Bidders line up to take on the Essex Thameside rail franchise September 27, 2012 FOUR companies are believed to have submitted bids for the Essex Thameside rail route by yesterday’s deadline. The Department for Transport received proposals from National Express, which currently runs the route under the c2c name, as well as FirstGroup, Abellio and London Overground operator MTR. All four firms were shortlisted last March. The winner, to [...]
The City should put its financial expertise at the service of infrastructure September 23, 2012 INFRASTRUCTURE hit the headlines once again last week, as the Confederation of British Industry urged quicker progress on delivering major transport and energy projects. This is a contentious subject, and calls to fast-track spending in this area are nothing new. In fact, the government has already taken steps to underwrite up to £40bn of investment, [...]
London to get 600 Routemasters September 20, 2012 ■ Transport for London yesterday agreed to roll out 600 new Routemaster buses over the next four years, but fare-payers will bear the cost. TfL will buy the buses directly from the manufacturer, after bus operators were reluctant to splash out on the vehicles individually. Around 93 buses will appear by the end of 2013, [...]
What the other papers say this morning September 18, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Greening orders probe into DfiD Justine Greening, the new international development secretary, has commissioned an investigation into her department’s use of consultants, despite assurances from Downing Street that the coalition has already done its best to “bear down” on wasteful aid spending. D&D London receives sales boost London’s fine diners have helped boost [...]
Nifty fifties set to go under the hammer for children’s charities September 16, 2012 TAKE note. Fans of the industrial revolution can pick up collectible copies of the current £50 note featuring James Watt and Matthew Boulton at a special charity auction organised by the Bank of England on 26 September. The auction will be run by Spink and proceeds go to Kids Company and the British Association for [...]
Boris Bikes for south London September 13, 2012 SOUTH and west London will benefit most from plans to add 2,400 extra bikes and 5,000 new docking stations to the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme by 2014. Transport for London yesterday said more than 200 locations in Wandsworth, Hammersmith & Fulham, Lambeth and Kensington & Chelsea have been picked for new stations. Residents will be [...]
Brits take more train journeys as MPs criticise UK bus services September 13, 2012 BRITAIN’S railways have seen a surge in traffic in the last quarter – but the bus network, which carries three times the number of passengers, remains “the Cinderella of public transport”, according to MPs. More than 360m train journeys were made in the three months to 30 June, a rise of four per cent on [...]
What the other papers say this morning September 12, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES UBS looks to cap banker bonuses UBS is looking at capping bankers’ bonuses following regulatory and investor pressure. Switzerland’s largest bank by assets is considering a range of options including putting a lid on executives’ bonuses, increasing the time for deferred pay to five years and aligning its absolute remuneration level with the [...]
Branson rails at MPs over First Group win for West Coast line September 10, 2012 FIRST Group chief executive Tim O’Toole yesterday hit back at Richard Branson’s Virgin Trains, telling MPs that his rival was “flat out wrong” to claim First could not achieve continued revenue growth on the West Coast Main Line. “Contrary to Virgin’s depiction of their stewardship in recent years, since they’ve been in revenue support, they’ve [...]
Nationalisation looms for West Coast train line September 9, 2012 THE DEPARTMENT for Transport is preparing to take the West Coast rail franchise under state control after Sir Richard Branson mounted a legal challenge to the decision to award the line to FirstGroup. The train route was meant to come under First’s control in early December after it won the bid to operate the London-to-Glasgow [...]