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

Wednesday, 24 December 2025

Cogitamus

• 🎄🎄 We will be taking a short break over the festive season. 🎄🎄🎄TransportInfo will not be updated between 25 December 2025 and 1 January 2026.🎄 We will be back on Friday, 2 January 2026 🎁Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers from the Cogitamus team! 🎉

BBC News

• Foldable bikes connect railway station with townFoldable bicycles have been installed at Pershore railway station with an eight-bike, solar-powered dock.
• Bee Network fares set to be frozen for 2026Tram and bus fares across Greater Manchester are to be frozen until the end of 2026.
• Reported sexual offences on Tube at five-year highThere were 595 sexual offences across London Underground in 2024-25, the most since 2019-20.

Financial Times

• Pakistan sells indebted state carrier in privatisation winConsortium led by Karachi-based securities brokerage is buying majority stake in airline
• Ryanair fined €256mn in Italy for ‘abusive strategy’ against online travel agentsAirline plans to appeal against competition authority’s ‘bizarre’ and ‘unsound’ ruling
• Panama Canal ports deal at risk after China’s Cosco demands majority stakeBlackRock and shipping group MSC consider walking away from talks

The Guardian

• Britain's cities are desperate for better transport. Why is Westminster derailing our plans in Leeds?A long-promised tram network has been pushed back to the late 2030s - unless we build local, northern growth will be snuffed out
• Shropshire canal breach caused by collapse of artificial embankmentWork under way to refloat boats on emptied waterway after earthwork more than 200 years old failsThe dramatic breach of a canal in the early hours of Monday, which sent two narrowboats tumbling into a hole and left others stranded, was caused by the collapse of an artificial embankment that had stood for more than 200 years.As emergency services declared the major incident phase over more than 24 hours after the embankment failure, work was beginning to isolate the damaged section of the canal and refloat boats still stranded either side of the emptied section of waterway.
• Train firms warned over ‘best price’ claims after watchdog bans adsAdvertising regulator said operators and a ticket seller could not prove bookings were cheapestTrain companies have been warned over price claims made on their ticketing websites after the advertising watchdog banned ads run by three sellers.The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that claims made for fares booked via ScotRail and Greater Anglia’s website, as well as by a third-party ticketing site, My Train Ticket, were misleading.

The Herald

• 'A pivotal moment': Glasgow City Council approves '15-minute city' schemeGlasgow approves Cook Street Urban Garden: £multi-million 15-minute city scheme in Tradeston.

Bolton News

• Manchester Airport staff donate £10,000 worth of presentsStaff at Manchester Airport donated more than £10,000 worth of presents as part of their annual ‘Giftmas’ appeal.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Northern railway staff spread Christmas cheer at children's hospitalRailway staff swapped trains for sleighs, handing out presents to a children's hospital.

London Evening Standard

• Explained: how TfL plans to change London's Tube and bus ticketing system and upgrade Oyster cardA row has broken out over Transport for London's plan to award a £1.5bn contract to an arms firm to run its ticketing system.

Cambridge News

• What you need to know about plans for Cambridgeshire railway station updatesImprovements at the station could include a new pedestrian bridge and better passenger facilities

Other Regional Press

• Shrewsbury's night bus trial extended up to March 2026 to meet 'clear demand for safe, late-night travelShrewsbury's night bus trial has been extended and will now continue until March - with some adjustments.

Rail Engineer

• Renewing Scotland's trainsScotRail currently operates 145 diesel and 203 electric trains, two thirds of which are approaching the end of their usable life. These operate InterCity services between Glasgow or Edinburgh to Aberdeen or Inverness, suburban services generally in Scotland's central belt, and rural services including Scotland's scenic routes.
• Wayside Digitalisation Forum WDF: driving the future of railDigitalisation is rapidly reshaping how railways are monitored, managed, and maintained, and the need for shared understanding across borders has never been greater. Against this backdrop, the Wayside Digitalisation Forum 2025 in Vienna, Austria offered a dedicated platform for infrastructure managers, suppliers, and technical specialists to explore the latest developments in digital signalling and wayside technology.

Rail Magazine

• Mayor's frustration over Yorkshire rail links and Northern Powerhouse Rail delaysRail travel between Leeds and Sheffield is 'not fit for purpose' and people will only believe Northern Powerhouse Rail promises when they 'see something happen'.
• Northern to pay track access charges when Manchester services join Bee NetworkNorthern will continue to pay track access charges for services within the Bee Network once eight routes it current operates come under Transport for Greater Manchester control.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Christmas Day coach and bus patronage set to surpass 100,000, says CPTMore than 100,000 passengers are expected to travel by coach or bus on Christmas Day via an ever-increasing amount of festive services, the Confederation of Passenger Transport notes.

Other News Sources

• 'Northern Powerhouse Rail plans to be released early next year'A report that details of the plans for a rail line linking northern cities will be announced early next year leads our round-up of planning news in other media.
• What I learnt from the Rail Minister at the heart of rail reformThere's no doubt that Lord Peter Hendy, the rail minister, is good at adapting to new situations
• Great British Railways are comingOn 5 November, the proposal to establish Great British Railways (GBR) was formally laid before Parliament. As part of this major reorganisation, the role of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) will change significantly. The ORR will become responsible for providing independent advice to the Secretary of State, while continuing to exercise its licence enforcement role. At the same time, the Secretary of State will take on a greater role in holding GBR to account.
• New Transport Commissioner for ScotlandSharon Clelland has been appointed as Traffic Commissioner for Great Britain and will be deployed by the Senior Traffic Commissioner to the Scottish traffic area.
• Transport and green infrastructure projects in ShottonShotton is set to benefit from a major programme of transport improvements and green infrastructure investment to make the town safer, greener and more accessible.
• Sussex bus operators to increase Christmas Day services amid rising demandMetrobus, which serves East and West Sussex, will be adding more buses to its schedule between Crawley bus station and Redhill

EIN News Subscription

• What Can Europe Learn From Spain’s High-Speed Rail’s Success at Slashing Transport-Related Emissions?European governments have long subsidised and invested in air travel over and investment. Last month, the European Commission announced a comprehensive plan expected to significantly reduce the EU’s transport-related emissions