Crossrail boss refuses to give railway opening date but ‘very much wants’ 2020 launch March 6, 2019 Crossrail's new chief executive has refused to confirm any date for when the railway will open, saying only that the company "very, very much wants to get this done in 2020". Addressing Westminster's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today, Mark Wild said Crossrail's next update, due in April, would provide a "window" of opening dates rather [...]
MPs cast doubt over Crossrail 2020 opening aim as they warn Elizabeth Line may need more than £2.8bn bailout April 3, 2019 MPs are “not convinced” that Crossrail will open in 2020 and fear the project will need more than the extra £2.8bn in funding it received to stay afloat, according to a damning report released today. Spending watchdog the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the costs of the railway, also known as the Elizabeth Line, had [...]
A pro-business mayor? Khan is less so than Livingstone April 29, 2019 Before he was elected, Sadiq Khan promised – in this newspaper and elsewhere – to be the “most pro-business mayor yet”. In a literal sense, that pledge was already a bit limited, because Khan has only had two predecessors: Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson. The first one was an apologist for assorted Communist regimes. In [...]
Extinction Rebellion London protests live: Police arrest 135 people over climate change protests October 7, 2019 Climate protests Day 1 round-up The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that at least 217 arrests have been made after Extinction Rebellion protesters caused chaos in the capital. Groups of protesters set up tents and a gazebo, blocking the road outside the Home Office in Westminster. Londoners have been warned of further disruption as the climate [...]
TfL working with Heathrow and London City airports to plan for no-deal Brexit January 17, 2019 Transport for London (TfL) is working with Heathrow and London City airports to mitigate the impacts of a no-deal Brexit, Sadiq Khan has said. London mayor Sadiq Khan said TfL was concerned that London could become clogged with heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) if the port of Tilbury is used more than Kent to carry traffic. Earlier this month [...]
Westminster council victorious as court rejects TfL appeal over blocked CS11 cycle superhighway February 7, 2019 Transport for London (TfL) will not be able to build its proposed CS11 cycle superhighway at Swiss Cottage after it lost an appeal against a decision by Westminster council to block its construction last year. The Court of Appeal yesterday upheld an earlier ruling that TfL could not proceed with the CS11 without considering traffic and [...]
Transport department refuses to release Garden Bridge report March 16, 2020 The Department for Transport (DfT) has said it will not release a report into the failed £48m Garden Bridge so it can protect a trust that no longer operates. The Garden Bridge Trust was set up to manage the disastrous project, which was championed by Boris Johnson when he was mayor of London and former [...]
Crossrail moves away from gagging orders for departing staff amid transparency concerns January 17, 2019 Crossrail has heeded calls from Transport for London (TfL) to refrain from forcing departing staff to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in light of concerns raised about the organisation's transparency. NDAs are a type of legal contract that bind former employers to confidentiality restrictions. They attracted controversy in the Harvey Weinstein scandal, when it emerged that a number of his [...]
TfL urged to be ‘open’ with Londoners about Northern Line extension delay February 5, 2019 Transport for London (TfL) has been told to be "open" with Londoners about the reasons behind the Northern Line extension delay after boss Mike Brown said a revised opening date would have "no material impact" on its revenues. The extension, which will lengthen the Northern Line to Battersea and create 25,000 new jobs and 20,000 new homes, was scheduled to open next [...]
Sadiq Khan’s £12.50-per-day Ulez charge comes into force: What do London drivers think? April 8, 2019 The new ultra low emission zone (Ulez) will come into force today, forcing the worst polluting cars to clean up or pay a daily £12.50 charge. The zone will initially cover central London and will be clearly signposted with road signs along key boundary points. Cars and vans will need to meet new exhaust emissions [...]