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

Tuesday, 11 August 2026

BBC News

• Tree damage pauses walking and cycling schemeThe second phase of a £4.7m project to get more people walking and cycling in a town has been paused over concerns about damage to trees.
• The invisible price of travelling safely as a womanWomen are not necessarily being charged more for the same journey. Instead, safety concerns can push them towards different and sometimes more expensive choices. Stephanie Boyle, campaign director of the Safer Tourism Foundation's She Travels Safe campaign, calls it an "avoidance tax", noting that women often alter their behaviour before anything has gone wrong.
• Does Canvey Island need a third road?Should there be a third road to get on and off Canvey Island? It's a question many are beginning to ask once again after work to replace gas pipes along the A13 between the Tarports junction in Benfleet and the busy Sadlers Farm roundabout, caused much of south Essex to be gridlocked.
• Facial recognition to be trialled at Tube stationsLive facial recognition (LFR) cameras are to be deployed at some of London's Tube stations from Tuesday.
• Firms face charges for peak-time roadworksThree West Yorkshire councils are to begin charging companies up to £2,500 a day to carry out roadworks on some of the region's busiest roads during peak times.
• New train service connects Finland and Sweden for first time in decadesA new passenger train linking Finland and Sweden has begun running, creating the first rail connection between northern Finland and southern Europe in nearly 40 years.
• HS2 celebrates Brunel family's engineering legacyA blue plaque celebrating "one of the world's greatest engineering dynasties" has been installed by HS2 at the exact spot where the tunnel passes underneath the Brunel family tomb.
• Families snap up free summer bus rides for kidsParents says free summer bus travel for kids is helping them get out and about, but some are calling for the scheme to be extended.
• Ticketless rail travel trial extends in YorkshireA trial to remove the need for rail passengers to buy tickets has been extended in Yorkshire.
• What is a bike train and why do kids love them?"I like cycling because you can get fresh air and exercise," said 10-year-old Hattie.
• Network Rail fined £1.2m after wall falls on manNetwork Rail has been fined £1.2m after a wall fell and seriously injured an elderly man in Rugby.
• Heathrow rail services disrupted as tunnel closesRailway services to Heathrow Airport are being severely disrupted following the closure of a tunnel for safety reasons, Network Rail says.

The Independent

• HS2 installs blue plaque 40 metres under Brunel family tombHS2 Ltd said the marker celebrates 'one of the world's greatest engineering dynasties
• EU border chaos update as post-Brexit checks spark major delaysThe EU's Entry/Exit System only became fully operational in April but already faces backlash

The Telegraph

• Sick of yobs blasting out music on the bus? Here's my simple solution [subscription]What do you think would be an appropriate punishment for young men who blast out music from their phones on public transport? Death by firing squad? Hanging, drawing and quartering? Or are you one of those bleeding-heart pinko liberals who think a whole-life sentence in Belmarsh would suffice?
• Labour "fleeces motorists" out of £50m in Dartford crossing charges [Subscription]Transport bosses defend rise in toll income after ministers are accused of 'betraying' drivers

Times Online

• Why driverless taxis may increase London's pollution [subscription]Ministers have hailed self-driving taxis as the ultimate 'future of transport', promising safer roads, reduced isolation and billions of pounds in economic growth.

Network Rail

• Merseyrail to benefit from £3.5m of underground upgrades this AutumnMerseyrail passengers are being advised of changes to journeys on the Northern and Wirral lines this autumn while a £3.5m investment takes place to improve the network.
• Alfreton Tunnel track renewal completed to improve journeys between Sheffield and NottinghamNetwork Rail has successfully completed a track renewal project at Alfreton Tunnel, helping to deliver smoother and more reliable journeys for passenger and freight services between Sheffield and Nottingham.

Birmingham Post

• Northern companies benefit from Government electric vehicle backingNine companies around the North have won backing from the Drive35 programme

Bristol Live

• Metro Mayor says she 'has to be silent' on Bristol Airport expansion planIt is the most controversial plan in the region for years

Manchester Evening News

• Andy Burnham considering national railcard expansion as thousands of students set to save 50 per cent from August 17The Prime Minister has said cutting rail fares is in his "sights", with some prices "outrageously" high at the moment

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Hopes railway station in picturesque village could become 'gateway' to Northumberland coastA rail company boss said there was a "real opportunity" for the station to have a bigger role

Cambridge News

• Self-driving buses could be used on guided busway as Cambridge scheme granted £3.8 millionA trial of self-driving buses will take place on the busway later this year

Kent Online

• Eurostar rival Gemini could house trains at abandoned Ashford depot siteThe bosses of a company hoping to rival Eurostar want to use a former Kent rail depot to house trains - describing it as a 'golden opportunity'.

Oxford Mail

• Anger over potential strike action for £7bn East West RailAn end was in sight for a dispute that halted the much-anticipated introduction of new trains to Milton Keynes, instead strike action is on the cards.

Other Regional Press

• Portsmouth councillor calls for £1 bus fares as he attacks Labour offerThe council's transport chief has said Labour's travel offers don't go far enough

Train Operators

• Future of UK rail meets its past: HS2 unveils plaque in honour of Brunel familyHS2 Ltd has revealed a new plaque installed 40m underground, marking the spot where the high-speed railway passes beneath the tomb of the Brunel family - one of the world's greatest engineering dynasties.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Scottish Government providing £6.2m fuel support for operatorsUp to £6.2m in total is to be made available to bus operators to help with rising fuel costs as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.

Bus-News

• UK Government Funding Expands Autonomous Bus and Vehicle TrialsThe UK Government has announced funding for projects developing autonomous vehicles across public transport, construction, airports and highway maintenance.

Highways News

• "Britain needs to work better for more people in more places" Heidi Alexander explains the Government's plan for better roadsHeidi Alexander MP, the Secretary of State for Transport, has set out a £7.3 billion investment to fix potholes and a system to hold councils accountable and has taken to the national press to explain how the plan will be executed.

Rail Advent

• HS2 Euston tunnel gets Brunel Blue PlaqueA blue plaque has been unveiled 40 metres underground on a wall in HS2's Euston tunnel between Old Oak Common and Euston, which marks the last resting place of Sir Marc Brunel and his son Isambard Brunel.

Rail Business Daily

• Network Rail releases drone footage of Guide Bridge track upgradesNetwork Rail has released drone footage following the first weekend of major track upgrades between Manchester and the Peak District.

Rail Magazine

• Analysis: GBR will need space to evolveThe Campaign for Better Transport argues that GBR will need space to evolve into the network it needs to be once it is established.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Stagecoach commences rollout of battery-electric buses in HullOperator deploys first of an eventual 55 battery-electrics for city, bought with ZEBRA 2 funding

Safer Highways

• Network Rail Launches £113M Framework to Safeguard Wales & Western Railway Structures Ground Control, XEIAD and Inspire (Structures) have secured places on a long-term civils examinations framework that will underpin the inspection and maintenance of thousands of critical railway assets across the Wales & Western network.

Transportxtra

• Rosso is Executive Affairs head at GBR (Anglia)Dominic Rosso has been appointed Head of Executive Affairs at Great British Railways (Anglia).

Urban Transport Group

• New report outlines steps to boost walking, wheeling and cyclingThe Urban Transport Group (UTG) has today published a new report highlighting the crucial role of walking, wheeling and cycling in creating genuinely integrated transport networks.

Other News Sources

• £3.5M UNDERGROUND UPGRADE FOR MERSEYRAIL THIS AUTUMNNetwork Rail will waterproof and strengthen four underground tunnels during a 26-day railway closure from Sunday 11 October to Friday 6 November.
• Jen Browning appointed as CEO of Transport for AllWe're delighted to welcome Jen Browning as the new Chief Executive Officer of Transport for All.
• HS2 boss 'fully committed' to delivery by 2037The chief executive of HS2 has announced he is 'fully committed' to delivering the high-speed railway by 2037 or earlier, following plans to reset the project.
• UK National Rail Crisis 2026: Power Failure at Manchester Operating Centre Paralyzes Midlands and NorthA critical power outage at the Manchester Rail Operating Centre has triggered massive disruptions across the UK Midlands and North West, stranding thousands of travelers.
• Underground upgrades scheduled for Merseyrail in £3.5m projectMerseyrail passengers are being advised of changes to journeys on the Northern and Wirral lines this autumn while a £3.5m investment takes place.