Who owns the UK’s railways? Well, not British firms in many cases January 11, 2017 The sale of the C2C rail franchise – labelled by consumer groups as the best network into London – has once again sparked concerns that Britain's railways are being taken over by foreign, often state-owned, firms. National Express' sale of its final franchise in the UK was part of the FTSE 250 firm's strategy to target [...]
National Express flogs C2C network to Italian firm keen to get foothold in UK rail market January 11, 2017 Transport giant National Express has exited the UK rail market, flogging its final franchise to an Italian firm with grand designs to take control of Britain's rail networks. The C2C franchise, which operates trains in East London and South Essex across 26 stations, has been sold to Trenitalia in a deal worth £70m. Read more: National Express [...]
President Xi loves football, but China’s spending spree won’t last long says ex-Manchester City man Sun Jihai January 9, 2017 Premier League clubs need not worry about losing their best players to the China, says former Manchester City defender Sun Jihai who predicts a slowdown in spending from the emerging football power. Chinese teams’ spending has exploded as some of the country’s richest men acquired football clubs in the wake of President Xi Jinping revealing [...]
In pictures: Crossrail’s tastiest discovery yet January 9, 2017 The massive project that is Crossrail has unearthed a more appetising insight into London's history than the 3,000 plague victim skeletons at Liverpool Street A tasty treasure trove of condiment bottles from a former Crosse and Blackwell factory in the heart of Soho have been excavated after digging to create the Elizabeth Line around Tottenham Court Road. Londoners familiar [...]
London is the world’s greatest city because it’s both a cultural and business powerhouse January 9, 2017 "You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” This famous quotation by British poet Samuel Johnson still holds true about our great city some 240 years later. London [...]
Opinion: Agents are turning into party planners to entice buyers and investors to buy new homes in London January 6, 2017 Last year marked a shift in the central London market. The buyers are still out there – only now they have a broader choice of new homes to buy. This poses a challenge for developers: how do you target a particular group of buyers with precision and make them remember your homes above all the [...]
10 things to look forward to in London in 2017 January 6, 2017 Forget 2016; here's what you need to look forward to in London in 2017 1. Nordic Matters Festival, Southbank Centre The Southbank Centre is planning to explore all things Nordic through 2017, with some scandi-tastic special events. Think Moomins, Lego, hygge, saunas and gastronomic treats like cinnamon buns, pickling and curing — alongside the most [...]
Here are the most highly-anticipated theatre shows hitting the West End in 2017 January 5, 2017 Hamilton Victoria Palace Theatre: November 2017 Theatrical events don’t come much bigger than Hamilton’s highly-anticipated arrival in London. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s masterpiece charting the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the United States of America who died in a duel (historical spoiler!), racked up 11 Tony Awards and won the Pulitzer Prize [...]
Southern halves next week’s strike but adds three new days of industrial action January 4, 2017 Three new strike dates have been announced for Southern rail at the end of the month, Aslef, the train drivers' union, has announced. Industrial action is planned for January 24, 25 and 27. The announcement came shortly after the union said it would reduce next week's six-day driver strike to three days as it takes a "longer-term" view of the ongoing [...]
Orange barmy army: Network Rail spends £103m on Christmas upgrades to rail infrastructure January 3, 2017 Network Rail hailed the success of its "orange army" of workers and revealed it had forked out £103m over the Christmas break upgrading Britain's rail network. The work was carried out at almost 200 locations across the UK. Meanwhile, commuters into London Waterloo will be pleased to hear that £4.5m of work scheduled at the station, or on the tracks [...]