London wakes up to damage after storm hits October 28, 2013 LONDON was battered by 70mph winds and heavy rain yesterday, leaving at least four people dead across southern England and putting severe pressure on the city’s transport links. More than a hundred trees fell across train tracks leading to the capital, meaning most operators cancelled and delayed morning services. Services on the Overground were cancelled [...]
Transport bosses in stay-at-home storm October 28, 2013 READERS that chose to stay at home rather than face the chaos that was the St Jude storm yesterday were in excellent company. Several witnesses due in front of the House of Commons transport committee, including representatives of British Airways, Heathrow, Gatwick and the Local Government Association, were unable to show up. Even some of [...]
Storm chaos as gale force winds hit Britain October 28, 2013 Cancelled rail services leave London and South East in lockdown as gale force winds hit COMMUTERS are facing chaos this morning after the looming storm heading towards southern Britain prompted rail companies to cancel and delay a swathe of services. While the exact timing of the worst of the St Jude storm could not be [...]
Why we should all remember the man who built Canary Wharf October 28, 2013 THREE major forces help drive progress: economic and legal institutions; people, especially risk-taking buccaneers and entrepreneurs; and chance. The creation of Canary Wharf is a case study of how all three factors interact: its rise from the ashes of the bankrupt Docklands transformed London’s economy, enabling it to build and retain a world class financial [...]
Budget for High Speed 2 to face fresh questions October 28, 2013 THE BUDGET for the controversial High Speed 2 railway is under the spotlight this week as a new business case for the scheme is published and MPs vote on a bill that allows the project to proceed. Danny Alexander, the Treasury minister, said yesterday he is “very confident” that HS2 will be delivered within its [...]
More passengers set to feel the squeeze on London’s busy buses October 28, 2013 THE CITY’S buses will become more crowded unless Transport for London adds more services to meet soaring demand, a report out today from the London Assembly claims. The assembly has called on the Mayor of London and TfL to pinpoint which routes they would improve in the coming years. The number of bus trips rose [...]
Stobart profits get boost from Autologic buy October 24, 2013 BRITISH haulier Stobart Group’s first-half revenue from continuing operations jumped 33 per cent, helped by its acquisition of Autologic Holdings in mid 2012. The company, whose Eddie Stobart trucks deliver goods to retailers like Tesco, reported an underlying pre-tax profit of £13.8m in the six months ended 31 August, up five per cent from a [...]
Shortage of cash pushes haulier Charles Gee into administration October 21, 2013 TRANSPORT and logistics group Charles Gee fell into administration yesterday after tough trading hit the firm’s cash flow. The 125-year-old group started as a shipping charter firm in Gracechurch Street in the City of London, but has since diversified into air freight, road haulage and logistics. Recent “acute cash flow pressures” have forced management to [...]
Think tank says HS2 must link up with regions October 20, 2013 NEW research on the controversial High Speed 2 project has found that the scheme could benefit the British economy – providing it is properly joined up to the rest of the rail network. The Independent Transport Commission found that the £42.6bn link between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds will help regenerate regions near the route [...]
Tech companies push ahead in UK job creation October 20, 2013 UK TECHNOLOGY companies have outpaced the rest of the private sector as a whole in terms of job creation for the past 10 years, according to a report out today from KPMG and Markit. The Tech Monitor UK report reveals that the number of jobs in the technology sector grew by 4.3 per cent in [...]