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

Wednesday, 09 September 2026

BBC News

• Ferry return delayed by 'complex' repairsThe Isle of Man's flagship ferry will be out of action for a further two months, the Steam Packet Company has confirmed, while specialist repairs take place.
• Valve failure on CalMac ferry saw uncontrolled escape of flammable gasA faulty valve on a CalMac ferry led to a sudden and uncontrolled release of highly flammable methane gas last summer, BBC Scotland News has learned.
• New exhibit teaches children about railway dangersA new exhibit designed to teach children about the dangers of playing near railway lines has opened after a £100,000 investment.
• Travel delays and timetable changes amid rail revampPassengers have been warned to expect delays and disruption as some essential track improvement works lead to timetable changes this weekend.
• New Hastings to London fast train set for DecemberA new fast train from Hastings to London is expected to cut peak journey times by as much as 14 minutes.
• Council 'sorry' over impact of school bus changesA review of changes to North Yorkshire Council's home-to-school transport policy, introduced to cut costs, has proposed a number of changes.
• Man who harassed London MP on Tube sentenced Clifford Wilby is given a suspended prison sentence for intimidating Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy in a Tube carriage.
• More flight delays expected after hundreds cancelled by air traffic control glitchDepartures from a number of airports are affected by a technical problem affecting air traffic control provider Nats.

Department for Transport

• Great British Railways sets course for rail freight growth - press releaseGovernment sets a new rail freight target to help businesses move more goods by rail, strengthen supply chains and support economic growth.
• Rail freight growth 2040 target - StatementAnnounces new 2040 targets for rail freight growth.

Financial Times

• Heathrow and Gatwick flights disrupted by air traffic control failureNational Air Traffic Services says its systems are 'starting to recover' but tens of thousands of passengers remain stranded.

The Guardian

• Here in Liverpool, buses are back under public control and that's great for the only people who really matter [Steve Rotheram]For decades we were told that privatisation would deliver better services. The experience of millions of passengers tells a different story

The Herald

• CalMac ferry worth just £166k after £1m repair following groundingAn 'unseaworthy' CalMac lifeline ferry grounded on rocks without a legal voyage plan just 23 minutes after leaving its operational area is now worth less than a sixth of the cost of repairing it, The Herald can reveal.

The Telegraph

• RNLI boats carrying 120 migrants denied entry to two ports [subscription]Crews threatened with criminal prosecution if they approached Southampton and Portsmouth harbours
• Flights grounded across Britain [subscription]Flights have been grounded throughout Britain after an air traffic control technical failure.

Times Online

• Oxford Street must be rescued from a patchwork of mediocrity [subscription]xford Street should not simply be pedestrianised. It should be reinvented by the mayoral development authority as the world's greatest retail, business, cultural and digital boulevard: a place demonstrating the best of London in architecture, technology and public life.
• E-bike riders far more at risk of head injury than other cyclists [subscription]Hospital data collated over three years comes amid calls to crack down on the use of illegal e-bikes and for greater regulation on rental schemes
• What caused air traffic control issue at UK airports' Inquest begins [subscription]The Civil Aviation Authority has asked the National Air Traffic Services to provide a detailed rundown of what went wrong
• Days of delays after air traffic control chaos hits 1,000 flights [subscription]Disruption is expected at Heathrow, Gatwick and other British airports after a 'technical issue' with the flight processing system caused cancellations

The National

• Labour invited on 'broken promises bus tour of Scotland'SENIOR Labour Party figures have been invited to take advantage of the £2 fare cap to go on a "bargain broken promises bus tour" of Scotland.

Local Government

• Port of Workington shortlisted in major industry awardsThe Port of Workington which is owned and operated by Cumberland Council has been shortlisted at the upcoming British Port Association (BPA) Annual Awards.

Network Rail

• Thousands have their say on Midlands Rail Hub proposalsThousands of people have shared their views on proposed major upgrades to the railway in Birmingham as part of the first consultation about Midlands Rail Hub.

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham Airport flight statement live after air traffic control technical issueBHX apologised to holidaymakers over disruption which is being worked on by NATS, the country’s air traffic control service

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• First Bus bolsters franchising team as UK market growsTWO new directors have joined First Bus as it expands its presence in the UK's growing franchised bus market.

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow and Gatwick worst hit airports as over 1,000 London flights cancelled or delayed in UK air traffic mayhem'Significant knock-on impact' of air traffic control issue that led to cancellation of over 850 UK flights expected into Wednesday

Nation. Cymru

• 60 years of the Severn BridgeGridlock, delays and time spent waiting in traffic may be a daily complaint in Chepstow

Yorkshire Evening Post

• 'It's a privilege': New face takes charge of Leeds transport and planning as councillor steps downThe city's Labour group has announced a new executive member for transport and planning following a councillor's resignation.

Carlisle News & Star

• Whitehaven - Isle of Man ferry survey gets 4,000 responsesThe survey, launched by MP Josh MacAlister, found that 93 per cent of respondents would be very or quite likely to use the service, including more than seven in ten who said they would be very likely to do so.

Oxford Mail

• Oxfordshire cuts with new transport and care charges protest"Ease and dignity" are being stripped away by county council cuts, claim protesters, as the authority is slammed for its "betrayal" of the "older, sick, and disabled".

Other Regional Press

• Fewer commuters drive here than in any other Scottish cityAward-winning engineer Corey Boyle on how to build on Edinburgh's success to create a cycling city
• GREEN LANE SAFER WALKING, WHEELING AND CYCLING ROUTE UPGRADES UNDER WAYWiltshire Council has said it is progressing major upgrades to the well‑used but currently muddy, uneven and poorly lit path running between Old Sarum and Bishopdown.
• ScotRail's hated new app cost £420k to develop and racked up over 700 complaints in just five daysExclusive: The SNP's 'incompetence' was laid bare through the failure of its new ScotRail which launched before it was ready and led to transport chaos.
• Highland MSP asks John Swinney to speed up Nairn bypass as the land is in public ownershipA Highlands MSP has written to First Minister John Swinney asking him to accelerate the construction of the proposed Nairn bypass.
• Newport City Council urged to oppose potential M4 junction closuresM4 JUNCTIONS must stay open under any new plans to tackle congestion around Newport, its council leader has warned.
• Thousands more young people take the bus during free travel initiativeGo Thames Valley recorded a 406 per cent increase in child passenger journeys on its Carousel Buses network during the government's free summer travel scheme, while significant growth was also reported across its Pulhams, Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel operations.
• First electric buses in Bournemouth coming this yearElectric buses will begin serving passengers in Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole later this year.
• New £2 cap on bus fares gets warm welcome from Green leaderSCOTTISH Green Party co-leader Ross Greer has welcomed this week's roll-out of the £2 bus fare cap across Ayrshire.
• Stagecoach says buses have achieved 99 per cent reliabilitySTAGECOACH West has launched a campaign in Gloucestershire to challenge the perception that buses are unreliable.
• Administrators of East Midlands bus operator shed further light on its collapseThe administrators of a bus operator serving parts of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire have provided further details on its collapse.
• Heathrow Airport among 15 hit by air traffic control issue as flights groundedA technical fault at National Air Traffic Services (NATS) has led to the suspension of departing flights at major UK airports including Heathrow and Gatwick
• Surrey communities could face 'worst of both worlds' under new aviation bill, say campaignersThe group campaigns against airport expansion and excess noise from aircraft

Bus Operators

• First Bus expands UK-first energy trial across major Glasgow depotFirst Bus has expanded the use of new technology designed to better manage electric vehicle charging across its Caledonia depot in Glasgow, following a successful initial trial.

Train Operators

• Avanti West Coast delivers over £5bn economic boost to UK, says new reportReport highlights the positive impact that the intercity operator had across the regions it serves.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• First strengthens franchising team with new directorsSteve Draper has joined First Bus Franchising as Operations Director, bringing more than 30 years of leadership experience across the

Bus-News

• First Bus Expands Energy Trial to Cover Entire Caledonia DepotFirst Bus has announced an expansion of the use of its new technology designed to better manage electric vehicle charging across its Caledonia depot in Glasgow.

Highways News

• New 'Stud for Thought' series puts road stud specification under the spotlightClearview Intelligence's Head of SolarLite, Alastair King, has launched a new series of articles sharing lessons from almost a decade working with road studs, beginning by asking whether the right questions are being asked when they are specified.
• First of new £150 million bus fleet takes to the streets of Liverpool City RegionThe first of more than 560 ultra-modern, low-emission buses have hit the streets of the Liverpool City Region. Representing an investment of over £150 million the state-of-the-art vehicles mark a major milestone on the countdown to the region's bus network being brought back into public control in the next few days

New Civil Engineer

• ORR needs 'new capability and skills' to support LTC's plans for regulated asset baseThe government's review of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has found that 'new capability and skills' will be needed to support its plans to regulate roads build under a regulated asset base (Rab), the first of which is expected to be Lower Thames Crossing.

Rail Business Daily

• Great British Railways sets course for rail freight growthThe Government has unveiled its vision for Great British Railways to back British businesses, strengthen supply chains, and drive economic growth, with a new target to increase rail freight by at least 40 per cent by 2040.
• Avanti West Coast delivers over £5bn economic boost to UKAvanti West Coast generated more than £5bn in value to the UK economy last year, according to a new report.
• Replica new Metro train to support rail safety trainingA life-sized replica of the new Tyne and Wear Metro train has become a teaching aid to support railway safety classes for thousands of local children.
• WSP joins High Speed Rail GroupThe High Speed Rail Group (HSRG) has welcomed WSP as its newest member, further strengthening the organisation's expertise across the rail and infrastructure sector.

Railnews

• Government sets new rail freight targetA new target for increasing rail freight has been published by the Government.

Railway-News

• Hitachi Rail to Showcase ETR1000 and Battery Train at InnoTrans 2026Hitachi Rail will present its latest-generation ETR1000 high-speed train alongside a new battery-electric multiple unit (BEMU) at InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin later this month.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• First Bus expands smart charging trial across Glasgow Caledonia depotEnergy management technology will control 172 charging outlets at First Bus' Caledonia depot, protecting vehicle availability while supporting the grid
• Two SMEs in WYCA bus franchise contract winners as five unawardedThe West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has named the operators that are set to gain small Tier B and home-to-school Tier C bus franchise contracts in the first round of the region's Weaver Network, with a minor SME presence among the expected winners.

RMT

• RMT welcomes government growth targets for rail freightRAIL union RMT has welcomed new rail freight targets to help move more goods by rail, strengthen supply chains and support economic growth.

Other News Sources

• Siemens demonstrates driverless Mireo in GoA4Siemens Mobility has demonstrated fully automated GoA4 operation with a Mireo train on an open rail network. The project covered autonomous vehicle preparation, driverless runs and automated stabling.
• Leicester to Fund More Electric BusesThe grant has been allocated to Leicester City Council to promote its recently approved One Network bus plan. This continues the transformation to a high-quality bus network that is fully electric, frequent, reliable, easy and great value.
• First Bus expands charging technology across its Glasgow depotThe partnership will allow First Bus to optimise its fleet, while also maintaining readiness and operational requirements.