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

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

BBC News

• UK-Switzerland deal to scrap roaming charges and allow Britons to use e-gatesThe UK has signed a new trade deal with Switzerland that will allow British travellers faster passage through airports by using e-gates for the first time.
• Work to make bus station more accessible completedPassengers can now reach a bus station more easily after the completion of a project which also includes a new seating area and accessible toilets. The link between Middle Street and the bus station at Glovers Walk in Yeovil has been reopened providing a clear accessible route.
• Workers at bus factory to strike again over payIndustrial action at a major North Yorkshire bus factory will not end until an improved pay offer is presented, a union has said.
• Bus disruption in Edinburgh to continue indefinitely after Princes Street fireDisruption to public transport in Edinburgh city centre is expected to continue while a probe into a fire at a former department store is carried out.
• Heathrow Airport sees 1.8% fall in June passengersHeathrow Airport saw passenger numbers fall by 1.8% this June, with 7.2 million travellers using the airport compared with 7.4 million in the same month last year.
• Rebuilt railway gets go-ahead for passenger trainsA section of railway track rebuilt by volunteers has been granted permission to run passenger services for the first time in 60 years.
• Rail operator cancels some services in hot weatherDisruption is likely until the end of the day, with Birmingham not served, Transport for Wales says.
• Bus disruption in Edinburgh to continue indefinitely after Princes Street fireBuses have been diverted away from Princes Street following a major fire at the former Debenhams store last week.
• Major disruption to trams for £150m upgrade worksThere are no trams operating on the Eccles, Trafford Centre and Altrincham lines for three weeks.

The Guardian

• Britons to use e-gates in Switzerland as Starmer seals £5.2bn trade dealRoaming charges also scrapped and trading terms continue for medicines, cars, art, jewellery and other goodsBritish nationals can expect shorter passport queues at Swiss airports and border crossings after a £5.2bn trade deal was sealed by Keir Starmer, likely his last big international agreement as prime minister.As part of the deal they will be able to use e-gates from later this year, starting with exit checks at Zurich airport and with Basel and Geneva, a leading airport for business and winter sports travel, to follow next year. Continue reading...
• VW chief confirms plan to cut 50,000 jobs as board rejects plant closuresOliver Blume tells staff restructuring proposal includes ‘controversial decisions’ but he has broad supportThe chief executive of Volkswagen has confirmed plans to cut 50,000 more jobs despite the carmaker’s supervisory board rejecting his plan to shut four factories in Germany.Oliver Blume told staff on Monday that proposals for a sprawling restructuring was “the most comprehensive realignment in the company’s history” and revolved around “12 initiatives, approximately 150 pages and 45 individual resolutions” for change.

The Independent

• Major London railway stations to close for weeks - here's whyLondon Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations will be closed for 22 days, from 26 July to 16 August, as part of a significant £20 million track upgrade programme.

The Telegraph

• Billionaire brothers sue Scottish government over subsidies for Chinese busesThe billionaire brothers behind a major bus operator are suing the Scottish government after it earmarked more than £20m in subsidies for Chinese buses.

Times Online

• Prestwick airport posts seventh annual profit as RAF moves in [subscription]The state-owned airport says cargo volumes quadrupled, passenger numbers rose and the RAF's Voyager fleet will be based there for five months

The Mirror

• 'Out of control' airport drop-off fees slammed as vehicles being charged £1 a minuteOne UK airport charges £1 per minute to drop off loved ones, with Shadow transport minister Lord Moylan accusing bosses of raising prices with 'great enthusiasm'

The National

• Glasgow Central Station on track to fully re-open this weekGLASGOW Central Station is on track to fully re-open this week following the devastating Union Street fire.

Local Government

• Council is going The Extra Mile with launch of flexible, bookable bus service for rural communitiesWestmorland and Furness Council is going The Extra Mile for rural communities with the launch of a new flexible, bookable bus service designed to improve access to public transport in areas where conventional bus services are limited or not viable.

Network Rail

• Work begins to transform Barking Eurohub into Britain's gateway for European rail freightWork has officially begun to transform Barking Eurohub into a modern international rail freight hub, marking a major step forward in the Government's plans to grow rail freight and re-establish direct cross-Channel freight services through the Channel Tunnel.

Belfast Telegraph

• My biggest worry was that I would never paint again: Translink artist-in-residence hails accessible transport hub after partial sight lossA Belfast-based artist who partially lost sight in one of his eyes has said a unique residency with Translink meant that he was able to freely travel across Northern Ireland and continue to paint.

Birmingham Mail

• New Street fire evacuation update as cause of train blaze emergesThe fire brigade said that a passenger train had suffered from engine failure

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Engineering works to disrupt trains across BradfordPASSENGERS are being warned to expect disruption on the trains ahead of planned engineering work.

Nation. Cymru

• Campaigner calls for probe into 'failing' rail testing centreA transport campaigner has called on the Auditor General to investigate what he says is a doomed proposal to establish an international rail testing centre in Wales that has cost the Welsh Government tens of millions of pounds.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• 'The future of ticketing': How Northern's new pay as you go train fares could change travel in LeedsMore than 30,000 journeys have been made on Northern trains using new pay-as-you-go technology, including between Leeds and Harrogate.

Yorkshire Post

• Council admits 28 schools were incorrectly mapped amid controversial transport policyThe Conservative-run local authority brought in plans in 2024 to restrict free home-to-school transport to pupils' closest schools, which it said will save £3m a year from its budget.

Blackpool Gazette

• Train chaos for Avanti West Coast users at Preston Railway Station as disruption leads to long delaysCommuters from Blackpool and the Fylde coast hoping to use the West Coast Main Line service face long delays.

Other Regional Press

• Call for parliamentary inquiry into plan to cut coastguard payDozens of coastal councils have called for a parliamentary inquiry into the Government's plan to cut the pay of coastguard rescue officers.
• Councillors claim axing free school bus will put children at riskThey argue that the council's 'safe' walking route is dangerous
• Heathrow emissions should be 'offset locally', councillor saysA councillor has said he wants to see 'meat on the bones' for ideas around how carbon emissions generated from Heathrow's expansion plans can be offset locally.
• Lib Dem mayor candidate backs Transport for Cumbria systemThe Liberal Democrats' candidate for Mayor of Cumbria says she will be backing a Transport for Cumbria integrated travel system after spending a day riding through the region by rail.
• Railway and Eisteddfod partnership hailed as successHundreds of global performers and visitors travelled through the Dee Valley as part of a new Eisteddfod railway partnership.

Business Live

• Manchester-Sheffield tunnel plans: How Norway-style transport vision could slash travel times between Yorkshire and the North WestProject backers say it would boost local economies and improve Peak District environment

Euston London

• [Euston] Masterplan overviewEuston is at the centre of one of the UK's largest infrastructure programmes bringing together a new high-speed rail (HS2) terminal, a redeveloped mainline rail station, a major upgrade to the Tube station, and a 60-acre development - The Euston Masterplan.

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 remains 'Red' but NPR and LTC upgraded in Nista's annual GMPP reportThe National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (Nista) has released its analysis of the government major project portfolio (GMPP), retaining HS2' Red rating but upgrading Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) to Amber.
• NAO to investigate Lower Thames Crossing following request from campaignersThe National Audit Office (NAO) has agreed to investigate a number of claims made by Transport Action Network (Tan) regarding the £11bn Lower Thames Crossing (LTC).

Rail Magazine

• All change at InterchangeWhen we hear about HS2, the stations we tend to think of are Curzon Street in Birmingham, Old Oak Common and London Euston. But let?s not forget "Interchange" station, which is being constructed in Marston Green, in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. It will connect HS2 to Birmingham International railway station, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and Birmingham Airport.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Brighton Station Leads the Way with Audio Technology for Rail AccessibilityBrighton station has become the first in the UK rail network to permanently install Auracast technology, marking a significant step forward in improving accessibility for passengers with hearing loss. Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express have introduced the system as part of wider efforts to enhance customer experience and support the transition towards Great British Railways.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Go-Ahead London engages Intermoda on bus service performancePlatform will enhance how network operational performance is tracked, analysed, and reported
• Catch the Bus Month 2026 partner pack released by Bus Users UKThe year's pack comes with fresh ideas, practical resources, and customisable campaign items
• First Bus wins five-year Sizewell C construction transport contractUp to five-year term will see operation of around 150 zero-emission buses from Ipswich depot

Safer Highways

• HS2 Stays in the Red as Lower Thames Crossing and Northern Powerhouse Rail Show Signs of ProgressThe Government's largest infrastructure programmes continue to present a mixed picture, with HS2 retaining its highest-risk delivery status while both Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) have secured improved confidence ratings in the latest assessment from the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (Nista).

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow reports stronger North American passenger and cargo growth while highlighting expansion as key to future global connectivityHeathrow recorded rising passenger and cargo demand to North America in June as FIFA World Cup travel helped drive transatlantic growth.

Other News Sources

• Transport Secretary engages with EU Commissioner on EES border checks ahead of summer holidaysThe Transport Secretary has today (Monday 13th July) spoken with the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism about supporting holidaymakers through the EU's enhanced security checks, during the summer holidays.
• Scarborough Alexander Dennis bus maker pay strikes escalatePay strikes by 400 Scarborough workers employed by bus maker Alexander Dennis will escalate from later this month, Unite, the UK's leading union, said today.
• Passenger traffic falls at Frankfurt and London Heathrow airportsTwo of Europe's largest hub airports Frankfurt and London Heathrow saw traffic fall during June due to the continued impact of the Iran war.
• London Labour MPs Hopeful Burnham Will Cancel Heathrow ExpansionLondon Labour MPs fighting to stop Heathrow expansion are privately hopeful that incoming prime minister Andy Burnham will cancel the project, with one saying they "wouldn't put any money on runway three getting any further".
• Most major infrastructure and construction projects require intervention to stay on track, NISTA report findsThe majority (72%) of major infrastructure and construction projects in the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) in 2025/26 faced significant or major risks to delivery, according to a new annual report(1) from the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA).
• New Euston masterplan reveals how the station district could be transformedThe masterplan for the redevelopment of Euston station has opened for public consultation and is showing off some of the early thinking about how the station's surroundings will look in the future.
• Boost for walking and cycling as Nottingham to benefit from over £15m in transport funding from the East Midlands Combined County Authority Nottingham City Council is expected to approve its acceptance of over £15m of new funding from the East Midlands Combined County Authority to fund projects in its Local Transport Programme.
• Government publishes response to 'pay per mile' eVED consultationThe UK Government has published its consultation response on the new pay per mile charge for electric vehicle (EV) drivers - with groups and organisations from the transport and energy sectors providing a mixed response.
• Coventry transport bosses to look at more 20mph speed limits 'across the city'One housing development is set to mean 3,000 more cars on the roads, prompting calls for speed restrictions
• HS2 welcomes cohort of welding apprenticesThe latest cohort of welding operative apprentices have joined HS2 to work alongside engineers completing the Curzon approaches the series of viaducts that form the final mile of the journey towards HS2's Curzon Street Station.
• Transformation of Barking Eurohub for regular international freight traffic beginsWork on the £15 million project to upgrade Barking Eurohub has begun.
• techUK's impact on Parliamentary rail debatetechUK's Rail Policy Working Group has engaged with Peers to protect the tech sector as the Railways Bill enters the House of Lords.
• AV Dawson 'on track for growth' with £5 million rail expansionA family-run distribution and storage firm has unveiled a £5 million expansion. AV Dawson is adding a dry bulk rail terminal to its Port of Middlesbrough site.