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

Saturday, 22 August 2026

BBC News

• Normal service to resume on derailment train lineNormal service is set to resume on a track where a train derailed in Essex, Greater Anglia has said.
• Derailed carriages are swept for passengers' bagsMore carriages from a train that derailed near Lewes have been lifted off the tracks and searched as passengers wait to be reunited with their belongings.
• Site for community bike hub 'stormed' by vandalsPolice investigate after the Believe Achieve CIC project was targeted on Monday night.
• Panama Canal to cut number of ships passing through due to El NiñoThe crucial waterway's operator says low rainfall caused by the ocean pattern had led to the decision.

The Guardian

• The Guardian view on Andy Burnham's buses: a blueprint for governing BritainThe prime minister is right to think that taking Manchester's model national could widen opportunity, clean the air and rebuild state capacity. Other public services could be next
• Britain’s railway prepares for more extreme weather as intense El Niño developsExperts say more must be done to adapt to changing climate, after two trains derailed within 24 hours during a recent heatwave. Railway companies are racing to prepare for another brutal summer next year, as a developing El Niño could see 2027 break more heat-related records. Britain’s railway system has already been under stress from extreme heat this summer, with several operators reducing timetables and train speeds.

The Telegraph

• How Manchester Airport put Heathrow to shame [subscription]On a cold, damp May morning in 2001, Sir Tony Blair, then the prime minister, cut a ribbon to open the second runway at Manchester Airport.

Times Online

• Uber faces €825m fine for breaching European data rules [subscription]The Dutch regulator said the company, which plans to appeal, infringed its drivers' rights by using automated systems to suspend their accounts
• Eurostar rails against 'secretive and unfair' erosion of monopoly [subscription]French operator faces competition from Virgin Trains on high-speed services through the Channel Tunnel and wants the allocation of future capacity to be fair
• Lord Snape obituary: rogueish Labour MP [subscription]Long-serving, somewhat rogueish Labour MP and former railway signalman who was a friend of John Prescott dies aged 84
• Sitting comfortably on the train? Here's the machine to thank [subscription]Engineers use a motion simulator to test for seat designs that won't be a pain in the backside. Just don't expect a smooth ride on a Thameslink Class 700

Welsh Government

• Deputy Minister meets Lord Burns to discuss transport improvementsThe Deputy Minister for Transport, Mark Hooper, met with Lord Burns this week to share views on the future direction of transport policy and investment across Wales.

i News

• 'HS2 lite' to Manchester project revivedA crucial study to look at how much a new rail line between Birmingham and Manchester would cost has been given the green light

The Mirror

• Ryanair offers £29.99 'rescue fares' as rival easyJet axes all flights from busy UK airportEasyJet announced this week that it will axe all its flights from Leeds Bradford Airport early next year - routes cut include Paris, Barcelona and Malaga

Birmingham Mail

• Not buying West Midlands bus operations would have been 'catastrophic' for passengers - MayorRichard Parker said West Midlands Combined Authority will keep the bus network running as normal for a short period
• Birmingham Council commits to '20mph on all local roads' in major vision for cityBirmingham Council says 'cars will no longer dominate street life around homes and schools'

Birmingham Post

• Vueling pulls its winter schedule of flights to Spain from Cardiff AirportThe airline has removed flights this winter after flying from Cardiff Airport for over 13 years

London Evening Standard

• Scrap 'death trap' floating bus stops in London, campaigners demand as shocking video goes viralCampaigners say the 'death trap' bus stops are preventing disabled and visually impaired people from leaving their homes

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Update as free bus scheme to end - deadline approachingEarlier this year, Starmer's Labour Government announced it would provide free bus travel for children throughout August, enabling families across England to get out and about over the summer. The initiative was designed to help alleviate pressure on household budgets.

Sheffield Star

• 'We have to make public transport in Sheffield easy and attractive to use' - reader's letterIf we want to encourage people to choose public transport rather than their car, we have to make it easy and attractive to use. Therefore improving access to Sheffield railway station should be a priority.

South Wales Argus

• Newport M4 congestion discussed by Minister and Lord BurnsPlans to tackle congestion on the M4 and improve rail links in south-east Wales have been discussed by the Deputy Minister for Transport and Lord Burns earlier this week, according to the Welsh Government.

Other Regional Press

• Damian Hinds MP: Will rail nationalisation reach a better destination?A little over a year ago, the Wessex Route better known to us locally as South Western Railway or SWR became the first rail franchise to return to state ownership under this government.
• TFW Ffeibr's Railway Full Fibre Network Connects to Europe's Largest Data Centre CampusNot‑for‑profit Network operator TfW Ffeibr (TFW Fibre), which is an arm's-length initiative owned by Transport for Wales (TfW) and thus the Welsh Government, has announced that their railway based full fibre broadband and Ethernet network has been used to link South Wales directly into one of 'Europe's largest data centre campuses' connecting Cloud Centres and Vantage Data Centres.
• North East Derbyshire MP blasts 'nightmare' train journey that was cancelled at ChesterfieldMP Louise Sandher-Jones has written to East Midlands Railway after a 'nightmare' train journey that was cancelled at Chesterfield.
• No further reports of idling at Saxmundham stationProblems caused by freight trains idling overnight at Saxmundham station appear to have stopped, according to the town clerk.

Train Operators

• Paws on patrol: GB first as London Waterloo adds dog patrols to security teamCANINE colleagues Riley, Buster and Flo have joined the South Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail Wessex (NR Wessex) team at London Waterloo, providing extra reassurance for customers and strengthening security at Britain's biggest station.

Highways Magazine

• New guidance to 'fast-track' homes near transport hubsThe new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) introduced by the Government seeks to 'fast-track' new residential construction based around transport hubs thanks to 'common-sense changes'.

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 agrees to mitigate 'foul odour' from construction site exacerbated by heatHS2 has agreed to introduce further mitigation measures to stop a foul odour emanating from a construction site in North Warwickshire that is being exacerbated by the recent heat.

Rail Magazine

• Heidi Alexander asked officials if network-wide blanket action was required after dual derailmentsTransport Secretary Heidi Alexander directly engaged senior rail officials last week to ask whether immediate blanket action was required across the national rail network following two derailments within 24 hours.

TaxiPoint

• Cabbies' livelihoods put under scrutiny following 'frivolous' passenger complaints to TfL involving three course meals and tube map geography Perry RichardsonLondon taxi drivers are being required to respond to licensing concerns after passengers submitted complaints about disputed routes and drivers asking customers to stop eating inside their vehicles, according to the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA).

Other News Sources

• Mind the map: Wales's bus passengers are being led astrayFrom Harry Beck's revolutionary Tube map to confusing bus information across Wales, better public transport maps could make all the difference
• Senior dog patrols to provide 'extra reassurance' for passengers at London WaterlooRiley, Buster and Flo will be sniffing out any suspicious behaviour at the station