Not so thirsty Thursday as Nightcap blames ‘targeted’ rail strikes for £1.2m earnings loss March 13, 2023 Cocktail bar operator Nightcap has estimated that 13 days of rail strikes over the last year has cost the company £1.2m. The bar company, which operates a number of venues across Clapham and central London, claimed rail strikers “deliberate targeting” of Thursdays and Saturdays, the most lucrative trading days for the hospitality sector, caused a [...]
Government plans to delay HS2 will cost the UK more in the long term, London business group warns March 9, 2023 Delaying the construction of HS2 to save money will cost the UK more in the long term, a London business group has warned after reports the government is set to announce further delays to the already over budget and overdue project. “Delaying construction of HS2 to save money is a false economy. Failing to invest [...]
Tube strike to take place on 15 March after Aslef members voted in favour of industrial action February 22, 2023 London will grind to a halt on 15 March after tube workers voted in favour of strike action, as Sadiq Khan warned there are “no proposed changes to pensions”, at the heart of the dispute. Train drivers who are member of the uion Aslef voted to down tools for 24 hours next month with 99 [...]
Rail and postal strikes ‘decimated’ festive trade with worst impact for a decade February 14, 2023 London’s festive economy was “decimated” by rail and postal strikes, as new figures revealed the disruption caused by walkouts was the worst month on record since 2011. Around 843,000 working days were lost to strike action in December – the highest for more than a decade – according to official figures from the Office for [...]
SWR’s two-year extension to run London Waterloo services follows ‘milestone agreement’ with union TSSA February 10, 2023 South Western Railway has been awarded another two years’ contract to run services between London Waterloo and the south-west, parent company Firstgroup said. “We welcome the contract extension for South Western Railway (SWR), which enables us to build on the achievements of the first two years of the contract and continue improving the customer offering,” [...]
Investigation finds rail union TSSA tolerated bullying, harassment and sexual assault February 9, 2023 An independent inquiry has found instances of bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment at the rail union TSSA. Launched in the summer and led by Baroness Helena Kennedy, the investigation uncovered a series of “appalling accidents.” These ranged from coercive behaviour and humiliation to inappropriate and sexual touching as well as sexual assault. Baroness Kennedy wrote [...]
Rail: Inquiry launched into anti-strike bill amid concerns about minimum service level proposal February 9, 2023 The Commons’ transport select committee has launched an inquiry into how the controversial anti-strike bill will apply to the railway sector – with a focus on the demand for minimum service levels. The legislation – which is having its second reading in the Lords on 21 February – will guarantee minimum service levels during strike [...]
‘Unmitigated disaster’: Unions and Sadiq Khan slam transport sec Mark Harper’s rail reform plan February 8, 2023 Unions and Sadiq Khan have slammed the government’s plans to enhance the private sector’s role in railways, calling it “an unmitigated disaster.” It comes after transport secretary Mark Harper announced last night the creation of Great British Railways (GBR), saying the new public body will take “politics out of the railways.” According to Harper yesterday, [...]
Great British Railways confirmed: Body will take ‘politics out’ of sector, says Mark Harper February 7, 2023 Transport secretary Mark Harper has confirmed the creation of Great British Railways, saying the new public body will take “politics out of the railways”. “This is not Network Rail 2.0, nor a return to British Rail,” Harper told the sector as he delivered the annual George Bradshaw address earlier this evening. “Taking the politics out [...]
Rail travel: Government halving the cost of single LNER fares in a move that will ‘unleash more competition, innovation and growth’ February 7, 2023 The government is set to halve the cost of single rail fares across the wider LNER rail network, as part of its plan to reform the UK’s railways. Transport secretary Mark Harper will announce an extension of single-leg pricing beyond the few LNER services that have trialled the ticketing system since 2020. The move will [...]