BAA looks at tram-trains for new airport link
by Arthur Allan
A continental-style tram-train scheme is among the options being considered to link Glasgow Airport with the city centre.
The move follows the Scottish government’s decision in 2009 to cancel a planned airport rail link.
Airport owners BAA are working with
Transport Scotland, Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) and other agencies to find a public transport solution to ease traffic congestion on routes to the airport. Tram-trains, with vehicles designed to run on existing rail systems as well as new tram networks, have been successful in Germany, France and the Netherlands.
A scheme to link Sheffield and Rotherham is currently in development, while Network Rail
is running a consultation seeking views on the potential benefits of UK tram-trains as part of better route utilisation.
BAA Scotland spokeswoman Sharon Morrison emphasised that tram-trains were only one possible option for Glasgow. ‘We will carry out a study this year to look at the best possible transport links to and from the airport. We’re not pushing for one particular mode of transport at this stage, because we need to do the research,’ she said. However, the news was welcomed by transport campaigners. John McCormick of the Scottish Association for Public Transport hailed tram-trains as being of huge potential economic benefit to Glasgow.
Besides the airport, he said, such a scheme could link several big residential estates to the rail network.
Construction of passing loops begins at Ely
n
Work has begun to build two 775-metre loops by Ely station in Cambridgeshire, as part of the project to upgrade the Felixstowe to Nuneaton freight artery. The loops are parallel to the existing track to the east of the station and will help regulate traffic through the junctions. Tim Cook, senior sponsor at
Network Rail, said: ‘The work we’re doing at Ely, together with the other enhancements along the route, is a key part of our plans to take more freight off roads and onto rail.’
The entire route has already been gauge cleared, to allow larger
‘high cube’ containers to be carried on normal wagons. A flyover is being built north of Nuneaton station and a chord at Ipswich is awaiting planning approval. By 2014, trains carrying high cubes will be able to travel more directly from the Port of Felixstowe to the West Midlands, north-west England and Scotland without having to travel through north London.
The government is considering the Initial Industry Plan, which identifies further improvements along route for 2014-2019, including the doubling of the track between Ely and Soham.
‘A tram-train strategy, combined with SPT’s subway modernisation programme, could provide Glasgwegians with a futuristic, high- quality integrated urban transport system of the kind already developed in many German cities,’ he added.
The £212m Glasgow Airport Rail Link project was cancelled on cost grounds by the Scottish government. The decision caused anger in the city and business groups have since led attempts to revive the scheme. n
arthur.allan@
railpro.co.uk
‘We’re not pushing for one particular mode of transport at this stage, because we need to do the research’
Fishguard and Goodwick station in 1983
Fishguard station reopens
A Welsh station closed under the Beeching Axe has been reopened, thanks to pooled funding of £450,000 from Welsh authorities and rail companies.
Fishguard and Goodwick station now boasts a brand new station building and car park. The platform has been resurfaced and 150 metres of track realigned. Seven trains a day will call there from May. First opened in 1899, Fishguard and Goodwick station closed to regular railway traffic in 1964 when the local train service was withdrawn, but was used as a terminus for Motorail services to the nearby port until 1980. The line it sits on – a spur off the West Wales Whitland to Swansea line – has always remained open for occasional for boat trains going to the nearby Fishguard Harbour station.
Funding for the reopening has been provided by Pembrokeshire County Council, the Welsh government, the South West Wales Integrated Transport Consortium, Network Rail Wales and Arriva Trains Wales. Councillor Jamie Adams, deputy leader of Pembrokeshire County Council said: ‘Improvements to rail services west of Swansea were not only a priority for Pembrokeshire but for the South West region as a whole. ‘The reopening of the station is a positive step for the communities of Fishguard and Goodwick, and indeed north Pembrokeshire, and will help attract passengers onto the new enhanced rail services.’
PAGE 10 APRIL 2012
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40