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

Friday, 21 August 2026

BBC News

• Campaigners criticise First Bus contract plansCampaigners have criticised plans to award First Bus a contract to run services in parts of West Yorkshire.
• Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School investigated over 'drip pricing'The consumer watchdog said they were trying to find out if the three companies were not showing full prices upfront to customers.
• Train derailment carriages moved amid track probeWork has begun on removing the carriages of the train that derailed near Lewes with 150 people on board.

The Guardian

• I’ll admit it: I’ve cycled through red lights. But Britain’s traffic laws are to blame, not me | Simon JenkinsThe essence of cycling is to keep moving, but London’s chaotic roads often make this difficult. My solution: fewer, not more rulesI plead guilty. I have loved and used the streets of London all my life, as a cyclist, driver and pedestrian. Touch wood, I have done so without accident, blemish or insurance claim. Yet now I find myself perpetually on the wrong side of the law. Regulation has become bureaucratic and chaotic.When I try to drive at the authorised speed of 20mph on many through roads, I am hooted at and overtaken by vans, cars, coaches and buses.
• Back on track: can Burnham fix the north’s woeful rail services?From a new high-speed line to better intercity links, the PM has a chance to tackle problems he criticised as Manchester mayor. For passenger rail travel, the north of England was the future, once. But since that first train from Darlington to Stockton in 1825, many have felt short-changed. As one angry passenger put it, 200 years later: “What is it about the rail industry which makes them think they can treat passengers in the north as second-class citizens?”
• Lewes rail line to reopen in September as work under way to remove trainDerailed carriages lifted using two cranes as workers operate under 'very challenging circumstances'

The Independent

• Huge new railway station slated to be UK's busiest reveals high speed train platformsThe station in west London is designed to connect more than 100 destinations

The Telegraph

• My brilliant plan to get revenge on fare dodgers [subscription]Our justice system can't be trusted to lock up these sniggering swine, so I say it's time to bring back the stocks

Times Online

• We need bouncers on trains to stop headphone dodgers [subscription]Wetherspoons has vowed to eliminate 'bare beating' from all of its pubs, so why can't the same happen on our public transport?
• Rail chaos looms amid fears of floods on the line after heatwave [subscription]Network Rail fears rainwater will not soak into parched ground, causing delays and cancellations across the country in the coming days

City AM

• Are cars really the problem? London cyclists, it’s time to look within our ranks Have vigilante cyclists shouting at cars been waging the wrong war? Mauricio Alencar says it's time for cyclists to look within their own ranks.
• Hammersmith Bridge is a test for Burnham’s place-based growth Putting forward funds to reopen Hammersmith Bridge is not special pleading for the capital, it is common sense, writes Tolga Inanc.

The Sun

• NOT FARE Train passengers face fresh blow as ticket prices could rise by 4.2% next yearRail fares are typically calculated based on the July rate of retail price index (RPI) inflation, plus a percentage point.

Network Rail

• Stourbridge MP sees railway recovery work after wildfire devastationThe MP for Stourbridge has seen first-hand the huge recovery operation taking place after wildfires caused significant damage to the railway between Stourbridge and Hagley.
• Full-length platform access to be restored at Paignton station next week following devastating July fireNetwork Rail and Great Western Railway (GWR) have confirmed that full-length access to Platform 2 at Paignton station will be restored from the start of service on Monday 24 August, enabling the return of nine-carriage trains four days earlier than previously expected.

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham bus users welcome shake up but urge Andy Burnham to go furtherBus users from Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Shropshire met prime minister Andy Burnham and mayor Richard Parker to discuss challenges for disabled passengers
• U-turn on Sutton Coldfield Railway Station parking charge increase as spat eruptsAn increase ot parking charges at a key site will be reversed after just two weeks it has been confirmed

Birmingham Post

• Ticket office at busy Somerset railway station restored through £835,000 investmentProject 'shows that looking after our railway heritage also delivers benefits to passengers'

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Menai Bridge workers facing abuse are 'only doing their jobs'Traffic management staff on the Menai Suspension Bridge have reportedly faced vile abuse from some motorists during vehicle weight restriction enforcement

London Evening Standard

• Andy Burnham warned: Don't hit Londoners with rail fares rise of 4.2%Andy Burnham is being urged to rule out an inflating-busting rise of more than 4% in rail fares.

Wales Online

• Cardiff Airport shortlisted for major award'This is great recognition for everyone who has played a part in the progress we are making'

Yorkshire Evening Post

• 'Worst public transport in Europe': YEP readers reveal what needs improving in Leeds before 2030With 2030 fast approaching and major debates surrounding city centre road layouts, bus reliability, and local housing shortages, the conversation over the future of Leeds has reached a focal point.

Other Regional Press

• First Bus boosts Somerset 28 service over crowding fearsAN additional bus will be introduced on the popular Service 28 route from the start of the new school term in a bid to ease overcrowding, First Bus has confirmed.
• Major music and sports events saw huge uptake in ScotRail passengersScotRail saw nearly 8.5 million passenger journeys in July after a busy month of sporting events and star-studded concerts.
• Belfast City Airport and Translink issue update on enhanced rail link plansThe enhancement to rail access has the potential to deliver improvements to airport accessibility, encouraging a shift from private car use to public transport.
• 20 busiest railway stations in Glasgow ranked by passenger numbersThe latest government figures have been released detailing passenger numbers at train stations across Glasgow over 2025 - so naturally we've ranked the most busy train stations in the local authority.

Train Operators

• Liverpool City Region Combined Authority appoints Global as bus advertising partnerThe Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has appointed Global, the Media & Entertainment group, to manage and maximise advertising across its new publicly-controlled bus fleet.

New Civil Engineer

• 'Long-neglected' London-Devon rail route needs investment in face of successive heat related closuresDevon MP Richard Foord is calling on the government to invest in the 'long-neglected' Exeter to London Waterloo line after its second year closing due to heatwaves affecting the track bed.

Rail Business Daily

• Eurostar becomes first rail operator to launch an app in ChatGPT across EuropeEurostar has announced the global launch of its official app in ChatGPT, becoming the first rail operator to offer the service in the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands, as part of a wider European rollout.

Rail Magazine

• Reopening date of Haywards Heath-Lewes line confirmed as train recovery startsThe line between Haywards Heath and Lewes will reopen on September 1, 19 days after the derailment of a Southern service which left three carriages on their side.

UKTram

• Nexus and Network Rail introduce new approach to managing infrastructure interfacesAs part of the ongoing work to develop a closer working relationship between Nexus Tyne & Wear Metro and Network Rail Operations & Maintenance, Nexus have become the first organisation to implement a joint 'Operational Interface Management Methodology' (OIMM) document with Network Rail.

RMT

• NO TO GATE LINE REDUCTIONS ON NORTHERN TRAINSRAIL union RMT has called on the government to instruct Northern Trains to cease trials that reduce gate line operations.

Aviation Industry

• For more information on Belfast City Airport's vision for the futureBelfast City Airport and Translink have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, setting out how they intend to work in partnership to support the ongoing development and appraisal of options which seek to improve connectivity between Translink's network and Belfast City Airport.

Other News Sources

• Hitachi Rail is modernising the Jakarta Metro's Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) systemHitachi Rail, in partnership with PT Softorb Technology Indonesia, has won a contract to modernise the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) system at the 13 stations comprising the first phase of the Jakarta Metro. Passengers will be able to use contactless bank cards, e-wallets and QR code tickets.
• Rail fare pain returns as inflation points to 4.2% ticket riseRail passengers in England face a potential 4.2 per cent increase in regulated fares next year, as higher inflation threatens to unwind the government's temporary freeze on ticket prices.
• Steel signed for £200m Ro-Ro terminal transformationConstruction has started on Associated British Ports and Stena Line's new £200 million (€233 million) ro-ro terminal.

News from Europe

• Portugal's competition watchdog calls for more rail operatorsRegulator says opening passenger rail services to competition could bring lower fares, more frequent trains and greater choice