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

Wednesday, 24 June 2026

BBC News

• Irish government to contribute £197m to cross-border rail servicesThe Irish government is to contribute €228m (£197m) towards improving rail services between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
• Gatwick Airport expansion approval was lawful, court rulesThe plans to expand Gatwick Airport are expected to cost about £2.2bn, according to the airport. The airport says the project will be privately financed and it has pledged to meet the costs without hiking charges to airlines.
• Transport plan for busy national park criticisedA national park authority's plans to deal with transport issues have been criticised as "weak" by a charity. The Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) is due to discuss its five-year plan, which will guide how key decisions are made within the Cumbrian area.
• Belfast city centre to have car-free zone during fleadhPeople are being encouraged to use public transport during the all-Ireland Fleadh in August.
• Irish government to contribute £197m to cross-border rail servicesThe money will come from the last allocation from the Irish government's Shared Island Fund.
• Campaigners consider appeal after Gatwick bids failA High Court ruling backs Gatwick Airport's expansion after campaigners raise climate concerns.
• Stop pretending EU's new border system is working, says airports chiefThe head of Europe's airports lobby says concerns over EES are keeping him awake at night and he doesn't know how airports will cope over the summer.

The Guardian

• Burnham adviser calls for billions of pounds in borrowing for infrastructureExclusive: Jim O'Neill, a former chief economist at Goldman Sachs, says government should spend more on big projects The man tapped by Andy Burnham to be his chief economic adviser has called for billions of pounds more borrowing to pay for investment in infrastructure, in a sign of how Burnham may seek to break from the policies pursued by Keir Starmer.
• Searing UK heat leaves schools, hospitals and transport networks struggling to copeTemperature on Tuesday hits high of 34.6C in Surrey, England, with heatwave forecast to get more intense on Wednesday and Thursday
• Nissan ‘shelves all-electric Qashqai plans’ as it cuts costsFirm has been developing full EV version of its top-selling model in Europe at its plant in SunderlandBusiness live – latest updatesNissan has reportedly stopped developing a fully electric version of its Qashqai, its top-selling model in Europe, as the Japanese carmaker seeks to cut a fifth of its models and slash costs.The carmaker quietly halted development of a full EV version of the Qashqai at Sunderland, the site of the UK’s largest car factory, last year, according to a report by Reuters. Continue reading...

The Herald

• 16 months on... Prestwick Airport China flights deliver for ScotlandPrestwick Airport's chief executive is shaking off the remnants of laryngitis when I interview him in the boardroom, but that does not stop him waxing lyrical about this Scottish Government-owned asset's successes.

The Telegraph

• LIVE Britain braces for red heat alert transport chaos [subscripton]Temperatures could hit 40C on Wednesday and Thursday in some parts of England and Wales after a 'heat-dome' settled over western Europe, bringing extreme conditions across the continent.

Times Online

• We are just trying to survive, say victims of HS2 dither and delay [subscription]Shops and restaurants lining Drummond Street, near Euston station, have faced disruption and dwindling customers for more than a decade
• Heathrow on final call for departure [subscription]Will Andy Burnham take heed of an official assessment that suggests Britain would be better off without the third runway?

Reuters News

• UK approval for Gatwick airport expansion lawful, court rulesBritain's approval of Gatwick Airport's expansion was lawful, London's High Court ruled on Tuesday, allowing the country's second busiest hub to proceed with a plan to add millions of new passengers by 2030.

City AM

• Gatwick expansion cleared for take-off, court rulesGatwick Airport moved a step closer to breaking ground on its eagerly anticipated expansion today after a court dismissed a pair of legal challenges brought by local campaigners.
• EU airport chief: ‘I don’t know how we’ll cope’ with new border system Europe’s airport chief has warned that he “doesn’t know” how the continent’s airports will “cope” with the huge delays caused by a new EU border system as the holiday season looms. Stefan Schulte, president of European airports trade body ACI Europe, told an industry event in Prague

Daily Record

• Driverless car mows down OAP lollipop man outside school in FifeThe 85-year-old man was hit by the car outside St Kenneth's primary school.

i News

• Inside the plan to bring back HS2 - and the tax to pay for itAndy Burnham could make use of a 'rebranded' HS2 team to resurrect rail in the North if he becomes PM
• From bat tunnels to tearing up the Chilterns, HS2 is a very British farce - Christian WolmarBat tunnels, a northern leg cancelled by a prime minister while speaking in the city the newly cancelled leg was supposed to serve, £600m of land bought which will now not be needed for the railway, high speed trains which ministers have decided can't run at high speed, endless delays, and an overall price tag of £100bn.
• I helped design HS2 - this is why it is broken - Professor Andrew McNaughtonFlawed decisions and a bureaucratic nightmare created a perfect storm of out-of-control costs HS2 was supposed to give us high-speed trains linking London with Birmingham and Manchester, freeing up the clogged West Coast Main Line and forming the critical first part of a network reaching as far north as Leeds.
• HS2 was doomed because of one crucial thing - Sally GimsonHS2 seemed like a good idea in 2009. Most of Europe had high speed rail systems, and yet, we in Britain preferred what the then secretary of state for transport Lord Adonis dubbed, a 'make do and mend' approach.

Local Government

• Improved transport options helping keep Cumberland connectedCumberland Council is highlighting the wide range of transport options available across the area, helping residents stay connected whether travelling by bus or through community transport schemes.

Birmingham Post

• Tram system among transport plans for Bournemouth, Christchurch and PooleThe idea is part of a 10-year strategy aiming to better connect the region
• EasyJet announces first international flight from Cornwall AirportThe route will provide a connection for people travelling to the Alps during ski season

Bristol Live

• Bristol Airport storm chaos sparks calls for CEO to resign'It is simply inexplicable that both the primary and back-up ATC systems'
• Bristol Airport disruption latest after thunderstorm grounds planesThere was severe disruption last night
• Bristol workplace parking levy could cost 'about the same as a return bus ticket'Bristol City Council will launch a public consultation
• Bristol Airport expansion opposition grows as residents fear 'the roads can't cope'More than 1,000 people have raised objections to Bristol Airport's latest expansion plans, citing concerns over environmental impact, noise pollution, wildlife habitat loss and traffic congestion on local roads.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Warning for train passengers in Wales as 'extreme heat' arrivesNational Rail has warned that services could be disrupted as high temperatures arrive

Wales Online

• New pictures show devastating impact of Kidwelly bus crash as six in hospital and 19 hurtThis is everything we know about the crash near Kidwelly on Tuesday

Cambridge News

• More Guided Busway improvement works to take place this summerThe works will help keep the busway safe

Other Regional Press

• Bournemouth Airport named the UK's most punctual airportBournemouth Airport has been named the UK's most punctual airport, with almost nine out of ten flights operating on time during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
• Transport group backs call for Northampton to be included in East West Rail plansA transport campaign group has backed calls for Northampton to be included in future East West Rail passenger plans, warning that the town risks missing out unless action is taken soon.
• Mayor's ambition of extension of North East metro down to Teesside using existing rail networkMayor Ben Houchen said that a 'North East rail system' would be a number of years away due to its complex nature

Airportwatch

• Airlines urge Burnham to back cheaper Heathrow third runway plan [subscription]Former British Airways boss dismisses warnings about losing investors over downsized project
• Electric bike start-up Lime aims for $1.7bn IPO [subscription]The Uber-backed operator is looking to sell about seven million shares priced between $24 and $26 apiece, it has said in a regulatory filing

Construction News

• HS2 cuts 300 'back-office roles' in efficiency pushCutting hundreds of people from HS2 Ltd's payroll was part of a push to create a 'simplified, more cost-effective company', rail minister Lord Hendy told the House of Lords on Monday (22 June).

New Civil Engineer

• UK has 'one of the safest railways in the world', says transport secretary following Bedford crashTransport secretary Heidi Alexander has spoken in the House of Commons in response to a fatal train crash that occurred on Friday, 19 June, stating the UK has one of the 'safest' railway networks in the world.
• Highs and lows: Inside construction of Dublin Airport's 'once-in-a-generation' £270M North RunwayThe 3,100m North Runway at Dublin Airport has provided a blueprint for aviation infrastructure delivery within budgetary and operational constraints, according to a key member of the scheme's leadership.

Rail Magazine

• Grand Central planning new London routes from Manchester and BristolGrand Central (GC) is submitting plans for two new open access services offering alternative routes along major corridors into London, although sources have described both plans as a 'ORCATS raids'. ORCATS being the model used to divide ticket revenue.
• New electrification approach could improve confidence and costs as hundreds of people leave sectorA programme-based approach to electrification would help provide confidence to the supply chain at a time when hundreds of redundancies have been made.

Rail UK

• A programme-based approach to electrification would help provide confidence to the supply chain at a time when hundreds of redundancies have been made.Major engineering work will take place at Kilmarnock Station this summer to improve journey times and reliability on the vital rail route between Glasgow, Ayrshire and Dumfries, and Galloway.

Railnews

• Passengers urged not to travel as temperatures soar Rail passengers are being urged not to travel, particularly in southern England or the Midlands, as temperatures threaten to exceed 35 degrees over the next few days. Train operators are warning that speed restrictions will be necessary as rail temperatures climb, and the Met Office has issued a red ‘extreme heat’ warning for much of England.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Rail replacement PSVAIR compliance 'needs temporary transition'A shortage of technicians to fit next-stop announcement equipment to coaches so they comply with the PSV Accessible Information Regulations (PSVAIR) 2023 when used on in-scope rail replacement work poses a risk to service continuity after current temporary exemptions expire on 31 July, a supplier of such products has warned.

Other News Sources

• Gatwick expansion plans set to go ahead as High Court dismisses legal challengesA High Court ruling has dismissed all challenges from campaign groups against London Gatwick airport's Northern Runway plans.
• High Court dismisses climate challenge to 32.2billion Gatwick ExpansionCampaigners have lost High Court challenges over the expansion of Gatwick Airport.
• London City Airport is finally getting its first loungeLondon City Airport has operated since 1987 without a proper departure lounge and for most of its existence, that has been entirely the point.
• Janus Electric targets global heavy transport market with retrofit battery-swap strategyHeavy transport remains one of the hardest sectors of the economy to decarbonise and one of the most valuable opportunities for companies able to solve it.