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

Wednesday, 13 May 2026

BBC News

• 'Passengers bring their own seat to bus stops'North East mayor Kim McGuinness has been in BBC Radio Newcastle's Hot Seat to respond to listeners' concerns about bus shelters.
• New start date set for £32m regeneration schemeA fresh start date has been set for a multimillion-pound scheme designed to regenerate the area around a market town's railway station.
• Mental health hub celebrates year at stationMore than 2,000 people have used a mental health support service based at Wolverhampton Railway Station since it opened a year ago, officials said.
• Weight limit introduced on Vauxhall BridgeThe18‑tonne limit is described as "safety critical" by Transport for London.
• Air India crisis deepens ahead of final Ahmedabad crash reportAir India faces a leadership vacuum and mounting financial losses as it struggles to recover from the crash.

The Guardian

• Russian ship that sank near Spain may have been carrying nuclear reactors to North KoreaA Russian cargo ship that suffered a series of mysterious explosions before eventually sinking off the south-east coast of Spain 17 months ago may have been carrying nuclear submarine reactors destined for North Korea, according to reports.
• Trams are the best way to get Britain moving | LetterResponding to an article on Vienna’s public transport, Prof Lewis Lesley praises trams’ value for money in alleviating city congestionYour article (Vienna’s public transport is the envy of the world – so why can’t it ditch cars?, 6 May) is a real challenge for UK politicians and policymakers.In March, Create Streets, Freewheeling and the Campaign for Better Transport, supported by the RAC Foundation, published the report Towns and Trams, advocating the use of trams to unblock city congestion, as in Vienna. Sadly, the tram scheme for Leeds is on ice until the late 2030s
• ‘We’re not out to get anyone – we just want to slow you down’: why do lollipop people face so much road rage?They just want to help children safely across the road on their way to and from school. Yet lollipop people are having to wear body cameras after an increase in abusive and dangerous drivers. How did things get so out of hand? There aren’t many jobs that often involve jumping out of the path of speeding cars – but for the lollipop people of Britain today, this is the sad reality. And it doesn’t stop there: aggression, swearing and middle fingers are just a few examples of the intimidation and abuse they face on our roads.

The Independent

• New Eurostar service could directly connect UK and European country for first timeEurostar has signed a 'memorandum of understanding' to establish a potential direct route between the UK and Switzerland

The Telegraph

• Millions of passengers at risk of flight cancellations under Labour plans [subscription]Millions of passengers face flight cancellations this summer under Labour's plans to combat jet fuel shortages, Britain's busiest airports have warned. Heathrow and Gatwick are among airports understood to have written to ministers opposing a proposal to allow airlines to scrap flights in advance without risk of punishment.

Times Online

• How Burnham, like Corbyn, let the train take the strain [subscription]Andy Burnham has overcome one of the biggest barriers against him returning to Westminster: Avanti West Coast.
• Ghost trains show rail timetable is run on wrong lines [subscription]There's space to offer more choice to passengers on a key route, yet the network holds on to slots for services that do not operate

Parliament

• Oral statement to Parliament - The King's Speech 2026His Majesty's most gracious speech to both Houses of Parliament. ... Legislation will be introduced to unlock the benefits of airport expansion [Civil Aviation Bill]; enable roads to be built at pace including the Lower Thames Crossing [Highways (Financing) Bill]; and deliver a fair deal for the North of England through Northern Powerhouse Rail [Northern Powerhouse Rail Bill].

City AM

• Heathrow, Gatwick revolt over Labour flight cancellation plansHeathrow and Gatwick have urged the government to climb down from plans to allow airlines to scrap flights without notice - a move which could endanger the summer holidays of millions of Brits.
• Brits now buy more BYDs than Land Rovers I’ve been poring over the latest DVLA car registration data release, which came out a few days ago, covering the fourth quarter of 2025. There are lots of fascinating trends in there, and I’d encourage you to go and have a look yourself.

Daily Express

• Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 provide passenger update as 296 UK flights scrapped296 UK flights have been cancelled in May driven by Middle East tensions, but Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 have all pledged no summer holiday surcharges.

The Mirror

• Ryanair to increase staff bonus for applying £65 baggage fine on passengersThe budget airline is set to increase the staff bonuses for catching those out who travel with oversized baggage as travellers will be issued a £65 fine for the large luggage

The National

• CalMac ferries return to 5 Scottish islands as MV Hebrides repairedSEVERAL key CalMac routes are set to be "restored to normal service" with the return of a major ferry.

Network Rail

• Safer level crossings in SuffolkLevel crossings on the East Suffolk line are being upgraded with new crossing technology that will make them safer for all road users, walkers and farmers ahead of the expected increase in rail freight for Sizewell C.
• Charing Cross and Waterloo East to close for 22 days for £20m railway upgradeCustomers advised to plan ahead and check before they travel ahead of the closure.

Birmingham Mail

• How franchising will stop the scourge of 'ghost buses' deceiving West Midlands passengersWork is being carried out to improve accuracy of information given to bus passengers
• Jet2, Easyjet, Ryanair, TUI jet fuel updates for June, July, August holidaysHead of the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned last month that Europe has “maybe six weeks” of jet fuel left if the route remains closed.

Birmingham Post

• Why a small Northern piece of HS2 could unlock more transport improvementsKey Manchester Airport link could boost links across the North West and Yorkshire

Bolton News

• Wigan-Bolton rail electrification scheme honoured at awards ceremonyA £100M project has powered its way to the top and is on track for national recognition.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Eryri railway marks 'world first' with re-release of classic Ealing film it inspiredThe historic railway was the model for The Titfield Thunderbolt comedy, echoing how passengers sometimes had to push their own carriages

Metro

• Eurostar takes next step to launch direct train from UK to 'Europe's playground'Eurostar is one step closer to launching high-speed cross-channel trains from London to Zurich and Geneva.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Exclusive: Council's hydrogen bus sell-off leak probe unable to find The P&J's secret sourceCouncil sleuths have been unable to work out how The Press and Journal learned of explosive plans for a panic sale of the city's multi-million-pound hydrogen bus fleet.

Other Regional Press

• King's Speech to revive pared down HS2 billAimed at facilitating a new route between Liverpool and Manchester, the modified High Speed Rail (Crewe - Manchester) Bill would allow for the development of new stations at Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport.
• Great Western Railway showing 'marked improvement' in reliability says latest analysis of train servicesGreat Western Railway branded one of the 'least reliable' train operators last year is showing signs of improvement according to fresh analysis of UK train services.

Modern Railways

• ORR rejects Marchwood-Waterloo bidThe Office of Rail and Road (ORR) says concerns over capacity, performance impact and the need to complete infrastructure works are behind its rejection of Alliance Rail's proposed open access service between Marchwood and London Waterloo.

New Civil Engineer

• £20M improvements don't address underlying safety issue on A21, says MPAn MP has criticised National Highways and the Department for Transport (DfT) for not 'addressing the underlying cause' of serious safety concerns on the A21 with £20M worth of upgrades being carried out on the highway.

Rail Magazine

• Govia Thameslink CEO Angie Doll to leave operator day before it is nationalisedAngie Doll, Chief Executive of Govia Thameslink Railway, is to leave the UK rail industry and move to Australia at short notice. The news has come as a surprise to GTR leaders and staff.
• HS2 bill repurposed for Northern Powerhouse Rail expected to be in King's SpeechThe bill to establish powers to construct a new railway into Manchester is expected to appear in the King's Speech.
• Government The government is in denial after rejecting testimonies of 'boom and bust' within rail investment, the Chair of the Transport Select Committee (TSC) has said.
• GWR and Network Rail explore best ways to accommodate new Bristol servicesNetwork Rail and Great Western Railway are exploring the best way to accommodate new services to Portishead and Henbury as construction on both Bristol lines starts to ramp up.
• Operational and financial concerns as Marchwood-London Waterloo open access plan is rejectedPlans for an open access service between Marchwood, Southampton and London Waterloo have been rejected.
• New agreement to explore direct London-Switzerland servicesA new agreement has been signed to help establish direct train services between London and Switzerland.

Urban Transport Group

• King's Speech shows 'continued commitment' to transforming transportToday's King's Speech demonstrates a 'continued commitment' to transforming transport and supporting devolution over the next Parliament, building on the bold work undertaken since 2024, the Urban Transport Group has said.

Other News Sources

• Unite saves jobs for Heathrow catering workers left in limbo by 'disgraceful' employersUnite, the leading union in the civil air transport sector, has saved over 90 Unite members' jobs that were put at risk by catering firms Dnata and Do & Co.
• Cornwall rail connection plans gain momentum with 'Kernow Connect' schemeThe plans aim to introduce a new fully-electrified rail line running from Okehampton to Bodmin via Launceston