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

Tuesday, 12 May 2026

BBC News

• Council voting on funds to boost new rail HQ plansDerby City Council will vote on a "multi‑million‑pound investment" plan that would kick‑start redevelopment at a site shortlisted for the new Great British Railways (GBR) headquarters.
• New services added in rail timetable changesThe new services will be introduced from Sunday as part of the shake-up, West Midlands Railway say.
• Edinburgh Airport raises drop-off fees from £6 to £8.50 Airport bosses say the rise, which will take effect next Monday, is "unavoidable" because of rising business rates.
• Driverless taxi firm sorry for early-morning noiseA Waymo car has been waking people with a "ridiculous mixture of a reversing noise and siren sound".
• Glasgow will see phased rollout of 20mph roads from June The council says areas have been prioritised based on collision data - particularly those involving people who walk and cycle.
• Heathrow sees passenger dip amid Iran conflictThe west London airport said 6.7 million passengers travelled through Heathrow in April.

Department for Transport

• End of the road for unofficial driving test booking servicesThe Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has introduced new rules for car driving test bookings, putting learners firmly in control of their own booking.
• Multimillion-pound competition drives cutting-edge innovation in rail industryModernising track and train will help improve the passenger experience, while supporting jobs, growth and homes in Britain.

The Guardian

• Heathrow passenger numbers dip as demand for international travel ebbs amid Iran war falloutAirport reports 5% decline but transit passenger business rises as fliers use hub to avoid Middle East airports

The Herald

• Disability campaigners protest over subway access in GlasgowDisability rights campaigners have made their voices heard for the second time in recent months over Glasgow's subway network, where only two of the 15 existing stations are wheelchair accessible.

Times Online

• Boy racers? No, it's self-driving cars keeping us up at night [subscription]Waymo's autonomous Jaguars are being tested in London but residents are being driven to distraction by attempts to reverse out of a cul-de-sac in Shoreditch
• Sales of used pure electric cars rise 32% to record high [subscription]Growing choice from manufacturers along with high petrol and diesel prices is encouraging buyers to go green
• Michael O'Leary won't let up on oversized bags and early boozersThe Ryanair chief is upping bonuses to staff catching passengers over luggage limits and stands by calls to ban drinking before early flights
• Heathrow passenger numbers fall on Iran war disruption [subscription]Europe's busiest airport handled five per cent fewer passengers in April compared with a year earlier as the conflict affected travel to the Middle East

The Mirror

• DVSA introduces new rule with £75 charge for two million UK driversDVSA has introduced a new rule for learner drivers which aims to eliminate exploitation and unnecessary fees when it comes to driving tests for two million UK drivers

Birmingham Mail

• Foreign Office bans flights to and from UK because they 'don't meet standards'The FCDO alert, issued late on Monday, May 11, into Tuesday, May 12, affects Sudanese airports.

Bristol Live

• Pavement parking ban: English councils to get enforcement powers as drivers back changeEnglish councils are set to receive new powers to enforce pavement parking restrictions and issue fines for unnecessary obstruction, after the government's bill received royal assent with surveys showing more than eight in ten drivers backing tougher rules

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow blames 5.3% dip in passenger numbers on Middle East warThe west London airport said 6.7 million passengers passed through its four terminals in April.
• New London to central Scotland train service to launchRail firm says its West Coast Main Line operation between Euston and Stirling will 'offer low-cost fares and attract more people to train over air and road'

Manchester Evening News

• Andy Burnham hails major Manchester Airport change coming into force this weekTransPennine Express has announced a big shake-up to its timetable between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Work to stop 'ghost bus' incidents in West MidlandsPassengers having to endure the frustration of 'ghost buses' not arriving as advertised are being assured work is being done to tackle it.

Cambridge News

• Work begins on brand new £8.3m Peterborough bridgeThe project is planned to take about a year to complete

Other Regional Press

• Cross-Solent ferry fare breaks £500 barrierIW East MP, Joe Robertson, this week revealed that two people travelling with a standard car from Portsmouth to Fishbourne, on Thursday, June 18, and returning on the Monday, could be charged 3511.50. The journey takes just 45 minutes and is 10 miles each way, meaning IW Festival weekend travellers could be paying more than £25 per mile to cross the Solent.
• North Devon MP seeks meeting with Rail Minister over Tarka Line storm closuresParliamentary records reveal flood sensor pledge for disruption-plagued Tarka Line
• A120 Braintree scheme dropped completely by governmentA GOVERNMENT minister has confirmed the A120 Braintree to A12 scheme has been dropped entirely from the government's Road Investment Strategy.
• NATS given new powers to redesign UK's skies by CAAChanges to its air traffic services licence came into effect on May 6, 2026, formally giving the Whiteley-based organisation a central role in modernising airspace under a new UK Airspace Design Service.
• Oxfordshire Community Rail Partnership helps empower youthA community rail project is helping young people travel more confidently and independently.
• 'Great progress' being made at Batley train station as new footbridge opensThe bridge opened to commuters last month, with work still being carried out on accompanying lifts to allow for step-free access between the platforms.
• Doncaster Sheffield Airport reopening to continue after Reform UK u-turn on £57m loanReform UK had convened an extraordinary meeting to reconsider the decision

Highways Magazine

• Active Travel England's £1m innovators namedActive Travel England (ATE) has awarded £1m of innovation grants to 12 successful projects, ranging from e-cargo bike share schemes to community behaviour change programmes and 'gamified' walking campaigns.

Highways News

• A66 dualling scheme 'to start by end of the year'The Department for Transport has provided an update on a timetable for the £1.3bn A66 dualling project, According to DfT, National Highways is looking to start construction by the end of 2026.
• Greater productivity, less wasted time and more efficient operation: Faster buses would unlock £5billion, says CPT'Bold' measures to provide greater priority to buses on England's roads would speed up everyday journeys sufficiently to unlock £5 billion of economic benefits nationwide. An independent analysis for the Confederation of Passenger Transport has found that a 10% improvement in bus speeds achievable through more extensive bus lanes, traffic light priority and greater co-ordination of roadworks would be transformational not only for public transport but for the wider economy.

New Civil Engineer

• DfT launches ninth edition of its First-of-a-Kind competition for railway innovationThe Department for Transport (DfT) has opened the latest round of its multimillion-pound competition to encourage technology-led improvements across the UK's railways.

Rail Advent

• Launch date confirmed for new Lumo routehe new West Coast rail service being launched by Lumo now has an official start date. The service is confirmed to begin on the 25th May, and in celebration, Lumo has partnered with Stirling Pride to give away 'golden tickets'.

Rail Magazine

• HS2 Washwood Heath depot and control centre a "test case" for project's resetHS2 Ltd has awarded the contract for the construction of the Washwood Heath Rolling Stock Depot and Network Integrated Control Centre (NICC) to a joint venture involving Taylor Woodrow and Aureos Ltd.

Railway-News

• Eurostar, SBB and SNCF Explore Direct Rail Link Between London and SwitzerlandEurostar, SBB and SNCF Voyageurs have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the introduction of direct rail services between London and Switzerland.

TaxiPoint

• Why online reviews and digital presence are now central to winning taxi and private hire customers Perry RichardsonOnline reviews have become one of the most influential factors in how passengers choose a taxi or private hire operator especially in more rural areas of the UK.

Other News Sources

• Direct Ferries launches ferry travel integration in ChatGPTDirect Ferries has launched a new ferry travel search and discovery experience within ChatGPT, enabling travellers to search ferry routes worldwide using conversational AI.