TfL adds more trains to Victoria line at peak times November 4, 2019 The Victoria line has increased its capacity by 275,000 passengers each weekday after more trains have been added at peak times. Transport for London (TfL) announced today that one train will arrive every 100 seconds for three hours in the morning and evening – from 7.15am to 10.15am and from 4.15pm to 7.15pm. Read more: [...]
Thomas Cook collapse: MPs slam government inaction and lack of audit reform November 4, 2019 Business secretary Andrea Leadsom has come under fire from MPs for “the extraordinary lack of interest” she showed in Thomas Cook in the run-up to its collapse, amid growing calls for wide-ranging regulatory reform. In a scathing conclusion to the business select committee’s (BEIS) review into the travel giant’s liquidation, MPs expressed their frustration that [...]
British Airways owner IAG pays €1bn for Air Europa November 4, 2019 British Airways’ parent company, IAG, has reached a €1bn deal to acquire rival Air Europa in a bid to bolster its presence in the South Atlantic. The deal means IAG can turn its Madrid hub into “a true rival” to the four European hubs of Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Heathrow and Paris Charles De Gaulle airports, the [...]
‘Dirty business’: Rail firms will still be dumping raw sewage on the line next year November 3, 2019 Rail operators have been forced to backtrack on a promise to stop the “dirty business” of dumping excrement on tracks by the end of the year. Network Rail and a number of train companies have admitted the 2017 promise – to stop using carriages whose toilets flush sewage directly onto the track by the end [...]
HS2 review still unfinished, with no final decision expected until after election November 3, 2019 A decision on whether to proceed with the controversial HS2 rail project appears to have been pushed back until after the upcoming General Election, amid uncertainty over how it will feature in party manifestos. Lord Tony Berkeley, the deputy chairman of the official review into the high-speed rail scheme, said the report remains unfinished, with [...]
Carlyle in driving seat to acquire Arriva in £2.2bn deal November 2, 2019 American private equity firm Carlyle is the front-runner to buy Arriva in a deal worth £2.2bn. Carlyle has entered talks with one of the UK’s largest public transport operators, which runs rail franchises including Northern and London Overground, as well as buses across Britain. Read more: Stagecoach to stop share buy-back programme at £30 Arriva’s [...]
UK now has more electric car charging points than petrol stations November 2, 2019 There are now more public electric car charging points in Britain than petrol stations, according to newly released figures. The Department of Transport has released numbers showing a breakdown of the amount of charging points in each borough in the UK. Read more: Dyson pulls plug on electric car project The total number of public [...]
Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot owner PSA have agreed a merger which could reshape the car industry October 31, 2019 Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and Peugeot owner PSA have agreed to go after a merger which would create a €180bn (£155bn) revenue automotive industry titan. PSA and FCA said they had decided to “work towards” a deal which would give shareholders in each company 50 per cent ownership of the new firm, creating the fourth-largest car [...]
Fewer people wanted to fly this summer, and it has hurt Air France-KLM’s profits October 31, 2019 The parent company of Air France has warned that its income from people buying plane tickets fell in the last quarter, as “geopolitical uncertainties” hit its business. Shares in Air France-KLM fell as much as 12 per cent this morning as the firm reported that net profit had halved during late-summer trading. They eventually recovered [...]
Pilot strikes hits British Airways owner IAG’s profits October 31, 2019 Pilot strikes and fuel costs have dented third quarter profit for British Airways’ owner in line with its September profit warning. International Airlines Group (IAG) posted a third quarter operating profit of €1.42bn (£1.22bn), representing a 7.7 per cent decline from the corresponding period last year. Read more: IAG issues profit warning after British Airways [...]