London and the West Midlands can be an unstoppable force together September 11, 2018 Over a year since taking on the role of West Midlands mayor, we have achieved a lot. The wider region has experienced the largest increase in jobs in the UK, Coventry will be the country’s City of Culture in 2021, and Birmingham has secured the Commonwealth Games in 2022 – to name a few successes. [...]
Ride-hailing firm Taxify enters the electric scooter market September 6, 2018 Embattled ride-hailing firm Taxify has launched its first foray into battery-powered scooters with a debut in Paris, proving the tide might be turning after it was forced out of the UK just three days into operations last year. The firm, which operates in 25 countries across Europe, Africa and Australia, will compete against startups Bird and [...]
TfL to lose £20m from delay to ‘game-changer’ Elizabeth Line September 6, 2018 Transport for London (TfL) will miss out on £20m of additional revenue from the delay to the Elizabeth Line, commissioner Mike Brown has admitted. Earlier this month Crossrail Limited, which is building the £15.4bn Elizabeth Line, unexpectedly announced that the project that will connect Abbey Wood in the east to Reading in the west instead of this [...]
Thameslink owner Go-Ahead Group’s profits climb despite London Midland franchise loss September 6, 2018 Govia Thameslink owner Go-Ahead Group reported higher profits this morning despite losing a franchise and dealing with timetable chaos. Shares in the company jumped 9.4 per cent in early trading as management signalled that performance for next year would be "robust". The figures Revenue for the year to 30 June fell 0.6 per cent to [...]
Crossrail’s delay sounds depressingly familiar September 3, 2018 With a plethora of talented engineers at our disposal and a rich history of leading the world in pioneering rail projects, it is depressing to witness Britain’s clumsy approach to improving the country’s transport links. Commuter services into the City still woefully under-serve the UK’s economic engine. Meanwhile, news has broken that Crossrail has succumbed [...]
No end in sight for Crossrail fiasco as budget overshoot could surpass £1bn September 2, 2018 Crossrail's budget overshoot could surpass £1bn as the flagship project works towards a new 2019 deadline. Last week it was confirmed that the £15.4bn Elizabeth Line, which stretches from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, has been delayed by almost a year over safety issues and will now [...]
Focus On Knightsbridge: Who actually lives in the land of Harrods and what homes are set to be ‘superior’ to One Hyde Park? August 31, 2018 Fast cars, flagship designer stores and fancy restaurants are all things that characterise Knightsbridge in the London hive mind. But who actually lives amongst this finery where, according to Hamptons International, the average home goes for £3.5m? “Vietnamese, Turkish, American, Bahrani, French, Italian…” reels off Charlie Willis, head of London residential agency at Strutt & [...]
Focus On Covent Garden: The tourist trap turned foodie hotspot also does homes August 31, 2018 Who lives in Covent Garden anyway? To most Londoners, this historic 17th century piazza is synonymous with street performers and burger bars. It’s always been a place to pass through on the way to the theatre, rather than a place to spend much time in or, god forbid, live in. But all that is changing [...]
TfL and Network Rail urged to stop ‘passing the buck’ over failures on Gospel Oak to Barking line August 30, 2018 Transport for London (TfL) and Network Rail have been urged to stop "passing the buck" over continuing failures on the Gospel Oak to Barking line. Commuters using the London Overground line have endured repeated delays to the introduction of new Class 710 electric trains, which manufacturer Bombardier has blamed on software problems. The trains were [...]
Toyota invests $500m in Uber to propel self-driving cars into reality August 28, 2018 Japanese motoring giant Toyota has renewed its dedication to creating a self-driving car network on our streets, to the tune of a $500m (£387.6m) investment in ride-hailing firm Uber. The company said late last night it will expand its partnership with Uber in an effort to bring to market "autonomous ride-sharing as a mobility service at scale", at a time [...]