Rail passengers boost revenues at FirstGroup November 9, 2011 Transport operator FirstGroup reported a nine per cent rise in first-half adjusted pre-tax profit, driven by a strong performance at its UK rail business, and said it was upbeat on its outlook, despite facing a weak economy. However it warned that while rail was holding up well in the economic turmoil, its bus business was [...]
The practical Yaris lacks X factor November 8, 2011 Design *** Performance *** Practicality *** Value for money *** SURE, the Toyota Yaris has sold well. It has never been offensive to look at. And I’m certain it has happily transported the majority of its owners around in the quiet satisfaction that they had purchased a reliable, reasonably economical and completely adequate, possibly cheery [...]
Olympic torch: London route is revealed November 6, 2011 LONDON 2012 organisers today reveal the route for next summer’s Olympic torch relay, which will culminate in a comprehensive seven-day tour of the capital’s 32 boroughs and the City. The flame will be transported on horseback, bicycle, tram and steam-train during a 70-day route through every corner of the British Isles, from the Shetlands to [...]
Time to reach for the stars: Britain’s new space industry has the potential to blast off November 2, 2011 SIR RICHARD Branson opened the world’s first commercial spaceport last month. As his new venture Virgin Galactic recognises, space is an industry where the sky’s not the limit. For too long the domain of superpower rivalry between America’s Nasa and Russia’s Federal Space Agency, space is now giving way to the private sector, funded by [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 1, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES BIG AREAS STILL LACK 3G, SAYS OFCOM Nearly 90 per cent of the UK’s land mass and a quarter of buildings are unable to receive all five 3G phone networks a decade after the introduction of the mobile licences, according to the telecoms regulator. In its first report on the UK’s communications infrastructure, [...]
Stagecoach in lift from rail ticket sales November 1, 2011 Stagecoach Group PLC said ticket sales across its bus and rail operations rose in the first half of its financial year and that it expects to meet its profit expectations for the full-year. Like-for-like revenue at Stagecoach’s UK rail business, which includes London commuter franchise South West Trains, grew 8.7 per cent in the 24 [...]
Labour drops support for third runway at Heathrow October 31, 2011 THE LABOUR Party has dropped its support for a third runway at Heathrow Airport, all but sounding the death knell for the controversial expansion. Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle said “the local environmental impact means that this is off the agenda” during a conference in London. The coalition government dropped Labour’s plans to expand the [...]
Legal action launched to move St Paul’s protesters October 28, 2011 The Corporation of London will be taken to evict protesters camped outside St Paul’s Cathedral, it said. The corporation’s planning and transport committee voted to proceed with court action to remove tents from the public highways by the cathedral. It came as the cathedral doors reopened after being closed for a week. The Occupy London [...]
Go-Ahead revenues boosted by commuters taking trains October 27, 2011 BRITISH bus and rail operator Go-Ahead said first-quarter trading rose as drivers turned to public transport to avoid rising motoring costs, although it remained cautious about the medium-term wider economic outlook. Go-Ahead said revenues at its non-London bus unit, which includes services in Oxford and Brighton, were four per cent higher in the period to [...]
Happy birthday, Baby Seven Billion – more human beings are good news for the planet October 27, 2011 A CHILD is born. Hurrah – a time for celebration. Babies usually bring out the optimist in people. “What a joy” we coo over a bundle of potential in swaddling – this could be the new Einstein, a modern Joan of Arc, a future Steve Jobs. However, there seems widespread reluctance to pop the champagne [...]