Victoria Line concrete clean up “nearly done”, says TfL January 23, 2014 After the Victoria Line has suffered from some concrete related problems with its signalling equipment (it's not cement, that's just an ingredient in concrete) – the fun is nearly over. Transport for London have said that cleaning of the fast-setting stuff is nearly done, with testing and fixing of equipment to follow. For now the [...]
TfL to use its own Olympic volunteers to staff stations during strikes January 23, 2014 Transport for London has found a new benefit to the Olympic legacy – it is drafting in trained volunteers from its back offices to man the stations as “ambassadors” during next month’s strikes. Around 1,000 TfL staff, from accountants to former drivers, have offered to lend a hand to passengers during the RMT walkouts on [...]
Boris let loose on London in a green cab January 16, 2014 (Laura Lean/City A.M.) Boris Johnson took a spin in a new, green black cab this lunchtime as he announced plans to force new taxis to operate with zero-emissions by 2018. The mayor of London, who has admitted in the past that his driving skills are awful (see the video below), took the white Metrocab for [...]
2013 Royal Family gift list revealed January 15, 2014 It might not come as too much of a surprise that, for the Royal Family, a gift is not just for Christmas – they receive them all year round. And today, Buckingham Palace has released a list of what was received in 2013. Below are the items the Queen alone received last year. Highlights for [...]
Capita wins £145m congestion charge contract ahead of toll-hike January 14, 2014 Capita, which helped set up the congestion charge for London in 2003, has won back the contract to run the scheme, five years after losing it to IBM. The outsourcing group reckons the contract is worth £145m in revenues over five years – meaning it’s likely to make up just 0.9 per cent of Capita’s annual [...]
Serco awarded extension to run Boris Bikes January 9, 2014 SERCO, the beleaguered outsourcing firm under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), yesterday said it has won a £38m two-year contract extension with Transport for London (TfL) to manage and operate the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme. The original contract to design, build and operate the service – commonly known as Boris Bikes, named after [...]
Business anger at plans to hike congestion levy January 6, 2014 LONDON’S congestion charge could rise from £10 a day to £11.50, under plans revealed yesterday by Transport for London that were criticised by hauliers and some business groups. The levy on motorists in central London has already doubled from £5 a day when it was launched in 2003, though TfL said the charges have been [...]
Nissan’s black cabs look green but electric launch faces hurdles January 6, 2014 NISSAN has hailed its new black cab as a greener, cheaper alternative to the traditional Hackney carriage – but warned an electric version will only launch in London if the city installs more charging points. A spokesperson said the petrol engine NV200 will appeal to London’s 25,000 licensed taxi drivers when it hits the roads [...]
TfL is asking for views on upping the congestion charge January 6, 2014 Transport for London (TfL) has hatched a new plan to raise funds, announcing today that it'd like Londoners' views on some changes to the congestion charge – which it's intending to increase. The daily charge, which has been £10 since 2011, will be upped to £11.50 with the new proposals. The increase will raise around [...]
The year in preview: Our in-depth guide January 5, 2014 City A.M.’s journalists take a wide-ranging look at what 2014 has in store for the world of finance and business BANKINGRestoring faith means costly overhaulsA CAUTIOUS optimism pervades the British and European banking system at the start of 2014. The incoming economic recovery is at last improving customers’ creditworthiness, while the hard work running down [...]