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

Thursday, 19 March 2026

Government

• New amendments will create safer streets, champion culture, and strengthen local accountability under the English Devolution BillCommunities and local leaders will benefit from new powers introduced in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill.

BBC News

• CalMac ferry built in Turkey could enter service early due to Arran demandThe first of four new CalMac ferries built in Turkey could be pressed into action early due a lack of capacity on available vessels to and from Arran.
• Tube strikes in March called off as RMT negotiatesAll other strike dates from April onwards remain in place - with additional dates announced for June.
• Ardrossan harbour taken into public ownershipMinisters are planning to spend millions redeveloping the site after it emerged that new ferries are too big to fit the existing facilities.
• How high could UK petrol and diesel prices go?For every $10 rise in oil prices, motorists face paying roughly 7p per litre more in the UK.

Financial Times

• Trump sails into battle with Lloyd’s of LondonThe market’s historic strength in marine war insurance is being challenged by the US

STV

• Scotland-France ferry moves step closer with £3m investmentUK Government says the funding is a significant step towards a new Rosyth-Dunkirk ferry route.

The Guardian

• Night buses will run to every Greater Manchester borough as Bee Network expandsChanges revealed by Andy Burnham to support night-time economy follow rapid growth in ridership. Night buses will run to every borough in Greater Manchester as the city region expands its publicly controlled Bee Network.The mayor, Andy Burnham, announced a number of new services alongside figures showing rapid growth in ridership since buses were taken back under public control in 2023.
• Stonehenge tunnel plan officially scrapped after years of protestsCampaigners have been fighting proposals to build traffic tunnel under the world heritage site since 1994. A controversial plan to build a tunnel under the Stonehenge site has been officially cancelled after millions were spent on the doomed project.Campaigners have been fighting proposals to dig a tunnel for cars under the location of the world heritage site since the idea was first proposed in 1994.
• ‘We don’t tell the car what it should do’: my ride in a self-driving taxiDriverless ‘robotaxis’ will be accepting fares in Britain’s biggest city by the end of next year. Can they deal with London’s medieval roads, hordes of pedestrians and errant ebikers? I got in the passenger seat to find out ‘I’m really excited to show you this,” says Alex Kendall, the CEO of Wayve, as he gets behind the wheel of one of the company’s electric Ford Mustangs. Then he does … nothing. The car pulls up to a junction at a busy road in King’s Cross, London, all by itself.

The Herald

• All Scotrail inter-city trains to be replaced with Class 222s by 2028Scotland's fleet of High Speed Trains (HSTs), which run inter-city routes, is to be replaced within the next two years.

The Scotsman

• Rosyth ferry: UK Government investment brings return of Scotland-Europe ferry link a step closerA direct ferry route between Scotland and France moved a step closer today after the UK Government promised a £3 million upgrade for Rosyth.

The Telegraph

• Give EV drivers free parking and let them use bus lanes, says Shell [subscription]Company pushes for perks and taxpayer-funded subsidies to kickstart lagging sales

Times Online

• Rolls-Royce scraps 2030 all-electric target [subscription]Chief executive Chris Brownridge ditches his predecessor's aim, citing relaxation of legislation and softer customer demand
• Long-haul Easter flights at risk due to fuel rationing [subscription]Holidays and travel could be impacted, starting next month, as airlines may face jet fuel shortages from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz
• What a 5-minute-charge Chinese EV means for the European market [subscription]The Denza Z9GT promises to be 'ready in five, full in nine' thanks to BYD's chargers four times more powerful than most high-speed public chargers in the UK

Senedd Cymru

• Mind the gap: Wales, Westminster and the Railways BillThe UK Government introduced the Railways Bill to the House of Commons on 5 November 2025. It seeks to create Great British Railways (GBR), often described as a 'directing mind' for the railway. GBR would bring together most passenger train operators in England and Network Rail, which operates most railway infrastructure in Great Britain, into a single organisation.

City AM

• A Requiem for the Boris Bus Sadiq Khan’s decision to scrap the iconic ‘New Bus for London’ is about politics not practicalities, writes James Ford  London's fleet of red buses are iconic. Like black taxis, Beefeaters and red post boxes they are a globally recognised visual shorthand for the capital.

Local Government

• Bus industry swaps steering wheels for spades for milestone environmental projectThe bus industry swapped steering wheels for spades this week as 1,000 trees were planted as part of an electric bus environmental project.

Network Rail

• Major rail upgrade plans submitted to help unlock new railway stationsPassengers are closer to benefitting from improved rail services, better connectivity and new stations as Network Rail submits a full business case for major railway upgrades between Cardiff Central and Severn Tunnel Junction.

Bristol Live

• Bristol Airport hits back at study claim it's the most complained about in UK'This study is far from robust or indeed representative of customer experience'

Manchester Evening News

• Sweeping Bee Network bus improvements across Greater Manchester'The most significant and wide-ranging upgrades since franchising'
• Manchester Airport announces opening of new 470-seat sports bar with ‘incredible’ airfield viewsIt features 69 television screens including private screens in booths which can be controlled by guests

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Two new railway stations open today in the heart of the Black CountryThe openings end a long wait for residents eager to reconnect to the rail network.

Other Regional Press

• 'It is like driving in a third world country': MP blasts south Shropshire's roads as county's pothole-riddled roads debated in parliamentAn MP has said being on Shropshire's roads was like "driving in a third world country" as he raised the state of rural roads in the county in Westminster.
• Direct train to London that passes through 3 Lincolnshire towns ruled outMPs have been campaigning for more than a decade, but hopes have been dashed again
• £7.5m transport funding boost announced for Monmouthshire projectsTen projects across Monmouthshire are to receive a share of more than £7.5million in funding from the Welsh Government.
• Southampton bus passengers invited to take part in surveyBus passengers are being invited to help shape the future of services by sharing their experiences through a public survey.
• Ballymena's Wrightbus named the UK's top bus supplier on major public sector buying frameworkA major boost for Ballymena's manufacturing sector has been announced after global bus maker Wrightbus was ranked the number one supplier on a key UK public sector procurement platform.
• Central Devon MP vows to boost rail resilience in West CountrySir Mel Stride, MP for Central Devon, has said he is committed to finding long-term solutions to improve rail reliability across the South West.
• Next lot of cycleway plans on major Coventry road set to take ten monthsDrivers have been warned delays are likely

Train Operators

• ScotRail announces plans to replace high speed trainsScotRail has announced plans to replace its high speed trains (HSTs) following a successful procurement process.

Forbes

• Heathrow Airport Expansion Edges Forward, But Who's Paying?U.K. politicians have debated Heathrow's third runway for decades, but as the project moves forward, there are fresh battles over who pays, who benefits, and whether Britain can actually deliver.

New Civil Engineer

• Bids open for 318M London Gateway Port's second rail expansionDP World has issued a tender notice for construction of the London Gateway - Second Rail Terminal Phase 2.
• Stonehenge Tunnel DCO officially revoked as it 'no longer aligns with strategic policy objectives'The scheme was mostly known for the contentious 3.3km tunnel that would have run under the Unesco world heritage site comprising Stonehenge

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Insight on how a fuel surcharge could be applied in coach and busOn Monday 9 March, the price of oil surged to above US$110 (£84) for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
• Arriva confirms order of a further 164 buses from Alexander DennisAlexander Dennis has announced an order from Arriva of a further 164 buses of the Enviro200 and Enviro400 types for operations across England and Wales.

Other News Sources

• Four years after P&O mass sackings government must close legal loopholes, RMT demandsUnion says major loopholes remain and stronger legal and enforcement powers are needed to stop rogue operators exploiting workers.
• Journeo wins contract with Danish rail operatorJourneo, a listed provider of information and tech services for public transport, has secured a contract with the largest state-owned passenger rail operator in Denmark.

News from Europe

• Trenitalia to build a maintenance hub in ParisTrenitalia France has signed a 35-year lease agreement with SNCF Réseau for a railway site located at Maisons-Alfort Pompadour, with the aim of constructing a maintenance hub in Paris dedicated to high-speed trains.