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

Friday, 30 January 2026

Government

• London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway services return to public ownershipFrom 1 February 2026, passengers who travel with London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway will benefit from reliable and better-connected services.

BBC News

• MP campaigns for passenger line to be reinstatedAn MP said she will continue to campaign for a passenger rail link through the Midlands to be reinstated.
• Railway signal system gets upgrade after 40 yearsA signalling system has undergone a major upgrade after 40 years to incorporate additions to a city's railway network.
• Airport drop-off changes lead to more fines - MPAn MP has called for East Midlands Airport (EMA) to make it easier for visitors to pay for rapid drop-off parking.
• Call for free park and ride bus travel to continueA free bus offer that was introduced for five months as part of a congestion charge scheme should continue for the duration of the project, according to a bus company.
• West Midlands Railway joins publicly owned networkThe Transport Secretary says thousands of rail passengers will be using public services from Sunday.
• Secret warehouse guards lost world of treasures found on HS2 routeArchaeological finds from the planned HS2 train line have been shown exclusively to the BBC.
• Aviation museum's £10m expansion plan approvedThe Avro Heritage Museum opened in 2015 in Stockport and houses a range of fabled aircraft.
• Celebrating 40 years of poetry on the UndergroundWe invited Londoners to put their own words to the city to celebrate 40 years of Tube poems.

Financial Times

• Panama court kicks Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison out of canal portsRuling comes after Donald Trump’s vow to ‘take back control’ of shipping lane and reassert US influence in region
• EasyJet chief blasts EU’s ‘lunatic’ cabin bag proposals Warning over delays and higher ticket prices come as winter losses widen

The Guardian

• Spain is rightly proud of its high-speed trains. But pride alone doesn’t ensure safety | María RamírezThe Sánchez government is under fire after two crashes. But politicians of all stripes have prioritised opening new lines over maintaining existing onesSpain has the most extensive high-speed rail network in Europe and the second-largest in the world after China. A source of immense national pride, the train system has grown and become more affordable thanks to a boom in rail passengers and competition among train companies. Every few minutes, a train departs from Madrid for Barcelona and vice versa, linking the country’s two most populous cities. This 600km journey takes less tha...

The Herald

• Glasgow Airport eyes China, India, Pakistan, US and Europe flightsThe chief executive of Glasgow Airport's owner has revealed talks with airlines about direct flights to various new destinations around the world.

The Independent

• Why train passengers are missing out on £80 million a year in compensationTrainline has launched a petition calling on the Government to enable “one click” claims to be made by all online ticket buyers

The Scotsman

• Plans for third Edinburgh tram line on south suburban railway unveiled by councilMap also shows new on-street tram line east from Leith Walk which could link with railway around Meadowbank

Times Online

• EasyJet loss widens with Italy expansion and rising costs [subscription]The budget airline is also finding the market competitive in Spain and Portugal, while bills for wages, airport fees and maintenance are mounting

Parliament

• Transport in the South EastThere will be a Westminster Hall debate on Transport in the South East on 3 February 2026. The debate will be opened by Jess Brown-Fuller MP (Lib Dem, Chichester)

City AM

• Trainline calls for better delay repay after passengers lose out on £80m London listed ticketing app Trainline has launched a new campaign urging the government to improve delay repay compensation after consumers lost out on millions. Rail passengers are missing out on an estimated £80m in compensation for journeys each year, with the “bureaucratic and inconsistent claims” process being too frustrating for passengers to navigate

Daily Express

• Donald Trump makes 50% tariff threat on Canadian aircraft amid Gulfstream trade warUS President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 50% tariffs on all Canadian aircraft sold to America and decertify Bombardier Global Express jets

Daily Record

• Signaller 'complied with rules when advising Stonehaven train driver' before crashThe train derailed in Aberdeenshire in August 2020 after it hit a pile of gravel washed on to the track by heavy rain.

Mail Online

• Rail passengers lose out on more than £80million each year due to frustrating Delay Repay processToday, rail ticketing company Trainline has launched its 'Fair Play on Delay Repay' campaign in a bid to tackle the complicated claims process.

Local Government

• Barnsley MiCard enables 1 million free bus journeys for children and young peopleBarnsley MiCard scheme has reached another monumental milestone, with 1 million journeys made by children and young people since its launch in August.

National Highways

• Our Chief Executive steps downNick Harris, Chief Executive of National Highways, has announced his decision to step down after five years in the role.

Birmingham Mail

• Trains need to be safe for women and girls in the Midlands, says transport ministerHeidi Alexander said passengers need to be safe and feel safe. Tackling the issue of women’s safety on public transport is a ‘mission of the government’ according to the transport secretary.
• Birmingham Airport flight cancellations for 2025 as prediction made for 2026The international airport experienced an increase in flights which failed to take off in 2025, but was still lower than the national average

Birmingham Post

• UK car production falls 15% in 2025 after JLR cyber attack and tariffs hit industryThe Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said 717,371 cars and 47,344 commercial vehicles left UK factories last year

Bolton News

• The next step as the final Clean Air Zone signs are set to be removedRemaining Clean Air Zone signs will be taken down in the coming weeks as transport bosses say that 'significant' progress is being made in delivering its non-charging Clean Air Plan.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus Beluga super jumbo makes last ever trip as adoring fans watch onThe ageing Super Transporter defied gusty conditions to land safely at its new forever home in Flintshire

Manchester Evening News

• New 'delay repay' campaign launched as rail passengers 'missing out on millions''Six minutes of form-filling after a delayed train is unacceptable'

Nation. Cymru

• Train passengers missing out on £80m a year in delays compensation analysisTrain passengers are missing out on more than £80 million per year in compensation for delayed journeys because of 'unacceptable' claims processes, according to new analysis.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• 'I don't want anyone stood on a platform in the West Midlands waiting for a train that never turns up' - Transport Secretary delivers message of hope during Wolverhampton visitTransport Secretary Heidi Alexander hit out at the 'appalling' service offered by privately-owned train companies as she visited Wolverhampton to mark the transfer of West Midlands Trains into public ownership.

Cambridge News

• Bus cuts confirmed including service costing over £98 per passenger to runThe Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has agreed to withdraw two bus services it has been subsidising.
• Number of taxis found with major or dangerous defects described as ‘frightening’In nearly two-and-a-half months 23 taxi licences were suspended by Huntingdonshire District Council, many for car defects.

Other Regional Press

• City council backs calls for Merseyrail to be brought into public controlLiverpool Council has supported a motion calling for Merseyrail to be placed back into public hands. In 2028, the current contract awarded to operators Serco and Transport UK will expire, with a five-year extension on the table.
• Scottish government's regional bus fare cap pilot launches in Shetland on 30th JanuaryA trial to make bus travel more attracttive, affordable and simple to plan begins today (Friday) with the introduction of a £2 cap on fares.
• Bus boss says free park and ride travel scheme should be extendedOxford Bus Company has appealed for free park and ride bus travel to be made permanent for the duration of the city’s temporary congestion charge.

Highways News

• National Highways to consider feasibility of temporary slip roads at J38 of the M6A new proposal to change existing plans to partially close an M6 junction for four years is being considered by National Highways.

Rail Magazine

• Beacon Rail takes on more than 2,700 vehicles as it acquires rival ROSCO EversholtRolling stock leasing company Beacon Rail has acquired Eversholt UK's rail fleets and added them to its European portfolio.

Railnews

• TfL reveals ambitions for more Overground lines Transport for London has unveiled an ambition to take over the Great Northern inner suburban services between Moorgate, Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage, by including them in the Overground network. The proposal has been outlined the draft of TfL’s latest Business Plan, covering the next five years, which will be considered by the TfL Board on 4 February.
• GWR to launch battery train service A branch in West London will become the first GWR route to be served by a battery train on 31 January. Saturday services on the West Ealing to Greenford line will be provided from now on by the specially converted Class 230 unit, which was originally part of a D78 stock Underground train before it was bought by engineers Vivarail.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Faresaver Buses completes Alexander Dennis Enviro400 arrivalsPair of 77-seater arrivals for Wiltshire operator follow two earlier deliveries of the same model
• Jane Cole to retire from Blackpool Transport MD position in MayRespected leader to call it a day after almost 50-year career but her other work will continue
• Full removal of 50km limit on youngest PCV drivers floated by DfTMinisters seek evidence from operators on how the change could reduce coach driver shortages

Aviation Industry

• Jet2 celebrates 15 million customers at London Stansted AirportJet2 is celebrating a significant milestone in its continued success story at London Stansted Airport, as the UK's favourite airline and tour operator welcomed its 15 millionth customer to travel with it from the airport base.
• Jet2.com achieves 100% electric ground service equipment at Newcastle AirportJet2.com has reached a major sustainability milestone at Newcastle Airport, with all of its owned ground service equipment (GSE) at the airport now operating on 100% electric power.
• Closing the Gap: the case for a GGR mandateIn October 2025, the Government published the Whitehead review, an independent review of greenhouse gas removals in the UK. For aviation, expected to be one of the sectors with the … The post Closing the Gap: the case for a GGR mandate appeared first on Aviation Environment Federation.

Other News Sources

• How Teesside Airport's cargo push could reshape regional logistics and fast ecommerce deliveryTeesside Airport is expanding its cargo operations with faster turnarounds, 24/7 handling, a large temperature controlled facility and the UK's first airport free port status initiatives designed to capture time sensitive ecommerce and specialised shipments.
• First Bus to take over Cumbernauld to Glasgow express services from AprilFirst Bus has announced that it will take over the running of two express services providing connectivity between Cumbernauld and Glasgow.