One-third of Tube staff off sick as Underground trains still packed March 25, 2020 Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged more Londoners to stay at home today amid the coronavirus lockdown as he repeated his call for the government to ban construction work in the capital. Khan warned London’s Tube and bus transport network is approaching breaking point, with almost a third of Transport for London (TfL) workers off sick [...]
Government under pressure to suspend non-essential construction work March 25, 2020 The government is facing growing pressure to halt non-essential construction work as it tries to grapple with the coronavirus outbreak. In a Downing Street briefing on Tuesday, health secretary Matt Hancock said construction workers could and should continue to work so long as they are two metres apart. “The judgment we have made is that [...]
Coronavirus: Government goes to war with City Hall over London Tube restrictions March 24, 2020 The government and City Hall are at war over Transport for London’s decision to restrict the Tube’s services, which has forced remaining commuters to cram into available carriages. Last week, TfL shut 40 stations and reduced the usual weekday service with some lines only running a train every 10 minutes. The Waterloo & City shuttle [...]
Coronavirus: Tory mayoral hopeful Shaun Bailey calls for more Tube services March 24, 2020 Conservative mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey has urged Sadiq Khan to increase Tube capacity to alleviate rush hour overcrowding. Pictures and videos of overcrowding on Tube carriages flooded social media for the second day in a row this morning, despite the government’s new draconian restrictions. Khan and train drivers’ union Aslef have both been quick to [...]
London coronavirus lockdown: Which Tubes and buses are still operating? March 24, 2020 Boris Johnson’s address to the nation last night confirmed what many had thought inevitable. From today, the UK is under a police-enforced coronavirus lockdown, with people only allowed to go outside for a limited set of reasons. Public meetings of more than two people have been banned, while all stores deemed non-essential have been forcibly [...]
Coronavirus lockdown: Sadiq Khan urges construction sites to close March 24, 2020 Sadiq Khan has called for London construction sites to be closed down in the wake of the government’s effective coronavirus lockdown. The mayor of London said he disagreed with the government’s ruling that construction sites could stay open and that it would be “very, very difficult” for those workers to follow social distancing instructions. Khan [...]
Crossrail construction suspended over coronavirus lockdown March 24, 2020 Construction on Crossrail and all Transport for London (TfL) projects has been stopped due to the coronavirus lockdown. TfL commissioner Mike Brown MVO made the call today, after Boris Johnson effectively placed the country in lockdown last night. The halt to work on Crossrail means the new £18.25bn train line will almost certainly not be [...]
Coronavirus: Tube could shut amid overcrowding, union warns March 24, 2020 Transport for London’s (TfL) biggest train drivers’ union has warned the Tube could shut if people continue to overcrowd carriages at rush hour. Chaotic scenes were witnessed on the Tube once again this morning, despite Boris Johnson effectively putting the country on coronavirus lockdown last night. TfL also heavily reduced its public transport services last [...]
Coronavirus: Tube drivers ‘furious’ at people still commuting March 23, 2020 Tube drivers are “furious” at the amount of people still catching the Tube in rush hour, according to a London Underground union boss. Social media was awash this morning with photos of packed Tube trains, despite the government instructing people to not use public transport unless they were an “essential worker” going to their workplace. [...]
Stagecoach and Go-Ahead scrap dividends over coronavirus March 23, 2020 Stagecoach has issued a coronavirus profit warning today as both it and Go-Ahead scrapped their dividends as travel restrictions bite. The operator warned it will now miss its target for adjusted earnings per share for the 12 months to the start of May. “The quickly developing Covid-19 situation means we no longer expect to achieve [...]