Chris Grayling’s rail shake-up: What will it actually mean for Network Rail? December 6, 2016 Chris Grayling wants to revamp how the nation's rail networks operate, but just what are his proposals and what will it mean for Network Rail? Deeper alliancing He wants each rail franchise to be run by joint management teams, including representatives from the train operating firm and Network Rail. These changes will commence when [...]
Sadiq Khan dealt blow by Chris Grayling: TfL won’t take over Southeastern services December 6, 2016 Sadiq Khan has spoken out over the announcement that Transport for London (TfL) won't be taking over Southeastern services from 2018. Chris Grayling has rejected the mayor's plans for City Hall to take over suburban rail services. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Grayling said: "Right now, I think the last thing our railways need in [...]
Jaguar Land Rover appoints Chinese director to board as it gears up for boost in production in China December 6, 2016 Jaguar Land Rover has its sights set on bolstering its presence in China, with the appointment of an executive director for China. Qing Pan will be joining the board from 1 January 2017 in the new role, where he will lead JLR's business in the country. He previously worked at VW and Audi, and will also [...]
Now Sussex bishops call for an end to “cycle of blame” in Southern rail strikes December 6, 2016 The Southern rail situation just took a rather bizarre twist. Bishops in Sussex have now stepped into the long-running dispute between the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and the train operator over the role of the guards. Writing to Southern's parent owner Govia, union leaders and the Department for Transport (DfT), the church leaders [...]
Britain’s busiest stations: London Waterloo takes the top spot with over 99m passengers December 6, 2016 Commuters at London Waterloo might have guessed it already, but new figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have confirmed it: it's still Britain's busiest station. Annual passenger numbers reached over 99m in one year (99.1m for 2015/16), ahead of Victoria and Liverpool Street stations, which were the second and third busiest stations [...]
“A slippery slope to privatisation”: Network Rail shake-up draws mixed reactions December 6, 2016 Chris Grayling's plans to shake-up Network Rail's monopoly on track maintenance have already caused quite the stir. Service operators will be given a role in managing the tracks and Grayling wants the firms operating services to form a joint management team with bosses from state-owned Network Rail. He said on BBC's Today programme that he [...]
Step-free access on the Underground is getting a £200m boost from the mayor December 6, 2016 The mayor of London has announced step-free access on the Underground will get a financial boost to the tune of £200m over the next five years. Sadiq Khan said this will bring the total number of step-free access stations on London Underground to more than 100 stations and 40 per cent of the network. The [...]
Chris Grayling: All rail commuters will be able to use Oyster-style cards by 2018 December 6, 2016 Chris Grayling's announcement on splitting up Network Rail's dominance over track maintenance has caused a stir, but it's not the only change the transport secretary has unveiled. Rail commuters will be able to use an Oyster-style pay-as-you-go smart card to travel anywhere in the country by the end of 2018. Writing in the Telegraph, Grayling said: "We [...]
Southern rail strikes by drivers and conductors cause fresh travel disruption for long-suffering commuters December 6, 2016 London Underground passengers might have got some respite after today's Tube strikes were called off yesterday, but there was no such joy for Southern rail commuters. They're facing yet more delays today as the latest three-day strike got under way: with the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union walking out at midnight over the ongoing [...]
Those who benefit from new infrastructure should pay for it December 6, 2016 To many people’s relief, there were not many big ideas in Philip Hammond’s Autumn Statement last month. In so far as there was anything new, it was the widely-trailed extra investment in innovation, infrastructure and housing. The justification for spending money on these things is that it will raise productivity and growth. There is no question [...]