UK rail reliability figures driven off track by Southern rail chaos November 24, 2016 A new report from the Office of Rail and Road looking into the punctuality of UK rail service has found performance was “generally poor”, marred by ongoing troubles with Southern rail. Southern owner Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) proved the biggest trouble to performance ratings – it carries a fifth of passengers across England and Wales and [...]
Lufthansa pilots extend strike into a fourth day as thousands of flights are cancelled November 24, 2016 Pilots are set to cause Lufthansa and travellers more headaches into the weekend, after saying they intended to extend strike action until Saturday. It started on Wednesday, after last-ditch efforts by the airline to secure an injunction from a German court failed, with 900 flights cancelled then and a further 912 today. Now the pilots' [...]
Flybe records spike in last-minute flights after Storm Angus travel chaos November 24, 2016 Storm Angus has caused havoc for the UK over the past few days, after the nation braced itself for 80mph winds and flooding. But Flybe's found a silver lining – well, for itself anyway. The Exeter-based airline reported a 77 per cent increase in last-minute sales this week for routes from Cardiff and Exeter to London City [...]
Ryanair ditches travel search engine Momondo after breach of contract November 24, 2016 Ryanair has revoked a licencing agreement with travel search engine Momondo following a breach of contract. The company "urged customers to book directly on the Ryanair.com website". It had previously granted a non-exclusive licence to Momondo to display Ryanair's fares for price comparison purposes, one of a number of travel websites including Hipmunk, Dohop and Skyscanner [...]
The DfT lends Network Rail millions every day. But it’s ok, the rail network is going to last for longer… November 24, 2016 Over £9m of public money is being lent every day to the company that runs Britain's ageing rail infrastructure. Network Rail drew down £1.6bn from a department for transport (DfT) facility over the last six months according to the company's – or non-departmental government body's – half-year accounts. This was on top of the £1.9bn of grant [...]
London Underground Tube drivers announce 24-hour strike starting 6 December – the same day as the next Southern walkout November 24, 2016 London Underground Tube drivers will go on strike for 24 hours in December, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has announced today. The strike, which relates to drivers on the Piccadilly and Hammersmith and City Lines, will start at 21:30 on 6 December – the same day Southern workers are also due to go on [...]
Commuters facing chaos at Euston with disruption expected throughout the night after man was hit by train November 23, 2016 Emergency services are dealing with an incident between London Euston and Watford Junction, which is causing chaos for commuters and significant disruption between the stations. British Transport Police said it was called to an area nearby London Euston station "following reports of a person being struck by a train". A spokesperson said: "Our officers attended [...]
TUI tie-up with Etihad nears take-off after board green lights plan for new airline November 23, 2016 TUI's supervisory board has given the green light for the proposed tie-up with Etihad Aviation to create a new European airline. Negotiations are expected to be "finalised in the next few weeks" according to a company statement. TUI's supervisory body approved the plan to spin-off its German leisure airline subsidiary TUIfly to a joint venture with Etihad. TUI will hold [...]
£450m goes towards digital signalling to improve rail reliability and £390m plugged into driverless cars, says Philip Hammond November 23, 2016 Amid his bumper infrastructure unveiling, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced £450m to trial digital signalling technology on railways to improve reliability. From 2018-19 to 2020-21 the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) will plug this investment into signalling technology, while £80m will be allocated to accelerate the roll-out of smart ticketing, including season tickets for commuters in [...]
Autumn Statement 2016: As expected Philip Hammond has pledged more than £1bn for broadband and 5G November 23, 2016 The chancellor Philip Hammond has – as expected – pledged more than £1bn for broadband and 5G in his Autumn Statement. He said: My ambition is for the UK to be a world leader in 5G. That means a full-fibre network; a step-change in speed, security and reliability. He also revealed the government will offer business rates relief on new [...]