Avert economic damage rail strikes will cause, say London businesses July 25, 2022 London businesses have called on unions, operators and the government to find a solution to the ongoing railway strikes “and avert the economic damage” they will cause. “The week-long rail disruption in June caused footfall in the capital to drop by up to a quarter compared to the previous week,” Ruth Duston – chief executive [...]
Wealthy Londoners wake up to find their SUVs deflated in affluent Crouch End following overnight raid in Highgate July 25, 2022 Close to 100 SUVs were deflated across the affluent North London area of Crouch End last night. Activists called the Tyre Extinguishers informed City A.M. this morning that they “disarmed” nearly 100 SUVs in Crouch End in order to protest against the government’s climate policies. They primarily targeted cars in and around Southwood Lane, Shepherds [...]
Long-term funding deal must come without too many strings attached July 24, 2022 Until we see the details of central government’s (eventual) funding offer to Transport for London, it is dangerous to be too cheered by the arrival of the long-awaited and absurdly delayed proposal. For two years, the Mayor and TfL’s commissioner Andy Byford have been making a clear case for a settlement that helps secure London’s [...]
Long overdue: TfL reviews government funding proposal July 23, 2022 Transport for London (TfL) is currently reviewing a long-term funding proposal put on the table by the Department for Transport (DfT) yesterday. The move comes just a few days before the latest short-term extension from central government was coming to an end. “I’ve put a long-term settlement on the table to ensure services are supported [...]
A post-industrial Britain has stark lessons for net zero July 22, 2022 LAST week our cities were hotter than they have ever been, and many people suffered. On average they were 3-4 degrees hotter than the surrounding countryside. Had more people commuted into workplaces, it would have been worse. But why are London and cities across the UK so hot? There are three connected explanations. First, they [...]
Chaos after TfL backtracks on early closure of Central Line due to staff shortages July 21, 2022 Confusion reigned for Londoners this afternoon following TFL’s announcement the Central Line would close early due to staff closures – before uturning on the decision shortly after. Thousands of commuters were concerned as to how they might get home from the City, after an announcement by Transport for London (TFL) the line would shut by [...]
Sigh of relief for Londoners as ALL long-running strikes on Night Tube suspended July 21, 2022 Long-running strikes on London’s Night Tube have been suspended. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union have been taking industrial action over weekends in a dispute over shifts. “We are pleased that after our strong industrial campaign, we have made significant progress on the Night Tube dispute,” said RMT’s general secretary Mick Lynch. [...]
Chaos-stricken Heathrow dealt kerosene blow as refuellers plan to walk out from tomorrow 5am July 20, 2022 Heathrow will need to brace itself for further chaos as refuellers are set to go on a three-day strike starting tomorrow. Around 50 members of the union Unite working for Aviation Fuel Services (AFS) announced the decision yesterday, after they rejected a 10 per cent pay increase. The walkout will begin at 5am tomorrow and [...]
Londoners heed call not to travel in extreme heat with near 50 per cent drop in Tube use from pre-Covid July 19, 2022 Londoners are heeding the government’s advice and staying at home due to the extreme heat, with entries and exits on the train network down almost 50 per cent. During the morning rush-hour on Tuesday, there were 1.03 commuters using the Underground, marking a 47 per cent drop on pre-pandemic levels. This was also 30 per [...]
Rail network unable to cope with extreme heat as track hits 62C: ‘Just not built to withstand this temperature’ July 19, 2022 The hottest railway track reached a scorching 62C on Monday, as the Transport Secretary admitted it will take decades to upgrade existing lines to be more resilient. Grant Shapps conceded the UK’s transport network cannot cope with the extreme heat, saying that the Victorian-era infrastructure “just wasn’t built to withstand this type of temperature”. On [...]