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

Friday, 20 March 2026

Government

• Chancellor backs the North's industrial strengths with new investmentsNew jobs, opportunities and major regeneration for communities and businesses will be created in the North as the Chancellor backs the region's industrial strengths with new investment.

BBC News

• Airport drop-off price rises to £28 for 15 minutesThe fee for vehicle drop-offs directly outside the terminal at London Stansted Airport has increased to £28 for stays between 15 and 30 minutes.
• Zero-emission electric bus project gets £8m boostPlans to create a fully electric zero-emission bus fleet in Bradford will be "fast-tracked" by 18 months after £8m in extra funding was secured, the council has said.
• No government funding for Grimsby to London trainThe government's decision not to back a direct train from Grimsby and Cleethorpes, via Market Rasen, to London is "deeply disappointing", an MP has said.
• ScotRail to replace high speed trains with £80m refurbished fleetClass 222s will run on ScotRail routes between Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness in a phased roll-out from late next year.

The Herald

• Edinburgh Airport boss reveals array of new flights on radarEdinburgh Airport's chief executive has revealed his expectation that passenger numbers this year will be 'well ahead' of the record 16.98 million figure for 2025 and flagged a host of new route opportunities.
• Prestwick Airport daily China flights win is major boostThe decision by the Chinese carrier to increase the frequency of its service at the Scottish airport to daily is a big deal, writes Business Editor Ian McConnell.

The Independent

• London set for travel disruption as bus workers and Tube drivers could strike on the same dayLondon could face widespread travel disruption in the coming months as bus workers may strike on the same days as planned Tube walkouts, it was warned on Thursday.

Times Online

• Heathrow CEO says expansion opponents guilty of 'misinformation' [subscription]Airlines have said that the airport would increase its landing charges to pay back the cost of the privately-financed £49 billion project

The National

• ScotRail to replace ageing train fleet in 3147 million transformationScotRail's ageing intercity high-speed trains are to be replaced with a £147 million refurbished fleet.

Wired Gov

• Chancellor backs the North's industrial strengths with new investmentsNew jobs, opportunities and major regeneration for communities and businesses will be created in the North as the Chancellor backs the region's industrial strengths with new investment.

Birmingham Mail

• National Express West Midlands announces changes to 14 key bus routes Three services will no longer be operated by National Express West Midlands

Birmingham Post

• Plans for new train stations in South Wales take step forwardThe infrastructure proposed in a new business case could make the delivery of six new stations a reality

Daily Post (North Wales)

• List of major Anglesey projects to be kickstarted by £25m Freeport fundUK and Welsh governments and Anglesey council have signed agreement to fire-up Freeport

Northern Echo

• MP Luke Myer demands action on Brotton bus servicesAn MP has joined residents and schoolchildren in a North East village in the call for improved bus services ahead of a key transport decision.

The York Press

• York railway station bus canopy at risk of collapse removedYORK railway station has a new look to part of its frontage after the removal of a bus shelter canopy which sparked health and safety concerns.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• EasyJet to donate hundreds of crew iPads to children living in 'digital poverty'A major UK airline is set to repurpose its fleet of crew technology to help bridge a growing divide in classrooms across the country.

Get Surrey

• Cathay Pacific airline confirms all flights to Dubai suspended for weeks after BA announcementCathay Pacific has said it has suspended flights to and from the UAE city until the beginning of May

Other Regional Press

• Continued East Croydon rail bottleneck 'threatens Gatwick expansion and Universal theme park'The Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme hopes to relive congestion and delays on the vital Brighton mainline
• Aviation Minister switches on LJLA Solar FarmThe Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation, Keir Mather MP, officially opened Liverpool John Lennon Airport's (LJLA) new £3m solar farm today during a visit to the site.
• 'Key milestone' reached in efforts to reopen Doncaster Sheffield AirportA key milestone has been reached in the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Significant progress has been made in work to re-certify its airspace, according to Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones.
• Moray and Highlands £2 bus fare pilot set to roll out on Stagecoach busesA major bus operator is set to roll-out the £2 bus fare pilot scheme on its vehicles. Stagecoach services across the Highlands and Moray are set to introduce the scheme on Monday, March 23, helping make bus travel simpler and more affordable for customers across the region
• We're finally seeing Northern Rail deliver meaningful improvements after all our effortsBlackburn with Darwen Council's leader Cllr Phil Riley has welcomed recent improvements in Northern's rail performance following years of pressure on East Lancashire's main train operator to tackle the disruption experienced by local passengers.
• Milton Keynes Council Leader to ask Department for Transport about long overdue East West Rail service to OxfordThe City Council Leader has been prompted to send a letter to the Department for Transport (DfT) in an attempt to reveal the reason behind the East West rail delays and how long they will take.
• Mid Wales Regional Transport Plan approved with £13m investmentDeveloped by Growing Mid Wales, as the region's Corporate Joint Committee (CJC), in partnership with Ceredigion and Powys County Councils, the Mid Wales Regional Transport Plan has now been approved by the Welsh Government.
• Councillor praise for introduction of new bus service taking to road later this monthEston councillors have welcomed the introduction of a new Arriva bus service beginning later this month which will connect to Guisborough.
• Lambeth to clear up dockless bike parking, with local rides based on cost of a bus fareDockless bike operators, Lime, Voi and Forest, have signed new agreements with Lambeth Council, setting out how they will work collaboratively with the authority to manage their fleets of dockless bikes. Voi will operate in Lambeth for the first time, widening choice and competition for riders.
• TrainLink campaign raises bus trial concernsCampaigners behind Glastonbury TrainLink say they are concerned a proposed trial bus link to Castle Cary station may not match the direct service they believe is needed for Glastonbury and Pilton.
• Long-awaited reopening of road shut 22 times in two years delayedThe long-awaited reopening of a country cut-through road shut 22 times in two years has been delayed until next month.

Bloomberg

• State-Run Railway Aims to Get UK's Train Service Back on TrackBritain's effort to renationalize its rail network is fueling concerns about underinvestment

Centre for Cities

• Mayors are in the driving seat for public transport improvementsMetro mayors are boosting public transport patronage in city regions, with wider gains for growth and productivity.

Business Live

• More details emerge of £1.7bn Government backing for Northern schemesMore details have emerged of the Chancellor's £1.7bn boost for Northern cities announced earlier in the week.

Highways Magazine

• Minister pledges to put resilience at the heart of upcoming RIS 3Roads minister Simon Lightwood has pledged that the £25bn third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), due to be published at the end of the month, would 'have resilience at its heart'.

Rail Magazine

• Renewed calls to reopen Cheshire line to passenger trafficA rail user group has renewed calls to reopen a line which closed to passenger traffic 66 years ago.

Rail UK

• Signalling overhaul nears completion, affecting services on the Leeds-Knaresborough routeAn important milestone in a signalling upgrade project will affect passenger services between Leeds and Knaresborough on Sunday 22 March. Network Rail is carrying out improvement work between Horsforth station and Armley Junction from 19 January to 30 March. This involves replacing life-expired signal control cases, track circuit equipment and signals to improve the reliability of rail services.

Railway-News

• What's Next for the Office of Rail & Road?Since its original inception in 2003; the Office of Rail Regulation has operated with one clear goal: to provide fair, unbiased and balanced rulings for Great Britain's rail industry, and act as the de-facto economic and safety regulator of the country's railways.

Transportxtra

• 'Optimistic signs for public transport' says UTG in latest report on transport trendsThe impact of new devolved powers and funding for local areas is beginning to play out in public transport trends says the Urban Transport Group in its third annual monitoring report.
• Daniels to head National Transport TrustRenowned transport specialist Leon Daniels OBE will take over as new Chairman of the National Transport Trust on 1 May 2026. He will succeed Stuart Wilkinson, who has led the organisation for 19 years, overseeing its transition from the Transport Trust to the National Transport Trust.

Other News Sources

• Work underway on multimillion-pound Blackpool road investmentThe first phase of a major programme of road improvements designed to support Blackpool's regeneration, ease congestion, and improve access to the town centre is getting underway.
• DONCASTER CHAMBER OF COMMERCEDoncaster Chamber has played a defining leadership role in one of the most significant regeneration projects in the North of England: the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA). When the airport closed in 2022, South Yorkshire lost its primary gateway to international connectivity, threatening inward investment, skills development, business confidence and long-term economic growth. For many, the loss felt permanent. For Doncaster Chamber, it became a mission.
• Transport-led regeneration paves way for good growth in TamesideTransport-led regeneration is becoming a defining feature of Tameside's strategy to deliver good growth, development that is sustainable, inclusive, and rooted in long-term placemaking, writes Nicola Elsworth of Tameside Council.