Northern Rail set to be nationalised ‘this week’ amid franchising chaos January 26, 2020 Northern Rail could be renationalised as early as this week, as the government tries to contain a period of chaos on Britain’s railways. The franchise operator, Arriva, is thought to be gearing up to hand the franchise back to the government’s Operator of Last Resort (OLR). Earlier this month, transport secretary Grant Shapps said the [...]
Time ticking on HS2: Work ‘must start within 67 days’ to avoid further delay to £106bn project January 24, 2020 The controversial HS2 rail project was delivered a stark deadline this morning, as the government spending watchdog declared the scheme would be delayed even further unless construction begins in the next 67 days. In its fourth report on the project in the last seven years, the National Audit Office (NAO) also said the Department for [...]
South Western Railway guards vote for more strike action January 23, 2020 Rail commuters face more misery on South Western Railway in the coming months, after staff voted for more strike action in the long-running dispute over the role of train guards. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has not yet announced strike dates, but the action follows a record-breaking 27-day strike in [...]
European car sales set to drop for first time in seven years, says trade body January 23, 2020 Europe’s car sales are likely to decrease this year, according to the European automotive industry association ACEA. Car registrations are projected to drop two per cent in 2020, which would be the first drop in seven years. The forecast is likely to fuel growing concerns that car manufacturers’ best days are behind them. Companies are [...]
Pensions dashboards: Minister urges providers to get data in shape January 23, 2020 Pension providers are facing demands to get customer data in a fit state for the introduction of pensions dashboards. Pensions minister Guy Opperman has urged companies to help pave the way for the dashboards – apps to help people keep track of their savings . The pensions dashboards will give people information about their pensions [...]
Struggling South Western Railway could be nationalised, says transport secretary Grant Shapps January 22, 2020 The South Western Railway franchise could be nationalised in the coming months after transport secretary Grant Shapps today declared it financially “not sustainable”. South Western, which is run by First Group and Hong Kong firm MTR, has been plagued by delays, poor performance and a series of damaging strikes in recent months. The franchise lost [...]
Bish bash Bosch: German giant gives £38m endorsement to UK fuel cell maker Ceres Power January 22, 2020 Ceres Power, the British fuel cell maker, got a £38m vote of confidence from German engineering giant Bosch this morning. The Aim-listed firm’s shares rocketed 12 per cent today on the announcement that Bosch had increased its stake in the company. Bosch increased its share in Ceres Power to 18 per cent, leaving the British [...]
Coronavirus: Heathrow airport to separate arrivals as concern grows January 22, 2020 Heathrow has set up a separate arrivals area for people travelling from the Chinese city hit by the coronavirus outbreak. Transport secretary Grant Shapps said Heathrow was putting “additional measures” in place this morning to protect against the virus. “Initially this is to ensure that when flights come in directly into Heathrow there is a [...]
British Steel: Officials line up Turkish firm Cengiz if Jingye bid falls through January 22, 2020 Whitehall is thought to be lining up a Turkish backup bid for British Steel in case its sale to Chinese firm Jingye fails. Officials are holding talks with Turkish conglomerate Cengiz Holdings, according to the Guardian newspaper. The government insisted it was confident the £50m deal with Jingye would go through. However, a spokesperson refused [...]
HS2: Grant Shapps says problem is with capacity ahead of February decision January 22, 2020 Grant Shapps has placed more doubt over the future of the HS2 rail line, saying the problem is about capacity rather than speed. The transport secretary said that while a final decision would be made in February, he was examining alternatives. Shapps said it was vital that the government get the facts right before embarking [...]
