TransPennine Express to be nationalised after months of disruption – but transport sec warns it’s ‘not a silver bullet’ May 11, 2023 Train services run by TransPennine Express will be nationalised after months of delays and cancellations. Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced the decision to bring the operator’s services under Government control, but warned it is “not a silver bullet”. Graham Sutherland, chief executive of TransPennine Express owner FirstGroup, said the company has “worked extremely hard to [...]
Elizabeth Line: Workers to walk out later this month on London’s most popular route May 9, 2023 Elizabeth Line workers will strike on Wednesday 24 May in what is the latest industrial action to hit London’s most popular line. The action brought by members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union announced today, is part of an ongoing pay dispute between operational staff, such as traffic and response managers, and TfL. [...]
Transport for London warns of huge crowds on Coronation weekend – and here’s what they’re doing about it April 18, 2023 Service providers such as Transport for London which operates the tube and bus network in the Capital have warned of huge central London crowds between 6 and 8 May over the bank holiday weekend. Extra train services are being laid on for the King’s coronation weekend, but the transport operation will not match the scale [...]
Rishi Sunak bans new smart motorways amid safety concerns April 16, 2023 The building of new smart motorways is being cancelled as prime minister Rishi Sunak acknowledged concerns about safety and cost. Fourteen planned smart motorways – including 11 that are already paused and three earmarked for construction – will be removed from government road building plans, given financial pressures and in recognition of the lack of [...]
Superloop or ‘Superflop’? Khan unveils £6m bus network connecting outer London ahead of ULEZ expansion March 28, 2023 Sadiq Khan has unveiled plans for a new “Superloop” orbital bus network linking services around outer London. Express bus routes on the network will have limited stops, faster journey times and connect outer London, City Hall says. The mayor of London is funding £6m towards the scheme, but TfL says it will cost much more. [...]
TfL budget to cover costs but Londoners still set for fares hikes March 23, 2023 Transport for London (TfL) has said its latest budget will allow it to cover its operating costs, as fare rises continue to hit Londoners’ pockets with a four per cent rise set for next year. London’s transport network will achieve an overall operating surplus of £79m, its 2023/24 financial statement revealed, which it wants to [...]
On the right track? Beleaguered train operator Avanti gets contract extension March 20, 2023 Train operator Avanti West Coast has been handed a short-term contract extension by the Department for Transport (DfT), the FirstGroup-owned company said. The operator has struggled with reliability and punctuality during parts of the past year. Its contract was due to expire at the end of March but has been extended until October 15. FirstGroup [...]
Elizabeth Line usage soars by 41 per cent as London commuters get around tube and rail strikes March 17, 2023 One in six journeys on Britain’s transport network have been made on the new Elizabeth line, with 62m taken on London’s newest railway between October and December 2022. Out of almost 370m rail passenger journeys across the UK, Crossrail accounted for 41 per cent, according to new figures released by the Office for Rail and [...]
No strike? Still no service! Wednesday’s Tube walkout bleeds into Thursday as rail action cripples London commuter belt March 16, 2023 London commuters vented their anger as Wednesday’s Underground strike continued to cause disruption throughout Thursday morning. People going to work faced fresh difficulties this morning following yesterday’s industrial action by RMT and Aslef union workers, with stations closed up until 7am, as the service was regulated.. As of Thursday at midday, none of the Bakerloo, [...]
Government plans to delay HS2 will cost the UK more in the long term, London business group warns March 9, 2023 Delaying the construction of HS2 to save money will cost the UK more in the long term, a London business group has warned after reports the government is set to announce further delays to the already over budget and overdue project. “Delaying construction of HS2 to save money is a false economy. Failing to invest [...]