NEWS
Birmingham tram extension approved
The tram network in Birmingham is set to be extended, after transport minister Norman Baker gave final approval to the £128m scheme. Trams have been absent from the city centre since 1953.
The expanded Midland Metro will link Snow Hill station with the redeveloped Birmingham New Street from 2015. The project will deliver a new fleet of trams, create 1,300 jobs and generate £50m for the lo- cal economy. The maintenance depot at Wednesbury will also be developed to increase its capacity.
Centro has announced Spanish manufacturer CAF as the pre- ferred bidder for the new tram fleet. The contract includes 25 Urbos 3 trams, in a deal worth approximately £40m, which will replace 16 trams currently on the network, to cope with the expected rise in demand once the 1.3km extension opens.
The DfT is providing £75.4m towards the overall scheme, which is being led by Centro with Birmingham City Council and the Black Country district councils.
Baker called the scheme “great news for both the city itself and the wider West Midlands”.
He added: “It will provide a new, sustainable transport choice for those wishing to reach the city centres bustling shopping streets and the emerging busi- ness district in Snow Hill.”
Birmingham Chamber of Com- merce Group chief executive Jerry Blackett said: “By linking up our major railway stations within the city centre we move ever closer to creating a more integrated and well-connected city.
The new trams will start running by late 2014 and the extension should open in 2015.
Awards for Translink The communications team at
Translink NI Railways is celebrat- ing a double win at the Rail Busi- ness Awards, having walked off with both the Railnews Internal Communications award and the PR Campaign of the Year gong.
The PR campaign was for the ‘New Trains Two’ programme in preparation for the delivery of 20 new Class 4000 trains.
The programme included a net- work-wide rail upgrade, previews of the first train on arrival at Bel- fast, on-track testing and the pas-
senger service launch of the first new train. The internal communi- cations award was based on mes- saging to staff encouraging energy efficiency.
Sanjay Mistry, category judge for the PR category, said: “A high quality entry from NI Railways, which clearly met the objectives, maximised the key milestones for media exposure and a successful campaign that generated a very good level of coverage.”
More on Translink NI Railways’ work on p44.
RTM to sponsor Infrarail Awards
The Infrarail Awards team has announced that the Headline Sponsor for the Infrarail Awards has now been confirmed – Rail Technology Magazine!
2012 is a very busy year indeed, with
the Olympic Games, the
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 9th international railway infrastructure event, Infrarail 2012, taking place from May 1 – 3 at the Birmingham NEC.
As always, Rail Technology Magazine will be situated near the main entrance doing all it can to deliver increased exposure at no extra cost to its advertisers, and signing up new subscribers whilst handing out complimentary copies of the April/May issue in addition to our usual readership.
This year, Rail Technology Magazine has increased its exposure further by becoming the
Headline Sponsor of the
Infrarail 2012 Awards with a firm pledge to do all
it can to help
ensure maximum attendance by exhibitors and visitors alike.
Roy Rowlands, managing director of Rail Technology Magazine, commented: “It’s
great to see
Mack Brookes are showing their exhibitors a real willingness to recognise effort and achievement at the show and taking it seriously enough to employ dedicated
8 | rail technology magazine Feb/Mar 12
This fresh new look will see visitor numbers to the leading rail industry news site soar, offering further analysis of the UK rail industry on a daily basis to a
events company In2Global; this will pay dividends in the long run as momentum and popularity grows.”
Rail Technology Magazine will be using Infrarail 2012 and the Infrarail 2012 Awards to further endorse its enviable position as being the market-leading print and online media source for Britain’s rail industry. The April/May issue will contain an independent preview of Infrarail 2012 as well as unveiling a new and updated
www.railtechnologymagazine.com.
global audience.
The new site is feature-rich with a whole host of new and exciting ways to browse the site and search for relevant content along with additional opportunities for suppliers to showcase their range of innovative products and services. For further information on
the April/May issue and
our Infrarail 2012 exhibition preview, along with an array of exciting new features at www.railtechnologymagazine. com contact the team on 0161 833 6320 or by email info@
railtechnologymagazine.com
We look forward to seeing you at Infrarail 2012 and the Infrarail 2012 Awards dinner.
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