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

Saturday, 07 February 2026

BBC News

• Key train routes to close for rail preparation workRail passengers are being told to check their journeys before travelling with key rail routes closed while works take place.
• What will 'HIF1' road scheme do for Oxfordshire?It is set to cost between £320m and £400m, take more than two years to build, and has been in the pipeline for more than a decade.
• Coventry's light rail technology a 'game-changer'The technology used in the Very Light Rail (VLR) system in Coventry could be a game-changer for the city's coffers, according to the programme director.
• Most smart motorways 'not value for money' say reportsMany smart motorways are currently failing to offer the value for money expected when they were originally planned, according to newly released reports from National Highways.
• Train drivers vote to continue strikesDrivers have voted to continue their strikes at Hull Trains for a further six months.
• Decision made on controversial Park Street car banPark Street in Bristol will not be closed to general traffic after controversial plans were voted down. Green councillors wanted to install a bus gate on the road to reduce pollution levels in the area. They said the move could have led to Clean Air Zone (CAZ) restrictions being lifted a year early.

The Guardian

• Most of England's smart motorways are poor value for money, official reports findMost of England's smart motorway schemes have proved poor or very poor value for money, according to assessments by the government agency that built them.
• Only seven new petrol-powered cars sold in Norway in JanuaryData shows 29 hybrid and 98 diesel cars also sold, while the figure for battery electric vehicles was more than 2,000Just seven new petrol cars were sold in Norway last month, data shows.The country, which is the frontrunner in the uptake of electric vehicles, shifted a record low number of new fossil-fuel cars in January, information from the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council (OFV) reveals. Continue reading...
• ‘Take them away, crush them’: Australia faces an ebike surge that some say poses a health emergencyThey offer independence, reduce emissions and congestion. But they are also endangering livesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAfter the Sydney Harbour Bridge was swarmed by 40 or so ebikes and e-motorcycles on Wednesday, the Australian government said the country faced a “real emergency”.“[Illegal ebikes] are a total menace on the road,” the health minister,

The Telegraph

• How do pilots avoid storm 'danger zones', and how close are they allowed to get? [Subscription]As a stewardess sues BA for getting too close to a storm 'danger zone', we ask what the rules are for evading the worst kinds of weather
• Driverless car makes emergency stop after being fooled by advert on bus [subscription]Vehicle's AI system misidentified actors on film poster as real people in the road

Times Online

• Trump holds $16bn tunnel fund hostage until airport named after him [subscription]President Trump told the most senior Democrat in the Senate that he would unfreeze funding for a large infrastructure project if he agreed to name Penn station and Washington's Dulles airport after him.
• Is the electric car dream over after the U-turn at Stellantis? [subscription]After badly misreading the market the multinational carmaker is dumping zero-emissions models in favour of petrol cars that it can actually sell

Mail Online

• Car manufacturer Stellantis in £19bn hit after eco U-turnIt follows write-downs by other car makers, including Ford and General Motors, as they slow their shift away from petrol and diesel.

The Mirror

• 'World's first electric airline' founded by millionaire Labour donor collapsesLabour donor Dale Vince insists he has merely "paused" his bid to launch an all-electric airline as venture is wound-up and joint liquidators appointed after it was launched in 2023

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Child-free carriages on trains? I'm definitely in favourLAST week my husband and I travelled on a packed train to London. Diagonally opposite our seats was a table where four people, including a mother and child sat.

Bristol Live

• Future of eight smart motorways in England in new updateEight smart motorway projects in England are forecast to provide weak value for money, according to official assessments. Reports published by National Highways show schemes on the M25 between junctions 23-27 and the M6 between junctions five and eight a expected to deliver 'very poor value for money'.

Liverpool Echo

• Major change coming to Liverpool city train station and it's good newsA new change is coming to one of Liverpool's train stations. James Street Railway Station is set to welcome a new food and beverage unit, replacing the former newsagent space that has been empty for over a year now.

Manchester Evening News

• Smart motorway projects including on M6 'forecast to provide weak value for money'Eight smart motorway projects in England - including one on the M6 - are forecast to provide weak value for money, according to official assessments.
• Why is Aer Lingus ending US routes from Manchester Airport - and what it means for transatlantic travel Aer Lingus ending transatlantic flights from Manchester marks the end of a chapter for the airport - but it opens the door for new possibilities

Sheffield Star

• Sheffield councillors call for free bus travel for young people following huge success of Barnsley pilot schemeSheffield councillors want to follow the example of their colleagues in Barnsley and introduce free bus passes for children and young people but up to the age of 22.

Wales Online

• Cardiff's Airport's hopes of a brighter future face two critical days in courtThe fate of Welsh Govenment £205.2m subsidy plans will be decided by a Competition Appeal Tribunal

Other Regional Press

• RICHMOND VOWS UNWAVERING OPPOSITION TO HEATHROW EXPANSIONRichmond Council has restated its clear and unwavering opposition to Heathrow Airport's expansion plans including the proposed third runway and any measures that would increase flight numbers or worsen disruption for residents.
• Camden invests £22m in new walking and cycling infrastructure, bus lanes and High StreetsDuring 2025, Camden Council made strong progress on its ambitious transport strategy, investing £22m in more environmentally friendly, healthier forms of travel and creating more welcoming streets and neighbourhoods.
• Upgrade for Keynsham and Saltford bus stopsBUS passengers in Keynsham and Saltford are benefiting from new information screens at bus stops across the West of England.

More than 150 new screens are up and running while another 100 were due to be installed by the end of January.
• Lothian Buses asked to explore free travel for carersLothian Buses will be asked to explore providing free bus travel for family and carers of patients at the new Sick Kids. Councillors signed off on the proposal at Thursday's full council meeting, with each political group backing it.
• Concerns as bus company shortens key route to terminate at KassamA decision to shorten the 3A bus route to stop at the Kassam has sparked fears that communities in the Leys in Oxford will be “cut off” from services.

New Civil Engineer

• DfT begins early market engagement for HS2 Euston station delivery public private partnershipThe Department for Transport (DfT) has begun early market engagement in its hunt for partners in a public-private deal to design, build and maintain the planned HS2 Euston station terminus.

Rail Advent

• New video shows behind the scenes of training on new East Midlands trainsThe final episode of an award-winning series of documentaries about the rollout of East Midlands Railway's Aurora fleet and the training of frontline staff has now been released.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Siemens and Stadler to Deliver World's Largest Automated Railway Fleet for Copenhagen S BaneThe Danish State Railways (DSB) has signed a landmark framework contract with a Siemens Mobility and Stadler consortium for 226 fully automated, 4‑car trainsets, with an option for a further 100. Valued at around €3 billion, the project will create the world's largest open railway system operating at Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4) a major leap forward in automated metro‑style rail operations across Europe.

Other News Sources

• Section on M1 in Yorkshire has 'worsening safety record' - AA analysisA section of the M1 smart motorway in Yorkshire has a 'worsening' safety record, according to an analysis by the AA.
• Smart motorways losing the economy money, creating jams with mixed safety benefitAnalysis of 16 Post Opening Project Evaluation (POPE*) of major schemes by The AA can reveal that many so called smart motorway schemes are losing the economy money, or barely providing any economic benefit.
• UK's first fully battery-powered train enters serviceUK: The upgraded Class 230 train has begun passenger operations on the 4-km Greenfield West Ealing line in west London. Charging takes place at the terminal station in just 3.5 minutes. It is noted that this time is sufficient for the train to operate to the standard daily schedule.
• Images show new TfL bus shelter designs being trialled across LondonTransport for London (TfL) has started trialling new bus shelter designs at 27 locations across the capital, aimed at improving accessibility, safety and the overall customer experience.
• First Bus prepares for wider electric bus rollout in NorfolkThe new electrification works taking place at Great Yarmouth's Caister Road bus depot are part of a £13.8 million investment into the region, funded by both First Bus and Norfolk County Council's Bus Service Improvement Plan, which is helping to support the rollout of cleaner and greener electric buses.
• Dispute continues over who is paying for stabilisation and restorationMore than £50 million has been spent on Hammersmith Bridge by the local council since its partial closure seven years ago, new data reveals.
• Over £50 million spent on Hammersmith Bridge during partial closureOver £50 million has been spent on Hammersmith Bridge by Hammersmith and Fulham Council since its partial closure seven years ago.
• Gobowen to Oswestry reconnection plan hits the buffersAmbitious plans to relink Oswestry with the main railway line using funds from the cancelled HS2 project have "not been possible", a Government minister has revealed.