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Multi-million pound completion of Bootle Oriel Road Station
THE
multi-million redevelopment of Bootle Oriel Road Station has been
completed.
Mayor of Sefton Councillor Paul Tweed and Mark Dowd, Bootle
Councillor and Chair of Merseytravel, officially opened the new-look
station following 16 months of major work on the £4.25million
project.
Among a raft of improvements include a new fully accessible ticket
office and booking hall, a new footbridge, stairs and lifts to
provide step free access to the platforms.
Councillor Mark Dowd, a former train driver himself, said:-
“The new-look station is a vast improvement.
These works have helped
us create a station fit for the 21st Century, improving access to
rail services for many people and re-establishing it as an important
transport link to and from the area.”
Neil Scales, Chief Executive and Director General of Merseytravel,
added:- “This refurbishment is one of a number of projects we
have developed right across the region to make our railways better.
It is an investment in the future of our network and supports our
objective to provide an integrated public transport system that is
accessible to all.”
The station is now equipped with state-of-the-art CCTV cameras.
Other improvements include a new shelter on the Southport bound
platform to match the new shelter on the Liverpool platform.
What do you think about the improvements
on the Mersey Rail Network. Email us to
news24@southportreporter.com. |
START-UPS HIGHEST IN 3 QUARTERS
BARCLAY'S
estimates that there were 98,000 new start-up businesses in England
and Wales in the 1st quarter of 2008. Though down on the record
figures seen in 2006-early 2007, the figures are the highest in the
last 3 quarters, reflecting the resilience of business start-ups.
The number of start-ups and closures were also roughly the same for
this quarter (99,900 closures), compared to previous quarters in
which there were significantly greater numbers of closures (Q4 2007:
start-ups 86,400, closures 111,900).
The most popular industries for start-ups were business and
financial services (27,500 start-ups), construction (15,100) and the
retail sector (10,700). In the North West, an estimated 13,000
businesses opened their doors in the 1st quarter of 2008 with
Business and Financial Services being the most popular sector in the
region (3,500) followed by Construction (2,100).
Paul Titterton, North West Regional Director for Barclays Local
Business, said:- "Small business entrepreneurs are finding
opportunities in the market place. They are entering in reduced
numbers, reflecting an uncertainty over short-term economic
prospects, but clearly there's a feeling there is never a bad time
to start a good business. We do anticipate further modest
reductions in both start-ups and closures during the remainder of
the year, set against the high numbers in recent years."
Accompanying the latest figures for starts and closures are
estimates on the contribution of non-UK nationals to small
businesses. These indicate that 10% of mainstream businesses and 15%
of start-ups in 2007 involved an owner-manager from outside of the
UK (8% in the North West).
"These figures show the great contribution being made to the
UK economy by non-UK nationals. There is a lot of skilled labour going into these start-ups - for
instance, in the health, education, and social work sectors, where
over 1 in 6 start ups have involvement from non-UK nationals.
Unsurprisingly, the greatest contribution of these individuals to
the business market is in London, where last year they were involved
in nearly 30% of SMEs and more than 35% of start-ups. They also play
an important role in the business life of a number of urban areas
outside of the capital."
said Paul Titterton.
The other major sectors to benefit from the involvement of non-UK
nationals include the construction, wholesale, retail, hotels and
catering and business services industries sectors. |
