour on EU’s ‘disastrous’ petrol engine rule changes As details have become clearer, executives warn the easing of the combustion engine ban would lead to more expensive vehicles

The Guardian

• The Guardian view on another green U-turn in Brussels: going slow on car-industry targets is a road to nowhere | EditorialThe European Commission’s proposals to water down a 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars will store up major problems for the futureTwo years ago, the European Union’s adoption of a 2035 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars was hailed as an act of global leadership, and a declaration of faith in the journey to net zero. That the home of BMW, Renault and Fiat should decisively reverse away from the internal combustion engine was seen as a symbolic moment.This week, Brussels proposals to water down that ban have sent a very different kind of message. Electric vehicles migh...

The Telegraph

• Longest urban cable car in Europe lets Paris commuters soar over gridlock [subscription]Europe's longest urban cable car has been unveiled on the outskirts of Paris. The new line, the first in the French capital, connects Créteil to Villeneuve-Saint-Georges in the city's south-eastern suburbs
• Zipcar's demise is another victory for Sadiq Khan's war on motorists [subscription]There is hardly any form of motor transport the mayor does not want to fine, tax or regulate out of existence

Times Online

• London council starts handing out speeding fines to cyclists [subscription]Complaints from dog walkers have prompted Wandsworth parks police to crack down with £50 fixed-penalty notices
• Airlines fly into a rage over Heathrow's third runway [subscription]The Civil Aviation Authority is set to allow very wealthy investors to shift the commercial risk onto airlines and passengers

Daily Express

• This Labour MP you've probably never heard of has just skewered petrol and diesel driversLabour may be about to press ahead with their petrol and diesel car ban despite EU leaders' plans to water down targets.

Birmingham Mail

• 20mph limits proposed for seven Birmingham roads amid school safety planBirmingham City Council's transport plans seeks to 'meet the demands of the future by prioritising people over cars'

London Evening Standard

• London Stansted airport expansion plans given green lightA major London airport has been given the greenlight to officially expand.

Metro

• New £26,000,000,000 European mega-airport set to rival Heathrow and IstanbulA brand-new European airport is set to open in 2032, and it's just been given a name: Port Polska. The transport hub in Poland is set to attract 40 million passengers annually, with plans for three runways.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Newcastle Airport axes free parking at terminal with new shuttle bus service to be introducedNewcastle Airport has scrapped its free parking to drop-off and pick-up passengers from outside the terminal. The North East's biggest airport currently operates a 15-minute free drop-off period in its Short Stay 2 car park - estimated to be a two to four-minute walk for travellers.

Kent Online

• Kent's biggest attraction to development industry experts' It's our proximity and links to London and port connectionsWhen asked about the factors that would improve Kent's economy, 57% of the guests saw the relaxation of national planning policy share top spot as the most important factor with the delivery of the Lower Thames Crossing.

Other Regional Press

• Carmarthenshire bus routes could return to public controlA STEP towards more public control of buses in Carmarthenshire has been taken by council chiefs.
• First Bus inspectors to ask for bank cards on Norwich busesA major change to Norwich's bus services means that many passengers are no longer buying paper tickets.
• Plans for major change at Stansted Airport given the green lightStansted Airport has been given the green light to increase its annual passenger limit to 51 million. Uttlesford District Council approved the airport's plans, paving the way for more people to use the Essex airport and travel overseas.

Business Live

• Top Nissan exec hails 'fantastic start' in Government support for automotive sectorAdam Pennick, vice president of manufacturing at Nissan's Sunderland Plant, urged more work on turning the Industrial Strategy into action

Construction News

• 'Fully private' Lower Thames Crossing completion date pushed backThe Lower Thames Crossing will be fully sold to private investors and is not set to be completed until 2034, the government has revealed. It has also appointed Department for Transport (DfT) civil servant Kate Cohen as the individual with personal responsibility for the road

New Civil Engineer

• How Lower Thames Crossing is boosting local workers' skills to aid project deliveryWith the construction of a project as big as Lower Thames Crossing (LTC), serious people power will be needed to get the job done. NCE learns about the importance of giving the next generation of local workers the skills they need to be involved.

Rail Business Daily

• Trainline Partner Solutions and Navan announce Europe-wide partnership renewalTrainline Partner Solutions (TPS) has announced a partnership renewal with all-in-one travel, payments, and expense management platform, Navan.
• Prioritising signalling safety and efficiency in the rail industryThe integrity of a railway system hinges on the reliability of its most basic component: the lineside signal. For the majority of the UK network, safety is assured by Colour Light Signals (CLS), a technology that must operate reliably regardless of environmental challenges. This system operates against a backdrop of increasing complexity, aging infrastructure, and persistent, historical safety risks.

Rail Magazine

• Request for funding for Northumberland Line extension after hugely successful yearThe success of the Northumberland Line has led the county council to request funding for an extension.

Transportxtra

• London Assembly committee voices concerns about Heathrow third runwayA third runway at Heathrow Airport would reverse recent improvements to air quality and cause 'harmful' levels of noise pollution, the London Assembly Environment Committee has warned.
• Greater Manchester unveils £2.5bn vision to transform road and railWide ranging plans to transform Greater Manchester's transport network over the coming decades has gone out to consultation

Aviation Industry

• Stansted could surpass Gatwick as UK's second largest airport after ExpansionThe decision to expand Essex's largest airport is due on Wednesday, after councillors must decide whether or not to adhere to Manchester Airport Group's plans to increase passenger numbers at Stansted by millions, originally proposed in 2023.
• CAA publishes new Heathrow third runway costs consultationThe move by the Civil Aviation Authority follows the government selecting the airport's £33 billion third runway scheme to inform its review of its Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS).

Other News Sources

• New SWR trains unveiled that will carry more Surrey commuters into London Waterloo10 carriages of these new trains can carry over 50% more customers than eight carriages of the old trains they replace
• Heathrow highlights: Retail Director Fraser Brown salutes a record yearUK. Heathrow Retail Director Fraser Brown has saluted business partners and team members across the estate at the UK's busiest airport for being on their A-game in 2025, with multiple commercial openings and passenger traffic hitting new heights.
• Hillingdon approves easterly runway alternation for HeathrowThe Hillingdon Planning Committee has recommended approval of a planning application at Heathrow Airport to enable complete runway alternation for Easterly operations.
• Spencer Rail Engineering Appointed To Deliver New £28.5m Waterbeach StationWork is under way on plans for a new £28.5m railway station at Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire, a project seen as central to supporting one of the largest housing developments in the region.
• HS2 viaduct installed over open motorway in claimed UK firstENGINEERS working for the HS2 project claimed a UK-first when they slid an enormous 4,600-tonne viaduct across the M6 without closing the motorway.