UK rail strike: Talks go to the wire as Network Rail chief Mark Carne writes open letter warning passengers to plan for the worst May 20, 2015 UPDATE 2.45pm: The RMT has followed the TSSA union in suspending strike action after an improved offer from Network Rail. Talks between rail chiefs and union bosses are going to the wire over potential strike action taking place this bank holiday. Representatives of Network Rail and TSSA returned to Acas today after two days of talks that [...]
UK national train strike: Network Rail issues legal challenge to TSSA bank holiday Monday walkout ballot as union votes to join RMT workers May 20, 2015 Negotations between business leaders and unions are rarely cordial, but the gloves have really come off in the row over the rail workers' strike this weekend. Network Rail has issued a legal challenge to the union calling for a strike over the bank holiday, claiming there are “numerous defects” in the ballot. Read [...]
UK national rail strike: Bank holiday train chaos likely to hit brand reputations for all players – Brand Index May 19, 2015 Network Rail workers last Friday announced their plans to strike from 5pm on bank holiday Monday in a row over pay. Should it go ahead, it will be the first UK-wide rail strike for 20 years. It follows a vote for action from RMT union members, but has been condemned by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin. [...]
Network Rail issues legal challenge to strike ballot May 19, 2015 Network Rail yesterday issued a legal challenge to the TSSA union over its planned bank holiday strike, as talks to avert the 24-hour industrial action dragged on. The rail employer said it was issuing court proceedings against TSSA – which represents around 3,000 “white-collar” workers who would be on strike – to contest “numerous defects” [...]
Video: New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority is far better than Transport for London at explaining why Tube delays happen – and how they’re solved May 19, 2015 Presumably in an effort to quell commuters' constant rage, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority has released a video explaining the science behind delays on the subway – and it's in the style of an 8-bit video game. So what happens? According to the video, subway (and, presumably, London Underground) trains usually have a regular interval [...]
London City Airport runway “hole” creates travel havoc as flights are still being delayed and cancelled several hours on May 19, 2015 Passengers were left stranded for hours this morning after a hole opened up on a runway at City Airport, resulting in widespread delays and cancellations. The airport, heavily used by business travellers, confirmed it had to perform “emergency runway maintainance” shortly before 7:30am today, leaving thousands of travellers stranded with little sense of when [...]
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 [...]