Network Rail boss resigns June 17, 2010 IAIN COUCHER, the Network Rail chief executive, sent shockwaves through the rail industry yesterday after announcing his resignation. City A.M. understands that new transport secretary Philip Hammond and the Department for Transport (DfT) was unhappy with Network Rail’s performance. A report by Sir Roy McNulty, who is chairing a review of the previous government, found [...]
Boris sets out plan to increase river travel June 17, 2010 CITY Hall yesterday ramped up its efforts to encourage more commuters to travel to and from work on Thames riverboat services, announcing a string of measures designed to make river travel as convenient as Tube and bus services. Mayor of London Boris Johnson has spearheaded a technological push to make the Thames more accessible, in [...]
WS Atkins profits fall as public sector work put at risk and staff numbers cut June 17, 2010 CONSTRUCTION and engineering firm WS Atkins saw its profits fall by six per cent last year, as a slowdown in revenues and mounting pension debts outweighed its recent cost cutting drive. The company, which helps design big building projects such as London’s 2012 Olympic site, said pre-tax profit fell to £96.5m in the last financial [...]
Hammond: We’ll build Crossrail June 15, 2010 TRANSPORT secretary Philip Hammond yesterday said the government would deliver the Crossrail project in its entirety. There had been concerns the coalition would scrap some stations as it grapples with a massive budget deficit. But speaking in an exclusive interview with City A.M., Hammond said he had no plans to reduce the scope of the [...]
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 [...]