London cabbies welcome a review of new Uber rules August 15, 2016 London's black cab drivers expect the Mayor of London to look again at the way the industry is regulated in the capital after arch-rival Uber called on the Mayor of London to do just that. Business groups and entrepreneurs yesterday backed a rethink, calling on Sadiq Khan to review the new rules governing Uber and other minicab firms [...]
The roller-coaster ride that is the Southern Rail dispute takes a new turn as talks break down August 15, 2016 Arbitration talks to end the dispute between the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) Union and Southern Rail have broken down. In news that will send shivers down the spines of many of the capital's commuters, the RMT said that Southern had rejected "solid" proposals in relation to the role of guards (or "second persons") on the trains. [...]
Letting agents expect the Night Tube will push up rents near stations on the 24-hour service August 15, 2016 Letting agents are predicting there will be rent rises for homes near the tube stations that will be open for 24 hours on weekends as part of London's new Night Tube service. The service will start on the Central and Victoria lines on 19 August, making it easier for people living in places such as Epping and Walthamstow to [...]
GTR vows to modernise services as talks with RMT end without agreement August 15, 2016 Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has vowed to move ahead with its modernisation plans after talks with RMT ended without any agreement. GTR, the parent company of embattled Southern Rail, said it will move forward after talks broke down with the RMT union at Acas. An Acas spokesperson said: "Acas conciliation talks have ended without the sides reaching [...]
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan boosts police funding by £3.4m to protect Night Tube travellers August 15, 2016 Around 100 extra police officers will be deployed when the Night Tube launches this weekend, as part of a £3.4m boost in security funding for the new 24-hour services. The British Transport Police (BTP) officers will patrol trains and all 51 stations on the Central and Victoria lines on Friday and Saturday night, Transport for London (TfL) [...]
Budget rail service will link Edinburgh and London August 14, 2016 | City Talk A new low-fare train service between Edinburgh and London has been given the green light. The rail regulator ORR has approved FirstGroup's proposal to provide a rival budget rail service on the East Coast Mainline linking Edinburgh and London. The plan is to operate five trains a day in each direction. The service will be [...]
More proof Southern’s still a total basket case after timetable changes August 14, 2016 After a week of travel misery among commuters with strikes on Southern Rail, commuters who feel like they're getting a raw deal will be unsurprised to hear that new figures show the operator continues to be beleaguered by cancellations and delays – despite efforts to improve. One in five Southern services are still not running on time, just [...]
Now there’s going to be a strike on Virgin trains – but Virgin has promised a “normal timetable” August 12, 2016 Virgin Trains has promised to run a "normal timetable" during three 24-hour strikes which were confirmed by the RMT union today. In a statement today, RMT said the three 24-hour strikes on Virgin East Coast, which were announced on Tuesday, will take place on Friday 19 August, Friday 26 August and Monday 29 August, threatening to disrupt [...]
Sacre bleu: Eurostar staff’s work/life balance strike started at St Pancras this morning – here’s what you need to know August 12, 2016 The good news is that if you're planning on travelling to Paris today, things might not be as bad as expected – despite the fact RMT union members have put up pickets at St Pancras as they began the first stage of their work/life balance strike. The strike – which, lest we forget, was voted for [...]
Banning diesel cars is the wrong way to tackle pollution in London August 12, 2016 Everyone reading today’s copy of City A.M. wants clean air. But reducing pollution in our great city is a complex problem deserving of careful consideration and the adoption of a range of solutions. There is no magic bullet. Reducing emissions from all sources – whether planes, trains, cars or buses, or the polluting systems that [...]