Sadiq Khan is to institute a £10 charge for London’s most polluting vehicles, while accelerating the planned expansion of the ultra-low emission zone July 5, 2016 Sadiq Khan has fleshed out his proposals to tackle London's air quality, including specifying new charges for drivers in environmentally unfriendly vehicles. Khan made tacking the city's pollution a key plank of his election platform, and figures last month showed that Londoners living in the capital’s most deprived boroughs are significantly more likely to die [...]
Southern is going to cut 341 trains a day in a revised timetable July 5, 2016 Southern Rail is to cut 341 trains a day as it revises its timetable to respond to prolonged cancellations and delays. The new schedule, which allows the cancellation of 15 per cent of trains, will start on Monday amid growing tension with RMT union, which has said the firm is in "crisis management". Southern Passenger Services [...]
Balfour Beatty wins £170m Heathrow Airport contract to upgrade baggage screening systems July 5, 2016 Infrastructure firm Balfour Beatty has won a £170m contract to upgrade baggage screening and handling systems for Heathrow Airport. The project will involve upgrading and installing baggage screening and handling systems at Heathrow's eastern baggage facility. The company's share price fell 2.03 per cent in early trading. Balfour Beatty boss Leo Quinn said: "This contract award is testament [...]
Work and pensions secretary Stephen Crabb and Tory backbencher Liam Fox have both lent their support to expansion for Heathrow July 4, 2016 Work and pensions secretary Stephen Crabb has promised an immediate green light for Heathrow expansion if he is selected as the new Conservative leader. Crabb has committed to expanding the South West London airport “as soon as possible” after his selection. A decision on Heathrow was expected this summer, but was again delayed last week [...]
Ryanair has cancelled over 100 flights due to more French strikes on Tuesday 5 July July 4, 2016 Budget airline Ryanair has called on the European Commission to take action over striking air traffic controllers (ATC) in France, after being forced to cancel more than 100 flights. The company has had to call off 102 flights due to take place tomorrow, and said the cancellations will affect over 18,000 customers – with 100,000 more [...]
RMT union says Govia Thameslink Railway franchise is being given permission to cancel 350 trains a day July 4, 2016 Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has been given permission by the government to introduce an emergency timetable from next Monday, allowing them to cancel 350 more trains a day, a union has warned. The RMT union said the figures were confirmed to the union at a GTR meeting on Friday, and that the emergency timetable will [...]
US-style compensation for Europeans could “overwhelm” Volkswagen July 3, 2016 Volkswagen has rebuffed calls from the EU for a US-style compensation package for European customers affected in the ‘Dieselgate’ emissions scandal. "You don't have to be a mathematician to realise that compensation at arbitrarily high levels would overwhelm Volkswagen," said CEO, Matthias Mueller, speaking to German newspaper Welt am Sonntag. Details emerged two weeks ago [...]
Easyjet confirms it has kicked off process to gain certification elsewhere in Europe after Brexit vote July 1, 2016 Budget airline Easyjet has confirmed that has kicked off the process to gain an air operator certificate (AOC) elsewhere in Europe, following the UK's vote to leave the EU. The company was responding to reports that it was in talks about moving its headquarters away from the UK. "As part of Easyjet’s contingency planning before the [...]
Airport expansion: This is politics for grown-ups – a decision must be made soon July 1, 2016 Amid all the schoolyard bickering which took place yesterday between those in the running (and those deciding not to be in the running) for both Tory and Labour leadership came a rather sombre statement by transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin. During parliamentary questions, he confessed that a decision over increasing London’s airport capacity will not take [...]
Great Western Railway launches new Hitachi train in celebration of 175 years of services between Bristol and London June 30, 2016 The government may have once again delayed a decision on air capacity in the South East, but new, faster trains are about to come into service between Bristol and London. Great Western Railway (GWR) today unveiled the first of a fleet of Hitachi-built trains on the day that it celebrates 175 years since the very first train ran on [...]