Transport

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has offered wide-ranging remarks upon his departure from the latest Group of Seven (G7) ministers’ meeting in France, denouncing Iran’s continued chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz as well as settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

Standing on an airport tarmac on Friday, Rubio fielded questions from journalists about reports that Iran plans to implement a tolling system in the strait, a vital waterway for the world’s oil supply.

Rubio used the topic to double down on pressure for countries to participate in securing the Strait of Hormuz, a demand US President Donald Trump has repeatedly made.

“One of the immediate challenges we’re going to face is in Iran, when they decide that they want to set up a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz,” Rubio said.

“Not only is this illegal, it’s unacceptable. It’s dangerous for the world, and it’s important that the world have a plan to confront it. The United States is prepared to be a part of that plan. We don’t have to lead that plan, but we are happy to be a part of it.”

He called on the G7 members — among them, Japan, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and the European Union — as well as countries in Asia to “contribute greatly to that effort”.

Rubio calls toll plan ‘unacceptable’

The Strait of Hormuz is a key artery for the global transport of oil and natural gas, and prior to the start of the US and Israel’s war against Iran on February 28, an average of 20 million barrels of oil per day passed through the waterway.

That amounted to roughly 20 percent of the world’s liquid petroleum supply.

But since the outbreak of war, Iran has pledged to close the Strait of Hormuz, which borders its shores. The threat of attacks has ground most of the local tanker traffic to a standstill, though a few vessels, some linked to Iran or China, have been allowed to pass through.

Media reports suggest that Iran is setting up a “tollbooth system” that would require passing ships to put in a request through Iran’s armed forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). There would also be a fee to secure passage.

“ They want to make it permanent. That’s unacceptable. The whole world should be outraged by it,” Rubio said on Friday.

He added that he conveyed a warning about the polling scheme to his colleagues at the G7.

“All we’ve said is, ‘You guys need to do something about it. We’ll help you, but you guys are going to need to be ready to do something about it,’” Rubio said.

“Because when this conflict and when this operation ends, if the Iranians decide, ‘Well, now we control the Strait of Hormuz and you can only go through here if you pay us and if we allow you to, that’s not only is it illegal under international law and maritime law. It’s unacceptable, and that can’t be allowed to exist.”

The Trump administration, however, has struggled to rally allies and world powers to join the US in its offensive against Iran.

Legal experts have criticised the initial strikes against Iran as an unprovoked act of aggression, though the Trump administration has cited a range of rationales for launching the attack, including the prospect that Iran may develop a nuclear weapon.

Many of the US allies in Europe have maintained that they would limit their involvement to defensive actions. Trump, meanwhile, has accused members of the NATO alliance of being “cowards”, adding in a social media post, “We will REMEMBER.”

In a statement following the G7 meeting, member countries reiterated their stance that there should be an “immediate cessation of attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure”.

They also underscored the “absolute necessity to permanently restore safe and toll-free freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz”. But the statement fell short of pledging any resources or aid to the US and Israeli war effort.

Achieving goals ‘without any ground troops’?

It is unclear when the war might end. On Saturday, it reaches its one-month anniversary, having stretched for four weeks.

Rubio on Friday echoed Trump’s assessment that the war was going as planned and that the US was achieving its objectives, including to destroy Iran’s navy, missile stockpiles and uranium enrichment programme.

“ We are ahead of schedule on most of them, and we can achieve them without any ground troops, without any,” he said, addressing an oft-raised concern about the prospect of US troops being deployed to Iran.

Rubio also briefly addressed the increasing levels of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Footage has shown settlers this month torching Palestinian homes and vehicles, as well as assaulting residents.

On March 19, the United Nations estimated that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since Israel began its genocidal war in Gaza in October 2023. The international body underscored that a quarter of the victims were youths.

“ Well, we’re concerned about that, and we’ve expressed it. And I think there’s concern in the Israeli government about it, as well,” Rubio responded, adding that it was a “topic we follow very closely”.

He suggested that the Israeli government may take action to stop the violence, though critics argue that Israel has largely turned a blind eye to settler violence.

“Maybe they’re settlers, maybe they’re just street thugs, but they’ve attacked security forces, Israelis, as well. So, I think you’ll see the government going to do something about it,” Rubio said.

Upon taking office for a second term in January 2025, President Trump also moved to cancel sanctions against Israeli settlers accused of grave abuses in the West Bank.

BRITS are set to face major travel disruption as the UK’s busiest train station is set to close this weekend – affecting several train and tube lines.

Network Rail has confirmed commuters planning to use a busy London station might need to re-route.

It comes after it was announced that “vital maintenance, renewals, and repairs” will take place at the site across five days.  

The closure at Liverpool Street Station will take place to improve roof drainage and track drainage, as well as vegetation management.

While most of the work has already been carried out, passengers have been told that Liverpool Street’s mainline station will experience its final closure on March 28 and March 29.

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The Elizabeth line will still be running, however, there will be no access to the main concourse. Commuters have been also been warned that there will be no Overground Weaver line trains operating this weekend.

Train operating company, Greater Anglia, stated on its website: “On both days, Liverpool Street Main Line station will be closed (including the concourse) to all Greater Anglia, Stansted Express, c2c, Elizabeth line and London Overground services.

“Greater Anglia services to/from Cambridge, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford East and Stansted Airport will start/terminate at Stratford.”

They added: “On both days, Elizabeth line’s low level Liverpool Street station remains open however services will not run beyond Stratford due to closures on the Great Eastern mainline.

“On both days London Overground Weaver line services will not run between London Liverpool Street and Enfield Town/Cheshunt/Chingford.”

Commuters have been directed to use rail replacement buses where possible. The services will run between Seven Sisters and Enfield Town/Cheshunt and Hackney Downs and Chingford.

Officials have urged passengers to plan their journeys ahead of time. It comes as the station recorded a staggering 98 million entries and exits between April 2024 and March 2025.

Trish Ashton, TfL’s Director of Rail, said:  “We’re sorry for any disruption caused by weekend engineering work impacting London Overground and Elizabeth line services during March.

“These planned works are essential to help keep our services safe and reliable. Customers are advised to ‘check before they travel’ using the TfL Go app or at TfL.gov.uk, and allow a little extra time for their journeys.”

You can also check the Network Rail website here for more information on planned works.

A POPULAR train station is getting a long-awaited, multi-million pound upgrade.

South Kensington is often called a ‘museum hub’ by being the gateway to three free attractions – the V&A, Science Museum and the Natural History Museum.

And the train station is about to get a huge makeover to make it much easier to travel to and from.

The new plans revealed by TFL will see the Grade II listed station be modernised.

This includes step free entrances, and a new eastbound platform for the Circle and District lines.

Being the busiest London Underground station with no accessible entrance, it is though as many as 500,000 journeys aren’t made to the station because of it.

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Around 30million passengers use the station every year, with the Circle, District and Piccadilly line stopping there.

Works are set to start later this year, and will be completed by 2029.

Bruno Carr, head of investment planning at TfL, said: “This transformational scheme will deliver much-needed step-free access to this station, while also making the area around it more pleasant for the millions who visit the nearby attractions and museums every year.”

Scott Anderson, head of property development at Places for London, said the upgrade would make the station the “jewel of the Tube network”.

Part of the station opened in 1868, with the Metropolitan line (no longer running there) and the District line.

The train station’s crowds are expected to continue, especially after the nearby Natural History Museum was named the most popular attraction in the UK.

Overtaking the British Museum, more than 7.1million people visited last year.

Millions a year also visit the V&A and Science Museum in South Kensington along with the Royal Albert Hall.

South Kensington is even home to a street nicknamed Little Paris.

Also nicknamed Frog Alley, Bute Street has French bookshops and bakeries throughout.

Another train station getting an upgrade is London Liverpool Street, the UK’s busiest railway station.

And a new £460million, “first of its kind” train station is opening in Birmingham as part of the HS2 plans.

A UK train station that welcomes more than seven million passengers a year will reopen its doors today after being closed for almost a year.

The London station has undergone a £2.5m revamp with major upgrades to the escalators, which frequently caused travel disruptions.

The opening follows a campaign to replace the old escalators that dates back to 1999.

More than 3,000 people signed the petition after failing escalators at Cutty Sark routinely caused closures.

As a result, thousands of passengers were forced to take the 121 station steps instead. 

Four new escalators have been installed in “the most complex escalator replacement scheme ever undertaken on the DLR and the London Underground“.

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The shiny new escalators will be up and running from today – eight days earlier than TfL had announced – and should last the station 30-40 years.

The station is also much brighter as the escalators have rows of lights and the area has been whitewashed.

The pale blue panels have been replaced with white panels, which reflect light much better and have a noticeable effect on the station’s appearance.

A new lift has also been installed as well as energy-efficient lighting, upgraded safety features, local artwork, and a new raised ceiling.

Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor for Transport, told The Sun previously that it was “fantastic” the major upgrade at Cutty Sark DLR station could be delivered earlier than expected.

Before it closed, Cutty Sark was the third busiest station on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), after Canary Wharf and Limehouse.

TWO towns are back on the railway map for the first time in 60 years after new stations finally opened.

New stops have welcomed passengers again following a massive £185million project to restore long-lost rail links across the West Midlands.

Willenhall and Darlaston stations now sit on the line between Shrewsbury and Birmingham New Street via Wolverhampton — giving locals a direct route into the city.

The first train pulled in early on Thursday morning, marking the end of decades without rail services.

Both stations were shut in 1965 during the infamous Beeching cuts, when more than 2,000 stations across the UK were shut down.

Services will now run roughly every hour on weekdays and Saturdays, with no trains stopping there on Sundays.

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Commuters can expect to pay around £8.90 for a peak return from Willenhall to Birmingham, or £6.40 off-peak, while Darlaston passengers will pay slightly less.

From Darlaston, a peak return costs £8 and an off-peak ticket is £5.90.

The stations come with lifts, shelters, ticket machines and cycle racks, plus parking for 300 cars at Darlaston and 33 at Willenhall.

Pat McFadden, the MP for Wolverhampton South East which covers Willenhall, used the new trains recently, describing them as “clean, modern and easy to use”.

He added: “This is going to save people a massive amount of time. It’s going to enable people to take up jobs they probably couldn’t have taken up.

“It’s a transport boost, it’s a morale boost and it’s an economic boost to both towns.”

Walsall Council leader Mike Bird said the openings are “a major milestone for communities and a real boost for the borough’s future”.

PASSENGERS face fresh travel misery as a major UK train station is set to partially close again this weekend.

Rail passengers can expect travel disruptions as the bustling hub undergoes a “once-in-a-lifetime overhaul”.

Trains have been slashed and major disruption is expected over the weekend at Manchester Piccadilly station.

Only a handful of services will run on Sunday, with no trains operating from the south and east until 1pm.

The busy city centre hub — one of the UK’s biggest — will have just Platforms 13 and 14 open until the afternoon, and even those will be running on a reduced timetable.

It follows a nine-day closure in February, as part of the station’s £8 million upgrade.

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During last month’s shutdown, engineers carried out major upgrades — replacing 11 sets of points, laying 9km of signalling and telecoms cables, installing 4,000 sleepers and pouring 5,500 tonnes of new track foundation.

Bosses hailed the works as a “once-in-a-generation” improvement of the tracks.

This weekend’s services still running include routes to Liverpool Lime Street via Eccles and Earlestown, Blackpool North via Bolton, and Chester via Earlestown — but passengers are warned there is a reduced timetable.

Meanwhile, Metrolink services will continue running through Piccadilly this weekend as normal.

Separate tram works mean no services will run between Victoria and Rochdale on Sunday.

A spokesperson for Network Rail said: “We would like to say a big thank you to passengers for their patience while this once-in-a-generation upgrade has taken place over the last nine days.

“Manchester Piccadilly is one of the country’s busiest stations and it’s a key hub for people travelling to the North West.

“Upgrading the track over six lines in what’s known as the Piccadilly corridor will make journeys more reliable and the points and signalling systems less prone to faults – meaning fewer delays for passengers.

“It’s all part of our long-term commitment to invest millions of pounds to make the North West’s railway fit for the future.”

A BUDGET rail operator is launching a new route that will travel 400 miles across the UK – and tickets cost less than £30.

Lumo, which operates fully electric trains, will connect London Euston to the Scottish city of Stirling this summer.

Rail travel across the UK can be very expensive but Lumo, which is part of FirstGroup, is known for its affordability.

Starting July 10, Lumo will start its new route from London Euston to Stirling for as little as £29.90.

When the service launches it will have four daily return trains between the two cities.

Between the two cities, trains will call at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds and Larbert.

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For those travelling between London and Preston, tickets start from £23.90.

And between Preston and Stirling, tickets can be booked from £14.90.

Stirling sits north of both Glasgow and Edinburgh and it’s known for its huge historic castle and even has an interactive Old Town Jail attraction.

Visitors often head to The National Wallace Monument which is a 220ft tower in the countryside.

The city also has a high concentration of pubs for its size – the oldest alehouse is The Settle Inn which has been serving ale since the 1700s.

Stuart Jones, managing director of First Rail Open Access, which runs Lumo said: “These fares are about putting customers first.

“By offering simple, low-cost tickets and direct services between Scotland, the north west of England and London, we’re making it easier and more affordable for people to travel for work, leisure and family visits.”

Onboard a Lumo train, there are no first class seat options – but wherever passengers sit, there’s access to USB sockets and tray tables.

Lighting can be personalised by using the button on the back of the seat in front of them.

Passengers can also use the free Wi-Fi, and each seat has a winged headrest for comfort and a coat hanger.

Lumo offers other routes too like London King’s Cross to Edinburgh.

But its latest started in December 2025 from London to Glasgow.

The company announced the news on social media, it said: “Our new timetable starts on 14th December 2025!

“Our new Glasgow service will start in December and we’re also adding an additional service from Newcastle to London King’s Cross every weekday.”

Lumo runs two northbound and one southbound service on weekdays and one service in each direction on Sundays between London King’s Cross and Glasgow.

On the way it also stops at Falkirk High and Newcastle.

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RAIL commuters will face a number of disruptions as the UK’s busiest train station is hit with a series of closures this month.

Scheduled works will be carried out on select weekend days throughout the remainder of March, beginning tomorrow.

Anyone planning to travel through Liverpool Street Station in London tomorrow may want to double check their plans.

Network Rail has revealed “vital maintenance, renewals, and repairs” for the bustling hub, impacting all routes and services to and from the station. 

Liverpool Street’s mainline station, which sees approximately 98 million commuters annually, is set to shut for five weekend days, during which its concourse will also be closed.

These closures will impact Elizabeth line and London Overground, as well as National Rail services, including Greater Anglia and c2c.

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While the station itself will undergo roof drainage repairs, work will also be carried out relating to track drainage and maintenance, as well as vegetation management and litter clearance along railway lines.

Commuters can expect disruptions on the following dates:

Sunday, March 15

The entire station will be closed on this date, with London Overground services running from London Fields instead.

Elizabeth line services will continue to run, though commuters are advised there will be no access to the main concourse on this date.

Saturday, March 21 – Sunday, March 22

Again, the entire station will be closed for both these dates, with Elizabeth line services continuing to run on Saturday, March 21, with no access to the main concourse.

On Sunday, March 22, there will be no Elizabeth line trains running.

There will also be no Overground Weaver line trains on either of these dates.

Saturday, March 28 – Sunday, March 29

Liverpool Street Station will again be closed for both these dates, while Elizabeth line services continue to run throughout the weekend.

Again, there will be no access to the main concourse on these dates.

There will also be no Overground Weaver line trains running throughout the weekend.

To avoid travel disruptions, rail passengers are advised that rail replacement buses will operate between Stratford and Romford, and between Newbury Park and Shenfield tomorrow.

And before 9.50am, buses will replace trains between Seven Sisters and Enfield Town/Cheshunt and Hackney Downs and Chingford.

Check the Network Rail website for further details on replacement services throughout March.

A MAJOR £185 million rail project will see five new train stations open in the UK over the next few weeks.

The works will improve connections across the West Midlands, with some of the services reinstated for the first time in decades.

New stations will open at Willenhall and Darlaston in Walsall next week, on Thursday, March 19.

These sites, which are located on the Black Country line, were last visited by trains in 1965.

And on Tuesday, April 7, stations will open on the Camp Hill Line at Moseley Village, Kings Heath, and Pineapple Road in south Birmingham.

This will mark the first time these services have been in place for the communities since World War II.

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These areas on the Camp Hill Line will see services run between Birmingham city centre and Kings Norton every 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, Willenhall and Darlaston stations will be added to an hourly timetable for the Shrewsbury to Birmingham New Street Station service via Wolverhampton.

West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) said it was working with partners to secure further regular services to the areas, with the project described as a “rail revolution”.

Each of the five stations features sheltered platforms, accessible lifts, ticket machines and cycle racks, while there are 300 parking spaces available at Darlaston and 33 at Willenhall.

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker described the previous closures of the stations as a “short-sighted mistake”, describing the latest update as “a new lifeline for local people”.

WMRE is spear-heading the scheme alongside the Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), in partnership with Network Rail, West Midlands Railway, Birmingham City Council, Walsall Council, and the Department for Transport.

Works have been partially funded by a £126 million government grant, with a further £30 million obtained for the completion of the Camp Hill line.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “Thanks to government investment, fast and frequent rail services will arrive at new stations across Birmingham and the Black Country next month for the first time in decades, reducing congestion and improving local transport connections.”

TfWM said final authorisation for the openings is expected in the coming days from the Office of Rail and Road.

Iranian explosive-laden boats appear to have attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters, setting them ablaze and killing one crew member, after projectiles struck three vessels in Gulf waters, according to reports.

The ships targeted in late-night ⁠attacks on Wednesday in the Gulf near Iraq were the Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu and the Zefyros, which had loaded fuel cargoes in Iraq, two Iraqi port officials told the Reuters news agency.

“We recovered the body of a foreign crew member from the water,” one port security official said, as Iraqi rescue teams continued searching for other missing seafarers. It was not immediately clear which ship that person was linked to.

One Iraqi port security source said Zefyros is flagged ‌in Malta and provided Reuters with a list of crew names.

Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Baghdad, Iraq, Mahmoud Abdelwahed, said the tankers were loaded with crude oil from the Umm Qasr port in southern Iraq in the Basra province, and were attacked soon after their voyage got under way.

“Iraqi officials say this is a flagrant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty given the fact this act, they say, of sabotage has happened in Iraq’s territorial waters,” Abdelwahed said.

Reuters said that reports of the use of explosive-laden unmanned surface vessels, which Ukraine has used with great effect in its war with Russia, come as Iran has blocked oil shipments from transiting the key Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of ⁠the world’s oil transits but has been blocked amid the United States-Israeli war on Iran.

Reuters, citing two unnamed sources, also reported on Wednesday that Iran ‌has deployed about a dozen mines in the strait, while US President Donald Trump said US forces had struck 28 Iranian mine-laying vessels, amid warnings by Trump of severe repercussions should Iran lay mines in the key waterway for global shipping.

Strait of Hormuz sealed

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have warned that any ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted.

The Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree dry bulk vessel was struck by “two projectiles of unknown origin” while sailing through the strait earlier on Wednesday, causing a fire and damaging the engine room, the ship’s Thai-listed operator Precious Shipping said in a statement.

“Three crew members are ⁠reported missing and believed to be trapped in the engine room,” Precious Shipping said.

“The company is working with the relevant authorities to rescue these three ⁠missing crew members,” it said, adding that the remaining 20 crew members had been safely evacuated and were ashore in Oman.

Images shared by Thai news outlet Khaosod English showed what were reported to be crew members of the ship after their rescue by Oman’s navy.

The IRGC said in a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency that the ship was “fired upon by Iranian fighters”, suggesting the first direct engagement by the IRGC, who have previously fired missiles or drones.

The Japan-flagged container ship ONE Majesty also sustained minor damage on Wednesday from an unknown projectile 25 nautical miles (about 46 kilometres) northwest ⁠of Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, two maritime security firms said. Its Japanese owner Mitsui OSK Lines and a spokesperson for Ocean Network Express, its charterer, said the vessel was struck while at anchor in the Gulf, and an inspection of the hull revealed minor damage above the waterline.

All crew are safe, they said, adding that the vessel remains fully operational and seaworthy. The owner said the cause of the incident remained unclear and was under investigation.

A third vessel, a bulk ‌carrier, was also hit by an unknown projectile approximately 50 nautical miles (about 93km) northwest of Dubai, maritime security firms said.

The projectile had damaged the hull of the Marshall Islands-flagged Star Gwyneth, maritime risk management company Vanguard said, adding that the vessel’s crew were safe. Owner Star Bulk Carriers said the ship was hit in the hold area while it was anchored. There were no crew injuries and no listing.

The US Navy has refused near-daily requests from the shipping industry ⁠for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war on Iran, saying the risk of attacks is too high for now, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.