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

Thursday, 20 August 2026

BBC News

• Approval given for 425 homes and 22 parking spacesDetailed plans for more than 400 apartments have been approved despite concerns residents will only be allocated 22 parking spaces.
• Railway station gets heritage-inspired overhaulA railway station has been overhauled to acknowledge its heritage in an £835,000 refit. The waiting room and ticket office at Castle Cary Station in Somerset has been refitted in a classic style, its original entrance has reopened and a new ramp for wheelchair-users has been installed.
• Search for new rural bus service operator goes onThe search for a new operator to bring back a community bus service would require further work, a council said.
• Airport boss defends car parking incomeManchester Airport Group boss Chris Woodroofe responds to criticism over parking charges.

Department for Transport

• Just got your GCSE results? Your next stop could be the train driver's seatThis change to the law means 18-year-olds can now apply to become train drivers, tackling train driver shortages and helping young people into stable, skilled and well-paid jobs.

STV

• Tram-trains could expand public transport links on rarely-used lineA feasibility study has been launched which could see tram-trains utilise the South Suburban line in Edinburgh

The Telegraph

• Chateauneuf-du-Track, anyone? Railway station opens vineyard [subscription]Retirees become amateur vintners on land previously blighted by fly-tipping

Times Online

• Lewes train derailment: Track problem was filmed two hours earlierAn investigation into the accident in Sussex last week in which 30 people were injured found an 'irregularity' on the approach to the site
• A freight success: HS2 launches final viaduct on the approach to Curzon Street StationHS2 engineers have completed the first major phase of work to launch the Duddeston Junction Viaduct over the Birmingham to Derby railway lines.

City AM

• Which is the smelliest Tube line?Nobody would say that the Tube is the most fresh or fragrant part of London's transport network. But which line stinks more than the others? James Ford finally has the answer.

Local Government

• West Midlands leaders empowered to run local bus networkA partnership between the Government and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) will see bus services brought under local control.

Rail Accident Investigation Branch

• Derailment of a passenger train at Lewes Investigation into the derailment of a passenger train at Lewes, East Sussex, 13 August 2026.

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham Airport parking fury as driver charged £14 in 'free' drop-off zoneCongestion sparked by closure of nearby M42 blamed as motorists unable to leave zone within ten-minute free period

Birmingham Post

• Launch date for new coach service between north and south WalesTaithCymru will operate between Bangor and Carmarthen

Edinburgh Evening News

• New South Gilmerton bus service 'a big win' for residents according to Edinburgh MPA new bus route for one of Edinburgh's fastest-growing but worst-served communities has been hailed as a "big win" for local residents.

London Evening Standard

• Angela Rayner tears up planning rules to encourage new homes boom near Tube and rail stations in LondonAngela Rayner is pressing ahead with a major reform to planning rules to make it easier for thousands more homes to be built near Tube and rail stations.
• Londoners wary of Live Facial Recognition rollout as operations trialled at major transport hubsLive facial recognition (LFR) cameras are currently being rolled out at some London Tube stations

Manchester Evening News

• How 1,550-home scheme, new Metrolink line and transport links all connect to major redevelopment of Greater ManchesterThe Simister Bowlee scheme is just one part of a giant proposal that would change the face of the northeastern section of Greater Manchester

The York Press

• Scarborough Station redevelopment plan is deferredA MAJOR station gateway redevelopment has been deferred in a North Yorkshire town over concerns about public drop-off facilities.

Yorkshire Post

• Huddersfield station: Transpennine Route Upgrade to take significant step towards transformation of Yorkshire railway this autumnCustomers will soon be benefiting from a major transformation to Huddersfield station overseen by Transpennine Route Upgrade.
• Too many East Yorkshire communities left cut off, new transport survey findsFar too many East Yorkshire communities are being left cut off, according to a new transport survey.

Cambridge News

• 'Depressing' plans for 425 homes at rail station approved despite overheating fearsSouth Cambridgeshire District and Cambridge City councils jointly approved the scheme despite fears over the lack of parking spaces and overheating

Hull Daily Mail

• Too many East Yorkshire communities left cut off, transport survey findsFar too many East Yorkshire communities are being left cut off, according to a new transport survey. Holderness residents are telling their local MP, Graham Stuart, that public transport in rural areas is unreliable and is making it increasingly difficult to get to hospital appointments on time.

Other Regional Press

• Milestone or millstone? Mayor has taken a huge risk in buying struggling bus companyWest Midland mayor Richard Parker has taken a big gamble in buying bus operator National Express. Time will tell whether it is a stroke of genius or a financial millstone.
• Central Bedfordshire bus passengers welcome multi-operator ticket - and up to £9m in fundingCentral Bedfordshire bus passengers can travel with less hassle thanks to a new multi-operator 'Mojo' ticket while the area's network is due to receive up to £9 million in funding through to 2029.
• Change to disabled bus passes welcomed by Rachel Gilmour MPDisabled people in West Somerset will soon be able to use free bus travel at any time of day.
• Dan Aldridge MP backs free bus travel for disabled peopleDisabled people in North Somerset will soon benefit from 24/7 free bus travel as part of a nationwide scheme.
• Barry Island Railway Station advertising screen plan refusedA planning application has been refused by Vale of Glamorgan Council for a digital advertising screen at Barry Island Railway Station.
• Campaigners call for protections under aviation law changesCampaigners are demanding stronger protections for communities under proposed changes to aviation law.
• MP urges residents to oppose Heathrow third runway plans [Fleur Anderson MP]Top of my summer to do list has been responding to the new Heathrow expansion consultation and I hope you can do this too.
• Transport Secretary visits new access path at Dunbar Railway StationCabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport Stephen Flynn today visited a new path providing access to Dunbar Railway Station from the south of the town.
• Rachel Reeves MP calls for assurances over proposed scrapping of direct train serviceLeeds West and Pudsey MP Rachel Reeves is calling for assurances over the proposed axing of an 'unreliable' train service used by passengers at both Bramley and New Pudsey Stations.
• Greater Anglia shares major update in removing train that came off tracks in WickfordGreater Anglia has shared a further update after a train derailed in Wickford on Friday (August 14). Emergency services were called to the incident just after 2pm following reports of a train derailment.
• Calum Kerr MSP: The £342 million Borders Railway overhaulLAST week, I joined Network Rail to see the electrification work on the Borders Railway up close.
• Steel masts rise as Borders Railway electrification takes shapeSTEEL masts are rising along the railway as part of a £26.2 million electrification project.
• Fears housing floodgates could open in Wiltshire villagesNew rules to make it easier for housebuilders to develop sites near railway stations could allow them to "ride roughshod" over local planning concerns, a Wiltshire MP says.

Train Operators

• Award winning children's author opens book nook at station in LiverpoolSchoolchildren were treated to a special visit from bestselling children's author and poet Matt Goodfellow today, as he officially opened a new children's book nook in a railway station.

Bus-News

• TaithCymru Coach Service to Link North and South WalesA new daily long-distance coach service connecting north and south Wales will begin operating between Bangor and Carmarthen on Sunday 25 October.

Highways Magazine

• Living Streets calls for national delivery bot regulationLiving Streets launched a new campaign earlier this summer calling for the government to introduce national regulations for the use of delivery robots on pavements across the country.

Modern Railways

• Informed Sources: GBR could inherit a crumbling edgeORR warns on deferred renewals ■ Network Rail FP1 planning still in L'Oréal mode Picking up from the previous item, for real uncertainty, forget future passenger revenue. What DfT needs to consider is infrastructure maintenance and renewals.
• Rail Minister addresses concerns following Lewes and Wickford derailmentsThe railway is not at a tipping point relating to the condition and age of its infrastructure, Rail Minister Lord Hendy said in a press briefing on 19 August following the Lewes derailment six days previously.

New Civil Engineer

• Heathrow expansion policy statement scrutinised for not assuring delivery of rail linksThe Transport Committee has published it's written evidence relating to the scrutiny of the Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS) where a number of bodies have questioned the government's lack of guaranteeing the delivery of much needed infrastructure.

Rail Business Daily

• RAIB issues investigation update following derailment of passenger train at LewesThe Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has issued an update on its investigation into the derailment of a passenger train at Lewes on Thursday 13 August.

Railway Gazette

• Sofia metro kicks off services to footballer-inspired stationBULGARIA: The opening of a 3 km eastern extension of Sofia metro Line 3 on August 14 is expected to reduce road traffic in the local area by up to 25%, according to operator Metropoliten EAD.

road.cc

• Reported bike thefts at train stations fall by 11% after British Transport Police's 'no investigation' U-turn - but proportion of thieves charged doublesThe number of reported bike thefts at British railway stations fell by 11 per cent in the first half of 2026 though the proportion of cases resulting in a charge or summons more than doubled, new analysis of British Transport Police data has revealed.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• First Bus and Transdev set for West Yorkshire franchise contractsLarge contracts in Huddersfield and initial Leeds zones set for First, with Transdev for Dewsbury

Transport Nottingham

• Improvements to Sneinton Hermitage and Colwick Road Bus CorridorThese works are designed to improve bus reliability, make bus stops more accessible for passengers and help reduce congestion at known traffic bottlenecks along the route.

Other News Sources

• The draft London Plan could be a new blueprint for London logisticsThe draft plan has been updated to reflect an economy that has significantly evolved since the original version. It aligns with ambitions echoed in the London Growth Plan and the government's 10-year industrial strategy, by recognising that the city's prosperity will be driven by emerging industries like advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, life sciences and sustainable energy.
• Keir Mather MP joins Selby Connected Business Panel as partnership delivers new community spaceKeir Mather MP has joined the Business Panel of Selby Connected, strengthening collaboration between local businesses, community organisations and the public sector to drive opportunities across Selby and its surrounding villages.
• DVLA goes digital for drivers reporting medical conditionsDrivers reporting medical conditions to the DVLA can save up to 10 days compared to paper applications through a new digital service.
• Efforts to reconnect West Somerset Railway with mainline met with optimismEfforts to reconnect the heritage West Somerset Railway (WSR) with mainline services have been met with optimism, according to local MP Rachel Gilmour.
• Readiness for adoption of autonomous transport in BRICS countriesWhy is logistics gradually evolving from a support function into a central element of the competitiveness of national economies. Could autonomous transport reshape the architecture of trade flows within the world's largest group of emerging economies?
• U.S. conducting stealth operation to transport oil through HormuzThe U.S. military has quietly established a shipping corridor in and out of the Strait of Hormuz to transport millions of barrels of oil each day a notable success even as the broader war remains at a stalemate, two U.S. officials told Axios.
• BTP expands drone capability with launch of seventh remote siteBritish Transport Police (BTP) has completed the first phase of its pioneering 'Drone in a Box' (DIAB) project with seven operational sites now live, further enhancing its ability to respond to trespass and emergency incidents.
• Trial of cross-pavement EV charging channel in SloughResidents of Slough Council are trialling a cross-pavement electric vehicle charging channel thanks to a £130,000 grant from the Department for Transport's Electric Vehicle Pavement Channels Grant (EVPCG).
• Norway to limit bus purchases from China because of national security risksThe Norwegian government will propose limits on the purchase of buses from countries with which it does not have a security policy cooperation, including China, public broadcaster NRK reported Wednesday.
• Live TfL bus arrivals + weather departure board on a Pimoroni Badger 2350 e-ink badgeA £30 badge on the wall by the door that tells you whether to run for the bus. Marcio Lopes has created a MicroPython app for the Pimoroni Badger 2350 e-ink badge that turns it into a tiny live departures board for a London bus stop, using Transport for London