East London cable car due for launch by the end of the month June 17, 2012 BRITAIN’S first cable car spanning the Thames is set to open to the public in time for the Olympic games, Transport for London confirmed today. The £50m project has been subject to safety tests in recent weeks but TfL said it was on course to open on 28 June, a month ahead of the Games. [...]
BORIS POISED TO TAKE CONTROL OF COMMUTER TRAINS April 29, 2012 BORIS Johnson is set to gain control of suburban rail services after the transport secretary Justine Greening gave City A.M. the strongest indication yet that she is willing to hand him control of key commuter routes if he is re-elected on Thursday. Under the proposals Transport for London (TfL) would have direct control over certain [...]
Boris is being dragged down by coalition’s many mistakes April 23, 2012 IF Boris Johnson loses the London mayoral election next week, he will have just two men to blame: David Cameron and George Osborne. Yesterday’s latest poll showing the London candidates in a statistical dead heat – Boris on 51 per cent including second preferences, and Ken Livingstone on 49 per cent – can only be [...]
London Tube workers vote to strike April 17, 2012 London Underground staff are set to walk out for 72 hours next week after they voted “four to one” in favour of strike action. The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT) said its workers would cease work at 4pm on 24 April and not return until after 4pm on 27 April. The dispute is [...]
Ken insists he can get cash from coalition April 16, 2012 KEN Livingstone yesterday rubbished Conservative claims he would struggle to secure central government funds for the capital, telling City A.M.: “George Osborne will be no problem – I’ll just tickle his tummy.” The Labour mayoral candidate added that he had a successful track record of lobbying for money in the face of Treasury opposition: “I [...]
Ken makes a pledge of new Tramlink route April 15, 2012 KEN Livingstone has today promised to extend the Croydon Tramlink if elected mayor of London on 3 May. Labour’s Livingstone, who has made cutting travel costs a cornerstone of his manifesto, said the “sheer size of the surpluses at Transport for London” will make the extension possible if he returns to City Hall. He claimed [...]
Mayor blocks anti-gay adverts appearing on London transport April 12, 2012 BORIS Johnson yesterday blocked a Christian advertising campaign that promoted “gay conversion”, saying that London should be “intolerant of intolerance”. The advert, funded by religious groups opposed to gay marriage, was due to appear on public buses during the next two weeks and declared: “Not gay! Ex-gay, post-gay and proud. Get over it!” Johnson used [...]
Johnson says no money for rival’s pledge April 11, 2012 BORIS Johnson yesterday attacked Ken Livingstone for making “unfunded” promises on the campaign trail, claiming that the Labour candidate has failed to identify funding for at least £2.7bn worth of pledges. In a document entitled “Can’t Afford Ken”, Johnson’s team claim to have identified 24 spending commitments made by Livingstone that go beyond the existing [...]
Boris promises £35m fund for London firms April 9, 2012 BORIS Johnson will today announce plans for a new £35m fund for London that would provide low-cost loans to the capital’s small and medium–sized businesses, City A.M. can reveal. “The fund would provide average loans of around £100,000 for each company, and if successful in attracting other funds, could drive growth for around 500 companies,” [...]
Boris warns of fuel strike emergency March 29, 2012 BORIS Johnson has warned the government is not taking the escalating fuel crisis seriously enough, City A.M. has learned, and has instructed London officials to start planning for an emergency. In a letter to communities secretary Eric Pickles, seen by City A.M., the Mayor of London said the UK was facing a “potential fuel emergency” [...]