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

Friday, 25 September 2026

BBC News

• Mayor's plan to extend free bus pass schemePensioners would be able to travel anywhere in East Yorkshire, at any time, using their free bus passes under plans proposed by the local mayor.
• More plans for Northumberland Line extensionA council leader has said he hopes to see plans for an upgrade to the Northumberland Line submitted by next autumn.
• Thefts fall at London stations following crackdownLuggage theft at King's Cross and St Pancras stations decreases, British Transport Police says.
• Glasgow flight landed 'with minutes of fuel left' - reportThe jet carrying 177 people had about 1% of its fuel remaining after a series of diversions last year.
• Reported assaults on Britain's rail services rise by more than a thirdRecorded incidents of violence and harassment against passengers and rail workers showed a sharp increase in the year to March.

Department for Transport

• Summer savings scheme helped families cut costs with over 14 million free bus journeysThe scheme's success is part of the government's wider effort to make bus travel more affordable and accessible for everyone in the UK.

Financial Times

• Burnham's opposition to Heathrow expansion puts third runway in doubtAndy Burnham has plunged the plan for a third runway at Heathrow into doubt by privately telling MPs he has always opposed the project
• Shale oil magnate says Exxon chief 'threw me under the bus' after $60bn takeoverShale oil magnate Scott Sheffield has alleged ExxonMobil collaborated with the Federal Trade Commission in a 'smear campaign'

The Guardian

• Reported assaults on Great Britain’s railways rise by fifth in a yearUnions say record high of nearly 25,000, including assaults on rail workers and public, shows need for more staff and policingTell us: have you been assaulted on Great Britain’s railways. The number of reported assaults on Great Britain’s railways has risen by a fifth to a record high of almost 25,000 incidents in a year.Unions said the “horrendous” figures showed the need for more staff and policing, as the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) revealed a sharp increase in assaults on the travelling public and on railway staff last year.
• ‘We wanted to prove we didn’t need air conditioning’: the airport cooled by natural ventilationAt Roland Garros airport on Réunion island, the ceiling design funnels a light tropical breeze into the terminal At the arrivals terminal at Roland Garros airport on Réunion island, visitors are greeted by floor-to-ceiling windows framing the lush green mountains of the French Indian Ocean territory.What they may have also expected was the icy chill of air conditioning; this island just off Madagascar sits in the tropical zone to the south of the equator. But instead, the terminal is cooled by a light tropical breeze, the result of natural ventilation built into its unique design...

The Telegraph

• Attacks on rail workers hit record 25-year high [subscription]Hundreds of physical assaults on mainline staff as industry bosses calls for 'change in public behaviour'

Mail Online

• Electric car charging just got even faster: Chinese carmaker's EV battery charges in under five minutes - smashing the previous record by 30 secondsGeely Auto Group, the Chinese owner of Volvo, has used AI to boost the charging performance of its batteries.

Office of Rail and Road (ORR)

• Mainline rail assaults rise in latest annual safety statisticsReported assaults against rail workers and passengers rose substantially in April 2025 to March 2026 compared with the previous year, according to annual rail safety statistics published today by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

Birmingham Post

• Bentley investing £350m to build new Torcal electric car at its Crewe siteThird major boost in a week for the UK's automotive industry

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• First Bus and Bradford Bulls launch new partnershipA NEW partnership is helping wheelchair users travel with greater confidence.

Liverpool Echo

• Pressure grows on Merseyrail to overturn controversial e-bike banThe city's Green Party group are calling on the rail operator to think again

London Evening Standard

• Sadiq Khan urged to ramp up safety at 'dangerous' London bus station after serious injury and deathLabour MP Stella Creasy has written to the London Mayor to raise concerns of local residents about Walthamstow bus station which she says is 'unsafe'.
• Record assaults on passengers and public on Britain's railwaysThere were 13, 464 reported assaults against people who are not part of the railway workforce between April 2025 and March 2026 on mainline services.

Metro

• All the places in London a proposed new Overground line could coverLondon could soon be getting a new Overground train line and you have a say in where it'll go.

Nation. Cymru

• Plaid Cymru MSs calls on UK Government to review plans for long-awaited rail reopeningPlaid Cymru Senedd Members have called on the UK Government to rethink plans for a long-awaited rail line reopening.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• How TransPennine Express conductors strike could impact train travel in LeedsThe RMT transport union has announced strike action involving conductors on every Sunday throughout October.

My London

• Sadiq Khan lays down 3 demands ahead of Burnham's first Budget as Elizabeth Line funding set to endThe Mayor of London has laid out his three main demands for Andy Burnham in next month's Autumn Budget.

Oxford Mail

• National Audit Office must investigate Botley Road disasterA community campaigner has welcomed a move to refer the Botley Road "disaster" to the National Audit Office.

South Wales Argus

• Blaenavon's Heritage Railway hit by fresh vandalismA beloved heritage railway has been targeted in a fresh act of vandalism.

Other Regional Press

• Portsmouth MPs invite taxi and private hire drivers to help shape the future of licensing in EnglandTaxi and private hire drivers provide an essential service to local communities every day taking people to work and hospital appointments, supporting local businesses, transporting children with SEND and helping people get home safely, particularly at night.
• Letter - A303 upgrade can be achieved without tunnelWe believe the High Court judge who quashed Grant Shapps' approval to grant the Development Consent Order for the A303 / Stonehenge tunnel made the correct decision and that an alternative solution exists that can be implemented faster than the tunnel. This would be in the best interests of residents and the wider public.
• Euston delivery body outlines assurance role for transport hub programmeThe body responsible for bringing together the redevelopment of Euston has set out plans for a specialist partner to test costs, timings and delivery risks across one of central London's most complex transport programmes.
• Two level crossings in Acton and one in Isleworth may closeThe plans also propose to close level crossings at Churchfield Rd, next to Acton Central station in W3, Wood Lane in Isleworth, and Bollo Lane in South Acton, W4, radically changing the area for local residents.
• Fresh concerns raised to proposed night flight rules at LBALeeds Bradford Airport (LBA) is seeking to update planning conditions that limit night-time operations, aiming to modernise its approach by introducing a quota count system (QCS) that would place a cap on noise rather than flight numbers.
• Council to approach Glasgow Airport owners over possible name changeRenfrewshire Council will ask the owners of Glasgow Airport whether they would consider a name change, after councillors debated whether the airport should more clearly reflect its location in Renfrewshire.
• Oxford doesn't have capacity for £7bn East West RailAfter more than three years, Oxford's Botley Road has reopened, but not everything is back on track.

New Civil Engineer

• East Midlands prepares £5M highways and civils frameworkVia East Midlands, a company owned and controlled by Nottinghamshire County Council, is undertaking preliminary market engagement ahead of a proposed highways maintenance and civil engineering framework.

Rail Business Daily

• Mainline rail assaults rise in latest annual safety statisticsReported assaults against rail workers and passengers rose substantially in April 2025 to March 2026 compared with the previous year, according to annual rail safety statistics published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

Rail Technology Magazine

• Network Rail to Deliver £1.4m Track Renewal Between Sleaford and BostonPassengers travelling between Sleaford and Boston in October are being advised to plan ahead as a major £1.4 million track renewal programme will see rail replacement buses operating across the route.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Squarepeg Buses in legal challenge to WYCA franchise awardsFirm believes that bidding and assessment processes failed to properly consider SME operators

RMT

• RMT CALLS FOR ACTION AS RAIL ASSAULTS REACH RECORD HIGHRAIL union RMT called for action against assaults today (September 24) after the latest figures revealed a 12 per cent increase of violence and abuse against rail workers.

TSSA

• TSSA calls new railway assault figures - 'shocking but not surprising'Rail union TSSA has described as 'shocking but not surprising' new official figures showing a further dramatic escalation in reported assaults against rail workers and passengers.

Aviation Industry

• Edinburgh Airport announces £500million investment planEdinburgh Airport has unveiled the first phase of the largest capital investment programme in its history, with more than £500 million to be invested over the next five years.

Other News Sources

• Taxi and private hire drivers across Portsmouth are being invited to share their experiences and help shape the future of taxi and private hire licensing in England. Taxi and private hire drivers provide an essential service to local communities every day taking people to work and hospital appointments, supporting local businesses, transporting children with SEND and helping people get home safely, particularly at night.
• Portishead Line milestone reached after Pill demolitionA major rail project aimed at reconnecting Portishead to the national network has reached another milestone.