East Midlands Trains has announced the average fare on its network will increase by 1.8% in the new year. Stagecoach Group say new ticket prices will come into force on East Midlands Trains services from January 2. The company said the price rise was below the expected rate of inflation. East Midlands Trains also plans to freeze car parking charges at stations, including in Nottingham, and cut parking costs for non-rail users at East Midlands Parkway. (The fare rise is above the planned average national increase of just over 1%).
Source Stagecoach Group 15th November 2009.
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A training company is to open a new centre with the aim of turning jobless people into apprentices for the rail industry. Silver Track Training says it expects to put 160 apprentices through a series of training programmes at its new facility, based at the Rail Heritage Centre at Ruddington, near Nottingham. The firm hopes that its new centre will recruit people from among the long-term unemployed and those who have recently lost their jobs.
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Rail franchise to come under public control. The East Coast Main Line, which serves the East Midlands, will come under public control next week, the Department for Transport has announced. The London-to-Edinburgh service will transfer to a Government-controlled company at one minute before midnight on November 13th. Private sector operator National Express has given up the loss-making franchise after paying to run services on the line in 2007.
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Network Rail and East Midlands Trains were joined by Nigel Clough, manager of Derby County football club and the club’s chief executive, Tom Glick, to celebrate the completion of Derby station’s multi-million pound transformation on Monday 2 November. Network Rail began the project in early 2008 and worked closely with East Midlands Trains to ensure disruption to passengers was kept to minimum. The old and dark platforms canopies have been completely demolished and replaced with light modern ones; new wider stairs have been built and lifts were installed to give step-free access to all platforms. New, light, waiting rooms have been added along with new toilets and staff areas.
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Plans for a possible electrification of the Midland Mainline, which serves the East Midlands, have been outlined by Network Rail. They say there is an attractive business case for electrification of the line from London to Sheffield. Network Rail also say that the work would pay for itself over 60 years in cheaper running costs and maintenance.
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East Midlands Trains has now extended its bargain £5 a day parking offer at East Midlands Parkway station to everyone. Previously rail users had to have their car park voucher validated by a ticket office to qualify for the discount. This added an unnecessary level of complexity for passengers. By extending the £5 price to everyone – train users and those who are not using the train – it is now easier for everyone.
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East Midlands Trains is opening its first class lounges to all passengers for a £5 daily charge, so those travelling on a standard class ticket can now take advantage of the operator's station facilities, including free tea, coffee, wifi access, newspapers and snacks. The lounges are open Monday to Friday, and weekly tickets are also available for £15, monthly tickets for £50 or a year’s pass for £480. The rail company currently has first class lounges at London St. Pancras International, Leicester, Derby and Nottingham stations.
Source East Midlands Trains 18th September 2009.
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Network Rail and East Midlands Trains have announced a £69M project to reduce rail journey times between Nottingham and London by six minutes. The intention was that the work by Network Rail would knock off around eight minutes, to bring about a long-held ambition of Nottingham to London in 90 minutes. Other improvements include a much needed extra path into London St Pancras.
Source Network Rail 18th September 2009.
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Catering is to return to some long-distance rail journey through Nottingham. East Midlands Trains will partly reintroduce trolley buffet service for passengers using its Liverpool to Norwich route in a new partnership with supplier Rail Gourmet. Passengers have had to do without the service for three months after East Midlands Trains axed it to cut costs. This trolley service, operated by Rail Gourmet,
will run on weekdays from Monday, September 7th, between Nottingham and Stockport.
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Plans to build a £15m centre for the UK rail industry in Derby have been scrapped. The UK Rail Centre was intended to provide a showcase venue for the industry but the East Midlands Development Agency admits it has failed to attract investment for the project.
Source and full story Derby Telegraph 24th August 2009.
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Railway station barrier trials begin at Nottingham. East Midlands Trains estimates one in ten people travels on its services without a valid rail ticket. The rail operator is making the investment as part of its franchise agreement, which started in November 2007.
Source and full story This is Nottingham 12th August 2009.
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Talks on a funding package that would secure plans for a £63.8m redevelopment of Nottingham railway station are being held. Nottingham City council chiefs are due to meet Department for Transport officials to thrash out a deal that will allow The Hub project to go ahead despite the impact of the credit crunch. If an agreement cannot be reached it is likely the plans would have to be shelved.
Source and full story This Is Nottingham 22nd July 2009.
An investment in the Robin Hood Line of £360K will give people in Bulwell a Sunday rail service. Network Rail has agreed to carry out improvements to raise speeds at the southern end of the line. The work will be completed by December. Once completed the work should mean that trains have time to stop at Bulwell without an overall time penalty.
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ATOC has published a new report "Connecting Communities, Expanding Access to the Rail Network". Some North Midlands schemes are included. The full report can be found on the ATOC Web site via this link.
Source, Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) June 2009.
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A New Start for Passengers. Network Rail marks the start of a new era for rail in Britain as it embarks on a £35bn programme of expenditure targeted at building a bigger and better railway. Iain Coucher, chief executive of Network Rail said: "Britain is poised on the brink of a rail revolution. Tomorrow we embark upon one of the most exciting chapters in the history of our railways. Network Rail is ready to unleash the biggest expansion of Britain’s railways since the age of Brunel".
Source and more details Network Rail News Release, 31st March 2009.
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The go-ahead for two new routes to extend Nottingham the city's tram system, from Clifton via Wilford and from Chilwell via Beeston has been approved by the government. The project will cost over £400m to
complete, of which 75% will be funded by the government, but the remainder of the cost will be met by Nottingham city and county councils. The city council will need to provide £80m leaving the the county council with a £20m bill. The new 10km Chilwell via
Beeston route will serve the Meadows, the "NG2" development site, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Science Park, Beeston town centre and Chilwell before terminating at a park-and-ride site near the A52, close to junction 25 of the M1. The 7.5km Clifton route will serve the Meadows, Wilford/Ruddington Lane and the Clifton Estate before
terminating at a park-and-ride site near the A453, close to junction 24 of the M1. It is estimated the NET system will take a further two million car journeys off the roads each year. It is hoped construction could begin in 2011 with the extended system operational from 2014.
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Rail and bus group Stagecoach which runs East Midlands Trains and other rail franchises has axed the chief executive of its rail division in the latest move by train operating companies to cope with the economic downturn. The Scotland-based company, which has already cut 660 posts on its key London commuter franchise South West Trains (SWT), said on Thursday the role of rail chief executive held by Ian Dobbs was not required in the current climate.
Source REUTERS 20th February 2009.
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Network Rail brings back four tracks near Kettering. Network Rail plans to lay seven miles of new track in Northamptonshire to improve punctuality on the Midland Main Line. The £11.5m project to upgrade track and signalling between Kettering and Harrowden Junction will increase train capacity by restoring a third line and a short section of fourth track along an alignment that was downgraded to double track by British Rail.
Passengers using East Midlands Trains services should benefit from the removal of the bottleneck which will separate freight and passenger trains.
Source Network Rail 18th February 2009.
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First refurbished Voyagers in service. The first three CrossCountry Voyager trains with extra seats and more luggage space for
customers have entered service. The work has been carried out by Bombardier Transportation at the company’s Derby facility
with the partial refurbishment of 57 trains expected to be completed by autumn 2009.
Once complete the works will result in 14 extra seats and 33% more luggage space on 35
four-car trains and 16 extra seats and 27% more luggage space on 22 five-car trains – all
delivering 842 extra seats each day.
The refurbished trains serve some of CrossCountry’s most popular routes through
Birmingham New Street and will improve journeys by adding more seats and luggage space.
The Voyagers will make a significant contribution to CrossCountry’s commitment to provide
the extra capacity our customers tell us they want.
Engineering work update
Voyager facts:
- The refurbishment of 57 Voyager trains will be completed by the end of summer 2009
- Up to 16 extra seats will be available on each train – contributing to CrossCountry’s commitment to provide up to 35% more seating across the network
- Up to 33% more luggage and storage space will be available
Source CrossCountry Trains Newsletter February 2009.
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A report in the Derby Evening Telegraph says that a massive rail freight terminal could be built near East Midlands Airport. The 272-acre site is one of three suggested by North-West Leicestershire District Council for the scheme, which would form part of its development plan for 2011 onwards.
For more detail, see article in the newspaper here.
Source Derby Evening Telegraph 30th January 2009.
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The National Passenger Survey from Autumn 2008 by Passenger Focus is now available through this link.
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The new East Midlands Parkway Station which opened on 26th January 2009 has it's own web site @ www.parkwaystation.co.uk/
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Network Rail and East Midlands Trains have announced today (12/1/2009) the opening of the East Midlands Midlands Parkway on 26th January 2009. The multi million pound station, owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains, will give hundreds of thousands of people across the East Midlands easier and better access to train services. The station aims to get people off the M1, out of their cars, and on to trains.
Photos: Network Rail
Source, and more details Network Rail news release 12th January 2009.
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CrossCountry rail rolls out e-tickets on all routes.
Arriva's CrossCountry rail franchise has become the UK's first train operator to offer e-tickets on all of its routes. Passengers can now buy Advance fares online and print out tickets on their PC or laptop, removing the need to queue at station machines or ticket offices to collect tickets.
Source, Cross Country Trains, 17th December 2008.
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We congratulate East Midlands Trains on the launch of the Sunday Robin Hood line service which started on 14 December. The branch has campaigned for this over many years and is pleased to see it happen at long last.
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Community rail status bestowed on Crewe to Derby line. The rail service on the North Staffordshire
Line, between Crewe and Derby, has been designated as a community rail service, Transport Minister Andrew Adonis has announced. The designated service allows for a
more flexible approach to be adopted by the train operating company (East Midlands Trains) working alongside the local community rail partnership. This
enables them to manage the service with greater emphasis on meeting local needs. Together they will continue to look for ways to increase patronage and improve the service.
Source ACT 10th November 2008.
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East Midlands Trains opens new head office building in Nottingham. Train operator East Midlands Trains has opened the first of two brand new head office buildings in
the East Midlands in Nottingham. The premises in Waterfront House on Station Street, adjacent to Nottingham railway station, will be home to some of the company’s senior team including customer service and customer relations. In December this year the company will be opening additional new offices on Pride Park in Derby where operations, safety, engineering, commercial, major projects
and finance will be located.
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East Midlands Trains has issued details of the new timetable and services which will be starting on 14th December.
See Stagecoach/EMT press release of 21/10/2008 for more information.
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East Midlands Trains secures new power car
East Midlands Trains (EMT) has announced that it has been able to secure an additional
power car for its HST fleet. Power car 43089, on lease from Porterbrook, will be joining the
East Midlands Trains fleet at the start of December. EMT says that the additional power car will improve reliability and flexibility. EMT are also in the process of installing new engines in the HSTs, and
will be embarking on a range of interior improvements to the coaches early in the new year.
This will become the 26th power car in the EMT fleet.
It is also reported that the new East Midlands Parkway Station will open at the end of January 2009.
information from East Midlands Trains Press release of 17/10/2008.
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Railfuture North Midlands congratulates East Midlands MP, Geoff Hoon whom succeeds Ruth Kelly as transport secretary. Geoff
Hoon has been appointed Secretary of State for Transport by Prime Minister Gordon Brown in a
Cabinet reshuffle. Previously Chief Whip, Hoon succeeds transport secretary Ruth Kelly who says she intends
to leave Parliament to spend more time with her family.
Geoff Hoon is Member of Parliament for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, -in RF North Mids area - a constituency he has
represented since 1992.
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The ATOC Station Travel Plan website is now online here. Also
see and complete their short survey.
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It is rumoured that East Midlands Trains are looking at Beeston again and are thinking of doing some passenger counting. There may be nothing
they can do about the December 2008 timetable as it being already fixed, even if East Midlands
Parkway doesn't open. Railfuture North Midlands has been a long supporter of a decent train service for Beeston, and was
very concerned when the service was reduced when Nottingham temporarily lost it's stopping service
to London a few years ago.
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Corby railway station construction gets underway
Building contractor Dean & Dyball has begun construction of Corby's new £10.22m railway station.
Workers from the Balfour Beatty subsidiary have been setting up on site since Tuesday 29 July. The project is being funded by the East Midlands
Development Agency, which is injecting £5m into the scheme, with contributions from Network Rail,
East Midlands Trains, English Partnerships and North Northants Development Company making up the balance.
Corby is currently the largest town in Britain without a railway station. East Midlands Trains
will manage the station when it opens on 14th December this year.
The single-platform station will feature a modular building design.
Source Network Rail.
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Passengers using Nottingham’s tram system are overwhelmingly satisfied
with it and want it to be expanded, according to a new survey. A customer satisfaction showed that 93% of people using the
system are satisfied with it and 81% favour additional tram routes. They said the
system should be expanded to improve ease of use and convenience, help tackle
congestion and reduce cars on the roads and other environmental benefits. The year 2007 saw a 2.3% growth in use. (Source Nottingham City Council)
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Farewell to the Valenta engine - special train to York and Scarborough
East Midlands Trains has confirmed that it plans to run an additional special train to
Scarborough from Leicester, via Derby, Chesterfield, Sheffield and York and on Saturday 26 July
to celebrate the last of the ‘Paxman Valenta’ high speed train engines in use on its route before
they leave service later this year.
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Network Rail has announced that it will commission a strategic review into the case for building
new rail lines across Great Britain. The review will look at five routes to the north and
west of London - Chiltern, East Coast, West Coast, Great Western and Midland Main Lines -
and will consider a range of options including 186mph high speed rail services.
information from Network Rail.
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LONDON RAIL LINK UPGRADE
According to the BBC News web site train times between the East Midlands and London
are set to be cut by 20% after a £55m plan was approved.
See BBC News web site.
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£40 MILLION TO KEEP RAILWAYS MOVING IN NUNEATON
Network Rail has announced plans to invest more than £40 million to build a new rail
freight link in Nuneaton. Known as the Nuneaton North Chord, the new line – approximately
one mile long – will allow freight to cross from Peterborough to the West Coast Main Line
without disrupting passenger services.
This is a vital investment to help increase the amount of freight carried by rail in Britain
and is funded from the Department for Transport’s ‘Transport Innovation Fund’. Building the
chord could take as many as 225,000 lorries a year off the road and will also improve the
performance and reliability of passenger services locally and as far away as
London. More details available from Network Rail.
From Network Rail News Release of 06/05/2008.
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DEAL SIGNED TO REFURBISH HIGH SPEED TRAIN CARRIAGES
The multi-million pound contract to refurbish 40 High Speed Train (HST) carriages
for use on CrossCountry services has been awarded to Wabtec Rail, which
will carry out the work at its workshops in Doncaster.
The carriages will receive a complete overhaul, power sockets in every carriage,
WiFi and a catering home base from which an at-seat service of food and drink will be offered. They will be used on the
Edinburgh to Plymouth route to provide much needed extra capacity.
All the carriages will be repainted into CrossCountry’s distinctive livery
before being introduced to service, with the work scheduled to be completed
in time for the December 2008 timetable change. Each of the five HSTs will
provide some 550 seats. In service each train will run with two power cars
and eight carriages.
From Cross Country Trains News release of 22nd April 2008.
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Sunday service gets the green light for Robin Hood Line.
The Robin Hood Line train service, which runs from Nottingham to Worksop via Mansfield, will be
running on Sundays for the first time from this December.
See EMT news release of 08/04/2008.
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East Midlands Trains has unveiled the first of its re-branded Class 156
trains. The company will be re-branding all 11 of its Class 156 trains into
the new East Midlands Trains livery.
Commenting Tim Shoveller, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains said:
“Our priority for the start of the franchise was to ensure a smooth transition and to get punctuality and reliability off
to a good start. Now we’re confident these things have been achieved, it’s time to start focusing on the refurbishment of our trains, both inside and out."
The Meridian 222 fleet will follow the Class 156 re-branding.
In addition to the improvements listed above, the first of East Midlands Trains HST fleet is currently being re-painted at the company’s Neville Hill Depot in Leeds, and the contract is being finalised for the full refurbishment of the Class 158 fleet, which is due to start in the Summer.
From East Midlands Trains News release of 4th April 2008.
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Network Rail’s East Midlands Control Centre (EMCC) in Derby, a key element in providing control of train services in the East Midlands has been opened. The £250m, six-year investment programme to provide renewed signalling across the region, was
officially opened by Rt Hon Ruth Kelly MP, Secretary of State for Transport. See Network Rail
Press Release. Used with permission of Network Rail.
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Interesting Speculation! Glasgow Trains is a proposal by Renaissance Trains to operate passenger services between Glasgow and Liverpool, and Glasgow and Nottingham, from 2008. It would re-introduce direct services between these cities which were lost in the years after rail privatisation.
In October 2006 Renaissance Trains submitted a briefing note to the Office of Rail Regulation
concerning the Glasgow Trains proposal. See Renaissance Trains website from where this is copied.
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..and more interesting speculation! A new high speed East Coast mainline could pass through Nottingham,
according to a new report from Atkins consultancy.
See Atkins Press Release on this. (Used with permission of Atkins). More on the BBC news website
here. (BBC news website acknowledged.)
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