World’s deepest and longest rail tunnel to open in Switzerland June 1, 2016 A marvel to rival Hannibal's feat, the Gotthard base tunnel has been officially opened in Switzerland today as the world's longest and deepest rail tunnel. Conquered the Alps, the tunnel will provide high speed rail services under the Swiss Alps between northern and southern Europe, in the hope of revolutionising freight transport. At current freight relies mostly on [...]
EasyJet to penalise customers who arrive less than 30 minutes before departure May 31, 2016 Budget airline EasyJet is going to be cracking down on passengers who don't arrive early enough, according to reports. The airline is said to be imposing a new rule that will mean anyone who attempts to get through security with less than 30 minutes before takeoff will be prevented from going "airside" and then speeding [...]
Londoners can now get UberPool in more locations May 31, 2016 Uber is expanding its ride-sharing service UberPool in the capital outside of central London to cover zones one and two. The billion dollar startup which has had run ins with regulators and black cab drivers since it first launched in London in 2012 introduced UberPool late last year. The service offers cheaper fares to passengers than the standard [...]
Jaguar Land Rover in for bumpy ride as profits fall despite stellar sales May 30, 2016 The UK’s largest carmaker Jaguar Land Rover’s sales increased 28 per cent to 158,813 vehicles in the fourth quarter ended 31 March, thanks to a strong demand for the Jaguar XE compact saloon, nicknamed the “baby Jag”. Despite reporting bumper sales, the British luxury car manufacturer saw its pre-tax profits fall to £1.56bn, down from £2.6bn [...]
Air travel body Iata: Global air passenger rate of growth dives to lowest since January 2015 May 30, 2016 Global demand for passenger travel in April rose 4.6 per cent – the slowest rate of growth since January 2015, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) said yesterday. And demand for air freight, measured in freight tonne kilometres, was up 3.2 per cent in April, but Iata head Tony Tyler said that was not a [...]
With HS2 dubbed over-priced by experts, does Britain have a problem with big infrastructure projects? May 27, 2016 Dr Robin Hickman, reader in transport planning and the city at the Bartlett School of Planning, University College London, says Yes. Large-scale infrastructure projects involve substantial economic, environmental and social impact – affecting present and future generations. Projects can cost billions and affect people and the environment in many different ways. We have a problem in [...]
Boffins blast HS2 arguing Britain’s high speed rail offering could be five times more expensive than its French equivalent May 26, 2016 High Speed 2 (HS2) could be up to five times more expensive than its French equivalent according to a new academic study, reigniting rows over whether the £56bn railway plan is a “vanity project”. The academics, led by Professor Tony May from Leeds University and transport consultant Jonathan Tyler, said that France's TGV line from [...]
London to Sydney in less than two hours? Scientists are closer to developing hypersonic flight technology May 25, 2016 Could it one day be possible to fly halfway around the world in less than the time it currently takes to get from London to Manchester? Scientists in Australia have suggested it might – as they came one step closer to developing so-called hypersonic technology, which could allow people to travel at speeds of over 5,500mph. [...]
Wizz Air Holding’s profits take off after expansion strategy soars May 25, 2016 The largest Central and Eastern European low-cost airline, Wizz Air Holdings, took off with high profits today following a successful expansion strategy across the continent. The figures Total revenue at the airline increased 16 per cent to €1.43bn (£1.1bn) in its full-year 2016 results. The company reported underlying net profit after tax of €224m, an increase of [...]
Toyota invests in Uber to launch ride-sharing partnership May 24, 2016 Car giant Toyota is set to invest in taxi app Uber to launch a ride-sharing venture. The Japanese carmaker will offer new buyers leasing options wherein they can lease their vehicles from Toyota Financial Services and cover their payments through earnings generated as Uber drivers. Terms of the partnership haven’t been revealed. However, Toyota said that [...]