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

Friday, 02 January 2026

Cogitamus

• Happy New Year from TransportInfoThe team at TransportInfo would like to send our very best wishes for a happy and healthy 2026 to all our readers

Government

• Black cabs backed with fairer tax systemToday (Friday 2 January) online mini cab firms have been barred from illegitimately using a niche scheme to avoid tax.

BBC News

• Highways spends £50m buying Thames Crossing housesNational Highways has spent more than £50m purchasing properties affected by one of the biggest UK road projects in living memory, the BBC can reveal.
• 'Important moment' as 50 electric buses join fleetDozens of new electric buses are now in service as part of a multi-million-pound project, a transport firm said.
• Rail users hit by change to peak time ticketingThe expansion of contactless payments on trains has caused the price of travelling on some services to soar as they now require more expensive peak time tickets.
• Supertram network fares capped at £3 for 2026Travel fares in South Yorkshire have been frozen or cut for 2026, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has announced.
• Rail operator crosses line for first time in yearsAn operator's first passenger train has crossed a historical and scenic route for the first time in more than a decade.
• Speed limit drops to 30mph on major city roadsMost roads now have a speed limit of 30mph or less with exceptions including the Aston Expressway.

Department for Transport

• £3 national bus fare capA list of bus companies and bus routes included in the £3 bus fare cap scheme.

The Independent

• 'Madness': HS2 spent £37m buying homes long after high-speed rail routes were axedHS2 has been accused of 'madness' after new figures reveal it has spent £37m of taxpayers' cash buying up homes long after parts of the high-speed rail line were scrapped.
• The never-ending fiasco of HS2 is a case study in how not to buildEditorial: The fact that this colossal waste of time and money continues to hurt the taxpayer's pocket even after being cancelled must be used as a stick to beat this country's once great construction industry back into shape

The Telegraph

• 5G rollout blamed for scrambling aircraft altitude readings [subscription]Pilots are struggling to accurately determine their aircraft altitude due to interference from 5G signals. Airlines have warned that 5G communications networks are affecting the radio altimeters that aircrew rely on to determine an aircraft's altitude.
• Electric car charger rollout suffers slowdown in blow to Labour [subscription]Public installations fall for the first time in latest setback to Government's EV drive

Times Online

• Installation of EV chargers falls for first time [subscription]The slow introduction of public charging points for electric vehicles raises doubts about the plan to ban new petrol and diesel cars by 2030
• Uber and Bolt say London fares will rise as VAT loophole closes [subscription]Rachel Reeves imposes 'taxi tax' after accusing ride-hailing apps of exploiting rules that were intended for tour operators

Welsh Government

• Transport for Wales Chair honoured for services to public transportThe Cabinet Secretary for Transport has congratulated Vernon Everitt, Chair of Transport for Wales, on being appointed a CBE in the New Year's Honours List, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to public transport.

Birmingham Post

• 8 major transport projects that could transform Somerset in 2026There will be numerous extra roadworks in the county over the coming 12 months
• Why the Welsh Government is having to fund millions towards upgrading the non devolved Cardiff Train StationWhile a non devolved rail asset the Welsh Government and the Cardiff Capital Region are funding around half the cost of the £140m project

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• £29m awarded to get more people walking, wheeling & cyclingFURTHER initiatives are planned across the region to get more people walking, wheeling and cycling.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Calls for extra carriages on Northumberland Line receive rail minister backingNorthern say any additions are challenging due to the availability of rolling stock and capacity at Newcastle Central Station

Yorkshire Post

• 12 major transport projects that will change Leeds in 2026 including City Station revampThe Leeds transport scene is continually changing and while 2025 saw a host of landmark moments, including the opening of Leeds Bradford Airport's new terminal, 2026 is expected to be just as big.
• HS2 spent £11m on buying homes after Leeds leg was cancelled in 2021, FoIs revealMore than £11m has been spent by HS2 compulsory purchasing properties between Birmingham and Leeds after Boris Johnson cancelled the eastern leg to Yorkshire in 2021, Freedom of Information requests show.

Carlisle News & Star

• Nearly £3m paid to passengers for Caledonian Sleeper delaysCompensation totalling nearly £3 million has been paid to passengers of a nationalised train company.

Kent Online

• National Highways has spent more than £50m buying homes impacted by Lower Thames CrossingMore than £50 million has been spent buying homes affected by the planned Lower Thames Crossing (LTC), new figures reveal.

Other Regional Press

• Truro green scheme to improve pedestrian and cycling routesA new green transport scheme is set to transform how people travel in and around the city.
• Exact date West Midlands Railway will change name and transfer to public ownershipFrom 1st February 2026, West Midlands Railway will be operated by a new company 'WM Trains Limited' as part of a planned transition into public ownership.
• Update on plans for a new Wiltshire railway stationAction could be taken to push forward plans for a new railway station in a Wiltshire town. For years, the Devizes Gateway Project has been campaigning for a train station to be built in the town, with Devizes currently one of Wiltshire's largest communities not served by rail.
• MPs call for more trains on Ipswich to Lowestoft lineMPs are calling for rail services to run every 30 minutes, instead of hourly, on a Suffolk line in a bid to "unlock opportunity" for communities along the east coast.

British Trams Online

• Driving training complete on new Metro fleetAll Tyne and Wear Metro drivers have now completed their training on the new Stadler trains, marking another milestone in the introduction of the new fleet of 46 trains. Over 200 members of Metro train crew, including drivers and operations managers, have undertaken the intensive training programme with the last set of drivers going through the conversion course in December 2025.

Rail Advent

• Avanti West Coast begins diverting trains via historic routeWork has begun on Clifton Bridge in Cumbria and means that the West Coast Main Line has is now blocked.
• Two East London communities reconnectedTwo communities in East London are now connected for the first time since 2022, after Network Rail completed the replacement of a pedestrian footbridge at Kennedy Road in Barking.

Railway Gazette

• Investor backs Trenitalia's ambition to launch Paris London train service by 2029EUROPE: Support for the Italian national railway's £1bn European high speed rail expansion plans including the proposed launch of Paris London train services is included in a strategic partnership agreement signed by FS Group and investment group Certares.

Other News Sources

• Integrity of government and planning process questioned after LTC question reveals how much property National Highways bought up, long before planning consent was grantedTHE integrity of the government and roads agency National Highways has been questioned by campaigners against the Lower Thames Crossing, who say consultation and discussion over more than a decade has been something of a sham because 'the decision was already made'.