
Trainline urges ministers to play fair with state competitor
The spectre of the renationalised Great British Railways eating into Trainline's business, plus a further warning of slower growth in ticket volumes and revenues from selling rail fares digitally to passengers, weighed on the company's shares in trading on Thursday.
The stock, floated six years ago at 350p, fell 11¼p, or 4 per cent, to 268¾p, heading back toward recent 18-month lows.
• Investors fear state-backed rival to Trainline's dominance
Trainline is an online app selling rail tickets to a customer base of 18 million customers in Britain and increasingly around Europe. It was created just before the turn of the millennium and has been
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Finextra
23 minutes ago
- Finextra
Santander partners OpenAI to become 'AI-native' bank
Santander has inked a deal with OpenAI, rolling out ChatGPT Enterprise to nearly 15,000 staffers as it bids to become an "AI-native" bank. 0 The Spanish giant is embarking on a "data and AI-first" transformation, according to chief data and AI officer Ricardo Martín Manjón. "We're reimagining Santander's operations, grounding every decision in clean, trusted data, automating customer interactions and infusing every workflow with intelligence," writes Manjón in an article on the bank's site. This means embedding AI across product management, credit, marketing, service, operations and other core functions, putting the technology at the core of Santander's global platforms, and building an AI ecosystem working with the major players such as Open AI, Microsoft and Amazon as well as startups. In just two months, the bank has rolled out ChatGPT Enterprise to nearly 15,000 employees across Europe and the Americas. This is expected to grow to 30,000 users by year-end, covering approximately 15% of the workforce. "Why the urgency? This isn't just about adopting AI, it's about catalysing a shift in culture, productivity and experience," writes Manjón. Early use cases include investment copilots with real-time strategy suggestions, hyper-personalised customer journeys, and AI agents automating back-office processes across all geographies. The effort is already bearing fruit, according to Manjón: in 2024 AI initiatives generated over €200 million in savings. AI copilots now support more than 40% of contact centre interactions. In Spain, Speech Analytics processes 10 million voice calls annually, auto-filling CRM systems to improve customer service and freeing over 100,000 hours annually for higher-value work. Santander is now tailoring AI training across roles and markets to democratise its use and next year will see the launch of a mandatory AI training plan for all employees. Concludes Manjón: "We're not chasing hype. Our roadmap is built on real impact, operational rigor and human empowerment. Our data & AI-first strategy is how we deliver smarter solutions, happier customers and a future-ready bank. "At Santander, we're not just using AI. We're becoming 'AI-native', with the trust, scale and humanity that banking demands."


Telegraph
25 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Older workers are being sent to the scrapheap
At long last, Rachel Reeves has an economic success story. One sector in Britain is displaying dizzying growth, with demand soaring year on year: the number of people claiming Universal Credit without work requirements has risen from 2.7 million last July to 3.7 million. While some portion of this growth will be explained by migration between benefits as the Government shifts claimants to Universal Credit, that cannot be seen as exculpatory. Certain claimants moving on to Universal Credit from legacy benefits can do so without a need for any fresh reassessment of their ability to work. While this will help to streamline the transfer and ensure those who need support receive it, it is a missed opportunity to look at the existing group of claimants and to reassess their fitness for work. Such an approach is sorely needed. At the moment, attention is directed towards the flow of new claims for welfare, but relatively little towards tackling the stock of existing claims, and seeing whether some may have left the workforce prematurely. Attention, moreover, does not mean action. The furious row over the relatively minor changes to disability benefits proposed earlier this year resulted in a Government climbdown, and the emboldening of backbench rebels against further potential cuts. As a result, we continue to see the numbers parked on benefits with no requirement to seek work soar, with many older workers now in what appears to be a form of tacit early retirement. This is a waste of their talents and experience that Britain can ill afford, and one which is all the more infuriating given the lay of the land internationally. A little over a year ago, the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank published a fascinating analysis on the remarkable shifts in the US workforce, with significant rises in employment rates for the over 55s. Older Americans were better educated and healthier than previous generations, and as a result willing and able to work longer. In Britain, in contrast, we are facing a health and disability benefits bill expected to rise to £100bn a year by the end of the decade, with minimal means of shifting workers off claims once they begin. It would be greatly to the benefit of the nation and the public finances if Westminster could bring itself to learn from Washington in this field.


Reuters
43 minutes ago
- Reuters
FTSE 100 rises as markets welcome milder US inflation data
Aug 12 (Reuters) - Britain's blue-chip index climbed on Tuesday as equity markets worldwide cheered a milder U.S. inflation print that kept alive hopes for interest rate cuts in the world's largest economy. The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE), opens new tab edged up 0.2%, while the more domestically focused midcap index (.FTMC), opens new tab was down 0.2%. The latest U.S. consumer price index report painted a mixed picture for investors. While overall price increases moderated in July, a measure of underlying inflation posted its largest gain in six months. Despite the mixed signals, financial markets maintained expectations the Federal Reserve would proceed with an interest rate cut in September. Back home, data showed Britain's jobs market continues to soften, with payrolls declining for a sixth consecutive month and vacancies decreasing further. However, persistent wage growth underscored the Bank of England's cautious approach toward interest rate cuts. In markets, Spirax (SPX.L), opens new tab surged 13%, leading gains on the blue-chip index, after the manufacturing group forecast organic sales growth accelerating in the second half of the year on a strong order book. Among sectors, the aerospace and defence index (.FTNMX502010), opens new tab rose 0.9% in the day. The sector came under pressure since last week after peace efforts by the U.S. to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict gained momentum. Utilities (.FTUB6510), opens new tab, which are often traded as bond proxies, were the biggest drag, down 1.8% as the yields on British government bonds rose after the jobs data. Bellway (BWY.L), opens new tab inched 1.6% higher after it said it expects to build more homes in its new financial year. The outlook lifted the broader UK housing sector index (.FTNMX402020), opens new tab by 0.9%. London-listed Atalaya Mining Copper climbed 9.2% after the miner raised its copper production outlook for the financial year 2025, lifting the broader industrial metal miners index (.FTNMX551020), opens new tab by 1.1%. Earlier in the day, a 90-day extension of the tariff truce between the U.S. and China provided temporary relief to investors about global trade, effectively postponing potentially damaging triple-digit duties on Chinese exports to the United States. Among other stocks, gambling firm Entain (ENT.L), opens new tab dropped 1.9% despite forecasting its annual core profit outlook above market expectations.