South East business leaders urge government to commit to Crossrail 2 as a project of “national importance” March 17, 2017 Business leaders, including the bosses of Heathrow and Gatwick airports, have urged the government to make Crossrail 2 a priority and enable "rapid progress" on the project. A group of more than 70 leaders from across the South East have written to chancellor Philip Hammond and transport secretary Chris Grayling, saying the infrastructure project is of "national importance". [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan has no plans to follow in Paris’ footsteps and trial free public transport days to curb air pollution March 17, 2017 London mayor Sadiq Khan has said he has "no plans" to trial free public transport days in a bid to cut air pollution, saying the move would cost Transport for London (TfL) £12m in lost revenue. Over in Paris, authorities announced a few days in December where people could use public transport for free after a [...]
Driverless cars will leave a big dent in the insurance industry according to the Bank of England March 17, 2017 The adoption of driverless cars will leave a massive dent in the car insurance market, according to the Bank of England, forcing insurers to team up with car firms as they transform their business. Economists at the Bank say their central forecast is for the UK motor insurance market to contract by 21 per cent [...]
It’s official: The 25 millionth truck just went through the Eurotunnel March 17, 2017 It won't be long before one truck for every two Britons will have passed under the English Channel, figures from the Eurotunnel indicated today. Eurotunnel said at 3am today the 25 millionth lorry used the Le Shuttle Freight service since it commenced in July 1994. Read more: Eurotunnel smashes traffic record as it posts revenue growth The [...]
European Commission fines British Airways £90m for its role in an air cargo cartel March 17, 2017 British Airways is to be fined €104m (£90m) by the European Commission for its role in a major price-fixing scandal dating back to 1999. Some 11 airlines will be fined a total of €776m for their role in a cartel to fix fuel and security charges on flights to and within the European Economic Area between [...]
Flying Level: British Airways owner IAG is launching a new low-cost, long-haul airline from Barcelona March 17, 2017 British Airways owner IAG has announced plans for a new low-cost, long-haul airline called Level that will take to the skies in June 2017. The new carrier will fly from Barcelona to Los Angeles, San Francisco (Oakland), Buenos Aires and Punta Cana. Read more: Norwegian Air launches new UK and Irish flights to the US from [...]
Southern rail strike saga continues: The RMT union announces a new 24-hour walkout for 4 April March 17, 2017 The RMT union has announced another 24-hour strike on Southern rail for Tuesday 4 April, in a row over the role of conductors. Mick Cash, RMT's general secretary, said: “RMT members on Southern Rail have been fighting for safety and access for nearly a year now and it is disgraceful that we have continued to be carved [...]
Ford’s bringing in night vision tech so its cars will brake for you if you’re going to hit someone at night March 17, 2017 Find driving at night fairly stressful? According to Ford, you're not alone. Many people across Europe are scared of driving on the roads at night (81 per cent of 5,030 drivers surveyed) with common fears being hitting someone or something while driving. So, the car firm is introducing technology designed to detect pedestrians at night and [...]
French authorities join the UK’s Serious Fraud Office in Airbus fraud and corruption investigation March 17, 2017 French authorities have opened their own investigation into allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption at Airbus, joining Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) which launched an inquiry in August. The Parquet National Financier and the SFO will "act in coordination" going forward as they look into the allegations in the civil aviation business of Airbus Group [...]
As Toyota says it’ll invest £240m in its UK plant, has the threat of Brexit to carmakers been overplayed? March 17, 2017 Daniel Mahoney, deputy director at the Centre for Policy Studies, says Yes. The prospect of a 10 per cent tariff on UK car exports to the EU is unnerving for the automotive industry. However, developments since the EU referendum are reason to remain positive. Both Nissan and now Toyota have announced major investments in the [...]