Night Tube drivers vote for strike action over a “block on career progression” March 14, 2017 Night Tube drivers have voted to strike over a "block on career progression", the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union announced today. The union announced it was holding a ballot over the issue last month, as did train drivers' union Aslef. The result of Aslef's ballot will be announced on Thursday. Read more: A new Night [...]
Australian investment bank Macquarie sells last of its stake in Thames Water to Canadian and Kuwaiti funds March 14, 2017 Australian investment bank Macquarie has sold its stake in Thames Water to a Canadian pension fund and a Kuwaiti infrastructure investor. Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) today announced the sale of its 26.3 per cent interest in Kemble Water Holdings, the holding company of Thames Water. The buyers are Borealis Infrastructure, part of Canada’s OMERS pension fund, and Wren [...]
Ditching First Class and extending high-speed services: Transport secretary Chris Grayling unveils plans to improve Southeastern March 14, 2017 First Class could be ditched and high-speed services extended in new plans unveiled by the government to improve London's commuter trains. The Department for Transport has proposed substantial changes in its proposals for the next Southeastern franchise, currently one of the nation's worst performing rail services. Read more: Auto delay repay? No way, says the company [...]
Northern, Merseyrail and Southern look for fresh talks with the RMT after Southern rail dispute spreads March 14, 2017 Train operators are looking for ways to see off further strike action after a 24-hour walkout was held on Southern, Northern and Merseyrail yesterday in disputes over the role of the guard. Up to 2,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union went on strike yesterday, with walkouts on Merseyrail and Northern after the [...]
Loganair’s Dundee-London Stansted air link has been secured until 2019 after £3.7m deal March 14, 2017 The future of a "vital" air link between London Stansted and Dundee City Airport has been secured for another two years after the government announced it had plugged £1.8m into it. The public service obligation (PSO) agreed between the UK government, Transport Scotland and Dundee City Council, will guarantee nearly £3.7m to keep the route open [...]
UK motor industry shifts down a gear as inflationary sentiments creep in March 14, 2017 Britons are expected to put the brakes on their spending for new cars in 2017 as inflation bites, new data by consumer research company GfK finds. In research out today, it forecasts that car sales will slide by 5 per cent this year, following last year’s record. Joe Staton, head of market dynamics at GfK, [...]
Potholes beware: Britain’s roads are getting worse and hitting drivers in the pocket March 13, 2017 Potholes on UK's roads are hitting drivers in the pocket, with damage to vehicles costing an average of £1,600 per incident, according to research released today. The analysis of 10,000 over-50s revealed eight out of 10 motorists think road maintenance has got worse over the last few years. Councils and highways agencies have come under increasing pressure [...]
Monday strike chaos is here as the RMT union begins walkouts across Southern rail, Northern and Merseyrail March 13, 2017 It's not just Southern passengers who are being hit with strikes by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union next week. The union's dispute over the changes to the role of the guard is spreading, with a 24-hour walkout today on the Merseyrail and Northern lines, as well as Southern. An injunction effort from Merseyrail failed last [...]
Hailo merges with Daimler-owned MyTaxi to take on Uber in London March 13, 2017 There's no shortage of taxis and minicabs in the capital, with an array of companies competing for passengers, from Uber to Gett to Addison Lee, and of course London’s stalwarts: the black cabs. So, it may seem rather late in the game for a cab company to try and make inroads in the market, but Mytaxi [...]
Exclusive: TfL staff suffer stress, anxiety and depression while number of suicide attempts on the Tube hits 600 March 13, 2017 Nearly 6,000 Transport for London (TfL) staff have received counselling for issues including stress, anxiety, depression, train suicide and harassment, Morning Wire can exclusively reveal. Figures obtained through a freedom of information request show that 5,810 Transport for London (TfL) staff received counselling between 2010 and 2016. TfL has spent over £4.4m since 2010 counselling [...]