The capital needs Crossrail 2 and Heathrow expansion to continue to compete globally, say London businesses February 28, 2017 Crossrail 2, Heathrow's third runway and East London river crossings will all be crucial to the capital's continued ability to compete on the global stage, London businesses have said. According to the latest CBI/CBRE London business survey, 84 per cent of firms in the capital see Crossrail 2 as being central to the city's successful expansion, [...]
SpaceX to boldly go where no private company has gone before: The Moon February 27, 2017 Serial entrepreneur Elon Musk will fly two people around the moon next year, boldly going where no private company has gone before. In an announcement late last night Musk said two unnamed private citizens had approached his company, SpaceX, and had paid a “significant deposit” to secure the mission. The announcement could start a new [...]
HS2 delays controversial contract award to CH2M as it meets Mace for talks February 27, 2017 HS2 will meet Mace for talks after the construction company lost out on a £170m contract for work on the £55.7bn rail project and has been mulling a legal challenge as a result. The government-owned developer HS2 Ltd has now delayed the formal award of the contract, while it meets Mace for talks. These are expected to take place [...]
Peugeot has unveiled its Instinct concept: A driverless car featuring a virtual assistant February 27, 2017 Peugeot has provided insight into its driverless ambitions with the unveiling of its Instinct concept. It's a shooting brake style which provides the option of "fully autonomous driving". The car features both drive and autonomous modes though, offering the driver the choice of four different settings. And of course, it doesn't just stop at "driverless" when [...]
Southern rail urges passengers to check if they’re in line for one-off compensation (as it doesn’t have all of their details) February 27, 2017 Southern rail is urging season ticket holders to check if they're eligible for a special one-off compensation offer ahead of an April deadline. The scheme, announced by the government in December, said one-off payments worth up to a month of free travel could be claimed to make up for the disruption of 2016. To qualify, Southern [...]
The RMT is balloting London Underground workers for strike action over the “victimisation of Tube staff” February 27, 2017 More London Underground walkouts could be on the horizon as the RMT union has announced it's balloting station staff for strike action and action short of a strike. The RMT said it will be balloting station staff across its London Bridge group after one member was fired and two others disciplined for intervening to stop a "serious [...]
Guess which British stalwart has just been named the UK’s favourite brand again February 27, 2017 British Airways may have hit some turbulence thanks to the weak pound, but when it comes to its brand value, the airline is sailing smoothly on, after it topped a ranking of the UK's favourite brands – again. It's the fourth year in a row BA has topped the Superbrands index, an annual survey of consumers' views [...]
Easyjet set to be ejected in FTSE’s quarterly reshuffle this week February 26, 2017 Easyjet is on course to dive out of the FTSE 100 this week, as part of the index’s quarterly reshuffle. The airline has seen its value decline by 40 per cent over one year and issued a profit warning last month, sending its shares down nine per cent on the day. The firm blamed a [...]
Uber takes on TfL in High Court over English language requirements February 26, 2017 The car-booking firm Uber joins forces with three of its drivers this week to launch a High Court challenge to English language tests for minicab drivers. Under the proposals, put forward by Transport for London (TfL), private-hire drivers without UK qualifications will have to take a two-hour test to demonstrate their English language skills. Yet [...]
Today’s Copeland result and Lords energy report both highlight the ticking nuclear time-bomb in UK politics February 24, 2017 This morning’s Tory victory sweep in the Labour stronghold of nuclear heartland Copeland has coincided with the publication of a Lords report criticising the government’s nuclear energy policy. The nuclear question could not have been more central to yesterday's by-election contest in the heart of Britain’s West Cumbrian ‘energy coast’. 10,000 people are already directly [...]