Focus on: Wimbledon August 30, 2012 Wimbledon has become one the most popular places to live in London, with Wimbledon Village being near the top of the tree. Easy transport links make it ideal for those who want quick access to the city, whilst reaping the benefits of a quieter suburban life. On the fast train, you can expect to be [...]
A wealth tax won’t work – except as political pantomime August 29, 2012 LIKE a sudden downpour, Nick Clegg has signalled an end to the summer’s drought of domestic policy proposals with his suggestion for an additional wealth tax. The deputy Prime Minister’s new idea has, rightly, been widely criticised for being both impractical and counterproductive, with even the chancellor George Osborne forced to warn of its potential [...]
This government should not try to hinder Heathrow August 28, 2012 AIRPORTS are an umbilical cord for the economy – tourism, inward investment and export opportunities all flow into Britain through them. Any constriction, or lack in capacity, has a harmful effect, limiting our potential for growth. Particularly when we are in the midst of double dip recession, we should be looking to the parts of [...]
What the other papers say this morning August 23, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Cameron pressed on Greening David Cameron is coming under increasing pressure to appoint a new transport secretary in next month’s cabinet reshuffle after the prime minister admitted his support towards the expansion of Heathrow – a policy implacably opposed by Justine Greening. Republicans eye gold standard The gold standard has returned to mainstream [...]
Stagecoach chief executive to stand down August 22, 2012 Stagecoach chief executive Brian Souter will stand down and become the company’s chairman in May 2013, replacing George Mathewson who is retiring. The transport group also said it had traded well in its first quarter due to a strong performance from its British rail and US bus businesses. The Scotland-based company today said like-for-like revenues [...]
Virgin launches flights on West Coast rail route August 20, 2012 VIRGIN Atlantic will today announce plans to operate flights between London and Manchester, just days after its sister firm Virgin Trains lost the right to run rail services between the two cities. Richard Branson’s airline will start flying between Heathrow and Manchester airport in March 2013 and says this is the first step in building [...]
Rail fare revolt gains momentum August 19, 2012 CONSERVATIVE MPs yesterday hit out at proposed increases in rail fares and called on the government to do more to help cash-strapped commuters. Backbenchers in marginal constituencies are preparing to lobby the government to act on travel costs after a furious public reaction to last week’s announcement that average fares will increase by 6.2 per [...]
How UK business can match Team GB’s performance August 19, 2012 A WEEK since the Olympics closed, some commentators are already talking post-Games blues. But this is our honeymoon period, our chance to capitalise on a successful fortnight of the UK at its best. We’ve witnessed an amazing journey. An east London wasteland has been transformed – 1.5m cubic metres of contaminated soil was painstakingly cleaned, [...]
All aboard the magnificent Orient Express August 19, 2012 ITALY’S in debt, you say? Well, I’m on the Orient Express headed straight to Venice – fiddling while Rome burns, you might say – and there’s no sign of the Italian economy crashing here. As if to prove my point, the flamboyant Massimo shows me another popular purchase from the train’s on-board shop. “These diamond [...]
Firstgroup caps rail bid liability August 15, 2012 RAIL group FirstGroup yesterday reassured investors that potential losses on the hotly-contested West Coast main line could not exceed £265m, as shares in the firm slumped on news it had won the contract. The rail operator yesterday beat off a bid from incumbent operator Virgin Rail Group to land the Scotland to London route, with [...]