Leaked rail letter: Grayling said he wanted suburban rail “out of the clutches” of Labour December 7, 2016 The transport secretary has been criticised for "political point scoring" and faced calls to resign, after a leaked letter said he wanted to "keep suburban rail services out of the clutches of any future Labour mayor". Yesterday Chris Grayling rejected Sadiq Khan's bid to take over commuter routes, saying the mayor hadn't proved his alternative would [...]
Lufthansa names telecoms boss to lead expansion of its Ryanair rival Eurowings December 7, 2016 German airline Lufthansa has plumped for a telecoms boss to drive expansion at its budget airline Eurowings. The board appointed Thorsten Dirks, chief executive of Telefonica Deutschland, to take over from Karl Ulrich Garnadt who's retiring from the board on 30 April next year. Dirks will take charge of Eurowings from 1 May. The airline [...]
Vauxhall tries to pour cold water on Corsa fire risk claims after concerns raised over heater systems December 7, 2016 Vauxhall has made an effort to reassure customers by refuting claims models of its Corsa have a potential fire risk. An investigation by The Sun claimed heater wiring in Corsa Ds and Es built since 2006 is susceptible to heat damage. The newspaper commissioned a report by forensic investigation firm GBB, after several Corsa owners reported their [...]
Govia Thameslink Railway heads to the High Court today in bid to thwart Southern strikes December 7, 2016 Long-suffering commuters are battling through yet another day of Southern rail strikes today. And Southern owner Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is trying to crack down on future industrial action: it's off to the High Court today in a bid to bring an end to at least some of the turmoil. Members of train drivers' union Aslef have [...]
Mayor doubles funding on improving London’s air quality to clean up the capital December 7, 2016 Sadiq Khan has made no secret of his aims to tackle the capital's air pollution problem. And now the mayor has pledged to invest £875m to tackle air quality over the next five years – more than doubling spending on it, after his predecessor Boris Johnson committed £425m. Earlier this year, Mercer said London ranked [...]
Severe delays on District Line between Edgware Road and Wimbledon and Barking to Upminster December 7, 2016 There are severe delays on the District Line this morning, between Edgware Road and Wimbledon and from Barking to Upminster. Services between Earls Court and Ealing Broadway/Richmond are also subject to severe delays. Transport for London said the disruption was caused by a late finish to engineering work. https://twitter.com/districtline/status/806407123986948096 https://twitter.com/districtline/status/806400693833764865 Meanwhile, severe delays persist on the Piccadilly [...]
Are Ryanair’s package holiday deals set for take off? December 7, 2016 Budget airline Ryanair has announced it is going to sell package holidays alongside its flights, placing it in direct competition with tour operators. The company wants to reposition itself – from a business known mainly for cheap flights to a broader leisure offering, all while undercutting its rivals. I have used YouGov profiles data to [...]
Chris Grayling’s rail shake-up: What will it actually mean for Network Rail? December 6, 2016 Chris Grayling wants to revamp how the nation's rail networks operate, but just what are his proposals and what will it mean for Network Rail? Deeper alliancing He wants each rail franchise to be run by joint management teams, including representatives from the train operating firm and Network Rail. These changes will commence when [...]
Sadiq Khan dealt blow by Chris Grayling: TfL won’t take over Southeastern services December 6, 2016 Sadiq Khan has spoken out over the announcement that Transport for London (TfL) won't be taking over Southeastern services from 2018. Chris Grayling has rejected the mayor's plans for City Hall to take over suburban rail services. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Grayling said: "Right now, I think the last thing our railways need in [...]
Jaguar Land Rover appoints Chinese director to board as it gears up for boost in production in China December 6, 2016 Jaguar Land Rover has its sights set on bolstering its presence in China, with the appointment of an executive director for China. Qing Pan will be joining the board from 1 January 2017 in the new role, where he will lead JLR's business in the country. He previously worked at VW and Audi, and will also [...]
