FirstGroup: Train and bus giant’s profits surpass targets as share price edges higher March 10, 2023 Transport operator FirstGroup said profits for the year are set to surpass previous targets after a pick up in bus and train demand. The firm, which runs TransPennine Express, saw shares edge higher after it said adjusted operating profits for the 2023 financial year will be above previous guidance. It said this comes after increased [...]
HS2 at risk of being ‘dismembered’ and never resurrected, peers warn government March 10, 2023 HS2 is at risk of being “dismembered” and never resurrected after further delays were announced by the Government, peers have heard. Cost-saving measures mean the construction of the Birmingham to Crewe leg of HS2 will be delayed by two years and services of the high speed rail line may not enter central London until the [...]
Virgin accuses Heathrow of ‘abusing its power’ as British Airways weighs in on CAA decision to fix price cap March 8, 2023 A war of words has broken out between Heathrow Airport and major carriers Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, following the Civil Aviation Authority’s decision to fix the passenger price cap. The regulator confirmed the average maximum price per passenger will fall by about 20 per cent from £31.57 per passenger in 2023 to £25.43 per [...]
Heathrow: CAA confirms airline price cap and £3.6bn investment in passenger security and new baggage systems March 8, 2023 The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has confirmed that the cap on how much Heathrow Airport can charge airlines will remain fixed at the level set earlier this year. The UK Civil Aviation Authority published its final decision for the annual caps that will apply to the charges that Heathrow Airport Limited levies on airlines [...]
Black cabs: London’s electric taxis overtake diesel for first time with 6,000 now on capital’s roads March 7, 2023 London now has more electric black cabs than diesel powered ones for the first time, following widespread uptake of taxis in line with London’s net zero push. There are now more than 6,000 fully-electric black cabs in London’s taxi fleet, meaning electric taxis are now the most common type of Hackney carriage on the capital’s [...]
United Utilities sewage dumping case heads to Supreme Court March 6, 2023 The UK’s largest listed water company, United Utilities, heads to the Supreme Court this week in a fight over discharge of sewage into the country’s waterways. The Manchester Ship Canal Company, which owns the 36-mile long canal that links Manchester to the Irish Sea, is claiming the water firm’s sewage disposal methods are akin to [...]
HS2 could be delayed AGAIN in bid to curb ever-rising costs, project’s CEO says March 3, 2023 The HS2 rail project could be delayed among a number of potential options being considered to curb rising costs, the project’s boss has said. In an interview with the BBC, HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston said the impact of inflation on the project over the past year has been “significant… whether that’s in timber, steel, [...]
Travis Perkins: Toolstation owner slashed 400 jobs and 19 branches as slowdown hit construction sector February 28, 2023 Builders’ merchant Travis Perkins has revealed it axed 400 jobs and shut 19 branches at the end of last year as a slowdown in the construction sector hit its bottom line. The group, which owns the Toolstation chain, said it was forced to take some “difficult decisions” to slash costs by £25 million this year. [...]
UK drivers could miss out on £9bn in savings without Government backing for electric vehicles, report warns February 27, 2023 UK motorists could miss out on £9 billion of savings unless the Government does more to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs), a new report warns. A slower roll-out of new EVs would reduce the size of the second-hand market, leaving drivers on lower incomes paying more to continue running petrol cars, the Energy [...]
Nissan accelerates shift to electric vehicles in Europe to meet strict emission regulations February 27, 2023 Nissan is speeding up its shift toward electric vehicles (EVs), especially in Europe where emissions regulations are most stringent, the company said. The Japanese carmaker said in a statement that it will make practically all its offerings in Europe electric or series-hybrids by fiscal 2026, at 98 per cent. That is up from the previous [...]