in brief...
Ten-year deal powers Britain’s biggest rail electrification programme Network Rail has awarded EDF Energy a ten-year deal for the supply of low carbon electricity to power Britain’s growing electrified rail network. EDF, the largest producer of low- carbon energy in the UK, will supply around 3.2TWh of electricity a year to power a network which carries three million passengers and tens of thousands of tonnes of freight a day. The company will ensure 100 per cent of the electricity it supplies to NR will be matched by low carbon energy generated from its eight nuclear power stations.
Edwina Curry accuses TSSA of being ‘silly’ TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes has agreed to tone down a controversial advertisement featuring the former minister’s affair with John Major. Curry accused the TSSA of being ‘silly’ over the wording of the ad, which was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority over the line, ‘It wasn’t just Edwina who John Major s*****d...he also s*****d our railways and millions of passengers’. Cortes, who wants to publish the ad to mark the 20th anniversary of Major’s Tory government voting to sell of British Rail, said he would talk to the ASA about a new ad after agreeing to delete the offending words.
New London Overground link carries one million in first month The new Clapham Junction to Surrey Quays link on the London Overground network carried its one millionth passenger on 10th January, after being open for one month. The link, which was opened by London’s Mayor Boris Johnson and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, completed the London Overground orbital network. The last orbital rail network built in London was London Underground’s Circle Line, opened 128 years ago.
National Express turns it around The parent company of South Essex train operator, c2c, has received the Listed Company Turnaround Award at the Institute for Turnaround Awards, for its transformation from significant difficulty to robust financial health, posting record profits and securing thousands of jobs.
New director general to oversee HS2 David Prout has joined the Department for Transport in a newly created post taking charge of the delivery of HS2, the national high speed network. Prout was formerly director general at the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
Stratford is London Station of the Year Greater Anglia’s Stratford station won the accolade for 2012 after a public vote organised by the Transport for London Forum. Competing against Blackfriars, East Croydon and Waterloo,
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the forum said rail users have noticed huge changes at the station after it was extensively upgraded and remodelled prior to the Olympic games.
Chiltern launches ‘wave & pay’ Chiltern Railways has become the first UK train company to trial contactless payment for train tickets. The project, in partnership with Barclaycard and ticketing company Parkeon Transit, has been introduced for the most popular tickets between Great Missenden and London Marylebone.
Ticketing system should be simpler London TravelWatch has called for the government’s fares and ticketing review, due to be published in May, to put passengers first by recommending a simpler more affordable ticketing system, and a more flexible approach to peak time pricing. It recommends a ‘miles based’ approach for part-time workers, similar to the Italian system.
Plastic footbridge is UK first Newton Abbot MP Anne Marie Morris has opened the UK’s first Grade II listed plastic footbridge at Dawlish station as part of a £1 million improvement project. Weighing only five tonnes, the new bridge is roughly two thirds lighter than the previous one, which was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1830 and reconstructed in 1937.
Knighthood for London’s Transport Commissioner Sir Peter Hendy CBE has been awarded a knighthood in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours, for services to transport and the community. Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said Hendy has ‘shown outstanding leadership, including overseeing the largest ever investment programme in the capital’s transport network and record breaking passenger numbers and operational performance.’
Serco’s DLR contract extended Dockland’s Light Railway (DLR) has granted an 18-month extension to its contract with Serco Docklands to operate the railway on its behalf, to September 2014. Transport for London cited Serco’s successful performance during the Olympic and Paralympic games and sustained levels of punctuality.
New records for Eurotunnel One million passengers were carried by Eurotunnel’s Le Shuttle over Christmas and the new year in almost 200,000 vehicles, marking the highest level of traffic during a comparable period since 2001. At the same time our furry friends broke a second record with more than 1000 dogs and cats using Le Shuttle to head back to the UK, over 926 set in January 2012. Le Shuttle is first choice for pets as they can stay with their owners throughout the crossing.
Transport Minister to open Railtex 2013
The Rt Hon Simon Burns MP, Minister of State for Transport, is to
open the UK’s premier rail industry event, Railtex 2013, at Earl’s Court in London on 30 April.
The minister’s keynote presentation, held on the same day, is expected to offer insights into policies shaping the future direction of the industry and the opportunities they will offer. Exhibition manager, Heidi Cotsworth,
said: ‘We look forward to welcoming the minister to Railtex. The Coalition government’s support for major schemes like Crossrail and HS2, as well as for other investments in the network, sends very
Simon Burns MP
positive signals to the companies
represented at this event. I have no doubt that attendees will be very interested in what he has to say.’ Registration for Railtex is now open.
Transformation of the Tube continues during 150th year
The world’s first underground railway - the stretch of line between
Paddington and Farringdon, then the Metropolitan Railway, opened on 9 January 1863, with the first passenger journeys on the following day.
150 years on, 2013 will see a wide range of commemorative activities including two new two-pound coins issued by the Royal Mint, ten special stamps from the Royal Mail, books, exhibitions and cultural events.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘The Tube annihilates distance, liquidates traffic and is the throbbing cardiovascular system of the greatest city on earth.’ Mike Brown, London Underground managing director, said that marking the anniversary will take place alongside a continuous programme of transforming stations and replacing trains, signals and track, including more new air-conditioned trains, which will soon serve 40 per cent of the network.
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