Ryanair awaits London ruling after Irish court grants injunction to stop strikes August 21, 2019 The Irish High Court has granted Ryanair an injunction to prevent its Irish pilots from going on strike tomorrow, as the budget airline awaits a ruling from the English High Court over the industrial action. An application by the airline for an injunction to block the two day strike will be heard by the High [...]
HS2 faces the scrap as Boris Johnson kicks off review August 21, 2019 The controversial HS2 high speed rail line could be scrapped after the government launched a review into the scheme following mounting concerns over its cost and deliverability. Transport secretary Grant Shapps officially kicked off the review into the high speed line, which will connect London to Birmingham from December 2026, and Birmingham to Manchester and [...]
‘Massive gravy train’: British Airways owner IAG slams Heathrow expansion plans August 21, 2019 British Airways’ parent company has accused Heathrow airport of “treating customers with contempt,” saying plans to spend billions on its expansion before getting planning permission amounted to a “heist”. In an excoriating attack, International Airlines Group accused Britain’s biggest airport of covering up the cost of the expansion. Heathrow has claimed the plans can be [...]
Grant Shapps indicates support for TfL gaining control of commuter belt August 20, 2019 Sadiq Khan and transport secretary Grant Shapps held their first meeting yesterday, in which the devolution of commuter lines to Transport for London (TfL) was at the top of the agenda. Shapps, who replaced Chris Grayling as transport secretary in Boris Johnson’s Cabinet overhaul, is understood to be more open to the idea of giving [...]
Power up: Grid may need upgrade to avoid more blackouts August 20, 2019 Experts have questioned if National Grid’s processes and backup systems are up to scratch after the worst power cut in a decade ground trains to a halt. A report, released today by National Grid, showed the system followed correct procedure when lightning struck on 9 August. Read more: Bolt from the blue: Grid blames lightning [...]
Bombardier retains maintenance job on East Midlands franchise trains August 20, 2019 Bombardier has been tasked with maintaining 27 trains on the East Midlands Railway franchise for the next three-and-a-half years, in a contract award worth £133m. The Canadian heavy manufacturing giant will look after the 125-miles-per-hour diesel-electric trains at its Derby depot, in a continuation of services which it already runs for Abellio and Eversholt Rail. [...]
City of London brings out new rules to tackle wind-inducing skyscrapers August 20, 2019 The Square Mile may be famed for its financial clout and history, but in recent years it has also been known for other elements: extreme wind. The City of London Corporation has become so concerned about pedestrians and cyclists being toppled over in the street by the skyscrapers that adorn its skyline that it is [...]
Bolt from the blue: Grid blames lightning strike for power cut which switched out the lights in 1m homes August 20, 2019 National Grid today said a bolt of lightning was to blame for a power outage which left over a million homes without power and knocked out trains, a hospital and an airport. The listed grid operator said that a bolt strike on a power line in Cambridgeshire tripped two generating plants. Read more: Government sets [...]
Abellio boss ‘confident’ review head will not scrap franchise model August 19, 2019 The boss of Abellio has said he is “confident” the rail franchise model will not be scrapped just a day after his firm took over one of the leading contracts in the UK. Dominic Booth, the managing director of Abellio, which officially took over the East Midlands franchise from Stagecoach today, said he thought the [...]
Pilots union lambastes Ryanair ‘bullying’ amid attempts to block strike August 19, 2019 Britain’s airline pilots’ union has blasted Ryanair for seeking a High Court injunction to block strike action by its pilots this week. The British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) said the budget flyer had “wasted time” by trying to use “legal technicalities” to persuade the High Court to block a strike due to take place on Thursday [...]