‘Come take a train journey with me’: Union boss challenges Sunak’s private jet-setting May 11, 2023 TSSA President Marios Alexandrou took aim at Rishi Sunak’s rail policy and private jet-setting this morning, inviting the Prime Minister to “come take a train journey with me” amid continued industrial action. According to Alexandrou, Sunak is “more familiar with the interior of an RAF Chinook than Waterloo in rush hour”. The PM has come [...]
TransPennine Express to be nationalised after months of disruption – but transport sec warns it’s ‘not a silver bullet’ May 11, 2023 Train services run by TransPennine Express will be nationalised after months of delays and cancellations. Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced the decision to bring the operator’s services under Government control, but warned it is “not a silver bullet”. Graham Sutherland, chief executive of TransPennine Express owner FirstGroup, said the company has “worked extremely hard to [...]
Elizabeth line sees hybrid workers flock back to the office May 11, 2023 London’s popular Elizabeth Line has prompted a surge in workers heading into the office, new research released on the eve of its one year anniversary shows. Footfall data from the workspace operator IWG has today revealed a 23 per cent increase in the number of visits, to offices across nine Elizabeth Line stops, since the [...]
National Express ditches name as coach firm goes ‘Mobico’ May 10, 2023 National Express is to change its parent company name to Mobico Group PLC, from June 2023. The coach operator said it believes the name ‘Mobico’ “better reflects” the “international nature” of the group, as it continues a shift to mass transit. Ignacio Garat, group chief executive at National Express said: “Whilst National Express is a [...]
60 business leaders warn Sunak to bring Great British Railway plans forward – or jobs and investment will be on the line May 9, 2023 Sixty business leaders have written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today, urging him not to delay legislation that would establish Great British Railways (GBR) beyond the current parliament. The letter, which was also addressed to Transport Secretary Mark Harper and Rail and HS2 Minister Huw Merriman, argued that pushing the reforms into the long grass [...]
Elizabeth Line: Workers to walk out later this month on London’s most popular route May 9, 2023 Elizabeth Line workers will strike on Wednesday 24 May in what is the latest industrial action to hit London’s most popular line. The action brought by members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union announced today, is part of an ongoing pay dispute between operational staff, such as traffic and response managers, and TfL. [...]
Coronation weekend: How to get around London, what roads are closed and are buses and trains working? May 5, 2023 Londoners have been warned the Coronation weekend will lead to numerous road closures in central London, with services likely to be “very busy”. Transport for London confirmed there are “no planned closures” of the London Underground network, but warned during the day on Saturday particularly at key interchanges it will be considerably busier than usual. [...]
Rail union RMT extends strike mandate for next six months as hospitality industry urges resolution May 5, 2023 Members of the biggest rail workers’ union have voted to renew their mandate to continue taking industrial action for the next six months in the long-running dispute over pay and conditions. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said there was an overwhelming vote in favour. Unions involved in disputes have to re-ballot their members [...]
Trainline shrugs off UK strikes with £4.3bn in ticket sales as continental success keeps it on right track May 4, 2023 Trainline reported bumper ticket sales of £4.3bn for the last 12 months, up 72 per cent year on year and 16 per cent higher than pre-Covid. The London-listed seller saw revenues of £327m, up 74 per cent from last year, citing surging ticket sales in the UK and on the continent especially as a key [...]
Militant rail unions blame Tories for FA Cup and Eurovision strike disruption April 30, 2023 The leader of the train drivers’ union has angrily attacked the Transport Secretary after he criticised a planned strike on the eve of the Eurovision Song Contest final for its impact on Ukraine. Union members will walk out on May 12 as part of a long-running dispute over pay, as well as on May 31 [...]