RMT union members balloting over First Great Western train strike June 15, 2015 Rail workers union RMT has issued a ballot on potential strike action following a dispute with First Great Western bosses. Read more: RMT is balloting London Underground members over a new strike The ballot for strike action and action short of a strike for all First Great Western members is underway over what the union describes [...]
Investigation launched into Network Rail reliability after delays and cost overruns June 12, 2015 Network Rail is to be investigated by Britain's rail regulator after it was accused of delivering poor punctuality and reliability on some of its key routes. The routes, some of which are the busiest commuter routes in the country, were "below requirements", according to the regulator, the Office of Road and Rail (ORR). They are operated [...]
Network Rail profits halve as company admits it is not keeping up with pace of change June 11, 2015 After strike threats and widespread condemnation over ongoing travel chaos, Network Rail is continuing its annus horribilis with a set of pretty dismal results. The figures: Network Rail's pre-tax profits halved for the year to March 31, from £1.-4bn to £506m, while opreating profit fell 13.3 per cent to £1.74bn. Revenues also slipped [...]
Silicon Roundabout will become Silicon Square in makeover of Tech City’s Old Street roundabout in Shoreditch after TfL plans approved June 10, 2015 It's officially the end of Silicon Roundabout. The Old Street roundabout in Shoreditch which spurred the original nickname for the area now more commonly called Tech City after a rebrand, will be demolished after plans for redeveloping the area were approved by the public. Now the more appropriate name for the spot will be Silicon [...]
Beam Park, Dagenham: London’s getting a new station and 2,000 new homes just 20 minutes from the City June 9, 2015 A new railway station will soon be coming to London after the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, revealed ambitious plans for the regeneration of an area in East London which will also add up to 2,000 new homes in the capital. Beam Park in Dagenham is the last site in London up for grabs as [...]
Transport for London commissioner Sir Peter Hendy made almost £500,000 last year June 9, 2015 The Transport for London commissioner who said commuter trains were “s**t” earned £488,000 last year, according to a Transport for London (TfL) spokesman. Sir Peter Hendy's total package for 2013/14 was £488,888 and remained "unchanged" in 2014/15. However, last year it dropped by almost 25 per cent. Of that, just over £155,000 was [...]
Transport for London: If you’re travelling on Central Line you need to “replan your journey” after signal failure causes “carnage” June 9, 2015 A signal failure at Marble Arch was causing travel chaos for Central Line commuters this morning, and the advice was pretty galling to Londoners who had no alternative route. Severe delays were being caused by the problem, which engineers were attempting to fix during rush hour. https://twitter.com/centralline/status/608171743677673472 Central Line's Twitter feed said: [...]
If you’re late and can’t get on / Just wait – more trains will come along: The magnus opus that just won Transport for London’s poetry competition June 8, 2015 Transport for London (TfL) has announced the title of the winning poem for its etiquette poetry competition: "Avoid Unnecessary Delays. Don't Hold Open the Doors". Alright, so it's hardly Ode to a Grecian Urn – but it has a certain ring to it……. Back in February, London's transport authority requested poems for a special poster campaign, [...]
London to trial “world-first” traffic technology for cyclists June 5, 2015 Transport for London is undertaking “world-first trials” of new technology that will give cyclists more time on green lights at major junctions. The Department for Transport has given blanket approval for the scheme, which will enable traffic signal timings to be adjusted when there are high numbers of cyclists at key junctions during rush [...]
Bad news, commuters: RMT is balloting London Underground members over a new strike June 4, 2015 Bad news fellow commuters. Tube workers are voting on strike action over a pay deal that union RMT has branded “an insult to the hardworking men and women who deliver a world class service”. All grades are being called to vote on both strike action and action short of a strike, both over [...]