Trains across Britain are being cancelled and timetables slimmed down as the omicron coronavirus variant sparks a surge in staff absences, wreaking havoc for millions of commuters. Southern, Great Northern and Thameslink are to extend slimmed-down festive timetables until January 10 because of a shortage of workers. There will be no direct Southern services to…
Rail fares will rise at their fastest rate for almost a decade as commuters are hit by the spiralling cost of living. A 3.8pc rise, the biggest jump for nine years, will take effect from March rather than January, as it did this year. Annual rail fares are typically pegged to the previous July’s inflation rate…
Plans for HS2, the high-speed rail link from London to the Midlands and the North of England, have been scaled back by the Government. The eastern leg of the line has been scrapped and the Northern Powerhouse Rail link from Manchester to Leeds downgraded. Boris Johnson faced a backlash over the decision after the Government…
The easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has lost his grip on the budget airline he launched a quarter of a century ago after the company raised £1.2bn of extra cash. Sir Stelios’s blocking stake has been diluted after he chose not to purchase new shares in a rights issue following a takeover swoop by low-cost…
The viability of London’s flagship HS2 station is at risk after Boris Johnson refused to give Sadiq Khan a long-term bailout for the capital’s transport authority. Transport for London, chaired by London mayor, risks being forced to mothball a series of public transport upgrades after TfL was only given a six-month grant to keep it afloat. Mr…
Eurostar services will remain below pre-pandemic levels for the next four years, costing British taxpayers tens of millions of pounds. A complex legal agreement means that the owner of the high-speed line between London and Folkestone on which Eurostar services run can bill lost income from reduced services to the Exchequer. Eurostar, currently running just one service…
London Underground is gearing up for the return of thousands of City workers by reopening of “The Drain” between Waterloo and Bank stations. The Waterloo & City line, which has been shut for 14 months, will reopen on June 21, Transport for London said. It issued the statement before Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned of…
Social distancing on buses in England will end next week as ministers give operators the green light to double the number of passengers allowed on each service. Every forward facing seat will be available for passengers from Monday, meaning strangers will sit next to one another for the first time since the pandemic hit. In…
