First Group wins an extension to its Great Western rail franchise October 3, 2013 FIRST Group has won 23 more months of running the Great Western rail route between London and the south west. The franchise was due to expire this month, and will need to be renewed again before the government awards the long-term contract to start in 2016. Many of Britain’s rail operators have been handed extensions [...]
Why the London Docklands hold the key to tackling the UK housing crisis October 1, 2013 HOW DO we solve Britain’s housing crisis? Ed Miliband has promised to see 200,000 homes built each year by 2020. But his pledge was linked to a misguided initiative to stop developers hoarding land (the Office for Fair Trading couldn’t find any evidence that this actually happens). The Tories, meanwhile, are bringing forward the second [...]
McLoughlin committed to HS2 as superfast rail plans include Wi-Fi September 30, 2013 RAIL travellers will be able to enjoy high-speed mobile internet access from 2015 onwards, transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced yesterday. He also insisted that the government remains absolutely committed to the High Speed 2, dismissing critics of the plan as “moaning London commentators”. Under McLoughlin’s plan extra mobile phone masts will be provided along key [...]
Eurostar and Keolis to bid for East Coast line September 30, 2013 TWO COMPANIES backed by France’s national railway have launched a joint bid to run the East Coast main line, which is due be re-privatised by the government before the next general election. Eurostar and Keolis, which are both majority-owned by SNCF, announced yesterday that they intend to compete for the rail franchise – the first [...]
Why the London Docklands hold the key to tackling the UK housing crisis September 30, 2013 HOW DO we solve Britain’s housing crisis? Ed Miliband has promised to see 200,000 homes built each year by 2020. But his pledge was linked to a misguided initiative to stop developers hoarding land (the Office for Fair Trading couldn’t find any evidence that this actually happens). The Tories, meanwhile, are bringing forward the second [...]
New HS2 chair hopes to speed up construction on the railway September 26, 2013 THE NEW chairman of High Speed 2 hopes to get construction on the railway started sooner than planned, as he works to win round politicians and the public on the controversial project. Sir David Higgins, who will start in January, said he does not understand “why it needs to take so long – and time [...]
Locals buying up riverside apartments in Wandsworth September 26, 2013 Borough bucks international buyer trend OVER the past couple of years a large majority of luxury properties in London have been snapped up by international investors. But the Wandsworth Riverside Development is hoping to buck the trend by creating property aimed at and marketed to south west Londoners. Dr Stanley Quek, chief executive of Frasers [...]
Focus on… Hammersmith: It’s Hammersmith time in London September 26, 2013 HOMES in Hammersmith are increasing in value as young professionals and families compete for properties in the area. Bordered by Shepherd’s Bush in the north and Fulham in the south, the west London area has found its housing stock in short supply in recent years, leading to an average of six applicants per property and [...]
HS2 under fire amid claims of hidden expense September 25, 2013 THE HIGH Speed 2 project will not fix the capacity problems on Britain’s rail network, a research paper out today claims. The Taxpayers Alliance (TPA) argues that putting longer trains on the existing West Coast Main Line would be a better value way to boost space on the route. It argues that there has been [...]
National Express pens contract to run two German train routes September 25, 2013 NATIONAL Express is exporting the British rail experience to two train routes in North Rhine Westphalia, signing contracts yesterday in what the UK ambassador to Germany described as “a proud day for British business”. The company will run the regional services for 15 years from 2015 under the contract, taking over from incumbent state-owned operator [...]