The accidental transport secretary turns his sights on planes and trains June 15, 2010 IT wasn’t meant to be like this. If the Tories had won an outright majority on 7 May, Philip Hammond would have gone to the Treasury as chief secretary and implemented the toughest spending cuts in a generation. As part of the coalition agreement, however, he had to step aside for a Liberal Democrat and [...]
Boris seeks wider powers June 14, 2010 Boris Johnson, London’s mayor, is proposing he takes on much wider powers covering development, housing, transport and the Olympic legacy in a far-reaching shake-up of the way the capital is governed. The proposals, which will devolve more powers from Whitehall to City Hall, are set to be unveiled today at the first meeting since the [...]
TfL bought out of Shard to make way for richer tenants June 14, 2010 TRANSPORT for London (TfL) has accepted a multi-million pound payment in exchange for abandoning plans to move into the Shard of Glass development near London Bridge in 2012. The building’s owners, Sellar Property and the Qatar Central Bank, bought back TfL’s lease to allow them to cash in on rising rent prices in the capital. [...]
Commuters hit by DLR strike June 14, 2010 COMMUTERS heading into work later this month will be faced with further disruptions after rail union RMT announced Docklands Light Railway (DLR) workers will walk off the job for three days in June. The dispute, which will see DLR workers strike from 23 to 26 June, is over pay and conditions. RMT general secretary Bob [...]
Mid-market firms feel the upturn strain June 13, 2010 MIDDLE market lawyers and consultants are struggling to tap into the nascent economic recovery, according to the second monthly City A.M./Begbies Traynor health monitor for the Square Mile. While bigger players are benefiting from the return of property development and corporate activity, our numbers show smaller operations are fighting to survive as clients demand more [...]
Victoria tube station to benefit from £700m facelift by 2016 June 10, 2010 VICTORIA tube station is set to receive a £700m facelift, giving the congested station a new ticket hall, escalators and entrances. Transport for London (TfL) expects to start the five-year transformation next year and said that it doesn’t expect any disruptions to the hundreds of thousands of passengers travelling through the station every day. Mayor [...]
Two 48-hour Tube strikes to hit London June 9, 2010 LONDONERS are facing severe travel disruptions after rail union RMT announced two 48-hour strikes by Tube Lines maintenance staff starting later this month. Tube Lines workers, which cover maintenance of the Jubilee, Piccadilly and Northern lines, will walk off the job from 23 to 25 June and 14 to 16 July. The strike is likely [...]
Tube Lines boss to quit as strike looms June 7, 2010 TRANSPORT for London (TfL) has begun preparations to take over Tube Lines after overhauling the group’s management structure. Tube Lines chief executive Andrew Cleaves will leave the company following the 30 June acquisition and will be replaced by former Metronet boss Andie Harper. Harper will join Tube Lines this month from the stricken maintenance company, [...]
RMT UNION VOTES FOR TUBE STRIKE June 6, 2010 LONDON’S transport network could be thrown into chaos this summer after tube drivers voted in favour of strike action. A walk-out could spark the worst underground disruption since the two-day strike last June that left thousands of workers stranded. Rail union RMT’s members voted by more than 90 per cent to strike over a “continued [...]
Rail link sale on the cards June 6, 2010 The government is aiming to kickstart a round of crucial asset sales with the auction of the Channel Tunnel rail link, estimated to raise £2bn, according to reports yesterday. The Department for Transport (DfT) and rail link owner London & Continental Railways (LCR) plans to distribute a sales document to potential bidders ahead of the [...]