Tag Archives: BBC News
New York’s underground park of the future
For New Yorkers frustrated by the lack of space the tradition has long been to build upwards – but the city renowned for its skyscrapers is now looking to exploit spaces underground too.
The Low Line is a proposed subterranean park the size of a football pitch that would be created on the site of a former trolley terminal in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
The century-old site has not been in use since 1948, yet its 18ft-high (5.5m) ceilings, rail tracks and cobblestones have been preserved largely intact.
The name Low Line echoes the hugely popular High Line. That public park was created on disused sections of a raised railway track that snakes through downtown Manhattan. It attracts millions of visitors each year.
The team behind the idea, Dan Barash and James Ramsey, would love to give residents an alternative place to escape the city’s crowded streets. But how to get trees and grass to grow so far underground?
A system of solar panels and fibre optics would be used to bring light from above ground down to the terminal. They insist the technology has the potential to support photosynthesis.
The park plan is in its early stages. A Kickstarter campaign this month raised the first $150,000. Mr Barash admits the final cost is likely to be “many millions of dollars” and take several years.
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via BBC News
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Southeastern trains disrupted in Kent
Southeastern trains Class 375/8 Electrostar No. 375801 at Ashford International. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Trains services in Sussex and Kent continue to be disrupted following a train derailment.
A freight train derailed near Robertsbridge in East Sussex on Wednesday afternoon.
Southeastern Railway has cancelled all services between Robertsbridge and Hastings, and bus replacement services are running.
A fallen tree has also disrupted services between Ashford International and Maidstone East.
A crane has been called-in to move the freight train and it is expected the line will be closed for most of the day. Southern Railway are accepting ticket holders on reasonable routes.
Workers are also on site in Kent to clear the fallen tree. Passengers will be accepted on the high-speed services between St Pancras International and Maidstone West.
via BBC News
London Underground workers to start 72 hour strike
London Underground roundel logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A 72-hour strike by London Underground (LU) staff will start later in row over pensions and benefits.
Workers who maintain and upgrade three lines on the Tube are to walkout from 16:00 BST.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said the action will disrupt services across the system, but LU said there would not be any significant impact.
The union wants employees of Tube Lines to join Transport for London’s pension scheme.
Talks aimed at resolving the dispute, involving workers on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines, ended without agreement at the conciliation service Acas last week.
Jon Lamonte, Tube Lines’ chief executive, said: “Since becoming part of Transport for London all Tube Lines’ employees have kept their existing terms and conditions of employment.
“Should this industrial action go ahead, we expect it to have no significant effect on Tube services.
“We have well-practised contingency plans in place to ensure that the essential maintenance required on the railway can either go ahead as planned or can be rearranged.
“We do not and will not put passenger or staff safety at risk.”
via BBC News
Ken Livingstone pledges rent controls
Vote for Ken Livingstone, rent controls should be enforced across the entire country!
Click on the image to view video on the BBC News site.
Ken Livingstone has pledged to help Londoners who rent homes in the private sector if he is elected as mayor next year.
The Labour candidate said no-one should pay more than a third of their wage on rent and introducing a so-called “London Living Rent” would be a fairer system.
The current Mayor Boris Johnson does not agree, believing the proposal would be “counter-productive”.
via BBC News
First phase of London digital switchover starts
BBC Two has been the first analogue channel in London to be switched off.
Ahead of the switchover, Digital UK said it believed thousands of analogue TV sets in the area needed to be converted to receive digital.
Freeview viewers also need to retune their TVs or they will lose BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three and BBC News.
An estimated 12 million viewers are affected in the London area, but the majority of
homes had already switched to digital.
The switchover comes 75 years after the first regular TV service began in London.
Analogue BBC Two also ceased at midnight in parts of Berkshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, and Surrey.
The remaining analogue channels – BBC One, ITV1, Channel Four and Channel Five – will be turned off on 18 April.
via BBC News
Delays not Southeastern’s Fault
Southeastern managing director Charles Horton said that patience was wearing thin
“Patience is wearing thin” after three days of disruption to train services caused by a gas leak under a railway line, a rail operator chief has said.
Gas started leaking in the Canterbury West area on Monday and Southern Gas Networks (SGN) began repairs. Buses have replaced some trains in the area.
Southeastern boss Charles Horton said his firm was disappointed it was taking so long to fix the problem.
SGN said it was a “complex engineering job” and apologised for the disruption.
Mr Horton, managing director of Southeastern, said: “Passengers have been without a train service between Ashford and Canterbury since Monday afternoon, patience is wearing thin and we want to get services back up and running again.”
via BBC News
Boris Johnson what’s Sevenoaks line
A Kent MP is meeting London transport bosses over fears that the city may take over the running of some of the county’s train services.
Michael Fallon, who represents Sevenoaks, is concerned that his constituents could end up with a worse and more expensive service.
Boris Johnson believes routes to Dartford and Sevenoaks will improve if they are managed from London.
But Mr Fallon says many passengers cannot hold Mr Johnson to account.
Under the mayor’s plans, responsibility for stations and services in several areas, including Southeastern‘s routes between London and the Kent towns, would come under the remit of his office and Transport for London.
via BBC News
National Trust’s appeal to save Knole House
A medieval stately home in Kent needs £2.7m to carry out urgent repairs to protect its important collections of furniture and tapestries.
The National Trust has launched a public appeal to raise funds for Knole House, near Sevenoaks.
The trust, which owns the building, says water leaks and pest infestations are putting important collections at risk.
Knole was built as part of an archbishop’s palace in 1456.
Set in a 1,000-acre deer park, the palace of Thomas Bourchier, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, was extended by his successors until Henry VIII forced Archbishop Cranmer to hand it over.
In 1604, Thomas Sackville, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth I, became the owner of Knole.
Over 400 years, the Sackville family amassed collections of furniture from royal palaces, paintings, textiles and other objects from around the world.
The trust has written to supporters asking for help, describing Knole as the “most precious and fragile” property in its portfolio.
It has also applied to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a £7.5m grant.
Plans for a major facelift include opening new rooms to the public and building a conservation studio.
via BBC News
London’s new year fireworks set to music
Hundreds of thousands of revellers have welcomed in the new year at open-air parties across the UK.
An estimated 250,000 people watched an eleven-minute firework display at the London Eye, which was set to music for the first time.
Crowds also gathered in central London for the free annual fireworks, which were launched from barges on the Thames and the Eye itself.
Showers of brightly coloured fireworks shot into the sky to a soundtrack including Queen’s We Will Rock You and The Beatles’ Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
via BBC News
