Saturday Sitdown: Soho Housing’s chief on why ‘we need to rethink the way we use central London’ March 19, 2022 Insurance giant Admiral recently warned that nearly nine out of ten Londoners can no longer afford the average cost of rent in the capital. The demand for rooms to rent is much higher than the available supply, thereby leading to such increases that most Londoners cannot keep up with, the company cited as the main [...]
Get the cocktails right this Paddy’s Day March 17, 2022 Three of the world’s top cocktail virtuosos have released the definitive guide to Irish mixology just in time for the St Patrick’s Day festivities. Paddy Drinks: The World of Modern Irish Whiskey Cocktails, published by HarperCollins, features a comprehensive list of 90 recipes, although we don’t recommend you try them all tomorrow. It’s written by [...]
TfL to increase tube and bus fines by 25 per cent March 17, 2022 Transport for London’s (TfL) fines are expected to increase by at least 25 per cent, commissioner Andy Byford said in his latest updated. Byford reported that fines are expected to increase from £80 to £100 “to protect our revenue from fare evasion and fraud.” The hike will target chronic fare evaders across the whole TfL [...]
Rail franchise Govia slapped with £23.5m fine over HS1 scandal March 17, 2022 The government has slapped rail franchise Govia with a £23.5m fine over a breach of an agreement relating to High Speed One. The penalty notice for the company – run by the Go-Ahead Group (65 per cent) and Keolis (35 per cent) – was issued to the operating firm London & South Eastern Railway Limited [...]
HS2 minister Andrew Stephenson ‘concerned’ about project’s rising costs March 16, 2022 HS2 minister Andrew Stephenson said today he is concerned about the rate at which the railway project’s rising costs are soaring. Stephenson reported that HS2 had taken a further £500m between September 2021 and January 2022, in addition to the £5.6bn contingency funds. He added that the project’s “potential cost pressures” have gone up by [...]
Weekend tube numbers continue to grow, reaching 85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels March 16, 2022 Weekend tube ridership continues to grow, reaching more than 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, figures from Transport for London (TfL) showed today. According to the data, numbers on 12 March were at 85 per cent of 2019 levels, with more touristic stations such as Tower Hill, Westminster and Waterloo seeing similar levels of demand [...]
TfL commissioner Andy Byford supports formalisation of river crossing committee March 15, 2022 Transport for London’s (TfL) commissioner Andy Byford said yesterday he would be in favour of formalising the existence of a committee to oversee maintenance of London’s river crossings. Speaking at the London Assembly’s transport committee, Byford agreed that TfL alongside the central government and London boroughs should formalise the mandate of the Thames River Crossing [...]
Uber fares could rocket 20 per cent as ride-hailing app foots VAT bill March 14, 2022 Uber could hike prices by as much as a fifth from tonight as the ride-hailing giant faces fresh VAT charges. It comes after the company was forced to implement changes following the High Court ruling last year, which said that Uber could not be viewed as an agent but must be regarded as a contractor. [...]
TfL unveils long-term plan for buses prioritising faster journeys and environment March 11, 2022 Transport for London has unveiled its long-term plan for buses, putting faster journeys and the environment at the centre of the agenda. Under the new Bus Action Plan, journeys will be 10 per cent quicker than in 2015, while all bus related deaths and injuries will be eliminated by 2030. The public body has also [...]
Grant Shapps blocks Sadiq Khan’s Cockfosters development proposal March 11, 2022 Transport secretary Grant Shapps announced today he has blocked a development project brought forward by London mayor Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL). Writing to Chipping Barnet’s MP Theresa Villiers Shapps said he refused the application made by TfL to build tower blocks over Cockfosters’ station car park. “It was shocking when Labour councillors [...]