London needs a new mayor to get the transport show back on the road September 4, 2018 You may remember the old joke about the family who, hopelessly lost in the middle of nowhere, wind down their car window to ask for directions, only to be told “I wouldn’t start from here if I were you”. In the third year of Sadiq Khan’s mayoralty, transport in London isn’t quite that bad, but [...]
Water companies outline plans to cut customer bills September 3, 2018 Water companies have submitted five-year plans to reduce customers' bills to industry regulator Ofwat. Severn Trent Water said there will be a five per cent reduction in bills in real terms, and United Utilities revealed that customers will pay 10.5 per cent less under plans for 2020 to 2025. Read more: Thames Water launches major investment after choppy year London's [...]
HS2 hit by 12-month delay in further blow to controversial £56bn project September 3, 2018 The £56bn HS2 project linking London to the north has been dealt a further blow after the government admitted it would be subject to a 12-month delay in parliament. Phase 2b of the project, which links Birmingham to Leeds and Crewe to Wigan and Manchester, will be delayed because the bill enabling the line to be [...]
Taxpayers’ Alliance launches competition to find HS2 replacement September 3, 2018 Armchair transport ministers have been given their chance to shine by a new competition to devise an alternative to HS2, the planned high-speed railway. Pressure group the Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA), which advocates cutting public spending, has put out a call for ideas on how to spend the £50bn-plus designated for the planned route linking London, [...]
Crossrail’s delay sounds depressingly familiar September 3, 2018 With a plethora of talented engineers at our disposal and a rich history of leading the world in pioneering rail projects, it is depressing to witness Britain’s clumsy approach to improving the country’s transport links. Commuter services into the City still woefully under-serve the UK’s economic engine. Meanwhile, news has broken that Crossrail has succumbed [...]
No end in sight for Crossrail fiasco as budget overshoot could surpass £1bn September 2, 2018 Crossrail's budget overshoot could surpass £1bn as the flagship project works towards a new 2019 deadline. Last week it was confirmed that the £15.4bn Elizabeth Line, which stretches from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, has been delayed by almost a year over safety issues and will now [...]
Job cuts loom as Ford gears up for major business redesign September 2, 2018 Analysts at Morgan Stanley have predicted that car-maker Ford is preparing to axe around 24,000 jobs as part of major redesign of its European business. The Sunday Times reported that the car giant could axe up to 12 per cent of its global workforce across European outposts in the UK, Spain and Germany. The newspaper [...]
Ofo in £7.9m spot of hot water over unpaid bike bills September 2, 2018 Floating bike-sharing startup Ofo is being sued for defaulting on around 70m yuan (£7.9m) in payments to its supplier Shanghai Phoenix Bicycles, the company’s Shanghai-listed parent said in a filing late on Friday. Shanghai Phoenix petitioned a court in Beijing last week to demand Ofo repay 68.15m yuan as well as 1.87m yuan in losses incurred [...]
Apple reaches a new self-driving car milestone in its first road accident September 2, 2018 A test vehicle from Apple's self-driving car programme was involved in a road accident near its Silicon Valley headquarters last month, making Apple the latest tech giant to join a recent spate of autonomous driving incidents. One of Apple's Lexus RX 450h self-driving vehicles was preparing to join a motorway in Sunnyvale on 24 August when it [...]
Petrol station merger could drive up fuel prices, watchdog finds September 1, 2018 Motor Fuel Group's (MFG) takeover of petrol station supplier MRH could drive up prices, the competition watchdog has found. An investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the merger could increase fuel prices at 29 locations across the UK. Read more: Petrol prices soar to four-year high on back of weak pound Competition provided [...]