Latest news with #SouthWestern
The Hindu
5 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Care home residents in Koyilandy living in fear again
As the dark clouds of the South Western monsoon hover over the skies, members of Asha Niketan, a care-giving home for mentally challenged persons at Nandi Bazar near Koyilandy in Kozhikode district, are living in fear again. The western side of the property was vertically cut for about seven metres without taking scientific or technical precautions for the ongoing construction of the National Highway-66 bypass road linking Nandi and Chengottukavu, claim its authorities. A building standing on the edge of this portion was partially acquired for the work. The remaining part is now on the verge of collapse and is standing in a precarious condition. Asha Niketan is run by FMR (India), a charitable organisation, and there are around 70 inmates at the care home now. O.K. Premanandan, chairman, Asha Niketan, told The Hindu that the contractor and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) authorities were yet to provide any kind of safety steps to protect the boundaries of their property. 'Portions of the property standing on the edge of the road are now sliding down. Soil erosion is happening because of the absence of any kind of protective wall on either side of the acquired property. This has been experienced during heavy showers for the past few years,' he said. The Asha Niketan functionaries said that when heavy rains lashed the area between May 23 and May 31, the mentally challenged inmates had to be shifted to other buildings for safety. Mr. Premanandan said that the bypass road had divided the property into multiple portions. 'When the land was being acquired, we were promised that the service road to Nandi Bazar would be extended to reach the facility. However, the narrow side road leading to the care-giving home was demolished during the work. There is no access from the main road to the residential buildings and other facilities on the eastern side,' he said. Three of the 10 acres owned by the care home were acquired for the work. The road is now passing through the middle of the property, isolating the eastern portion, which has residential buildings, an administrative office, a workshop, classrooms, and a cow shed, among others.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK renationalises first train operator under Labour reforms
A private train operator servicing parts of southern England, including London, on Sunday became the first to be returned to public ownership under a government plan to renationalise Britain's much-maligned railways. All UK rail operators are due to be renationalised within the next two years in a key policy launched by Prime Minister Keir Starmer following his Labour party's return to government last July after 14 years in opposition. "South Western Railway is now under public ownership. And this is just the start," Starmer said on X, formerly Twitter, naming the service kickstarting his government's plan. He vowed the renationalisation "will put passengers first", with "better services, with simpler ticketing, on more comfortable trains". Train passengers in Britain suffer from frequent cancellations, in addition to high ticket prices and regular confusion over which services they can be used on. The privatisation of rail operations took place in the mid-1990s under the Conservative prime minister of the time, John Major, but the rail network remained public, run by Network Rail. Four of the 14 operators in England are already run by the state owing to poor performance in recent years, but this was originally meant to be a temporary fix before a return to the private sector. Labour triumphed over the Conservative party in elections last year, with its manifesto including promises to fix the country's ailing transport services. Legislation was approved in November to bring rail operators into public ownership when the private companies' contracts expire -- or sooner in the event of poor management –- and be managed by "Great British Railways". Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said in a statement that will end "30 years of fragmentation", but warned that "change isn't going to happen overnight". - 'Public good' - "We've always been clear that public ownership isn't a silver bullet, but we are really firing this starting gun in that race for a truly 21st-century railway, and that does mean refocusing away from private profit and towards the public good," she added. In an example of how passengers might not immediately notice much difference, South Western's first service under public ownership on Sunday was set to include a rail replacement bus because of engineering work. Government figures show that the equivalent of four percent of train services in Britain were cancelled in the year to April 26. The rate was three percent for South Western. Rail unions -- which have staged a stream of strikes in recent years over pay and conditions due to a cost-of-living crisis -- welcomed the state takeover. "We're delighted that Britain's railways are being brought back where they belong -- into the public sector," said Mick Whelan, general secretary of union Aslef. "Everyone in the rail industry knows that privatisation... didn't, and doesn't, work," he added. Two operators serving towns and cities in southeastern and eastern England are next to be brought back into public ownership by late 2025. All the current contracts are set to expire by 2027. UK media reported that the renationalisation of South Western means a third of journeys are now on publicly owned services. The government has said renationalisation will save up to £150 million ($200 million) per year because it will no longer have to pay compensation fees to rail operators. The main rail operators in Scotland and Wales, where transport policy is handled by the devolved administrations in Edinburgh and Cardiff, are also state-owned. ajb/pdh/rmb
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
UK renationalises first train operator under Labour reforms
A private train operator servicing parts of southern England, including London, on Sunday became the first to be returned to public ownership under a government plan to renationalise Britain's much-maligned railways. All UK rail operators are due to be renationalised within the next two years in a key policy launched by Prime Minister Keir Starmer following his Labour party 's return to government last July after 14 years in opposition. "South Western Railway is now under public ownership. And this is just the start," Starmer said on X, formerly Twitter, naming the service kickstarting his government's plan. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: 1 simple trick to get all TV channels Techno Mag Learn More Undo He vowed the renationalisation "will put passengers first", with "better services, with simpler ticketing, on more comfortable trains". Train passengers in Britain suffer from frequent cancellations, in addition to high ticket prices and regular confusion over which services they can be used on. Live Events You Might Also Like: UK net migration dips sharply in 2024 The privatisation of rail operations took place in the mid-1990s under the Conservative prime minister of the time, John Major, but the rail network remained public, run by Network Rail. Four of the 14 operators in England are already run by the state owing to poor performance in recent years, but this was originally meant to be a temporary fix before a return to the private sector. Labour triumphed over the Conservative party in elections last year, with its manifesto including promises to fix the country's ailing transport services. Legislation was approved in November to bring rail operators into public ownership when the private companies' contracts expire -- or sooner in the event of poor management -- and be managed by " Great British Railways ". You Might Also Like: 'Thanks, Brexit': UK counts its fortunes as Trump slaps 50% tariff on EU Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said in a statement that will end "30 years of fragmentation", but warned that "change isn't going to happen overnight". "We've always been clear that public ownership isn't a silver bullet, but we are really firing this starting gun in that race for a truly 21st-century railway, and that does mean refocusing away from private profit and towards the public good," she added. In an example of how passengers might not immediately notice much difference, South Western's first service under public ownership on Sunday was set to include a rail replacement bus because of engineering work. Government figures show that the equivalent of four percent of train services in Britain were cancelled in the year to April 26. The rate was three percent for South Western. Rail unions, which have staged a stream of strikes in recent years over pay and conditions due to a cost-of-living crisis welcomed the state takeover. "We're delighted that Britain's railways are being brought back where they belong -- into the public sector," said Mick Whelan, general secretary of union Aslef. "Everyone in the rail industry knows that privatisation... didn't, and doesn't, work," he added. Two operators serving towns and cities in southeastern and eastern England are next to be brought back into public ownership by late 2025. All the current contracts are set to expire by 2027. UK media reported that the renationalisation of South Western means a third of journeys are now on publicly owned services. The government has said renationalisation will save up to £150 million ($200 million) per year because it will no longer have to pay compensation fees to rail operators. The main rail operators in Scotland and Wales, where transport policy is handled by the devolved administrations in Edinburgh and Cardiff, are also state-owned.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
UK renationalises first train operator under Labour reforms
Representative Image (AI-generated) A private train operator servicing parts of southern England, including London, on Sunday became the first to be returned to public ownership under a government plan to renationalise Britain's much-maligned railways. All UK rail operators are due to be renationalised within the next two years in a key policy launched by Prime Minister Keir Starmer following his Labour party's return to government last July after 14 years in opposition. "South Western Railway is now under public ownership. And this is just the start," Starmer said on X, naming the service kickstarting his government's plan. He vowed the renationalisation "will put passengers first", with "better services, with simpler ticketing, on more comfortable trains". Train passengers in Britain suffer from frequent cancellations, in addition to high ticket prices and regular confusion over which services they can be used on. The privatisation of rail operations took place in the mid-1990s under the Conservative prime minister of the time, John Major, but the rail network remained public, run by Network Rail. Four of the 14 operators in England are already run by the state owing to poor performance in recent years, but this was originally meant to be a temporary fix before a return to the private sector. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Labour triumphed over the Conservative party in elections last year, with its manifesto including promises to fix the country's ailing transport services. Legislation was approved in November to bring rail operators into public ownership when the private companies' contracts expire -- or sooner in the event of poor management -- and be managed by "Great British Railways". Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said in a statement that will end "30 years of fragmentation", but warned that "change isn't going to happen overnight". Public good: "We've always been clear that public ownership isn't a silver bullet, but we are really firing this starting gun in that race for a truly 21st-century railway, and that does mean refocusing away from private profit and towards the public good," she added. In an example of how passengers might not immediately notice much difference, South Western's first service under public ownership on Sunday was set to include a rail replacement bus because of engineering work. Government figures show that the equivalent of 4 per cent of train services in Britain were cancelled in the year to April 26. The rate was 3 per cent for South Western. Rail unions -- which have staged a stream of strikes in recent years over pay and conditions due to a cost-of-living crisis -- welcomed the state takeover. "We're delighted that Britain's railways are being brought back where they belong -- into the public sector," said Mick Whelan, general secretary of union Aslef. "Everyone in the rail industry knows that privatisation... didn't, and doesn't, work," he added. Two operators serving towns and cities in southeastern and eastern England are next to be brought back into public ownership by late 2025. All the current contracts are set to expire by 2027. UK media reported that the renationalisation of South Western means a third of journeys are now on publicly owned services. The government has said renationalisation will save up to £150 million ($200 million) per year because it will no longer have to pay compensation fees to rail operators. The main rail operators in Scotland and Wales, where transport policy is handled by the devolved administrations in Edinburgh and Cardiff, are also state-owned.
Int'l Business Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
UK Renationalises First Train Operator Under Labour Reforms
A private train operator servicing parts of southern England, including London, on Sunday became the first to be returned to public ownership under a government plan to renationalise Britain's much-maligned railways. All UK rail operators are due to be renationalised within the next two years in a key policy launched by Prime Minister Keir Starmer following his Labour party's return to government last July after 14 years in opposition. "South Western Railway is now under public ownership. And this is just the start," Starmer said on X, formerly Twitter, naming the service kickstarting his government's plan. He vowed the renationalisation "will put passengers first", with "better services, with simpler ticketing, on more comfortable trains". Train passengers in Britain suffer from frequent cancellations, in addition to high ticket prices and regular confusion over which services they can be used on. The privatisation of rail operations took place in the mid-1990s under the Conservative prime minister of the time, John Major, but the rail network remained public, run by Network Rail. Four of the 14 operators in England are already run by the state owing to poor performance in recent years, but this was originally meant to be a temporary fix before a return to the private sector. Labour triumphed over the Conservative party in elections last year, with its manifesto including promises to fix the country's ailing transport services. Legislation was approved in November to bring rail operators into public ownership when the private companies' contracts expire -- or sooner in the event of poor management -- and be managed by "Great British Railways". Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said in a statement that will end "30 years of fragmentation", but warned that "change isn't going to happen overnight". "We've always been clear that public ownership isn't a silver bullet, but we are really firing this starting gun in that race for a truly 21st-century railway, and that does mean refocusing away from private profit and towards the public good," she added. In an example of how passengers might not immediately notice much difference, South Western's first service under public ownership on Sunday was set to include a rail replacement bus because of engineering work. Government figures show that the equivalent of four percent of train services in Britain were cancelled in the year to April 26. The rate was three percent for South Western. Rail unions -- which have staged a stream of strikes in recent years over pay and conditions due to a cost-of-living crisis -- welcomed the state takeover. "We're delighted that Britain's railways are being brought back where they belong -- into the public sector," said Mick Whelan, general secretary of union Aslef. "Everyone in the rail industry knows that privatisation... didn't, and doesn't, work," he added. Two operators serving towns and cities in southeastern and eastern England are next to be brought back into public ownership by late 2025. All the current contracts are set to expire by 2027. UK media reported that the renationalisation of South Western means a third of journeys are now on publicly owned services. The government has said renationalisation will save up to GBP150 million ($200 million) per year because it will no longer have to pay compensation fees to rail operators. The main rail operators in Scotland and Wales, where transport policy is handled by the devolved administrations in Edinburgh and Cardiff, are also state-owned.
