Serco awarded Caledonian Sleeper franchise May 28, 2014 International service company Serco, has been chosen to manage a 15-year franchise for the Caledonian Sleeper service, which is set to be run separately from the ScotRail franchise. Serco was selected by Transport for Scotland which aims to transform the service with over £100m being invested in new rolling stock. It is hoped that the [...]
Tube traffic rises by a third in a decade to nearly 1.3bn journeys May 27, 2014 IF THE Tube carriage feels a bit more crowded than it used to be, it’s no wonder: the London Underground carried passengers on a whopping 1.265bn journeys in the last financial year, meaning the Tube is now taking a third more passengers than it was a decade ago. Compared to the previous year, journey numbers [...]
US durable goods orders beat expectations with 0.8pc rise May 27, 2014 Durable goods orders in the US unexpectedly rose 0.8 per cent in April, after rising 2.5 per cent in March. The consensus was for a 0.5 per cent fall. Rising sales of defence aircraft and other transport equipment helped drive the unexpected boost in orders. Defence capital goods orders jumped 39 per cent in the [...]
Arriva accelerates across Europe May 27, 2014 BUS AND rail company Arriva has revealed a double-digit rise in revenues as it vies for more transport contracts in Britain and across the rest of Europe. Arriva, owned by Germany’s state railway since 2010, said turnover rose 12.5 per cent to €4.18bn (£3.39bn) last year, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) [...]
Govia wins rail contract that’ll bring 10,000 more seats during rush hour May 23, 2014 The busiest rail routes in London and the South East are to get three new state-of-the-art train fleets. Govia Thameslink Railway has bagged a seven-year government contract, which includes building 1,400 electric carriages. This’ll increase capacity by over 50 per cent, supplying 10,000 extra seats every weekday into central London during the rush hour by [...]
Focus on… Ladbroke Grove: Feeling the love for Ladbroke Grove May 22, 2014 IT MAY be a small area, but Ladbroke Grove in west London is making a big impact on the property market. The area just north of Kensington and south of Paddington is a bustling collection of tree-lined streets packed with boutique shops, independent restaurants and Portobello Road Market. “It’s set itself apart from nearby areas [...]
Leeds company unveils greener red London bus May 21, 2014 A LEEDS bus builder yesterday unveiled what it hopes will be the next double-decker bus to drive on London’s streets. Optare said its MetroDecker model weighs less than 10 tonnes, compared to over 12 tonnes for the newest Routemaster – making it “extremely fuel-efficient”. “We have worked hard to assess and evaluate every part of [...]
Why the City should vote Lib Dem in the EU elections May 20, 2014 LEAVING the EU is the surest way to pull the rug out from under the City’s feet. The Square Mile is Europe’s financial centre, with twice as many euro foreign exchange deals done in London than in any other country in the Eurozone. Holding our position at the heart of Europe is essential if we [...]
Tube says trains will run over bank holiday in spite of strike May 19, 2014 TRANSPORT for London insisted yesterday that the London Underground will continue to run over the bank holiday weekend, despite union claims that a looming strike by staff manning the power controls would halt the Tube. The Unite union met with TfL officials yesterday to try to avoid a three-day walkout in protest at pay and [...]
London beats New York to best city title in PwC’s Cities of Excellence report May 19, 2014 London has knocked New York from the top spot to claim the title of best city in the world in an international survey. In a global comparison of the 30 most influential centres, the UK capital was ranked first overall and also for economic clout, technology readiness and as a city gateway; meaning it is [...]