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

Thursday, 30 July 2026

BBC News

• Flying high! Record-breaking plane touches down after 24 hoursAustralian airline Qantas has completed what's believed to be the world's longest-ever commercial flight.
• Rail station strike planned over 'unfair sacking'Avanti West Coast staff working at Manchester Piccadilly announce a 24-hour walk-out on Saturday .
• Call for TfL to control driverless taxi trialsCaroline Russell says driverless taxi regulation needs to be passed to Transport for London (TfL).
• CalMac ferry Glen Rosa leaves Ferguson shipyard for the final time Final fitting out and commissioning work will take place in Greenock with the ship due to be handed over by the end of the year.
• Ticket prices set to rise by 15p as Heathrow able to recover runway project moneyUK airport gets green light to charge airlines more to use the hub, which is expected to mean higher fares for flyers.

Department for Transport

• £750,000 to launch aviation careers for diverse young talent Scheme helps break down barriers and empower more young people to pursue careers in aviation and aerospace.

Financial Times

• Transport for London demands £1bn from carmakers over allegedly unpaid Ulez chargesLondon transport authority claims leading manufacturers misled authorities over diesel emissions.

The Guardian

• US schools are struggling to keep the yellow bus running amid shortages and cutsDistricts are reducing routes and exploring new ways to get students to class as transportation costs climb
• Trump announces $22bn plan to rebuild Dulles international airportPlanned overhaul forms part of president's broader pattern of directing changes in Washington after arch and ballroom
• TfL brings case worth up to £1bn against carmakers over Ulez complianceTransport for London claims polluting diesel vehicles had been able to enter clean air zone without having to pay. Transport for London is pursuing a potential £1bn legal action against car manufacturers over vehicles that it argues should not have been allowed to drive freely in the capital’s clean-air zone.The high court heard that TfL was making allegations of “fraud and negligence” against manufacturers including Stellantis, Jaguar Land Rover, BMW and Nissan over their vehicles’ levels of diesel emissions.
• Carmakers ‘delaying investment in UK factories until EV sales rules relaxed’Industry wants mandate forcing manufacturers to sell increasing share of electric cars each year to be eased. Carmakers are delaying final decisions to invest in UK factories until electric car sales rules are relaxed, according to the head of the British car industry’s lobby group.The chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Mike Hawes, said those with existing UK operations were considering building new models, but had held back so far.
• Heathrow passengers face higher fares as airport can recover early expansion plan costsCAA says airport can recoup 3320m through higher airline charges, which are usually passed on to travellers

The Herald

• Record-breaking 24-hour flight passes over ScotlandAerospace manufacturer Airbus has set a new aviation milestone by completing the longest-ever commercial aircraft flight - and it flew over Scotland.

The Independent

• Trump unveils $22 billion renovation plan to make over the country's 'worst airport'The project's financing will come from the airport authority and the airlines operating at Dulles, according to a White House official

Times Online

• Record 24-hour flight means going non-stop to Australia is about to take off [subscription]A Qantas Airways A350 flew from Melbourne to Toulouse without stopping and from next year, services from Sydney to London or New York can avoid a layover
• Which Tube line is loudest? We rank the noisiest Underground sections [subscription]The Central, Jubilee, Northern and Victoria lines receive the most noise complaints as Transport for London faces calls for a full investigation

Mail Online

• British Airways jet 'seconds from disaster after stalling above London' in UK's 'most serious near miss in years'The aircraft's captain was reportedly forced to intervene and recover the near miss, described as the greatest of its kind in years, while the Airbus A320 descended into Heathrow Airport.

The Mirror

• Major EU airport to close for 11 weeks for £42.8m upgrade - all flights impactedSeveral airlines operate flights to and from the busy airport and about two million passengers are expected to be impacted by the 11-week closure in 2028

Birmingham Post

• '2026 has not been a good year for the M5', apologises National HighwaysThe body responsible for England's roads has formally apologised to Somerset drivers over repeated closures on the motorway
• Heathrow passengers to foot bill for third runway bidding processThe initial costs are expected to be recouped through ticket prices

Derby Telegraph

• Dramatic calls made for new 20mph speed limit across EnglandExperts are strongly pushing for the reduction in a bid to lower road deaths
• Fresh hope for Derbyshire town to regain its railway stationGovernment support for the Ivanhoe Line's reinstatement through South Derbyshire was spiked by Labour but a new group has its backing

Oxford Mail

• Oxford station upgrade 'now needs a new timetable'Network Rail should announce a new timetable for work to create a new western entrance to Oxford station, according to a former county councillor.

Other Regional Press

• County Councillor's anger as number of Stagecoach Thanet routes to be reduced or withdrawnA Thanet and county councillor has slammed Stagecoach after discovering the bus operator will be reducing and withdrawing a number of isle services from September 20.
• 'This will hit the most vulnerable hardest': Bus service cuts across Kent spark furyImminent cuts to bus services across Kent, blamed on declining passenger numbers and increased fuel and staffing costs, have sparked fury
• GACC seeks permission to appeal High Court ruling on Gatwick expansion: Court of Appeal hearing startsHearings in the Court of Appeal have begun as Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC) seeks permission to appeal the High Court ruling to allow the expansion of Gatwick Airport.
• Rail haulage company opening applications to new Somerset trainee driversHeavy Haul Rail is recruiting trainee freight train drivers at its Mendip, Somerset depot. Applications open now for those aged 18+ within a 60-minute commute.
• Portsmouth North MP joins Burnham's Transport TeamThe MP for Portsmouth North, Amanda Martin, has been appointed as a member of the Government's Transport Team, after new Prime Minister Andy Burnham committed to a renewed focus on transport policy.

New Civil Engineer

• New £250M Cambridge South station sees more than 110,000 passenger journeys in first monthThousands of passengers have passed through the gates of Cambridge South station since it opened to the public on 29 June.

Railnews

• Local trains return to Paignton after fire Trains have returned to a south Devon station which was badly damaged by fire on 21 July. Trains are running again between Paignton, Newton Abbot, Exeter and Exmouth, but intercity services which usually run to Paignton are terminating at Exeter St David’s or Newton Abbot.

Railway-News

• Northern Celebrates Fruitful Desires at Bridlington Railway StationFor the last ten years, Andrew Loxton has been brightening Bridlington railway station with a cornucopia of beautiful flower displays.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Leicester bus operators back One Network Partnership to 2030Leicester City Council and the city's bus operators have pledged to invest around £75 million in electric vehicles, passenger information, bus priority and simpler ticketing as part of a new arrangement running to March 2030

Transport Scotland

• Support for Wick Air ServicesAlmost £1.8 million has been awarded by the Scottish Government to support air services operating from Wick to Aberdeen and Glasgow.

Aviation Industry

• UK Government invests in future aviation talent with new £750k careers fundReach for the Sky Challenge Fund will deliver projects to inspire pilots and aviation engineers.
• easyJet Reaches 10 Million Passenger Milestone at BHXeasyJet has celebrated carrying more than 10 million passengers to and from Birmingham Airport (BHX)

Other News Sources

• 'An impressive feat of engineering': Transpennine Route Upgrade milestone as Baker Viaduct crosses River Calder in RavensthorpeThe newly built Baker Viaduct now spans the River Calder, after the penultimate pair of beams were installed on Wednesday (July 29), connecting the structural steelwork either side of the water.
• Leeds transport tech acquires First Group subsidiary in £48m dealLeeds transport tech Tracsis is to acquire Mistral Data, which was established in 2010 as the technology innovation arm of FirstGroup and has since developed into a provider of software and tech to the wider rail industry, in a £48m deal.
• TfL expands Routemaster 'ding-ding' trial after promising safety resultsTransport for London (TfL) is bringing back one of London's most familiar sounds 'ding-ding' as it expands a trial to see whether the classic Routemaster bell can help prevent passengers from falling over when buses pull away.
• Liverpool-to-Manchester rail link land row heads to High CourtBridgemere Group and subsidiary Castle Green Homes have been granted permission to challenge the Department for Transport's decision to delay the approval of the developers 330-home scheme on land in Warrington that could accommodate a section of the proposed Northern Arc rail scheme.