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

Saturday, 20 December 2025

BBC News

• Work finishes on five new railway stationsConstruction work has finished on five new railway stations in the West Midlands. Kings Heath, Moseley and Pineapple Road stations on the Camp Hill line in Birmingham, along with stations at Willenhall and Darlaston in Walsall, are due to open in early 2026.
• 'Not enough hydrogen' for region's hydrogen busesA fleet of 20 hydrogen-fuelled buses - half of which have never been used - will be converted to battery power after the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) said there was not enough hydrogen to run them.
• Airspace approved for use by Western Isles spaceportSpaceport-1 is a project being developed by local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.
• Which trains will be operating over Christmas and New Year?ScotRail has announced its Christmas and New Year timetable which includes the last Christmas Eve and Hogmanay trains departing earlier than usual.

ITV News

• Network Rail warned monitoring equipment may not detect future landslips following Shap derailment
An investigation into the Shap train derailment has revealed that rail monitoring equipment may not be able to adequately detect landslips.

Department for Transport

• Seamless streaming for festive journeys with South Western Railway's super wifi trialCutting-edge wifi added to South Western Railway journeys between London Waterloo, Portsmouth Harbour and Weymouth.

Financial Times

• Bumper Christmas for air travel as 300mn take to the skies Airlines on track for the biggest holiday season getaway in history as industry braces for record demand
• Brazilian air taxi Eve completes first test flightManufacturer backed by planemaker Embraer aims for commercial service by end of 2027
• London St Pancras revamp aims to cut Eurostar waiting time to 15 minutes Planned £100mn overhaul of train station will seek to end ‘holding pen’ experience for passengers

The Scotsman

• The areas of Scotland to benefit from £2 trial bus fare cap revealedBus campaigners fear the pilot will increase the transport poverty gap in areas with no services

City AM

• Heathrow ';under pressure' amid rising costs Heathrow Airport has warned that rising employment costs and the government';s controversial business rates overhaul will wipe out the additional revenues generated from a record number of passengers passing through the west London hub.

Birmingham Mail

• Work completed on new Camp Hill Line stations in Birminghamonstruction work on long-awaited new railway stations in Birmingham and the Black Country has finally been completed.Mayor Richard Parker officially handed over the three stations on the Camp Hill line at Kings Heath, Moseley and Pineapple Road as well as two in Walsall at Willenhall and Darlaston to West Midlands Railway.

Bolton News

• Travelling train exhibition set to visit Lancashire and Greater ManchesterThe Railway 200 Inspiration Train exhibition visits the North West in January, celebrating 200 years of UK railways with hands-on STEM exhibit
• Quick survey shows strong backing for pensioners to use bus passes anytimeLeader of Bolton Council, Cllr Nick Peel, said he is hoping to update bus passengers soon on pensioners being able to use their free pass at any time, following two trials.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• New travel calendar reminding Northern train users of changes this ChristmasTrain operator Northern has released a new travel calendar to help passengers stay on track during the festive season.
• E-bike hire scheme to finally begin in Bradford in MarchAN e-bike hire scheme will finally begin in Bradford in March, almost a year after its proposed start date.

Liverpool Echo

• £5bn big dig and a huge tunnel could be the secret to Liverpool's new lookMetro Mayor Steve Rotheram says huge project, which could connect Liverpool Central and Lime Street, would be as transformational as Liverpool One

London Evening Standard

• New train route between London and Scotland offers King's Cross to Glasgow tickets for less than £30Campaigners hope more people will choose the train over short-haul flights
• Shocking pictures show train station outside London completely flooded as it's closed until Christmas EveA train station north of London has been completely flooded, as Network Rail announces it will be closed until Christmas Eve.

Northern Echo

• Ultra-rapid EV charging hub opens near Newcastle AirportFastned has opened a new ultra-rapid EV charging hub near Newcastle Airport, featuring 12 bays with up to 400kW capacity, located beside Callerton Parkway Metro station.

Sheffield Star

• Mayor's demands for Northern Powerhouse Rail include new station in Rotherham and four trains an hour to LeedsMayor Oliver Coppard has set out his 'key asks' from No 10 for what South Yorkshire's railways need, including improving routes to Manchester.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• 'Not surprising': Reaction as Leeds tram plans delayed - sparking cancellation fearsMany in Leeds fear plans to build a long-awaited tram system could be axed completely after it was delayed by several years.

Yorkshire Post

• West Yorkshire mass transit: civil servants could turn mayor's tram plan into bus networkCivil servants could overrule mayor Tracy Brabin and turn the proposed West Yorkshire mass transit system into a bus network, The Yorkshire Post understands.

Oxford Mail

• Botley Road will reopen by end of August says councillorA city councillor is "confident" that Network Rail is on track to reopen Botley Road by the end of August 2026.

Other Regional Press

• £607k set aside for cycle route near new Wellington stationSomerset Council will spend up to £607,000 over the coming months to ensure a new cycle link in Wellington is open ahead of the town's new railway station being delivered.
• Major transport project reaches milestone as car park reopensOxfordshire County Council has reopened the west car park ahead of the festive travel peak, part of a wider scheme improving access, footpaths, cycleways and bus links at Banbury station.
• 'Scandalous' delays mean new train station could be years away from openingA new single-platform train station just over the border in Cheadle might be years away from opening after 'scandalous' delays, an MP has said. The project was given planning permission by Stockport council last year and was expected to move ahead in 2025, joining the Mid-Cheshire line to Manchester Piccadilly.
• Bristol Airport to receive 21 new electric buses in new yearThe announcement was made by aviation minister Keir Mather MP during his first airport visit in the role, accompanied by North Somerset MP Sadik Al-Hassan.
• Everything you need to know about Lower Thames Crossing as construction to begin in 2026The Lower Thames Crossing is on track to open in the early 2030s, Rachel Reeves has confirmed. The Chancellor of the Exchequer committed a further £891m to the long-awaited project as part of The Budget, eight months after Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander approved the final plans.
• South Western Railway to trail 'cutting-edge wifi' in New ForestHundreds of passengers between London and the south of England this Christmas can now benefit fromWi-Fi as South Western Railway (SWR) starts a new trial today (December 20).
• Wi-Fi on Weymouth-Waterloo train powered by Elon Musk's satellitesDorset rail passengers can benefit from 'cutting-edge Wi-Fi' after a Weymouth-Waterloo train was chosen for a special trial.
• BMW and Mercedes cars scrapped for benefits claimants by DWP Motability SchemeThe Motability Scheme has confirmed it will immediately stop offering luxury car models including BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Lexus and Alfa Romeo as part of an overhaul focused on value and supporting UK car manufacturing

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New transport climate adaptation strategy published by governmentThe Department for Transport (DfT) has published its Climate Adaptation Strategy for Transport (CAST) that it says sets a vision for a well-adapted transport system that is resilient to the changing climate. Recent events such as Storms Bram, Claudia and Amy demonstrate an increasing need for the network to be prepared for the impacts of climate change now and in the future. The DfT want its transport system to be flexible, responsive, reliable and operate safely, so people can travel with confidence and goods arrive on time. CAST is expected to support the transport system to prep...

Railnews

• Union leader calls for urgent GBR talks RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey is calling for urgent talks over the future structure of Great British Railways, following the Second Reading of the Railways Bill on 9 December. The RMT is particularly concerned about the implications for collective bargaining, because the Bill does not say who the employer or employers will be.

Trafnidiaeth Cymru [Transport for Wales]

• The Chair of South West Wales Community Rail Partnership re-electedSouth West Wales Connected, the region's Community Rail Partnership (CRP), is delighted to announce that Dawn Lyle has been re-elected as Chair following the Partnership's Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Aviation Industry

• Noise Lessons for London City AirportAEF recently produced a report for HACAN East, a campaign group for residents affected by London City Airport noise, on the noise impact of introducing the Airbus A320neo at the The post Noise Lessons for London City Airport appeared first on Aviation Environment Federation.
• Noise and air pollution – the real community impacts of airport expansionIn November 2025, AEF held its 50th anniversary AGM featuring guest presentations from Professor Anna Hansell from the University of Leicester, and Dr Gary Fuller from Imperial College London, both ; The post Noise and air pollution – the real community impacts of airport expansion appeared first on Aviation Environment Federation.

Other News Sources

• Rachel Reeves' Road Pricing Balancing ActWith Rachel Reeves announcing that drivers of electric cars will face a pay-per-mile charge from 2028, Tom Scotson reports that road pricing has been a 'third rail' issue in politics for decades
• 'If that plan isn't good enough for South Yorkshire, I will tell them I'm not happy' - mayor urges government to address region's priorities in Northern Powerhouse RailSouth Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard has called on the government to ensure South Yorkshire's key priorities are included in Northern Powerhouse Rail.
• Chancellor says 'we are delivering' as planning bill becomes lawChancellor Rachel Reeves said the legislation would end 'years of dither and delay' which had held back vital projects such as the Lower Thames Crossing, and the Sizewell C nuclear reactor.
• New roads contract 'won't repeat past mistakes'Herefordshire’s new contract to manage the county’s roads and public spaces won’t simply repeat past mistakes, residents have been assured.