Four improvements which need to happen before Oxford Street can be pedestrianised September 5, 2016 Sadiq Khan is under pressure to remove buses from Oxford Street to clear the way for happy shoppers – but before Oxford Street is pedestrianised there are a lot more changes the London Assembly have in mind. The London Assembly's Transport Committee wrote to Sadiq Khan today, suggesting ways to help the pedestrianisation of the street happen. Here are [...]
Hole-y moley: Gatwick flights are back to normal after a hole was found in its runway September 5, 2016 Flights are back to normal at Gatwick Airport after its main runway was closed last night following the discovery of a "hole". A spokesperson for the airport said flights had been switched to the airport's substitute runway after a routine maintenance check found the hole, although the spokesperson was unable to go into detail about what kind of [...]
Gatwick says bumper passenger numbers make case for second runway September 5, 2016 Gatwick Airport said that breaking records for passenger numbers underpinned the case for expansion at Britain’s second largest airport. Both the month of and year to August smashed previous highs – 4.8m passengers filed through the airport taking the annual number of passengers up to 42m, up 6.4 per cent on the previous year. “We’re expansion [...]
Southern Rail strikes are going ahead despite both sides wanting to talk September 4, 2016 A 48-hour strike by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union on the Southern Rail network will go ahead on 7 September despite both sides saying that they are available to hold talks to avert industrial action. The walk-out, the latest in the long-running dispute over the role of guards on the troubled network will [...]
“Shameful” Southern rail owner set for best one-day stock market performance since 2009 September 2, 2016 Southern Rail owner Go-Ahead Group is set for its best one-day performance on the stock market since 2009. Go-Ahead was slammed as "shameful" as it reported a 27 per cent growth in statutory pre-tax profits this morning. But investors are flocking to the company, with shares currently up more than nine per cent to 2,184p. If the nine [...]
Southern rail owner apologises to commuters as it reports 27 per cent profit growth September 2, 2016 Southern Rail stakeholder Go-Ahead Group has apologised to customers for a disrupted service as it reported a 27 per cent growth in pre-tax profits. The results came at the end of a summer filled with disruptions for users of Southern rail. Go-Ahead shares rocketed more than seven per cent on Friday morning. The figures Go-Ahead has reported [...]
Scooters in the City: A quick way to kill your credibility September 2, 2016 In this sprawling metropolis, it’s not often you notice the same person twice outside of your normal routine. But nearly every morning I see this same chap: well groomed, early 30s, nicely cut suit – you know the type. In fact you might even be him, or umpteen others like him. He wouldn’t stand out among the [...]
An embarrassment, a bailout and a failing franchise: Politicians blast Southern’s £20m funding deal September 1, 2016 Politicians from City Hall, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have blasted £20m of new funding for Southern Rail, announced earlier today. The Department for Transport (DfT) revealed the cash as part of a package of measures to improve performance on the lines. It will also see the appointment of a new project [...]
Uber wins judicial review of English tests for drivers and other new rules September 1, 2016 Uber has succeeded in the first stage of its legal challenge against new rules on English language tests for drivers in London after the high court today approved a judicial review. The billion dollar startup argues the English exam, which it claims is tougher than the test for British citizenship, is discriminatory and contravenes the Equality Act. City A.M. exclusively revealed in August that [...]
The Govia Thameslink strike set for 7 September has been called off September 1, 2016 It looks like a 24-hour strike by Southern railway workers next Wednesday in a row over ticket office closures will not be going ahead. Rail union RMT confirmed today that it has suspended strike action involving Southern operator Govia Thameslink's station staff, scheduled for 7 September, after "significant progress" was made in talks held at ACAS yesterday. The union [...]