‘Great train robbery’: Labour outrage at government cuts to HS2 November 18, 2021 Labour has labelled the government’s decision to cut the eastern leg of HS2, which would have connected Birmingham to Leeds, a “great train robbery”. Transport secretary Grant Shapps confirmed today, after a series of press stories this week, that the eastern leg of the high speed rail line will instead go from Birmingham to near [...]
TfL: Network planning for “managed decline” and return to 1970s without Whitehall funding November 18, 2021 LONDON’S transport network is headed for “managed decline” that will echo the 1970s if central government refuses to fill a growing funding black hole. Late on Wednesday evening, TfL’s finance committee published the bleakest assessment yet of the future of London’s public transport network, outlining an 18 per cent reduction in bus services and a [...]
Lower than forecast ULEZ receipts hit transport network’s coffers November 18, 2021 The expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has been so successful in driving down the use of heavily-polluting cars that it has blown a £600m hole in TfL’s forecasted budgets. The ULEZ was expanded out to the north and south circular in October as part of the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s push [...]
Jet2’s operating losses go up due to customer anxiety November 18, 2021 UK low-cost carrier Jet2 registered a 53 per cent increase in operating loss as a result of the Covid-19 air travel restrictions and consequent customer anxiety. In its half year results, the airline’s losses went up to £170.4m, compared with £111.2m registered in 2020, while the group’s loss before foreign exchange revaluation and taxation increased [...]
Brits positive about autonomous vehicles’ benefits, BSI reveals November 18, 2021 Brits are confident that self-driving cars will bring many benefits such safety gains, a BSI opinion poll revealed. Out of 1,000 people interviewed, 70 per cent see the benefits of autonomous cars, in particular when it comes to avoiding driver errors and reducing accidents, with people aged between 18 and 24 the most inclined to [...]
Sadiq Khan warns for ‘severe tube and bus disruption’ if govt does not cough up £1.9bn for London transport funding November 18, 2021 Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, warned this morning that without urgent Government investment London’s bus and tube services could be severely disrupted because of a £1.9 billion funding gap. Sadiq Khan says bus services could be reduced by a fifth and tube services by almost 10% unless the Government steps in with an injection [...]
Government faces backlash over HS2 overhaul November 17, 2021 The government is facing criticism from small businesses and rail unions over plans to overhaul the designs for HS2. Transport Secretary Grant Schapps will tomorrow announce changes to the planned HS2 rail routes between major cities in the North and Midlands as part of the government’s £96bn “Integrated Rail Plan.” The rumoured redesign has drawn [...]
Flybe to return next year, 20 months after collapse November 17, 2021 Failed UK airline Flybe is set to return to operating early next year, choosing Birmingham Airport as its new headquarters. The airline stated the move is expected to created around 200 new jobs in the Birmingham and West Midlands area over the next three years. “It was an ideal choice for us due to its [...]
UK costs of shipping higher than mainland Europe, research reveals November 17, 2021 The cost of shipping to the UK is 24.2 per cent higher compared with mainland Europe, as a result of the supply chain crisis. Research from global trade management firm ManSys has revealed that Europe’s three most expensive ports for a 20-foot container ship are Liverpool, with a £9,112 rate, followed by Southampton and London, [...]
BA and American Airlines to offer business travellers free Covid tests November 17, 2021 British Airways (BA) has announced a collaboration with American Airlines and American Express to provide free Covid tests to business travellers flying between the UK and the US. “Ensuring corporate travellers have access to efficient, accurate testing is one of the key components to ramping up business travel across the trans-Atlantic corridor,” BA’s head of [...]
