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

Monday, 24 August 2026

Government

• Mayors given powers to green light developmentsMayors across England are to be given 'call in' powers to take the most important planning decisions in their areas.

BBC News

• Airport recognised for its sustainability workJersey Airport has been recognised for its efforts to boost sustainability and reduce carbon emissions.
• Residents near Heathrow unhappy with compensationPeople living in a village under the Heathrow Airport flight path have hit out at potential compensation linked to plans for a third runway.
• CrossCountry cancels 'almost all' UK services after power cutTrains across the UK have been cancelled by rail operator CrossCountry after a power cut at its control centre.
• Why drones are flying over Manchester railwaysPolice drones are being launched remotely over railway lines in Manchester as part of a scheme aimed at finding trespassers and reducing delays.
• Nearly three million Teslas recalled in China over hidden door handlesOther brands affected by the recall include Chinese carmakers XPeng, Xiaomi and Geely.

STV

• Ferguson Marine ferries have taken an 'obscene amount of time', Flynn saysTransport secretary Stephen Flynn however said the Scottish Government had made a 'huge investment' in trying to improve CalMac's fleet

The Guardian

• 'Pretty shambolic': new EU border checks cause stress for UK travellersBritons report that EES digital entry and exit system has led to frustration, visa mix-ups and long queues
• First Bus bans under-16s in Stoke-on-Trent travelling alone after 6pm after disorderCompany says decision comes after spate of antisocial behaviour since free travel scheme was introduced
• CrossCountry cancels almost all rail services after power cut hits control centreTransport secretary asks ‘publicly owned operators to lay on extra services where possible’CrossCountry cancelled almost all of its train services in Great Britain on Sunday after a power cut in Birmingham hit its control centre.Most services were cancelled until further notice, including routes from Glasgow to Edinburgh, Manchester to Birmingham, Cheltenham to Cardiff and Newcastle to Edinburgh.
• Drill, Burnham, drill The oil basin that is a totem for Trump – and a headache for Britain’s new PMNorth Sea oil, once the driving force of the UK economy, may be dwindling but it remains a symbol of prestige and a rich resource for political debate. When oil was first discovered off the north-east coast of Scotland in September 1969, industry folklore has it that the duty superintendent on the rig carefully poured it into a pickle jar commandeered from the canteen and took it back to Amoco’s Great Yarmouth office in Norfolk.

The Herald

• CalMac crew praised for 'outstanding' response to double emergencyCrew and passengers aboard a CalMac ferry have been praised for their 'outstanding' response to simultaneous emergencies on Friday evening, when reports of a person falling overboard were quickly followed by a 'security threat'.

The Independent

• Andy Burnham to hand mayors powers over local planning decisionsMayors to overrule councils to 'call in' decisions on large-scale developments

City AM

• Burnham to hand mayors power to overrule local councils' planning decisionsAndy Burnham will give mayors across the UK new powers to overrule planning decisions made by local councils and to greenlight large-scale developments.

The Mirror

• Andy Burnham urged to improve transport connections to stop bus users having to turn down jobsTwo-thirds (66%) of business leaders say that poor transport connectivity is limiting their ability to hire the staff they need, according to the study by bus franchise operator Metroline

The National

• Petition calling for ministers to help historic Skye ferry snowballsA PETITION calling on Scottish Government ministers to step in to help a historic Highland ferry service has been signed more than 15,000 times.
• CalMac ferry crew hailed for 'outstanding' response to double emergencyTHE crew of a CalMac ferry has been praised for their 'professionalism' and 'outstanding' response to two major emergencies after an overboard passenger was saved amid a 'bomb threat'.

Birmingham Mail

• CrossCountry issues important Monday update after Birmingham power cut cancelled 'almost all' servicesThe power cut affected the train operator's control centre, resulting in 'almost all' services being cancelled on Sunday

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Plush new north-south coaches can offer more than just great sceneryA new two-hourly service between Bangor and Carmarthen will launch this autumn

LBC

• Bus drivers to walk out amid concerns over health problems caused by working in hot weatherThe strikes by over 1,500 bus drivers in North London and Essex will resume next week after rejecting a deal from employers

London Evening Standard

• Andy Burnham wields axe to Whitehall jobs as civil servants moved to offices of regional mayorsThe days of Westminster hoarding power are over, says Burnham's close ally, Cabinet minister Louise Haigh, as cull of Whitehall posts starts
• London bus strikes over sweltering temperatures to resume next week after drivers reject dealMore than 1,500 drivers will resume strikes on Tuesday, August 25 over sweltering conditions in their cabs during the recent heatwaves

Manchester Evening News

• 'We're driving potential firebombs': Bee Network whistleblowers warn of 'crisis' on Manchester busesExtremely high temperatures on board some Bee Network services this summer has sparked major fears among drivers that a major accident could happen.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• CrossCountry to run 'full train service' on Monday after major disruption due to power cutThe rail operator has now issued a fresh update, after many of its systems were made unavailable by the outage

Wales Online

• Cardiff's circular tourist bus called a 'rip-off' as open-top bus in storageA Cardiff sightseeing bus service has become the subject of controversy with one passenger describing the experience as a "rip off" following the replacement of its usual open-top double-decker bus with a single-decker. The Skycar service, operated by Cardiff Bus, is currently using a single-decker vehicle because of road works forcing the route to divert under a low bridge.

Yorkshire Post

• 'Powerful global future': Manchester Airport second runway boost for Yorkshire firms revealedYorkshire businesses which export their products globally are among those benefiting from the £9.5bn impact of Manchester Airport's second runway on the Northern economy, new research says.

Carlisle News & Star

• New plaque unveiled in Penrith celebrating railway historyA new information plaque celebrating a unique piece of Penrith's railway history has been installed on Thacka Lane, between Lark Lane and Thacka Nature Reserve.

South Wales Argus

• 2.6K signatures on M4 Newport junction closure petitionA petition urging ministers to keep motorway junctions around Newport open has gained huge momentum in recent days.
• 'Plaid Cymru need to reinvestigate the M4 relief road' [Letter]Having read the report in which Mark Hooper, Deputy Transport Minister, talks about potential junction closures on the M4, I suggest he resigns immediately.

Other Regional Press

• Birmingham Airport records busiest JulyLast month the airport recorded passenger volumes of 1,487,899 up two per cent on last July's record.
• New Solent Airport plan could take 15 years to buildThe authority has submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment screening request for the proposed Swordfish Business Park at Lee-on-the-Solent.
• 'Abysmal' SNP spend £600m dualling just 11 miles of Scotland's dangerous A9 roadThe Scottish Government has been slated over its huge spend on upgrading the route between Inverness and Perth, and only managing to dual just 11 miles.
• Minister of State for Rail gives update on improvements to Maidenhead railway stationThe Minister of State for Rail has given an update on repainting works and repairs to platform canopy drainage at Maidenhead Railway Station in a letter to the town's MP. Following the second meeting of the Maidenhead Station Railway Board in July, Josh Reynolds MP wrote a letter to Lord Hendy highlighting the busy nature of the station and the funding required to make improvements.
• Wiltshire MP warns new planning rules threaten rural village development near train stationsNew planning regulations allowing easier development near railway stations have come under scrutiny, with East Wiltshire MP Danny Kruger voicing concerns over their potential impact on rural villages.
• Stagecoach South: £1 evening bus fares in BasingstokeThe promotion, launched by Stagecoach South in partnership with Hampshire County Council, offers £1 single fares on all bus services in Basingstoke after 7pm and will run from September 1 to October 31.
• Calls made for a rail system connecting Stourbridge and Brierley HillA new metro line across the Black Country could become a reality under early proposals for the 'Dudley Dasher.'
• Uncertainty on new developments in Cheshire railway villagesIT is 'too early' to say whether new housing development in villages on the Mid Cheshire railway line will be given a default 'yes' under new government plans.

New Civil Engineer

• British Tunnelling Society chair on necessary changes to planning and deliveryWith a career spanning five decades and involvement in projects around the world, the British Tunnelling Society's (BTS) new chair and Jacobs tunnels director for Europe Alastair Smith has a depth of knowledge on tunnelling practices and insight into the industry like few others.

Rail Advent

• Transpennine Express to sell canned cocktails on boardTransPennine Express (TPE) has begun selling Aperol Spritz cocktails on board its services, the first rail operator in the North of England to do so.

RMT

• RMT CALLS FOR 'ROOT AND BRANCH' REVIEW FOLLOWING MORE POWER OUTAGESRAIL union RMT called for a root and branch review of railway operational control centres following another outage forcing most CrossCountry train services to be cancelled.

Other News Sources

• Much like Los Angeles's airport train, California needs to get back on trackThe Golden State's once-firey glow has dimmed into a nostalgic flicker. Can California get its act together before the 2028 Summer Olympic Games
• Whippet's concerns over Huntingdon bus station plansA bus operator has raised concerns over plans to redevelop a town centre and scrap the bus station.
• Arriva North London bus driver strikes resume next weekStrikes by over 1,500 bus drivers in North London and Essex will resume next week, after members rejected an offer from Arriva North London.