Transport minister Jo Johnson calls for diesel-only trains to be ditched by 2040 and fast rollout of hydrogen train trials February 12, 2018 Transport minister Jo Johnson will today call for diesel-only trains to be taken off Britain’s railways by 2040, as the government seeks to tap the use of alternatives such as hydrogen. As battery technologies improve, the government expects to see the diesel engines in bi-modes replaced with batteries powering the train between the electrified sections [...]
Metropolitan Line extension stalemate between mayor Sadiq Khan and government leaves TfL mulling bus scheme alternative February 8, 2018 Transport for London (TfL) is working on alternatives to the Watford Metropolitan Line extension after progress stalled when the mayor and the government could not agree on terms for taking the scheme forward. The extension was intended to go to Watford Junction, diverting Metropolitan line trains to serve the existing Watford High Street and Watford [...]
TfL dealt blow by Chris Grayling as he steps in to block “excessive” rise in penalty charges for London motorists February 8, 2018 Transport for London (TfL) has been dealt a fresh blow to its finances after Chris Grayling stepped in to block plans increasing motorist penalties in the capital, set to provide a revenue boost to the organisation. In correspondence seen by City A.M., London mayor Sadiq Khan wrote to the transport secretary in December to notify [...]
London to explore how drones can work for the capital in Flying High Challenge with four other cities February 7, 2018 London has been selected as one of five cities to explore in detail how drone technology could be utilised across the UK. The challenge, run by innovation foundation Nesta’s Challenge Prize Centre in partnership with government-backed Innovate UK, called on cities to apply for a chance to examine how drones could be used in their [...]
Digital mapping firm Here to map Dubai with high definition technology to deliver driverless car ambitions February 7, 2018 Dubai said today it is working with digital mapping firm Here to use a live HD map for driverless cars as it looks to get 25 per cent of public transport self-driving by 2030. In an announcement today, Here said it will aim to map Dubai with high definition technology for the first time, to [...]
China’s Didi Chuxing is partnering with 12 auto giants including Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi on a car-sharing platform February 7, 2018 Chinese ride-hailing behemoth Didi Chuxing announced today that it has launched a car-sharing platform alongside 12 auto giants including Geely Auto and Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi. Didi said it intends to utilise its artificial intelligence strengths and national network to help the “entire automotive industry chain”. The company, which bought out Uber’s China business in 2016, said it [...]
Capita shares jump as fund management giant alleges board “flouted one of the basic rules” February 5, 2018 Capita investors were delivered a dose of good news this morning, with shares rising around six per cent after last week's mammoth sell-off. The change in fortunes came as one of Britain's largest fund managers blasted Capita for "flouting basic corporate governance rules" and urged it to "not repeat the mistakes of the past". Shares [...]
Focus On Vauxhall: Donald Trump might not be keen on it, but international investors dig these skyscrapers south of the river February 2, 2018 Vauxhall got dragged through the mud by no less a figure than the President of the United States recently. The US Embassy’s much touted move to the “off location” was supposedly the reason behind Donald Trump’s cancelled visit to the UK, even though the new building has its own moat. Clearly, tech behemoth Apple didn’t [...]
Crossrail 2 progress stalls as independent funding review won’t wrap up until the autumn February 1, 2018 Progress on the £31bn Crossrail 2 project has stuttered, after Transport for London (TfL) said today an independent financing review sought by the government will not be completed until the autumn. It means hopes for a public consultation getting underway early this year have been dashed. TfL’s director of City Planning, Alex Williams told the [...]
City Hall presses Philip Hammond to return Londoners’ £500m in vehicle excise duty February 1, 2018 The London Assembly is pressing Philip Hammond to return some of the £500m the capital contributes to the government in vehicle excise duty (VED). Sadiq Khan has complained that none of the VED generated by London is spent on roads in the capital, which he says has put a strain on Transport for London (TfL), [...]