Q&A: WHAT IS THE DISPUTE ABOUT? September 6, 2010 Q.WHY ARE WORKERS STRIKING? A.London Underground staff, as represented by unions RMT and TSSA, are striking against proposals by London Mayor Boris Johnson and Transport for London (TfL) to cut up to 800 station jobs, including ticketing staff and station management in a bid to save the cash-starved network from a series of government funding [...]
Tube staff to strike at 5pm today September 5, 2010 COMMUTERS are facing severe disruptions to travel plans this evening as 10,000 London Underground (LU) staff launch a day of industrial action at 5pm. Transport for London (TfL) and Mayor Boris Johnson have pledged to keep the capital moving during the strike period, which is expected to last until 9pm tomorrow and affect all lines [...]
Square Mile roadworks are a necessary evil August 22, 2010 LAST week, London First published a report entitled “Road Sense”, looking at how to best strike a balance between the costs and benefits of works taking place on the streets of London. As anyone who visits the City with any degree of regularity will be able to testify, streetworks (for, traditionally, there are no highways [...]
TfL signs up 44,000 to use Barclays Cycle Hire August 12, 2010 LONDON’S cycle hire scheme has been used for more than 100,000 journeys since its launch on 30 July, Transport for London (TfL) said yesterday. Around 44,000 people have signed up to the hire programme, and are between them making up to 14,000 journeys per day. Around 70 extra docking stations are under construction, bringing the [...]
Bond St tube gets £300m facelift August 4, 2010 Transport for London (TfL) has awarded a £300m contract to Costain and Laing O’Rourke to redevelop Bond Street Tube station, with the upgrades expected to take up to seven years. Once finished, Bond Street station is expected to have a new entrance and ticket hall north of Oxford Street, new escalators, improved interchanges between the [...]
The legacy of the Olympics will be a 21st century transport system July 26, 2010 EVERY Olympic host has a legacy. Beijing 2008’s was clearing the pollution from the city’s air so visibility was more than just a few feet, while Athens in 2004 made significant improvements to its infrastructure, including the establishment of the brand new Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport. But exactly how will London leave its mark on [...]
Tube strike off after pay offer July 12, 2010 Tomorrow’s strike by Tube Lines has been suspended while staff vote on whether to accept a new offer of a 4.2 per cent pay rise and increased job security. Rail union RMT confirmed yesterday that its members would vote on the revised package. Management will recommend that members accept the offer. Tube Lines workers, who [...]
Boris ramps up fight against London cuts July 12, 2010 BORIS Johnson has stepped up his campaign to protect funding for London’s sprawling transport network, after transport minister Norman Baker hinted that the capital’s Tube, buses and trains would have to suffer cutbacks along with the rest of the country. Aides to the Mayor said he was “presenting his case clearly to the government, both [...]
London commuters face huge rise in tube fares, warns RMT July 5, 2010 TRANSPORT FOR LONDON (TfL) could hike passenger tube fares to “eye-watering” levels making the “travelling public pay through the nose”, RMT has warned. The trade union has said that TfL has not given it enough information over Olympic transport plans. London commuters will have to shoulder fare increases as TfL tries to “plug a £5bn [...]
TfL closes door on Tube Lines takeover June 27, 2010 BORIS JOHNSON, London’s Mayor, and Transport for London (TfL) have completed the takeover of Tube Lines. Under the agreement, TfL has purchased all of Tube Lines’ shares from Bechtel and Ferrovial’s Amey, for £310m and will now manage the ongoing work to the Northern, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines. Johnson said the deal will open a [...]