Letters to the Editor – 04/12 – Tube fare freeze, Best of Twitter December 3, 2013 Tube fare freeze A real terms transport fares freeze in January is welcome news. But TfL could continue to freeze fares at inflation in future years. It has an annual turnover just shy of £10bn and a capital investment programme in the tens of billions. Freezing fares at inflation for a year costs just £34m [...]
Forget Gatwick bluster: A mega-hub east of London is our only real option December 1, 2013 THE AIRPORT debate is hotting up: the last few days have seen the chief executive of Gatwick Airport practically carpet bombing every media outlet in sight, trying to convince us that expansion at his airport is the only game in town. It sounds a good story (even if one mired in self-interest and distortion of [...]
Tube set to open all night on Fridays and Saturdays November 21, 2013 THE TUBE will keep running through the night at weekends from 2015, in a plan hailed by firms as changing the face of London’s night-time economy. However, unions threatened strike action after TfL announced alongside the night Tube that it was scrapping ticket office staff. Mayor Boris Johnson said London will be “a city fit [...]
Northern Ireland has highest government spend per head in UK November 21, 2013 Government spending in the UK was about the same in 2012/13 as it was in 2011/12. Out of just under £560bn spent in 2012-13, England accounted for £456bn, Scotland £54bn, Wales £30bn and Northern Ireland £20bn. When it comes to spend per head, Northern Ireland topped the chart at £10,876 – 124 per cent of [...]
Tories call for sponsored loos to cut TfL fares October 30, 2013 LONDONERS face another fare rise announcement this month – but Conservative assembly members at City Hall reckon they can cut fares and improve your commute. Their solution? Get sponsors for everything. And we mean everything: from TV screens to station lifts and even toilets. “It is ludicrous that TfL is currently splashing out millions of pounds [...]
Sponsored tube stations could fund free 4G, lifts, TV screens and underground toilets October 30, 2013 Sponsorship of the Oyster system and other sponsorship opportunities could allow Transport for London (TfL) to actively improve stations – introducing free wireless and 4G connectivity, TV screens, lifts, and even toilets for passengers. The report “Sealing the Deal: TfL sponsorship feasibility study” by Gareth Bacon of GLA Conservatives says that there is a potential [...]
Chaos in Whitehall as crane collapses onto Cabinet Office October 28, 2013 A crane has collapsed onto the Cabinet Office as St Jude's winds batter the capital. Whitehall has been cordoned off between Parliament Square and Horse Guards Avenue, and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has announced the postponement of today's press conference. Whitehall sealed off. Blue flashing lights outside Gwydyr. Crane has collapsed onto Cabinet [...]
More passengers set to feel the squeeze on London’s busy buses October 28, 2013 THE CITY’S buses will become more crowded unless Transport for London adds more services to meet soaring demand, a report out today from the London Assembly claims. The assembly has called on the Mayor of London and TfL to pinpoint which routes they would improve in the coming years. The number of bus trips rose [...]
The City A.M. guide to keeping fit, fresh and healthy in the City October 27, 2013 The City is bursting with different ways of getting you back in shape – and most of these activities can be enjoyed in your lunch break 1. Take intensive bursts of exercise LAX St Botolph’s, the City’s largest gym, opens today with a fitness programme specifically aimed at reflecting the lives of busy City workers, [...]
Cheaper train tickets planned for part-timers September 16, 2013 PART-TIME workers will soon be able to save money with flexible season tickets for their train journeys, under plans announced by rail minister Norman Baker yesterday. The Department for Transport will next year pilot the scheme on a London commuter route, which will offer cheaper season tickets for workers who only commute a few days [...]