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

Monday, 05 October 2026

BBC News

• New £1 bus fares introduced for older teenagersOlder teenagers living in parts of Cheshire are now eligible for £1 bus fares under a new trial scheme.
• Music venues raise fears over railway plansA number of businesses say they will have to close if planned rail-widening work goes ahead.
• Train station returning to village after more than 100 yearsCheadle in Stockport has been without a train station since its original hub closed in 1917.
• Londoners report 130 hours of delays on Tube linePassengers are logging their negative experiences of the District Line, a campaign's founders say.

The Guardian

• Why should I have to pay more for buses if I don't use a smartphone?I applaud Anna Tims for her article (Schoolchildren without smartphones penalised with higher bus fares, 26 September), raising the need for a unified approach on this issue to properly tackle the ill effects of such technology on children in the classroom and beyond.
• The violence is off the scale': staff and passengers at risk as assaults on trains in Great Britain soar to record highCases of abuse, spitting, head-butting and sexual harassment, have spiked as transport police numbers have dwindled

The Independent

• Conservatives vow to do 'whatever it takes' to build Heathrow third runwayPrime Minister Andy Burnham is said to be maintaining an 'open mind' regarding expansion at the nation's busiest airport

The Telegraph

• Tories pledge to ban 'dangerous' floating bus stops [subscription]Party would use £1m fund to rebuild 100 of the bus halts deemed dangerous to blind and elderly people

Times Online

• Flying back to the UK? Soon your face will be your passport [subscription]Britons will no longer need to show their passports when flying back into UK airports because upgraded facial recognition technology is being introduced at e-gates.
• Airlines seek 'value for money' advisers for third Heathrow runway [subscription]The biggest airline group at Heathrow is leading a search for an independent party to evaluate the airport's construction plans after recent projects soared 61 per cent over budget.
• Driverless taxis deserve a clear run [subscription]Trying to stand in the way of technology through punitive taxes never works and a subsidy for traditional drivers should be resisted
• Tories to review 'rip-off' airport drop-off charges [subscription]The review will look at whether any regulations are incentivising higher fees that can be as much as £10 for ten minutes
• Taxi union demands payoffs over driverless cars due to job loss fears [subscription]The GMB Union, the UK's biggest for taxi and private hire drivers, is calling on ministers to back a 'transition fund' paid for by a levy on operators

City AM

• Heathrow and housing: Griffith pledges ‘most ambitious deregulation project’ in generation The Conservatives’ pick for chancellor has pledged to roll out the “most ambitious deregulation project in a generation” as he is set to say plans could cut £50,000 off the price of a new home.Andrew Griffith, the shadow chancellor, will say on Monday say he will slash red tape for businesses

GB News

• Conservatives will do 'whatever it takes' to greenlight Heathrow ​third runway as Tories go 'all in for growth'The Conservatives will pledge to "do whatever it takes" to get a third runway at Heathrow Airport off the ground.

Bolton News

• £7.5m railway leaf clean-up under way across North WestTrains are battling leaves on the tracks in a 37.5 million autumn clean-up.

LBC

• Tories would 'do whatever it takes' for third runway at HeathrowShadow Chancellor Andrew Griffith is expected to make the pledge in a speech at the Conservative Party conference, as the airport's bosses seek approval for expansion plans by 2029

London Evening Standard

• Conservatives back Heathrow expansion as Burnham keeps 'open mind'A future Conservative government would "do whatever it takes" to deliver a third runway at Heathrow, as Labour leader Andy Burnham continues to keep an "open mind" on plans to expand Britain's busiest airport.

Manchester Evening News

• If Andy Burnham wants to improve Avanti West Coast trains immediately, I've got a policy for himManchester Evening News Night Editor and frequent train user Tom Burnett has an idea that might finally bring people across the UK together...

Wales 247

• Transport for Wales names top rainy day attractions to visit by trainTransport for Wales has suggested indoor attractions within reach of train stations in Aberystwyth, Swansea and Cardiff for days out in wet weather.

Oxford Mail

• Botley Road scandal not over as MP demands accountabilityThe Botley Road scandal continues as an Oxford MP demands accountability for years of disruption and spiralling costs caused by the controversial project.
• Oxfordshire explores trams for future transport networkTrams could be explored in Oxfordshire to help meet future transport needs and reduce car use.

South Wales Argus

• M4 Newport congestion must not be fixed by closing junctionsToday, the Argus is telling the Welsh Government to keep its hands off our junctions.

Other Regional Press

• North Ayrshire approves £100,000 community transport planA COMMUNITY transport system for North Ayrshire has been approved after residents identified transport as a barrier for many.
• Coventry Very Light Rail: Council starts planning first routeCoventry City Council says it is starting to develop the first Very Light Rail route and its business case. A December update is expected on the Mile Lane demonstrator, the regional funding settlement and the business case work plan.

Greengauge21

• Improving rail access to the Port of LiverpoolThe Port of Liverpool has the potential to handle significantly more freight by rail, helping to support the growth of the port while reducing pressure on the road network around the city and across the wider Liverpool City Region.

Railway Supply

• Grand Central's Newcastle-Brighton bid, opposed by Network Rail, lines up four Class 180sGrand Central said that, once the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) approves the route, the four five-car units would be refurbished by Arriva TrainCare at Eastleigh before carrying passengers.
• About 2% of Liverpool port containers go by rail. A study maps routes around ManchesterGreengauge 21 published the work on 1 October 2026, prepared with Jonathan Roberts Consulting. The report was commissioned by Rimrose Valley Friends, with support from Transport Action Network and funding from the Foundation for Integrated Transport. Rimrose Valley Friends campaigned from 2017 to 2024 against the Port of Liverpool Access Road proposed by National Highways.
• Rail suppliers warn €1.2bn EU research partnership has no successor yetEurope's rail supply industry is pressing for a successor to the EU rail research partnership, Europe's Rail, whose €1.2bn programme has no confirmed follow-up in the 2028-2034 EU budget.

Other News Sources

• Sunshine to power Manchester tramsTransport for Greater Manchester is to enter into a power purchase agreement with AGR Power covering 42 GWh/year, broadly equivalent to the amount of power currently used to run the Metrolink light rail network and over half of TfGM's current energy usage.
• Council to to upgrade bus stations, shelters and rail linksBus passengers across Hampshire are set to benefit from new shelters, live departure screens and CCTV after nearly £1 million of improvements.