Tfl set to cut hours of London Overground ticket offices January 7, 2020 Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed it will cut the hours of London Overground ticket offices after an ongoing row with the rail union. TfL announced today that a swathe of ticket offices will have their hours cut if they are deemed to not be busy enough to be open all day. Read more: London [...]
Does Labour’s pledge to cut rail fares make sense from a social mobility perspective? December 5, 2019 Does Labour’s pledge to cut rail fares make sense from a social mobility perspective? Grace Blakeley, economics columnist at the New Statesman, says YES. Many have pointed out that middle-earners are most likely to use trains, but few analyse why. First, trains around London are too expensive for many commuters, meaning that they are forced [...]
Commuter chaos continues as London rail strike standoff enters second day December 3, 2019 The standoff between South Western Railway and the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) Union went on today, as Labour faced claims it was working alongside union bosses to boost its election prospects. Commuters were left miserable again as the longest rail strike in history entered its second day, with some warning that the remaining [...]
Labour to cut rail fares and create ‘London-style’ ticketing for the UK December 1, 2019 Labour will reform the country’s rail ticketing system to create a one-stop shop for tickets if elected, while also promising to cut fares by 33 per cent. The party wants to create a uniform “London-style” ticketing system that allows contactless payments and sets out fares on a zonal basis. Read more: Train companies to hike [...]
One-third of Tube staff off sick as Underground trains still packed March 25, 2020 Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged more Londoners to stay at home today amid the coronavirus lockdown as he repeated his call for the government to ban construction work in the capital. Khan warned London’s Tube and bus transport network is approaching breaking point, with almost a third of Transport for London (TfL) workers off sick [...]
Rail fail: South Western services still hampered despite temporary election halt to RMT strike December 12, 2019 Commuters were left angry this morning as South Western Railway services remained on partial timetables, despite rail strikes being temporarily called off for election day. The 27-day rail strike called by the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) Union has caused chaos for the first 11 days of December, but industrial action was due to [...]
Virgin Trains manager jumps ship to First Group for west coast main line railway takeover November 26, 2019 First Group has poached the boss of Virgin Trains just in time to take over the west coast main line rail franchise in 12 days’ time. Phil Whittingham, who has been at Virgin since it took control of the country’s most lucrative rail network in 1998, will keep running the line, which connects London to [...]
Tube strike talks break down over Bakerloo walkout February 19, 2020 The Bakerloo line will grind to a halt on Friday as last minute talks between the rail union and Transport for London (TfL) to avoid a Tube strike have broken down. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) confirmed this morning that its drivers would strike over the weekend despite “intensive efforts” [...]
Dodging a bullet: Japanese firm abandons safety drill that forced staff to squat inches away from high-speed trains October 31, 2018 A Japanese railway firm has pulled the plug on a safety training drill that forced employees to squat in a maintenance tunnel while bullet trains rushed past at 300 km/h. The unusual practice has been ditched by West Japan Railway company in the wake of mounting pressure from a staff union that feared for the [...]
DEBATE: Should we be concerned about rumours of potential Chinese involvement with HS2? February 19, 2020 Should we be concerned about rumours of potential Chinese involvement with building HS2? Sophia Gaston, director of the British Foreign Policy Group, says YES. The government’s decision to permit Huawei to be involved in building our 5G network has exposed the acute lack of an overarching strategy around Britain’s engagement with China. No doubt, this [...]