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

Thursday, 18 September 2025

BBC News

• Congestion charge decided 'behind closed doors'Concerns have been raised over the transparency of a decision to introduce a temporary congestion charge for Oxford.
• JLR hack could see thousands laid off - MPLiam Byrne, MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill & North Solihull, wants emergency support for workers.
• Flying cars crash into each other at Chinese air showFootage shared on social media shows burning wreckage on the ground after the mid-air collision.
• More bus strikes to cause travel chaos - unionThe Unite union announces three more days of strike action on Manchester's Bee Network.
• JLR supply chain staff told to apply for universal credit, union claimsStaff are being laid off with "reduced or zero pay" following a cyber attack, which has forced the carmaker to shut down, Unite union claims.
• Air India crash victims' families sue aerospace firms Boeing and HoneywellThey accuse the manufacturers of doing "nothing" despite being aware of the plane's risks.

Financial Times

• Airlines fear carbon tax as flagship climate scheme develops holesBrussels to review Corsia system and consider extending levy to long-haul flights

The Telegraph

• Britain to build £500m port to cope with flood of cheap Chinese cars [subscription]Britain's biggest port operator has unveiled plans for a new £500m car terminal near Southampton to cope with a flood of electric vehicles (EV) from China.

Times Online

• Hi-tech 180mph vessel mooted for use in Highlands and Islands [subscription]The Seaglider, which boasts the 'speed of an aircraft with the convenience of a boat', could be trialled in Scottish waters
• TfL suppressed report showing LTNs don't cut car use [subscription]Sadiq Khan and his mayoral officials have spent years saying low-traffic neighbourhoods deter motorists

City AM

• The only way to make HS2 cheaper? Build HS3 It’s a basic fact of economics that the more you increase supply – the more of a thing you make – the easier it is to bring down the price. Among the best-known examples is the Ford Model T, one of the top-selling cars in the 20th century with more than 15 million produced.

Mail Online

• Report told Sadiq Khan's officials that Low Traffic areas FAIL to reduce car use... so they shelved it in secretThe results come in stark contrast to Sir Sadiq's earlier claims that LTNs are good for the environment and reduce traffic.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• 'We don't want it': Campaigners raise concerns as work on new bus lane set to startCampaigners have raised environmental and safety concerns about the creation of a new bus lane in the Bradford area.

Manchester Evening News

• Airline named worst in the UK for flight delays - and it’s not RyanairWhich? has analysed flight data for six major UK airlines to find the worst for flight delays

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• North East £2.50 bus fare cap set for three-month extension to March 2026North East mayor Kim McGuinness says that the cost of a single bus journey in the North East will stay 50p below the national rate until "at least" the end of March next year

Northern Echo

• Tyne and Wear Metro's new trains star on BBC TV show with Michael PortilloThe Tyne and Wear Metro's new Stadler train fleet was featured in the premiere episode of Michael Portillo’s BBC Two series Michael Portillo’s 200 Years of The Railways, highlighting regional railway advancements on national television.

Kent Online

• Kent's A229 Blue Bell Hill set for 12 weeks of lane closures ahead of major improvement projectDrivers will need to navigate around a series of lane closures over the next 12 weeks impacting a busy route between Medway and Maidstone. Kent County Council (KCC) has confirmed the exact dates essential survey works will be taking place on the A229 Blue Bell Hill ahead of a major improvement project.

Other Regional Press

• Richmond Council warns Heathrow third runway will hit residents hardestRichmond upon Thames has once again raised concerns over Heathrow Airport's long-discussed third runway, warning that local residents would bear the brunt of expansion plans.
• NHS worker 'free travel on buses and trains' funding update as DfT gives responseThe Department for Transport has issued a statement on the possibility of giving all NHS staff free rail and bus passes. Calls have been mad for workers to get travel because they're often working antisocial hours in such a vital service.
• 'Bus services are a lifeline for rural communities'This past month, Stagecoach made a swathe of cuts to bus services including many serving rural communities across Hampshire. Most of these relied on subsidies from Hampshire County Council which has now withdrawn funding. Without that public sector support, Stagecoach as expected, quickly dropped the routes to maximise their profit.
• County must choose between new rail ‘or gridlock’ as new strategy unveiledPoliticians say Oxfordshire must choose between new rail “or gridlock” as Oxfordshire County Council unveils its rail transport vision.
• Delays to completion of Darlington station works 'deeply frustrating' as new target date announcedNetwork Rail thanked passengers for their patience, while confirming that buses would replace trains to and from the station over the weekend of October 11-12
• Full steam ahead for new stamps celebrating heritage of British steam locomotivesA set of 10 stamps features locomotives, while a miniature sheet of four stamps will mark 200 years since the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Belfast City Airport could become Ireland's first rail-connected airportBelfast City Airport has revealed plans that could make it the first airport on the island of Ireland to be connected by rail, as part of a major expansion proposal unveiled today. The airport's draft Master Plan 2040 outlines ambitious growth targets, including increasing passenger numbers from current levels to 7 million annually by 2040. The proposal suggests this expansion could attract £200 million in private investment and support over 23,000 jobs across Northern Ireland.  Central to the plan is a proposed rail halt that would link the airport directly to Be...

Railnews

• TfN prepares government submission over 'disappointing' project delays The continuing uncertainty over Northern Powerhouse Rail has prompted Transport for the North to describe investment holdups in its region as ‘very disappointing’. TfN members are ‘frustrated’ at the slow pace of schemes, which are delayed by various factors. They point out that delays lead to cost increases, and are planning to make a submission to the government.

Other News Sources

• Transport groups 'disappointed' with council inaction as bus cuts set to come to West DorsetTRANSPORT Action Groups (TAGs) were left disappointed that a solution could not be found by Dorset Council in light of major cuts to bus services in the west of the county.
• 13 Alexander Dennis Enviro100EV provide local links in South London with Transport UK London BusAlexander Dennis, a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc., a leader in propulsion-agnostic bus and coach mobility solutions, today announced that it had supplied 13 next-generation Enviro100EV zero-emission buses to Transport UK London Bus for use on behalf of Transport for London (TfL).
• Newly released minutes reveal Euston's HS2 funding was expected earlier this yearThe partnership leading the HS2 redevelopment site around Euston station had expected funding to be agreed earlier this year, newly released minutes from last year have revealed.
• More weekend flights from Farnborough Airport possible due to 'long-term demand'The airport acts as one of the principle economic generators for the region
• London Underground strikes update after RMT and TfL talksThe Rail, Maritime and Transport union's strike last week paralysed Tube services