UK national rail strike: Disruption could ruin bank holiday Monday, cause train travel chaos and cost Britain £600m May 18, 2015 Yesterday’s peace talks continue into today in a bid to avert a strike that could cost Britain £600m. In terms of timing, next week’s proposed national rail strike, the first in 21 years, could hardly be worse. Starting on Bank Holiday Monday, the planned day-long industrial action by 25,000 workers would cut short [...]
Rail strike hangs in the balance as union and network bosses meet at Acas May 18, 2015 Union leaders and Network Rail bosses will meet for showdown talks today in a bid to avert major disruption for travellers across the country this bank holiday weekend. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union is planning a 24-hour walk out from 5pm on Monday May 25 and a 48-hour ban on overtime as many bank [...]
The truth about rickshaws in London: Here’s why Boris Johnson’s crusade to ban them might be pointless May 15, 2015 Boris Johnson renewed his crusade against rickshaws, aka pedicabs this afternoon, the announcing he wanted to ban them on London's streets to "ease congestion". His gripes are twofold. Firstly, the lack of regulation for rickshaws means no one is entirely sure how many there are and how to control numbers or the safety of passengers. [...]
UK train strikes: Network Rail, DLR strike action and further taxi driver protests spell May bank holiday travel hell for Londoners May 15, 2015 London is speeding towards a bank holiday that could bring utter misery to commuters with the prospect of strike action looming. Workers for Network Rail, the company which keeps the entire UK rail network running, have voted in favour of strike action over pay which has the potential to bring rail services in London and [...]
What is the safest way to travel? One chart which reveals that flying is less dangerous than you may think May 15, 2015 A spate of high-profile plane crashes have occurred in recent months and may have been playing on the minds of anyone who is scared of flying. There was the tragic loss of the Germanwings Flight 4U9525 in March after it was deliberately downed by co-pilot Andreas Lubitz. In December, an AirAsia plane, flight QZ8501, went [...]
Rail workers to strike, disrupting trains for 48 hours on 25th of May bank holiday after latest Network Rail offer falls short of RMT union expectations May 15, 2015 Network Rail workers will strike for 48 hours on bank holiday Monday, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said today. The strike has been looming since 80 per cent of members voted in favour of industrial action earlier this week. Network Rail's latest pay deal – a one-off £500 payment to staff and three years [...]
More rush hour chaos as signalling problems cause delays at London Waterloo station May 6, 2015 Network Rail has confirmed there will be delays into and out of London Waterloo station until "at least 9.30am" because of signalling problems. The station is currently experiencing delays of "up to 40 minutes", it added. To add to commuters' misery, TfL said bus services over Waterloo Bridge were delayed by up to 20 minutes [...]
Clapham Junction train chaos: Incompetence leads to more travel delays for commuters, says Chuka Umunna April 30, 2015 Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said last night that “everyday incompetence, more than extraordinary circumstance,” is causing repeated travel delays for London commuters. Umunna’s comments came after a day of disastrous travel for south Londoners. An electrical problem at Clapham Junction prompted the cancellation of all trains in and out of Victoria station, leaving [...]
Severe flooding and traffic at Shepherd’s Bush following drilling accident April 30, 2015 The roads around Shepherd's Bush are currently under 24 inches of water, following an accident at the west London station earlier in the day Contractors for the National grid reportedly drilled through the pipes they have been working to replace near the junction of Uxbridge Road and Pennard Road, leading to severe flooding and a [...]
TfL boss Sir Peter Hendy apologises for calling Southeastern trains s**t and criticising London Bridge chaos April 29, 2015 Transport for London (TfL) boss Sir Peter Hendy hit the buffers last week in an embarrassing gaffe when he called train services into London s**t. It may have cheered commuters to hear some honesty about the commuting situation – particularly the disaster-prone London Bridge served by Southeastern trains – but Hendy has now changed track [...]