Public Transport news

• Energy secretary orders investigation into Heathrow disruption – as it happened

  22-03-2025 20:07
  
  Miliband said he wanted ‘to understand any wider lessons to be learned on energy resilience for critical national infrastructure’Willie Walsh, the International Air Transport Association’s director general, criticised Heathrow airport in as a result of the disruption, reports the PA news agency.“This is yet another case of Heathrow letting down both travellers and airlines,” he said. Walsh added:From that arises the question of who bears the costs of taking care of
  
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• ‘Wake-up call’: ministers launch urgent investigation into Heathrow shutdown

  22-03-2025 19:53
  
  Government says lessons need to be learned after the substation fire that caused chaos for 300,000 passengersThe government has launched an urgent investigation into the power shutdown that crippled Heathrow airport, with experts warning it was a “wake-up call” about vulnerabilities in the nation’s critical infrastructure.The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has commissioned the independent National Energy System Operator (Neso) to investigate the incident and assess the UK&rsquo
  
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• Energy secretary orders investigation into Heathrow disruption – live

  22-03-2025 19:02
  Miliband said he wanted ‘to understand any wider lessons to be learned on energy resilience for critical national infrastructure’Willie Walsh, the International Air Transport Association’s director general, criticised Heathrow airport in as a result of the disruption, reports the PA news agency.“This is yet another case of Heathrow letting down both travellers and airlines,” he said. Walsh added:From that arises the question of who bears the costs of taking care of
  
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• Heathrow boss defends running of airport after criticism of shutdown

  22-03-2025 17:05
  
  Thomas Woldbye says most other airports operate similar back-up power systems to Heathrow, as Ed Miliband announces investigationThe chief executive of Heathrow has defended the running of the airport after a fire at an electrical substation stopped about 1,300 planes and disrupted the journeys of hundreds of thousands of global passengers.It comes after Willie Walsh, the International Air Transport Association’s director general, criticised Heathrow for the disruption, while the energy se
  
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• Manchester’s Bee Network introduces tap-in travel on buses as well as trams

  22-03-2025 08:00
  
  Andy Burnham hails ‘truly integrated, London-style’ system with fares calculated and capped automaticallyManchester will enjoy a transport network on “a footing with London, New York and Madrid” when contactless tap-in fares launch across its buses from Sunday.The Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, said that the switch would mark the moment when the city would “realise our ambition of a truly integrated, London-style transport network”, allowing people to
  
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• Heathrow flights restarting after power cut and travel chaos

  22-03-2025 07:34
  
  Airport expects to be fully operational on Saturday, but airlines say closure will have ‘huge impact’ in coming daysFlights began landing at Heathrow on Saturday morning as it aimed to return to normal operation after shutting down over a loss of power. Restrictions on overnight flights were temporarily lifted to help ease congestion, the Department of Transport said, and the airport said passengers should come to Heathrow on Saturday as they normally would.British Airways, which has
  
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• ‘Colossal failure’: what the papers say about the Heathrow airport shutdown

  22-03-2025 06:53
  
  Chaos at Europe’s busiest airport caused by a substation fire dominates UK front pages on SaturdayHeathrow delays – live updatesThe closure of Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation dominates the front pages of British newspapers on Saturday, with more than 1,350 flights cancelled and journeys disrupted for hundreds of thousands of passengers.The Guardian splashes with “Chaos and anger as fire shuts Heathrow airport”, abo
  
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• What happened at Heathrow? How power outage shut the airport subscription

  22-03-2025 01:00 via thetimes.com
  
  Times Online - First darkness, then fire filled the sky. As we piece together what happened, experts ask: why did Europe?s busiest airport have a single source of power?
  
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• Week-long closure of railway line begins

  22-03-2025 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News - A railway line between Surrey and Berkshire has closed for a week as engineers complete track upgrades.
  
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• Wales’s 20mph speed limit has cut road deaths. Why is there still even a debate?

  22-03-2025 01:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian - Research suggests the scheme may be more popular than thought, with consultations dominated by a loud minority Even with the caveats about limited data and untangling causation and correlation, the statistics are striking: the first year of a scheme in Wales where the speed limit on urban roads was lowered to 20mph resulted in about 100 fewer people killed or seriously injured.Introduced in September 2023 as a major road safety project of the Labour-run Welsh government, it made 2
  
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• Uber offers 20 hours of free childcare in bid to lure female drivers

  22-03-2025 01:00 via bbc.com
  
  BBC News - A union says it should instead pay drivers more so they can take time off with their families.
  
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• Travellers face days of disruption as Heathrow reopens after blaze

  22-03-2025 01:00 via ft.com
  Financial Times - Fire at electricity substation that shut down Europemp;#146;s busiest airport raises questions about resilience of UK infrastructure
  
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• The plans to transform integrated transport in the centre of Newport

  22-03-2025 01:00 via business-live.co.uk
  
  Birmingham Post - The proposals take forward key recommendations of the South East Wales Transport Commission
  
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• South Western Railway ranked among worst train operators in UK

  22-03-2025 01:00 via hampshirechronicle.co.uk
  
  Other News Sources - South Western Railway has been ranked among the UKmp;#39;s worst train operators by an independent watchdog.
  
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• Scotland fans stuck in Greece 'staying for a party'

  22-03-2025 01:00 via bbc.com
  
  BBC News - Flights from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness to and from Heathrow have been grounded because of a substation fire.
  
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• Railway station project means seven-week roadworks

  22-03-2025 01:00 via bbc.com
  
  BBC News - There will be diversions and temporary lights to allow the creation of a new Kings Heath station.
  
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• Plans unveiled for new transport hub in Llanelli

  22-03-2025 01:00 via walesonline.co.uk
  
  Wales Online - Carmarthenshire Council wants to mp;#39;enhance connectivity by streamlining links between rail, bus, and active travel methods of transportmp;#39;
  
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• Passenger figures continue recovery since pandemic

  22-03-2025 01:00 via railnews.co.uk
  Railnews -New figures show that the demand for railway services is getting closer to levels recorded before the Covid pandemic, and could be about to overtake them. The latest quarterly figures from the Office of Rail and Road for the three months to December 2024 show that passenger numbers grew by 7 per cent in the last quarter year-on-year, and that revenue was up by 8 per cent over the same period.
  
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• Over a million drivers face having to carry new 'certificate' under UK rule change

  22-03-2025 01:00 via birminghammail.co.uk
  
  Birmingham Mail - New research by AXA UK has found that nearly two-thirds (63) of UK motorists do not plan to buy an electric vehicle, with 37 citing concerns over battery lifespan as a key reason.
  
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• New hi-tech parking system for iconic Anglesey beach but there may be a cost

  22-03-2025 01:00 via dailypost.co.uk
  
  Daily Post (North Wales) - It comes amid growing concerns over mp;#39;shockingmp;#39; work being carried out in the area
  
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• Musk urges Tesla employees to ‘hang on’ to their shares

  22-03-2025 01:00 via ft.com
  Financial Times - Billionaire rails against vandalism of cars and protests at dealerships in the US and Europe
  
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• Millions driving faulty vehicles because dealerships are failing to notify customers about safety recalls, investigation reveals

  22-03-2025 01:00 via thisismoney.co.uk
  
  This is Money- There are over 3.2 million cars and vans on the road that should of been recalled and fixed between 2018 - 2023 but dealers have failed to keep track of customers and warn them.
  
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• Manchester’s Bee Network introduces tap-in travel on buses as well as trams

  22-03-2025 01:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian - Andy Burnham hails mp;#145;truly integrated, London-stylemp;#146; system with fares calculated and capped automaticallyManchester will enjoy a transport network on mp;#147;a footing with London, New York and Madridmp;#148; when contactless tap-in fares launch across its buses from Sunday.The Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, said that the switch would mark the moment when the city would mp;#147;realise our ambition of a truly integrated, London-style transport networkmp;#148
  
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• M25 road closure to cause motorway and airport chaos for drivers

  22-03-2025 01:00 via walesonline.co.uk
  
  Wales Online - People are being warned about delays to their airport travel due planned road closure on the M25
  
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• Local residents heard ‘massive explosion’ before fire which shut down Heathrow

  22-03-2025 01:00 via bucksfreepress.co.uk
  
  Bucks Free Press - Residents have described hearing a mp;#147;massive explosionmp;#148; after a fire at an electrical substation in west London which caused the countrymp;#146;s largest airport to close.
  
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• Italy watchdog probes rail operator FS for allegedly ‘hindering’ French competitor

  22-03-2025 01:00 via eupolitics.einnews.com
  EIN News Subscription - mp;amp;amp;#8230; it is investigating state-owned railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato ( mp;amp;amp;#8230; . mp;#147;Access to the national railway infrastructure and, as a consequence mp;amp;amp;#8230; and FS, as well as rail companies Trenitalia and Italo,mp;amp;amp;#8230;operate using 15 new TGV M trains, the first deliveries of mp;amp;amp;#8230;
  
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• Is one blundering engineer responsible for crippling Heathrow? Airport bosses face questions over farcical shutdown that left 300,000 travellers stranded - as new theory emerges

  22-03-2025 01:00 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Mail Online - Tens of thousands of travellers are still stranded across the globe today after a blaze at an electricity substation cut power to the airport.
  
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• How did a single fire bring down Europe's busiest airport?

  22-03-2025 01:00 via bbc.com
  
  BBC News - Questions have been raised over what caused the outage and why back-up systems failed?
  
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• How controversial Motability charity hands out £500m in sweeteners to benefits claimants to increase take-up

  22-03-2025 01:00 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Mail Online - The cash either goes directly into their bank accounts without being subject to any government clawback if a more basic car is selected, or towards the upfront cost of a plusher model.
  
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• Highway Code change could affect drivers doing less than 10,000 miles a year

  22-03-2025 01:00 via cambridge-news.co.uk
  
  Cambridge News - More than a third of drivers are switching off assistance aids, campaigners said, as they called for a Highway Code rule change to ensure they are used more frequently
  
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• HGVs face ban from major roads in England after landmark study finally ends

  22-03-2025 01:00 via birminghammail.co.uk
  
  Birmingham Mail - A studylaunched in 2020 finally concluded last week with it finding that HGVs were too problematic for certain roads.
  
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• Heathrow’s shutdown fuels questions about UK’s infrastructure resilience

  22-03-2025 01:00 via ft.com
  Financial Times - Within hours of a fire at a power substation, one of the worldmp;#146;s busiest airports was closed to all flights
  
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• Heathrow shutdown is embarrassing at best - but at worst it points to serious vulnerabilities in UK infrastructure

  22-03-2025 01:00 via news.sky.com
  
  Sky News - An electrical substation fire and an entire airport shut down - with over 1,000 flights cancelled, others rerouted worldwide, and 200,000 passengers affected by the disruption.
  
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• Heathrow resumes operations as global airlines scramble after shutdown

  22-03-2025 01:00 via eupolitics.einnews.com
  EIN News Subscription -mp;amp;amp;#8230; ;s Department of Transport to ease congestion, but British Airways chief executive mp;amp;amp;#8230;experts said the last time European airports experienced disruption on such a mp;amp;amp;#8230;
  
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• Heathrow hotels quadruple prices as stranded passengers drive demand

  22-03-2025 01:00 via ft.com
  Financial Times - Customers with few alternatives complain of mp;#145;price gougingmp;#146; after flights cancelled
  
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• Heathrow closure: What are my rights?

  22-03-2025 01:00 via bbc.com
  
  BBC News - What are you entitled to if your flight is cancelled due to the fire that has led to the airportmp;#39;s closure?
  
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• Heathrow closure ‘to cost UK economy £4.8 million in lost tourism’

  22-03-2025 01:00 via independent.co.uk
  
  The Independent -
  
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• Heathrow Blackout Exposes Weak Spot in Airport’s Power Supplies

  22-03-2025 01:00 via eupolitics.einnews.com
  
  EIN News Subscription -mp;amp;amp;#8230; airlines.mp;#148; Walsh said itmp;#146;s a mp;#147;clear planning failure by the airport mp;amp;amp;#8230; time, given that Europemp;#146;s busiest airport uses as muchmp;amp;amp;#8230; the security lanes in all of its terminals. The airportmp;amp;amp;#8230;across UK airports to help accommodate disrupted passengers from Heathrowmp;#146; mp;amp;amp;#8230;
  
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• Heathrow Airport's defiant message as flights finally resume following chaotic closure

  22-03-2025 01:00 via mirror.co.uk
  
  The Mirror - Heathrow Airport - the busiest airport in Europe after handling nearly 84million passengers in 2024 - was closed for hours on Friday after a blaze knocked out an electricity substation
  
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• Heathrow airport reopens but ‘huge impact’ on travel expected for days – live updates

  22-03-2025 01:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian - Planes begin to land at airport but airlines said the closure would continue to have a mp;#145;huge impactmp;#146; on passengers in the coming daysDespite criticism from some quarters, the UK transport secretary has defended the airport over the length of its closure, saying the mp;#147;unprecedented situationmp;#148; had been mp;#147;totally outside of Heathrowmp;#146;s controlmp;#148;.Heidi Alexander said:They have stood up their resilience plan swiftly, and theymp;#146;ve colla
  
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• Heathrow airport live: More delays expected after fire chaos as airport says it’s now fully operational again

  22-03-2025 01:00 via independent.co.uk
  
  The Independent - Heathrow Airport is back in business after a fire at a London electricity substation
  
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• Heathrow airport closure: What we know so far

  22-03-2025 01:00 via bbc.com
  
  BBC News - Flights are resuming after disruption due to a fire at a nearby substation caused a power outage at the airport.
  
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• Heathrow Airport closure: Engineer's mistake 'may have caused fire that shut down hub'

  22-03-2025 01:00 via express.co.uk
  
  Daily Express - A probe into the disaster is being led by counter-terrorism police, while Westminster sources have blamed human error.
  
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• Grovelling £5m-a-year Heathrow boss apologises for airport carnage but says he's NOT to blame and 'we can't guard ourselves 100' - as first plane finally lands but chaos could go on for DAYS

  22-03-2025 01:00 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Mail Online - Heathrowmp;#39;s chief executive Thomas Woldbye described the blaze mp;#39;as big as it gets for our airportmp;#39; after 200,000 travellers were affected by the airport closure.
  
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• Fire chaos puts Heathrow and Grid bosses in the firing line subscription

  22-03-2025 01:00 via thetimes.com
  
  Times Online - Departures are starting up again but so are questions about how one accident can cost thousands of holidays ? and millions of pounds for airlines
  
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• Farnborough Airport signs ground-breaking fuel deal

  22-03-2025 01:00 via hampshirechronicle.co.uk
  
  Other News Sources - The deal with Hydrogen Refinery will help meet the new SAF mandates introduced in January 2025.
  
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• Drivers will be forced to obey new M6 speed limit for 'two years'

  22-03-2025 01:00 via birminghammail.co.uk
  
  Birmingham Mail - Drivers and motorists in the north of England face prolonged chaos as a major UK motorway looks set to lower its speed limits for two years.
  
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• Drivers set to be clobbered with new £50 charge ON TOP of car tax

  22-03-2025 01:00 via birminghammail.co.uk
  
  Birmingham Mail - New data has found that 2.9 million drivers are paying more for their car tax than necessary because they are unaware of a five per cent surcharge.
  
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• Drivers face M8 delays as 18 days of closures announced for roadworks

  22-03-2025 01:00 via heraldscotland.com
  
  The Herald - Drivers could face delays on the M8 eastbound for more than two weeks with parapet replacement taking place.
  
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• Disruption across train routes for next two Sundays

  22-03-2025 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News - Customers travelling by train between Bristol and South Wales are to face "significant" disruption for the next two Sundays, including on Mother's Day.
  
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