NEWS
DfT extends Virgin West Coast contract
Virgin Trains is to continue running services on the West Coast Main Line until March 2017. It will pay the DfT £430m, a rise of at least 58% on the current arrangement, and introduce new services, more seats and free wi-fi.
Its executive co-chairman Patrick McCall said: “We’re delighted to have reached a deal after some tough negotiations with the DfT. It puts the problems of 2012 firmly behind us, and shows the clear benefits of a well-run franchise system.”
Virgin is converting 21 first-class carriages from its nine-car Pendolinos to standard class, will spend £20m on modernising stations, £2.5m on train interior refreshes, and £2.75m on improving catering facilities. It is negotiating with the ORR over plans for direct services from Shrewsbury and Blackpool to London.
Serco loses DLR operations to Keolis Amey
Serco, the operator of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) since 1997, has been beaten in the competition to run it until 2021 by the Keolis Amey joint venture, which will be paid more than £700m over the contract period.
It beat Serco and Stagecoach, while a Go-Ahead/Colas JV dropped out before the end of the procurement competition.
The contract begins on 7 December and runs until April 2021, with an option to extend until 2023.
Manchester seeks support for new tram line
Transport for Greater Manchester has launched a public consultation on plans to build a 5.5km, £350m Metrolink extension to the Trafford Park industrial area and the Trafford Centre shopping mall.
Initial plans for the new line are already in place, including a mostly off-street route and six new stops, 10 new trams already ordered, and £37m of start-up funding.
4 | rail technology magazine Jun/Jul 14
Network Rail will ‘learn lessons’ after three track workers killed in crash
Network Rail’s director for the Western & Wales region, Robbie Burns, is “determined” to learn lessons following the motorway
crash that killed
three track workers on their way home from a shift at Reading.
Steven Sheldon (pictured, right) and Martin Williams died in the crash in the early hours of 9 June, and James Vernon Stark died in hospital a few days later. All were from South Wales.
Their van, which had five people on board, collided with the back of a lorry on the hard shoulder near Chippenham, according to Supt Gavin Williams from Wiltshire Police.
Burns, discussing the accident during his speech at Rail Live in June, said when he first heard about the crash on the M4 on the radio on his drive into work at Swindon that Monday
morning, “I didn’t
think anything about it – I didn’t realise it was my own team, the track team at Reading.”
Their shift had finished on Monday morning, at 3.50am.
Burns repeated Network Rail’s ubiquitous safety message: “Everyone home safe
every
day.” He said: “It doesn’t say ‘everybody safe at the end of the shift every day’, it says
A statement released from Steven Sheldon’s family said: “Sadly, Steven Sheldon, 35, of Mountain Ash passed away during the horrendous incident which happened on the M4 junction 17 after returning home from work.
“He leaves behind a loving mother, Margaret, two devoted sisters, Lisa and Sarah, and two
much loved nieces,
‘everyone home safe day’.
every
“I’m determined to work with Carillion to understand what are the lessons we need to learn from this, about how we keep people safe getting home.”
Although the men did use the hotel they had been booked into – the Madejski Hotel in Reading – Burns suggested that sometimes, workers are known to try to drive home after a shift instead of using hotels booked for them. He asked
the audience: “How
many times on your sites do you book people into a hotel but they don’t use it? They go home, and then drive back to the next shift.
“But what condition are they in when they leave that shift? My safety message is about how we can guarantee our people get home safe every day.”
A Carillion spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident and at this time our priority is to provide support to those who have been affected by it and we extend
our condolences everyone concerned.
“The police are still currently investigating, but as with all accidents, we will be looking to see if there are lessons that could be learned for the future and will be working with all the relevant parties to do this.”
A 37-year-old man from Aberdare who was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving has been released on police bail pending further enquiries.
to
Shannon and Kloe. The family would like to thank family and friends for their support during this very tragic time.”
James Vernon Stark, 37, also came from Mountain Ash, near Aberdare. Martin Williams, 36, was from Bell Cottages in Trecynon.
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