Sadiq Khan blames Tube strike troubles on “toxic hangover” left from Boris Johnson’s industrial relations January 18, 2017 Sadiq Khan came out swinging for his first Mayor's Question Time of the year, blaming strike troubles on "a toxic hangover" from Boris Johnson's mayoralty. The mayor has come under fire from London Assembly Conservative members for breaking his "zero days of strikes" made on his campaign trail. "What happened last week was the result [...]
Southern rail pledges to run full service next week as strike talks get underway January 18, 2017 Southern rail has pledged to run its full service from next Tuesday, as talks aimed at finally resolving the dispute between train drivers' union Aslef and Southern rail kick off today. But the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union won't be involved. The talks, to be chaired by Trades Union Congress (TUC) general secretary Frances [...]
Gatwick says it’ll be carbon neutral by the spring after sticking to renewable electricity January 18, 2017 Gatwick Airport has pledged to become carbon neutral by the spring, after teaming up with a global renewable energy alliance. The airport has been purchasing 100 per cent renewable energy since 2013 and electricity now comprises 80 per cent of the airport's operational carbon footprint. It said the remaining emissions will be offset by investments in [...]
Volkswagen shares crash in line with brand woe January 18, 2017 With consumer-facing companies that rely heavily on a single brand there is often a strong relationship between public perception of that brand as measured daily by BrandIndex, and the company’s share price. An example of this is Volkswagen and its emissions scandal where the fundamental driver of the decline in its share price was a [...]
Ready, set, go: Liberty Media shareholders give green light to $4.4bn Formula One takeover January 18, 2017 Liberty Media shareholders have approved the group's $4.4bn (£3.6bn) takeover of Formula One, the company said this evening. The acquisition, approved at a special meeting of the US media giant's stockholders, is expected to close before the end of the first quarter. However, it still remains conditional on gaining approval from the Formula One governing body, the [...]
More than hot air: hydrogen on the agenda at Davos January 17, 2017 A new initiative to place hydrogen at the top of the global energy agenda was launched yesterday by thirteen international businesses, including Toyota, BMW, Shell, Anglo American and Hyundai. Together the companies represent 1.72m employees globally and around €1.07 trillion in revenue. Plug-in battery powered hybrid and electric cars might be getting all the attention [...]
Hyundai Motor and General Motors announce billions in US investment (but deny it’s anything to do with Trump’s tax threat) January 17, 2017 Hyundai Motor will boost investment in the US, after Donald Trump warned of a 35 per cent border tax of cars imported to the US. Hyundai said it plans to increase US investment by 50 per cent to $3.1bn (£2.57bn) over five years and could also build a new factory, though group president Chung Jin-haeng denied [...]
Controlling costs of £55.7bn HS2 project will be “challenging”, admits Department for Transport January 17, 2017 Controlling costs of HS2 will be "challenging", according to the Department for Transport (DfT), and has said cost estimates of the second stage of the project won't be set until 2019. The comments were made in written evidence submitted by the DfT's permanent secretary Philip Rutnam, to support a Public Accounts Committee inquiry on the Great Western [...]
Train drivers’ union Aslef suspends all upcoming Southern rail strikes as train operator agrees to new talks January 17, 2017 Train drivers' union Aslef will suspend industrial action on Southern rail, after the train operator agreed to new talks, starting tomorrow. The union's general secretary Mick Whelan said: "I am today proposing a new process to find a resolution to our industrial dispute with Southern." Whelan added: "Aslef believes that the best way to resolve the dispute at [...]
Abellio agrees to sell 40 per cent of Greater Anglia franchise to Japanese firm Mitsui January 17, 2017 Abellio is selling 40 per cent of its Greater Anglia rail franchise to Japanese firm Mitsui. Managing director Dominic Booth said the company had "fulfilled our long-standing objective" of running the franchise as a 60:40 joint venture and the deal will deliver "significant improvements" for Greater Anglia's customers. Abellio won the Greater Anglia franchise again [...]
