Businesses and transport experts look to Autumn Statement for Hammond to flesh out infrastructure promises October 3, 2016 Businesses have welcomed Philip Hammond's promises to bolster infrastructure today, but warn they'll be watching him carefully to follow through in the Autumn Statement. Speaking at the Conservative party conference, the new chancellor of the exchequer warned that public infrastructure, including "our roads, railways and flood defences", was in dire condition compared with similarly developed countries, thanks [...]
Automotive and tech firms are poaching each other’s talent to pull ahead in the driverless car race October 3, 2016 Automotive and IT firms are poaching each other’s talent in a bid to nudge ahead in the driverless car race, according to research by CPA Global. Its analysis found that more than 20 patent inventors have made the switch from automotive to IT companies or vice versa since 2008, with Google’s self-driving car programme serving [...]
Travel chaos for commuters as power failures shut down several Tube stations October 3, 2016 Local power failures have meant King's Cross, Regent's Park, Euston and Warren Street stations were shut just as many commuters began to pack up for the day. Transport for London said local issues had caused the stations on several different Tube lines to be shut shortly after 4pm today. https://twitter.com/respros/status/782970566588395520 The two mainline stations – King's Cross and [...]
Southern is asking passengers to complain about RMT strikes and they’re not happy about it October 3, 2016 The reaction to a large advertising campaign Southern Rail took out today suggests it may well have misjudged its audience. The snappily named “Let’s strike back” campaign implored passengers to tweet the RMT union and tell it how rail strikes made them feel. It also suggested a hashtag for users to get involved with: #SouthernBackonTrack. Time [...]
Christmas Tube strike on the cards as RMT ballots London Underground staff October 3, 2016 Bad news for the capital’s commuters – London Underground could be facing a new strike threat just in time for the festive period. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) are set to vote on whether to launch a campaign of industrial action in the coming weeks. While union leaders have not yet [...]
TfL signs £79.7m five year deal with Serco to upgrade the capital’s thousands of Boris bikes October 3, 2016 Transport for London (TfL) has signed a deal with Serco to develop the next generation of London’s cycle hire scheme, Santander Cycles. The five year contract is valued at £79.7m and Serco will distribute and maintain the hire scheme, while the upgraded bike will be made by Pashley Cycles, a Stratford-upon-Avon firm which celebrated its [...]
Southern Rail sets out eight-point plan in open letter to RMT as it attempts to avert more strikes October 3, 2016 Southern Rail's owner has made a final attempt to break the deadlock in its long-running industrial dispute with the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union. A series of five walkouts between 48 and 72-hours are planned in the coming weeks with the first starting on 11 October. And Govia has upped its efforts by setting out an eight-point plan that [...]
A one-day walkout on Virgin Trains East Coast started this morning October 3, 2016 A 24-hour strike on Virgin Trains East Coast kicked-off in the early hours of this morning as part of a long-running dispute over jobs. The rail franchise said that it plans to run a normal service despite the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union saying that around 1,800 of its members would be taking action. Read [...]
London bus bursts into flames at Liverpool Street station October 2, 2016 A London bus burst into flames near Liverpool Street station on Sunday morning, blocking roads in the City. The fire ripped through the routemaster bus at around 10am this morning. London Fire Brigade attended the incident and the fire was extinguished, leaving the area cordoned off around the shell of the burnt out vehicle. It's understood [...]
Airbus announces restructuring plan in order to bring the group closer together September 30, 2016 French aerospace giant Airbus Group has announced a corporate shake-up that will see divisions merged, brands simplified and bureaucracy removed. The group’s plane and engine divisions will be brought under one umbrella with Fabrice Bregier taking on the role of chief operating officer of the new company to be called simply “Airbus”. "We are bringing Team [...]