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

Thursday, 15 January 2026

BBC News

• Campaigners 'delighted' at promise of Campbeltown ferry returnThe Scottish government says it is committed to bringing back a ferry service between Ayrshire and Campbeltown.
• First train due over newly installed rail bridgeThe first train is due to cross a rail bridge which has been installed after months of work.
• Rail plan could leave county 'in stasis', says MPGovernment plans to improve railways in northern England could leave Staffordshire "sitting in stasis", an MP has said.
• Airport sale deadline set for end of monthThe deadline for an airport's sale has been set for the end of the month, as council chiefs "prudently" consider a plan B.
• Fears airport closure would 'cut off' islandA pilot and flying instructor has expressed concerns over plans for a £24m project to reconstruct an airport runway.
• Thousands petition against Freedom Pass planA suggestion that free transport for older people be limited to bus travel alone sparks opposition.
• High-speed mobile to be across Tube by end of yearThe first sections of the Circle and District lines have gone live with their coverage, TfL said.
• Reeves vows rail plan will go ahead, despite cynicismThe scheme will be delivered in phases, starting with upgrades to lines between Leeds, York, Bradford and Sheffield.
• Why the Northern Powerhouse Rail plan will really go ahead this timeFaisal Islam says the Labour argues the difference in its plans this time is that the planning has come first.

ITV News

• Government pledge £1 billion to kickstart Northern Powerhouse RailNorthern Powerhouse Rail promises to improve train links between major cities in the North including Manchester and Liverpool

Channel 4 News

• Labour revives Northern Powerhouse Rail project with £45bn plansThe Government has announced its intention to build the long-promised Northern Powerhouse rail scheme but construction is not expected to get underway until the 2030s.

Department for Transport

• Improving accessibility at railway stations across BritainProvides an update on which UK rail stations will progress with the Access for All programme.
• Delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail - Oral statement to ParliamentTransport Secretary outlines a multi-billion-pound drive to transform rail and growth in the North of England.

Financial Times

• Heathrow boss calls for faster runway approval to meet 2029 start dateUK’s biggest airport has formally begun planning application for £33bn project

STV

• Ferry service reshuffled after makeshift disabled facilities 'didn't meet expectations'Disabled passengers travelling by ferry between Arran and the mainland were forced to remain on a minibus during the journey due to a lift fault.

The Guardian

• Northern Powerhouse Rail plans welcomed but big questions remainLike a long-promised train that finally trundles into view, the green light for Northern Powerhouse Rail was better late than never. It arrived to relief rather than rejoicing from Labour mayors. They were happy, at last, to get moving.
• The Guardian view on Labour’s plan for railways in the north: a slow train coming | EditorialProposals to relaunch Northern Powerhouse Rail are welcome and overdue. But passengers and commuters will believe it when they see itIn areas starved of the kind of investment taken for granted in the south-east, the miserable state of northern England’s railways has long been a source of anger and indignation. One analysis of Treasury figures found that the equivalent of seven Elizabeth lines could have been built in the north, if levels of funding devoted to London’s transport needs had been replicated there. Instead, an estimated £140bn shortfall means that the 35-mile tri...

The Independent

• £45bn for Northern Powerhouse Rail? There are better routes to spend our money onAs the government commits to spending billions on a two-decade project to boost east-west links across the north of England, James Moore says plenty of other new routes would benefit the country and might be open much sooner
• Suspected drones cause disruption at Heathrow airport with flights delayedFlights at Heathrow airport, the busiest in Europe, have been disrupted by an apparent drone sighting.

The Scotsman

• SNP's new aviation charges a 'potential tax hike hitting millions of Scots' - Edinburgh AirportPlanned new air travel charges will be a "potential tax hike that will affect millions of Scots and deter airlines from bringing services to Scotland", the country's biggest airport has told The Scotsman.

The Telegraph

• Thousands of rail workers to lose jobs under Labour's nationalisation plans [subscription]Network Rail prepares to make cuts to its workforce amid 'increased demands' and looming GBR merger

Times Online

• North needs decent local rail not a pointless high-speed line [subscription]The Liverpool-Manchester stretch of Northern Powerhouse Rail will cost at least £17 billion but journeys will take longer than the existing service

Local Government

• Warrington confirmed as hub for Northern Powerhouse RailWarrington is set to become a key transport hub for the North following the government's confirmation of its commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR).

Sky News

• Boeing knew part in deadly UPS plane crash had failed before, report saysBoeing had known since at least 2011 that a part which failed on a UPS plane moments before it crashed, killing 15 people, had failed four times on three different aircraft, according to a new report. 

Birmingham Post

• BP warns of weak Q4 trading and £3.7bn write-downsBP performance echoes that of rival Shell as crude prices drop
• Welcomed £45bn rail investment for the North of England but what about WalesWales remains the poor relation in the UK for investment in rail

Manchester Evening News

• 'Manchester Airport shouldn't become like Gatwick'A Greater Manchester MP has blasted Manchester Airport's 'unfair and unreasonable' drop-off charges in parliament. Jim McMahon MP raised the issue at a special debate in Westminster Hall on Tuesday, January 13, warning Manchester shouldn't become like Gatwick

The York Press

• £45bn northern rail upgrade puts York at heart of major new network - reactionYork leaders have hailed Northern Powerhouse Rail a game changer for the city, saying it will pave the way for shorter journeys, better access to work, and stronger connections for businesses.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• 'They see it every day' - Call for more urgency on pothole repairs on Dudley roads following reportDudley Council is facing allegations of a ‘lack of urgency’ in how it deals with reports of potholes on borough roads.

Yorkshire Post

• Yorkshire mayors call for greater fiscal devolution to help fund Northern Powerhouse RailYorkshire mayors are calling on the Government to hand over greater fiscal devolution to help them pay for Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Burnley Express

• £55m East Lancs roads, buses and town centres upgrade startsWork is set to start this month on a major upgrade of two main roads in Burnley as the first stage of £55 million infrastructure improvements

Cambridge News

• Worries of 'drip reductions' to Cambridgeshire's bus services as cuts expectedThe Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is considering withdrawing a number of bus services across the county.

Kent Online

• Electric buses to finally arrive on 'zero-emission' Dover Fastrack service linking town with Whitfield - 15 months lateElectric buses are finally set to arrive on a 'zero-emission' Fastrack service - 15 months after it launched.

Leeds Live

• Work to begin again on new White Rose railway station following delaysThe project has been dormant since early 2024

Plymouth Herald

• Plymouth city centre row as £7.5m buses revamp dividesPlymouth Live readers have been voicing their opinions on the ongoing overnight road closures in Plymouth's Royal Parade. These disruptions are set to continue over the next fortnight as a £7.5 million improvement scheme for buses nears its conclusion.

Other Regional Press

• Delyn MS on future of buses in North WalesLast week it was good to join colleagues from across North Wales at Wrexham Bus Station for an announcement promising to bring in a £2 cap on single bus fares after the election in 2026 helping to make everyday journeys more affordable for people across our communities and building on the success of the Welsh Government's £1 fares for under-21s and free travel for over-60s.
• Norfolk County Council pull bus scheme money from SheringhamThe Sheringham bus shelter saga has taken a dramatic twist after council bosses pulled the scheme's funding from the town and gave it to a neighbour.
• New cycle racks installed across city costing £25,000The council has bought and installed 45 new cycle racks across areas of Oxford.
• National pothole day: Worst streets in Herefordshire revealedResidents say potholes in Herefordshire are causing more damage than ever, as the county now handed an amber rating for road maintenance.
• Call to 'restore the now defunct Stagecoach bus route No 61'I understand that Hampshire County Council are about to receive a new £52m grant subsidy, to help improve the local bus services within the county.
• Surrey's train operator to carry out first major timetable refresh in 20 yearsThe changes will impact commuters and day trippers throughout Surrey
• Bradford new train station plans to be decided by certain dateBradford Council has said when a decision on the plans will be taken

New Civil Engineer

• Unlocking capacity to deliver a crowded infrastructure pipelineWherever you look in UK infrastructure, there is huge pressure on delivery as we start 2026.
• Vital that Government learns lessons from HS2: Reaction to Northern Powerhouse Rail planThe engineering sector has hailed the chancellor of the exchequer's plans to back Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and a new Birmingham-Manchester rail line but has said it is vital lessons are learnt from HS2 starting with publication of clear timelines.

Rail Magazine

• New line via Manchester Airport offers "better value for money" - ChancellorTaking a new Liverpool-Manchester line through Manchester Airport is set to offer better value for money despite costing more, the Chancellor has said.

Railnews

• Welcome for Northern Powerhouse plan, but some are doubtful The government’s 45 billion-pound plan to upgrade railways in the north, which includes a new line between Liverpool and Manchester, more electrification and a potential line between Birmingham and Manchester at least partly on the alignment of abandoned HS2 has been welcomed by civic leaders, but some observers are doubtful.

road.cc

• "Motorists don't pay for roads any more than anybody else": Council shuts down backlash to 20mph speed limit to "support new cycling route" + more on the live blogYou can probably guess how the ranters of local Facebook pages reacted to this, Wokingham Borough announcing plans for a speed limit to be reduced from 30mph to 20mph to "support a new walking and cycling route" which the local authority will begin construction on at the end of the month.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• How will coach and bus be part of artificial intelligence revolution?AI is already proving itself to the sector, but some areas for later spread require close thought
• New electrics and diesels in South Yorkshire bus franchising planBoth driveline technologies will feature across existing fleet and new purchases, SYMCA says

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow sets new passenger and cargo records in 2025Heathrow Airport ended 2025 having achieved its strongest performance on record, welcoming more than 84 million passengers over the year for the first time and delivering its busiest December ever, with almost 7.2 million travellers passing through the UK's hub airport.
• Heathrow greenlights work on third runway planning application as critical 2026 milestones approachToday, Heathrow confirmed it has approved new investment to begin work on a planning application for a third runway, marking a significant step forward for the UK's most important growth project while underlining that key regulatory and policy decisions this year will determine whether expansion can proceed to the next phase.
• AEF questions the impacts of ending the UK ETS aviation free allocation on regional connectivity Late last year, AEF responded to a consultation on domestic connectivity and the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

Other News Sources

• Northern Powerhouse Rail plans welcome but timescales needed, industry saysThe government has set out plans for a new rail line between Liverpool and Manchester, turning long-discussed ideas into a concrete vision but detailed plans and timescales are needed, according to industry organisations.
• East Midlands Airport invites businesses to have their say on its growth plansEast Midlands Airport is inviting to help shape plans to grow its passenger and cargo operations.