MPs blast Crossrail bosses’ huge bonuses as £17.6bn Elizabeth Line costs set to increase July 19, 2019 Crossrail bosses pocketed huge performance bonuses even as London’s huge rail network programme fell disastrously off track, MPs revealed today, warning that project costs could continue to rise. The £17.6bn Elizabeth Line was originally due to open in December 2018 but management recently admitted large swathes of track may not be operational until at least [...]
Tube delays hit commuters in miserable rush hour July 18, 2019 Commuters face a miserable journey to work this morning with severe delays affecting the Jubilee Line. Read more: Revealed – London’s most stressful Tube stations The Jubilee Line is plagued with severe delays between Waterloo and Stratford after engineers had to deal with a faulty train on the track, hitting thousands of east London passengers. [...]
Uber rival Kapten partners with Citymapper on London travel July 17, 2019 Citymapper has teamed up with rival Kapten to offer a £10 credit to some of its users. Users of Citymappers’ pass, which was launched in March, will receive a free £10 weekly credit for rides via Kapten, the only private hire firm to have teamed up with the transport app. Read more: French ride-hailing app [...]
Kicking up a fizz: Aldi champagne advert banned after Tesco complaint July 17, 2019 The advertising watchdog has banned an advert promoting Aldi’s own-brand champagne after Tesco complained it was misleading. Read more: TfL revises junk food ad ban after rules spark confusion In the advert, the German discount supermarket claimed customers could save 45 per cent on a selection of products when compared to rival Tesco. The products [...]
Former BA operations chief to head up London Underground July 15, 2019 A former British Airways chief is to join Transport for London (TfL) as its new managing director of the Underground, taking over from the incumbent Nigel Holness. Andy Lord worked at BA for 25 years before progressing to the role as director of operations from 2008 to 2015. He also held the role of executive [...]
Uber rival Via Van wins three-year licence renewal from TfL July 15, 2019 Ride-sharing service Via Van has had its London licence renewed for the next three years, following its launch in the capital last year. The three-year licence renewal puts Via Van ahead of rivals Uber and Kapten, which are operating on a probationary 15-month licence and a 12-month licence respectively. Read more: Mercedes-backed ViaVan launches weekly [...]
See it, say it, sorted – it’s annoying, but effective July 15, 2019 Rail commuters across the country have heard it – the security announcement that starts “if you see something that doesn’t look right…” and ends with the earworm “see it, say it, sorted”. It’s one of those advertising lines that – through a mix of alliteration, questionable grammar, and sheer repetition – gets stuck in your [...]
Focus on Twickenham: leafy suburb offers better value than its riverside neighbours Richmond and Putney July 15, 2019 If you were a wealthy member of 18th century London society set looking for a fashionable spot on which to locate your sprawling pad, Twickenham was the place to be. The south west London district – then part of Middlesex – was chosen for the purpose by poet Alexander Pope as well as Horace Walpole, [...]
Crossrail to renegotiate pay with Bechtel over ‘value for money’ concerns July 11, 2019 Crossrail is looking to renegotiate the pay and incentives of Bechtel, its delivery partner, amid concerns they are no longer offering “value for money”. Crossrail is angling to restructure the pay of Bechtel to “support the delivery of the revised schedule”, TfL board papers released earlier this week reveal. Read more: Crossrail contractors could ask [...]
Sadiq Khan on course to miss another housing target, critics claim July 10, 2019 Sadiq Khan is on course to miss one of his key housing targets, critics have claimed, after new figures show that just over 300 homes have been built on land owned by Transport for London (TfL). In May 2016, TfL said it had set a target to build 10,000 homes by 2020. However, new figures [...]