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

Saturday, 19 September 2026

BBC News

• Station not too small after Everton fans delayed, transport chiefs sayMerseyrail has apologised after Everton fans reported waits of up to an hour at Sandhills railway station following a match at the club's new stadium.
• Train passengers could be overcharged by new pay-as-you-go scheme, council warnsFlintshire council said Transport for Wales' new system charges all users an adult fare.
• Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary apologises over 'high-fare rapists' remarksO'Leary described his choice of language as "careless" and said "it won't happen again".
• Flight chaos caused by 'millisecond' software defect, report saysThe failure led to more than 2,000 flights being cancelled and hundreds of thousands of passengers affected.

The Guardian

• Flight chaos for hundreds of thousands was caused in 'millisecond' by software errorA software defect in part of the UK's air traffic control system corrupted flight data 'in the space of a millisecond', leading to a six-hour outage and mass airline cancellations and delays across the UK last week, National Air Traffic Services has said.
• When sharing is caring: how car share schemes cut costs and emissionsCars are a major household expense and source of emissions, but some trips are too onerous or inconvenient for public transport.
• Disabled people need right to travel abroad, say UK MPs amid ‘ridiculous’ restrictions rowOutcry over ‘brazenly discriminatory’ funding practices among NHS care boards and local councils, with wide variations in rulesOpinion: An effective ban on disabled people leaving Britain. We will not settle for it. Disabled people must have a guaranteed right to travel abroad, MPs and peers have said, as further cases emerged of individuals barred from taking holidays as a result of “ridiculous” rules imposed by local NHS care boards and local councils. Leading figures have called on the government to bring in clear national guidelines t

The Independent

• 'Software defect' was cause of travel chaos that grounded thousands of flights'At no point was safety in question' Nats chief Martin Rolfe says as he apologises for the software defect that disrupted thousands of flights

The Scotsman

• New Edinburgh Airport chief urged to 'improve urgently' passenger experience after complaintsMark Johnson has been urged to make travelling to Scotland's busiest airport cheaper for passengers.

Times Online

• Stephen Flynn's congestion charge ban is a disgrace, says Glasgow SNP leader [subscription]Nationalist council chief attacks Scots transport minister but Conservatives welcome decision which will give car drivers respite from charges
• Air traffic control chaos: grounded flights caused by software defect [subscription]Martin Rolfe is set to keep his job as head of National Air Traffic Services despite a series of problems

Reuters News

• UK air traffic control outage caused by software defect, says operatorThe UK ​air traffic control outage that affected hundreds of thousands of passengers last week was caused by a software defect, the ‌boss of system operator

City AM

• Addison Lee founder defeated in £20m non-dom tax dispute The founder of premium minicab firm Addison Lee has failed to overturn a £20.5m tax bill from HMRC after arguing that he should be treated as a non-dom in spite of having lived in England for most of his life.

Bristol Live

• New city centre circular bus service and one-hour ticket on the cards for BristolA new city centre circular bus service and a one-hour ticket are being considered as part of a £4-million upgrade. A one-hour ticket would let passengers catch two different buses in the same journey, instead of having to pay twice.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Trolleybus could have saved Granton economic transport link As we reported on Wednesday, 'political jostling' was the polite term used by Granton Community Council, as it reacted to the misguided Edinburgh council vote to ditch Granton's vital economic transport link.

LBC

• Whitehall has spent too long dithering over HeathrowWhile we've spent the best part of two decades debating a third runway at the UK's only hub airport, competitors have got on with building, writes logistics expert Ed Richardson

Nation. Cymru

• Five-day closure planned for Heart of Wales railway lineA section of one of Wales' most scenic railway lines is to close for five days while engineers carry out track renewals and other improvement work.

Northern Echo

• Lumo to train all staff to support passengers with dementiaA North East rail operator has pledged to train every member of staff to support passengers with dementia and make rail travel less daunting.

Yorkshire Post

• The Snake Pass is not good enough to serve two small villages nevermind major cities like Sheffield and ManchesterNo other nation in Western Europe would ever cut two of its major cities adrift from one another as a result of infrastructure paralysis but the lack of connectivity between Sheffield and Manchester is a microcosm for generations of failure to solve the transport conundrum and the economic asphyxiation that has accompanied these failings.

My London

• Is Sadiq Khan rowing back on London bus air con promise already?A MyLondon campaign helped to highlight the plight of drivers facing extreme and dangerous heat during hot weather
• 'Cyclists don't stop': Disabled Londoners terrified of floating bus stops as Hackney urged to reject themActivists turned up to the Town Hall in anger at the council updating its plans for Queensbridge Road
• Hillingdon Council points out major flaw in Government 'tests' to decide on Heathrow expansionHillingdon Council has called for the community impact of a third Heathrow runway to be considered in the decision making process and pointed out a flaw in the government's current plan.

Other Regional Press

• Botley Road reopening announcement from Network RailBotley Road in Oxford is ready to fully reopen this weekend, Network Rail bosses have confirmed.
• New 'greenway' will lead Somerset villagers and cyclists to heritage railwayWork is under way to deliver an improved walking and cycling route to a popular Somerset heritage railway line from one of the neighbouring villages.
• Warning to rail users over TfW Tap and Go best value fare claimsFlintshire County Council has warned rail passengers not to be misled by claims Transport for Wales new Tap and Go system offers the best value rail travel as it charges every passenger an adult fare.
• Transport Secretary brands NATS disruption 'unacceptable'The Transport Secretary has branded the recent air traffic control disruption "completely unacceptable."

Train Operators

• Coventry named station of the year at National Rail AwardsManaged by Avanti West Coast, Coventry was named 'Large Station of the Year' at the National Rail Awards.

Highways Magazine

• Transport Scotland to be brought 'in-house' by turn of financial yearWork has begun to bring Transport Scotland 'in-house' in the Scottish Government and is expected to be completed 'roughly by the turn of the financial year', transport secretary Stephen Flynn has revealed.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• South Yorkshire marks year to go until bus franchising beginsFree travel for under-18s to form part of the People's Network approach, says Mayor Coppard
• Bee Network 'on track' for fully zero-emission bus fleet by 2030Plans progress as TfGM agrees long-term power purchase agreement for renewable electricity

Trafnidiaeth Cymru [Transport for Wales]

• South Wales Metro upgrades between Cardiff and the ValleysPassengers across the South Wales Valleys are being encouraged to check before they travel on Sunday 27 September, as essential South Wales Metro upgrades will affect rail services.

Green Miscellany

• New initiative aims to make transport infrastructure more nature-positiveProcurement teams are being urged to make biodiversity a standard part of transport infrastructure as new infrastructure threatens habitats The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), working with WWF-US and partners, is developing approaches to embed nature-positive principles into transport infrastructure procurement.

Other News Sources

• RBWM in 'firm opposition' to Heathrow third runway plan amid climate watchdog warningsComments come as report warns airport's expansion 'not compatible' with net zero targets

News from Europe

• Flights suspended at Luxembourg Airport due to drone activityAll arrivals, departures halted, Flightradar24 says, citing airport notice that estimates suspension until 2200GMT
• Which European cities have the most expensive public transport?A new Greenpeace study has found that fares have risen in 14 European capitals since 2023, with some cities seeing prices climb by more than 50% although public transport has become cheaper in four others.