Transport Legislation
Legislative framework for transportation systems, road safety, public transport, aviation, and maritime matters.
The Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 (Estimates and Accounts) (Amendment) Order 2025
The Treasury substituted the Schedule of the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 (Estimates and Accounts) Order 2025 with a revised list of designated bodies affecting supply estimates for the financial year ending March 31, 2026.
This Order, made by HM Treasury under the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000, revises the list of designated central government bodies for the purpose of calculating supply estimates and resource accounts for the financial year ending March 31, 2026.
Specifically, it substitutes the entire Schedule of the principal Order (The Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 (Estimates and Accounts) Order 2025) with an updated list organized by government department, adding, renaming, or removing various public sector bodies.
The Unmanned Aircraft (Market Surveillance Authority) Regulations 2025
The Regulations formally prescribed the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as the market surveillance authority for Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 concerning unmanned aircraft systems.
These Regulations, made by the Secretary of State using powers under Article 3B(1) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945, formally designate the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as the market surveillance authority responsible for overseeing compliance within the UK relating to unmanned aircraft systems and third-country operators under that specific retained EU framework, applying across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
The Unmanned Aircraft (Offences and Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2025
The Regulations created criminal offences for UAS operators and remote pilots breaching the UK Implementing Regulation for drone operations, set penalties, and amended related UK Acts concerning police powers and existing air navigation rules.
These Regulations establish criminal offences in the UK for UAS operators and remote pilots who fail to comply with specific requirements detailed in the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 concerning the operation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
The legislation, which comes into force in January 2026 across the whole of the UK, specifies the breaches that constitute offences, ranging from registration failures to competency issues across 'open', 'specific', and 'certified' flight categories, sets out associated summary conviction penalties, and makes consequential amendments to the Police Act 1997, the Air Navigation Order 2016, and the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021 to reflect these new criminal provisions.
The Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road and Ferry (Revision of Tolls) Order 2025
The Secretary of State for Transport revised the maximum tolls for the Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road and Ferry, effective December 30, 2025, and revoked the 2021 toll revision Order.
The Secretary of State for Transport made this Order upon application from the Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road & Ferry Company to revise the maximum tolls chargeable for the use of the ferry service, concluding that the revision is necessary to ensure the Company achieves adequate annual revenue to cover costs and provide a reasonable return on investment.
This Order, which comes into force on December 30, 2025, specifies the new maximum single-use tolls, details tiered discounts for bulk purchases over several years, allows for limited annual inflationary adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index, and revokes the previous 2021 Revision of Tolls Order.
The Secretary of State established new 500-meter safety zones around two specified offshore installations and revoked safety zones established under four previous orders dating from 2007 and 2008.
The Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) (No. 2) Order 2025 establishes new 500-meter maritime safety zones around two specific offshore installations identified in its Schedule, exercising powers granted by the Petroleum Act 1987 following recommendations from the Health and Safety Executive. Furthermore, the Order simultaneously amends and revokes safety zones previously established by four separate Orders from 2007 and 2008 concerning certain wells or structures, notably within the Chestnut Field and Kingfisher area.
The zones prohibit unauthorized entry by vessels, installations in transit, or submersible apparatus.
The Ozone-Depleting Substances (Grant of Halon Derogations) Regulations 2025
The regulations enacted specific derogations extending the permissible use dates for halon 1211 in fire extinguishers on designated Defence and Loganair aircraft.
The Ozone-Depleting Substances (Grant of Halon Derogations) Regulations 2025, made by the Secretary of State with the consent of the Scottish and Welsh Ministers, provide specific derogations from Regulation (EC) No 1005/2009 concerning the phase-out date for using halon 1211 in portable fire extinguishers.
The regulations extend permissions for this substance in fire suppression systems for specified Defence aircraft until June 2027 for some models and December 2040 for others, and for Loganair aircraft until December 2026, based on the justification that no technically or economically feasible alternatives currently exist for these critical aviation applications.
The Railway Byelaws Amendment Order 2025
The Secretary of State for Transport amended the Railway Byelaws to ensure gender neutrality, ban e-cigarette use, clarify vehicle obstruction and parking rules across England, Wales, and Scotland, and replace 'penalty' with 'fine' in enforcement provisions.
The Secretary of State for Transport enacted this Order to amend the standing Railway Byelaws originally made in 2005.
The primary changes involve modernizing the language across multiple byelaws by replacing gendered pronouns with neutral alternatives, and specifically prohibiting the use of electronic cigarettes on railway property where smoking is banned.
Furthermore, the Order revises provisions related to vehicle control, obstructions, and parking by separating the rules for England and Wales (introducing new Byelaw 14A) from those for Scotland (Byelaw 14B), while also substituting the term "penalty" with "fine" for clarity regarding criminal enforcement.
The Merchant Shipping (Polar Code) (Safety) Regulations 2025 were enacted, implementing updated IMO requirements for polar navigation, extending compliance to smaller vessels, and amending preceding survey, certification, and fee regulations.
These Regulations, titled the Merchant Shipping (Polar Code) (Safety) Regulations 2025, update UK domestic law to incorporate the latest amendments from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Resolutions MSC.532(107) and MSC.538(107) concerning ships operating in polar waters, effectively replacing the 2021 Regulations.
The new rules come into force on 1st January 2026 and apply to United Kingdom ships and specific non-UK ships operating in Arctic and Antarctic waters, extending mandatory safety requirements, including detailed structural, navigational, and training provisions from the Polar Code, to additional categories of ships such as smaller cargo ships, fishing vessels, and pleasure vessels, while also amending several existing pieces of maritime legislation relating to surveys, certification, and training fees.