Pressure mounts on mayor Sadiq Khan to step in over London Underground strike action November 15, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan is facing calls to step in over prospective strike action on the London Underground. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union announced earlier today that thousands of its members had voted in favour of industrial action. The RMT said that balloting on two disputes had resulted in workers supporting strike action. [...]
Thousands of London Underground staff vote to go on strike, says RMT November 15, 2016 The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has announced that workers on the London Underground have voted to go on strike in two separate disputes. The RMT carried out two separate ballots: one of 400 Piccadilly Line drivers and the other of over 3,000 station workers. The union said the former was over a "wholesale breakdown" [...]
Channel Tunnel worth £91.4bn in UK/EU trade, as analysts allay Brexit fears November 13, 2016 The Channel Tunnel is responsible for £91.4bn in imports and exports each year, as analysts predict that this trade link will continue to benefit the UK economy, regardless of Brexit. In a report entitled Economic Footprint of the Channel Tunnel, Ernst and Young researched the total economic value of the 22-year-old Tunnel, and found that it [...]
There’s an easy way to beat festive overindulgence, but you won’t like it November 11, 2016 It’s nearly Christmas, and what with all the office party canapes, festive drinking and eating out, we’re likely to be consuming more than usual. Overeating at Christmas is as certain as turkey sandwiches and the new John Lewis advert. But now new research has emerged showing all the harm of a week of binge eating can [...]
A Southern train without a guard travelled with its doors open yesterday (but not very far) November 8, 2016 A Southern train on the way from Tattenham Corner to London Bridge travelled for a brief period with its doors open yesterday. The DfT said it was aware of the incident; the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said the incident happened on the 0554 service and was reported by operator Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR). The driver-only operated (DOO) [...]
DfT will publish rail franchises’ performance against benchmarks after Southern chaos November 8, 2016 The department for transport (DfT) has said it now intends to publish actual performance against the contractual benchmarks for each rail franchise. Performance figures against contractual obligations will be published for every franchise every four weeks to provide frequent updates on performance to "give commuters real insight into the quality of the service they pay [...]
DfT says the requirement for driver-only operated trains wasn’t consulted on before the letting of Southern Rail franchise November 7, 2016 The department for transport (DfT) has confirmed the requirement for driver-only operated (DOO) trains was not consulted on prior to the letting of the Southern Rail franchise. Facing a grilling by the transport select committee as it met to discuss the subject of rail franchising, Peter Wilkinson, managing director of passenger services at the DfT [...]
Aslef’s not happy with Southern over “misleading” claims it cancelled a strike ballot November 7, 2016 Train drivers' union Aslef is not happy over a press release sent out by Southern's parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) over the weekend. A press release from GTR said Aslef "cancels ballot 24 hours after launch", calling it off for technical reasons. Aslef said it had simply been postponed. Angie Doll, Southern's passenger services director, [...]
Aslef postpones ballot of Southern Rail drivers after “technical hitches” November 7, 2016 Train drivers' union Aslef has postponed its ballot of Southern drivers after a series of "technical hitches" over the weekend. Aslef had given out the papers on Friday 4 November, but noticed technical issues on Saturday. A spokesman told City A.M. there would be a re-ballot as it was "important to give members an opportunity to [...]
Here’s everything that happened in last night’s Apprentice episode November 4, 2016 In last night's episode candidates attempted a brand new task: crowdfunding some cycling products. Essentially, all they had to do was set up a crowdfunding page, pull off a snazzy PR stunt at a train station and pitch the products, which were already good, to some bike shops. Easy, right? Wrong, because even simple tasks are rendered impossible in the [...]