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

Sunday, 03 May 2026

BBC News

• Grade II-listed bridge to reopen after repairsA Grade II-listed bridge on a heritage railway line is due to reopen after essential restoration work to its stonework and arches.
• Will an M4 relief road ever be given the green light?Wales' Senedd election has seen the potential for an M4 relief road return as a political issue.
• Spirit Airlines shutting down after rescue talks collapseThe airline had been in talks with the Trump administration about a $500m bailout.
• Airlines can cancel flights in advance over fuel shortages, under new plansMinisters hope move would help avoid last-minute flight cancellations for passengers this summer over Middle East fuel supplies.
• Why is Liverpool Lime Street closed over bank holiday?No trains are going to run in and out of Liverpool Lime Street station on Sunday and bank Hholiday Monday due to repair work, Network Rail has said.

The Guardian

• Dynamic pay on platforms such as Uber should be banned, says TUCExclusive: Union body finds workers describing themselves as ‘gambling’ because wages felt like the outcome of chance rather than work. The practice of using “dynamic pricing” to set pay on gig economy platforms including Uber should be banned because it leaves workers at the mercy of shadowy algorithms with no certainty over their earnings, trade union leaders have urged.In a report exposing the human cost of the gig economy practice, the Trades Union Congress said pay was becoming decoupled from time, skill or effort.
• Two buses, three hours and 13 miles: how Americans in 'transit deserts' get groceries without carsAs Covid-era funding dries up and bus services are cut, a food insecurity crisis is brewing from Tennessee to Rhode Island

The Observer

• Spooked investors could ground Heathrow's third runwayForeign stakeholders appear to be getting cold feet as the Iran war drives costs ever higher. The future of the troubled £49bn project looks precarious if there's a reshuffle at No 11

The Telegraph

• Heathrow seeks peace deal with airlines to let third runway take off [subscription]Heathrow is attempting to de-escalate a row with airlines amid rising concern that work on the third runway will be delayed yet again and undermine Labour's hopes of economic growth.
• Riding the world's longest stretch of straight railway track was strangely entrancing [subscription]This train journey from Adelaide to Perth remains one of most extraordinary outback adventures of them all

Times Online

• Airport chiefs: bring back furlough to avoid mass job losses [subscription]The ground handling sector has warned ministers that the impact could be 'worse than Covid' if a jet fuel shortage caused by the Iran war leads to cancellations
• Heathrow 'sues for peace' to end third runway dogfight [subscription]New chairman Philip Jansen holds talks with disgruntled airlines and billionaire Surinder Arora to join forces over the airport's multibillion-pound expansion
• All-night airport trains should be the rule, not the exception [subscription]Manchester airport is getting a much needed night-time rail service. But how long till we get one from Heathrow and Stansted?

City AM

• UK at ‘greatest risk’ of jet fuel shortage as flights to be cancelled Ministers are set to warn the British public that flight cancellations will hit summer holiday plans as new research suggested that the UK is more exposed to jet fuel shortages than other European countries.  Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, is set to tell Brits that there could be flight cancellations this year as she will [...]

Daily Record

• Scotland's airports cashing in on 'rip-off' pick-up and drop-off charges despite £100m profit boostExperts said pick-up and drop-off fees at terminals, branded the 'kiss and fly tax', are a "rip off".

GB News

• Labour under pressure to tackle airport parking charges mayhem with new rules amid spiralling costsCampaigners have asked the Government to grant the Civil Aviation Authority new powers to audit and cap charges, introduce a free 10-minute grace period, and stop airports from profiting from drop-off zones.

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham underground system Tory transport pledge divides opinionThe Conservatives have pledged to conduct a feasibility study into a large-scale Birmingham underground system if they take control of the council
• Faces of 'skilled' underground cable thieves who caused chaos for thousands in BirminghamA Romanian gang have been locked up after they were caught stealing underground BT cables

Daily Post (North Wales)

• The 'lost' Caernarfon railway tunnel that once linked three stations in North WalesThe historic Caernarfon railway tunnel was part of a line that connected all three of the town's stations before lying derelict for over 30 years

London Evening Standard

• TfL accused of 'dereliction of duty' over step-free access in outer London Tube stationsCurrently 94 of 272 Tube stations have step-free access, with around 40 more currently undergoing feasibility studies or where design work is underway

Nation. Cymru

• Faster buses in Wales would encourage 1 in 3 to travel more oftenSlow buses are deterring people from using public transport in Wales, according to new polling for the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT Cymru).
• Railway launches steam train and walking adventures for National Walking MonthTo mark National Walking Month, a Welsh heritage railway is launching a new series of steam train and guided walking adventures.

Wales Online

• Rivals to Great Western Railway plan new mainline services from south WalesTrain operator Lumo has five trains on order for the route with Hitachi while Transport for Wales is seeking to run trains to Bristol

Doncaster Free Press

• Doncaster MP takes rail campaign to train bosses in major step forwardA Doncaster MP has taken his rail campaign to train bosses in a major step forward

South Wales Argus

• New train station 'Vital' for economic growth says MPA new railway station in Monmouthshire is 'Vital' for economic growth, according to Catherine Fookes MP, as she slams Reform UK for trying to stop it.

Wrexham.com

• Faster buses could boost public transport use, polling suggestsA third of people in Wales would use public transport more often if buses were faster, polling commissioned by the bus and coach industry shows.

Other Regional Press

• Airport plants more than 16,000 trees near CorbridgeMore than 16,000 new trees have been planted near Corbridge to create a woodland spanning 14 football pitches.
• Weymouth train station toilets set to reopen to publicTOILETS at Weymouth railway station are finally set to reopen, more than a decade after they were shut amid vandalism, drug use and wider anti‑social behaviour.
• Bus trips were shorter and more reliable after dedicated lane introduced on main routePUBLIC transport journeys were shorter and passenger numbers increased after the installation of a bus priority scheme on a busy North Somerset road.

Highways Magazine

• English devolution bill becomes law: Pavement parking, planning and transport powersThe English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill has received Royal Assent, introducing 'strategic authorities' into law and giving their elected mayors more devolved powers over transport, planning, housing and economic regeneration.

Rail Advent

• London Northwestern Railway train named in tribute to Bedford's historyLondon Northwestern Railway has named a Marston Vale Line train 'Brickfield Breeze' in tribute to Bedford's industrial heritage. Entries were judged by a London Northwestern Railway panel, following a student competition with Kimberley College.

Railway Supply

• Transport Committee Slams Government Denial of Erratic Rail Investment CyclesRail investment boom and bust is at the centre of a dispute between the Government and the Transport Committee. The Government rejected the idea that rail funding has followed a system-wide cycle, except for rolling stock.
• Network Rail Inks £200M Deal to Rebuild the Historic Portishead LinePortishead Line reopening work has advanced at Bristol Temple Meads. Contracts valued at 200 million GBP have been signed. They cover work to restore passenger services on the railway line. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Aviation Industry

• Government Moves To Safeguard Summer Travel With Proposed Airport Slot FlexibilityThe UK Government has launched a rapid consultation on plans to temporarily relax airport slot rules, aiming to reduce the risk of last-minute flight cancellations and provide greater certainty for passengers ahead of the peak summer travel season.

Other News Sources

• The world's best airport for shopping is in LondonAccording to the 2026 Skytrax World Airport Awards, London's biggest airport is the greatest on the planet for duty free shopping
• Elsie Blundell MP: Bring back the express bus - Elsie Blundell MPI want the best for the towns in my constituency of Heywood and Middleton North, and since being elected in 2024, I have spoken up, locally and in Parliament, to improve our health services, dentistry, better housing, education and childcare.

News from Europe

• Switzerland's Gotthard Base Tunnel is the World's Longest and Deepest Rail Tunnel and Transforms European Travel with a Swift Twenty-Minute Journey Under the AlpsThe Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland holds the title of the longest and deepest railway tunnel in the world, stretching approximately thirty-five miles (fifty-seven kilometres) beneath the Swiss Alps. Since opening in 2016, this remarkable piece of infrastructure has revolutionised travel between northern and southern Europe, cutting what was once a long, winding mountain journey down to a roughly twenty minute train ride. The tunnel's combination of length and depth has captured global attention and set a new benchmark in civil engineering.