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

Thursday, 26 February 2026

BBC News

• Long-awaited work starts to make station step freeWork has begun to make access to a railway station step free - nearly 20 years after it was first promised.
• Plans for major port expansion are approvedPlans to expand the Port of Tilbury by 143 acres (58ha) have been approved by a council. The new Tilbury3 (T3) site will be used for container operations, vehicle storage and warehousing on the north bank of the Thames estuary in Essex.
• Approval for £14.5m electric car charging schemeThe scheme aims to install 9,500 electric vehicle charging points across the West Midlands.
• Work on 'dirty and scary' tunnel not due until 2029The tunnel from New Street Station to Moor Street has been described as dirty and scary by commuters.
• Strike will not affect Windrush line, TfL saysRMT members employed by a rail maintenance firm are walking out in a dispute over pay and conditions.
• Bridge or tunnel linking Mull and mainland to be consideredThe National Islands Plan calls for "detailed appraisals" to be carried out about setting up three fixed links across parts of Scotland
• Not even potholes will hold up self-driving cars, UK firm predictsWayve says it's confident all cars will one day be autonomous, as it announced more than a £1bn in additional investment.
• Aston Martin cuts 20% of workforce as losses widenAbout 600 jobs will go at the luxury car maker, which in part blames US tariffs for its troubles.

Financial Times

• Third runway will cost £15 per passenger, Heathrow boss claimsComments by Thomas Woldbye come as Britain’s hub airport awaits crucial ruling by regulator

The Guardian

• Slow progress on Heathrow's third runway should be national concern, boss saysThomas Woldbye says major funding model decisions need to be taken if the airport is to meet government timetable

The Independent

• Heathrow's growing debt makes third runway plan even more absurd, say opponentsA £1 billion rise in Heathrow's debt has prompted campaigners against a third runway to argue the government's decision to back the airport's expansion is even more absurd.

The Telegraph

• Heathrow third runway will increase threat of bird strikes, warns MoD [subscription]Military and civilian flights could be affected by local wildlife, say defence officials

Times Online

• The hidden cost of those super-cheap Chinese cars [subscription]Getting insurance for your new bargain electric or hybrid vehicle may be expensive or even impossible

Birmingham Mail

• £50m fund agreed to help Midlands firms adapt to electric vehicle productionCouncillors said small to medium sized businesses in the region need support

Birmingham Post

• Jet2 on track to £439m profits despite £10m costs of launching Gatwick baseThe holidays firm has expanded the number of UK airports it flies from
• Trainline shares slump as CEO Jody Ford announces departureThe chief executive of the FTSE 250 rail ticketing app said he would be leaving after more than six years in the job

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Executive flights bid at tiny North Wales airfield fuels expansion fearsNearby residents fear the move could lead to 'further aviation expansion' at the rural airfield

London Evening Standard

• 'London needs a citywide e-bike and e-scooter licensing scheme now', ministers toldTransport minister 'shares the concerns' about e-bikes being dumped on pavements
• London is safe says Heathrow boss as passengers numbers hit recordTotal passenger numbers passing through Heathrow rose 0.7% to an all time high of 84.5 million

The York Press

• Network Rail thanks passengers amid East Coast improvementPassengers are being thanked for their patience during recent rail line upgrades.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• A656 Ridge Road rail bridge to be replaced during nine-month closure between Garforth and MicklefieldThe A656 Ridge Road Bridge, between Garforth and Micklefield, will be replaced as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrades programme of improvements to deliver more frequent, faster, greener trains on a better, more reliable railway.

Chester Standard

• Work to improve Northwich pedestrian and cycling routesWORK to improve a Cheshire West town's cycling and pedestrian routes is set to get underway.

Other Regional Press

• Twyford Station MP met Rail Minister Lord Hendy on TuesdayKey players from Wokingham met in London on Tuesday to discuss the problem of parking at Twyford station.

Construction Enquirer

• Tilbury3 approval shores-up capital's aggregates supplyThe Port of Tilbury has secured outline planning approval for its 143-acre Tilbury3 expansion, unlocking a major new phase of industrial and logistics growth on the Thames.

Highways News

• Transport Secretary revokes A47 dualling DCOThe Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander MP, is proposing to make an order to revoke the A47 Wansford to Sutton Development Consent Order in Cambridgeshire.

New Civil Engineer

• Network Rail deploys new technology to improve scour risk assessment for bridgesMore than 500 bridges across the UK railway network are identified as being at high risk of damage from scour; when river levels rise above a specified depth, they have to be closed to traffic.

Rail Magazine

• Industry unites behind new operations leadership pilotSenior figures from across Britain's railway assembled at Swindon on February 24 for the formal launch of a new cross-industry leadership initiative that its backers hope will help close long-recognised gaps in operational understanding.

TaxiPoint

• Swansea cabbie fears cross-border taxi gap is putting women at risk as union begins lobbying at WestminsterA Swansea taxi driver has highlighted fresh concerns over cross-border private hire licensing, warning that current rules are creating safety risks for passengers and limiting the ability of councils to intervene.
• Government hints at stopping short of mandating safeguarding training for taxi and private hire driversThe Government has stopped short of committing to amend statutory taxi and private hire vehicle licensing guidance to mandate safeguarding training for all drivers, instead pointing to existing recommendations and proposed new regulation-making powers.

Aviation Industry

• How London Heathrow Airport's new 'digital backbone' will improve the passenger experienceHeathrow Airport has selected a new digital provider that will manage the vast hub, help to predict incidents, minimise disruptions and make AI-supported decisions in real time.

Other News Sources

• Cheshire MPs meet with Transport Secretary to discuss rail fares, potholes and moreTim Roca, Sarah Russell and Andrew Cooper, MPs for Macclesfield, Congleton and Mid Cheshire respectively, recently met with the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander.
• Spencer Rail Engineering advances £17m wheel lathe facility projectSpencer Rail Engineering is supporting Greater Anglia in the delivery of a new wheel lathe facility at Clacton Depot.
• MPs right to criticise rail 'boom and bust' but government needs to look at bigger picture, says IMechE rail chairA recent report by a group of MPs was right to criticise the damaging 'boom and bust' cycle of investment in the UK rail industry, an IMechE expert has said but, she added, it failed to reflect rail's environmental credentials.
• All aboard for growth: Why rail reform is incomplete without rail devolution for England's big citiesThis briefing sets out how rail reform can fill in the missing piece of the integrated transport puzzle that would better connect 1.2 million more people in England's six largest urban economies outside London, and where there is still more to be done to ensure provisions to tackle spatial fragmentation do not stall in the places that would benefit the most.
• Heathrow Airport retail revenue and spend growth outpace passenger traffic rise in 2025UK. London Heathrow Airport ... reported full-year financial results, with retail revenue climbing +2.5% year-on-year to £791 million (US$1,068 million). The growth figure outstripped the +0.7% rise in passenger traffic to 84.5 million.
• New 20mph speed limit planned for roads across DorkingUp to 12 roads in the town could see speed limits reduced
• Parking row as coach provider says it won't move from city centre spotA coach provider has spoken out amid a row over coach parking in the city