Sector Focus
Bromsgrove train line goes electric
The first electric train has travelled between Birmingham and Bromsgrove. The West Midlands Railway train
made the historic journey to test the newly installed overhead power lines, ahead of a full electric service being introduced later this summer. The upgrade and electrification
of the railway to Bromsgrove by Network Rail is part of the Railway Upgrade Plan. When the work is completed,
West Midlands Railway will operate an extra three trains every hour. Currently the town has two trains
per hour in the peak and just one train per hour off-peak. The testing also marks the permanent switch on of the overhead power lines, which carry 25,000v of electricity, 24 hours a day. Richard Dugdale, senior sponsor
for Network Rail, said: “Passengers will soon be travelling on electric trains between Birmingham and Bromsgrove which will provide a better, greener, more reliable service. “These are exciting times for the
region. We are investing almost £1bn to create more and better journeys, helping to shape and support the region’s economy and identity.”
Business Travel
Trio of high-flyers appointed at Flybe
Flybe has strengthened its executive team with a trio of high-profile appointments. Ian Milne has been named as
chief financial officer, with Roy Kinnear joining as chief commercial officer and Vincent Hodder as chief strategy officer. Prior to joining Flybe, Ian had a
20-year career at British Airways/ International Airlines Group. He served as IAG’s group financial controller and BA’s director of integration. He worked in the London office
of Ernst & Young before joining Flybe as interim CGO in August 2017 – an appointment that has now been made permanent. Roy joins from Air Seychelles,
where he was chief executive officer. He has overall responsibility for
heading up the airline’s commercial activities with its revenue management, network, scheduling, ancillary, sales, marketing, e-
L-R: Ian Milne, Roy Kinnear and Vincent Hodder
commerce, customer care and loyalty teams all reporting to him. He has more than 30 years in
the industry and previously held various senior management roles with carriers including BMI, Gulf Air and Etihad. Having joined Flybe as chief
revenue officer in December 2015, Vincent has assumed a newly created senior management role,
heading a team to focus on identifying new areas of business for the company. Vincent was previously chief
commercial officer at VivaAerobus in Mexico, executive director and senior vice-president of operations in Tokyo for Jetstar, and vice-president for Strategic Development at Grupo TACA in El Salvador.
Mayor calls for better cycling infrastructure
West Midlands mayor Andy Street is urging the Government to boost efforts to increase cycling and walking journeys by investing in safe infrastructure. Mr Street and Transport for the
West Midlands (TfWM), have committed to increasing levels of walking and cycling to five per cent of all journeys by 2023. In a letter to Under Secretary of
State for Transport Jesse Norman, the mayor has asked the Department of Transport to support the West Midlands in increasing investment on cycling to £10 per head by 2023, focused on new and upgraded cycling infrastructure. It forms part of a call for evidence
by the Department for Transport (DfT) ahead of the publication of a new Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy. Mr Street said: “We have made
some significant progress in the West Midlands over the last 12 months in terms of improvements in the cycling infrastructure and promoting walking and cycling. “In my letter to Jesse Norman,
I’ve asked him to work with the WMCA and TfWM on a host of
62 CHAMBERLINK July/August 2018
Two-wheel travel: Roger Lawrence and Andy Street
measures which I believe will make it safer for people to walk and cycle. We need the Government’s help to enable us to take this to the next level, making cycling and walking a safer and easier option than it is now, with beneficial impacts on traffic congestion and air pollution.” Cllr Roger Lawrence, leader of
City of Wolverhampton Council and transport lead on the WMCA, said: “While excellent progress is being made, the call for evidence from the DfT is an opportunity to push for even greater investment, powers and devolution to accelerate the work currently taking place.”
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