Andy Burnham wants Manchester to add an extra £13bn a year to the UK economy – this is how January 24, 2025 A decade-long plan to increase Greater Manchester’s contribution to the UK economy by £13bn a year has been unveiled by the region’s mayor, Andy Burnham. The proposal, which has been made public today, would see the “whole Greater Manchester system mobilised” to deliver £1bn of investment every year between now and 2035. Burnham has also [...]
Denmark has the ‘happiest city in the world’. I spent a week there in search of their secret January 22, 2025 Can a city cure sadness? Adam Bloodworth visits Denmark’s other capital, Aarhus, to speak to some of the happiest people in the world You probably haven’t heard of Aarhus, but Denmark’s second biggest city – which has serious beef with Copenhagen – claims to be the ‘happiest city in the world’. The British Institute for [...]
British wine industry calls on Eurostar to bring back Kent services January 22, 2025 Britain’s wine industry has called for Eurostar to restart services from two Kent stations to boost the South East of England’s vineyards. The high-speed operator suspended operations from Ashford International and Ebbsfleet in the early stages of the pandemic. But it has faced mounting pressure to bring back the popular routes over the last year [...]
Will Heathrow’s third runway plans be halted by Miliband, Khan and Burnham? January 21, 2025 Heathrow Airport’s long-delayed third runway plans took a major step forward this week, after it was revealed the government is prepping to give the project its backing. Chancellor Rachel Reeves will outline her support for expansion bids from three major London hubs – Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton – in a speech later this month, according [...]
Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton: Ministers preparing to back London airports expansion January 21, 2025 The government is preparing to approve major expansion plans at three London airports, according to reports. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is poised to announce her support for additional runways at Heathrow and Gatwick, and a bid by London Luton to significantly increase passenger capacity, in a speech later this month, according to Bloomberg. Reeves’ speech has [...]
Firstgroup and Virgin push back against state clampdown on open-access rail firms January 20, 2025 Firstgroup and Virgin are combining to push back against a government clampdown on some of the last private train firms operating the UK’s railway tracks. So-called open access is a lesser-used model in which firms shoulder commercial risk but take the entire share of any profit. It is viewed as a success story by many [...]
Contactless train ticketing finally coming to London Stansted Airport January 20, 2025 The government has outlined its plans to roll-out contactless ticketing at nearly a hundred UK train stations in 2025, including London Stansted Airport, with a start date less than a fortnight away The Department for Transport (DfT) said on Monday some 47 stations across the South East would be able to use tap-in and tap-out [...]
Eurostar: Calls grow for Kent reopening as passenger costs surge January 20, 2025 Pressure is mounting on Eurostar to reinstate services from two stations in Kent as passengers from the county face a surge in costs and journey times to Brussels, according to a new report. Transport research group Enroute and the grassroots campaign “Bring Back Euro Trains” said on Monday that suspending international rail services from Ashford [...]
At 1 Hotels, luxury means something different January 18, 2025 As 1 Hotels prepare for their biggest rollout of openings, Adam Bloodworth explores the brand’s intriguing formula Sure, you can have a great dinner, and yep, the spa’s so nice you could easily pop in for an hour but end up spending the whole afternoon. But it isn’t an obvious type of luxury that appeals [...]
Avanti West Coast strikes suspended for next two Sundays amid ‘intensive talks’ January 16, 2025 Strikes by Avanti West Coast train managers have been suspended for the next two weeks to allow time for “intensive talks.” In a statement on Thursday, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said planned industrial action on Sunday 19th January and Sunday 26th January would no longer be going ahead. All other previously announced [...]