September has been another busy month for transport, culminating in the Labour Party Conference this week and giving the industry a clearer sense of how the Burnham Government intends to turn some of its early promises into policy.
Over the summer, much of the conversation focused on the new Prime Minister’s political instincts – devolution, buses, integration and a greater role for local government. Conference has started to put more flesh on the bones. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander used her speech to return to many of those themes, while putting rail reform, British manufacturing and investment firmly within the Government’s wider economic agenda.
Rail featured heavily. Avanti West Coast will move into public ownership in March next year, with CrossCountry and East Midlands Railway also due to follow during 2027. The Government is also considering whether Great British Railways should own new trains directly where this offers better value than leasing, alongside plans to bring decisions on rolling stock, infrastructure, depots and maintenance together.
Perhaps more interesting, however, is the increasingly explicit link between transport and the Government’s wider economic ambitions. This month’s £1 billion order for new battery-electric trains was presented as much as an investment in British manufacturing, skills and jobs as it was an investment in the railway. Active travel is being linked to productivity, health and place. Devolution continues to be presented as a means of improving transport rather than simply rearranging who makes the decisions.
For an industry which has long argued that transport should be seen as an enabler of economic growth and opportunity, there is plenty of familiar language here.
As ever, though, delivery will be the test. The Government now has a growing list of commitments across rail, buses, active travel, roads and devolution. Turning those into better journeys – and doing so while facing significant pressure on the public finances – is the more difficult task.
Away from Westminster, September has also brought important developments on accessibility and women’s safety, further progress on bus reform and new questions about how fares and ticketing should work as control of the transport system becomes increasingly devolved.
Below we take a look in more detail at what’s been happening in our core policy areas of transport, decarbonisation and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
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JFG in September
Transport for West Midlands has appointed JFG Communications as the Silver Command partner for the ITS World Congress, which is coming to the UK in 2027. Jo Field OBE will lead the Silver Command function on behalf of the Host Organising Committee, delivering a key leadership and coordination role as preparations for Birmingham 2027 move into full delivery.
JFG Communications will provide programme-wide leadership, coordination and support across the UK’s preparations for the Congress. The Silver Command function will help connect the different organisations and workstreams involved, address issues that cut across the programme and support timely, coordinated decision-making.
JFG has been supporting Network Rail to deliver several workshops on rolling stock accessibility with disabled people’s organisations and accessibility and inclusion leads in train operating companies. The workshops and subsequent engagement report will inform future Department for Transport and Network Rail work on inclusive rolling stock design.
Active travel
£104 million announced for walking, wheeling and cycling routes
The Government has announced £104 million for improvements to the National Cycle Network, including maintenance, more accessible routes, safer crossings, improved signage and the development of new routes around HS2.
Announcing the funding at Active Travel England’s Making Active Places conference, Heidi Alexander argued that walking, wheeling and cycling should form part of an integrated transport network rather than being treated as a separate policy area. The Government has also set an ambition for at least 60% of children to walk or cycle to school by 2035.
The emphasis on integration is significant. If active travel is to become a realistic choice for more journeys, investment will need to connect effectively with buses, rail and the places people actually need to reach, rather than delivering infrastructure in isolation.
Public transport
Buses
Liverpool begins bus franchising
Liverpool City Region began the rollout of its franchised bus network this month, with services in St Helens becoming the first to move under the new model. Franchising will extend to the Wirral later this year and across the remainder of the city region during 2027.
The change gives the Combined Authority greater control over routes, frequencies and fares, following the model already established in Greater Manchester. The Government is currently supporting six mayoral authorities to establish bus franchising.
It is another practical test of the Government’s devolution agenda. Ministers have made clear that they want more decisions about local transport taken locally; attention will increasingly turn to whether greater local control delivers the improvements in reliability, integration and passenger experience that advocates of franchising expect.
Government looks to improve bus information
The Department for Transport has launched a consultation on the use of new powers in the Bus Services Act to improve the information available about local bus services.
The proposals include greater access to operators’ data and the development of a fully digital system for providing information about local services. It may be less eye-catching than fares or franchising, but reliable information is an important part of making buses easier to use – particularly when services change, or disruption occurs.
New accessibility standards published for buses
New guidance has also been published setting out accessibility standards for bus manufacturers, operators and local transport authorities.
Developed by an expert panel convened by the Department for Transport, the recommendations cover new buses and, where appropriate, refurbished vehicles, and are intended to take accessibility beyond existing minimum legal requirements.
The guidance is a useful recognition that making public transport accessible is about more than simply meeting regulatory standards. Vehicle design, information, boarding and the wider passenger experience all affect whether people can use services confidently and independently.
Rail
Government considers public ownership of new trains
One of the more significant announcements from Labour Party Conference was the publication of the Government’s new rolling stock and infrastructure strategy.
Under the proposals, Great British Railways will consider whether new trains should be bought directly by the state rather than automatically leased from rolling stock companies. Existing leasing arrangements will remain, but leasing will no longer be the assumed model for future procurements.
The wider strategy is intended to bring decisions about trains, track, depots and maintenance together, alongside greater standardisation between future fleets. It marks another step towards understanding what GBR will look like in practice rather than simply how the organisation itself will be structured.
Avanti to move into public ownership
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander also confirmed at Labour Party Conference that Avanti West Coast will transfer into public ownership on 7 March 2027.
CrossCountry and East Midlands Railway are also due to move into public ownership next year, while the Transport Secretary told conference that Great Western would follow. Ten train operating companies are now publicly owned.
With more operators transferring ahead of the establishment of GBR, the focus will increasingly be on whether passengers see measurable improvements in reliability, capacity and customer service rather than simply a change in ownership.
Reference: Department for Transport and Labour Party Conference, 28 September 2026.
£1 billion investment in new trains for the North
The Government announced a £1 billion investment this month in 29 new British-built battery-electric trains for services across the North.
The trains will be manufactured by Alstom in Derby and are expected to support around 350 jobs at the site and almost 6,000 across the wider UK supply chain. They will operate on the TransPennine Route Upgrade and are intended to increase capacity while replacing older diesel rolling stock.
The announcement also demonstrates the Government’s growing emphasis on the wider economic value of transport investment. Ministers are increasingly linking investment in rail infrastructure and rolling stock to domestic manufacturing, skills and employment as part of the wider growth agenda.
Long-term direction for rail begins to emerge
The Department for Transport has published an update on its Long-Term Rail Strategy, setting out the proposed structure and direction of the document that will ultimately guide Great British Railways.
The final strategy is expected in autumn 2027 and will establish the overarching direction for the railway, with GBR responsible for delivery.
With the Railways Bill continuing through Parliament, the publication is another indication that the rail reform debate is moving from the structure of GBR towards what the organisation will actually be expected to achieve.
New target for rail freight
The Government has set a target to increase rail freight by at least 40% by 2040, providing an interim milestone towards the existing ambition to grow freight by 75% by 2050.
The target will eventually sit within the wider framework for GBR and give the freight sector greater visibility within the Government’s plans for rail reform.
The challenge will be ensuring that the ambition is reflected in decisions about network capacity and investment. Bringing track and train together creates an opportunity for more coordinated planning, but GBR will still need to balance the demands of passenger services and freight on a busy network.
New ticket acceptance arrangements introduced during disruption
Passengers whose trains are cancelled can now travel on another operator’s service without buying a new ticket under new industry-wide arrangements introduced on 20 September.
The change is designed to remove some of the complexity customers experience when disruption occurs and different operators are involved.
It is a relatively small change compared with the structural reforms taking place across rail, but arguably the sort of practical improvement passengers are more likely to notice. As GBR develops, simplifying the passenger experience across organisational boundaries will be an important measure of whether integration is working.
E-mobility
E-vehicles
Government to ease planning rules for EV charging
The Government confirmed this month that it will proceed with changes to permitted development rights intended to make the rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure easier.
The changes include allowing multiple equipment or storage units for chargepoints in non-domestic off-street car parks and supporting cross-pavement charging solutions for homes without conventional off-street parking. Secondary legislation is expected later this autumn.
As EV uptake grows, the practicalities of charging remain an important part of the transition. Making infrastructure easier to install – particularly for households without driveways – will be necessary if access to charging is not to become a barrier to adoption.
Electric vehicles drive August car market growth
Figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders this month showed the new car market grew by 13.7% in August compared with the previous year, with battery electric vehicles accounting for 29.8% of registrations.
August is traditionally a low-volume month ahead of the September number plate change, meaning percentages can move significantly, and the industry has cautioned against reading too much into a single month.
Nevertheless, the figures underline the continued growth of EVs while the debate around the pace of the transition continues. Manufacturers have welcomed the Government’s review of the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, arguing that targets need to reflect consumer demand while maintaining investment and jobs.
Transport safety and inclusion
Women in Transport research highlights gap between awareness and action
New research from Women in Transport and WSP has found a significant gap between awareness of the safety challenges facing women and girls and professionals’ confidence in addressing them.
Its Women’s Safety Baseline Survey received 737 responses from transport and built-environment professionals. While 61% said they were very or extremely aware of the safety challenges women and girls face, only 8% felt very confident identifying ways to improve safety and 74% had received no training or guidance.
The findings are particularly relevant as the Transport Committee continues its inquiry into safer journeys for women and girls. They suggest that awareness across the industry is not necessarily translating into the skills, guidance and organisational support needed to change how transport is planned, designed and operated.
RNID research highlights barriers for passengers with hearing loss
RNID has published new research into the experiences of deaf people and people with hearing loss using public transport.
Its Clear Signals report found that more than three-quarters of public transport users with hearing loss surveyed experience accessibility barriers. Problems accessing real-time information were a particular concern, alongside staff awareness and the additional planning many passengers undertake before making journeys.
The research is a reminder that accessibility needs to extend throughout a journey, including information provided during disruption. As the sector invests in new vehicles, stations and digital passenger information, accessibility needs to be considered from the outset rather than added later.
Transport Committee launches inquiry into fares and ticketing
The Transport Committee has launched an inquiry into the Government’s role in public transport fares, pricing and ticketing.
MPs will examine the objectives behind government intervention in fares, how pricing affects travel behaviour and how policy can balance affordability for passengers with the financial sustainability of transport networks. The inquiry will also consider who should hold responsibility for setting fares as transport powers become increasingly devolved.
It is a timely question. The Government has intervened directly on bus and rail fares while simultaneously transferring greater responsibility for transport to local leaders. Finding the right balance between national affordability policies, local control and sustainable funding is likely to become increasingly important.
The deadline for evidence is 13 November 2026.
Scotland
£2 bus fare cap expands across Strathclyde
A £2 bus fare cap has been introduced across participating services in Strathclyde, covering Glasgow, Ayrshire, Inverclyde, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and Dunbartonshire.
The Scottish Government intends the rollout to form part of a wider move towards a nationwide £2 fare cap, following its introduction in the Highlands and Islands.
As governments across the UK increasingly use fares policy to address affordability and encourage public transport use, the longer-term question will be how these interventions affect patronage and how they are funded alongside investment in services themselves.
Road safety projects receive new funding
More than £865,000 has been awarded to innovative road safety projects across Scotland this month.
The funding comes as road safety continues to receive greater policy attention across the UK, with governments looking at how infrastructure, technology and behaviour change can contribute to reducing deaths and serious injuries.
Wales
Operator appointed for new north to south-west Wales coach service
Transport for Wales has appointed Edwards Coaches to operate TaithCymru, a new coach service directly connecting north and south-west Wales.
The service forms part of continued efforts to improve public transport connectivity between communities where direct rail connections.
Freight and logistics
Freight and logistics gains dedicated national planning policy
The revised National Planning Policy Framework includes the first dedicated national decision-making policy for freight and logistics.
Policy E3 recognises the importance of freight infrastructure to economic growth and supply-chain resilience. It requires developments to have suitable access to transport networks, limit environmental impacts and provide sufficient secure parking for lorries and other vehicles.
The move has been welcomed across the sector, which has long argued that logistics facilities and the infrastructure supporting them need to be properly recognised within the planning system. The focus will now turn to how consistently the new policy is applied by planning authorities and whether it helps unlock strategically important sites.
Active travel
Campaigners call for faster shift towards sustainable transport
A coalition of more than 50 organisations has called on the Government to do more to increase walking, cycling and public transport use following a summer of extreme heat and wildfires. Both JFG and Women in Transport are proud signatories.
The organisations argue that the Government’s current approach does not yet provide sufficiently clear targets for reducing car dependency and shifting journeys towards more sustainable modes. They are also calling for stronger support for rail freight as part of the wider effort to reduce transport emissions.
The Government has highlighted its investment in active travel and zero-emission vehicles, but the intervention demonstrates the continuing debate over whether current policies are sufficient to achieve the scale of behavioural change required.
Aviation
Gatwick expansion clears final legal challenge
Plans to bring Gatwick Airport’s northern runway into routine use have moved forward after the Court of Appeal rejected the remaining legal challenges to the project.
The £2.2 billion scheme is expected to allow up to 100,000 additional flights each year from 2030. Supporters argue it will increase passenger choice, create jobs and generate significant economic benefits, while opponents continue to raise concerns about climate impacts, noise and local infrastructure.
The decision provides further evidence of the Government’s pro-growth approach to aviation. Attention will now turn from the planning and legal process to delivery, environmental mitigation and securing local support.