HS3 rail line: Cameron and Osborne back plans to cut journey times and create “northern power house” October 26, 2014 Both the Prime Minister and the chancellor will back plans for a high-speed rail line in the North of England dubbed HS3. The route will link Manchester and Leeds and is part of George Osborne's vision to create a "northern powerhouse" to extend economic prosperity beyond London and the South East. HS3 would slash the [...]
Reviving an Aussie institution on the Great Barrier Reef October 24, 2014 Backpackers heading to Australia aspire to conquer the three Rs; Reef, Rocks, and Rock. Admittedly, it gets a bit repetitive towards the end, but if you follow the three Rs you’ll get a basic understanding of the country’s vast and extreme landscape, namely the Great Barrier Reef, The Rocks in Sydney and Ayers Rock. But [...]
Uber vs Hailo: Why has the UK taxi app been unable to replicate its US rival’s success? October 24, 2014 Yesterday, the Hailo taxi app had its day in the sun unveiling two new features; Pay Hailo and Hailo Hub. However, the shadow of the company's withdrawal from the US after failing to successfully take on rivals such as Uber and Lyft still looms large. Things looked good for Hailo when it began its US venture three [...]
Southend Airport could take off for Stobart Group with 50 airlines circling October 23, 2014 Newly restructured Stobart Group is in talks with up to 50 airlines to begin flying out of the firm’s Southend airport, according to chief executive Andrew Tinkler. The company, which yesterday published its results for the six months ended August 2014, restructured earlier this year to focus on its aviation and energy divisions. The aviation [...]
Uber taxi app heads to Leeds as Unite union cabbies protest October 22, 2014 Uber is set to make its presence felt in the North of England with a planned launch in Leeds: the taxi app has filed an application with Leeds City Council to become a private hire operator. But even before the company had the opportunity to make its mark on Leeds transportation, a group of demonstrators [...]
Apple Pay is only the start: Mobile wallets are about to take off October 21, 2014 It’s here folks. Well, in the US at least. Yesterday, a string of American retailers (including Bloomingdale’s, Foot Locker and Toys R Us) started accepting Apple Pay transactions, allowing consumers to make payments through credit card information stored on the new iPhone. Exciting stuff, but haven’t people been predicting the end of cash for some [...]
HS2 names trio of infrastructure stalwarts to company board: Christine Emmett, Neil Masom and Baroness Jo Valentine October 20, 2014 HS2 has taken another step towards construction after three new non-executive directors were appointed to the board. Christine Emmett, Neil Masom and Baroness Jo Valentine have all been appointed by secretary of Transport Patrick McLoughlin. “Jo, Christine and Neil, working with the existing members of the board, will bring the cumulative experience we need for [...]
Commuting to London: Three in five passengers will have to stand on Thameslink’s new Siemens Class 700 trains October 20, 2014 If you commute into London each morning, make sure you have a comfy pair of shoes with you – you'll be spending most of your time standing up once the government's new German-built Siemens commuter trains are introduced. The “Class 700” trains will start running from 2016 along the Thameslink and Great Northern routes, [...]
Taxi app Uber referred to HMRC by TfL over tax complaint by Margaret Hodge October 15, 2014 Uber, the smartphone taxi app, has been referred to HM Revenue & Customers by London’s taxi and minicab regulator Transport for London (TfL). The referral follows a complaint by Labour MP Margaret Hodge that Uber’s Dutch operating firm Uber BV does not pay tax in the UK and was “opting out of the UK tax [...]
Spanish airport operator Aena takes over the reins at Luton October 13, 2014 AENA Aeropuertos, Spain’s biggest airport operator, will take control of Luton Airport this week when it inks a deal to boost its ownership of the transport hub. Aena is set to increase its ownership of the site to 51 per cent from 40 per cent. The Spanish government, which currently owns Aena through its holding [...]