Holidaymakers told to expect delays as passport office workers start FIVE WEEK strike March 17, 2023 Passport Office workers are to strike for five weeks in an escalation of a dispute over jobs, pay and conditions. More than 1,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union working in Passport Offices in England, Scotland and Wales will take part in the action from April 3 to May 5. Those working [...]
Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit crashes back to earth as firm pauses operation to secure more funding March 17, 2023 Richard Branson’s satellite launch firm Virgin Orbit has paused operations, the company said, amid reports that it is working to secure additional funding. The news comes after the company, which is based in California, failed in its first ever satellite mission from UK soil in January. In a statement, the company said: “Virgin Orbit is initiating a company-wide operational pause, [...]
No strike? Still no service! Wednesday’s Tube walkout bleeds into Thursday as rail action cripples London commuter belt March 16, 2023 London commuters vented their anger as Wednesday’s Underground strike continued to cause disruption throughout Thursday morning. People going to work faced fresh difficulties this morning following yesterday’s industrial action by RMT and Aslef union workers, with stations closed up until 7am, as the service was regulated.. As of Thursday at midday, none of the Bakerloo, [...]
Short haul powers London Gatwick’s return to profit after £830m pandemic loss March 16, 2023 London’s second busiest airport, Gatwick, is “cautiously optimistic” about a full recovery from the pandemic as passenger demand levels reach 70 per cent of pre-covid levels. The West Sussex hub reported 32.8m passengers in 2022 as it announced a £250m investment in the site to reach net zero by 2030. In its annual results this [...]
London Underground walkout hangover to compound Thursday’s rail strike – but can you get to work tomorrow? March 15, 2023 Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union will walk out on Thursday 16 March and on Saturday 18 March in a dispute affecting train services in and out of London. Network Rail expects between 40 and 50 per cent of train services to run nationally but there will be wide variation across the [...]
Strikes: Over 1,000 local BBC TV and radio journalists begin 24-hour walkout over proposed cuts to service March 15, 2023 BBC services face disruption as staff begin a 24-hour strike in protest against proposed cuts to the broadcaster’s local radio output. Around 1,000 journalists are expected to walk out on Wednesday, as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivers his Spring Budget, prompting changes to the local TV and radio schedule in England. Around 25 journalists left Broadcasting [...]
Rail strikes dent Trainline ticket sales as firm nursed £6m hit every day March 15, 2023 Online rail ticketing business Trainline has said annual ticket sales fell short of expectations, as rail strikes left it nursing a hit of up to £6 million a day. The group said ongoing industrial action on UK railways cost it £5 million to £6 million in gross sales impact on average per strike day. It [...]
London brought to a standstill as tube strike closes entire network and RMT lock horns with Sadiq Khan March 15, 2023 A strike by London Underground drivers has closed the entire network. Transport for London’s website shows no services are running on any Tube lines. The Docklands Light Railway and Elizabeth line are part-suspended because of the industrial action. Drivers in Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) walked out in a dispute over [...]
CMA probes Asda’s £611m Co-op petrol station takeover deal over fears it could hike fuel prices March 14, 2023 Asda’s £611m takeover over of 132 Co-op petrol stations has come under scrutiny from the UK’s competition watchdog over concerns the deal was likely to push up fuel prices. After the supermarket snapped up the sites last October the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a Phase 1 investigation at the start of this year [...]
The Dart: Luton Council defends expensive ticket for new light rail dubbed UK’s most expensive line March 13, 2023 Luton Council has defended the cost to passengers of its new light rail shuttle service, amid claims it is the UK’s most expensive line. The Dart (direct air-rail transit) will launch commercial services between the Bedfordshire airport and Luton Airport Parkway – its nearest mainline railway station – in the coming weeks. One-way fares will [...]