Tube havoc hits commuters as holidaymakers battle Stansted train delays April 9, 2019 Commuters have been hit with delays on the Jubilee and Piccadilly lines this morning. There are severe delays on the Piccadilly Line between Acton Town and Uxbridge with some disruption around Heathrow, due to a faulty track at Turnpike Lane. https://twitter.com/piccadillyline/status/1115537004261933057 The Jubilee Line is now running with minor delays after a signal failure at Canary [...]
Watchdog accuses three construction suppliers of forming a cartel to keep prices up April 9, 2019 The competition watchdog has found that three construction suppliers colluded to form a cartel and keep prices up. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said its investigation into groundworks suppliers MGF, Vp and Mabey Hire has provisionally found that the trio broke competition law. Read more: Game over? Watchdog to probe video gaming industry It [...]
Debate: Is Sadiq Khan’s new ultra-low emission zone an effective solution for tackling air pollution? April 9, 2019 Debate: Is Sadiq Khan’s new ultra-low emission zone an effective solution for tackling air pollution? Yes – Fiona Howarth is chief executive of Octopus Electric Vehicles. If London’s water supplies were poisoning 9,000 people a year, there would be national outrage. So why are we not outraged about the air that we breathe? Research published [...]
Dutch drivers given carbon offset option at Shell pumping stations April 8, 2019 Dutch car owners will be able to offset their carbon emissions at Shell garages from next week as the oil giant launches a three-year $300m drive to flaunt its green credentials. The company said the initiative is part of a plan to reduce its net carbon footprint by between two and three percent in three years. [...]
Boss of British Gas owner gets £700,000 pay rise a week after hiking bills by 10 per cent April 8, 2019 The head of British Gas owner Centrica boosted his pay cheque by £740,000 last year, it has been revealed just a week after the firm upped prices for millions of customers. Iain Conn, who has led London-listed Centrica since 2015, was paid £2.42m in 2018, up from £1.68m the year before. Read more: Ofgem price cap: What [...]
Luton Airport enjoys busiest ever March as passenger numbers swell to over 1m April 8, 2019 Luton airport enjoyed its busiest ever March this year with 1.3m passengers, up 10.4 per cent on the same month last year. The airport anticipates it will welcome over 210,000 passengers over the Easter weekend, taking the total this year to 17m. Over 58,000 passengers are expected to fly through the airport on 18 April [...]
British car manufacturing powers down to half capacity as planned factory shutdowns take effect April 8, 2019 British car makers including Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) have gone ahead with plans to shut their UK plants this week over Brexit, in a move which leaves at least half the country’s car production gridlocked. JLR’s Wolverhampton engine plant as well as its three assembly plants in Solihull, Halewood and Castle Bromwich were due to [...]
Tube strike action on the cards as Aslef and RMT unions reject TfL pay deal April 8, 2019 A second transport union has rejected a pay deal from Transport for London (TfL), increasing the chance of strikes on the Tube. The Aslef train drivers' union has rejected a 2.5 per cent pay rise from TfL, saying it matches the Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation rate which falls "way below" what Aslef is seeking. [...]
Sadiq Khan’s ill-conceived pollution plan only threatens London’s push to go green April 8, 2019 From today, all private hire drivers in London will have to pay the daily £11.50 congestion charge when driving in central London. This is an enormous financial burden for some of the city’s lower paid workers – costing nearly £3,000 a year for a driver earning around £25,000. It's also hugely unfair for operators, many [...]
Sadiq Khan’s £12.50-per-day Ulez charge comes into force: What do London drivers think? April 8, 2019 The new ultra low emission zone (Ulez) will come into force today, forcing the worst polluting cars to clean up or pay a daily £12.50 charge. The zone will initially cover central London and will be clearly signposted with road signs along key boundary points. Cars and vans will need to meet new exhaust emissions [...]