Londoners face chaos on the Tube as unions mull coordinated strike January 27, 2014 A SECOND union has voted to strike on the Tube next week, leaving commuters facing 48 hours of chaos unless a compromise can be reached over Transport for London’s reforms. The TSSA said its members voted in favour of a walkout on 4-6 February followed by another strike on 11-13 February, joining the RMT union, [...]
Solve the capital’s hidden transport crisis by bridging the Thames Chasm January 6, 2014 SOMETIMES a crisis doesn’t seem like a crisis because it is the status quo and people just take it for granted. For London, a case in point is the Thames Chasm – the acute shortage of road crossings of the River Thames east of Tower Bridge. The inability to get across the East Thames is [...]
Commuters stay underground as high-flyers shun cable cars November 20, 2013 ONE of London’s great white elephant projects – the Emirates Air Line cable cars – was used by just four regular commuters in the week from Saturday 13 October. With a maximum capacity of 2,500 people an hour, the link between the O2 in Greenwich and the ExCel centre at the Royal Docks operates well [...]
City Matters: St Jude’s storm was a stark reminder why we need more transport investment November 3, 2013 ONE week on from the biggest storm London has seen in nearly thirty years, and the capital’s railways are back on track. The travel chaos was an uncomfortable reminder of how crucial the smooth running of London’s transport is to Londoners’ ability to go about their business. The two largest transport projects currently on the [...]
Six killed as floods sweep across the UK September 8, 2008 Six were killed over the weekend as floods and storms battered the country amid warnings that Hurricane Hannah was on her way. Despite the rain slightly easing across the country yesterday, the adverse weather conditions have been responsible for considerable devastation. In North Wales, a teenager from London was killed as a 4×4 rolled over [...]
Branson eyes possible £2bn Gatwick deal September 2, 2008 Richard Branson, the billionaire owner of airline Virgin Atlantic, said yesterday he is eyeing a £2bn bid for airports group BAA’s London Gatwick airport if it were put up for sale. A Virgin Atlantic spokesman said: “This is something we have given a lot of serious thought to.” He added: “We have talked to other [...]
Virgin airline bucks gloom, boosts profit August 27, 2008 More business passengers helped boost full-year profits by 21 per cent to £34.8m at Virgin Atlantic despite record fuel prices, the airline revealed yesterday. The long-haul carrier, 51 per cent owned by Sir Richard Branson, said its business passenger numbers rose 22 per cent during the year, as Virgin took market share from British Airways [...]
London is as congested as five years ago says TfL August 7, 2008 London is just as congested as it was five years ago before the introduction of the Congestion Charge, because of roadworks and measures to give priority to pedestrians, buses and cyclists. Transport for London (TfL), which runs the capital’s transport system, said traffic levels had fallen significantly since the Congestion Charge was introduced in January [...]
Budget airlines have become a part of modern life, for better or worse August 1, 2008 Rising oil prices mean that cheap flights are under threat. But is that a good or a bad thing? Such arcane things as the price of oil were until recently beyond the ken of most ordinary folk. But the workings of massive Kazakh exploration companies and the politics of laying pipelines across Uzbekistan are now [...]
Ryanair cuts ticket prices while earnings plummet July 29, 2008 Shares in low cost airline Ryanair sank 22 per cent yesterday after the company warned it may make a €60m (£47.4m) loss this year, as high oil prices eat into margins. It said it had made profit after tax in the first quarter of €21m- a drop of 85 per cent- but the carrier yesterday [...]