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  RAIL NEWS SNIPPETS   Issue 154 - 12 May 2006  
  News from the East Anglian Branch of Railfuture   Edited by Martin Thorne and Jerry Alderson  


Bob Menzies, head of delivery of Cambrigdeshire Guided Busway at the county council, will be speaking at a public meeting at the Free Church in Market Hill, St Ives, PE27 5AL on Wednesday 17th May at 7.30pm. Map: http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=531433&y=271168&z=0&pc=PE27+5AL.

1st East, an Urban Regeneration Company created to reverse deprivation in Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth, have appointed Halcrow and partners to prepare plans for the regeneration of certains areas in each town. Although the public consultatioon has ended, further details can be found at http://www.1steast.co.uk. The Halcrow project director is Michael Parsons, who can be reached at Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green, London W6 7BY, or by e-mail: parsonsm@halcrow.com.

Dates for forthcoming Wisbech-March Bramley Line public meetings are as follow:
* 31st May - Upstairs at St. Peter's Church Hall, near the old Council Offices Wisbech
* 28th June - Royal British Legion Club, March
* 26th July - Upstairs at St. Peter's Church Hall, near the old Council Offices, Wisbech.

More speakers have been lined up for the The Campaigners' Conference in Stoke-on-Trent on 1st July. These include Ian Yeowart, managing director of Grande Central and Caspar Lucas of Parry People Movers.

The 2006 Rail Users' Conference will be held in Reading on Saturday 4th November 2006. More details will be given with the next issue of Railwatch.

On 22nd March 2006 Railfuture President, Peter Lawrence was re-elected as Chairman of the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership at the AGM of the partnership.

Network Rail's 2006 Business Plan is now on their website. See: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/companyinformation/BusinessPlans/BusinessPlan2006.htm. NR wants to improve performance so that 87.6% of trains ran on time by March 2007. This compares with 86.4% over the last year, 83.6% in the 12 months to March 2005 and 78.6% when National Rail was created.

Central Trains hopes to fill its off-peak services this summer by offering older travellers cheap fares. Anyone aged over 50 who completes a simple voucher and hands it in at Norwich station can then buy a period return to Peterborough, Leicester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Sheffield, Manchester or Liverpool for just £10. A day return to Peterborough costs £5. Each voucher is valid for up to two tickets; proof of age may be required. Mon-Fri travel must start after 09:00, but there are no weekend restrictions. Offer lasts from 15th June to 7th September. Vouchers can be printed from http://www.centraltrains.co.uk or obtained from CT Customer Relations team on 0121 634 2040.

==== Express Catering: £200 to become an independent operator. I understand that Norfolk County Council is to form a new grouping called "Norfolk Rail Alliance Group" to secure additional investment in Norfolk's rail services. I have written to the Cabinet Member for Transport at Norfolk County Council with the view to securing a place for Railfuture East Anglia Branch on the Alliance. The consultation documents for the new Central Trains / Cross Country franchises have been published and are at The Birmingham - Stansted service will move to the new Cross Country franchise, remain hourly, but have longer trains. The Norwich to Liverpool service (now to be part of the East Midlands franchise) will not be split at Nottingham. They are considering making it run two-hourly to Cambridge and two-hourly to Norwich, with an additional service on the Cambridge hours between Norwich and Peterborough, but only if they can negotiate changes with other operators' services. Mike. == Cross Coutry - Stansted East Midlands - Norwich 8th july consultation documents published consltaiton wends 7th august shortlist of bidders announced in September 2006 Invitaiton to tender issued i October 2006 Bids bmust be sibmitted by feruaqry 2007 Annoucemernt of the winner in sumemr 2007 with frnachise to star ton 11th Nov 2007. 8 years 4 months = XC Oiverpool-Norwich will not be split at nottingham contrary to fears. bletchley-MK (3 miles) is part of West midlands frnachise http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_localtrans/documents/divisionhomepage/611477.hcsp Consultation on changes to the policy on funding major projects A consultation on proposals changes to the policy for local authority LTP major projects covering preparatory costs, local contributions, cost increases, and the funding mechanism for schemes. Closing date: 7 July 2006. Section: Regional and Local Transport Published: 4 April 2006 Bramley Line have received a letter from Netowrk Rail granting a licence to examine the track and clear undergrowth and brambles. GB Railfreight have written to the chairman to declare an interest in their proposals and to offer assistance. A FOOTBRIDGE must be built at the scene of a railway crossing tragedy, says an MP. Schoolfriends Charlotte Thompson, 13, and 14-year-old Olivia Bazlinton were killed when they were struck by a train bound for Stansted Airport as they crossed the track at Elsenham railway station. MP Sir Alan Haselhurst was speaking following the publication by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) of an investigation into the deaths of the girls at the crossing on Saturday, December 3, last year. It is thought they ignored warning lights and closed barriers, thinking they related to the train they were hurrying to catch for a day out in Cambridge, which was waiting on the opposite platform. Olivia's father Chris has called for lockable gates at the crossing, but the RSSB report said this could lead to people being trapped on the line. The report also claims a footbridge would be too expensive. However, Sir Alan, deputy speaker in the House of Commons, said: "In the end, because of what has happened here, a footbridge has to be the ultimate answer - whatever the expense that is involved. It would have to be a big construction because of the staggered platforms. "Locking of the gates was my first reaction when the tragedy occurred. However, when I spoke to John Armitt, chief executive of Network Rail, he raised the possibility of people getting trapped. "And my young assistant, who travels by train from Elsenham, told me that on the Tuesday after the accident, when the gates were locked, people were climbing over them; so this would not be the complete answer." Sir Alan also said Network Rail should hold a public meeting as soon as possible, rather than wait for the completed inquest into the deaths and further safety reports to be published. In its report the RSSB said space limitations and costs would make the construction of a footbridge "very difficult to justify and promote". It said: "It may be that from the perspective of reasonably practicability, the cost of such project would be unsupportable." Press release: http://www.castiron.org.uk/PR-060516.php Ipswich griffin Wharf - 25th April was first train for four years. It left there for a short journey to Harwich. FORMER chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority Richard Bowker is to become the £1 million-a-year Chief Executive of National Express Group (NEG). Mr Bowker will succeed Phil White, who announced his retirement in March as head of Britain’s second largest train and bus operating company. David Ross, the National Express chairman, said. "There was only one choice for chief executive and he is it. We are delighted with his appointment." Mr Bowker, a former chairman of Virgin Rail before he joined the now-defunct SRA, said some people would take his appointment as a sign National Express would begin to focus more on rail, having seen FirstGroup overtake it as the country's biggest train operator recently. But he said he had an open mind and highlighted the way its coach business had come on “in leaps and bounds,” in particular with the £461m acquisition last year of Spain's biggest long-distance coach operator, Alsa. "I believe passionately in the customer and I believe the transport industry has a lot to do to deliver a consistent, high-quality customer service," he said. Mr Bowker is due to take up his new position in September. === New 'one' Advance Fares:- Customers will be able to travel to and From London from £10 return - £5 one way 'one' are changing and improving the existing fare structure. Users of Intercity services to and from London have been able to buy a number of "Advance Purchase tickets" these include APEX, London Day Out, London Evening Out, Leisure Advance and Business Advance. These are being replaced with a new set of First Class and Standard fares, which will offer greater choice and flexibility on Intercity journeys. The new Advance Fares are sold as one way tickets, allowing customers to choose the lowest available price for either stage of their journey. Customers can also mix and match the tickets they buy; for example, if travelling at a busy time, there is the option to travel on a standard ticket but select a First Class advance for the return leg, made at a quieter off-peak time. To get the best deal customers simply need to book well in advance and travel at off-peak times. Generally speaking, there won't be any or only a few of the cheapest fares available at busy peak periods, but there will be an advance fare available that will save money on the cost of open returns or saver tickets. Advance purchase tickets are subject to limited availability. Child fares will be available on Advance tickets from £2.50 one way and normal railcard discounts# will apply. The new fares will be in operation from 11th June 2006, but can be booked from 5th June 2006. How to buy 'one' advance tickets * It will be really easy to book on line. When buying on-line follow the instructions to find the cheapest fares and don't forget to register so we can send you details of the latest deals. * Call the 'one' Customer Services Centre on 0845 600 7245. Please allow 5 working days for tickets to be delivered, or you can collect your tickets at selected stations, enquire when you ring. * Visit any staffed station up to 1800 on the day before you travel, but remember that the availability of best priced tickets may be limited closer to the day you wish to travel. # Conditions apply. The Megatrain model has been developed by South West Trains on certain passenger train routes to and from London Waterloo. Source: TOC press release dated 24th May 2006, readable at www.onerailway.com/latestinformation/news/newsdisplay.asp?id=898 ==== London and back for £10 with one’s new ticket scheme “Too expensive, too complicated” - that’s how many passengers view rail fares. To combat this, one has shaken up its range of advance purchase tickets for the Norwich – London main line and brought in a scheme, starting on June 11, which is designed to be simple, flexible and good value. It replaces Leisure Advance, Apex and London Day Out. Depending on seat availability and time of travel, a Norwich - London return journey can now cost as little as £10. There are four price levels for both First and Standard Class travel. Advance Purchase tickets are all singles, so passengers can select different outward and return fare levels – even travelling First Class one way and Standard Class the other if desired. Examples of Advance Purchase single fares (standard class) are: TO LONDON Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 From Norwich £ 5 £ 10 £ 20 £ 30 From Ipswich £ 5 £ 10 £ 17 £ 20 From Colchester £ 5 £ 7 £ 12 £ 15 Advance Purchase tickets may be bought up to 6pm on the day before travel, and early booking will widen the choice. The [Anglia] region's main train operator today signals good news for passengers by unveiling rail tickets from Norwich to London for as little as a fiver. Train company 'one' is simplifying its fare structure with a new package of advance purchase tickets to encourage more off-peak passengers and offer a better range of options and fares to travellers. It is scrapping its current fares such as London Day Out, London Evening Out, Apex and Leisure and Business Advance and replacing them with new tickets priced at levels 1-4 according to the time of travel. The tickets package comes into effect from June 11 and 'one' say 10,000 seats every day will be covered. Spokesman Peter Meades said: "It gives the customer greater choice and more options compared to the advance purchase products we have at the moment and it is about developing market share and filling more seats in the off-peak period." The move comes in the wake of regular complaints from passengers about the price and confusing array of tickets and follows a Commons Transport Committee report only on Friday accusing train operators overall of driving people off the railways with "exorbitant" fares and "chaotic" ticketing structures. One insists the timing of its announcement is not linked to the MPs' report and says its new range is aimed at offering best value and simplifying the ticket-buying process. Under the new system, each journey will be set in a price band: level 1 being off-peak and level 4 high peak time with Levels 2-3 being the busier in-between periods. "People can take advantage of these new tickets at different times of the day," said Mr Meades. "They may travel out at level 3 but come back at level 1. We are making the cheaper tickets more flexible and widespread so the passenger benefits." Whilst the tickets, available on advanced purchases only, will be sold as a return package they will effectively be broken down as two single journeys. Purchases on the day and existing standard open and saver tickets will still be available. Midland Mainline has successfully trialled a similar scheme for destinations such as Nottingham, Derby and Leicester. The innovation will also allow passengers the choice of travelling First Class in one direction and Standard Class in the other. While the £5 Norwich to London figure is the headline-grabbing fare, there are more bargain seats available in the £7-£10 range from stations including Norwich, Diss, Stowmarket, Ipswich, Manningtree and Colchester. Equivalent priced tickets will also be available from regional connecting stations including Bury St Edmunds, Yarmouth, Sheringham and Lowestoft. In levels 1 and 2, accompanied child fares will be set at £2.50 or half price in Levels 3 and 4. . from the conditions .. 'There is no refund value on any 'one' Advance Single ticket but , in the event of the cancellation of the service on which the reservation has been made , a customer will have the option of a refund (as set out in the National Rail Condfitions of Carriage) if he/she chooses not to be accomodated on another train. ==== The Railway Safety and Standards Board has issued its report into the Elsenham accident where 2 girls were hit and killed by a train whilst using a foot crossing at the station. The main findings of the report are: There had been a recent safety review at the Elsenham crossing. No faults found on trains or crossing systems The driver of the CT train was still in shock and unable to give evidence to the Panel. The Panel confirmed the view that people responsible for their safety at such crossings. Panel confirmed view that locking gates to prevent people using crossing when lights were red would lead to a risk of people being trapped inside the crossing. A Human Factors "expert" suggested that the girls were so intent on catching the train so that additional warnings would not a have a difference. A new footbridge was unlikley to be justified. After the accident when the foot crossing was locked, some people were climbing over the fence rather than wait for the crossing gates to open. Recommended actions include: Method of carrying out safety audits at crossing to be reviewed. Role of level crossing keeper to be reviewed with regard to stopping people using crossing when lights are red Recording missuse of crossings and sharing information on misuse to be improved. CCTV considered a good way of stopping misuse. Local education and highlighting fines for misuse of crossings. Crossings to be locked if red/green lights not working. Ticket machines or selling tickets on down platform kiosk to be investigated. (reduces need for passengers to cross the line) It would be useful to see how local media report the findings. ==== Disabled access sought for South Norfolk stations South Norfolk Council is to ask the railway authorities to “meet their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act” and make improvements at Diss, Haddiscoe, Spooner Row and Wymondham stations, where wheelchair users and people with pushchairs find it difficult to access the platforms. Norfolk Railway Society web-site. Yarmouth sidings for sale BRB (Residuary) Ltd has put up for sale 21 redundant freight sites, among them the Vauxhall sidings site at Great Yarmouth. The crescent-shaped site includes three long sidings and was last used for freight in 2000. BRB’s property agent Lambert Smith Hampton says, “As rail access is from the west it is necessary for the locomotive to run round trains in the station or to propel trains out of the site. The rail connection is not listed in Network Rail’s Guide to Freight Connections and the condition of the connection and infrastructure within the site require further examination.” Norfolk County Council has safeguarded Vauxhall sidings as a key marshalling and handling facility for the docks in the county's local plan. Ticket issue speeded up New self-service ticket machines have been installed at 38 stations across one’s network, Diss and Norwich among them. The 75 Scheidt & Bachmann touch-screen machines replace the previous Quickfare equipment. They can issue a ticket to any national rail destination and handle railcard discounts and season tickets. They accept cash and credit cards. The machines, says one, will cut ticket office queues and enable customers to buy tickets when the office is closed. From a collector’s angle, Richard Adderson reports their tickets to be superficially indistinguishable from others in the current range. Yarmouth smartened up Last year it was described as “an insult to Nelson”, gloomy with peeling paint and strewn with litter. Now Great Yarmouth station has benefitted from an £200,000 upgrade. Money from one, Norfolk County Council and Network Rail has given the station a re-paint, new toilets, a new waiting shelter on the platform and better platform lighting. On the forecourt, car parking spaces have been defined by white lines and bus passengers at last have a shelter. WCML report: "New platform for Oxford and Aylesbury services planned at MKC;" "The inter-city rail firm GNER is cutting back on its award-winning dining cars and considering changing its catering supplier as it struggles to meet the demands of its 10-year franchise. "Among the financial cuts made by the company will be a reduction in the number of restaurant cars, from 100 to 92 a day, with meal services withdrawn on some Scottish sections of GNER's route. The new franchise sets a minimum of 87 restaurant cars on GNER's 122 daily services. GNER insists it is "ring fenced", via separate banking arrangements, from problems at Sea Containers, which has admitted a breach of banking covenants and has delayed its annual accounts as its auditors are not convinced it is a going concern Colne Valley Castle Heddingham has been sold to a private buyer who wishes to expand the operation. March: £1.35m - commissioning in sept 206. Existing signals are at level crossigs on either side of March station, covering a long distance. This limits te number of trains per hour into and out of the yard as they travel slowly. FCC compensaiton matches 'one' - 50% back if delayed by 30-39 mins, and 100% if more than 60 minutes. Described by rail passenger watchdog PassengerFocus as "industry leading", www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/pages/customers/newsletter/charter.aspx Londn TravelWatch recently issued a press release expressing disappointment that FCC had dropped the Thameslink name.

The ORR has moved to a new head office at One Kemble Street, London, WC2B 4AN. The e-mail addresses and telephone numbers for members of ORR formerly at Waterhouse Square, Holborn, will remain unchanged. Colleagues joining ORR from HSE Rail previously based at Rose Court, Southwark (HM Railway Inspectorate, and Rail Safety Policy), will have new e-mail addresses and telephone numbers. Their new e-mail addresses will consist of firstname.secondname@orr.gsi.gov.uk

The text of a letter from Tony Blair to Douglas Alexander can be found at: http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/page9418.asp?fq=w&tp=n&dt=20060515 The railway, which is the fifth longest standard gauge heritage railway in the country, has been entirely diesel powered since its opening to Wymondham in 1999. The Trust expects to attract further visiting engines in future years offering a balanced steam / diesel product. Steam services continue at weekends and daily through Whitsun week until Sunday 4th June. DfT received the inspector's report on the re-opened Thameslink 2000 inquiry on 21 February 2006 and the London TravelWatch report on the related rail closures on 20 April 2006. Both of these reports are currently being considered by the Department. In preparing its response, London TravelWatch consulted widely, including with the local authorities outside London. The organisation, formerly the London Regional Passengers' Committee, has proposed that the Mayor is given powers to influence the rail services both within the London Region and to railway stations elsewhere as follows: South West - Epsom, Hampton Court, Shepperton and Windsor and Eton Riverside Great Western - Slough (and the branch to Windsor and Eton Central) Chiltern - High Wycombe or Aylesbury Thameslink/Great Northern - St Albans, Welwyn Garden City and Hertford North West Anglia - Hertford East Great Eastern - Shenfield c2c - Grays South Eastern - Dartford, Swanley and Sevenoaks Southern - Caterham, Tattenham Corner, Epsom Downs, Oxted, Redhill (or Reigate) and Epsom THE Department for Transport has started to select operators for two new Midlands’ (east and west) and revised CrossCountry franchises. The new East Midlands franchise will be formed from the current Midland Mainline franchise and local and mid-distance services from the eastern part of Central Trains. Most of the western part of Central will merge with Silverlink County to form the West Midlands franchise. Central, Midland Mainline and Silverlink are all currently operated by National Express Group. The East Midlands franchise is likely to run for seven years and four months, the West Midlands’ for four months longer. In both cases continuation beyond six years will be subject to achieving performance targets. Operators for both will have to place performance bonds of about £18 million with the government. The third franchise being tendered will be the existing CrossCountry, currently operated by Virgin Trains, to which will be added some long-distance services now run by Central. These include routes such as Nottingham to Hereford or Cardiff, and Cambridge to Birmingham. The new CrossCountry franchise is expected to run for eight years and four months, with the last two years and four months subject to satisfactory performance. The Department for Transport said in a statement it would advertise in Britain, Europe and North America for bidders. Expressions of interest must be submitted by July 31. In the autumn those selected to bid will be invited to tender, with bids closing in February 2007. The selected operators are expected to be announced next summer. ==== NER News Release ... 22 May 2006 GNER TAKES OFFICE OF RAIL REGULATION TO COURT GNER has today issued proceedings for judicial review against the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) in relation to its decision to award access rights to Grand Central Railway Company Limited (GCR) to operate passenger train services in direct competition with GNER on the East Coast Main Line. GNER is challenging the ORR's Decision of 23rd March 2006 (the detailed reasons for which were published on 6th April 2006) ("the Decision") on the basis that it is discriminatory, amounts to an unlawful grant of state aid, is a distortion of competition and is in contravention of European Community and national law. An application to the High Court has also been made for expedition and it is hoped that the judicial review hearing will take place this July. GNER believes the ORR's Decision is unlawful and creates unfair competition, in that Grand Central Railway would not pay either the fixed track access charges or premium payments that GNER pays under its publicly-specified franchise contract, which was awarded by Government after long and costly competition. If GCR was to compete on equal terms it would need to pay around £6 million a year (£2 million per train), the same pro-rata costs that GNER incurs. GNER also challenges the need for GCR to stop at York, which is already served by 61 trains a day to and from London, when GCR's stated goal is to create a new rail market between Sunderland and London. A GNER spokesman said: "We welcome competition as it encourages us to keep improving, but competition should be on a level playing field". ENDS. Notes to Editors: In relation to paragraph 2 above: (i) The Decision is discriminatory as the differential charging regime that will be implemented by the Decision is discriminatory and is in contravention of EC Directive 2001/14 and the Railways Infrastructure (Access and Management) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/3050), which implement the Directive. (ii) The Decision amounts to an unlawful grant of state aid under Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty. (iii) The Decision is a distortion of competition and is in contravention of European Community law as it is contrary to Articles 3(1)(g), 10, 82 and 86(1) of the EC Treaty. (iv) By virtue of the above, the ORR has acted in breach of its statutory duties under section 4 of the Railways Act 1993 (as amended) (and thereby in breach of national law) in reaching the Decision. Additionally: Instead of granting GNER permission to run 12 extra Leeds-London services (a franchise commitment) from available scarce track capacity, the Decision authorised GCR initially to run three return services between Sunderland and London. The potential of the Sunderland-London market had previously been investigated in 2004/5 by the Strategic Rail Authority and all four bidders for the new Inter-City East Coast franchise. No self-funding business case could be found. GNER estimates that GCR's business case is based on at least 80 per cent revenue abstraction from franchised operators. Under an industry revenue allocation system, simply by stopping at York, GCR would abstract £5 million a year, regardless of the quality of service or numbers of people travelling with GCR. ==== > Are you not aware of the plans to run the 14 Adelante units on Cambridge > services? 10 cars and 125MPH capability, plus, being diesels, no extra > load on the power supply. Not sure how far the plan has got though. ==== The Department for Transport invites expressions of interest in the East Midlands, West Midlands and Cross Country passenger rail franchises. The process will commence immediately with three new franchises scheduled to start on Sunday 11 November 2007. The East Midlands franchise will be formed from the current Midland Mainline franchise and regional services transferred from the current Central Trains franchise. It is likely to run for 7 years 4 months, the last year and 4 months of which will be conditional on achieving pre-set performance targets. The West Midlands franchise will be made up of current Silverlink County services together with regional services transferred from the current Central Trains franchise. It is likely that the franchise will run for 7 years 10 months, the last year and 10 months of which will be dependent on achieving pre-set performance targets. The new Cross Country franchise takes in services on the current Cross Country franchise as well as those transferred from the current Central Trains franchise. It is likely to run for 8 years 4 months, the last 2 years and 4 months of which will be conditional upon achieving specific targets. The Department's objective is to oversee the delivery of a reliable, safe and secure transport system that responds efficiently to the needs of individuals and business whilst safeguarding our environment. Further information on the Department may be found on its website www.dft.gov.uk Attention is drawn to the 'A Guide to the Railway Franchise Procurement Process' which can be found under "Rail Franchises" in the Railways section of the site: www.dft.gov.uk/railways/franchises The Department is committed to a process of continuous review and improvement of the franchising process and intends to make the procurement process as simple and transparent as possible. Learn more about these new franchises at www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/dft_railways_611782.hcsp Interested parties will, from 19 June 2006, be able to download a 'Pre-qualification Documentation Pack' containing further information on the franchises together with a Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ), Confidentiality and Non-Collusion undertakings which can also be found in the Railways section of the Department's website. The purpose of pre-qualification is to select those to whom the Department would be content to award the franchises, subject to them submitting the best value bid. Source: www.gnn.gov.uk/content/detail.asp?NewsAreaID=2&ReleaseID=205414 nick dibben Did an interview on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire on mirngin of Frday 9th June regarding the new ticket restrictions on FCC off-peak fares to London ====

RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE

Approval for Snoasis centre should see new station on Great Eastern main line

On 21st April Mid-Suffolk District Council gave approval for the new Snoasis scheme, which will see a new station at Claydon to serve it. The new station will be built on the southern side of the level crossing by the old cement depot, possibly where the original Claydon station was sited. The opening date will partly deped on whether the Government decides to hold a public enquiry.

RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE

Network Rail awards contract to resignal March to increase capacity for Whitemoor Yard

Network Rail has awarded May Gurney a £1.35m contract to resignal Whitemoor Junction (at March) to increase the number of trains that can enter or leave Whitemoor Yard from two to three an hour. Currently there is just a 3-aspect signal protecting both the Wisbech branch and Whitemoor Yard exit. However, in future there will be signal for the east and west curves and the exit from the Yard. In addition, the Wisbech line will a dedicated sign despite being currently severed from the network by a set of buffer stops.

Signals on the main Ely-Peterborough line will be repositioned as part of the work including replacement of Absolute Block signalling between March East and South Junction boxes - which is apparently the shortest section of AB in the UK - with Track Circuit Block signalling. This work is due to take place in August and September.

RAIL FREIGHT

Government confirms approval for te Bathside Bay container terminal at Harwich

The Dapertment for Transport has published the Bathside Bay container terminal decision letter. According to the DfT's web-site the Secretary of State has authorised the construction of a quay wall and reclamation of the intertidal area at Bathside Bay; breaching of the seawall and import rock armour, sand, gravels and mud for the managed realignment at Little Oakley, Hamford Water; and channel dredging and disposal of dredged arisings at Bathside Bay. This means that substanital rail capacity in thr region will be used by containers arrviing at Harwich.

See: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_shipping/documents/page/dft_shipping_610905.hcsp.

Rail traffic to Sizewell will cease by 2008

Nuclear traffic on the freight-only Saxmundham to Leiston branch to Sizewell will cease in 2008 if not earlier. The older 'A' power station will cease geneating power at the end of 2006 but decomissionning may take up to two year. This is the only traffic on the former branch line to Aldburgh, which closed to passengers on 12th September 1966. The more modern 'B' power generator, which is expected to remain open until 2020, does not have waste removed by train.

According to the 22nd April edition of the Eastern Daily Press, consideration is being given again to storing nuclear waste at the Stanford Battle Ground. When this site was previously considered for that purpose in the 1980s, a three-mile rail siding was planned off the Norwich to Ely rail route.

EAST WEST RAIL LINK

Funding of north Aylesbury (Berryfields) station helps progress towards East West Rail Link

On 11th April the Office of the Deputy Prome Minister announed that it would make the major contribution (£8.2m) towards the £11m cost of building a new station near to the A14 north of Aylesbury to serve the Berryfelds development. It will be known as Aylesbury north. Chiltern Railways's Marylebone-Aylesbury passenger trains will be extended along the first three miles of the freight-only route north of Aylesbury station, which links up with the Bicester-Bletchley railway at Claydon Junction. Rail campaigners hope this will eventially lead to the introduction of Marylebone-Milton Keynes passenger services, with the reeopening of the mothballed and partially dismantled railway from Claydon to Swanbourne Yard.

As well as the ODPM's Community Infrastructure Fund, Bucks County Council is providing £1m as part of a park and ride facility with a further £2.8m from Chiltern Railways. Whilst the developer is not financing the station it is providing the 1.7 hectares of land. The large capital cost includes the new platform, station buildings, a park and ride facility plus track and signalling upgrading.

http://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/ replaces previous site (without the .uk suffix). Exec summary: http://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/downloads/Atkins_Executive%20Summary_Mar06.pdf RAIL LINK TO AYLESBURY MOVES A STEP CLOSER (TUESDAY APRIL 11, 8.14AM) TRAINS could be running between Oxford, Aylesbury, Milton Keynes and Bedford within five years according to a Government announcement made five minutes ago. The East West Rail Consortium welcomes news that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has published a report that encourages further development of this important rail project. The east-west transport links study was funded by ODPM following a commitment it gave at the Public Examination into the Milton Keynes South Midlands sub regional strategy. The study has looked at options for improving transport between the major growth areas of Milton Keynes, Aylesbury and Bedford, as well as Oxford, an important part of the Cambridge-Oxford "high tech arc". The study has concluded that a complementary package of rail and road measures would meet the transport pressures generated by new housing. GOVERNMENT FUNDING WILL PAY FOR NEW AYLESBURY TRAIN STATION (TUESDAY APRIL 11, 12.04AM) WITHIN the last few minutes it has been announced that the Government will be funding a brand new £11 million railway station for Aylesbury, writes Andrew Jackson. The station, to be called Aylesbury Parkway, will be built jut off the A41 by the railway bridge, north of Aylesbury. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will pay £8.2 million toward the station and the rest of the cost will be met by Chiltern Railways. Bucks County Council will pay for a park and ride service to the station from Aylesbury. The railway station, will be connected to Aylesbury station and will take passengers on to London. The E-W Rail Consortium has announced a further package of work to be carried out by Steer Davies Gleave. This follows support for the project by the ODPM last week. The original business case is to be updated. A half-hourly service will be looked at. A method of capturing increased land values as a result of the re-opening and using that to pay for the scheme will be investigated. The work will be complete in July and should enable the Government to make a decision on getting the project delivered in time to match the new housing. Could this be the final study before approval!!!!! More details including copies of the previous business case and other reports on the new web-site: www.eastwestrail.org.uk Regards Nick The East West Rail Consortium are claiming that trains could be running between Oxford, Aylesbury, Milton Keynes and Bedford within five years following the publication of a study that encourages further development of the East West Rail scheme. The study looking at options for improving transport between Milton Keynes, Aylesbury and Bedford, as well as Oxford, was published by the ODPM on 11th April. The report can be found on the re-launched East West Rail Consortium website, at www.eastwestrail.org.uk A further package of work is now to be carried out by Steer Davies Gleave. The original business case is to be updated. A half-hourly service will be looked at. A method of capturing increased land values as a result of the re-opening and using that to pay for the scheme will be investigated. The work will be complete in July and should enable the Government to make a decision on getting the project delivered in time to match the new housing planned for the area. Also announced by the ODPM on 11th April were eight new transport schemes to be funded from an additional £51 million of investment as part of the Community Infrastructure Fund. As might be expected most of these schemes are for road ‘improvements’ but also included is £8.17 million towards a new parkway station, to be known as Aylesbury North, and upgrading 3 miles of track. The station will serve Berryfields and Weedon Hill developments north of Aylesbury. Sources: DfT press release http://www.gnn.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=195785&NewsAreaID=2 and East West Rail Consortium press release http://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/downloads/PRESS%20RELEASE%20-%20EWR%20110406. pdf KLN Tues/Weds/Thurs are busyist days for car parking. Opened on 7th Feb. ely: East Cambs DC is to spend £900,000 on a new 150-space car park at Angel Grove.

TRAIN OVERCROWDING

DfT incorrectly claims that London-Cambridge service is one of most overcrowded in Britain

On 22 March 2006 Railfuture President, Peter Lawrence, was interviewed by BBC East TV on over-crowding of trains from London to Cambridge and Norwich.

RAIL FRANCHISES

Office of Rail Regulation confirms ECML open access agreemetns for Grand Central and Hull Trains

Dispute pressure from GNER and a letter from Mike Mitchell at the DfT to Chris Bolt, the Office of Rail Regulation confirmed on 23rd MArch its decision to grant a track access agreement to Grand Central to run trains from London to Sunderland. Because of a lack of capacity this will preventing GNER operating extra services to Leeds, which was part of its franchise agreement with the DfT on 2005.

GNER's revenue just one year into its new franchise is 2% short of its predicted 8% increase in turnover because of the 7th July bombings in London. It has privately stated to the DfT that it is unlikely to increase its revneue to meet the £1,300m government premium over ten years (a third more than the next highest bidder), and newspapers have suggested that GNER may take legal action against the ORR to either reverse its decision or provide compensation. GNER apparently thught it had agreement from the DfT that no open access agreement would be able to prevent it from acquiring paths to support its franchise.

The Independent newspaper has claimed that Christopher Garnett, chief executive of GNER, will leave the company and may lead take ma major role at National Express, whose chief exeutve, Phil White, retires in 2006. It speculates that Mr Garnett's departure is because of his company's failure to obtain paths for additional London-Leeds trains.

Mike Mitchell estimated that allowing Grand Central on to the line would remove £46m from the economy over 10 years. He wrote: "The negative result [cost to the economy] is because Grand Central's revenue is primarily abstractive [taken from others] and the additional user and non-user benefits are insufficient to offset the incremental operating costs of these services." GNER Wants £100m back. The Department for Transport released a hardline statement on the issue to all train operators and potential bidders. The key sentence says: "The Department will insist that a franchisee which is unable to operate to the price it bid should surrender the franchise." Much of the industry believes the franchise should be re-tendered. It is understood that rival bidders for the route were "marked down" for including a caveat in their proposals in case a competitor was allowed to run services. The GNER chief executive is understood to argue that he was told by the DfT to take a similar caveat out of his bid. == Christopher Garnett, GNER¹s chief executive, is taking action after rail regulator Chris Bolt allowed Grand Central to run trains from Sunderland to London. The new operator will shadow GNER trains along most if its route. Garnett is expected to launch a legal challenge within a month on the basis that Grand Central does not have to pay any of the premium or fixed charges that GNER pays to use the flagship line. GNER believes Grand Central will be able to offer lower fares or make bigger profits as a result. A spokesman for GNER said: ³Our quarrel is with the rail regulator, whose decision to grant open access on the east coast main line is irrational and legally wrong.² GNER has been briefing its lawyers since it lost out in a ruling by the Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR) in March. The action alleging unfair treatment is likely to be heard in the High Court in London. A source close to GNER said: ³What the ORR appears to have done is make competitive principle the only principle. But allowing Grand Central access on these terms is anti--competitive.² A year ago, GNER bid £1.3bn (E1.9bn, $2.3bn) to win the east coast franchise against competition from FirstGroup and Virgin/Stagecoach. The company forecast rising passenger numbers and claimed new services between London and Leeds would enable it to hit ambitious targets. But passenger growth has been slower than expected, partly because of July¹s bomb attacks on London. And the ruling by the ORR in favour of Grand Central is likely to mean GNER cannot run extra trains between London and Leeds. The Department for Transport, which awarded GNER the franchise last year, is likely to support the York-based operator in court. It seems common sense has prevailed at Kings Cross, doing away with the OnTimeFirstCapitalConnect nonsense (that got worse if there was a delay!). First had few choices, but wisely went against First Capital Con, opting to show as First Cap Connect instead! The Catering Trolleys were a reassuring sight from some passengers, i.e. felt more secure EASTERN REGIONAL PLANNING ASSESSMENT FOR THE RAILWAY : (COVERING NORTH & EAST LONDON AND THE EAST OF ENGLAND). http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/downloadable/df t_railways_611208.pdf. Reviewed by Howard Johnstone in RAIL (pages 20-21) in the 15th-28th March edition. the government has granted final approval for proposals for a container port at Bathside Bay, Harwich. The decision follows agreements on planning conditions, compensatory habitat proposals and measures to relieve the risk of road congestion. 23 March 2006 The Heritage Lottery Fund has confirmed a grant of £308,000 to the Poppy Line's supporting charity, the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society. The grant is for a new carriage shed to house the Society's priceless collection of historic railway vehicles based on the Poppy Line. The collection includes a Victorian coach from the Wisbech & Upwell tramway and a racing pigeon transporter. One of the most important items is a 1920s set of four articulated carriages designed by Sir Nigel Gresley: these vehicles set the blueprint for today's high-speed Eurostar trains, and are amongst the most significant preserved railway vehicles in the UK. They are currently being restored (again with the help of an HLF grant), and completion is scheduled for later this year. The structure will be built adjacent to the road bridge a short distance down the line from Holt Station. Mott MacDonald are carrying out a study on the King's Lynn Parkway scheme. brand-free experience on my way back from London since someone had cut all the Wagn logos off the internal signs, and the FCC ones haven't gone up yet.WAGN did this some weeks before the end of the frnachise. Although new First Capital Connect stickers had been applied to the outside of the vehicles the addresses for "comments" on the route map posters were still WAGN ones. The "digital Doris" still issues a cordial "Welcome to the West Anglia Great Northern service to ...". Under a three-year contract with M Dickerson Ltd of Cambridgeshire, GB Railfreight will move around 25 trainloads a year of spent ballast in box wagons from the NR depot at Whitemoor, which GBRf manages. The ballast is unloaded in the former EWS yard at North Walsham, from where it is sold to construction firms. Some car parking land has been lost as a result, but there are plans to provide more spaces on the old canning factory site nearby. The ballast traffic is new to rail. According to GBRf contracts manager Paul Atack, it will take around 1,200 lorries off Norfolk’s roads. Returns with empties to Whitemoor. CEN from 28th March 2006 is a clear sign that the government intends for Northstowe to go ahead. Interesting that there is no mention of CGB. Barracks sale paves way for 10,000 homes TWO Government agencies have clinched a £100 million land deal to pave the way for Cambridgeshire's massive new town, Northstowe. Between 8,000 and 10,000 homes could be built between Oakington and Longstanton, most of them on the former Oakington Barracks site. Defence Estates, the Government agency responsible for managing Ministry of Defence land has sold the barracks land to English Partnerships, another agency set up to help to meet Britain's need for new homes. In a statement to the News, English Partnerships said the deal was worth almost £100 million and was "one of its biggest single acquisitions". "The purchase of the 288 hectare site is set to unlock the development of the proposed new town of Northstowe, creating up to 10,000 new homes. "The new town will contribute to the region's growth agenda and ease pressure on the Cambridge housing market that currently suffers from a shortage of new and affordable homes." Defence Estates chief executive Vice Admiral Peter Dunt said: "The Government is committed to using more brownfield land to create sustainable communities with affordable housing. The sale of Oakington is yet another example of the strong working relationship between two Government agencies in devising strategies to make best use of surplus public sector land." News of the deal was welcomed by Gallagher, the development company working on the Northstowe scheme. Its projects director Alan Joyner said: "It is a major step forward in the delivery of Northstowe. We have been holding talks with English Partnerships for some time to ensure that once the transfer of land has been completed, we can move towards the joint promotion of Northstowe." A planning application to build the town was submitted by Gallagher to South Cambridgeshire District Council in July last year, but has still to be finalised. If approved, building work is set to start in 2007, and as well as shops, schools and leisure facilities, a library, place of worship, community centre and health centre are also planned. Cambridgeshire County Council has received the tenders from Birse, Balfour Beatty and Edmund Nuttall, and on 4th April submitted the final business/funding case to DfT. A preferred bidder will be selected by the end of April, so that if or when the go-ahead is given by DfT - and funding received (expected by May/June) - the contract will be awarded for the start of construction work. This is expected to start around November/December with site clearance (before the bird nesting season starts). The rails are expected to be removed in one go (in one night was mentioned - not sure if that is achievable). KEY components of the guided bus link between Huntingdon and Cambridge, which is due to start operating in October 2008, will not be in place in time to speed up the service between Huntingdon and St Ives. And Huntingdonshire District Council has warned it will withdraw its support for the scheme if the components are not included in budget plans in a year's time. Buses will be held up in peak-hour traffic in St Ives and Hartford because road improvements will not be in place and it could be years before the full scheme, which is supposed to be taking traffic off the A14 during £490 million widening work, is ready. Of the six on-street bus priority schemes planned for Huntingdon, Hartford and St Ives, only the £1.3 million contra-flow bus and cycle lanes on Huntingdon ring road, between George Street and the bus station, has so far attracted Government funding. And even that could be held up by a dispute over the sale of land at the rear of the Falcon public house, in Market Square. The six-months work is likely to cause disruption to traffic on Huntingdon ring road, but when completed, could shave nearly 10 minutes off journeys between Hinchingbrooke and the town centre - and onwards towards St Ives and Cambridge - at peak times. The next two phases - re-modelling of the Hinchingbrooke Park Road/Brampton Road junction and re-opening the highly-controversial Old Houghton Road as a dedicated bus and cycle road in Hartford - are expected to follow immediately afterwards. Officials from Cambridgeshire County Council and Huntingdonshire District Council are still discussing details, but hope soon to reach agreement on funding, which may come from developers of major housing schemes in the town. But a huge question mark still lies over other important components of the bus priority schemes - a bus lane between the Huntingdon ring road and Toll Bar Cottages in Hartford, and major controversial changes to the road layout in Houghton Road, St Ives, where three development schemes, including a total of 300 new homes, are planned. Former HDC leader Councillor Derek Holley told cabinet colleagues: "We should make clear to the county council that if these are not included in the local transport plan next year, we will not support it". HDC's head of planning policy Richard Probyn admits the St Ives works are still "probably years away", as are changes to traffic management arrangements in Huntingdon town centre associated with re-development of the Chequers Court area. WAGN web-site: Well, not really, but if you go to the c2c website: http://www.c2c-online.co.uk/c2c_ticker_index.aspx and click on Engineering, you get re-directed to a wagn page, which no longer exists: http://www.wagn.co.uk/EngNews/User/c2c_user_eng.aspx same for Silverlink. All of this was provided by LondonLines, and it seems quite odd that it was all set up/hosted on the Wagn site that is no more. The electronic displays at Kings Cross aren't quite ready for FCC. Each line of the displays now ends 'ontimefirstcapitalconnect'. Should have left more than 19 characters for the company name! FCC Press Launch - KGX 10:00hrs on Sat 1st April. In the Eastern Daily Press on 28/01/2006 is a report that the above quango, believed to be part of the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) met in late January and agreed 25 major transport schemes for the East of England. Mention is made in the report that the A11, A47 and the Norwich Northern by Pass is included but what are the remaining 25 schemes? Does anyone have a full list? Also mention are Jobcentre Plus, English Heritage, English Nature and the Environment Agengy as being members of this panel. Does anyone have a list of the full membership of the panel? The public are to be excluded from all public meetings. Go Via taking over SET and keeping the branding. retaining SET's four-square logo as well. it's just changed from being called 'South Eastern Trains' to 'Southeastern Railway'. http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/ 31/03/2006 11:03 Department for Transport (National) CENTRAL TRAINS FRANCHISE EXTENDED TO AUTUMN 2007 The Department for Transport today confirmed that Central Trains' franchise will be extended from 01 April 2006 to 11 November 2007. New terms have been introduced to encourage further improvements in performance. The current timetable and level of services will be maintained. The extension helps facilitate the re-mapping of franchises in the Midlands, which was announced by DfT in October 2005. Three new franchises - East Midlands, West Midlands and Cross Country - will replace the current four franchises operated by Central Trains, Silverlink, Virgin Cross Country and Midland Mainline. Remapping existing franchises will facilitate closer working between track and train to improve efficiency and performance. The extension of the contract will help to align the end dates of the four existing franchises. Rail Minister Derek Twigg said: "This agreement means that existing services will continue until November 2007, with an emphasis on building on recent performance improvements. "It means that we can continue with our plans for the new franchises, which will deliver better services for passengers." Discussions are taking place with other franchisees to enable the transition to the new franchises. DfT is also continuing work on the detailed specification for the new franchises, which will be consulted upon in due course. We expect to announce the franchise awards in Summer 2007. Notes to editors 1. Central Trains is owned by the National Express Group. It provides local services through the East and West Midlands and long distance services from the Midlands to South Wales, the North West, East Anglia and the East Coast. 2. The original seven year Central Trains franchise was awarded in March 1997. The Department for Transport today confirmed that Central Trains' franchise will be extended from 01 April 2006 to 11 November 2007. New terms have been introduced to encourage further improvements in performance. The current timetable and level of services will be maintained. The extension helps facilitate the re-mapping of franchises in the Midlands, which was announced by DfT in October 2005. Three new franchises - East Midlands, West Midlands and Cross Country - will replace the current four franchises operated by Central Trains, Silverlink, Virgin Cross Country and Midland Mainline. Re-mapping existing franchises will facilitate closer working between track and train to improve efficiency and performance. The extension of the contract will help to align the end dates of the four existing franchises. Rail Minister Derek Twigg said: "This agreement means that existing services will continue until November 2007, with an emphasis on building on recent performance improvements. It means that we can continue with our plans for the new franchises, which will deliver better services for passengers." Discussions are taking place with other franchisees to enable the transition to the new franchises. DfT is also continuing work on the detailed specification for the new franchises, which will be consulted upon in due course. We expect to announce the franchise awards in Summer 2007. Central Trains is owned by the National Express Group. It provides local services through the East and West Midlands and long distance services from the Midlands to South Wales, the North West, East Anglia and the East Coast. The original seven year Central Trains franchise was awarded in March 1997. The Department for Transport has shown unprecedented openness in setting out the ways in which rail passenger franchises are now being let, and the spread of responsibilities once a franchise has commenced. The required evidence of past track record can vary between franchises and full details will be provided in the advertising notices which launch the franchise procurement processes. A bidders track record need not be established in the passenger rail market in the UK; it can also be established outside the UK, in a different field of public transport (for example, bus or air) or in some other sector. However, the Department does expect at least one of the companies participating in a bidding team to have established its good track record in the field of rail passenger services. In assessing and scoring the track record of passenger service operators, the Department will score and rank only those variables which were within the bidders' direct control. For example, bidders will not get credit, or be penalised, for a change in reliability which is primarily attributable to the infrastructure operator or others. In its scoring of prospective train operators, the Department will assess and weight any past failure to deliver on contractual commitments on price and quality in a UK rail franchise, whether it arises from over-optimistic bidding or from poor management. The Department will not apply this test retrospectively to cover failures to deliver on the first generation of franchises let by OPRAF, but it will apply to franchise contracts let since January 2001. Learn more at www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/dft_railways_611464.hcsp [[[ According to the Guardian GNER has threatened to strip £1.5m of annual business from Fraser Eagle, a family-controlled Lancashire coach company, which provides its rail replacement coaches after discovering that it is investing £2.5m to help Grand Central get services off the ground between London and Sunderland s and has a 79% stake in Grand Central Railway. Fraser Eagle's managing director, Kevin Dean, is an old British Rail colleague of Grand Central's boss, Ian Yeowart. Bob MacKenzie, the president of GNER's parent company Sea Containers, told analysts in a conference call on Friday that the July bombings and a slowdown in the economy had hurt the rail operator: "Some of the sales growth assumptions made at the time of the franchise bid now appear to be challenging to achieve." Sea Containers is facing a financial crisis and has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers as a strategic adviser. The Bermuda-based company has said it will rule nothing out in a wholesale restructuring of its portfolio, triggering questions over its future ownership of GNER. Extracts taken from Suffolk County Council planning review notes:- The Proposed Railway Station 38. The applicant proposes to build a new railway station adjacent to Gipping Road near Claydon village, 1 km from the entrance to SnOasis. The applicant intends to supply 300 park & ride spaces on opening and allow provision for a further 200 in due course. The station would be built primarily to support SnOasis; however it would be likely to generate an appreciable level of park and ride activity and be of specific use to both the inhabitants of Great Blakenham and Claydon villages and the proposed housing development on the site immediately adjacent to the station (see para 41). It is envisaged that the hourly slow trains from London to Norwich and the two-hourly services from London to Peterborough would stop at the new station. The applicant has submitted a business case for the station to Network Rail; to date no formal agreement has been reached. 39. SCC officers consider that a new railway station would not unduly impede the existing rail operations on the Ipswich to Norwich/Peterborough line. Rail operator 'One' and Network Rail have also indicated their support for the development. Rail Station 55. The developer has agreed to fund the construction of the rail station at Great Blakenham at an estimated cost of circa £13m. This should be operational before the leisure complex is opened. The business case for the station has progressed, One Railways & Network Rail have confirmed support to the principle of a new station subject to DfT Rail sign off. In line with NR's recommendation that the station would need to operate as a parkway with 500 spaces to be feasible. 56. A public transport interchange is also proposed as part of the station development, allowing direct connections between local bus services and trains. It is also proposed to operate shuttle buses between the rail station and SnOasis Rail Station 14. The developer has agreed to fund the construction of a new rail station at an estimated cost of around £13m. One Railways has confirmed broad approval to operate and stop trains at the station and is able to support this initiative on the basis that SnOasis will generate principally off peak traffic. Network Rail has now also confirmed support for the new station, stating that DfT will need to endorse the impact on the franchise before the station can be built. That endorsement is expected shortly. The Network Rail letter is appended to this report as Appendix E 21st MArch: "The 10 most overcrowded London commuter trains in 2005 have been named. The busiest train, identified by once-a-year Department for Transport (DfT) counts, was the 0802 Cambridge to London Liverpool Street run by One. It had 433 people on a service normally for 234 - but One said it was running a train twice its normal length on that day due to service disruption. The DfT said investment in new trains and plans in new operating franchises aimed to tackle overcrowding. The top 10 most overcrowded trains identified by the counts, the figures for which were obtained by the Evening Standard under the Freedom of Information Act, were: * 1. 0802 Cambridge to London Liverpool St (One): 234 capacity; 433 passengers * 2. 1633 Sutton to Luton (Thameslink): 412; 618 * 3. 0751 London Victoria to London Bridge (Southern): 635; 944 * 4. 1815 London King's Cross to Cambridge (WAGN): 494; 713 * 5. 0804 Isleworth to London Waterloo (South West Trains): 792; 1,138 * 6. 1806 London Paddington to Oxford (First Great Western Link): 270; 385 * 7. 0638 Margate to London Cannon Street (South Eastern Trains): 218; 310 * 8. 0642 Haslemere to Waterloo (South West Trains): 598; 845 * 9. 1750 Victoria to Rochester (South Eastern Trains): 494; 681 * 10. 0703 Weybridge to Waterloo (South West Trains): 792; 1,084" More at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4830370.stm The Consortium has reestablished their website as eastwestrail.org.uk 6th April: CONTROVERSIAL plans to revamp the site around Cambridge's railway station have been thrown out. City councillors decided Ashwell's £725 million scheme, which included 1,400 flats, a hotel, offices and a multi-storey car park, was unimaginative and did not cater for transport needs. Coun Alan Baker, committee chairman, pictured above, said: "Ashwell needs to take its proposal back to the drawing board and take fully into account the council's ambitions for this important site." Ashwell says it will appeal against the decision and it has produced the "best possible scheme for Cambridge". n Full story - Page 5 CONTROVERSIAL plans to revamp the area around Cambridge railway station have been turned down after planners said the £725 million scheme failed to realise the council's aspirations. Developer Ashwell has said it will appeal against the decision and that it had produced the "best possible scheme for Cambridge". Cambridge City Council's plannin.committee said redevelopment of the site was a "once in a lifetime" opportunity and did not believe the proposed transport interchange catered adequately for the needs of commuters and residents. Coun Mike Dixon said: "It is unreasonable to expect the earth from any developer. We can look at what we would like to see there as a transport interchange and there is a danger of asking too much. But what is proposed here is singularly unimaginative." The proposal, called CB1, included 1,400 flats, a hotel, offices and a multi-storey car park. Councillors, residents' associations and individual objectors were also concerned about the scale of the proposed development as well as a lack of school places and amenities. Coun Alan Baker, committee chairman, said: "Ashwell needs to take its proposal back to the drawing board and take fully into account the council's ambitions for this important site." Ashwell asked the committee to defer the application to make changes, but committee members refused. In a statement, Ashwell said: "Ashwell Property Group is disappointed at Cambridge City Council's decision to refuse its cb1 proposals. "With a number of piecemeal schemes for the Cambridge Station Road area having come and gone, the refusal of cb1 is also a major blow for Cambridge as a whole. "Following consultation with stakeholders and local residents, Ashwell was confident its award-winning architects, the Richard Rogers Partnership, had produced the best possible scheme for Cambridge. "Our proposals represent a fantastic opportunity to deliver much-needed housing, high quality office space and new retail provision, equipping Cambridge with a vibrant new commercial and residential hub fit for the 21st Century. "With this refusal we are left with little alternative than to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate." Council leader Coun Ian Nimmo-Smith said there was still a possibility of a revised scheme getting the go ahead but it had to meet the council's criteria for the site. He said: "I would urge the developers to look carefully at the reasons for refusal and then to come back with a new scheme that meets the framework that the council has established." Coun Jenny Bailey, executive councillor for planning and transport, criticised the proposal as likely to lead to serious traffic congestion and said Ashwell was trying to "squeeze in" as much as it could. She said: "The station area is vital to transport planning in the city. This proposal would cause serious congestion that will affect the whole city. "We need more provision than 12 bus stops and we need the facilities and shelters to match it. Ashwell's proposal doesn't provide anything like what we need to meet current and future requirements. GNER TO COMPLETE WI-FI SERVICE A YEAR EARLY 07 Apr 2006 EAST Coast Main Line inter-city train operator GNER will provide wi-fi Internet access on all its trains by this summer. Technology web site theregister.co.uk reports that GNER has said it is accelerating the roll-out, bringing wireless technology to the whole of its Mallard electric train fleet and to its 13 remaining diesel High Speed Trains. Originally due to be completed by May 2007, the scheme will now be finished by August this year, GNER has said. The company's system, designed by Swedish on-the-move internet access specialist Icomera, uses line-of-sight satellite links for the main connection, with GPRS and 3G mobile phone links as back up and to provide connectivity when trains are in tunnels and covered stations, said theregister.co.uk. Access is offered to First Class passengers free of charge; Standard ticket holders are charged £2.95 to £ 9.95 for 30-180 minutes' access. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Colleagues, Stena Line is reviewing the future of the High Speed Ship because it has lost about 20% of its business over five years, thanks mainly to low-cost airlines; and because of the increased cost of fuel. We probably cannot stop Stena, a private company with, as far as I know, no financial assistance from the public purse, from withdrawing this service. However, we can put our views to them and also to politicians and other bodies (e.g. East of England Development Agency) on both sides of the North Sea. I hope the issue will be on the agenda of the RDS East Anglian Branch AGM on March 4th. Stena promises to issue a decisoon in April. I think we need to put our views before then, but clearly we can also comment on whatever announcement they make in April. I shall send you a letter with my thoughts and suggestions in the next few days. Regards Groetjes Grusse Trevor -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mr Trevor Garrod 15 Clapham Road South Lowestoft NR 32 1RQ U.K. HZ-06-CC Hoek van Holland, 29th March 2006 Dear Sir, Thank you for your letter of 19th March concerning the possible withdrawal of the HSS Stena Discovery on the Hoek van Holland – Harwich route. In recent years the travelling habits of the public at large have changed. The growth of low cost airlines has enabled people to take short beaks to areas of Europe and beyond that would previously have only been possible for their main summer holiday and this has led to a steady decrease in passenger volumes for all ferry operators. The competition for Stena Line is not just provided by the low costs carriers flying to Amsterdam but also by those airlines flying to warmer locations such as Rome, Barcelona and Nice. The growth in air travel has led to other ferry, particularly those operating on the Short Sea routes such as Dover – Calais, aggressively cutting their prices simply to maintain their existing volumes and this is also having an impact on our route as we are unable to compete with the prices currently being charged by other companies such as P&O Ferries. We believe that we continue to offer a high quality, reliable service, but the vast majority of passengers will always consider the cost of their journey be of primary importance. With regard to the other areas of the United Kingdom we have to inform you that there is too little potential to for all of East Anglia area. Therefore we are only able to cooperate with the train operator ‘’One’’ in East Anglia. Stena Line would like to point out that no decision has yet been taken about the future of the HSS Stena Discovery. Our Senior Management are currently looking at the various implications of withdrawal and it is expected that a final decision on her future will be taken by the end of April. However, we would like to point out that the vessel will continue operating her normal timetable right through the summer season and probably through early 2007. We would also like to stress that whatever final decision is taken Stena Line will remain as a major passenger operator on the Hoek van Holland – Harwich route, either with the fast ferry or with high quality ro-pax conventional ferry with slightly extended crossing times. We would like to thank you for taking the time to contact us with your constructive comments. We certainly understand your concerns for the future but hope, that as one of our loyal passengers, we will be able to count on your future custom on the Met vriendelijke groeten, Stena Line BV Hans Zaaijer Customer Care Dept

FRANCHISES

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 Fraser Eagle owns 79% of Grand Central. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4751984.stm ??? 20 Feb 2006 THE Rail Regulator's provisional approval for Grand Central’s new service between Sunderland and London has been put on hold after reports of strong pressure from the government and GNER. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is to hold an "oral hearing" on March 6 to hear objections to its provisional decision. Last month the ORR said it was "minded to approve" plans for Grand Central to operate three daily direct services from Sunderland, Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe, Northallerton, and Thirsk to London's King's Cross station. But ORR rejected GNER's bid to operate 12 additional trains between Leeds and London to create a half-hourly service every weekday, after warning about limited capacity on the route. It also turned down an application from Grand Central to run a direct Bradford-London service. The government has attacked the ORR's provisional ruling over apparent concerns that GNER may be unable to pay its promised £1.3bn to the Treasury unless it gets extra track capacity. The Department for Transport said: "ORR is independent of government. We are clearly very concerned about ORR's decision and we welcome the fact that they are now willing to hear points of view from all over the country. In our representation to ORR, we question the decision and express concern about its implications." According to the Yorkshire Post newspaper, business leaders in West Yorkshire and 6,000 passengers have also called on the ORR to reconsider its decision, along with 45 MPs via an Early Day Motion tabled in Parliament by Wakefield MP Mary Creagh. Grand Central's chief executive, Ian Yeowart, told The Guardian newspaper that GNER had already had "51 weeks to make their case" and he questioned the need for further discussion. However, Grand Central's backers are still optimistic, reported The Guardian; one said the ORR's chairman, Chris Bolt, was simply ticking every box to ensure that his ruling was not vulnerable to a judicial review by GNER .

The inter-city train operator GNER has made donations of more than £27,000 to the Labour party over the last 18 months - a period in which it has lobbied successfully for renewal of Britain's most lucrative inter-city rail franchise. Figures from the Electoral Commission have revealed that the company, which is owned by Bermuda-based Sea Containers, began making donations in November 2004 and has since contributed to Labour on 11 occasions. GNER's donations consisted of £24,639 in cash; £1,348 in rail tickets and £1,412 for furniture. Grand Central's chairman, Ian Yeowart, said: "We don't make political donations because it can be embarrassing if these things come back to haunt you." Thomson Broadbent property compensation specialists www.thomsonbroadbent.co.uk The Owner/s 123 My Road Cambridge CB2 Our Ref: xxxxx 21 February 2006 Dear Homeowner Your right to compensation for the: Cambridge Guided Bus Scheme Scheme The building of the Cambridge Guided Bus scheme has now been approved. As you may be concerned about the environmental affects of this scheme I would like to draw your attention to my firm's campaign to secure compensation for the owners of residential properties are likely to suffer from an increase in noise, dust and vibration when the scheme is completed. Please note that legislation exists to protect the interests of property owners affected by new or altered public works, however, there are time limits and other constraints which can affect the right to claim. If you have not yet appointed a surveyor we would be please to submit and negotiate a claim on your behalf. You can appoint my firm by calling 0845 xxx xxxx (local rates apply) or by completing the enclosed form and returning it in the envelope provided or by FAX on 0845 xxx xxxx. We understand the our clients only want to pay for our services when we are successful in obtaining compensation on their behalf and that our fees should be proportional to the amount of compensation negotiated. We therefore charge a commission of 10% plus VAT of the compensation which we negotiate on your behalf. However, if the claim proves unsuccessful we confirm that we bear the costs and you will have nothing to pay. We look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully James Broadbent MRICS .

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 Selection of web-site links including First Group's press release: htxf.

'one' ends 2005 in chaos
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 The Central Trains franchise has now been formally extended to 11 November, 2007. js National Express Group PLC, the bus, coach and trains group, has announced the retirement of its chief executive of 10 years, Phil White, 'no later' than December 2006.

RAIL ROUTES

x
 Network Rail have issued their business plan indicating schemes that they intend to carry out in the near future and other longer term ideas currently under development. Enhancements for our area are given below and current status. Great Eastern Route Marks Tey to Colchester bi-directional signalling 2007/8 Felixstowe line doubling 2008/9 Southend Airport new station - feasibility Chelmsford North new station and loops - feasibility Snoasis new station - feasibility 15 day blockade Yarmouth line for track renewal 2007/8 7 day blockade Oulton Broad swingbridge for renewal 2007. 9 day blockade Diss-Trowse for track renewal 2007/8 West Anglia Route Ely to Norwich considered a "Fragile Route" where predicted freight increase will have significant affect on the condition of existing infrastructure Chesterton Junction station - under consideration Brandon extra freight siding - under consideration Stansted Airport tunnel double track - in development W10 Ipswich to Peterborough - in development
BBC new item: httxtm.

First also confirmed to me yesterday that they WILL NOT accept travel on the Thameslink branch for passengers affected by the shutdown, as the bus replacement is all they're required to provide during engineering work. I found this disappointing, and also rather stupid, as it would lessen the need for buses (they run them as required, based on passenger numbers) and let people go from Elstreet & Borehamwood or St Albans etc (the trains are hardly packed out on weekends, as there's such a regular frequency - particularly from St Albans). The statement read exactly as it did from Wagn, which isn't a surprise when it's got to be the same staff TUPEd over. Perhaps the staff concerned haven't yet fully appreciated the benefits of the combined franchise for situations like this (bearing in mind that Thameslink is quite close to many stations on the ECML that are regularly affected by work like this), and no doubt vice versa in years to come.

RAIL ROUTES

x
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 BBC new item: httxtm.

http://www.camair.org.uk/

REVENUE PROTECTION AND PASSENGER SAFETY

Grxns
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 ATOC press release: httx3.

Suxs
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CEN article: hxca.lpf.

RAIL STATIONS

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Campaigners attempt to renovate Brandon station
 Axl.

xs
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RAIL FREIGHT

GBRf wins contract to transfer recycled agfregates from road to rail
 GB Railfreight has won a three-year contract with M Dickerson Ltd of Cambridgeshire to move around 25 tonnes of recycled aggregates per year. There will be 15 trainloads consisting of 18 box wagons from Network Rail's depot at Whitemoor, which GBRf manages, will be taken by rail to the former EWS yard at North Walsham. It will then be sold to local construction firms and carried the short distance on road by Frimstone of Downham Market. Previously the aggregated had been transported solely by road. GBRf's contract will lead to 1,200 lorries being taken off Norfolk’s roads.

Whilst this is good news, it has upset passengers at North Walsham station. The aggregates are being stored in part of the yard had been used for car parking. 'one' is unable to prevnet this as GBRf now owns the yerd.

 Lack of passengers ends Oxford-Cambridge flights Maev Kennedy Friday March 17, 2006 The Guardian An air commuter link between Oxford and Cambridge has been abandoned after its first six weeks because of a lack of passengers. The inaugural flight on February 1 restored a link which flourished before the second world war, and was once used by the author Graham Greene to visit his mistress. The two university cities are only 65 miles apart but there is no direct road or rail connection. The new service began badly when the first flight, from Oxford, started 20 minutes late. The service was rarely more than a third full. Sky Commuter said advance bookings would be refunded. >The top 10 most overcrowded trains identified by the counts, the figures for which >were obtained by the Evening Standard under the Freedom of Information Act, were: > * 1. 0802 Cambridge to London Liverpool St (One): 234 capacity; 433 passengers > * 2. 1633 Sutton to Luton (Thameslink): 412; 618 > * 3. 0751 London Victoria to London Bridge (Southern): 635; 944 > * 4. 1815 London King's Cross to Cambridge (WAGN): 494; 713

RAIL FREIGHT

Harwich

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Ix
 http://www.huntspost.co.uk/content/huntspost/news/story.aspx?brand=HPTOnline&category=News&tBrand=HPTOnline&tCategory=newnews&itemid=WEED15%20Feb%202006%2012%3A51%3A38%3A157">http://www.huntspost.co.uk/content/huntspost/news/story.aspx?brand=HPTOnline&category=News&tBrand=HPTOnline&tCategory=newnews&itemid=WEED15%20Feb%202006%2012%3A51%3A38%3A157.

PRESERVED RAILWAYS

Bramley Line delighted as level crossing rails across A47 are reinstated.
 The Wisbech-March Bramley Line were delighted to read in a local newspaper that the A47 east of Wisbech was to be closed from 18:00 on Saturday 25th March to late on Sunday 26th March. The work was duly carried lout and to a very high standard. Unfortunately rails across Weasenham Lane in Wisbech were not relaid. The Bramley Line obtained useful publicity in the local press and their credibility has received a welcome boost as many people have assumed that the aciton was a prelude to Netowrk Rail transferring the line to the prteservaiton group. Others believe that Network Rail is desperate not to underspend significantly in 2005/6 and has been using up its budgets.

Progress on Northern Extension on the Mid-Norfolk Railway
 a MNR member has donated money to flail the section of line between County School and North Elmham, a stretch that had not been visited by Avondale Environmental Services. This generous action has the railway to complete around two years' worth of once-a-month clearance in under a week and has made a drastic improvement the state of the line. As the trackbed in this area is currently used as a foot path it was necessary to erect closure notices and barriers were erected at each entrance. A volunteer was needed each day to act as a look out in case anybody ventured out on to the line. The vegetation clearance was performed with due regard to a study commissioned from the Norfolk Wildlife Trust some years earlier.

On the first sunday of each month a permanent way gang works on track immediately north of Dereham. In March and April a combined MNR, CAST.IRON and Bramley Line gorup of volunteers dug out 101 sleepers, which will be replaced and ballasted. This will allow a works train to proceed towards Hoe before the end of 2006.

On Saturday 25th March MNR volunteers visited Cambridge station to lift a 1-in-7 point from the redundant sidings area behind platform 3. A buffer stop was also recovered. These will be used for access into the goods shed at Dereham from the north end along with enabling the run round loop to be completed. Volunteers from a Rutland-based railway visited on the same day to retrieve other track parts.

Work on the Nene Valley Railway's long awaited station at Yarwell commences
 Thre Nene Valley Railways termins at Yarwell, beyond the tunnel, has always been without a station. However, a new seven-coach platform will soon be built on the existing run round loop, near to the lake. To avoid point operation for DMU services, this has necessitated a track layout change so that the existing loop becomes a through track.

Work started in the last two weeks of January on preparations for new trackwork and the foundations for the new platform. The army assisted the NVR civils gang for two weeks at the end of March and beginning of April. The Probation Service has assisted by supplying people to clear the site of vegetation. Spoil has been moved from Wansford site to Yarwell. Royal Haskoning have been awarded the contract for the design of the platform and station building at Yarwell. Whilst platform construction is scheduled for September and October 2006 construction of the station building is subject to funding.

2005 was another record year for the North Norfolk Railway
 The North Norfolk Railway carried 126,450 passengers in 2005 - an increase of 6% over 2004, and an all-time record. The line is now one of the top five of Britain's 115 standard and narrow gauge heritage railways in terms of passengers carried. In research carried out in 2005, over 900 respondents were asked which of a list of Norfolk attractions they had heard of. The railway had the highest awareness at 86%, followed by Norwich Cathedral, Norwich Castle and Blickling Hall.

Peter Lawrence attended the Annual General Meeting of the Bittern Line at Cromer on Wednesday 15 March 2006. Little progress has been made on the reinstatement of the level crossing. Design work has been completed and trains running on Network Rail would enter the old Sheringham Station in the proposed new Bay Patform 3. All signalling would be under the control of Network Rail and a physical connection would be provided onto the North Norfolk Railway should trains wish to continue to Holt. Funding of the work is the biggest problem costing #1.1million. Clearly Network Rail would save on rebuilding the existing station. Under the design scheme disabled facilities and also a bus bay would be provided. On the down side Bugdens still want all the station car park for a supemarket including the land proposed for the new bay Platform 3. The decision on future plans is likely to be down to North Norfolk District Council in the end.

WEB-SITES

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ZERE================ === http://www.buy.at/ckprailways Here's a great way to get some great online bargains, find cheaper gas, electricity and telephone services and even book your Summer Holiday. Don't forget that anything you buy through this shop will help towards our fundraising targets. So go on, top up your CD or DVD collection, or if you're making business purchases, why not make them from here, such as computer equipment from Novatech, or stationery from Euroffice. With summer coming, theres plenty of offers on DIY products, clothing or holidays from our high street names. You pay exactly the same price as on the retailers’ main sites, often lower than on the high street. The commission earned by your group comes out of the retailers’ profit margin - it is their marketing spend. Littlewoors, M&S, Sky, Comet, amazone.co.uk... BBC Shop sells a wide range of books, DVDs and products related to BBC programmes. Contribution: 7.5% ===== RAILWAY stations have been blasted by MPs, with being many branded "deplorable" and a "a poor advertisement for the country". MPs sitting on the Committee of Public Accounts, which is calling on the Department for Transport to investigate whether new standards for stations should be added to franchise deals. Waterbeach A DESOLATE station on the edge of the village, this is the least welcoming of the five. There's little on offer to shield passengers from the elements, and facilities are basic. Appearance is scruffier than the likes of Foxton and Shelford, but on the positive side there's ample parking nearby and platform announcements and ticket machines appear to have been improved. Claire Buckley, 22, left from Landbeach, regularly uses Waterbeach station. She said: "I don't mind waiting here at night on the platform if I have to because I don't feel threatened by the area." Another Waterbeach user is Christine Gilder, 53, left, from Horningsea. She said: "The biggest problem is shelter * it gets very cold waiting on the platform. "But the announcements on the platform are clearer than they used to be and ticket machines work properly, which they didn't used to do." ¦ Amenities: 5/10 ¦ Appearance: 6/10 ¦ Feeling of Safety: 6/10 ¦ Overall: 6/10 Royston THIS busy town station draws scores of commuters every day, and when I visited I encountered the same problem many of them face -trying to find somewhere to park. Getting a space in the on-site car park is a challenge but after the trials of attempting to manoeuvre through the mass of vehicles, there's food and drink, papers and a reasonably warm waiting room to unwind in. Platforms are well lit, timetables clearly on view and staff were on site at the time. It may be slightly rough round the edges but that is what I would expect from such a bustling facility. ¦ Amenities: 8/10 ¦ Appearance: 7/10 ¦ Feeling of safety: 8/10 ¦ Overall 8/10 Foxton THIS tiny village station is on the main line between Cambridge and London, meaning there are certainly plenty of trains coming through here every day. The station itself is bare of any luxuries - it's little more than two platforms, a shelter and some ticket machines and timetables. No sign of any ramshackle buildings or vandalism and what is there appears to serve its purpose. Rebecca Taylor, 17, of Foxton, pictured, said: "It's a lot better than it used to be. The ticket machine never used to work but they seem to have fixed it. I would give it a nine out of 10 overall." ¦ Amenities: 5/10 ¦ Appearance: 8/10 ¦ Feeling of safety: 7/10 ¦ Overall: 7/10 Shelford Pulling up outside this village station, you're immediately confronted by a boarded up old side building but after stepping out onto the platform, it's another functional looking set-up. Passengers can wait in a heated waiting room, which comes with an electric sliding door. No staff again, and no chance of a cup of tea, a bite to eat or anywhere to answer the call of nature. Despite there being few people about, houses surround the site, making it feel a little less cut off. Rick Mitchell, 62, of Great Shelford, said: "I've never had any trouble with it. It's a perfectly functional station." ¦ Amenities: 5/10 ¦ Appearance : 7/10 ¦ Feeling of safety: 8/10 ¦ Overall: 7/10 Cambridge THE city station is the biggest in the area and sees thousands of people pass through every day. Such a large station has all the amenities you would expect - food and drink is readily available, as are papers and magazines. There's also a large amount of staff on hand to help with any problems. However, men's toilets weren't the cleanest and apparently the women's aren't much better. Vicki Raphael, 54, from Cherry Hinton, right top, said: "The women's toilets are very poor and parking can be a problem, but there is always clear travel information and the staff are helpful." Vijay Thakker, 44, right, from Peterborough, said this week was the first time he had used Cambridge's station for more than a year and that it "had improved" while James Gallagher, 17, from Ely praised the station staff, saying they were always helpful. ¦ Amenities: 9/10 ¦ Appearance: 7/10 ¦ Feeling of safety: 8/10 ¦ Overall: 8/10 http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/region_wide/2006/02/04/a4ad22bb-d2d2-4acf-bb40-04043d99dbcf.lpf ==== The novelist Nina Bawden has settled for compensation of nearly £1m from the railway industry over the Potters Bar train crash, in which her husband was killed and she was seriously injured. Network Rail and its former maintenance contractor Jarvis agreed to the payout three weeks before Ms Bawden was due to pursue her claim in court. Ms Bawden's husband, Austen Kark, was among seven people who died as a result of the incident in May 2002, when the rear carriages of a train from London to King's Lynn derailed at 97mph over faulty points and hurtled into a bridge before coming to a halt across the platforms of Potters Bar station === Its not operating rules that are coming into effect - the rules have always been there - and been constantly refined as experience dictates. That's what the Railway Inspecotorate was always about. What is coming into effect is self certification at the railways' cost rather than departmental certification at central government cost. ==== Eastern Regional Planning Assessment for the railway (covering North & East London and the East of England) http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/downloadable/dft_railways_611208.pdf ==== Full list of projects that have been awarded Growth Areas Funding: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pub/702/FulllistofprojectsawardedwithGrowthAreasFundingWord1335Kb_id1163702.doc Luton: Railway Station Renaissance. Demolition of car park to free up land. Construction of car park on alternate site. Up to £13.0m Provisional approval. Cambridgeshire: Park & Ride Relocation. Site relocation to release land for housing and provide larger park and ride facility. £3.1m Cambridge: Cowley Rd Junction. Unlock major housing development site; Road junction improvements to improve safety and ease congestion. £3.25m Cambridge: Addenbrooke's Access Road Stage 1. Access improvements to unlock housing development site. £6.89m Northstowe and Oakington: Community Project. New community facilities for existing communities around the proposed new settlement of Northstowe. £1.45m Northstowe Area: Footpath & Cycleway Network. £0.8m Former CIF project. Cambridge: Fen Drayton Lakes. Habitat and access improvements to support the RSPB's new nature reserve. £1.19m Cambridge Station Area Access 0.60 To provide a new direct link for buses using the Hills Road corridor to access the railway station and new bus interchange, avoiding congestion and reducing the length of journeys. The link will be available for cyclists also. -- Langdon Park DLR Station, Tower Hamlets 5.70 A new DLR station and footbridge at Langdon Park to improve accessibility and journey times for the local community. ==== Up and coming rail projects in Scotland http://www.airdriebathgateraillink.co.uk/ http://www.sakrailway.co.uk/launch.htm http://www.earlproject.com/ http://www.spt.co.uk/garl/index.html http://www.waverleyrailwayproject.co.uk/ === See: http://www.hse.gov.uk/railways/approval/rots.htm incl guided busways ===== 8th June: Chaps The DfT has issued consultation documents on the replacement CT and XC franchises. Of interest to us : Liverpool to Norwich will NOT be split at Nottingham and will be part of East Midlands franchise. There is a possible option to divide Liverpool services between Norwich and Cambridge and run Norwich ro Peterborough shuttles to fill in the gaps. Comments please! No changes expected on Birmingham to Stansted. On Midland Main Line - possible changes to the stopping services. One will terminate at Kettering (with option to extend to Corby!), the other will split at Leicester and then run to Nottingham and Derby. Regards Nick ================ The Department for Transport invites expressions of interest in the East Midlands, West Midlands and Cross Country passenger rail franchises. The process will commence immediately with three new franchises scheduled to start on Sunday 11 November 2007. The East Midlands franchise will be formed from the current Midland Mainline franchise and regional services transferred from the current Central Trains franchise. It is likely to run for 7 years 4 months, the last year and 4 months of which will be conditional on achieving pre-set performance targets. The West Midlands franchise will be made up of current Silverlink County services together with regional services transferred from the current Central Trains franchise. It is likely that the franchise will run for 7 years 10 months, the last year and 10 months of which will be dependent on achieving pre-set performance targets. The new Cross Country franchise takes in services on the current Cross Country franchise as well as those transferred from the current Central Trains franchise. It is likely to run for 8 years 4 months, the last 2 years and 4 months of which will be conditional upon achieving specific targets. The Department's objective is to oversee the delivery of a reliable, safe and secure transport system that responds efficiently to the needs of individuals and business whilst safeguarding our environment. Further information on the Department may be found on its website www.dft.gov.uk Attention is drawn to the 'A Guide to the Railway Franchise Procurement Process' which can be found under "Rail Franchises" in the Railways section of the site: www.dft.gov.uk/railways/franchises The Department is committed to a process of continuous review and improvement of the franchising process and intends to make the procurement process as simple and transparent as possible. Learn more about these new franchises at www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/dft_railways_6117 82.hcsp Interested parties will, from 19 June 2006, be able to download a 'Pre-qualification Documentation Pack' containing further information on the franchises together with a Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ), Confidentiality and Non-Collusion undertakings which can also be found in the Railways section of the Department's website. The purpose of pre-qualification is to select those to whom the Department would be content to award the franchises, subject to them submitting the best value bid. Source: www.gnn.gov.uk/content/detail.asp?NewsAreaID=2&ReleaseID=205414 Stay on track with the latest campaigns and service innovations, visit www.railfuture.org.uk ================ The Department for Transport invites expressions of interest in the East Midlands, West Midlands and Cross Country passenger rail franchises. The process will commence immediately with three new franchises scheduled to start on Sunday 11 November 2007. The East Midlands franchise will be formed from the current Midland Mainline franchise and regional services transferred from the current Central Trains franchise. It is likely to run for 7 years 4 months, the last year and 4 months of which will be conditional on achieving pre-set performance targets. The West Midlands franchise will be made up of current Silverlink County services together with regional services transferred from the current Central Trains franchise. It is likely that the franchise will run for 7 years 10 months, the last year and 10 months of which will be dependent on achieving pre-set performance targets. The new Cross Country franchise takes in services on the current Cross Country franchise as well as those transferred from the current Central Trains franchise. It is likely to run for 8 years 4 months, the last 2 years and 4 months of which will be conditional upon achieving specific targets. The Department's objective is to oversee the delivery of a reliable, safe and secure transport system that responds efficiently to the needs of individuals and business whilst safeguarding our environment. Further information on the Department may be found on its website www.dft.gov.uk Attention is drawn to the 'A Guide to the Railway Franchise Procurement Process' which can be found under "Rail Franchises" in the Railways section of the site: www.dft.gov.uk/railways/franchises The Department is committed to a process of continuous review and improvement of the franchising process and intends to make the procurement process as simple and transparent as possible. Learn more about these new franchises at www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/dft_railways_6117 82.hcsp Interested parties will, from 19 June 2006, be able to download a 'Pre-qualification Documentation Pack' containing further information on the franchises together with a Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ), Confidentiality and Non-Collusion undertakings which can also be found in the Railways section of the Department's website. The purpose of pre-qualification is to select those to whom the Department would be content to award the franchises, subject to them submitting the best value bid. Source: www.gnn.gov.uk/content/detail.asp?NewsAreaID=2&ReleaseID=205414 Stay on track with the latest campaigns and service innovations, visit www.railfuture.org.uk ====== H/C : Save memory: BGlateUsageGracePeriodDays , BGitemisedEventBlockSize \\queenie\prddev\tklein\GENEVA-tklein5.4.10\GENEVA\DOC\design\ /psg/jerry/COE-jerry3.2_001/COE/BENCHMARKS/BMKAUTOTEST/SRC/shell /psg/jerry/benchmarks/vodacom/t/takeaway/BENCHMARKvodacom/shell