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

Thursday, 22 October 2026

BBC News

• 'Victory' as £10m secured for underpass at crossingA council has agreed to contribute £10m towards replacing a level crossing with a road underpass.
• Buses boost pledge for York's 'garden village'Developers behind plans for a new "garden village" near York, where concerns have been raised about increased traffic congestion, have said the scheme would bring a "significant" boost to local buses.
• Senedd backs Newport M4 relief road in symbolic voteThe motion was tabled by Labour, despite it cancelling a proposed relief road when it was in office.

Department for Transport

• Record funding, record results: 7,000 miles of smoother journeys as government tackles potholesExtra £220 million released for pothole repairs as figures show record road maintenance spend by councils.

Financial Times

• National Express owner in talks over £282mn take-private dealMobico has received 46p per share offer from Spanish company Autobuses de Leon.

The Guardian

• Stratford International on track to get cross-Channel trains in budget boostSadiq Khan says upgrade would unlock station's true potential and allow it to live up to its name
• Everyone hates Oxford Street. Will pedestrianisation save it?In a few days the busiest shopping street in Europe will be closed to traffic. The hope is that an unloved and polluted thoroughfare will turn into somewhere that people actually want to spend timeIn February, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced that Britain’s best-known thoroughfare, Oxford Street, would be pedestrianised. To the surprise of every Londoner that I have spoken to in the past few months, it is actually happening.

The Telegraph

• Khan cannot block Heathrow third runway, says aviation minister [subscription]The Mayor of London's views are 'consequential' but carry no veto, Keir Mather tells MPs

Times Online

• Do police in your area let reckless cyclists ride roughshod? [subscription]Our searchable database shows a stark variance in how two-wheeled rule-breakers are treated. Some forces say they issue no fines at all. angerous cycling has been 'decriminalised' in parts of the UK, campaigners have said after some police forces admitted they had not been fining offending riders.
• IFM Investors buys majority stake in £10bn ports operator ABP [subscription]A majority stake in Britain's largest ports operator has been sold to the Australian infrastructure investment firm
• National Express owner weighs £282m bid from Spanish company [subscription]Mobico, which also runs bus operations in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, said Autobuses de Leon proposed an offer of 46p per share
• Councils spend millions on 20mph zones, then change them back [subscription]Councils are spending millions of pounds every year converting roads to 20mph as the speed limit is adopted widely across Britain.
• How London's bridges are being sold down the river [subscription]A 700-year-old charity set up to fund the repair of Thames crossings is squandering its millions on leftist causes

City AM

• Elon Musk's flying car should fill us with wonder, not culture war cynicism Flying cars have been a dream for 100 years, but culture war cynicism is preventing us from getting excited about Elon Musk's Roadster.

The Mirror

• Major EV rule change to 'save drivers up to £300' from todayMotorists with electric vehicles will no longer need to obtain planning permission to install cross-pavement chargers under updated regulations.
• Passengers face travel chaos as major UK station to close for busy weekendLondon Paddington station will close over Black Friday weekend, with Great Western Railway warning passengers to expect major disruption.

The Sun

• National Express owner in talks over £282million takeover deal with major Spanish transport firmNational Express shareholders may be expecting a Spanish acquisition after its parent company revealed £282million takeover talks.

Network Rail

• Journey to Great British Railways: New leadership appointment puts customers at the heart of Britain's railwayDavid Horne, currently Managing Director of London North Eastern Railway (LNER), has been appointed as Integrated Chief Customer and Commercial Officer (ICCCO), a new industry-wide role that will help shape a customer-first railway.

Birmingham Mail

• Andy Burnham government crackdown on 'daily nuisance' for drivers from ThursdayDepartment for Transport officials have committed more funding to trying and ending the plague of potholes once and for all. The Labour Party government, led by Andy Burnham, made the announcement on Thursday (October 22).

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Concerns about lack of commitment to 'through station''Serious concerns' have been raised over the newly-announced plans for a new rail station at Bradford Interchange.

Bristol Live

• Bristol Airport issues update on £500m expansion plansThe South West transport hub is seeking your views
• Hundreds of GWR staff could strike over shift payThere are two separate disputes just as GWR is about to be nationalised

London Evening Standard

• Budget 2026: John Healey urged to 'unleash' London by kick-starting new Tube and rail upgradesBosses say Lord Sadiq Khan should be given new powers by the Treasury to fund key projects such as Bakerloo line extension and West London Orbital

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Every new Tyne and Wear Metro train now ready to use - as bosses target mayor's 'world class' demandLatest figures show Tyne and Wear Metro services are gradually becoming more reliable, as transport chiefs celebrate the full rollout of their £362m new fleet

The York Press

• David Horne appointed to top role at Great British RailwaysA senior rail executive has been appointed to a new industry-wide role aimed at improving customer experience across the UK railway.

Wales Online

• Labour's leader defends M4 relief road U-turnA Plaid politician said a Senedd debate on the M4 was like something from The Thick Of It

Yorkshire Post

• Ripon's railway decline 'cost' £4.9m to region's economy, report suggestsPassenger trains left the city in 1967, with its direct rail access still being discussed almost six decades later.
• New viaducts could be built for new Bradford Interchange station, says Transport MinisterNew viaducts may need to be built in Bradford if the planned new rail station at Bradford Interchange is to be a through station, according to the Secretary of State for Transport.
• Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Oliver Coppard's office to borrow cash for site purchase - but council's £57m loan called offIt was announced this week that South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) is to buy the airport and neighbouring land from Peel Group as an alternative to the existing arrangement in which CDC was leasing the site.
• Acquiring Doncaster Sheffield Airport's freehold sends a powerful message - Dan FellThere have been plenty of big moments during the long campaign to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA). These have included significant funding announcements, to-the-wire council meetings, and engagement with the country's most senior politicians.

Oxford Mail

• Oxfordshire £20m rail investment for 'countywide network'The county's railways are on track to be improved with a £20 million boost to what is claimed to be "one of the best rail operations in the country".

Other Regional Press

• Network Rail plans £650m rail expansion for Universal resortNetwork Rail is planning a £650 million expansion project to handle anticipated demand from a new theme park.
• East West Bedford: Countryside charity calls for rethink as its says alternative could save £1bnCPRE Bedfordshire has written to the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander MP, calling for an urgent independent review of the proposed East West route between Bedford and Cambridge.
• West Midlands bus giant Mobico in £282m takeover talksThe parent company of a major West Midlands bus operator is in takeover talks with a Spanish transport group.

Insider Media

• Growth continues for East Midlands Airport's cargo businessSeptember saw a 6.3 per cent increase on the previous year, amounting to an extra 36,000 tonnes of goods. This contributed towards a total of 210,807 tonnes handled so far this year an increase of almost 10,000 tonnes - or 5 per cent higher than this time last year.
• National Express owner receives takeover approach from Spanish group - values business at £282.5mMobico, the transport giant behind the National Express brand, has received a conditional takeover approach from a Spanish group. The Mobico board said it would be minded to recommend the bid, which values the listed business at £282.5m, if a firm offer is made.

Business Live

• Halfords summer sales surge 7.1% as warm weather drives motoring and cycling demandShares fell 8.3% in early trading after investment plans set to weigh on second-half profitability
• National Express owner Mobico in £282m takeover talks with Spanish firmMobico speaking to Autobuses de Leon (AdL), though no firm offer has been made.
• £45bn Northern Powerhouse Rail update: What it could mean for ManchesterNew station announced for Bradford under Northern transport plans

Construction News

• Don't hit the big red button: Why tackling Britain's infrastructure delivery requires continuity, not a resetThere'll be no shortage of competing priorities piling up in the prime minister's in-tray, as ministers return from summer recess. At the same time, Mr Burnham will 'rightfully' continue to seek opportunities that put his own stamp on government. In doing so, there is something I call on him to resist: the urge to reset Britain's infrastructure agenda simply because he can.

Rail Business Daily

• David Horne appointed Integrated Chief Customer and Commercial Officer ahead of GBR's formationAhead of the formation of Great British Railways (GBR), David Horne (who is currently Managing Director of London North Eastern Railway (LNER)) has been appointed Integrated Chief Customer and Commercial Officer (ICCCO). Network Rail said that in this new industry-wide role, he would help shape a customer-first railway.

Railnews

• David Horne moves to Great British Railways LNER managing director David Horne has been named as the integrated chief customer and commercial officer at Great British Railways. He was formerly the managing director of East Midlands Trains and then joined Virgin Trains East Coast. When that franchise failed in 2018, he was appointed to run VTEC’s nationalised successor LNER and will now start his new job next month.

TaxiPoint

• MP questions London black cab support prompting government minister to confirm discussions around accessibility and commercial viability Perry RichardsonThe Department for Transport (DfT) says it is engaging with London stakeholders on accessibility, passenger choice and commercial viability as it develops national taxi licensing standards.

The Business Desk

• National Express owner Mobico eyes £282m takeover offerBirmingham-based transport group Mobico, owner of National Express, has said it is minded to recommend a 46p-a-share takeover proposal from its largest shareholder.

Aviation Industry

• Davies Turner to establish new airfreight HQ outside HeathrowDavies Turner has acquired a logistics facility close to Heathrow Airport that will become the new headquarters of Davies Turner Air Cargo.

Other News Sources

• Birmingham's MoniRail secures share of £50m fundingBirmingham firm MoniRail and its partners have secured £50 million funding to further aid development and commercialisation of its quantum navigation system for use on London Underground.
• 'Lives are at stake': Epsom MP launches national e-scooter and e-bike petitionEpsom and Ewell MP calls on the Government to launch a national consultation on e-scooter and e-bike misuse by the end of 2026.