South Western Railway guards vote for more strike action January 23, 2020 Rail commuters face more misery on South Western Railway in the coming months, after staff voted for more strike action in the long-running dispute over the role of train guards. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has not yet announced strike dates, but the action follows a record-breaking 27-day strike in [...]
European car sales set to drop for first time in seven years, says trade body January 23, 2020 Europe’s car sales are likely to decrease this year, according to the European automotive industry association ACEA. Car registrations are projected to drop two per cent in 2020, which would be the first drop in seven years. The forecast is likely to fuel growing concerns that car manufacturers’ best days are behind them. Companies are [...]
Volkswagen hit with largest environmental fine in Canadian history January 23, 2020 Volkswagen has been hit with the largest environmental fine in Canada’s history after the automobile giant pleaded guilty to dozens of diesel emissions violations. In December the carmaker was charged with importing 128,000 vehicles into the country which breached emissions standards. As a result, the firm will be forced to pay CA$196.5m (£113.7m) for 60 [...]
John Laing chief steps down after six years at infrastructure giant January 23, 2020 John Laing chief executive Olivier Brousse has this morning resigned from the long-running infrastructure firm in order to take up a new role at French utility Veolia. Brousse, who has been at the firm since 2014 and led the firm’s initial public offering in 2015, will remain at the company while a successor is identified. [...]
Don’t underestimate the politics of infrastructure January 23, 2020 The Conservative election campaign slogan may have been “Get Brexit Done”, but the fate of this government will ultimately hinge on what it does here at home — specifically regarding infrastructure. It is widely accepted, including by the Prime Minister himself and his chief aide Dominic Cummings, that the Conservatives need to do more than [...]
Boeing 737 Max to resume production ‘months’ earlier than expected January 22, 2020 Boeing chief executive Dave Calhoun today said he expects the 737 Max aeroplane to return to production earlier than previously stipulated. The US plane maker in December halted all production of the 737 Max jet following two deadly crashes that killed 346 people. On Tuesday the company announced that the grounded jet would return to [...]
Struggling South Western Railway could be nationalised, says transport secretary Grant Shapps January 22, 2020 The South Western Railway franchise could be nationalised in the coming months after transport secretary Grant Shapps today declared it financially “not sustainable”. South Western, which is run by First Group and Hong Kong firm MTR, has been plagued by delays, poor performance and a series of damaging strikes in recent months. The franchise lost [...]
Coronavirus: Heathrow airport to separate arrivals as concern grows January 22, 2020 Heathrow has set up a separate arrivals area for people travelling from the Chinese city hit by the coronavirus outbreak. Transport secretary Grant Shapps said Heathrow was putting “additional measures” in place this morning to protect against the virus. “Initially this is to ensure that when flights come in directly into Heathrow there is a [...]
HS2: Grant Shapps says problem is with capacity ahead of February decision January 22, 2020 Grant Shapps has placed more doubt over the future of the HS2 rail line, saying the problem is about capacity rather than speed. The transport secretary said that while a final decision would be made in February, he was examining alternatives. Shapps said it was vital that the government get the facts right before embarking [...]
HS2: Right project, wrong pitch to the public January 22, 2020 HS2 will become a case study in the importance of having your corporate communications in order. Since the beginning, protestors have successfully framed the project as being about shaving 10 minutes of a journey between Birmingham and London, and this narrative has cut through to the media, members of the public, and even politicians. While [...]