Eurostar to hold on to its brand name in Thalys merger October 5, 2021 Eurostar will retain its brand name even after a planned merger with continental operator Thalys. The post-merger business will operate from Brussels but UK-bound services will be overseen by an operational centre in London. The news was first reported by the International Railway Journal. Speaking to the magazine, Belgian National Railways’ chief executive Sophie Dutordoir [...]
Just 127 drivers have applied for emergency UK visas, says Johnson October 5, 2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that just 127 truck drivers have so far applied for UK visas to help ease acute shortages. In an interview with the BBC Johnson said that the road transport industry had been asked to provide the details of drivers who were willing to come to Britain amid shortages. So [...]
Return to work: Midweek-only office workers gain a new moniker October 4, 2021 Last Thursday was the busiest day for Farringdon, Canary Wharf, Bank and Monument stations since the pandemic began, as London’s commuters adjust to a new world of hybrid working Almost a hundred thousand people travelled through Bank and Monument stations. And since City workers were encouraged “back to school” from the beginning of September, footfall [...]
Insulate Britain activists block Blackwell Tunnel and Wandsworth Bridge October 4, 2021 Activists from Insulate Britain have launched their eleventh day of protest at London’s Blackwall Tunnel and Wandsworth Bridge today, according to reports. The Blackwall blockage is expected to hinder the route for commuters travelling into London for the east. It comes despite a government injunction put against them, prohibiting them from blocking traffic following a [...]
Future of HS2 uncertain as Grant Shapps will not ‘blindly follow’ decades old-plans October 4, 2021 Speculation over the future of the eastern route of the HS2 is mounting after Grant Shapps said he is not planning to “blindly follow” plans dawn up 20 years ago. In an interview with the Financial Times today, the Transport Secretary signalled that a major rethink of the high-speed rail project between Birmingham and Leeds [...]
Ballooning infrastructure costs could be quelled if Whitehall embraced clear data October 4, 2021 Infrastructure is one of the government’s latest passions. It could be, in ministers’ eyes, a foundation for Global Britain and a way out of the economic decline that Covid-19 has brought in its wake. We have a National Infrastructure Strategy, and the prime minister, announcing it last summer, admitted it sounded “positively Rooseveltian” and pledged [...]
Buyers seek second homes in London to avoid countryside commutes October 4, 2021 Commuters facing the reality of daily journeys into the city are hunting for London homes with a renewed zest. Home buyers are eager to have their cake and eat it too, with some people having settled in the countryside now looking for second homes in the city. The number of new prospective buyers registering with [...]
Watchdog mulls investigation for EY and Deloitte over Southeastern audits October 3, 2021 The accountancy watchdog is debating whether to launch a probe into the auditors of the Southeastern train line after the company last week admitted to hiding £25m owed to the state. The Financial Reporting Council is looking into whether audit giants EY and Deloitte have a case to answer, sources told the Sunday Telegraph. Last [...]
Eurostar faces £400m losses after pandemic swerves passenger numbers off track October 3, 2021 Eurostar has reported more than £400m pandemic-induced losses and cautioned it faces “material uncertainties” in the future, after Covid travel restrictions derailed passenger numbers for the cross-channel train. After riding high with a £62.4m profit in 2019 before the pandemic hit, the French majority-owned train operator swung to a dizzying pre-tax loss of £427.8m in [...]
TfL in further cash plea to government to keep London moving October 3, 2021 Transport for London has asked the Treasury for a further half a billion worth of support for the rest of the financial year and for a further £1.2bn next year to “ensure London’s recovery” from the pandemic. Documents submitted by the capital’s transport authority to the government’s spending review include a commitment from TfL to [...]