EV industry welcomes government’s home charging rules November 22, 2021 The EV industry has welcomed the UK Government’s announcement that owners of newly built homes and commercial buildings will need to instal electric vehicle (EV) charging points. The new regulations will lead to 145,000 additional EV chargers installed across the UK every year, and it was announced a few weeks after Prime Minister Boris Johnson [...]
British Airways threatens to cut Heathrow flights if recovery-undermining airport charges don’t come down November 22, 2021 The boss of British Airways’ parent company warned today that the airline will cut Heathrow flights if proposed increases in charges are implemented, IAG chief executive Luis Gallego said the west London airport’s fees are already among the highest in the world and are becoming “more and more expensive”. In October, the Civil Aviation Authority [...]
Another strike: Londoners face severe tube disruption on 26-28 November, 3-5, 10-12, 17-18 December November 22, 2021 Transport for London (TfL) is hitting back at the strike action planned by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), warning that commuters could face severe disruptions because of the “unnecessary strikes”. If going ahead, the strikes – which will disrupt services on two days and eight nights between 26 November and [...]
London needs to have the powers to control its own destiny – and transport November 22, 2021 It is no longer headline news that Transport for London is facing a financial crisis. Last week the mayor of London revealed the network needed £1.7bn over the next 18 months simply to balance its books, and at least £1.3bn every year to make essential upgrades on the Tubes, trains and buses. This summer, Tfl [...]
Service resumed: Waterloo and City line restored to pre-pandemic timetable November 22, 2021 The Waterloo & City line has returend to a full time-table today after 20 months of closures and restrictions during the pandemic.
Crossrail’s trial operations to begin ahead of opening November 22, 2021 Trial operations on the Crossrail are finally underway ahead of its opening in the first half of 2022, almost three years after the project’s initial deadline. Operations will involve exercises to ensure the project’s safety and reliability, while also testing the timetables. Over the coming months, more than 150 scenarios will be carried out – [...]
TfL’s future in Khan’s hands November 19, 2021 [Re: “Managed decline”, yesterday] Great front page headline City A.M. “Managed Decline” (18th November). The reality on Transport for London is London’s future is in the Mayor of London’s hands. He can reform the pre 1980’s era style union working practices and pay and conditions which are so generous other public sector workers are envious. [...]
Whitehall should not be able to escape TfL’s case for funding November 18, 2021 There is a brilliant, if possibly apocryphal, anecdote that emerged from the 2000 US election. Karl Rove, George W. Bush’s election strategist, was finally accosted by the journalists who had been following Bush on the campaign trail for weeks, reciting the same speech, city by city, state by state. The hacks begged Rove to change [...]
High voltage: National Grid’s profits spark to life amid Europe’s energy crunch November 18, 2021 National Grid is benefitting from booming profits as the energy crisis continues to bite.
Railway industry says HS2 cuts will hinder net zero and levelling up agenda November 18, 2021 Railway industry stakeholders have hit back against the government’s decision to cut the eastern leg of HS2, which was initially planned to connect Birmingham and Leeds. Speaking at Commons, Shapps argued that the changes made to the £100bn Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) “will bring benefits at least a decade or more earlier” and that they [...]