The Lower Thames Crossing will consist of a 14.5-mile (23km) road linking the A2 and M2 in Kent with the A13 and M25 in Thurrock, Essex. The project’s centrepiece is a twin-bore tunnel under the River Thames between Gravesend in Kent and Tilbury in Essex.

At 2.6 miles (4.2km) long, these tunnels will become the longest road tunnels in the UK. Each tunnel will carry three lanes of traffic in one direction with a 70mph speed limit. Approximately 80% of the route will run through tunnels, cuttings, or embankments to minimize visual impact on the surrounding landscape.

The tunnels will be 16.4 meters (54 feet) in diameter, making them the longest among the country’s most extensive road tunnels. The significant diameter is required to accommodate three full traffic lanes in each direction while maintaining safety standards for modern highway design.

National Highways, which will oversee the project, plans to begin construction in 2026, with completion targeted for 2032. The project has been divided into three main construction packages:

    Roads North of the Thames: Balfour Beatty secured this £1.2 billion contract in January 2023 to construct 10 miles (16km) of highways connecting the M25 at Junction 29 and the A13 with the northern tunnel entrance.
    Kent Roads: In July 2023, Skanska was awarded this £450 million contract to build 3.7 miles (6.0km) of roads connecting the A2/M2 to the southern tunnel entrance.
    Tunnels and Approaches: In December 2023, a joint venture between Bouygues and J. Murphy & Sons won this £1.3 billion contract. To save engineering costs, the consortium plans to use a single tunnel boring machine for both tunnel bores, turning it around and reusing it after completing the first tunnel.

Tickets to a farewell event for commuter trains which are due to be phased out in Surrey were sold out in just 15 seconds, according to South Western Railway (SWR).

The tour on 21 December will bid farewell to SWR's Class 455 trains, which have served some of Berkshire, South West London and Surrey's busiest stations since 1983.

The company said more than 9,000 customers tried to buy just 400 tickets for a special charter service which will stop at places including Epsom and Haslemere.

In response to the "unprecedented demand", SWR and the Branch Line Society said they would run a second train as part of the farewell tour.

Lawrence Bowman, managing director of SWR and Network Rail Wessex Route, said they have been "amazed at the level of interest".

The company added a limited number of tickets for the second train went on sale on Tuesday, and were "also expected to sell out".

"Knowing there are so many enthusiasts who want to be part of this special occasion, we're pleased to run a second train," Mr Bowman added.

The money will go towards Macmillan, The Alex Wardle Foundation and Railway Children, SWR says.

SWR says the Class 455 trains will be retired by the end of 2025 as the company rolls out more of its Arterio trains.

Tickets to the farewell event cost £45.50.

A total of 70 Class 455 trains were built by British Rail Engineering Ltd and came into service on suburban routes in March 1983.

During the farewell event, the first train will leave at 09:32 GMT, followed by the second train at 10:35 GMT.

Of course that one might be a recent colour picture - even as recent as last year - which has had the colours drained away quizmagisterially.

Children in and around Bristol can ride buses for free this Christmas



Children will be able to use buses for free again after a successful summer scheme saw more than 900,000 young people take part.

A successful summer holiday project led to thousands of free journeys being taken every week in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset.

Kids Go Free will start up again over the Christmas holidays for children under 16 from 20 December to 4 January 2026.

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said: " With more and more new green electric buses coming, we will keep working together to build the bus network that local people need and deserve. "

My favourite restaurant, the Beetle & Wedge at Moulsford (where there was once a ferry across the Thames) ...

Lower Thames Crossing tunnelling 'to begin in 2028'



The tunnelling process for the Lower Thames Crossing is due to begin in 2028.

National Highways said negotiations to buy one of the world's largest tunnelling machines were now under way.

It would be capable of digging 60 metres below the Thames, creating a new road link between Essex and Kent, and now enables the project to secure private sector investment to deliver the remainder of the construction.

Next summer, work on the northern tunnel entrance where the tunnel machine will begin its journey will get under way.

Matt Palmer, the Highways Agency's executive director of the Lower Thames Crossing project, said the crossing was now on track to be built "in the early 2030s".

The 16.4-metre-wide tunnel boring machine will excavate one of the widest tunnels in the world and it will create the longest road tunnel in the UK.

Tenders are now being welcomed from prospective suppliers who could build the tunnel boring machine.

Chris from Nailsea will be gutted if there’s no historic picture of Taunton for him to take a guess at.

6.  Denton station, near Manchester.

It hasn't changed much, over the years, but I'm struggling with a possible date for a black and white photo of it.

A wild guess, therefore: 1970?

Several children have been hurt after the roof of a school double-decker bus was ripped off when it hit a low bridge.

Among the injured was an eight-year-old boy who was taken to hospital with a "non-serious" head injury following the crash on Spendmore Lane, Coppull, Lancashire, at about 12:30 GMT.

The bus was carrying some pupils from Wood Fold Primary School, in Standish, Wigan, the BBC understands. The school declined to comment.

Paramedics assessed the children at the scene and all but the eight-year-old boy were discharged from their care, North West Ambulance Service said. Emergency services remain at the scene and a road closure is in place.



"A number of children suffered injuries, which are thankfully thought to be relatively minor at this time," Lancashire Police said.

The public have voted for the names of seven new loch-class ferries being built at Remontowa Shipyard in Gdansk, Poland, as part of the Small Vessel Replacement Programme.

The vessels will serve key routes including Colintraive-Rhubodach, Lochaline-Fishnish, Tarbert-Portavadie, Iona-Fionnphort, Sconser-Raasay, Tobermory-Kilchoan and Tayinloan-Gigha.

More than 1000 votes were cast over three weeks, with members of the public choosing their seven favourite names from a list of 17 options provided by CMAL.

The new Scottish ferry names are:
MV Loch Awe – MV Loch Obha
MV Loch Etive – MV Loch Èite
MV Loch Katrine – MV Loch Ceiteirein
MV Loch Maree – MV Loch Ma-Ruibhe
MV Loch Morar – MV Loch Mòrair
MV Loch Rannoch – MV Loch Raineach
MV Loch Shiel – MV Loch Seile

6.  Denton station, near Manchester.

It hasn't changed much, over the years, but I'm struggling with a possible date for a black and white photo of it.

A wild guess, therefore: 1970?

I think Google streetview shows the bus is actually on (or just coming off) a side road:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/mLaus6bfQRBEAf8P8

Ha - I was going to post that Google Lens was a good way to identify the locations in these photos (after they'd all been identified). But in fact Lens first told me (confidently) it was Alveston, then Google AI told me it was Bilston Central To be fair, I didn't recognise it either, despite having passed through it this morning - it's definitely changed

A slightly larger version of that photo appears here http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/oldpics2.html which might have been where you saw it.

Discounted bus tickets are in place for people travelling across Hull over Christmas.

The Hull Bus Alliance announced a group travel discount which started on Monday and will end on 31 December.

Stagecoach East Midlands and East Yorkshire Buses are offering the Hull Card Group ticket for up to five people for £7. It is usually priced at £14.90.

Councillor Mark Ieronimo, cabinet portfolio holder for transport and infrastructure at Hull City Council, said the scheme would help with the cost of living and "tackle issues of congestion".

The ticket can be used an unlimited number of times on Stagecoach or East Yorkshire buses in Hull on the day of purchase.

Ben Gilligan, managing director at East Yorkshire Buses, said: "This will allow families and friends to choose the sustainable option and avoid the frustration of sitting in traffic and paying for parking whilst also receiving excellent value bus travel."