News Pendolino to go east? by Peter Brown


East Coast could be operating a Pendolino on its services between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh next year, subject to talks currently taking place between the operator and train builder Alstom. Early indications of the plan are


that the 11-car Class 390 Pendolino would be one of a batch being built by Alstom at its plant in Savigliano, Italy, for the new West Coast Main Line franchise, due to start in service in March 2012. Much secrecy surrounds the


proposal, although Elaine Holt who is chief executive of Directly Operated Railways, as well as being chairman of East Coast, has told Rail Professional that talks are taking place.


She said: ‘We’re currently talking


with the manufacturer Alstom and other key industry partners to understand the challenges and opportunities involved in the commissioning and certification of


‘We’re currently talking with the manufacturer Alstom’


the Pendolino on East Coast. I’m very pleased that East Coast has been asked to commission the new Pendolino on the East Coast Main Line. ‘While a final decision has not


yet been made, if it goes ahead, the train would add extra capacity to our fleet. We’re sure our customers would appreciate the comfort and facilities that the new Pendolino has to offer.’ Assuming talks are successful,


the Pendolino would enter service next July for about nine months. During that time it would be fully


Manchester Victoria gets new roof as part of £25m improvements


by Alan Salter


Network Rail has announced details and timings of the £25m improvement scheme to Manchester’s Victoria station, which last year was named worst in the country. Despite losing £5m promised by


the last government, improvements will go ahead, jointly funded by Network Rail, Manchester City Council and GMITA The centre piece will be a new


roof. Network Rail is considering using a roofing system called ETFE, similar to that at Piccadilly station, which would mean the entire station will be flooded with natural light. Other facilities being considered include:


l A glazed screen between platforms and concourse;


l Moving the ticket office and building a central travel centre;


l Work to protect the heritage features of the station, such as the external façade and canopy, war memorials and mosaics;


l Extra shops; and l Provision for step-free access to the arena, and new Metrolink platforms, if they are needed in the future.


Jo Kaye, Network Rail’s route director, said: ‘Manchester relies on rail and the go-ahead for this vital project underlines Network Rail’s commitment to improving Manchester Victoria.’


Councillors Andrew Fender,


Keith Whitmore, Ian Macdonald and Sir Richard Leese


Metrolink station to open 24 hours


Manchester is to get the only all-night tram system in Britain when the Metrolink extension to the airport opens – with cheap fares for its 19,000 staff. Even London’s Tube closes down at 01:30 and Blackpool’s famous trams stop running at around 01:00. The airport, which is handing over £50m towards the nine-mile line through


Chorlton, Northern Moor, Baguley, and Wythenshawe, will pay for a service in the early hours from G-Mex. When the Manchester Airport line opens in 2016, there will be a pause in service after the last tram of the night at 00:30, but it will resume at 03:00.


SEPTEMBER 2010 PAGE 5 Elaine Holt


integrated into the East Coast scheduling and be maintained by Alstom at its train care centre in Polmadie, Glasgow. A spokesperson for Alstom


confirmed that building the new trains began last year under contract with the Department for Transport. The 106 new, longer carriages are to be used to lengthen trains on the WCML in addition to four new units. The new 140mph, trains which


are slightly longer than the existing East Coast fleet, will be limited to 125mph.


Crossrail extensions ‘may be postponed’


There are growing suggestions that the eastern and western extensions of Crossrail may be postponed. The transport secretary, Philip


Hammond, declined to guarantee that the £16bn line will be completed as planned by 2017. He told the Commons


Transport Committee: ‘The government’s objective is to deliver the whole of the Crossrail route network. ‘But it’s clear that that has to be affordable, and we are still at a relatively early stage of the project in terms of having a fixed handle on the costs.’ Angie Bray, Conservative


MP for Ealing Central and Acton, said the best return on investment would come from building the extensions to Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east, and Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west. Hammond admitted there was a link between fare revenue and the extensions. But he said that was only one part of a complex financing equation.


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