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 [...]
RMT announces fresh Christmas strike dates in Southern Rail row November 3, 2016 The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has announced more industrial action by Southern Rail guards in the dispute over the role of the guard. Members will take strike action by not booking for any shifts between: 0001 on Thursday 22nd December and 2359 on Saturday 24th December 0001 on Saturday 31st December 2016 and [...]
Southern Rail strikes set to cause Christmas chaos November 3, 2016 Southern Rail workers have announced they will strike for three days in December, certain to cause Christmas chaos for travellers and commuters. Strikers from the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said they would stage industrial action for three days from 22 December, and three more days from New Year's Eve as part of the long-running [...]
Mayor of London calls on government and train operators to freeze rail fares across London November 3, 2016 The Mayor of London wants the government to freeze fares across the capital's suburban rail services. Sadiq Khan said that a potential rise of up to five per cent on some lines will be a "kick in the teeth" for long-suffering passengers. Transport for London's pay as you go fares have been frozen for the next four years, [...]