Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveils his Cybertruck, but it’s already the butt of jokes November 22, 2019 Tesla has lifted the curtain on its “Cybertruck” pickup vehicle, but Elon Musk was left red-faced when the truck’s windows were smashed during a demo meant to prove their toughness. The billionaire could be heard swearing on stage before telling his audience there was “room for improvement”. Read more: Brexit has cost Britain a Gigafactory, [...]
Conservatives pledge temporary Hammersmith Bridge November 21, 2019 A temporary bridge will be built alongside the closed Hammersmith Bridge if the Conservatives are re-elected. Transport minister George Freeman announced this afternoon on Twitter that the proposal had gained his support, after lobbying from Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith. Read more: Hammersmith Bridge won’t be able to cope with electric double decker buses The [...]
Crossrail delay until 2021 may cost London £2bn November 21, 2019 The cost of delaying Crossrail until 2021 may rise to £2bn, according to Transport for London (TFL) bosses. TfL says the latest delay, which means the central part of the line won’t open until 2021, will cost £500m to £750m in lost fares. Read more: Crossrail will not run until 2021 and could cost an [...]
Uber is behind a sharp rise in London’s air pollution November 21, 2019 Uber and other ride-hailing apps have contributed to a sharp rise in CO2 emissions and air pollution in the taxi and ride services sector, according to a new report The report – written by the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) – found there was a 23 per cent increase in emissions from “taxi-like [...]
Londoners face 27-day Christmas rail strike as union talks break down November 21, 2019 Christmas shoppers and commuters face a month of festive travel chaos, after talks over a 27-day strike on one of London’s busiest rail networks broke down. Negotiations between the Rail and Maritime Transport union (RMT) and South Western Railway collapsed after the operator failed to put forward any proposals that could settle the dispute, according [...]
British Airways passengers face huge delays into Gatwick and Heathrow after ‘technical issue’ November 21, 2019 British Airways warned customers that it is working hard to fix a “technical issue” this morning, as flight cancellations and delays hit thousands of people. The airline said a small number of flights arriving at Gatwick and Heathrow airports are affected and that it is offering passengers “alternative arrangements”. Read more: British Airways owner IAG [...]
HS2 needs government support, not more dithering and debate November 21, 2019 Last week, a leaked draft of the HS2 review revealed recommendations that the controversial project should go ahead as planned. This has sparked some debate, with opponents citing the project’s escalating costs and delays. Yet, when builders’ timescales and budgets for even small-scale domestic construction projects are almost always optimistic and therefore taken with a [...]
US car giant General Motors sues Fiat Chrysler over union ‘bribes’ November 20, 2019 Two giants of the global automotive industry have come to blows this afternoon, with General Motors suing Fiat Chrysler of bribing US automotive workers to get better terms in strike negotiations. The US firm has filed a racketeering lawsuit against Fiat and its former executives, “intended to hold FCA accountable for the harm its actions [...]
Ryanair’s ‘abusive’ hand luggage fee banned by Spanish court November 20, 2019 Ryanair’s policy of charging customers for hand luggage has been ruled “abusive” by a Spanish court, and subsequently banned in the country. The charge, introduced last year, forces passengers to pay an extra fee if they want to bring anything more than one personal item into the cabin. Read more: Ryanair ‘saving millions’ in unclaimed [...]
TfL deficit shrinks thanks to Ulez and increased Tube numbers November 20, 2019 Transport for London’s (TfL) first half revenues beat budget expectations by £260m, but the body still recorded a nine-figure deficit for the period. TfL’s second quarter results, released today, revealed a £111m operating loss for the first half of 2019-20 – a deficit reduction of 40 per cent compared to the same period in 2018-19. [...]