Govia and Abellio go head-to-head to deliver “better journeys” between London and Birmingham August 30, 2016 The owner of Southern Rail has made it onto the list of the final two bidders vying to run the London Midland franchise. Govia currently runs the network and will go head-to-head with Abellio, who recently won a nine-year contract to run the East Anglia franchise, one of the busiest commuter networks into London. Central [...]
Working Lunch review: Blanchette East’s blend of Southern French and North African cuisine is a masterclass in fusion food August 30, 2016 Blanchette East 204 Brick Lane, E1 What? A French fusion bistro and close relative of the critically-acclaimed Blanchette in Soho. While the menu changes daily, visitors can expect to find a carefully-curated cacophony of sharing dishes that champion North African flavours alongside traditional French delicacies. Where? The home of all things curry and vintage, Brick [...]
Starwood’s W Hotels announce deal to operate Edinburgh hotel August 30, 2016 Starwood Hotels & Resorts is to bring its iconic W Hotels brand to Edinburgh, as the centrepiece of the flagship £850m Edinburgh St James development. W Hotels is a contemporary, design-led lifestyle brand and an industry innovator with 49 hotels and retreats in the most vibrant cities and exotic destinations around the world and it is coming [...]
The Southern rail row isn’t just about the battle between the operator and unions, here’s what’s secretly driving it August 30, 2016 Southern Rail passengers have endured more than their fair share of commuting hell in the past few months: cancelled trains, reduced timetables and, more recently, a string of strikes. The heavy disruption has led to the service being dubbed “Southern Fail” and triggered calls for its delivery to be passed to Transport for London. Public fury [...]
London areas dominate list of fastest growing economies as Croydon – the Silicon Valley of South London – takes the crown August 30, 2016 Croydon's burgeoning reputation as a tech hub has made it the UK’s fastest growing economy, new research has found. Croydon topped the list of 173 areas as the fastest growing UK region with an annual growth rate of 9.3 per cent in gross value added (GVA), according to accountancy group UHY Hacker Young. GVA is a measure of an area’s [...]
There’s a new London Tube map showing your steps between stations August 29, 2016 A new map of the London Underground has been created to show travellers exactly how close stations are in the centre of the capital and get them walking across the city instead. The map shows the number of steps between the stations across zones one and two, demonstrating how locations such as Charing Cross Station and [...]
Jubilee line Night Tube services to start on 7 October August 26, 2016 The first Night Tube service on the Jubilee line will start from 7 October, the mayor of London has said. The news comes after Londoners hailed the success of the service beginning on the Central and Victoria Lines last weekend. Over 100,000 people used, and are benefitting from, the launch of London’s first all-night Tube [...]
Bus strike starts today on 20 routes in dispute leaving workers “out of pocket” August 26, 2016 As of this morning Transport for London began advising that strike action on buses will start to cause disruption. The strike is by members of the Unite union, who work for Tower Transit. The union said 1,000 drivers, engineers and other workers are involved in a dispute affecting some 28 bus routes across London. Overall, almost [...]
Notting Hill Carnival 2016 guide: Where to watch the parade and how to get there August 25, 2016 Planning on negotiating bus strikes and the inevitable downpours to go to the Notting Hill Carnival this year? Here's our guide to how to make the best of Europe’s biggest and most colourful street festival 1. The weather The good news is while the bank holiday won't quite hit the Caribbean temperatures experienced in the capital this week, [...]
Don’t fall for the Uber hype – London needs a common sense approach to taxis August 25, 2016 The lavishly resourced Uber PR machine has cranked into gear once again – with a blizzard of activity attempting to obstruct Transport for London's eminently sensible new rules for regulating the taxi industry in London. Quite why Uber are huffing and puffing as much as they are is anyone’s guess: TFL – the industry's regulator – [...]