Southeastern rail franchise on course for another extension as Go Ahead in talks with government November 28, 2019 Go Ahead, the company which operates the Southeastern rail franchise, is in talks with the government over extending its contract to run the line beyond the current 1 April end date. The competition for the franchise was unexpectedly scrapped in August and a five-month extension awarded to Govia, the joint venture between Go-Ahead and Keolis, [...]
It may be popular, but scrapping hospital parking charges would be a total disaster November 28, 2019 Amid myriad headline-grabbing proposals, you might have missed Labour’s promise to scrap hospital parking charges. This is exactly the kind of local, community-based policy that is likely to win votes — but it is a mistake. They might not be popular, but these car parking charges are actually a good thing. First, the charges bring [...]
Time for us all to get motoring on combatting climate change November 28, 2019 The polling firm YouGov has been tracking views on the environment for nearly a decade. For most of that time, the subject ranked pretty low in terms of voter priorities. But this election marks a big change. Figures from July show that more than one in four voters (27 per cent) rank the environment as [...]
Car production falls again amid ‘worrying times’ for UK automotive industry November 28, 2019 Britain’s car manufacturing industry suffered another month of decline in October, with 5,000 fewer vehicles made than in the same period last year. Manufacturing output fell four per cent in October, as 134,752 cars rolled off production lines, driven largely by weak demand in the UK market, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and [...]
London is the busiest city in Europe for private jets, according to research November 28, 2019 London has retained its position as the busiest city in Europe for private jets, with more than twice as many so called business aviation flight departures as the next most active city, according to research. The capital saw 4,577 private flights leave its selection of business aviation airports last month, which include Stansted, Biggin Hill [...]
Tesla CEO Elon Musk claims his new Cybertruck already has 250,000 orders November 27, 2019 Elon Musk has suggested that his unorthodox new electric pickup truck has already received a quarter-of-a-million orders since its unveiling last week. The so called Cybertruck, made by Tesla, has caused a stir in the automotive industry since its launch on Thursday, with its unconventional shape and hefty $39,900 price tag making it a target [...]
Holiday firm On The Beach has taken a £25m hit from the collapse of Thomas Cook November 27, 2019 Package holiday company On The Beach has taken a £25.6m hit from the collapse of Thomas Cook, as the cost of getting stranded holidaymakers home weighed on the firm. The company maintained that the failure of one of its biggest rivals would ultimately help it in the long run, despite profits falling more than a [...]
Engineering firm Jacobs hires 2,400 people as it eyes UK expansion November 27, 2019 Jacobs, the Dallas-based engineering giant, will hire 2,400 people in Britain over the next two years, it announced this morning. Read more: Crossrail at risk of facing further delays The firm, which has major contracts on Crossrail, the Thames Tideway super sewer and the refurbishment of the Houses of Parliament, said it would bolster its [...]
Car industry faces ‘fight of our generation’ to avoid breakdown, says trade group boss November 26, 2019 Britain’s car industry is locked in the “fight of our generation” to preserve the once-thriving sector, according to one of the UK’s most senior automotive bosses. George Gillespie, the president of influential trade group the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), warned an annual gathering of industry chiefs that investment could dwindle to levels [...]
Virgin Trains manager jumps ship to First Group for west coast main line railway takeover November 26, 2019 First Group has poached the boss of Virgin Trains just in time to take over the west coast main line rail franchise in 12 days’ time. Phil Whittingham, who has been at Virgin since it took control of the country’s most lucrative rail network in 1998, will keep running the line, which connects London to [...]