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

Saturday, 15 August 2026

BBC News

• Staff made redundant as bus company ceases tradingA bus operator serving the East Midlands has announced it has ceased trading and made the majority of its 76 members of staff redundant.
• Derailed Essex train leads to travel chaosMore than 60 patients were checked over by ambulance crews but all were discharged at the scene.
• Bus drivers strike over oven-like cabs in heatwaveThe Unite union is demanding air conditioning in driver cabs as drivers complain of heatstroke.
• Engine parts smashed Ryanair window that man's head was sucked out of, report saysA preliminary report by US investigators says an engine fan blade broke on last month's flight from Greece to Germany.
• Electric vehicle sales targets could be cut after pressure from car makersThe government says it is considering cutting the new electric car sales target from 80% to 50% by 2030.
• Views sought on plans for new railway stationThorpe Park Rail Station would be built on the Leeds to York line between Cross Gates and Garforth, serving the Thorpe Park business and retail development.

Department for Transport

• Review launched to shape pathway to reach zero emission driving by 2035Vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, charge point operators, dealers, consumers and communities are being asked for their views on the pathway to ending sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and ensuring all new cars and vans are zero emission by 2035, as the government today (14 August 2026) launches a consultation on the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate.
• Two new non-executive directors appointed to the DVSA boardHeidi Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport, has appointed 2 new non-executive directors to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) board.

The Guardian

• Ontario free to axe Toronto bike lanes, region’s top court rulesWin is significant for region’s premier, Doug Ford, who blames protected zones for city’s traffic ills. The Ontario government is now free to rip out Toronto’s bike lanes on its busiest streets after the region’s top court ruled in favour of the province on Friday, overturning a lower court’s decision that decreed removal would violate constitutional rights. The win is significant for Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford, and his government, who have long railed against Toronto’s bike lanes, blaming the protected zones for the city’s traffic ills.
• Reckless ebike users put all of us at risk | LetterKevin Lloyd is angered by the sheer impunity that radiates from users and calls for regulation There may be something in the argument identified by Andy Beckett that increased use of ebikes reflects broader changes in urban areas, including the cost of housing (Lime bikes hurtling around the city: is this the revenge of a priced-out generation, 8 August). Yet none of that excuses the sheer impunity that radiates from ebike users, worsened by the design of city bikes which encourage the rider to sit back as if on a magic steed from which to survey their kingdom.
• Ryanair window that passenger was partly sucked out of was broken by engine debris, report findsFan blade broke off shortly after takeoff on 10 July flight from Greece to Germany, preliminary findings show. Broken engine parts were responsible for shattering a window on a Ryanair plane, causing a passenger to be partly sucked out mid-flight in July, US investigators have said.A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found an engine fan blade broke off shortly after takeoff on the 10 July flight from Greece to Germany shattering the window and damaging the fuselage.
• National Rail says heat poses ‘exceptional challenges’ after two trains derail in 24 hoursIncident near Essex town of Wickford happens day after two passengers seriously hurt in East Sussex derailmentT. he UK’s fifth heatwave of the summer has “presented exceptional challenges to the railway”, Network Rail has said, after two trains derailed in less than 24 hours.On Friday, British Transport Police (BTP) confirmed the rear carriages of a Greater Anglia train derailed “in an upright position” at Wickford railway station in Essex, adding that there were no reported injuries.

The Independent

• MP urges Andy Burnham to extend railcard discounts to commuters over 30Ministers serving Andy Burnham "should look seriously" at cutting rail fares for passengers aged 31 and over, an MP has urged.

The Telegraph

• Lord Snape, long-serving Labour MP and transport expert who once clashed with Edwina CurrieA former railwayman and regular soldier, Peter Snape specialised in transport, most effectively in tandem with his friend John Prescott.

Times Online

• Essex train derailment: second train derails in less than 24 hours [subscription]The train appeared to be operated by Greater Anglia and has come off the track near Wickford, less than a day after the incident in Lewes
• Thousands of e-bikes lack third-party crash insurance [subscription]About 14,000 Voi hire bikes in London are not covered, leaving victims of collisions at risk of losing out on compensation
• Uber president: Self-driving cars will put 100,000 taxi jobs at risk [subscription]On the 15th floor of Uber's UK headquarters in trendy east London, the rhythmic ping-pong sound of a table tennis match can be heard. During rallies, idealistic visions are exchanged about how the world's transportation systems will change.
• Electric car sales targets could be watered down [subscription]Labour is reviewing its zero-emission vehicle mandate after manufacturers warned of the threat to British industry

City AM

• Voi rides on in London borough despite council order Voi is continuing to operate hundreds of e-bikes in Ealing despite the council choosing Lime and Forest to run its new rental scheme, City AM understands. The Swedish e-bike operator has not removed its fleet after its previous agreement with the west London council expired at the end of July, leaving three companies operating in [...]
• EV targets set to be watered down Electric vehicle sales targets for British carmakers could be watered down after ministers launched a fresh review amid growing pressure from manufacturers and dealerships. The government said it was seeking the opinions of auto makers, suppliers and charging point providers on whether to loosen the ambitious plans to phase out sales of petrol and hybrid

Daily Express

• Sadiq Khan blasted over 'bonkers' £2m a year project 'almost nobody is using'Sir Sadiq Khan has been told to scrap a "bonkers" scheme that "almost nobody" is using. The Silvertown Tunnel underneath the River Thames opened last year in east London. Commuters on bicycles can use a shuttle bus between the Greenwich Peninsula and Royal Victoria station, but critics suggest it is not being used enough to justify a running cost of £2million a year.

Mail Online

• Railway bosses insist lines are safe in extreme heat after two trains derail within 24 hoursThe Greater Anglia service crashed off the tracks in Essex less than 24 hours after a Southern Rail train's carriages flipped over in Sussex.
• Commuters forced to dodge human waste outside historic railway hubs, drug addicts on the streets and sprawling camps of rough sleepers: How London's homeless crisis is only getting worseKing's Cross, long infamous as a red light zone with prostitutes, heroin addicts and kerb crawlers, has lately been 'gentrified' - yet many rough sleepers remain.
• London bus drivers start 26 days of strike action over 'dangerously hot' working conditions as capital sees latest heatwave in record-breaking summerMore than 1,500 bus drivers working for Arriva London started industrial action today - with warnings of major transport delays and chaos across the coming months.
• Second train derails in less than 24 hours: Carriages come off tracks a day after 20 people were injured in Lewes crash on hottest day of the yearThe latest incident has occurred at Wickford in Essex and appears to involve a Greater Anglia service.

The Mirror

• Wickford train derailment - recap: Greater Anglia train comes off tracks in EssexA Greater Anglia train derailed near Wickford in Essex - the second train to come off the tracks in the UK within 24 hours - with services cancelled between London Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria.

Conservative Home

• Tony Lodge: Burnham should look East for better trainsAndy Burnham's decision to take the plane instead of the train to open 'No. 10 North' last month was unsurprising to those who regularly endure the failing West Coast Main Line and its Avanti trains. The company has just announced 12 per cent cuts to its summer services and its drivers are balloting for strike action. The service will be nationalised next year.

Sky News

• Heathrow warns of disruption at two terminals after flooding Heathrow Airport has warned access to Terminals 2 and 3 is restricted.

Bristol Live

• Wickford train derailment as second incident in a day causes 'major disruption'A Greater Anglia train has derailed in Essex sparking 'major disruption' on the rail network

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Restore 30mph limit to 'all the roads' except outside schools and hospitalsCouncillors welcome Conwy County Council's reinstatement of higher speed limit on 15 roads but some think the authority should go further

LBC

• Electric vehicle 2030 target set to be watered down as Government launches consultation on targetA target to boost the number of electric car sales by 2030 could be watered down, amid fears the UK automotive sector faces high energy prices and stiff international competition.

Nation. Cymru

• More than 1,000 air-con faults hit Transport for Wales trains amid sweltering heatMore than 1,000 air-conditioning faults have been reported on Transport for Wales trains since April, new figures reveal, as passengers complain of sweltering conditions during recent hot weather.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• £62k boost for Morley station as new walking route aims to make journeys saferMore than £60,000 of grant funding will help improve safety for people walking to a town's railway station.

My London

• TfL warned broken escalators risk scaring commuters away from London UndergroundIt's claimed Londoners could shift away from public transport and scupper City Hall targets

Other Regional Press

• Swindon MP 'deeply concerned' by train derailment near LewesA Swindon MP and Transport Secretary has said she is "seriously concerned" after two people were seriously injured following a train derailing near Lewes in East Sussex.
• New long-term vision to be developed for Blackburn Railway StationBlackburn with Darwen Council has commissioned a new long-term plan to help shape the future of Blackburn Railway Station and its surrounding area.
• Airport campaign calls for drop-off charges to be scrappedA CAMPAIGN calling for free passenger drop-offs at airports across the UK is gathering momentum, with campaigners urging ministers to end charges they say unfairly penalise families, passengers and airport workers.

Rail Advent

• Progress in restoration of historic Nottinghamshire signalboxThe East Midlands Transport Heritage Trust has launched an appeal to raise funds towards parts required for the restoration of the former London and North Eastern Railway Hotchley Hill signal box on the Great Central Railway (Nottingham).

Railnews

• Investigators work to find 'root cause' of Lewes derailment Greater Thameslink Railway interim CEO John Whitehurst says the root cause of last night’s derailment near Lewes will be the subject of an ‘open investigation’. Twenty people were injured in the crash, two of them seriously, when the three trailing cars of a Southern train became derailed and overturned in a lineside field.

road.cc

• Department for Transport admits illegal electric motorbikes 'cannot be identified' in UK road collision statisticsWhile updated guidance is available to help officers categorise vehicles in the aftermath of a collision or incident, the DfT has confirmed that its own road casualty stats do not make it clear which category electric motorbikes and illegal modified bikes appear in

Other News Sources

• 'Simply irreplaceable': ITT political advisor Lord Snape of Wednesbury passes away aged 84Lord Peter Snape, who served as the Labour MP for West Bromwich East from 1974 to 2001, became political advisor to the ITT in 2002 at the request of Chair Steven Freudmann, who described him as "simply irreplaceable".
• Agent calls for national aviation strategy to boost regional long-haul routesA travel agent has urged the government to adopt a national aviation strategy which boosts regional connectivity through Manchester and ends London's dominance of long-haul flying, following the green light for expansion plans at Gatwick and Luton airports.
• Mid Wales Is Moving From Transport Strategy to DeliveryTransport investment is most valuable when people can see and feel the difference it makes to their everyday journeys. That is now beginning to happen across Mid Wales, as the Regional Transport Plan moves from a long period of evidence gathering, engagement and strategic planning into delivery on the ground.
• Specialised transport sector welcomes UK's first dedicated logistics ministerThe appointment of Keir Mather MP as the UK's first dedicated minister for logistics is being viewed by the specialised transport sector as a crucial opportunity to tackle long-standing regulatory bottlenecks.