From retail mania and the Tube strike to oil prices and the Chinese economy: Here’s what got us talking this week January 15, 2016 We all got invited to a very special birthday party, while someone else got an early birthday present. Meanwhile, the details of Boris Johnson's Iraq antics were leaked. Oh no, BoJo. Here's what got us talking this week 1) Ground control to major Tim The world mourned as we digested the news that David Bowie had died [...]
Tube strike 2016 could be called off as talks to continue next week as TfL, Aslef and RMT negotiate over pay, Night Tube January 15, 2016 Talks between transport bosses and unions will continue throughout the next week, as both sides attempt to reach an agreement ahead of scheduled strikes. Members of Aslef and RMT are currently planning to strike on three 24-hour strikes, with the first starting at 9.15pm on Tuesday 26 January and running until the same time on Wednesday 27 [...]
JetBlue flights delayed as budget airline’s website goes down after power outage January 14, 2016 US budget airline JetBlue is experiencing flight delays due to a power outage at its data centre. The company's website has also gone down due to the issues. In a statement on Twitter the company said it was experiencing "intermittent network issues" which were affecting airport systems, but it hopes to resolve the problem quickly: [...]
Bexleyheath line will finally reopen after landslides in Barnehurst disrupt Southeastern services to Charing Cross, Victoria and Cannon Street January 14, 2016 Trains will finally start running again after nearly a week of disruption caused by landslides at Barnehurst which prevented hundreds of trains from running into London from the south east and Kent. Commuters wll have to endure a further evening of chaos before the Bexleyheath line, which runs trains heading for Victoria, Cannon Street and Charing Cross, is up [...]
End of Southeastern, Southern and South West trains? Think tank calls for TfL to run south London train services as Overground January 14, 2016 South London's train operators Southeastern, Southern and South West Trains should be scrapped and turned into the Overground with Transport for London running services. The shake-up is the only way to keep up with increasing demand for transport in south London, according to a new think tank report. The Centre for London concludes scrapping the rail [...]
London mayoral election 2016: Conservative mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith vows to give startups retail space in London Underground stations January 14, 2016 Conservative mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith has said that he will use public land to house startup businesses in the capital, vowing to repurpose Transport for London (TfL) Underground stations to provide discounted space to smaller firms. Goldsmith said today that he will parcel off shop space in TfL’s Underground stations and offer it to retail [...]
London had 1m contactless Tube journeys in a single day January 14, 2016 The number of contactless journeys on the Tube made with Visa surpassed one million for the first time in just a single day in the lead up to Christmas as paying with just a swipe of a card or phone grows in popularity. The use of contactless Visa increased 166 per cent annually in December alone and commuters spent £339m taking 7.75m [...]
Whitechapel station disruption: Weekend closures on 16 and 17 January to make way for Crossrail modernisation January 12, 2016 Whitechapel station will be closed over the coming weekend as work begins on making the station ready for the arrival of Crossrail 2. A new temporary entrance and ticket hall will be set up over the weekend ready for Monday, so the 140-year-old station can be modernised. The surrounding area on Court Street will become pedestrianised. By 2018, [...]
Landslide in Barnehurst brings Southeastern trains to a halt January 12, 2016 A landslide at Barnehurst last night has brought Southeastern services between Dartford and London to a halt. The train operator said this morning there was no service running between Dartford and Lewisham via Bexleyheath, meaning trains were not running to London Charing Cross and Cannon Street this morning. Some trains will be diverted via Sidcup or Woolwich [...]
Tube strikes: The unions are harming London and the low paid by striking over Night Tube January 12, 2016 When Mike Brown was confirmed as London’s new transport commissioner last September, he might have expected to find a note from his predecessor stating bluntly: “Dear commissioner, I’m afraid there is no money”. While most of the UK economy has adapted to the realities of modern-day austerity, however, the transport unions are apparently yet to [...]