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Articles from Roy Rowlands | Selfgrowth.com
- NR prepares for Monday’s ‘big bang’ shake-up - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2011 from Roy RowlandsNetwork Rail is preparing for the launch on Monday of the rest of its devolved routes. Scotland and Wessex have been operating since May as distinct business units, with their own route managing directors, and from November 14 they will be joined by the East Midlands, London North Eastern, ...
Views: 969 - More than 800 signal boxes to become redundant - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2011 from Roy RowlandsNetwork Rail has given more details about its plans to concentrate signalling operations in just 14 rail operating centres over the next 15-30 years, to save £250m a year, cut delay times and enable more trains to be run on the network. More than 800 signal boxes would become redundant, and a ...
Views: 915 - Abellio executive team announced for Greater Anglia - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsAbellio Greater Anglia Ltd has announced the new executive team for the franchise, beginning on February 5. Ruud Haket, who has led the bid and mobilisation team, will be appointed as the managing director. Additional executive positions are: Andrew Goodrum as customer services director; Adam ...
Views: 690 - Bombardier wins €17.7m maintenance contract - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2011 from Roy RowlandsScotRail has awarded Bombardier a €17.7m (£15.2m) contract to provide operational support and spare supply for the Class 170 Turbostar fleet. This extends an existing agreement to November 2014. The contract, worth £15.2m, will see bogie overhauls supplied via Bombardier’s Crewe CRO facility ...
Views: 670 - Unemployment at 2.67 million - by Submitted on Mar 15, 2012 from Roy RowlandsEmployment statistics show that unemployment has increased by 28,000 in the period from November 2011 to January 2012 compared to the previous quarter. The total number of unemployed people is 2.67 million, the highest since 1995. Additionally, the unemployment rate is 8.4% of the ...
Views: 667 - Second NHS trust considers private takeover - by Submitted on Mar 15, 2012 from Roy RowlandsA second hospital trust is considering handing its management over to a private company – despite Government assurances that the first to do so, Hinchingbrooke Health Care Trust, now run by Circle, was a ‘one-off’ due to unique circumstances at that hospital. George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, ...
Views: 666 - Dental access improved in Yorkshire - by Submitted on Mar 15, 2012 from Roy RowlandsMore than 10,000 new NHS dental places will be made available in York and North Yorkshire, it has been announced. NHS North Yorkshire and York is investing £5m in improving services and cutting the numbers of patients waiting for treatment. The primary care trust said nearly 11,000 ...
Views: 648 - Changes to capital project delivery announced - by Submitted on Nov 15, 2011 from Roy RowlandsNetwork Rail has announced changes to the way it delivers capital projects, with the implementation of ‘Project Dime’, which aims to deliver better value for money. The McNulty report published earlier this year suggests that 10-20% efficiencies are needed in the capital investment programme. ...
Views: 623 - Thames Hub plans ‘pie-in-the-sky’ – Medway Council - by Submitted on Nov 07, 2011 from Roy RowlandsArchitect Lord Foster’s Thames Hub plans have been criticised as “pie-in-the-sky” and even “potentially lethal” by one of the councils affected. The project would cost at least £50bn, but could generate huge financial benefits, as well as creating thousands of skilled jobs in engineering, ...
Views: 602 - US concerns over Olympic security - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2011 from Roy RowlandsTensions are rising over the level of security that will be provided at the London Olympics, with the US voicing repeated concerns over the number of personnel who will be present. The Guardian newspaper learned that the US is intending to send 1,000 of its own security agents, including 500 ...
Views: 601 - Care homes call for more nurses - by Submitted on Mar 15, 2012 from Roy RowlandsEnglish care homes are struggling to meet their residents’ needs, according to new research by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). Nursing accounts for around three-quarters of the care provided in care homes, including tasks from washing and feeding to dementia care and using heart ...
Views: 601 - IEP fleet commercial close delayed until May - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsThe final sign-off on the details on the IEP fleet to replace the HSTs on the GWML and ECML has been further delayed by the Department for Transport, according to the December Structural Reform Plan, published on the Number 10 website. Procurement for the Intercity Express Programme was ...
Views: 589 - Welfare reform to affect child poverty - by Submitted on Nov 21, 2011 from Roy RowlandsWelfare reform to affect child poverty Children’s commissioners in the UK have warned that child poverty could increase due to the state of the economy and public finances, with key services already being hit by cuts. Their report suggests that changes to the welfare system could push ...
Views: 589 - Nutrition services for people with HIV - by Submitted on Nov 21, 2011 from Roy RowlandsNutrition services for people with HIV The importance of good nutrition for those living with HIV and AIDS has been highlighted by the British Dietetic Association. A specialist group working in this field, Dietitians in HIV and AIDS (DHIVA), provides practical services to support those ...
Views: 586 - Freightliner Ltd and MSC (UK) Ltd renew contract - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsFreightliner Ltd and MSC (UK) Ltd have renewed their contract, increasing the railed container volumes to the North West. The contract is an expansion of the existing service, moving 30,000 container moves per year and will remove an additional 6,000 lorry journeys per year from the road ...
Views: 583 - Rail regulations facing abolition are ‘not red tape’, say campaigners - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2011 from Roy RowlandsPassenger groups and opposition MPs are alarmed at the possible consequences of the scrapping of hundreds of railway regulations under the Government’s ‘Red Tape Challenge’. Even the National Rail Conditions of Carriage could be scrapped or watered down and made voluntary, and operators could ...
Views: 580 - Police riot review could introduce water cannon - by Submitted on Mar 15, 2012 from Roy RowlandsThe Metropolitan police force is developing more “assertive tactics” to tackle disorder, as the Scotland Yard review into last summer’s riots ‘Four Days in August’ is published. This includes the potential to buy water cannon, costing around £1m, and making baton rounds more readily ...
Views: 571 - 15 minute strike ‘daft’ - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2011 from Roy RowlandsUnions have labelled Francis Maude’s suggestion of a 15 minute ‘token action’ instead of a full day on strike as ‘daft’ and a ‘PR gimmick’. Public sector workers have voted for industrial action to be held on November 30, and over three million workers could take part in the strike. A ...
Views: 567 - Framework for EU negotiations agreed - by Submitted on Nov 21, 2011 from Roy RowlandsFramework for EU negotiations agreed Britain will sign up to a revision of the Lisbon treaty to underpin stricter new fiscal rules for the Eurozone, in exchange for an examination of the impact of the European working time directive, which currently imposes a 48-hour week on workers across ...
Views: 555 - Midwives could leave NHS if pension age rises - by Submitted on Nov 16, 2011 from Roy RowlandsChanges to NHS pensions could prompt many midwives to leave the health service, a survey by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) suggests. The results, published today, show that 46% of those questioned would consider leaving the NHS if the pension age increases to 68. The threat of redundancy ...
Views: 550 - Signal workers to strike again - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsRail signal workers in Scotland are holding further strikes over career progression. RMT union members will take industrial action on January 23 and January 27, following a three-day strike at Christmas. The staff, based at the West of Scotland Signalling Centre, are disputing changes to a ...
Views: 546 - BMA Northern Ireland calls for minimum pricing - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2011 from Roy RowlandsDoctors in Northern Ireland have called for action to combat alcohol misuse during this year’s Alcohol Awareness Week. In the face of alcohol’s huge costs to society and the health service, the BMA is advocating tough measures to reduce the consequences of alcohol abuse. Excess drinking costs ...
Views: 537 - Genomics initiative launches for cancer research - by Submitted on Nov 21, 2011 from Roy RowlandsGenomics initiative launches for cancer research Cancer Research UK has launched the Genomics Initiative, a collection of nine high tech gene projects which aim to identify genetic faults to highlight people at the greatest risk of cancer, choose the best treatments and to start developing ...
Views: 530 - NHS managers threatened for rationing care - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2011 from Roy RowlandsNHS chiefs could be sacked for rationing care to save money, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley is set to announce today. The use of ‘minimum waiting times’ before patients receive treatment are to be banned from March 2012. This follows a report from the Cooperation and Competition Panel ...
Views: 529 - Bury St Edmunds station upgrade complete - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsThe £150,000 project to revamp Bury St Edmunds is finished with its official opening to the public today, conducted by the Mayor of St Edmundsbury, Cllr Chris Spicer. National Express East Anglia (NXEA) conducted the upgrade as part of the Department for Transport’s Access for All ...
Views: 528 - New ideas to clamp down on cable theft - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsMPs are calling on the Government to act with more urgency in tackling metal theft, as the crime has cost the railway industry over £16m in the last year, as well as disrupting passenger journeys. The Transport Select Committee suggests that scrap dealers should be legally required to show ...
Views: 525 - Train PPM ticks up to 88.7% - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsNational train performance for period 10 is 88.7%, figures released by Network Rail show. This compares to 81.1% for the same period – 11 December to 7 January – last year. Performance for period 9 was 88.4% and the moving annual average is now at 91.6%. The upward turn in performance ends ...
Views: 524 - Howard Smith to speak at Infrarail - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsHoward Smith, chief operating officer of London Rail at Transport for London, will make a keynote presentation at Infrarail 2012 on May 2. Smith, who sits on RTM’s editorial board, will join transport minister Theresa Villiers and Simon Kirby, director of investment projects for Network Rail, ...
Views: 523 - Job market recovery predicted to be ‘painful’ - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2011 from Roy RowlandsEmployers are reducing recruitment levels and employment prospects have fallen since the previous quarter, according to a report on the labour market by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. The Institute surveyed 1,000 employers across the private and public sectors and found ...
Views: 521 - Calls to fund Northern Hub - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsMPs from both Labour and the Conservatives are calling on the Government to fund the £500m Northern Hub proposals. The project aims to cut journey times, ease overcrowding and create jobs across the area, as well as helping to reduce the North- South divide. Some rail improvements have ...
Views: 520 - HS2 approved – with minor route alterations - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsThe high-speed rail link between Birmingham and London has been officially approved by Government, Transport Secretary Justine Greening announced today, and will proceed to the next legislative stages. The first phase of HS2 should be completed with services ready to begin by 2026, with the ...
Views: 511 - Atkins report suggests HS2 alternative - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsHS2 offers a lower return on investment than alternatives, a new report suggests. The DfT commissioned engineering firm Atkins to appraise a set of strategic alternatives to the Government’s proposed HS2. The report concludes that ‘51m’, an alternative which would improve the capacity on the ...
Views: 509 - Mothers on low incomes receiving poor maternity care - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2011 from Roy RowlandsMaternity services need improvement, especially for people on low incomes, according to a new survey of 1,391 mothers conducted by Netmums and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). The results showed that three-quarters of poor pregnant women were not attending antenatal classes. For those ...
Views: 506 - Pharmacy shortages worsen as drugs sold abroad - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2011 from Roy RowlandsPatients’ groups have said it is “unacceptable” that so many pharmacies have shortages of drugs. At least 80% of pharmacies are often unable to immediately supply drugs, with almost all having to spending hours trying to locate them from wholesalers and other retailers. Many blame the export ...
Views: 504 - Track and TOC integration takes another step forward - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsThe new alliances between Network Rail and train operators are set to benefit passengers by delivering operations more quickly and cheaply. Six alliance framework agreements have so far been made, or about to be made with Abellio, Greater Anglia, c2c, ScotRail, Northern and Southeastern. A ...
Views: 504 - HS2 could ‘unite the nation’ – Greening - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsThe Government has managed to cut the cost of phase one of HS2, despite extra tunneling and other mitigation measures. The construction cost of phase one, London to Birmingham, which got the go-ahead from Transport Secretary Justine Greening, has been cut by around £400m to £16.3bn, despite ...
Views: 499 - ‘Modern approach’ needed for European Working Time Directive - by Submitted on Nov 16, 2011 from Roy RowlandsThe European Working Time Directive needs ‘common sense’ to reflect modern ways of working, the NHS Confederation’s European Office suggests, as it prepares to negotiate changes to legislation with employer and trade union representatives. These changes must improve the way legislation is ...
Views: 499 - Blackburn – Bolton line improvements considered - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsMPs are calling for improvements to the Blackburn to Bolton train service, with suggestions to double the track to increase capacity and increase hourly daytime services to every half hour. In a debate in the House of Commons, Blackburn’s Labour MP Jack Straw and Conservative Darwen and ...
Views: 491 - £15m saved in Cabinet Office bonuses & ‘Edging away from Care’ report published - by Submitted on Oct 28, 2011 from Roy Rowlands£15m saved in Cabinet Office bonuses Figures from the Cabinet Office show that cuts to the number of civil servants receiving bonuses has saved £15m in six months, as only the top 24% performers in the service are now rewarded. A further £45m is reported to have been saved after ...
Views: 490 - New brain tumour techniques trialled - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2011 from Roy RowlandsA phase 2 clinical trial, GALA-5, has started in the UK for a new surgical technique to combat brain tumours. The Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust (SDBTT) is working in partnership with Cancer Research UK to fund the trials, and if proven to be safe and effective, a larger phase 3 trial ...
Views: 486 - Measures needed to increase Commons diversity - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2011 from Roy RowlandsA think tank has urged the House of Commons to consider diversity measures to increase the range of candidates who attempt to become MPs. Out of 650 MPs, just 27 are from ethnic minorities, and one fifth are female. The Institute for Government suggests this is less to do with selection ...
Views: 484 - Kirkgate station transformation confirmed - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsThe Wakefield Kirkgate station regeneration project has been confirmed with £1.5m funding from the Station Commercial Project Facility Fund and Network Rail. The work would include removing a redundant spine wall and replacing canopies at the station. If consent is secured, work will begin in ...
Views: 484 - Future plans for NHS Wales revealed - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2011 from Roy RowlandsThe Welsh health minister, Lesley Griffiths, will explain Labour’s plans for the future of NHS Wales today, in a statement to AMs. The local health boards are in the process of finalising proposals for reorganising services before plans are reviewed by the National Clinical Forum. ...
Views: 478 - NXEA invests in ticket machines at Norwich - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsNational Express East Anglia (NXEA) has invested £45,000 in installing additional ticket machines at Norwich station. Customers can use the machines to collect pre-paid and Advance booked tickets, and the project seeks to improve customer service and speed up collection times for passengers ...
Views: 478 - TOCs demand Government action on cable theft - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2011 from Roy RowlandsTrain operators in the West Midlands, a cable theft hotspot, are appealing to MPs to “get touch” on the criminals responsible and trying to educate passengers about the scale of the problem. Representatives of Virgin Trains, London Midland, Network Rail, British Transport Police and ...
Views: 475 - Network Rail prosecuted for Grayrigg derailment - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsNetwork Rail is being prosecuted for the Grayrigg train derailment in 2007, which caused the death of one passenger and injuries to 86 people. The ORR has started criminal proceedings against Network Rail for a breach of health and safety law which caused the derailment. The charge is of ...
Views: 472 - Solar panels project provides training opportunities - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2011 from Roy RowlandsA solar panel scheme run by partnership with E.ON and Nottingham City Council has just been completed in Aspley, providing cheaper energy for residents and training for engineers who did work experience on the project. It is one of the single largest domestic PV schemes ever delivered in the ...
Views: 468 - Thames Hub to be considered - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsThe Government is holding a formal consultation on UK aviation, and will examine the possibility of creating a Thames Hub as one of the options for increasing capacity – which could also have a dramatic impact on the rail network. Although it is the proposed new airport east of London that ...
Views: 466 - Network Rail launches internship scheme - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsA cross-industry internship scheme is being launched by Network Rail to help up to 100 graduates gain local experience in the rail industry. 27 companies are taking part to provide ‘Track and Train’ for students. The 18-month scheme will take place in three parts, with one month at Network ...
Views: 465 - Ticket office reductions lead to inadequate staffing - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsReductions in Underground station ticket office opening hours have led to problems with staffing and adequate information, a London TravelWatch report demonstrates. They found problems with gateline staff at tube stations, with some stations lacking staff presence and others with staffed ...
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