Off-piste: the pre-snow joys of Chamonix September 26, 2010 ASK MOST people what comes into their head when you mention Chamonix, and they’ll say skiing. But the mountain capital of the world has much more to offer, especially when the snow disappears from everywhere but the highest peaks. Home to over eighty nationalities – making it one of the most multicultural places in France [...]
Unions reject Tube talks September 23, 2010 TUBE unions embroiled in a bitter dispute with London Underground (LU) have refused a call by the public transport body to resume talks aimed at averting another strike. Transport unions the RMT and Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), which together represent over 10,000 Tube workers, said proposals made by LU “do not go far enough [...]
FirstGroup names O’Toole as new boss September 22, 2010 TRANSPORT operator FirstGroup has chosen former London Underground (LU) boss Tim O’Toole to replace it chief executive Moir Lockhead when he retires at the end of March 2011, the firm said yesterday. O’Toole, who is currently deputy chief executive, will take the reins on 1 November. FirstGroup, which manages the Great Western rail franchise and [...]
Redhall in £16m bid for Mount September 22, 2010 BRITISH engineering support services firm Redhall yesterday announced it had made an offer to buy rival Mount Engineering for around £16.4m to expand into international energy markets. Redhall, which caters to the nuclear, oil and gas, food, defence, safety and security and transport infrastructure sectors, has irrevocable undertakings or letters of intent from 45 per [...]
FirstGroup founder Lockhead to step down September 22, 2010 British transport operator FirstGroup said chief executive Moir Lockhead would retire next March after 21 years at the helm, with his replacement Tim O’Toole set to take the reins later this year. Lockhead helped transform the group into one of Europe’s largest bus and rail operators from an employee and management buyout of Grampian Regional [...]
Tube unions to meet with LU to avert strikes September 21, 2010 TUBE union bosses are meeting London Underground (LU) management this morning with hopes of putting a bitter dispute over job cuts and the possibility of another set of strikes behind them. RMT and the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) will meet LU at conciliation service Acas in a bid to halt planned strikes for October [...]
CBI warns of spending threat to the economy September 19, 2010 BUSINESS leaders yesterday backed the government’s cost-cutting drive, although they urged it to protect areas vital to economic growth. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) lobby group said it agreed with plans to slash spending to avoid major tax rises. The group called for increased use of means-testing for some universal welfare benefits and greater [...]
Tube bosses to meet with unions to avoid further strikes by staff September 15, 2010 TALKS to avoid another set of crippling strikes by Tube staff are set to take place next week. Senior management from the London Underground (LU) will meet with trade unions RMT and the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) at conciliation service Acas in a bid to soothe a heated dispute over proposed job cuts to [...]
National Express granted extension for East Anglia September 14, 2010 The Department of Transport yesterday granted National Express a 28- week extension on its East Anglia rail franchise. East Anglia services run between London’s Liverpool Street Station and Eastern England destinations, including Peterborough and Norwich. It was announced by the Labour government in late 2009 that National Express would have its seven year franchise agreement [...]
Crossrail, Tube investment worth £78bn to UK economy September 14, 2010 INVESTMENT in Crossrail and Tube upgrades are worth £78bn to the UK economy, the London Assembly’s transport and economic development committees have argued in a letter to chancellor George Osborne. The committees urged Osborne to protect Crossrail and Tube upgrade work from the austerity cuts, warning to do so would be a “false economy” for [...]