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

Tuesday, 30 June 2026

BBC News

• Shetland set to back £1.5bn plan to connect islands with undersea tunnelsUndersea tunnels connecting some of the UK's most northerly islands could be in place within eight years, under plans expected to be approved on Tuesday.
• Funds agreed for 'vital' transport serviceFunding has been agreed for a community transport service supporting people who have no other way to get to medical appointments or social activities.
• Ex-rail minister hopeful of alternative HS2 plansA former rail minister says a link to Birmingham from the North West is "the real prize".
• Ford rehires human engineers after AI fails to match quality checksThe car-maker found AI quality checks failed to match the skill of veteran technicians.
• City's £10m transport hub set to open in OctoberWork on a multimillion-pound transport hub in Hereford is about 75% complete and on track to open at the end of October, Herefordshire Council has confirmed.
• JetBlue pilot reports striking a drone while landing at JFK airportA JetBlue Airways pilot reported striking a drone while on approach to John F Kennedy International Airport in New York, officials said.
• Under-fire bus stop will not be moved, says reportA town's floating bus stop, which came under fire over safety concerns, will not be relocated, a report has said.
• Bus gate trial could start next year - councilA bus gate could be in place in York by January, a city council has said. The bus gate would mean parts of Rougier Street, George Hudson Street and Micklegate would only be open to buses, emergency vehicles and taxis between 7am and 11pm.

The Guardian

• Ministers likely to support law change to allow delivery robots on England’s pathsExclusive: Safety campaigners concerned about plan for widespread deployment on already crowded pavements. Large numbers of autonomous delivery robots could be coming to towns and cities across England after ministers signalled they were likely to support a change in the law allowing their use, prompting concern from safety campaigners. Low-speed robots, which mainly deliver groceries or takeaway food, are already in use in a handful of places but they operate in a regulatory grey area. The 1835 Highways Act bans “carriages” from pavements.
• Brompton sells stakes to Decathlon and Chinese Labubu backerBritish bike maker says cycling market is recovering from sales slump and investments will add new expertise. The French sports gear retailer Decathlon and a Chinese investment group that was an early backer of Labubu soft toys have bought stakes in the British folding bike maker Brompton, as its boss said the cycling market was recovering from a slump in sales. Decathlon has acquired a 10% stake in the manufacturer while BA Capital has bought 5% in a deal understood to collectively be worth about £18m.

The Herald

• Campaign to bring railway station to Bonnybridge hits the buffersA veteran councillor's campaign to bring a railway station to Bonnybridge hit the buffers as Falkirk councillors agreed not to support a fresh bid at this time.

The Scotsman

• ScotRail reveals how many extra train journeys have been paid for on eve of new £10 minimum faresScotRail has announced a significant reduction in fare dodging on the eve of hitting passengers who travel without tickets with £10 minimum fares.

The Telegraph

• Wimbledon risks being 'overwhelmed' by fans' e-bikes [subscription]Council threatens to seize rentals left cluttering streets outside All England Tennis Club

Times Online

• First bats, now telescopes: why Cambridge to Oxford railway may need tunnel [subscription]The route passes close to an observatory, which may need to be guarded by a 22-metre structure similar to the HS2 bat tunnel
• Heathrow offers free therapy for third runway residents [subscription]The airport is funding a 'mental wellbeing support service' for people whose homes would be demolished if the expansion goes ahead

City AM

• Uber slams £340m London cabbie case as ‘completely unfounded’ Uber slammed a court case brought against it by thousands of black cab drivers as completely unfounded on Monday as the £340m lawsuit headed to trial. The preliminary hearing, which took place at the High Court, marks the first major test in one of the UK’s biggest competition and damages claims

Daily Record

• Funding boost for South Lanarkshire community transport groupsThree South Lanakshire organisations are sharing more than £101,000 in core grant funding from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.

Birmingham Post

• Brexit has been hugely damaging to the freight and logistics sectorRe-establishing pre-2016 UK-EU links will lead to transport and communications networks working smoothly again.
• Electric vehicle infrastructure firm Plug Charging makes another acquisitionThe Cardiff-based firm has made its third acquisition in a year.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• £17m British Airways contact centre makeover reflects 'long-standing commitment to North East'Bamburgh Court on William Armstrong Drive employs around 700 people, and its refurbishment has been ongoing for the last year

Yorkshire Post

• When private traffic ban on major York route to boost buses is set to startThe month when a trial ban on private traffic driving through a major York route has been revealed along with new details on how the scheme will work.

Cambridge News

• Commuters say lives ‘made easier’ as new Cambridge South station opensCommuters filled the station during the Monday morning commuter rush

Other Regional Press

• Renfrewshire under-22s have made more than 10.3 million free bus journeys since 2022Young people in Renfrewshire have made more than 10.3 million free bus journeys since Scotland's under-22 free bus travel scheme was introduced in 2022, according to new figures.
• HS2 to give land back to local farmerA local farm is set to have some of its land returned, seven years after it was taken by HS2. The high speed rail developer took four parcels of land at Burnt Heath Farm, Offchurch in November 2018
• Burnham pledges to revive HS2 through Crewe when he becomes Prime MinisterPrime Minister in waiting, Andy Burnham, has pledged to revive the cancelled northern leg of HS2, potentially restoring Crewe's role at the heart of Britain's high-speed rail network.
• NAO: DfT makes progress but must get reset of HS2 right this timeThe Department for Transport (DfT) and HS2 Ltd are making progress in their reset of the High Speed Two (HS2) railway line, but must ensure they fully put the programme on a stable footing to avoid previous failures, a new report from the National Audit Office (NAO) has found.1
• MP's rail campaigning hailed by Transport Secretary on Shrewsbury visitAn MP's bid to improve Shrewsbury's rail services has been hailed during the Transport's Secretary's visit to the county.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Lothian adds electric WrightbusesThe new single-deck buses began to enter service today (29 June 2026) on Service 36, operating between Ocean Terminal and the Gyle Centre in Edinburgh.

Highways Magazine

• Transport for London (TfL) has added two major names from national and local government to its board.Laura Shoaf, the former chief executive of West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), and Alison Munro, the director of the Department for Transport (DfT) between 2007 and 2009, have both been appointed to the board by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, following an 'external recruitment campaign' and will serve until September 2028.

Highways News

• Newport council leaders attack Plaid Cymru over M4 tunnel traffic planNewport in Gwent is once again caught in the centre of Wales' ongoing transport debate, with claims that it is not fit for the 'traffic it is taking at the moment'. Concerns are rising over the future of the M4 corridor and how to manage congestion around the Brynglas tunnels

New Civil Engineer

• Euston station masterplan development is 'a team game' says delivery companyThe director of the organisation behind the delivery of the proposed new integrated Euston Station has said the development of the masterplan is 'a team game'.
• Interview: Merriman calls for rail projects to be 'impossible to stop' amidst political upheavalHigh Speed Rail Group (HSRG) chair and former rail minister Huw Merriman has told NCE it is imperative rail projects are developed with an 'impossible to stop' mindset considering recent and past political upheaval.
• NAO urges DfT to get reset of HS2 right and revise cost and timeline estimatesThe National Audit Office (NAO) has urged the Department for Transport (DfT) and HS2 Ltd not to confirm revised plans for the reset of the HS2 programme until they are 'confident' the proposals can be delivered.

Railnews

• 'More work needed' on HS2 reset The National Audit Office has warned that the cost of the ‘reset’ of the remaining section of HS2 will be about 153 million pounds. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander announced last month that the line between London and Birmingham will now cost up to 107 billion pounds, after chief executive Mark Wild had devised a new and detailed plan to complete the project.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Six on shortlist for first South Yorkshire bus franchising awardsWinning bidders for large contracts in first of three franchise areas will be named in early 2027

Aviation Industry

• Transport Body Challenges Heathrow-First Approach to UK Airport ExpansionA new aviation 'report' calls on the Government to move away from a London- and Heathrow-centric airport expansion strategy and adopt a national integrated aviation framework that better balances regional airport capacity, economic growth, environmental impact and infrastructure investment across the UK.
• New CEO for Glasgow Prestwick AirportMatteoni has worked at the airport for more than 33 years and will take up the role on 1 July.

Other News Sources

• UK government urged to consider making HS2's Euston station a standalone megaprojectThe UK government should consider treating the redevelopment of HS2's London Euston terminus as a standalone major project, according to a new National Audit Office (NAO) report.
• Euston station plans will be 'key to success' of HS2 reset, says watchdogA reset to HS2 should not be implemented until major issues in delivery are sorted and Euston station plans are finalised, the UK's public spending watchdog has warned
• DfT Transport Technology TrackerThe Department for Transport (DfT) has commissioned Ipsos to undertake a series of surveys to measure public awareness, attitudes and behaviours in relation to existing and emerging transport technologies. In Autumn 2024 and Spring 2025 (Waves 12 and 13) Ipsos implemented a UK-wide, push-to-web survey methodology with a postal option, Waves 7-11 (2020-2023) were conducted online through Ipsos' KnowledgePanel and Waves 1-5 were (2017-2020) were biannual face-to-face omnibus services.
• London Heathrow traffic set to fall in 2026 as demand 'softens'Passenger numbers at London Heathrow Airport are expected to fall this year due to ?notable downward pressure on demand caused by the ongoing Middle East crisis.