Airline shares jump on hopes of Europe-US travel by the summer April 26, 2021 Airline shares jumped today on the back of hopes that travel between the EU and US would open up again this summer. Over the weekend, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that all US citizens who had been vaccinated should be able to travel to Europe by the summer. Her comments sent shares [...]
Opponents hit out at Khan over pledge to scrap higher Congestion Charge April 26, 2021 Sadiq Khan has pledged to attempt to scrap the “temporary” £15 congestion charge if he is reelected as Mayor of London in May, prompting a wave of criticism from his opponents. The Labour Mayor raised the charge from £11.50 last June in order to secure a government bailout for Transport for London (TfL) amid the [...]
Hong Kong and Singapore to open travel bubble in May April 26, 2021 Hong Kong and Singapore will open a travel bubble allowing quarantine free travel between the two countries from 26 May. The plan was meant to come into effect in November but had to be delayed due to a surge in Covid-19 cases in the former. It will be the second such arrangement to open, following [...]
Ministers to run £1bn auction for phone lines along UK railways April 26, 2021 The government will run an auction of phone lines running alongside Britain’s railway lines in a move that could raise up to £1bn. Thousands of miles of phone lines will be sold off in a bid to improve train services and boost broadband speeds. Bidders will both be responsible for upgrading the cables and building [...]
Passenger shortage set to hammer Network Rail finances April 25, 2021 The UK’s railways are facing a drop in usage that could see up to 2m passengers fewer use trains every day as working patterns shift due to Covid-19. According to a worst-case estimate prepared for rail authorities, passenger numbers may be no higher than 60 per cent of pre-Covid levels for the next four years. [...]
Future of Vauxhall factory up in the air over ‘£40m funding gap’ April 25, 2021 A funding gap of just £40m risks scuppering attempts to ensure Stellantis’ Vauxhall factory at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire remains open. The car giant has been mulling whether to reinvest in the plant, where it makes the Astra vehicle, due to the government’s decision to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from [...]
Mega-rich charge up private jet cards as they plan a summer of international travel April 25, 2021 The rich are preparing for a summer of international travel by charging up their private jet travel cards, according to one of the industry’s biggest players. Air Partner said new UK customers have added £750,000 worth of deposits to their so-called JetCards with the company in February and March alone. It also saw a 15 [...]
End of lockdown: Half of Brits plan a UK getaway with Wales and Lake District topping the list April 24, 2021 More than half of all Brits are planning to book a UK getaway this year, with Wales and the Lake District being the most popular destinations, followed by Cornwall and the Scottish Highlands. On average, people that have already booked spent £353 per person on staycation bookings, according a new survey by American Express. Post-lockdown [...]
Why don’t I have an EV yet? April 24, 2021 Given all the hype around electric cars, it is sometimes easy to forget just how far off mass adoption of the climate friendly vehicles still is. A recent survey by consumer trends data firm Dynata suggests that as yet just 16 per cent of Brits have bought an electric or hybrid car – way behind [...]
Submarine disaster: Oxygen supply on Indonesian vessel has run out with no sign of life April 24, 2021 The oxygen supply for the 53 crew members of an Indonesian submarine missing in waters off Bali is believed to have run out with no sign of the vessel. The search for the KRI Nanggala 402 resumed earlier this morning, bolstered by the arrival of a sonar-equipped Australian warship. It went missing after its last [...]