Father v son: who will master the snowboard? February 9, 2014 Ski fan Keith Perry swapped his skis for a snowboard at Les Deux Alpes to see if he could give his son a run for his money on the slopes THE FACT that I fall into the so-called “grays on trays” category – snowboarders of a certain age – should have warned me off. That, [...]
Second wave of tube strikes looms February 6, 2014 THE TWO-DAY Tube strike ended yesterday – but the same disruption will hit the city again next week unless union bosses and London Underground can reach a truce. The two sides will meet again today at resolution service Acas to seek common ground in TfL’s plans to cut a net 750 jobs, shut ticket halls [...]
Why a Yes vote in Scotland would mean chaos in Westminster February 6, 2014 THE penny is beginning to drop in boardrooms across the City. It is all too possible, though still not the most likely outcome, that the Scottish electorate will decide to vote to leave the UK. The polls still show a large lead for the No side, albeit one that is shrinking. Large numbers of voters [...]
Crossrail picks Bombardier to build new trains February 6, 2014 BOMBARDIER has been chosen to build trains for the new Crossrail line, in a £1bn contract that secures work for the Canadian firm’s factory in Derby after a difficult few years. Transport for London said Bombardier will deliver 65 new trains from 2017 and build a maintenance depot at Old Oak Common, safeguarding around 1,000 [...]
Bombardier bags £1bn Crossrail deal February 6, 2014 Plane and train manufacturer Bombardier has won a £1bn contract to provide trains for Crossrail, the Department for Transport and Transport for London has announced today. The Canadian company will provide 65 trains for the service, which is set to open in 2018. The vehicles will be manufactured and assembled at the company’s plant in [...]
Held to Ransom February 5, 2014 No compromise by transport unions as London’s commuters face second day of Tube strike misery Millions of commuters are braced for a second day of crowded buses and scarce Tubes today as the unions and transport authorities remain at loggerheads over ticket office closures and other reforms. Around a third of the normal London Underground [...]
London faces second day of strike misery February 5, 2014 A SECOND day of strike action on the Tube is set to bring further travel woe to commuters today, as part of a union dispute with Transport for London that business groups have slammed. Around a third of all Tube services ran yesterday, with eight of the 11 lines operating for most of the day. [...]
Down the Tubes: Boris mucks in amid transport meltdown February 5, 2014 (Laura Lean/City A.M.) Boris Johnson has had an interesting commute in on the Northern Line this morning as the Tube strike over ticket office closures causes huge disruption across the network. The Mayor spoke to commuters and Tube staff working at London Bridge – as well as some of the TfL staff volunteering at stations in [...]
Boris and union bosses fail to avoid walkouts February 4, 2014 COMMUTERS are enduring the first day of disruption thanks to a 48-hour Tube strike that was branded “shameful” by the Prime Minister yesterday. Transport for London is trying to run a reduced service on almost all lines and has scheduled extra buses on the busiest routes. But the industrial action this week and next is [...]
Boris and Bob Crow talk for the first time in five years… but the Tube strike’s still on February 4, 2014 Bob Crow’s having a busy morning. The head of the RMT union is at City Hall with his counterpart at the TSSA to try and confront Boris Johnson and his transport staff about the looming Tube strike. The mayor, meanwhile, was in the middle of his regular phone-in show on LBC – so Crow phoned [...]