Rail firms have paid out more than £1bn in shareholder dividends over last six years, says TUC union January 2, 2019 Rail firms have paid over £1bn to shareholders in last six years, according to trade union analysis on the same day that a 3.1 per cent hike in fares was announced for passengers. The fare increase, set under the retail price index (RPI), will see many rail season tickets increase by more than £100. According to [...]
Stock predictions 2019: Which stocks and shares will do well this year? January 2, 2019 After a tumultuous year in the markets with Brexit uncertainty, the threat of trade war and rapidly changing consumer habits, the FTSE 100 suffered its worst year since the financial crisis in 2018, ending it 12.5 per cent down. While there is no sign that 2019 will be any less eventful, with the date Britain [...]
Amazon HQ2 – “Mr. Bezos, why didn’t you call?” January 2, 2019 Amazon’s HQ2 search went live on 7th September 2017 and it selected the winning cities, New York and Washington, in November 2018. The Global Cities databases that we use to quantify our investments comprise exactly the data that Amazon needed to make its decision. It wasn’t just Mr Bezos’ time that was wasted. When Amazon [...]
Apsley and Oxshott top London’s commuter town rankings after today’s rail fare price hike January 2, 2019 Hertfordshire's Apsley has been named London's cheapest town for City commuters, after the UK today hiked up rail fares by 3.1 per cent and hit the capital's train riders the hardest. In an analysis of house prices, mortgage payments, the cost of a rail season ticket and journey duration, Apsley won out in costing the [...]
Northern Line extension to Battersea Power Station faces 12 month delay in latest TfL setback December 22, 2018 The £1.1bn Northern Line extension to Battersea Power Station has been delayed by at least 12 months in the latest setback for cash-strapped Transport for London. The two mile spur from Kennington was forecast to open in 2020 but will now not be ready until September 2021 at the earliest, pushing up the project's cost. London mayor Sadiq Khan [...]
Sadiq Khan tells assembly ‘no smoking gun’ over Crossrail delays accusing former chairman of ‘misremembering’ events December 21, 2018 Sadiq Khan has accused the former Crossrail chairman of “misremembering” events and further denied being told of the project’s delays earlier than August. Earlier this month former Crossrail chairman Terry Morgan said he was in “absolutely no doubt” that the mayor of London was told on 26 July that it was no longer feasible to [...]
The best Christmas gift for rail users would be more competition and scrapping HS2 December 21, 2018 This week is set to be one of the busiest of the year for domestic travel. So, as London’s train stations are swamped with those endeavouring to get away for the their holidays, it’s worth dwelling on what would be the best Christmas present for travellers: a properly functioning rail system. Amid the whirlwind of [...]
Minicab and Uber drivers to lose exemption from congestion charge December 19, 2018 Minicab and Uber drivers will no longer be exempt from the £11.50 congestion charge from April next year, Sadiq Khan announced today as part of his push to curb pollution levels. TfL expects the changes to reduce the number of private hire vehicles entering the congestion zone each day by up to 8,000, a 44 per cent drop from current levels. [...]
Focus On Bow: A population boom and the commercial success of nearby Stratford is boosting plans for new homes in E3 December 17, 2018 It may seem like a distant memory now, but the London 2012 Olympic Games promised a lot in the way of legacy. It anointed six east London areas – Newham, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Greenwich, Barking & Dagenham and Hackney – ‘Growth Boroughs’ and predicted that the money pouring into Stratford would emanate out to [...]
Uber to hire team for Jump electric bikes launch in the UK December 17, 2018 Ride-hailing giant Uber is exploring plans to launch operations of its electric bicycle arm in the UK, entering an already-crowded space from the likes of Chinese startups Ofo and Mobike. Uber bought electric bike startup Jump in April, and has since been trialling the use of its bikes in the US and Germany. It is now [...]