Southern rail pledges to run full service next week as strike talks get underway January 18, 2017 Southern rail has pledged to run its full service from next Tuesday, as talks aimed at finally resolving the dispute between train drivers' union Aslef and Southern rail kick off today. But the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union won't be involved. The talks, to be chaired by Trades Union Congress (TUC) general secretary Frances [...]
City Moves for 18 January 2017 | Who’s switching jobs January 18, 2017 Boston Consulting Group Paolo Cuomo has joined the Boston Consulting Group as a principal in the firm’s insurance practice. He will work with teams in London and across Western Europe to support (re)insurance clients, including carries, brokers and regulators, on strategy, operational and digital topics. Paolo joins from Charles Taylor, where he was chief operating [...]
£4 million for England’s museums January 17, 2017 The Government and the Wolfson Foundation have awarded grants worth £4 million to 39 museums and galleries in England. The foundation put up half the funding for these improvements, which are aimed at increasing access, upgrading public spaces and updating displays. In London, the Natural History Museum is receiving £100,000 for improvements to their iconic [...]
Abellio agrees to sell 40 per cent of Greater Anglia franchise to Japanese firm Mitsui January 17, 2017 Abellio is selling 40 per cent of its Greater Anglia rail franchise to Japanese firm Mitsui. Managing director Dominic Booth said the company had "fulfilled our long-standing objective" of running the franchise as a 60:40 joint venture and the deal will deliver "significant improvements" for Greater Anglia's customers. Abellio won the Greater Anglia franchise again [...]
Tube talks between RMT, TSSA and London Underground adjourn as threat of further strikes looms over capital January 16, 2017 Negotiations aimed at averting more Tube strikes were adjourned today, leaving the threat of industrial action looming over the capital. Talks will resume on Wednesday between officials from the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, Transport Salaried Staffs' Association and London Underground representatives, who met today at the conciliation service Acas. Read more: Here's when the [...]
Severe delays on Piccadilly Line “to prevent overcrowding” due to Victoria line issues January 16, 2017 There are severe delays on the Piccadilly line as Transport for London tries to prevent overcrowding at stations that overlap with the Victoria line. https://twitter.com/piccadillyline/status/820959080261058561 The Victoria line is experiencing serious disruption today due to an earlier signal failure at Euston station – emergency engineering works are taking place. Service between Highbury & Islington and Victoria [...]
Union reps and Tube bosses get talks underway to try and stop a repeat of last week’s Tube strike chaos January 16, 2017 Commuters, keep your fingers crossed for talks today aimed at avoiding the Tube chaos of last week, when a 24-hour walkout shut down numerous Zone 1 stations. The talks, at conciliation service Acas, are taking place to try and hash out a resolution to the dispute over staffing levels at stations. Officials from the Rail, [...]
End of the (railway) line? The Canadian pension giants that own HS1 have brought in Bank of America to explore a £3.6bn potential sale January 15, 2017 The two Canadian pension giants that own the high-speed railway connecting London to the Channel Tunnel have appointed a US investment bank to explore a sale of the line. The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and Borealis have brought in Bank of America Merrill Lynch to handle a £3.6bn potential sale of the 109km HS1 line that [...]
No business like snow business: The funniest tweets about London’s flurry of snow January 13, 2017 The Met Office had issued warnings, Transport for London (TfL) said it had prepared – but in the event, in the capital yesterday's snow flurry proved pretty disappointing. That didn't stop Londoners from taking to Twitter to express their excitement, though. Here are the best tweets about #Snowmageddon. With the Met Office having issued warnings [...]
Torrential rain in Spain means spinach shortage and blow to Popeye wannabees January 13, 2017 New Year gym-goers aiming to build up a Popeye-like physique have been dealt a major blow. Torrential rain in Spain has damaged this winter’s spinach crop, and supermarkets are struggling to feed consumer demand. Read more: Manufacturing giant Premier Foods considers price rises due to Brexit vote Waitrose supermarkets, for instance, have signs warning shoppers [...]