Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged the Government to avoid further delays to the long-awaited A66 Northern Trans-Pennine dualling project, warning that communities along the route have already spent years waiting for improvements. The Richmond and Northallerton MP said he had written directly to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander seeking clarity over delivery timescales for the £1.3 billion scheme and calling on ministers to ensure communities in North Yorkshire are

Former SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has been appointed Scotland’s new Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Transport and Tourism, immediately placing him at the centre of some of the country’s most politically sensitive infrastructure projects. Flynn joins John Swinney’s reshaped cabinet following his election to the Scottish Parliament earlier this month, replacing Fiona Hyslop, who stepped down from the transport role last month. The appointment means Flynn now takes resp

Kent County Council has renewed its long-running traffic signal maintenance partnership with Telent following a competitive tender process, extending one of the UK’s largest local authority traffic technology contracts. The renewed agreement will see Telent continue maintaining traffic signal junctions, pedestrian crossings and associated roadside systems across Kent’s extensive highway network — a relationship that has now spanned more than 20 years. The contract is regarded

A National Highways traffic officer has been recognised for his bravery after helping rescue elderly crash victims from a burning vehicle on the A453 near Castle Donington. Mike Riach, 28, was praised for remaining “calm and composed” while tackling flames from a hybrid vehicle and helping emergency crews safely evacuate casualties from the scene. Riach came across the collision while travelling in a National Highways vehicle and stopped to assist despite not being on patrol

Road safety campaigners are calling for significantly higher penalties for driving offences to help fund the wider rollout of AI-powered traffic enforcement cameras across the UK. The proposal comes amid growing concern that many motorists no longer believe they are likely to be caught for offences such as speeding, mobile phone use or dangerous driving. Jamie Hassall, executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), said stronger enforce

AtkinsRéalis has been appointed to Babcock International’s Global Engineering Services Framework in a move that strengthens its long-standing involvement across major UK defence and nuclear infrastructure programmes. The agreement will see AtkinsRéalis provide specialist engineering and technical support to Babcock over the next five years across a range of defence sectors including nuclear, marine, aviation and land systems. The company is expected to support projects at sev

Endangered great crested newts are being better protected if found on the railway during upgrade work thanks to a newly launched scheme to help them thrive. Network Rail has teamed up with the Newt Conservation Partnership to quickly relocate railway residing newts so work to maintain tracks and run trains safely and reliably doesn’t grind to a halt. The slippery amphibians love to make their homes around the railway, living in drainage ditches and nearby vegetation, and even

A major upgrade programme is set to begin at Peckham Rye station next month as Network Rail and Southern Railway launch a series of improvements aimed at tackling congestion and preparing the busy south London interchange for future passenger growth. The project will also uncover a section of the station’s historic booking hall that has remained hidden from public view for more than 30 years. Peckham Rye has become one of south London’s busiest rail interchanges, serving four

Passengers are now using the expanded Darlington station following the completion of a major £140 million redevelopment programme described as one of the most significant investments on the East Coast Main Line in recent years. The project has delivered two new platforms, a major station concourse upgrade and a new step-free footbridge as part of wider efforts to improve rail capacity, accessibility and connectivity across the region. Delivered by Bam UK & Ireland alongside N

Liverpool City Council has appointed an architectural and regeneration design team to help develop a long-term vision for the future transformation of Liverpool Central station and the surrounding city centre area. The project, which is expected to play a major role in reshaping one of the city’s busiest transport hubs, will see architecture practice Hawkins\Brown lead the development of a Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) for the station district. The framework will gui

A rail signaller forgot an approaching passenger train was on the line before giving a tractor driver permission to cross a level crossing, leading to a serious collision near Leominster, according to a new investigation report. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said the incident highlights continuing concerns around human error and workload pressures at user-worked level crossings after identifying similar failures in previous investigations at Redcar and Helpsto

A major contract to deliver a new generation of trains for the Belfast-Dublin Enterprise route has officially been signed, paving the way for a significant upgrade to cross-border rail travel between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Swiss manufacturer Stadler has secured the £548 million (€698 million) agreement to supply eight new tri-mode trainsets alongside associated infrastructure improvements for the Enterprise service. The contract, signed at Belfast Grand

The first train carrying Great British Railways (GBR) branding has officially been unveiled in Brighton, marking a symbolic milestone in the government’s plans to bring Britain’s railways under a more unified public structure. Southern Class 387 unit 387172 became the first train to receive the new branding as the government moves closer towards the creation of Great British Railways and the wider reform of the UK rail network. The launch comes just days before Govia Thamesli

The government has intervened to break a long-running planning deadlock at Old Oak Common after approving a key Network Rail construction site that officials warned was critical to preventing further delays to HS2. Transport ministers have now granted permission for a temporary lineside compound near the Great Western Main Line in west London, ending a four-year dispute that had threatened to push parts of the HS2 programme back by at least another year. The approval allows N

Rolls-Royce and easyJet have completed a significant new phase in the development of hydrogen-powered aviation after successfully testing a jet engine running entirely on hydrogen fuel at full power conditions. The latest trials involved a modified Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 engine operating on 100% hydrogen during a series of ground tests carried out at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. According to the companies, the engine successfully completed a simulated full flight

A murder investigation has been launched after a London bus driver died following an assault on Battersea Bridge in the early hours of Monday morning. Sergei Krajev, 64, was airlifted to hospital after being found critically injured near a stationary bus on the south London bridge shortly after 12:30am. The Metropolitan Police confirmed he died from his injuries on Tuesday. Police said the attack took place on the pavement outside the bus while it was stopped at a bus stop. M