Transport

Seven train stations in North West England have been identified as amongst the ten worst in the country.

Stations featured in the independent Station Champions report include Stockport, Manchester Victoria, Preston, Wigan North Western, Liverpool Central, Warrington Bank Quay, and Crewe. They will each receive a share of £50 million to carry out urgent improvements.

Last week Network Rail announced a £3.25 billion 5-year plan for station improvements to over 2,000 stations. The Station Champions report identified ten that required vital modernisation. Work on these will start as soon as possible.

The Station Champions, Sir Peter Hall and Chris Green, were appointed by Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis in May 2009 to review the condition of stations and to recommend improvements.

Shoppers in Blackburn can park for free on all on street parking bays on Saturdays from 3pm in the run up to Christmas.

They can also park free on a number of car parks during the week and at weekends:

• College car parks every weekend.
• Starkie Street Car Park on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Jubilee House during the week and at weekends.
• Byrom Street on Saturdays and Sundays.

Blackburn with Darwen Council is promoting the free parking initiative, which begins from the switch on of the lights today (November 14), in an effort to support traders and encourage shoppers into the town centre.

The Chamber of Trade is offering a refund of the first hours parking if customers spend more than £25. Shops taking part in the “Parking present” scheme will have a poster in their window.

The Mall shopping centre will be back to full capacity from mid November when the refurbishment has been completed.

People are reminded that parking is FREE in Darwen all the time.

On street parking will be free until January 4 and the pay and display machines will be clearly marked.

The rest of the free parking will be available throughout January.

Councillor Alan Cottam, executive member for regeneration and environment, said; ‘We want as many people as possible to come to Blackburn and Darwen to do their Christmas shopping. There are a number of free car parks which people may not be aware of and we want to support businesses in both towns.’

Blackpool’s tram system closed down today for five months, the first stage of a massive £100 million upgrade.

The scheme, announced in June, should be fully complete by April 2012. It includes new accessible trams, new stops, replacement track, and a new depot at Starr Gate.

An historic stone bridge that carries Coast to Coast walkers across the River Eden is now back in top condition thanks to Cumbria County Council’s countryside access team.

Frank’s Bridge at Kirkby Stephen has been renovated and strengthened in a two-week scheme to ensure the crossing is made safe while retaining its traditional look and character.

The double arched limestone footbridge formed part of an old corpse route that in years gone by was used to carry coffins from surrounding villages to Kirkby Stephen.

Nowadays though, it has a much less macabre function being a popular route for both locals and visitors. It gives access to a riverside walk, parkland and the open fell beyond as well as being a link on Alfred Wainwright’s Coast to Coast –a route that attracts walkers and Wainwright enthusiasts from all corners of the globe.

The improvement scheme, which included structural strengthening and re-pointing, involved working closely with the Environment Agency and Natural England to ensure no river wildlife was harmed.

As Frank’s Bridge has been inhabited by bats, measures were also taken during the work to leave gaps that will allow them to continue using it as a home.

Councillor Tim Knowles, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member for countryside access, said: ‘Maintaining the hundreds of stone bridges that form essential river crossings around the county is a major challenge for the county council’s countryside access team, but having bridges in a safe, working order is vital in allowing locals and visitors to enjoy Cumbria’s great outdoors. Frank’s Bridge is a perfect example of a crossing that is an important link, so I’m delighted this work has been carried out to ensure it continues to be used both now and for many years to come.’

Chester Station will receive £1.4million for improvements from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

The investment will provide new passenger facilities including a waiting room, a second stairway for better access to platforms and new office space at the historic Grade II listed train station.

Work will complement the multi-million pound Chester Station Gateway project which is regenerating and renovating Chester railway station and its surroundings.

This phase of the Gateway project focuses on improvements to the Central, West and East Pavilions on the island platform (platforms 4 to 7) area. It is the busiest platform within the station with services operating to Manchester, Liverpool, and Crewe, as well as the Virgin Trains London service.

This investment will create a welcoming environment by providing:

- A new central pavilion including a waiting room and refreshment area, and demolishing vacant and underused building additions around the staircase.
- A second stairway that will interlock with the new central pavilion and provide better access for passengers.
- New office space and associated train crew facilities.

Funding from the NWDA will complement the £8.2million investment made by other partners over the last 3 years. This includes Network Rail, Arriva Trains Wales, Railway Heritage Trust, English Heritage, Heritage Lottery Fund and the Local Authority.

The overall Chester Station Gateway Project is a key project within the Chester Renaissance Programme, which seeks to draw together the public and private sector to deliver a package of regeneration priorities.

Work is due to start in Winter 2009 and will be completed in Summer 2010.

Baggage handlers at Liverpool John Lennon Airport have voted to go on strike.

Member of the GMB trade union voted overwhelmingly to take action in response to the threat of compulsory redundancies by ServisAir, the provider of ground services at the airport.

Terry Mellor of the GMB said, ‘GMB members are angry and have voted overwhelmingly to take action to get these compulsory redundancies withdrawn. All out continuous strike action is planned to go ahead from 4am on Thursday 20th August. It will involve all GMB members employed as baggage handlers and other apron staff at the airport.

I have been in contact with the employer ServisAir today and I have asked them to withdraw the threat of compulsory redundancies and to enter into meaningful talks to avert this action.

GMB and our members at the airport want to avoid disrupting the travel plans of the public. We urge the airport owner, Peel, to intervene and put pressure on ServisAir withdraw the threat of compulsory redundancies and for them to enter into meaningful talks with GMB to avert this action.’

Ryanair has announced 5 new routes from Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

From October 2009 new flights will be offered to Bratislava, Rzeszow in Poland, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, and Faro.

The budget airline will also increase the frequency of their services to Riga, Wroclaw, Belfast, Alicante, and Malaga.

Plans to create a rural promenade between Nantwich and Crewe have been unveiled to local residents.

The £1.46m scheme, funded through Sustrans’ Connect2, will provide a safe and attractive environment for walking and cycling between the two towns, in a bid to reduce the number of cars on Cheshire East roads. Funding has also been provided by Cycle England, Safe Routes to School and WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental Limited).

Cheshire East staff were on hand at the Connect2 event, held in Crewe’s Queens Park, to provide information on the project. Local residents were given the chance to express their views on the project and provide initial feedback.

Councillor David Brickhill, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services, said ‘This project will not only create a scenic and peaceful route between Nantwich and Crewe but will also help to reduce the number of cars travelling along the nearby A530. The route will also increase safety for cyclists, who will now have an alternative to Middlewich Road.

The scheme will connect the riverside walks in Nantwich with Queen’s Park in Crewe. It will also create links to Malbank School, Reaseheath College, Middlewich Road and Nantwich town centre. A new footbridge across the River Weaver in Nantwich, which will form part of the project, has already been completed.’

The Nantwich and Crewe scheme is one of 79 Sustrans’ Connect2 projects across the nation sharing a Big Lottery Fund award of £50 million. Sustrans was awarded the money after the public backed Connect2 in a public vote televised nationally on ITV1.

Manchester Airport has completed a £50 million overhaul of Terminal 1.

The work included a new 14-lane security area designed to reduce queuing times, spa, and VIP area. £15 million was spent on refitting the retail area. New shops include Kurt Geiger, Dixons, Mango, Fat Face, and Monsoon.

Terminal 1 was opened in 1962 by the Duke of Edinburgh.

A new restaurant will open next month at the Concorde Conference Centre at Manchester Airport.

The Ringway Restaurant will seat 120 diners and offer views of the former British Airways Concorde. A takeaway catering to visitors to the Aviation Viewing Park will also open.

The Concorde Conference Centre opened earlier this year. The unique conference venue is housed in a hanger containing the Concorde supersonic passenger airplane.