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

Saturday, 02 May 2026

BBC News

• Derby firms driving new high‑speed freight techDerby-based rail firms are developing faster high‑speed freight technology to speed goods from ports into the East Midlands.
• No evidence of widespread fuel price-gouging, watchdog saysProfit margins were "broadly unchanged" between February and March, the UK's competition watchdog says.
• Holidaymakers face disruption over possible strike at Glasgow AirportAbout 170 workers with the ICTS firm have rejected a pay offer from the company,
• How will car finance compensation payments work? Millions could be entitled to compensation as a result of commission arrangements between lenders and dealers.
• Tourists feel petrol pinch and cut down on day tripsTourist attractions in the West report falling numbers as people spend more on essentials.
• Trump says he will hike tariffs on EU cars to 25% The current level of tariffs charged on goods entering the US from the EU is 15%, under a deal negotiated last July.

The Guardian

• ‘People can see it – but can’t use it’: mystery of completed East-West Rail line that has no passenger trainsThe East West Rail project linking Oxford to Milton Keynes was finished in 2024. There’s just one hitch: no servicesThe rumbling noise in the night, still enough to waken the unhabituated, is what really goads some people living in Winslow, Buckinghamshire. Freight trains running through the new station since late 2024 prove this stretch of railway is operational. But the long-promised passenger services have yet to appear – and there is no sign of any arriving soon.Welcome to East West Rail, open or not. For well over a decade, ministers have talked up a new railway linking Oxford...

The Herald

• Lost property left on Edinburgh buses raises £12,800 for housing charityLothian Buses has raised £12,800 for Shelter Scotland by donating unclaimed lost property, supporting families in crisis across Edinburgh.

The Independent

• Spirit Airlines appears closer to a shutdown as time dwindles for a government bailoutCash-strapped Spirit Airlines appeared closer to a shutdown after Friday came and went without a needed government bailout
• All the airlines cancelling flights and adding extra charges amid jet fuel crisisJet fuel costs have rocketed amid a global shortage caused by conflict in the Middle East

Times Online

• Britons face flight cancellations as ministers try to limit disruption [subscription]The transport secretary is poised to 'level' with the public over jet fuel shortages as Ryanair boss says carriers are already 'desperate' to slash routes

City AM

• Delay fuel duty hike or risk stalling major transport projects, Labour warned The government risks stalling key road and rail infrastructure projects unless it extends the freeze to fuel duty, a leading construction industry body has warned. The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA), which represents more than 2,000 firms providing construction machinery and expertise, told City AM “nothing will get built” if its members pull back from projects [...]
• Petrol retailers vindicated after Reeves ‘profiteering’ claims Petrol retailers have been vindicated of “price gouging”, pouring cold water on the government's accusations of profiteering from the war in Iran. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that higher fuel prices in the UK were caused by the rising cost of oil, rather than by retailers expanding their margins to profit from the [...]

Daily Record

• Major European airline scraps 'unprofitable' route to Scottish airport amid high fuel pricesUncertainty over rising fuel prices has forced airlines to reassess their flight routes.

Mail Online

• Chancellor Rachel Reeves' claims of petrol pump 'profiteering' amid Iran war slapped down by competition watchdog, sparking fresh accusations she's the 'real profiteer' as her VAT windfall hits £350million thanks to rocketingThe Chancellor was publicly humiliated by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which found in a study that margins at the pumps were 'broadly unchanged' since the conflict started.
• Spirit set to cease flights at 3am tomorrow, sparking fears of brawls at airports - although doomed airline's website is STILL letting passengers book flightsSpirit Airlines is reportedly set to cease operations at 3am on Saturday.

The Mirror

• Ryanair, EasyJet, Jet2 and Wizz Air give Saturday update on summer flights amid fuel fearsBudget airlines have spoken amid warnings that the UK faces greater exposure to jet fuel shortages due to the Middle East conflict

This is Money

• Petrol stations will now be FINED if they don't report live pricing changesFrom today petrol stations that fail to report live pricing changes to the Government's Fuel Finder scheme will be fined.

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham underground system Tory transport pledge divides opinionThe Conservatives have pledged to conduct a feasibility study into a large-scale Birmingham underground system if they take control of the council

Bristol Live

• UK airline Ascend Airways cancels flights and pulls fleet of planes from operationA UK airliner has made a major announcement to cancel all its flights and pull its entire fleet of planes from operation
• 'Huge relief' as M4 bridge opening date revealedThe old structure was demolished when it became unsafe

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Pwllheli road described as 'an utter shambles' after holes appear within a dayA picture shared on social media shows what residents are calling potholes on the newly laid surface in Pwllheli town centre, just a day after resurfacing work was completed

London Evening Standard

• 'London potholes are so deep you can use them to play golf!'Lib Dem local election candidate in Brent practices her putting to show how bad scale of the problem on roads has become

Wales Online

• Rivals to Great Western Railway plan new mainline services from south Wales to EnglandTrain operator Lumo has five trains on order for the route with Hitachi while Transport for Wales is seeking to run trains to Bristol

New Civil Engineer

• ?Not something happening tomorrow?: PAC questions DfT over NPR timelinesA Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting has raised questions over the Department for Transport?s (DfT?s) planned timelines for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR).

Other News Sources

• Sixty years in the making: contracts signed to bring the railway back to Portishead and PillMore than 50,000 people will reconnect with the rail network when two new stations open in winter 2028/29, unlocking jobs, growth and billions in economic value for the South West.

EIN News Subscription

• Britons face flight cancellations as ministers try to limit disruptionfrom next month. Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, is this weekend expected in the Middle East. Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, is expected to promote However, he said other popular European airlines that were more “exposed” to