Latest news with #ChannelTunnel
Hype Malaysia
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hype Malaysia
Cat Footwear & Louis Vuitton Get Boots On The Ground With Epic New Collections
Boots are easily the most versatile yet fashionable footwear out there. Whether you're carrying heavy loads and are simply looking for the best way to protect your feet, or strutting down the runway with chunky but comfortable kicks like a boss, boots in any shape or form, are everyone's best friend. Whether you're in for the function or the form, these boots from Cat Footwear and Louis Vuitton have you covered! Cat Footwear Centennial Collection Cat Footwear is celebrating 100 years of Caterpillar Inc. with a new limited-edition collection that includes three boots that honour the significant engineering milestones the company has contributed to. The footwear brand continues to whimsically reimagine the technical portfolio for the Centennial Collection, drawing inspiration from Caterpillar Inc.'s original hardwearing boots. Inspired by the construction of the iconic landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge boot alters the iconic Colorado silhouette by incorporating a wraparound cable system. While a grey perforated midsole lends the boot an additional industrial appearance, gold-toned hardware is used along the edges as a decorative substitute for conventional eyelets. The second model in the collection, Apollo 11, is named after the moon landing in 1969 and is based on a technical moon boot with a dusty white colourway, platformed sole, and toe cap. The cuffed boot is perfect for the slopes during ski season because, despite its chunky silhouette, it is remarkably lightweight. The Channel Tunnel shoe, on the other hand, substitutes a tongue torch and a light-up midsole for the conventional Chelsea boot to aid hikers in the dark. Additionally, it features a central zip fastening and heat-sealed seams to enhance functionality in a stylish manner. 'Caterpillar Inc. has shaped the infrastructure of our world – building bridges that define cities, digging tunnels that unite nations, and enabling space-age communications. Each boot is crafted as a tribute to the monumental feats that have shaped our world. 'They represent more than just Caterpillar's legacy; they symbolise enduring commitment to building connections and breaking new ground,' said Thomas Kennedy, President of Wolverine Work Group. If you'd like to check out the collection, head over to Cat Footwear's official website. Louis Vuitton's LV BUTTERSOFT Sneaker Collection The highly-anticipated LV BUTTERSOFT sneaker has finally arrived, and Louis Vuitton has debuted a versatile collection of 24 colourways, including monogrammed pairs. Pharrell's most recent footwear design pays homage to the hip-hop scene of the 2000s by fusing the comfortable silhouette of a vintage sneaker with the opulent craftsmanship of a dress shoe. The shoe's main design elements, such as the LV emblem on the side panel and the embossed 'Phriendship silhouette' of Pharrell's face at the tongue, are highlighted in the special campaign, which stars British actor Callum Turner. Additionally, an embossed lobster on the shoe's back is an Easter egg detail that references Pharrell and Nigo's working relationship. The 'buttery' leather, which is crafted by Italian artisans, gives the shoe a pillow-like feel. Luxury rivals like Miu Miu and Loewe offer flat-soled footwear trends, which are contrasted with the elevated platform soles. The design, which has a silhouette that almost looks cartoonish, is reminiscent of the pixelated motifs from Pharrell's previous collections for the Maison, which were inspired by Minecraft. There is a style for everyone and every occasion thanks to the expansive selection of colourways. The monochrome and duo-tone options are available for US$1,690 (~RM7,166), while the monogram colourways retail for US$2,010 (~RM8,523). Pre-order a pair or check out the full collection at Louis Vuitton's official website. What's your Reaction? +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Engineer Costain readies £10m share buyback thanks to pension surplus
Costain Group shares soared on Monday after the engineering company announced a £10million share repurchase scheme. The London-based firm, which built the Thames Barrier and Channel Tunnel, said the buyback follows the valuation of its defined benefit pension scheme being in surplus for the second consecutive year. It added that the scheme was an 'appropriate and value-enhancing use of cash' that would still allow the business to invest for growth. Costain also told shareholders trading in the first half of 2025 had been in line with annual forecasts, and it expects to achieve a 4.5 per cent adjusted operating margin target. Shares in the company climbed 8.2 per cent to 139.2p on Monday morning, making them one of the FTSE All-Share Index's biggest risers. Costain has continued to win new work this year, including a contract to support the construction of the Sizewell C nuclear plant in Suffolk. The UK Government committed last week to investing £14.2billion in building Sizewell C, which will generate enough energy to power six million homes once completed. Costain also struck deals with Urenco, a nuclear fuel consortium, to design a new advanced fuels production facility and upgrade infrastructure at some enrichment sites in Cheshire. And earlier this month, the firm secured further work with Anglian Water to deliver an additional 260 kilometres of pipelines across the East of England over the next five years. Costain's forward work position is over four times its annual revenue. 'Costain is well positioned to benefit from the government's emerging infrastructure plan, and strength in regulated markets like water and energy,' said analysts at broker Panmure Liberum, which has raised the group's share price target from 150p to 170p. Fellow brokers Investec and Peel Hunt similarly lifted Costain's share price target from 135p to 145p and 150p, respectively. Alex Vaughan, chief executive of Costain, said: 'Over the past three years, we have executed on our strategic plans, improved the quality and size of the group's contract portfolio, delivered on our margin targets, significantly strengthened our net cash position and successfully refinanced our bank and bonding facilities.' Founded in 1865, Costain is a major contractor on HS2, gaining a deal worth up to £400million last December to provide tunnel and line-side mechanical and electrical systems for the high-speed rail line. Five years ago, the business won a £3.3billion contract to design and construct the tunnels connecting HS2 to London Euston station.
Hypebeast
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Cat Footwear Reinterprets Engineering History in Three Limited-Edition Boots
In a new limited-edition collection,Cat Footwearcommemorates 100 years ofCaterpillar three boots that pay homage to the major engineering moments the manufacturer has been part of. With an existing library of designs based on Caterpillar Inc.'s original hardwearing boots, the footwear brand continues to playfully reimagine the technical portfolio for the Centennial Collection. On the Golden Gate Bridge boot, which draws inspiration from the landmark's construction, it modifies the signature Colorado silhouette with a wraparound cable system. Across the edges, gold-toned hardware is used as a decorative alternative to standard eyelets while a gray perforated midsole gives the boot an added industrial look. Taking its name from the 1969 moon landing, the second model in the collection, Apollo 11, is shaped around a technical moon boot with a platformed sole, toe cap, and a dusty white colorway. Despite its chunky silhouette, the cuffed boot is notably lightweight, making it ideal for the slopes during ski season. In contrast, the Channel Tunnel shoe switches up the staple Chelsea boot with a light-up midsole and tongue flashlight to equip hikers in the dark. It also incorporates heat-sealed seams and a central zip fastening to elevate functionality in a sleek style. 'Caterpillar Inc. has shaped the infrastructure of our world – building bridges that define cities, digging tunnels that unite nations, and enabling space-age communications,' explained President of Wolverine Work Group, Thomas Kennedy. 'Each boot is crafted as a tribute to the monumental feats that have shaped our world. They represent more than just Caterpillar's legacy; they symbolize enduring commitment to building connections and breaking new ground.' Check out the three limited-edition boots in the gallery above and be sure to shop the Centennial Collection on Cat Footwear'swebsitenow.
Telegraph
10-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Eurostar steps up plans for direct trains to Frankfurt
Eurostar has stepped up plans to run direct trains from London to Frankfurt and Geneva as it braces for fresh competition from new entrants in the Channel Tunnel rail market. The firm is aiming to begin direct services from St Pancras International early next decade using a fleet of 50 new trains that it intends to order later this year or early in 2026. Frankfurt could be reached in five hours and Geneva in five hours and 20 minutes, according to Eurostar, which hopes to attract both tourists and business people bound for the financial hubs. It comes after Britain's rail regulator said last week that a number of companies had been invited to submit plans for operating trains through the Tunnel in competition with Eurostar. Those include Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, which exited the UK rail market in 2019, and Gemini Trains, chaired by the Labour peer Lord Berkeley, a former chairman of the Rail Freight Group. Trenitalia, the main operating arm of Italy's state railway company FS Italian, is also in the running and is expected to partner with Evolyn, backed by the Spanish Cosmen family. Gwendoline Cazenave, Eurostar's chief executive, told the Telegraph last year that she was working on plans to take passengers to cities as far afield as Frankfurt, Geneva and Zurich as the company prepared for an end to its near 30-year Channel Tunnel monopoly. Ms Cazenave said this week that subsequent studies had indicated that rail passengers are open to longer journeys spanning five hours or more, and that Eurostar's planned train order will be placed with 'bold ambitions' for new destinations in mind. She told The Telegraph: 'Eurostar plans to make direct rail links from London to Switzerland and Germany a reality, just like we did between London and the Netherlands. 'We're seeing strong demand for train travel across Europe, with customers wanting to go further by rail than ever before and enjoy the unique experience we provide.' Eurostar already allows customers to book tickets from London to Geneva and Zurich, although they must change in Paris onto trains run by TGV Lyria, a sister company under French state rail operator SNCF. Discussions are continuing with Germany's Deutsche Bahn about a similar arrangement that would allow passengers on Eurostar trains to Cologne, a service inherited from its takeover of Thalys in 2023, to continue to Frankfurt. A spokesman said the alliances would lay the groundwork for Eurostar to begin offering its own direct services following the delivery of the new trains, expected to be purchased from Alstom or Siemens in a £2bn order. Eurostar plans to retain its 17 existing Siemens units, giving it a total of 67 trains once all 50 new deliveries arrive. Ms Cazenave said the new trains must be able to operate in Britain and across the existing Eurostar network while being compatible with signalling and other systems in Germany and Switzerland, unlike the existing fleet. Eurostar envisages a timetable of four return services a day to Frankfurt and three to Geneva. Operations to Rotterdam and Amsterdam, which it launched 2018, will increase to seven a day this year. The expansion plans would also require work on securing track access, creating more passenger space at stations, and installing border facilities in the destination cities. The UK and Switzerland signed a memorandum of understanding last month aimed at establishing direct train services between the countries. Eurostar will also need to enlarge and modernise the Temple Mills maintenance depot in east London to accommodate the new trains. A Eurostar spokesman said that could extend to establishing a second site for the upkeep of rolling stock, following last week's ruling from the Office of Rail and Road on admitting a new entrant to the depot. Eurostar's underlying earnings fell 18pc last year to €346m (£292m) in what Ms Cazenave called a 'challenging economic climate'.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Eurostar needs as much competition as possible
At least it didn't decide that the wrong type of snow made it impossible to run any more trains, or that too many leaves on the line made it far too risky to have an extra operator. Even so, the oddly named Office of Rail and Road, or ORR, last week decided that there is only enough depot space for one extra competitor to Eurostar to run trains from Britain to the rest of the Continent. The other companies queuing up to offer a service will have to be turned away. That is crazy. The rail service needs more competition not less – and anything that gets in the way of that should be fixed before the service gets any worse. Few of us were probably aware of the ORR until last week, although the regulator has more than 350 staff doing something or other, and a budget of more than £40m a year to spend. Last week, however, it made a significant decision that will have an impact on anyone who travels between Britain and the rest of Europe by train. A whole series of rival companies had been preparing to offer rival services to Eurostar running trains through the Channel Tunnel. Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Trains was pitching to run a service on the route, and so were Gemini Trains, chaired by the Labour peer Lord Berkeley, as well as Trenitalia, the main operating arm of the Italian state rail operator. If the tunnel was genuinely opened up, plenty of other companies might have come into the market, such as Germany's Deutsche Bhan, which has expressed an interest in the past; one of the other rail companies; or indeed an airline company such as Air France KLM, which could use the train route to feed long-haul passengers into its Paris hub. St Pancras International could have been humming with new competitors pitching different possibilities. But the ORR has decided that there is only enough space at the depot for one extra competitor on the route. 'The assessment suggests there is room for at most one new operator, or for Eurostar, to grow,' it concluded. At a stroke, the vision of lots of new players has been dashed. Of course in fairness, the ORR is just doing its job, and no one would want to question its decision about the capacity at the depot. It is important that all the trains are properly maintained, and if there is not enough space for more than one extra operator at the moment, then clearly that is a problem. And yet, looking at the bigger picture, it is also completely ridiculous. If we need more depot space, then surely we should just build it. Likewise, if we need another platform, or an extra stop along the route through Kent, or even just space for another Pret so the passengers can pick up a sandwich before they hop on a train to the Continent, then we should build that as well. It would hardly be impossible. In reality, the rail link into the Continent needs as much competition as possible. To start with, it opens up more choice for passengers. Eurostar has been operating on the route since it opened in 1994, and it does a perfectly decent job. But it is hardly setting the world alight with its customer service, or its on board meal options, or indeed its ticket prices. Of 2,500 reviews on Trustpilot it gets an average ranking of just 2.1 out of a possible five, which, to put it politely, would suggest there is some room for improvement. The one thing we know for certain about economics is that when there is a choice, service levels dramatically improve, but when there is a monopoly, they get worse. One extra operator on the service would be an improvement, but two or three would surely be far better. Next, it would open up more potential routes. It has proved impossible to build a new high-speed rail line in the UK. But the rest of Europe has been steaming ahead, with new rapid rail links connecting France, Spain, Germany and Italy. We are meant to be fighting climate change, and we keep whacking extra taxes on air travel to discourage us from getting the plane. So why not make it easier to get the train to Milan, or Barcelona, or Berlin instead of a flight? With more competitors, lots more routes would be opened up, and plenty of climate consciousness travellers could be persuaded to take a train instead. Finally, it would surely lower fares. When I just checked the price of a return from London to Paris for next weekend the best deal I could get on Eurostar was £360 return. It is not exactly cheap. Air France was offering the plane at half that price. Any rival operator coming onto the route would surely start offering more competitive fares, and the more of them there are the cheaper it would get. The tunnel needs a BA option for anyone on expenses, and an easyJet option for anyone who just wants a quick weekend away. But that is not likely to happen now. The role of a regulator is to promote competition, not restrict it. Likewise, we are meant to have a government that believes in 'growth, growth, growth', even if there is not much actual sign of it. Here is a simple suggestion. If we need a new depot to handle more trains, then let's build one, or even two. There is plenty of spare capacity in the Channel Tunnel to run more trains, and plenty of pent up demand for any rival to Eurostar that could offer more choice, more routes and cheaper fares. We should seize that opportunity. Instead, as so often, we are turning it down – and the whole country will end up poorer as a result. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
