Sector Focus
Business Travel
Sponsored by: Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways reaches historic 20th anniversary milestone
By Suzy Rigg Senior Communications Manager
• Chiltern has seen constant growth in passenger numbers currently at 6.2m passengers per year since opening
• Three new parkway stations have been opened with Chiltern investment
• 130 million invested to build a new line between London and Oxford
• Over £600m total investment in passenger benefits since launch
Chiltern Railways operating services from London Marylebone to destinations in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands has reached a landmark milestone as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. The company began running
services at the start of privatisation in 1996 and in 2002 was awarded an historic 20-year franchise, one of the longest ever to be awarded to a train operator. This franchise allows the company to invest in conceiving and delivering infrastructure development for passenger benefit. In the last two decades it has grown the business exponentially, investing more than £600 million in the network. Chiltern will commemorate the occasion with a number of activities over the next 12 months. Dave Penney, Chiltern’s Managing Director said: “I feel proud to be at the helm of Chiltern Railways for this historic milestone. When the business was created, the customer was put at the heart of decision making and this ethos remains today. Everything we do, whether it be building a new rail line, a new station, improving our free Wi-Fi or adding more car park spaces, has the needs of our passengers at its core. Since 1996 Chiltern has
positively transformed the communities we serve and as we enter our 21st year we will continue this journey and strive to deliver the highest levels of customer service.”
52 CHAMBERLINK September 2016
Award is just the ticket for Walsall bus driver
A Walsall man has been crowned National Express West Midlands’ Bus Driver of the Year – and is now vying for a national award. Stephen Bate from Brownhills will now advance to
the 50th anniversary National Bus Driver of the Year Competition, which is being held in Blackpool this month.
‘I was up against some very good drivers here. It’s very pressurised and very tiring’
He will be joined by fellow Midlanders Paul Jarvis from the Birmingham Central depot in Digbeth, Darren Dunbar from Perry Barr and Wolverhampton bus driver Craig Lockyer, who finished second, third and fourth respectively in the regional competition. Hundreds of drivers competed in heats across
National Express’ ten West Midlands bus depots - Yardley Wood, Acocks Green, Birmingham Central (Digbeth), Bordesley, Perry Barr, Coventry, Pensnett (Dudley), Walsall, Wolverhampton and West Bromwich. The 25 best drivers were then put through their
paces on in a surprise set of practical driving tests which go further than the normal National Express professional driver training. Stephen came out on top and is now set for his fifth appearance at the national finals. He finished ninth last
On the buses (from left): Craig Lockyer, Paul Jarvis, Stephen Bate and Darren Dunbar
time around and has earned second and third place finishes in previous years. Stephen said: “I’m shocked! Wherever you come is
an achievement. I was up against some very good drivers here. It’s very pressurised and very tiring.” National Express HR director, Madi Pilgrim, said: “Our priorities at National Express are safety and customer service. Everything about Bus Driver of the Year shows how seriously we take those two things. “I’m very proud of everyone who competed. Being a
bus driver on the busy roads of the West Midlands is a hard job, but these drivers do it fantastically well.”
Airline jets in to Birmingham
Leading airline and package holiday company
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays has landed in the West Midlands – with Birmingham Airport becoming its eighth UK airport base. Fifteen sun destinations are now
on sale for summer 2017 – Alicante, Crete (Heraklion), Faro, Fuerteventura, Girona (Costa Brava), Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Majorca, Malaga, Menorca, Paphos, Reus, Rhodes and Tenerife – giving local holidaymakers even more choice and even better value when it comes to their sunshine breaks next year. A total of 57 weekly flights will
operate to these destinations, with daily services to popular hotspots Alicante, Faro and Majorca. An estimated 590,000 seats will
be available for summer 2017 and the flights will operate on four of
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays’ brand new Boeing 737-800 next generation aircraft. The arrival of
Jet2.com and
Jet2holidays’ in Birmingham means significant investment for the region. The company says 200 jobs will be created with roles available including flight and cabin crew, engineers and ground operations.
Take off for Jet2: Steve Heapy (left) and Paul Kehoe Steve Heapy, CEO of
Jet2.com
and Jet2holidays, said: “This is incredibly exciting news for us as we announce our expansion into our eighth UK airport base, providing further growth and investment for the region. “It’s fantastic to be bringing our friendly low fares, great value
package holidays, plus our brand new aircraft to Birmingham Airport.” Paul Kehoe, CEO at Birmingham
Airport, added: “This new addition to the family at Birmingham Airport means new jobs in our region and even more choice for travellers, with 15 routes to popular and affordable sun destinations.”
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