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Transport 2001
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The information below comes from the UK Activity Report.
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EasyJet is to planning to expand its operations at Gatwick airport, starting with an increase in the number of destinations served from four to eight. 24-Dec-2001

ScotRail is to invest £2m in improvements for the North Berwick to Edinburgh line, including the introduction of five class 322 trains by next spring. 21-Dec-2001

Decator, the Swedish producer of technical manuals for train operators, is setting up a 1,000 sq ft office on the RTC Business Park in Derby in January, in order to get closer to the city's privatised rail companies. 21-Dec-2001

John Menzies is cutting 1,200 jobs in its aviation services business in the UK and US by next spring, and has also announced plans to divide up its joint venture with Lufthansa. 20-Dec-2001

The Ministry of Defence has awarded a £290m contract to the Fasttrax consortium of King Trailers of Market Harborough, Brown & Root and Oshkosh Truck to provide a tank transporter service with 92 vehicles. 18-Dec-2001

Mersey Docks & Harbour is planning to shed up to 40 staff at its grain terminal in Liverpool, as part of a cost-cutting campaign that will also affect its shipping and logistics operations. 17-Dec-2001

Go, the low-cost airline, has announced plans to establish its third international base at East Midlands airport in May 2002. 14-Dec-2001

Brittany Ferries is planning to build a £100m passenger ferry by 2004, which is expected to be based at Millbay Docks in Plymouth. 13-Dec-2001

Consignia has announced plans to shed up to 30,000 jobs in order to meet cost-saving targets of £1.2bn by April 2003, and some of the cuts will affect the Royal Mail sorting and delivery operations. 12-Dec-2001

Manchester Airport is to shed 140 of its 700 security jobs, in a reorganisation of the shift system. 10-Dec-2001

Stagecoach has announced a £17m-a-year cost-cutting programme to improve the fortunes of its North American transport business, which will involve the loss of 585 jobs and the mothballing of 330 vehicles. 07-Dec-2001

TruTac, the supplier of data services to transport operators, is to create a further 75 jobs at the University of Warwick Science Park in Coventry. 06-Dec-2001

WS Atkins is to recruit 500 technicians at two new offices in China to work on railway signal modelling for the West Coast Main Line. 06-Dec-2001

Translink is to receive £48m of government funding to invest in new rolling stock and other improvements for Northern Ireland's railway network. 05-Dec-2001

Lynx Express is creating 70 jobs at a new £1.5m parcel distribution centre at the Scotia Business Park in North Staffordshire. 30-Nov-2001

DHL, the international freight company, is planning to relocate its customer service team from Hounslow to Castle Donington, with the creation of up to 850 jobs. 27-Nov-2001

Jacobs Holdings, the shipping company, is to receive a £30m investment from Bidvest of South Africa, giving Bidvest a 56% stake. 26-Nov-2001

Consignia is planning to make up to 75% of its Parcelforce staff self-employed in the near future, prompting union leaders to threaten a strike across the entire postal service. 23-Nov-2001

Emerald Airways is planning to expand its European freight business following the acquisition of two additional aircraft, and has launched a recruitment drive to increase the current workforce of 168. 22-Nov-2001

Stena Line is to shed 92 jobs on its Belfast to Stranraer route by withdrawing the Stena Galloway ferry, and is conducting a feasibility study into the possible relocation of its Port of Belfast and Stranraer terminals. 21-Nov-2001

Stan Robinson has submitted plans to expand its distribution centre and lorry park at Seighford near Stafford, with the creation of 100 jobs. 21-Nov-2001

BAA has won government approval to build a £2.5bn fifth terminal at Heathrow Airport, which will create about 6,500 jobs. 21-Nov-2001

Postcomm has awarded a licence to the UK Mail subsidiary of Business Post to collect mail from business customers in nine areas, while Deya has won a licence to deliver mail in the event of a Royal Mail strike. 21-Nov-2001

Hutchison Ports has submitted plans for the creation of a £400m 250-acre container terminal at Bathside Bay, Harwich, which would create 500 jobs. 20-Nov-2001

Go is planning to expand its low-cost airline business by acquiring two more aircraft this year and by adding a new base in continental Europe to add to its Stansted and Bristol bases next year. 20-Nov-2001

BAe Systems has won a £120m contract from the Ministry of Defence to build two amphibious landing ships, which will secure the future of 600 jobs at its Govan shipyard on the Clyde. 20-Nov-2001

Forth Ports has selected Dew Construction as preferred bidder for a £10m contract to build a new ferry terminal at Rosyth. 15-Nov-2001

Wallace Arnold has secured "significant" new funding to provide for future acquisitions and the expansion of its coach business. 14-Nov-2001

Isle of Wight Council has approved plans from Guernsey-based Seaward Marine to set up a boat building business at the former Island Plastics factory at Cowes, with the creation of 50 jobs. 14-Nov-2001

Bombardier Transportation is to close the former Derby locomotive works at Pride Park and relocate 240 staff to its site in Litchurch Lane, while production of train wheels and 85 jobs will move from Litchurch Lane to Crewe. 14-Nov-2001

Advanced Technologies Group is forming a partnership with Photran of Malaysia for the commercial development of the airship as a new communications platform, which would involve unmanned airships carrying transponders at about 60,000 sq ft. 13-Nov-2001

Anglo-Normandy is planning to shed 45 jobs at its aircraft maintenance business at Newcastle Airport. 12-Nov-2001

Seafield is to create 25 jobs at a new 90,000 sq ft warehouse being built at Claylands Avenue in Worksop. 12-Nov-2001

Consignia is to cut three mail trains in order to improve the punctuality of deliveries, as part of a review of its entire transport system. 12-Nov-2001

Tibbett & Britten has won a contract to operate a new DIY import centre in North Lincolnshire for B&Q, which will create 200 jobs. 09-Nov-2001

BBA is to shed up to 50 jobs at its Signature aircraft engineering business at Kidlington Airport near Oxford. 09-Nov-2001

Birmingham International Airport has announced plans to build a £10m air-rail shuttle by the end of 2002, in order to reduce travel time between the terminal and railway station from 13 minutes to two. 08-Nov-2001

FLS Aerospace, the Irish aircraft maintenance company, is planning to shed 900 jobs, including about 620 in Manchester. 08-Nov-2001

Turner & Townsend has announced that the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive will advertise contracts for the £500m Leeds Supertram project later this month. 08-Nov-2001

Forth Ports is to receive a £12m government grant to establish a new ferry service between Rosyth and Belgium, which is scheduled to start next summer. 07-Nov-2001

Peel Holdings is to lodge a planning application for a further extension of the terminal at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, which could lead to the creation of up to 2,200 jobs by 2003. 06-Nov-2001

EasyJet is planning to raise up to £90m in a share issue in order to establish new European routes and capitalise on the downsizing of other airlines. 30-Oct-2001

Tibbett & Britten has won a contract to manage Sainsbury's new Hams Hall distribution centre near Birmingham, which will employ 750 people from September 2002. 30-Oct-2001

Locate in Kent has announced that Rail Europe Group is to locate about 200 staff at a new rail travel call centre on the Kings Hill business park near Maidstone from next February. 25-Oct-2001

The Scottish Executive has announced £12m of funding for two new ferries for the Highlands & Islands, which will be used on the North Uist-Harris and the Mallaig-Armadale crossings by summer 2003. 25-Oct-2001

The Scottish Executive is awarding £75m to 20 council and transport authorities for 26 public transport projects throughout Scotland, including trams, trains and buses. 24-Oct-2001

Southend Airport is preparing plans to expand the airport over the next five years, in order to attract low-cost holiday flights and create up to 3,000 jobs. 17-Oct-2001

The Strategic Rail Authority has created a new company called Cross London Rail Links, in order to push forward a scheme to extend London's £3bn east-west Crossrail project to Greenwich and Canary Wharf. 17-Oct-2001

John Mowlem has been selected as preferred bidder for a £40m contract to manage 120 properties for British Airways, including its headquarters and airport facilities. 12-Oct-2001

Associated British Ports is close to awarding a construction management contract for the £300m development of a new container terminal at Dibden Bay near Southampton. 11-Oct-2001

British Airways is to combine three regional operations - Brymon, BAR and British Regional Air Lines - to create a new Manchester-based group called British Airways CitiExpress, with the loss of 200 jobs. 08-Oct-2001

Wiggins, the airport owner and property developer, is raising £6m in a share placing to fund the expansion of its PlaneStation network in Germany. 08-Oct-2001

Globe Ground is to shed 80 jobs at its ground services business at Stansted airport later this month. 05-Oct-2001

Consignia is planning to cut 15% from its cost base by March 2003, which is expected to result in the loss of 15,000 jobs and the outsourcing of some internal business service work. 04-Oct-2001

Manchester Airport is to shed 90 jobs in management, operational and administration areas, under plans to increase efficiency. 04-Oct-2001

British Midland has announced plans to shed 600 jobs and ground eight aircraft. 04-Oct-2001

Cambridge University is planning to set up a "zero carbon" public transport system between its new science campus and the city centre, which will use solar energy to produce hydrogen to power a bus. 02-Oct-2001

Go-Ahead is to shed up to 700 jobs in its Aviance airport services business, which will affect baggage handlers and check-in staff at airports across the country. 02-Oct-2001

National Air Traffic Services is to shed 225 of its 1,128 support and management staff by September 2002, in an acceleration of its cost reduction programme. 01-Oct-2001

Carillion has bought the remaining 51% of GT Rail Maintenance from Alstom for £34m, as part of a strategy to expand its rail maintenance operation. 28-Sep-2001

British Airways is to close its service between Belfast and London with the loss of up to 160 jobs, and is also cutting flights to the US and the Middle East. 28-Sep-2001

Croydon Council is preparing plans for the redevelopment of the 13-acre West Croydon station site to create a transport interchange linking bus, tram, train and Tube. 27-Sep-2001

The North West Development Agency is considering proposals for the development of a freight village at Ditton and Hale Bank in Cheshire, which would house a number of companies providing road and rail freight transport facilities. 27-Sep-2001

Ryder Systemcare, the home delivery specialist, is planning to close its distribution centre in Derby next year with the loss of about 275 jobs. 27-Sep-2001

Fitzpatrick has won a £21m contract to build a train care facility at Northam in Southampton, which will maintain the new Siemens fleet for South West Trains. 26-Sep-2001

British Airways is considering plans for a £2bn sale and leaseback of its property portfolio, including the Waterside headquarters at Heathrow. 24-Sep-2001

Carr West has revealed the proposed route for Portsmouth's £60m monorail system, which involves 11km of track and 12 stations. 21-Sep-2001

British European is to shed up to 50 management jobs at its Exeter-based airline. 21-Sep-2001

Gill Airways has been closed down with the loss of 200 jobs, following the withdrawal of banking facilities by HBOS. 21-Sep-2001

London Underground has selected the Metronet consortium as preferred bidder for a £5bn contract to upgrade five Tube lines, including the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, East London and Metropolitan lines. 20-Sep-2001

British Airways has announced plans to withdraw 20 aircraft and shed a further 5,200 jobs. 20-Sep-2001

Imerys, the china clay company, is seeking Selective One funding for a £10m package of improvements at Par Docks in Cornwall. 19-Sep-2001

Geest North Sea Line is introducing a new freight service between Teesport and Rotterdam, which will involve at least three sailings a week of the Externo container vessel. 18-Sep-2001

First Thamesway is to withdraw from the Southend to London Green Line bus service in October due to lack of demand, leaving Arriva Southend as the sole operator. 18-Sep-2001

Postcomm has awarded a licence to Hays to start postal services in London, Edinburgh and Manchester, and is also considering plans to issue licences to Deya and the Business Post Group. 18-Sep-2001

Virgin Atlantic is planning to cut its airline capacity by 20% with the loss of 1,200 jobs. 18-Sep-2001

John Menzies is to close eight distribution sites in southern and central Scotland and replace them with three new branches being opened in Cambuslang, Linwood and Newbridge. 17-Sep-2001

Glasgow City Council is in talks with two companies about the possibility of building a £80m monorail system, and will apply to the Scottish Executive to fund a feasibility study. 14-Sep-2001

Roadferry is planning to focus control of its Irish logistics operations at a new multi-million pound hub at the Port of Belfast next year, where it will employ 40 staff. 13-Sep-2001

BAA is set to win control of two airports in Oman by investing £9m in a consortium with the Suhail Bahwan group and ABB Equity Ventures. 11-Sep-2001

Railtrack has submitted plans for the development of a 2m sq ft rail freight distribution depot at Parkside Colliery in Newton-le-Willows. 10-Sep-2001

Arriva is planning to recruit 120 train drivers this year and 170 next year, due to a shortage that is forcing the company to replace some train services with buses. 07-Sep-2001

Jarvis has acquired a 51% stake in Avonwood Developments for £1.1m, in order to develop new systems to monitor the condition of railway lines. 06-Sep-2001

Unipart is to shed 450 jobs at its warehousing operations in Oxford and Honeybourne, following the loss of contracts to distribute parts for Rover and Land Rover. 06-Sep-2001

Associated British Ports has announced plans to build a £50m roll-on roll-off ferry terminal at Immingham, creating up to 200 jobs. 05-Sep-2001

Railtrack is said to be considering plans to move its regional headquarters away from York by merging the London North Eastern zone with the East Anglia zone, which would affect hundreds of jobs. 05-Sep-2001

British Airways is planning to shed 1,800 jobs by next April, which will affect staff in all areas from cabin crew to engineers. 05-Sep-2001

Associated British Ports is looking to sell the US aviation services business of American Port Services for more than £22m, but will retain its US seaports division. 05-Sep-2001

Consignia is planning to outsource its fleet of 40,000 vehicles, and is seeking partners for the three main parts - heavy trucks, light commercials and business cars. 04-Sep-2001

Port of Felixstowe is to shed 50 of its 2,600 jobs, which will affect management and administrative positions. 31-Aug-2001

Railtrack is expected to award a £25m contract to Balfour Beatty for the refurbishment of track and stations in Watford and Bletchley. 31-Aug-2001

Corus Rail Consultancy is to build a new £1.5m headquarters at Toft Green in York by May 2002, with the creation of 30 jobs. 29-Aug-2001

Strathclyde Passenger Transport is to receive £16m of government funding to build a £23m rail link between Larkhall and Glasgow. 28-Aug-2001

Thomson Travel is considering plans to cut jobs in its Britannia airline business, in order to avoid overlap with parent company Preussag's own charter airline. 27-Aug-2001

Andrew Weir Shipping has rescued over 100 jobs at the collapsed Curnow Shipping business, having been awarded the contract to manage the RMS St Helena and the St Helena Liner Shipping Service between Cardiff and Cape Town. 24-Aug-2001

Birmingham City Council is considering plans from the Birmingham Alliance for the £5m restoration of Moor Street Station to its full Edwardian glory. 24-Aug-2001

Simon Group is looking to expand its port services business with a number of bolt-on acquisitions, and will invest up to £15m on the further development of the Humber Sea Terminal. 22-Aug-2001

Mersey Docks & Harbour is linking up with other port users to support a new scheme to recruit 300 apprentice dockworkers across Merseyside, as part of the MerseyPort project to link port-related activities across the region. 21-Aug-2001

National Express has selected Exeter as the location for the new Wessex Trains headquarters, and 45 staff will be recruited. 21-Aug-2001

British Waterways is planning to build a 20-mile canal to link the Great Ouse at Bedford with the Grand Union Canal at Milton Keynes, and the nine possible options have been costed at between £80m and £150m. 21-Aug-2001

English Welsh & Scottish Railway has launched a new rail freight service between Motherwell and Inverness, and will start a second service between the West Midlands and Aberdeen later this year. 16-Aug-2001

ScotAirways is setting up a new operation at Inverness airport to provide daily flights to Amsterdam and London City Airport. 16-Aug-2001

TBI, the airports operator, has rejected a £503m hostile takeover bid from Vinci of France. 16-Aug-2001

First Great Western is to invest £13m in improvements at its train maintenance depot at St Philips Marsh in Bristol, with the creation of 50 jobs. 14-Aug-2001

Consignia is to close 59 call centres with the loss of 250 jobs, in a £30m revamp that will focus the work at sites in Plymouth, Bristol, Barnsley, Doxford, Manchester, Leeds, Stoke, Colchester, Glasgow, Belfast and Bangor. 14-Aug-2001

City of Edinburgh Council is expected to reveal proposals next month for the development of a tram service between the city centre and the £1bn Waterfront scheme. 10-Aug-2001

Londis is planning to invest £3m at its regional distribution centres in Thamesmead and Andover, in order to expand the capacity to store chilled foods. 06-Aug-2001

Babcock Engineering Services is to shed 366 jobs at its Rosyth shipyard in Fife. 06-Aug-2001

Peel Holdings is considering plans to break the group up into several separate businesses, including Liverpool airport, the Manchester Ship Canal and the Trafford Centre retail complex. 06-Aug-2001

British Midland is to relocate its Belfast operation from Aldergrove to Belfast City Airport in October, in order to provide improved facilities to passengers. 03-Aug-2001

Power Europe, the logistics company, is creating 500 jobs at a new Tesco frozen food warehouse in Crick, which is due to open in October. 03-Aug-2001

Air Miles Travel Promotions is to recruit 150 new staff at its call centre in Warrington, but its call centre in Crawley will be closed with the loss of about 200 jobs. 03-Aug-2001

Swan Hunter has confirmed plans to acquire the Kvaerner shipyard at Port Clarence on Teesside in September, where it will create 200 jobs for a Ministry of Defence contract. 02-Aug-2001

BAA is planning to invest up to £7bn in improvements at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports over the next 10 years. 31-Jul-2001

Merseytravel is seeking government funding for the development of a £225m tram system between Liverpool city centre and Kirkby. 31-Jul-2001

Ryanair is to create 120 new jobs at Stansted Airport to cope with its expanded winter schedule. 27-Jul-2001

BG is to buy two liquefied natural gas tankers from Samsung Heavy Industries and has options on a further six vessels, as part of a strategy to increase its share of the worldwide LNG market. 27-Jul-2001

Highlands & Islands Airports is to invest £2.2m in the improvement of fire training grounds at eight of its ten airports. 19-Jul-2001

Stagecoach and Gallagher Estates have unveiled plans for a £55m rapid transit system for the Cambridge area, which would involve guided buses operating between St Ives and the city and could be up and running in five years. 19-Jul-2001

Wiggins is to upgrade Plzen airport in the Czech Republic at a cost of £198m, which will involve the transformation of the former military airfield into a logistics centre. 18-Jul-2001

Expeditus has received £1.5m of venture capital to develop an internet-based system that will improve the efficiency of same-day couriers. 18-Jul-2001

Postcomm has made a provisional decision to award three postal operating licences to Hays Business Group, which will include the collection and delivery of business mail in London, Edinburgh and Manchester. 17-Jul-2001

CalMac has decided not to tender to run the ferry service between Campbeltown and Ballycastle in Northern Ireland, and the Scotland Office is to draw up a shortlist of alternative operators. 16-Jul-2001

Consignia is planning to shed 2,000 middle management and administration jobs and retrain a further 7,300, in order to help the business compete in the liberalised postal market. 16-Jul-2001

Exel is to set up a £8m distribution centre at Gateway Glasgow for its Tradeteam subsidiary. 16-Jul-2001

TNT Express is to open a £4.3m parcels depot in Basildon in October, creating 150 new jobs. 13-Jul-2001

BBA is looking to spend up to £300m on acquisitions to expand its commercial and corporate aviation businesses, and has just completed the acquisition of Aircraft Service International Group of the US for £97m. 12-Jul-2001

Associated British Ports is looking into the possibility of buying the Ailsa Troon shipyard, which closed last year. 11-Jul-2001

BAe Systems is to shed 1,000 jobs at the Govan and Scotstoun shipyards on the Clyde and a further 150 at Barrow, despite winning part of a £4.5bn contract to build six Type 45 destroyers for the Royal Navy. 11-Jul-2001

Big Yellow is planning to open a further 50 self-storage centres by 2003 to add to the existing 24, and has also announced the purchase of the Dudley Stationery building in Bow, London, for £4.6m. 11-Jul-2001

Interserve has won a £20m contract from BAA and Virgin Atlantic to build an aircraft maintenance facility at Heathrow. 11-Jul-2001

Clarkson has acquired a 49% stake in Agence General d'Affretement of France, in order to expand its global shipping services business. 10-Jul-2001

Blackpool Council and Lancashire County Council are drawing up plans for the £230m extension of Blackpool's tram system across the Fylde Coast, including a rapid transit link to St Annes and Lytham. 10-Jul-2001

Safestore is planning to expand its network of 20 self-storage sites with a further 11 over the next 12 months. 10-Jul-2001

Alstom Train Services is to shed a further 100 jobs at its Eastleigh railway works. 09-Jul-2001

British Airways is shedding 100 IT contracting jobs as part of a cost-cutting programme. 09-Jul-2001

BAe Systems is to take a 12% stake in Aviation Partners Worldwide, a new company being formed by Tolmount following the £35m acquisition of Italian BA franchise National Jet Italia. 09-Jul-2001

P&O Cruises has confirmed plans to leave its London base and concentrate all operations in Southampton, which will involve the expansion of the Richmond House and Dukes Keep premises in Southampton. 05-Jul-2001

British Waterways has announced plans to restore a disused canal linking the Thames and the Severn rivers, in a £82m project that could lead to the creation of 500 jobs. 05-Jul-2001

Amec has won a contract to build a regional distribution centre at Wakefield Europort for Scottish & Newcastle, which will employ up to 350 staff from next year. 04-Jul-2001

Praxis Critical Systems, the railway systems consultancy, is setting up new offices in Derby and London with the creation of an unspecified number of jobs. 03-Jul-2001

Prolog is to set up a new 250,000sq ft warehouse at the Sherwood Park industrial estate in Annesley with the creation of 600 jobs. 02-Jul-2001

MPC Logistics is recruiting 20 additional drivers in Coventry, having won a new contract to supply courier services to market research agency Millward Brown. 27-Jun-2001

Midland Mainline has won government permission to build a £17m station near Ratcliffe-on-Soar in the East Midlands, and 34 jobs will be created when it opens in summer 2002. 26-Jun-2001

Postcomm has awarded three interim licences for the creation of new postal services, with two going to TNT UK and one to G3 Worldwide Mail. 25-Jun-2001

Babcock International is planning to sell about 150 acres of the Rosyth dockyard to allow for an extension of the Europarc business park. 21-Jun-2001

Stagecoach is considering plans to close or sell up to 20 of its 92 bus depots, following a fall in profit margins. 21-Jun-2001

Mersey Docks & Harbour has agreed to lease the former Cammell Laird dock at Bidston on Merseyside to a new company called Northwestern Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders, which aims to regenerate the shipbuilding sector in the area. 20-Jun-2001

Birse Logistics Solutions has won contracts worth £8.7m to build two new distribution centres for ProLogis Developments at Hams Hall in Warwickshire. 20-Jun-2001

Eurostar has announced plans to spend £35m revamping its service, and is expected to change everything from train interiors to staff uniforms. 18-Jun-2001

Hays Business Group has applied to the independent postal regulator PostComm for licences to operate three new business postal services, which would provide competition to the Royal Mail in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. 13-Jun-2001

Scottish Borders Council has appointed Turner & Townsend as the project manager for the Waverley Railway Project, which aims to reintroduce a £73m rail link through Midlothian to the Borders. 12-Jun-2001

Pickupworks has reached agreement with BP to install its Fraserbox automated retrieval system on forecourts, which will enable customers to collect goods bought online. 11-Jun-2001

British Waterways is planning a £9m project to restore the canal network in Droitwich, including new cycleways and towpaths on a 22-mile stretch of canal. 08-Jun-2001

Alstom is linking up with the Engage division of GKN to set up a rail signals development centre at an unnamed site in Swindon, with the creation of 50 jobs. 08-Jun-2001

Burford has formed a joint venture with The Bristol Port Company to develop a £6m rail freight terminal at Avonmouth Docks, providing a link between road, rail and sea transport. 08-Jun-2001

British Airways has announced a franchise agreement with Regional Air of Kenya, which will involve flights from Nairobi to six destinations. 08-Jun-2001

Babcock Rosyth Defence has confirmed an order worth more than £100m to refit the HMS Illustrious aircraft carrier, which will secure about 500 jobs at its Fife dockyard from November 2002. 07-Jun-2001

British Airways is considering plans to form a North Atlantic joint venture with American Airlines, and preliminary discussions are taking place with the regulatory authorities. 06-Jun-2001

Cumbria County Council is undertaking a feasibility study into building a rail freight terminal in Whitehaven. 05-Jun-2001

Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Authority has announced plans to build a £100m road tunnel under the River Tyne, and a private consortium will be chosen for the project by December 2003. 01-Jun-2001

Securicor is considering plans to withdraw from its distribution joint venture with Deutsche Post, and is in negotiations to sell its US wireless communications business for £25m. 31-May-2001

Consignia is considering the possibility of outsourcing operations such as letter sorting and delivery, in order to prepare its Royal Mail subsidiary for competition. 31-May-2001

Go-Via has agreed to acquire the South Central rail franchise from Connex in August at a cost of up to £40m, and the business will be renamed New Southern Railway. 31-May-2001

SBS Logistics, the offshore services company, is to create about 30 jobs in Shetland by operating two dedicated cargo vessels every day between Aberdeen and a distribution centre in Lerwick. 29-May-2001

Geoffrey Reyner is moving its Manchester-based haulage business and up to 85 staff from Droylsden to a £1.3m four-acre site in Oldham. 25-May-2001

Railtrack is planning to raise up to £3bn on the bond markets, and has also revealed plans for an internal reorganisation that will split the business into three divisions. 25-May-2001

Consignia is considering plans to set up cut-price local postal services, which would compete with its own Royal Mail business and deliver bulk mail for large customers. 25-May-2001

The Ministry of Defence is said to be considering plans to relocate the British Forces Post Office from Mill Hill in Barnet to RAF Northolt near Harrow, which would affect 266 jobs. 24-May-2001

P&O North Sea Ferries is in discussions with the Numast union to try to save 120 jobs in Felixstowe, following a decision to scrap two ferry services to Europoort in the Netherlands. 24-May-2001

Associated British Ports is said to be considering plans to launch a bid for Simon, in order to gain control over the Humber estuary. 21-May-2001

Ocado, which is 40% owned by the John Lewis Partnership, is to launch an online grocery delivery service from a temporary depot in Hemel Hempstead later this year, while a new depot is built in nearby Hatfield. 21-May-2001

Lynx Express is to close its Red Star Parcels business with the loss of 250 jobs. 18-May-2001

Unilever is looking into the possibility of sharing its warehouses and other logistical systems with companies that are not direct competitors, in order to reduce supply chain costs. 18-May-2001

First Group is to invest £4m in the introduction of 100 US-style yellow school buses, and negotiations are taking place with four local authorities. 16-May-2001

Parcelforce Worldwide is planning to close its depot in Leamington Spa and transfer the business to Coventry. 15-May-2001

DCA Distribution is to set up a new head office for its international logistics business at the Oxford Business Park at Cowley, and is currently recruiting secretarial and accounts staff. 14-May-2001

Central Railway has drawn up plans to operate double-decker trains between Heathrow airport and the north of England, and services could start by 2008 if the scheme is approved. 14-May-2001

May Gurney has won a £36m contract from Railtrack to maintain and upgrade 240 railway stations in East Anglia. 14-May-2001

Arriva is to change the name of its Merseyrail business to Arriva Trains Merseyside, and rebranding of the trains and stations will begin as and when opportunities arise. 10-May-2001

Peel Holdings has bought the remaining 24% of Liverpool Airport from five Merseyside borough councils for £2.4m, clearing the way for a £50m investment in the expansion of the airport terminal. 10-May-2001

P&O is in negotiations to reverse its P&O Nedlloyd containers joint venture into its partner Royal Nedlloyd. 10-May-2001

Consignia is to use its 19,000 post office counters as collection points for products ordered through the internet or catalogues, following a six-month trial in the south-west. 09-May-2001

Big Yellow has raised £23m in a share placing and is considering plans to set up self-storage centres in continental Europe. 08-May-2001

Newcastle Airport is to have a 49% stake acquired by Copenhagen Airports for £95m, and the Danish company will look for ways to expand capacity at the site. 07-May-2001

The Strategic Rail Authority has announced a £4bn plan to improve rail freight routes over the next 10 years, including the development of four new terminals near London and two in the north-west. 03-May-2001

UPS is to set up a financial services subsidiary called UPS Capital Global Trade Finance UK in order to improve the service offered to its logistics customers in Europe. 02-May-2001

Yearsley Group has started work on a £5m expansion at its head office facility in Heywood, Lancashire, which will increase cold storage capacity by a third. 01-May-2001

Christian Salvesen has warned that up to 574 jobs could be lost at a depot in Droitwich Spa, due to Sainsbury's plan to replace its national network of 22 depots with seven large regional distribution centres. 01-May-2001

Safeway is looking at ways to expand its rail freight strategy across the country following the success of its scheme in north Scotland, and is also planning to run a fleet of 50 lorries using compressed natural gas in London. 01-May-2001

English Welsh & Scottish Railway is linking up with Helios to prepare plans for the development of a £70m international rail freight terminal at Tinsley in Sheffield. 30-Apr-2001

Wincanton Logistics is to shed 80 jobs in Wellingborough, due to the changing distribution requirements of a client. 27-Apr-2001

Birmingham International Airport has unveiled plans for a £29m steel and glass departure lounge complex, as part of a £260m expansion project aimed at handling 10m passengers a year by 2005. 26-Apr-2001

PFE Express is to move its freight forwarding business from premises in Chelmsford and Maldon to a new purpose-built warehouse and offices on the Eastways Industrial Estate in Witham. 26-Apr-2001

Norbert Dentressangle has moved its Roadtrain articulated lorry base from Southampton to a new £1m building at the Commercial Port in Portsmouth. 26-Apr-2001

P&O is planning to invest £1bn in its container ports business over the next five years, including projects in Europe, Asia and the US. 26-Apr-2001

Merseytravel is looking into the possibility of reopening a railway line between Bootle and Aintree at a cost of more than £1bn. 24-Apr-2001

David Hathaway Transport is moving to a larger 5.5-acre distribution complex at the Westerleigh Business Park in Yate, and its current premises at St Philips will be vacated in the summer. 23-Apr-2001

Hull City Council is in discussions with SkyRail about the possibility of developing a monorail system between the city centre, Hull Royal Infirmary and the planned community sports stadium. 20-Apr-2001

Air Partner, the air charter broker, is planning to expand its business in Europe and the US by opening 20 new offices over the next 5-10 years. 19-Apr-2001

Consignia is planning to build a £150m postal distribution centre near Heathrow airport by 2002, where it will employ 800 staff. 19-Apr-2001

Surrey County Council and Guildford Borough Council are to conduct a new feasibility study for the development of a light monorail system in Guildford. 18-Apr-2001

Blazefield Holdings has bought Stagecoach Ribble's fleet of buses in Bolton, Blackburn, Accrington and the Ribble Valley for undisclosed terms, and the new company will trade under the name Lancashire United. 18-Apr-2001

Wiggins has acquired Lahr airport in Germany for £1.5m, as part of a strategy to set up a network of 20 regional airports. 18-Apr-2001

National Express is to shed up to 100 management jobs by merging the offices of three London train services at the Silverlink office in Old Street, which will involve the closure of the WAGN office in Watford and the c2c office in Southend. 17-Apr-2001

British Waterways has drawn up a list of 12 potential partners for the £500m redevelopment of up to 6,000 acres of waterfront land throughout the country. 17-Apr-2001

James Irlam & Sons is to set up a distribution depot in Stoke with the creation of up to 100 jobs. 17-Apr-2001

The Royal Mail is to create a further 150 jobs at its St Rollox mail centre in Glasgow. 13-Apr-2001

Maritrade of Australia has revealed plans for the development of a high-speed commuter ferry service from Bangor and Carrickfergus to Belfast city centre later this year. 12-Apr-2001

BAA is planning to link up with the Airline Group consortium to win overseas contracts to operate airports and air traffic control systems. 12-Apr-2001

Bolsover District Council is to consider plans from Sladen Estates for the development of a £9m regional distribution centre for an unidentified company at South Normanton, which would create about 180 jobs. 11-Apr-2001

Exel is to set up a national distribution centre for Selfridges in Solihull with the creation of 200 jobs, which will replace an existing warehouse in Paddington. 11-Apr-2001

Railtrack is considering plans to split its railway operating and maintenance business from the business of major track improvements, in order to reduce government interference and reverse the fall in its share price. 11-Apr-2001

Mersey Docks & Harbour has revealed plans for a waterbus service around Liverpool's historic docks, as part of a £200m scheme to transform the 1-mile Central Docks area. 10-Apr-2001

Brian Harris, the Devon-based haulage contractor with a fleet of 30 vehicles, has closed with the loss of 35 jobs. 06-Apr-2001

EasyJet is increasing the number of flights from Amsterdam Schipol airport, with destinations including Barcelona, Glasgow, Nice, Belfast and Gatwick. 06-Apr-2001

P&O Cruises is to create a further 150 jobs at its call centre and customer service operation in Southampton. 05-Apr-2001

TNT has opened a new East of Scotland parcels base at Brucefield Industry Park in Livingston, where it will employ about 12 staff. 04-Apr-2001

Stagecoach has won a 20 year extension on its franchise to run South West Trains, and will invest £1.7bn on service improvements. 03-Apr-2001

Tibbett & Britten is to shed 90 jobs at its logistics business on the Meridian Business Park in Leicester, due to changes in the way the factory operates and the loss of a contract from HP Foods. 02-Apr-2001

Bournemouth International Airport has won planning permission to develop a new multi-million-pound passenger terminal, and wants to start new routes to Manchester and short-haul European destinations. 02-Apr-2001

British Midland and the Star Alliance of global airlines are seeking investment of £50m at Heathrow airport to develop transfer services between three terminal buildings, as part of a strategy to develop a long-haul network out of the UK. 02-Apr-2001

The government has given the financial go-ahead for a £190m supertram system to link Portsmouth with Gosport and Fareham, as part of a £1.1bn package of funding for road and tram developments around the country. 29-Mar-2001

Frans Maas, the Dutch-owned freight forwarding company, is planning to expand its Great Yarmouth headquarters over the next 12 months, having won a number of new distribution contracts. 29-Mar-2001

JMC is planning to open a new package holiday base at East Midlands Airport, which will involve one Airbus A320 aircraft and the creation of 65 jobs. 29-Mar-2001

Lafarge has won a £2.3m government grant to develop material handling facilities by the Aire and Calder canal in Yorkshire, which will enable materials to be transported from its Besthorpe quarry and Wakefield distribution centre. 29-Mar-2001

GB Railways has selected Skanska Construction as infrastructure development partner for a £200m east-west rail link between East Anglia and Oxford, but government approval is still required. 28-Mar-2001

The Ministry of Defence is to sell the RAF Kemble airfield in Gloucestershire to a consortium of local companies for £7m, which is expected to lead to the creation of 200 jobs as more companies are attracted to buildings on the site. 28-Mar-2001

The Welsh Development Agency is planning to set up a 36-acre supplier park next to Freightliner's new Eurofreight terminal in Cardiff, in order to house rail-related companies that need to be close to the £15m terminal. 28-Mar-2001

Iforce is to create 200 jobs at a new e-commerce warehouse at Bromford Gate in the West Midlands. 28-Mar-2001

National Air Traffic Services is to be run by the Airline Group consortium of seven UK airlines following a government announcement, which will lead to a £1bn investment in upgrading the air traffic control system over the next seven years. 28-Mar-2001

Forth Ports has formed a joint venture with AusBulk to bid for seven Australian ports that are being privatised. 27-Mar-2001

Strawson Holdings and Kilmartin Property are setting up a 300-acre distribution centre at junction 4 of the M8 motorway between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the first tenant will be Scottish Courage. 26-Mar-2001

Biggin Hill Airport has announced that Jet Aviation of the US has set up a jet charter and maintenance operation in two of its hangers, with the creation of 25 jobs. 22-Mar-2001

Nor-Cargo is setting up new offices and warehousing at the redeveloped Matthews Quay in Aberdeen, to support its shipping services to Norway and continental Europe. 22-Mar-2001

The Post Office has outlined a strategy to return the business to profit, which involves the loss of 5,000 jobs, improved marketing, international alliances and greater focus on higher margin operations such as parcels and bulk contracts. 21-Mar-2001

Cammell Laird has appointed Close Brothers to undertake a strategic review of its business, which could lead to new alliances, the raising of additional finance and a restructuring of its bonds. 21-Mar-2001

Vosper Thornycroft has won a £60m contract to build three new Royal Navy offshore patrol craft, which will secure the future of 450 jobs at its Southampton shipyard. 19-Mar-2001

Cammell Laird, the shipbuilder, is considering plans to move out of its Princes Parade office in Liverpool in order to reduce costs, and could end up back at its Birkenhead base or in a smaller office elsewhere. 15-Mar-2001

FB Atkins, the haulage company, has ceased trading with the loss of about 140 jobs at its Derbyshire headquarters and at six depots across the country. 14-Mar-2001

The Strategic Rail Authority has announced plans for the investment of £60bn on new trains and infrastructure for the national rail network over the next 10 years, and new companies will be brought in to provide funding and management. 14-Mar-2001

Swan Hunter and Imtech of the Netherlands are planning to jointly acquire the Port Clarence shipyard on Teesside, and expect to create about 400 jobs at the site. 08-Mar-2001

Geodis United Distribution is to close its freight depot in Walsall next month with the loss of 92 jobs, in order to relocate to a new £1m complex on the Middlemore Trading Estate. 08-Mar-2001

Simon Group is planning to expand its new £20m ferry terminal at Killingholme, which will involve the development of new warehousing and distribution facilities and the creation of up to 200 jobs. 07-Mar-2001

British Airways has received a conditional takeover offer from KLM for its Go low-cost airline. 07-Mar-2001

Tibbett & Britten is looking to sell Axial, the car transport division valued at up to £100m, in order to raise funds for the expansion of its logistics business in Europe and North America. 07-Mar-2001

The East of England Development Agency has provided assistance to the Excelsior Trust in the acquisition of the George Prior Engineering shipyard at Lake Lothing, Lowestoft, which will lead to the creation of 30 jobs. 06-Mar-2001

Exel is to expand its distribution and warehousing operations in the Midlands, which will create 800 jobs at sites in Coventry, Daventry and Rugby. 06-Mar-2001

Manchester City Council has approved plans from the Greater Manchester Transport Authority for the development of a £4m transport interchange at Shudehill in the city centre. 05-Mar-2001

BAA has formed a consortium to expand its airport interests in Australia, which will involve the acquisition of minority stakes in Perth International and Northern Territory airports. 05-Mar-2001

WH Smith has put its magazine and newspaper distribution business up for sale, which could raise up to £300m. 05-Mar-2001

Travel West Midlands is to invest £2.7m in setting up a "Showcase" bus service between Perry Barr and Walsall, which will feature low-floor buses for easy access. 02-Mar-2001

National Express is setting up a £1m customer contact centre for its coach business at the No1 Hagley Road building on Five Ways in Birmingham, which will involve the transfer of 300 staff from its Digbeth site. 02-Mar-2001

TBI is in negotiations to acquire a further 65% stake in Luton Airport for up to £82m. 01-Mar-2001

Eastern Airways of Humberside is expanding its fleet with two new Jetstream 32 aircraft next month, and is looking to launch at least one new route. 28-Feb-2001

Mersey Docks & Harbour is linking up with Railtrack and English, Welsh and Scottish Railway to propose the development of a £4m rail link between Birkenhead Docks and the national network. 23-Feb-2001

Birmingham City Council is considering the possibility of a third £200m Metro tram route to link Birmingham's three universities with the city centre. 23-Feb-2001

Target Express is to open a new warehouse at North View in Coventry with the creation of 300 jobs, having won a contract to distribute computers for Dell. 22-Feb-2001

Cambridge City Council is to consider plans from a new company called Cambridge Rapid Transit System for the development of a transport system to link the proposed Trumpington park and ride with Cambridge city centre. 22-Feb-2001

Ryanair is to launch seven new routes from London Stansted airport, including destinations in Austria, Sweden, Italy, Belgium and Denmark. 22-Feb-2001

DFDS Tor Line is to introduce regular ferry passenger services between Immingham and Sweden by opening up three of its cargo ships to the travelling public. 21-Feb-2001

ZapitOver.com has closed its London-based food and gift delivery service with the loss of 10 jobs. 21-Feb-2001

Waitrose and Last Mile Solutions are planning to expand their online grocery retailing joint venture around the country, and are seeking suitable sites for distribution centres in Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham. 19-Feb-2001

The Post Office Network is to launch a new buying group called Counters Club with Palmer & Harvey McLane and the National Federation of Subpostmasters, which will involve groceries being delivered directly to post office convenience stores. 19-Feb-2001

Westinghouse Signals, the railway signalling and train control systems company, is to relocate 70 Birmingham-based staff to the redeveloped Imperial House in Temple Street. 16-Feb-2001

Fergusons Transport has won permission to develop a new logistics centre on the Pattinson North Industrial Estate in Washington, with the creation of 194 jobs. 15-Feb-2001

Flightline International is to set up a flight booking centre at Trident House, near Glasgow airport, with the creation of 60 jobs. 13-Feb-2001

Norse Irish Ferries is to change its name to Norse Merchant Ferries and introduce faster schedules between Belfast and Liverpool by switching to the new terminal at Twelve Quays in Birkenhead. 12-Feb-2001

Stagecoach is planning to build a new £4m bus depot in Gloucester, and the old bus garage could be sold to developers. 12-Feb-2001

Oxfordshire County Council is considering plans to spend £20m on the improvement of bus services, including bus priority lanes, a £2m bus station at Didcot and new interchanges in Bicester and Abingdon. 12-Feb-2001

Dundee City Council is considering plans to invest £2.6m in improvements at Dundee Airport over the next four years, including passenger terminal facilities, surfacing works for the runway and car parking. 12-Feb-2001

Big Yellow Self Storage has acquired two new properties at Barking and West Norwood in London, as part of a strategy to open 21 self-storage centres this year. 12-Feb-2001

The Port of Mostyn in North Wales has started work on a £17m development to create a new riverside berth and cargo handling facilities, in preparation for a new P&O Irish Sea service to Dublin. 09-Feb-2001

EasyJet is considering plans to close its telephone booking service and transfer all bookings onto the internet over the next few months, in order to reduce costs. 08-Feb-2001

Birmingham International Airport's holding company has raised £208m to finance the next phase of its development, which will include new access roads, a transport interchange and a remote pier to take 10 more planes. 08-Feb-2001

TBI is planning to sell its Australian interests to an international consortium for about £30m. 06-Feb-2001

Highland Council is to relocate its harbours and ports service from Inverness to Lochinver, in Western Sutherland, by April. 06-Feb-2001

Exel is setting up a logistics operation in Switzerland in partnership with Kuoni, and has also started new businesses in Sweden, Finland, Turkey and Hungary. 05-Feb-2001

Railtrack is planning to build a 2m sq ft distribution park on the site of Parkside Colliery in Cheshire, including rail sidings and warehousing. 05-Feb-2001

Nexus is planning to build a £1.3m ferry terminal on the Royal Quays in Gateshead. 02-Feb-2001

EasyJet is considering plans to expand its low-cost airline business at new bases in Liverpool, Geneva and Amsterdam, following an increase in its landing charges at Luton airport. 02-Feb-2001

Doncaster Council is to give official backing to a £80m plan from Peel Holdings to build an international airport at RAF Finningley. 01-Feb-2001

WH Smith is considering plans to sell off its news distribution business, having been approached by a number of interested parties. 01-Feb-2001

Ireland Freight Services is planning to set up Vendorvillage, a virtual bonded warehouse where internet companies can house their inventory, with the creation of up to 100 jobs in Northern Ireland over the next three years. 24-Jan-2001

Virgin Express is in negotiations to sell its Irish subsidiary to Aeroflot of Russia. 24-Jan-2001

John Menzies is seeking acquisitions to expand its aviation services division, but is expected to sell off its Early Learning Centre chain of toy shops. 24-Jan-2001

English Welsh & Scottish Railway has received a takeover approach from Deutsche Bahn of Germany and Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer of France, as Wisconsin Central Transportation has decided to sell its 42% stake. 24-Jan-2001

Cammell Laird has lost out on a £50m cruise ship contract from Costa Crociere of Italy, prompting concern about the future of 600 jobs at its Merseyside shipyard. 24-Jan-2001

Norfolk County Council has approved a £10m integrated transport package, including the £1.3m Corpusty Link Road and £2.9m for various schemes in Norwich. 22-Jan-2001

Jarvis has been selected as Railtrack's preferred bidder for a £50m contract to maintain the east coast mainline railway, and seven other maintenance contracts have also been announced. 22-Jan-2001

National Air Traffic Services is planning to increase air traffic control capacity over south-east England by 20% by reorganising the division of airspace next month, and recruitment of controllers will rise by up to 50% a year. 22-Jan-2001

Reading Borough Council has approved plans for the construction of a new railway station at the Green Park office development in Reading. 22-Jan-2001

The Ministry of Defence is to create a further 120 jobs at the RAF Stafford distribution and storage centre in Staffordshire. 19-Jan-2001

Newcastle City Council has announced plans for the development of a £5.2m rapid transit system between Newcastle and Gateshead, and work will start in 2002. 19-Jan-2001

The Strategic Rail Authority is to consider the possibility of building a 200mph rail link between the north and south, which could reduce the journey time between London and Scotland to under three hours. 19-Jan-2001

National Express has awarded a £23m contract to TransBus International for the supply of 180 buses to its Travel West Midlands business. 19-Jan-2001

Strathclyde Passenger Transport is to commission a study into the possibility of developing a tram system in Glasgow. 17-Jan-2001

Eurostar is planning to spend £22m on the refurbishment of its terminals in London, Paris and Brussels and on improvements to its train interiors. 17-Jan-2001

Mersey Docks & Harbour has awarded a contract to Amec to build a £22m terminal in Liverpool for Irish Sea ferries, which will create 100 construction jobs. 12-Jan-2001

Northern Ireland Railways is planning to order 23 new diesel trains as part of a £105m investment programme, and rolling stock manufacturers are being invited to submit tenders. 11-Jan-2001

Railtrack is seeking a company to take on the responsibility to monitor track quality across the entire rail network, which would involve a nine-year contract worth up to £450m. 11-Jan-2001

The Post Office is planning to change its corporate name to Consignia, at a cost of about £2m. 10-Jan-2001

Potter Group is planning to invest about £7m in the development of a new textiles warehouse at its premises in Selby, with the creation of up to 100 jobs over the next four years. 09-Jan-2001

Midland Mainline is considering plans to build a £4m customer service academy at Pride Park in Derby, in order to improve staff training. 05-Jan-2001

Vaughan Logistics is to update its Worksop-based haulage business with the £1.2m purchase of 21 new vehicles. 03-Jan-2001

Mersey Docks & Harbour is to invest £3.5m at the Port of Sheerness in Kent, which will involve the creation of 300 jobs at a new fruit packing facility and a pre-delivery inspection centre for cars. 03-Jan-2001

Wiggins is planning to set up a new passenger service at Manston airport in Kent, and discussions are taking place with an unnamed low-cost airline. 03-Jan-2001







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