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Transport roundup

First meeting of Transport for the North took place in Leeds on 12 January, chaired by leader of Manchester City Council Sir Richard Leese and with Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin in attendance. The meeting was the first step on the way to drawing up a comprehensive transport strategy for the north covering rail, roads, ports and airports. TfN is led by the city regions that made up One North: Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle, together with Hull and the Humber, working in collaboration with other northern authorities, the Department for Transport, Highways Agency, Network Rail, and HS2 Ltd. A joint interim report will be produced in March 2015.

AECOM has been appointed by Transport for London operate, manage and grow the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS). The contract has an initial term of five years with the option to extend by a further two years. As concessionaire, AECOM will extend FORS outside London, rolling out the scheme on a national basis to meet demand from companies outside the capital, as well as from operators keen to gain accreditation for their national fleet.  FORS is an accreditation scheme that delivers safety, environmental and efficiency benefits for fleet operators by encouraging the adoption of best practice industry standards. The FORS standards are in line with the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy, as well as issue-specific plans relating to air quality and road safety.  AECOM will deliver FORS with support from its partners the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) and specialist fleet services support organisation Fleet Source, collectively named the FORS Community Partnership.