Autumn Budget 2024: Train fares and price of railcards to rise October 30, 2024 The price of a train fare in England is to rise by up to 4.6 per cent in 2025, it has been announced. A Budget document published by the Treasury also revealed that the price of most railcards will also increase by £5. The increase in fares is one percentage point above July’s Retail Prices [...]
Autumn Budget 2024: Major HS2 and train route updates unveiled October 30, 2024 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has revealed in her first Budget that the Transpennine upgrade to connect York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester will be secured under the new Labour government. Reeves said the money would deliver “fully electric local and regional services between Manchester and Stalybridge by the end of this year, with a further electrification of [...]
Autumn Budget 2024: Fuel duty frozen as hike would be the ‘wrong choice’ October 30, 2024 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has declared a rise in fuel duty in 2025 would be the “wrong choice” as she pledged to continue the freeze and maintain the temporary 5p cut for another year. In her first Budget, Reeves told MPs that to retain the 5p cut and freeze fuel duty again would cost more than [...]
How Network Rail is planning to stop the ‘Euston rush’ October 29, 2024 A plan to reduce the number of passengers rushing to platforms at Euston station in London has been revealed by Network Rail. The Government-owned company is to allow passengers travelling on around 40 per cent of Avanti West Coast services from the London station to board trains 20 minutes before departure. Network Rail said this [...]
Lookers in the red after £504m take-private deal October 28, 2024 Car dealership giant Lookers slumped into the red in the year it was taken private in a deal worth more than £500m. The Cheshire-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax loss of £5m for 2023, having posted a pre-tax profit of £73.9m in 2022. The loss comes as newly-filed accounts with Companies House show Lookers’ revenue [...]
Ministers to oversee HS2 amid warnings of ‘dire delivery failure’ October 20, 2024 Ministers will oversee work on HS2, the government has announced, as the transport secretary warned costs had spiralled out of control. Louise Haigh has announced urgent action to bring the cost and delivery of the high speed route from London to Birmingham back under control. It comes as the Sunday Times revealed leaked documents marked [...]
HS2 back on track: Troubled line will run from London Euston after all October 17, 2024 The government is reportedly planning to reverse its decision to scrap the northern leg of HS2, extending the high-speed rail line from London Euston to Crewe. Having originally planned for the project to cost £37.5bn in 2009, the government’s latest estimation in Febuary this year ballooned to anywhere between £72bn and £98bn. Private talks involving [...]
AA: More customers helps profit surge at breakdown giant October 16, 2024 A growing customer base has helped boost profit at the AA after a US investor took a £450m stake in the motoring group. The breakdown giant has posted a pre-tax profit of £39m for the six months to the end of July 2024, up 70 per cent compared to the same period in 2023. The [...]
London Underground workers in Aslef and RMT vote to strike next month October 16, 2024 London Underground drivers will walk out next month, bringing chaos to the capital in a protest over pay and working conditions. Members of the Aslef union voted overwhelmingly to walk out on a number of dates in November, before RMT members backed strikes shortly after. Train operators and management grades will not work on 7 [...]
Vertu Motors: Profit at car dealership giant falls as UK sales stall October 16, 2024 Profit at car dealership Vertu Motors reversed during the first half of its financial year as UK sales of new cars stalled. In interim results filed with the London Stock Exchange, Gateshead-headquartered Vertu Motors reported a pre-tax profit of £22m for the six months to 31 August, 2024, down from the £30.1m it achieved in the [...]