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

Friday, 18 September 2026

Government

• Senior Traffic Commissioner launches consultation on local bus service performance standardsThe Senior Traffic Commissioner for Great Britain has today launched a consultation to review how traffic commissioners assess the performance of local bus services, including punctuality, reliability and wider regulatory expectations.

BBC News

• Two stations to close during rail route upgradeA section of the main railway line between Leeds and Manchester will close on Saturday for 16 days and cause significant disruption for passengers.
• Station move could halve local rail use, report saysVillage residents have described plans to close a train station as "disgraceful", saying it will leave them feeling "isolated" and make life "an absolute misery".
• Students 'crammed' on trains prompt extra busesOvercrowding on railway lines popular with college students and school pupils has prompted a train firm to lay on extra buses.
• 'Pothole' emerges at new £12m bus stationA "pothole" has appeared at a new bus station three months after the £12m facility opened.
• Bus diversions due to anti-social behaviourA bus operator has announced temporary evening diversions in part of Newcastle due to persistent anti-social behaviour.
• Nationalising rail operator a 'significant milestone'Bringing a rail operator back into public ownership after 30 years will save money and provide a better service, a minister has said.
• Minister defends MSP colleague after Transport Scotland blunderCollette Stevenson, who is on the transport committee, asked a meeting whether government body Transport Scotland was a registered charity.
• Closure of region's last road policing department a 'sad day'The last of three roads policing bases in the Borders - in Duns - closed at the end of August.
• Tugs plan offers short-term lifeline for Ferguson Marine shipyardMinisters have agreed to provide financial backing for construction of the small vessels.

Department for Transport

• Chiltern Railways brought into public ownershipChiltern Railways brought into public ownership with more daily services and more reliable journeys.

The Herald

• Ferguson Marine to receive working capital for tugboatsA publicly owned shipyard with no work on its order books for next year will receive capital to help it build a 'small number of tugboats', MSPs were told.

The Scotsman

• Ferguson Marine to build tugboats amid row over new orders 'con'Ministers have been accused of 'gross incompetence or a con' after admitting their beleaguered shipyard has yet to be given new contracts and it will build tugboats to sell in the meantime.

The Telegraph

• Labour criticised for spending £80k on train's 'gimmick' paint job [subscription]Chiltern Railways service given new Union Flag-inspired livery arrived five minutes late to its own launch event at Marylebone

Times Online

• Ferguson Marine contracts to build four vessels a 'con', says MSP [subscription]Stephen Kerr, the Scottish Conservative MSP, said the SNP statement on Scotland's nationalised shipyard was 'painfully thin on detail'
• Wizz Air cuts capacity as jet fuel prices soar [subscription]Budget airline remains upbeat, signalling long-term confidence by revealing plans to almost double annual passenger numbers in the next four years
• Extra patrols to tackle luxury luggage thieves at London stations [subscription]Plain-clothes officers are patrolling King's Cross and St Pancras after organised criminals swiped high-value bags at taxi ranks

The Mirror

• Sixth train operator - Chiltern Railways - to go into public ownership in daysChiltern Railways will be the latest operator to become publicly owned at the weekend, with the Department for Transport (DfT) promising extra services, more seats and less overcrowding

Local Government

• More than £9.3m to support walking, wheeling and cycling projects across GlasgowMajor walking, wheeling and cycling projects across Glasgow are to benefit from more than £9.3 million of investment that will support new infrastructure, improve public spaces and develop the next wave of active travel routes.

Bristol Live

• Air pollution rise in Bristol blamed on the weatherCalm conditions meant there was a slight increase

London Evening Standard

• King's Cross train cancellations as electricity supply failure sparks chaosGreat Northern, LNER, Lumo and Thameslink trains are among those disrupted on Friday morning

Yorkshire Post

• 'Depriving ordinary people of holidays': Jet2 boss hits out at net zero tax proposals to make flights more expensiveThe boss of Leeds-headquartered airline and holiday company Jet2 has hit back at proposals to make flights more expensive as a way of reducing aviation emissions.

Cambridge News

• Plan to close station branded 'disgraceful' as residents fear it will make life 'an absolute misery'Waterbeach train station is planned to close as a new station is being built to accommodate thousands of new homes

Carlisle News & Star

• Plans approved for changes at Penrith railway stationNEW directional signs aimed at making it easier for passengers to navigate Penrith North Lakes Station have been approved as part of a scheme designed to improve accessibility while protecting the historic character of the Grade II-listed building.

Oxford Mail

• Rail union to protest in London over £7bn East West Rail rowA national rail union is set to protest against Chiltern Railways amid an ongoing row connected to the new East West Rail route.

Other Regional Press

• Stansted Airport fund offers up to £50k for community groupsA SHARE of up to £50,000 is up for grabs through the Stansted Airport Community Fund's Flagship Award.
• Transport Secretary takes £40,000 taxpayer trip to China and JapanSouth Swindon MP Heidi Alexander reportedly took a nearly £40,000 trip to China and Japan funded by the taxpayer, in her role as Secretary of State for Transport.
• Dalton: Disused railway land to become community garden'Exciting' plans have been revealed that will see disused land around a railway station become a 'vibrant' community garden.
• New scheme supports blind bus passengers in YorkshireBlind and partially sighted people across Yorkshire could find bus travel easier after a new scheme trained drivers to understand sight loss and passengers' needs.

Train Operators

• GBR Anglia in action: taking technology on tour to improve passenger journeysEagle-eyed passengers may have spotted a Greater Anglia train, in its Great British Railways livery, travelling on the c2c route and London Overground Mildmay line over two Sundays in July and August. Most are unlikely to have guessed that the train was using the journeys to monitor overhead lines with state-of-the-art technology called PANDAS-V.

New Civil Engineer

• NCE Examines Lower Thames Crossing's carbon pathfinder journeyThe UK's biggest under-construction road project, Lower Thames Crossing is also setting a new benchmark as the UK's greenest road.

Rail Business Daily

• New chapter for young readers at Thirsk railway stationAcclaimed author Amelia Tait has opened a new children's Book Nook at TransPennine Express' (TPE) Thirsk railway station.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Balgray Station Project Leaves Lasting Legacy with £1.6m Local Investment and Hundreds Inspired into Rail CareersThe new Balgray Station in Barrhead is set to welcome its first passengers later this month, but the project has already created a significant legacy for the local community through investment, skills development and employment opportunities.

Railnews

• Chiltern renationalisation set to bring East West Rail nearerThe renationalisation of Chiltern Railways will provide 'a fresh opportunity to deliver East West Rail and its benefits for passengers', according to the Government.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• WMCA opens consultation over bus services ahead of franchising rolloutWest Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has launched a public consultation aimed at helping shape bus services in the region under franchising, which is set to begin rollout in October 2027.
• Consultation on local bus service performance standards launchesSenior Traffic Commissioner Kevin Rooney has opened a consultation on potential to amend how regulators assess local bus service performance, including punctuality, reliability, and wider expectations.

Shipping News

• London should fly the flag for shipping amid global upheavals and market boomAs UK transport minister Keir Mather climbed the grand staircase at 116 Pall Mall for an industry speaking engagement this week, he would have been presented with a timely reminder of Britain's rich maritime history.

Aviation Industry

• Aviation Minister Keir Mather visits East Midlands Airport to discuss the future of air freightAviation Minister Keir Mather visited East Midlands Airport to discuss air freight growth, hearing how the airport's cargo operation delivers £6 billion annually to the UK economy.
• London Gatwick launches largest ever F&B tender as it eyes 80m passengersThe UK's second-busiest airport, London Gatwick (LGW), has launched its largest-ever food and beverage (F&B) tender for a collection of what it calls 'flagship hospitality locations' across its two terminals.
• RYANAIR CALLS ON HEIDI ALEXANDER TO PUBLISH NATS REPORT (ON LAST WEEK'S UK ATC SYSTEM COLLAPSE) TODAYRyanair, the UK's No.1 passenger airline, today (17 Sep) called on Transport Minister, Heidi Alexander, to publish the NATS report before close of play Thurs (17 Sep) and to avoid further dither and delay on a report which she received yesterday (16 Sep).

Other News Sources

• Can cities put freight on public transport?Researchers are examining whether spare capacity on buses, trams and trains could help cities reduce delivery traffic, but turning the concept into a workable network will require difficult operational and policy decisions.
• Campaigners seek clarity over tram plans linking Derby to NottinghamCampaigners looking to bring a tram network to Derby claim they have been ?left in the dark? over their proposals.
• Heathrow expansion threatens climate goals without rethink Select Committee ChairResponding to the Climate Change Committee's advice on the expansion of Heathrow airport, Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, Toby Perkins MP, said:
• Flynn takes flak for 'election con' over new vesselsMinisters have been accused of 'conning' the public after the Ferguson Marine yard was handed short term work for a number of small tugs rather than the four large vessels promised during the election campaign.
• Norfolk station benefits from £700,000 improvementsThe coastal resort of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk now has a more welcoming railway station after Greater Anglia carried out a £700,000 package of improvements.
• Work begins on Manchester Victoria staircase upgradeStory Contracting has been appointed by Network Rail to deliver a major staircase upgrade project at Manchester Victoria station.
• Build of £18.3m railway station in Barrhead brings opportunities to hundreds of localsMORE than 350 young people have taken part in careers and employability activities linked to the £18.3 million build of Balgray Railway Station in Barrhead.
• Mayor asks people to help shape future bus servicesMayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker is inviting people to help shape the future of the region's bus network as he forges ahead with plans to bring buses back under public control.
• Cheshire West to launch £1 bus pass for 16 to 19-year-oldsA NEW travel scheme will make it easier and more affordable for young people to get around.

News from Europe

• Netherlands reaches 100% defibrillator coverage across all rail stationsAcross the Netherlands, an enhanced emergency response system is taking shape. From railway stations, to airport spaces, supermarkets, and city streets, automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are becoming part of the country's public safety infrastructure, extending emergency care far beyond hospital walls.