Network Rail awards key contract for £53m Anglia freight upgrade. Plans for a £53m investment in the rail infrastructure in Anglia – which will ultimately help take around 750,000 lorry journeys off the road every year – have moved a step closer as Network Rail announces its design partner for the works, Jacobs Engineering. As part its plan to build a bigger and better railway Network Rail is upgrading the route from Felixstowe to Nuneaton via Ely, Peterborough and Leicester. Jacobs Engineering will work with Network Rail to design the two major elements needed to increase capacity between Ipswich and Peterborough:

Source and full story Network Rail Press Release 5th February 2010.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

East Midlands Trains has won a Golden Whistle award for improving safety – despite figures showing a 15.5 per cent rise in accidents. East Midlands Trains scooped the gong for the most improved operational safety over the 12 months to December 2009 at a ceremony in London. Figures from the independent safety watchdog the Office of Rail Regulation show 97 accidents flagged up by EMT across its network in 2009, compared to 84 the previous year. The data includes a train collision in sidings, failure to evacuate passengers, fires and staff and customer slips and falls onboard trains and on platforms. EMT spokesman Emma Knight said the figures include passenger trips on platforms which were beyond the company's control.

Source East Midlands Trains 2nd February 2010.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New East Coast timetable unveiled. The government run East Coast has released a new timetable for services on the East Coast Mainline. The new timetable, which is called Eureka, has been designed to add more capacity to the network.

Source and full details RTMJobs 22nd January 2010.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

East Midlands Trains meet the manager. Once again at various locations you can meet EMTs managers. See here for details.

Source East Midlands Trains 20th January 2010.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red Dot Day. East Midlands Parkway station has a "Red Dot Day" on Saturday 30 January 2010. For one day only, unlimited travel will be available from East Midlands Parkway station to anywhere on the East Midlands Trains network for just £10, children £5.

Source East Midlands Trains January 2010.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Campaign to cut risks being taken at level crossings. Network Rail's 'Would It Kill You To Wait' scheme saw the rail firm take to Boston's (Lincolnshire) West Street crossing to spread the safety message last week - after reports of people jumping gates and motorists swerving barriers to avoid having to wait for trains.

Source and full story Boston Standard 22nd December 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The East Midlands Minister Philip Hope is backing a campaign to electrify the Midland Main Line, to boost the economy, tackle congestion and protect the environment. An electric train service from London to the East Midlands and Sheffield could boost the regions’ economies by up to £19 million per year, campaigners will tell a meeting at Westminster next Tuesday (December 15th).

Source EMRA 11th December 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A rail link between Lincoln and London could see seven trains each way on week days. The Government-owned East Coast Main Line Company Ltd is set to begin running services between Lincoln and Kings Cross. Services are likely to run every two hours Mon-Fri and will travel via Newark and Peterborough. The Service could start towards the end of 2010.

Source East Coast Trains 28th November 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

Source this is Business - East Midlands 10th November 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

Source The Press Association 4th November 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

Source Network Rail 2 November 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

Source Network Rail news release 28th October 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

Source East Midlamds Trains 28th October 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

South Notts “The One” Takes to the Streets. One of Nottingham’s oldest bus services has a new look and name, following the launch of 6 new buses onto the popular South Notts service between Nottingham and Loughborough.

Source NCT Newsletter 25th September 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Improvement work costing £1m around Derby railway station will start on Monday 28 Sept. Funded by the Derby city council and East Midlands Development Agency, it will close Midland Place to traffic at the junction with Railway Terrace and Wellington Street and allow vehicles to use Park Street. Roads will be resurfaced, landscaping carried out and new drainage and lighting will be installed. A toucan crossing in Railway Terrace will replace an existing crossing.

Source Derby Telegraph 25th September 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Price rise for train tickets will hit Leicestershire travellers. East Midlands Trains will raise the price of some off-peak one-day London Travelcards from £37.50 to £92. The increases (from Sept 7th) will affect journeys to London from Market Harborough after the company pushed back the start of the weekday off-peak period from 8.16am to 10.47am.

Source and full story Leicester Mercury 5th September 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rival plans for High Speed Rail. Alternative route could benefit the East Midlands. The proposed £34bn high speed rail link from London to Glasgow would not have the greatest environmental benefit, and ballast track would introduce additional costs, according to pressure groups this week.

Source and full story New Civil Engineer 3rd September 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

Source East Midlands Trains 26th August 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Midland Main Line upgrades could create engineer jobs. Rail engineering jobs look likely to be created on the Midland Main Line after Network Rail unveiled a new strategy. With demand for rail services on the line expected to increase during the next decade, the company has published the East Midlands Route Utilisation Strategy Draft for Consultation.

Source and full story The Career Engineer 20th August 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nottingham City Transport - Network Changes - Sunday 30th August 2009
From Sunday 30th August 2009, NCT will be making a number of timetable changes to some of their services, to better reflect the road conditions and traffic delays experienced. There are also a number of changes to the network, based on customer suggestions on how the NCT network can be improved.
These changes include:

• Unilink 4, the Nottingham Trent University Shuttle bus increased in frequency to every 12 minutes
• Maroon Line 13 re-routed to operate through the University Park Campus, which will provide an a daily, all year round service into the Campus, linking it with the Broad Marsh, City Centre and Beeston
• Extra Monday to Friday morning peak buses on Orange Line 35 to cater for increased patronage
• Navy Go2 48 to Clifton increased in frequency to operate every 8 minutes on Monday to Saturday daytimes
• The introduction of double deck buses on Citylink 1 to Queen's Drive Park and Ride and Boots.

Source NCT 4th August 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

Source and full details East Midlands Trains 15th July 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

East Midlands Trains continues to make good progress in latest passenger survey. Passenger satisfaction with East Midlands Trains has improved in many areas, according to an independent passenger survey released today by national transport watchdog, Passenger Focus. TWEM contributed to this survey and carried out some of the surveys in the region for Passenger Focus. Is the survey right? You could comment on our "Have your say" page.

Source and full details East Midlands Trains web site 30th June 2009. Also see Passenger Focus Site.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

East Midlands Trains (EMT) has announced a £9m refurbishment programme. They say that this will bring improvements to its High Speed Train (HST) fleet. The revamp, which will be carried out at Neville Hill depot in Leeds, includes power points at First Class seats enabling passengers to work more easily on the move, and new interior décor, including new seat covers and carpets throughout the train. All of the HSTs will be repainted in the EMT livery and will have extensive modification work to ensure they are running as efficiently and reliably as possible.

Source, East Midlands Trains 23rd June 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Network Rail officially opened the new third line between Kettering and Harrowden junctions on the Midland Main Line on Friday 19th June. The £11.5m project, which was completed during the recent May bank holidays, provides additional capacity for passenger and freight trains and is designed to improve the punctuality of the large number of trains that pass through the Kettering area on a daily basis.

Source, Network Rail 22nd June 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATOC has published a new report "Connecting Communities, Expanding Access to the Rail Network". Some East 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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rights group fights to reopen rail crossing. A disability rights group says it will go to the European Court of Human Rights in its fight to reopen a rail crossing for wheelchairs and prams. Melton Access Group threatened to take its case to Strasbourg after Network Rail installed gates at a crossing over tracks at Melton station.

Source and full story Leicester Mercury, 10th June 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plans for a new railway station south of Northampton are suffering from the downturn in the housing market and are "resting, not dead", says Network Rail.

Source and full story Northampton Chronicle & Echo 8th June 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EMRA has published "Delivering a Sustainable Transport System (DaSTS) Summary of Evidence of Challenges". Full document available from EMRA Web site. Link here.

Source East Midlands Regional Assembly (EMRA), May 2009

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A campaign has been launched for a new railway station near Market Deeping. The Spalding and Peterborough Transport Forum will be focusing its attentions on the campaign to open a new railway station at Deeping St Nicholas in the year ahead.

Source and full story Peterborough Evening Telegraph 29th May 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

East Midlands Trains have announced that they will introduce Cromford & Whatstandwell stops in all hourly services from December 2009. This follows a successful review of the service since the introduction of the new timetable last December. Friends of the Derwent Valley Line (FDVL) welcome this move by East Midlands Trains and encourage all members to help promote the line and publicise the enhanced timetable. The announcement was made at the ceremony to open the refurbished Cromford Station and Cromford Station Waiting Room by the Duke of Devonshire.

Source FDVL May 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

East Midlands Trains is the fifth most improved rail operator for punctuality over the past five years, says Network Rail. Only 78.9% of trains arrived on time in 2004-2005 in comparison to 89.3% in 2008/9. April 2009 was a record month with performance hitting 94.3%.

Source Network Rail 26th May 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summer Service from Mansfield to Skegness. East Midlands Trains will run one direct train this summer to Skegness and back each Sunday from Mansfield Woodhouse, Mansfield, Sutton Parkway, Kirkby and Newstead –– and bringing back memories of services which last ran in the 1960s.

Source East Midlands Trains 11th May 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The East Midlands Regional Assembly (EMRA) has produced a comprehensive public transport map for the East Midlands. It can be found here.

Source EMRA 22nd April 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rail Electrification? There are rumours that an announcement could be made this summer about extensive rail electrifiaction - including of the Midland Mainline which serves the East Midlands.

Source and full story RailwayPeople, 15th April 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Great Central Railway Development Study. Charnwood Borough Council as the lead authority and the Great Central Railway have announced the appointment of Atkins Consultants to carry out the Great Central Railway Economic Development Study. Atkins will start work immediately with their final report due in October this year. The development study will examine several proposals for expanding the award winning tourist line and its facilities. However, the investigations remit is much broader than the running of heritage trains. It will crucially delve into options for the future use of the line, reconnecting at Loughborough and the prospects of carrying freight to running commuter trains.

Source and full story Loughborough News, 7th April 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nottingham City Transport orders more new Buses. A further 22 new buses will enter service with NCT this year. By the end of 2009, all the old “stepped-entrance” vehicles will have been sold and all buses will be low floor, buggy friendly. The first 11 new buses will start running in May on Go2 Navy service 48 between the City Centre, Meadows and Clifton Estate. NCT says that all buses will be:

• low floor
• wheelchair accessible
• environmentally friendly
• modern design
• and have bright external livery

Source Nottingham City Transport 31st March 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

Source Nottingham Express Transit 30th March 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Network Rail has been dressed down by Lord Adonis, transport minister, for simultaneously closing both main railway lines linking London to Scotland and northern England over the past two weekends.

Source Yahoo Finance, 25th March 2009. More details here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nottingham City Transport - Network Changes. From Sunday 29th March 2009, a small number of changes will be made to the NCT network as part of their ongoing network review and development process. For most customers the changes are very slight, although there are important changes to the 26, 44, 45, 80, 81 and 100. For details, see NCT Website.

Source Nottingham City Transport, 4th March 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First trains for Corby. East Midlands Trains introduced a single daily direct return service between the new station at Corby and London St Pancras from Monday 23 February as follows:

Mondays – Fridays:

• 06.37 from Corby, arriving at London St Pancras 07.55
• 18.00 from London St Pancras arriving at Corby 19.19

Saturdays:

• 09.15 from Corby arriving at London St Pancras 10.29
• 17.00 from London St Pancras arriving at Corby 18.15

The full service from Corby is likely to commence in late April once additional trains are available. The photos show the station and the first arrival from St Pancras.

Photos : Stephen Abbott

Source TWEM Secretary Stephen Abbott 23rd February 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date for launch of new Corby rail service confirmed. East Midlands Trains has announced the first train out of Corby will leave the town's new station at 6.37am on Monday 23rd February. (Comment from webmaster: It has to be added that some sources are still doubting if this will be the case! Many tickets however have be sold for the the first train from Corby for the said date).

Source East Midlands Trains 17th February 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A report in the Loughborough Echo says that Charnwood Borough Council has won a grant from the East Midlands Development Agency for a feasibility study into Great Central Railway’s ‘Bridging the Gap’ scheme. Although this is part of a "Heritage Railway", it could provide a regular passenger link and be useful to bring Aggregates from local quarries to the mainline network.

Source and more details, Loughborough Echo 12th February 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The National Passenger Survey from Autumn 2008 by Passenger Focus is now available through this link.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The new East Midlands Parkway Station which opened on 26th January 2009 has it's own web site @ www.parkwaystation.co.uk/

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bus operator Trent Barton has pledged to spend £6m on new buses this year, rolling out 43 new vehicles on to five routes in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. The company says that the Mickleover route will gain the most comfortable new buses in Derby from March at a cost of £1.2m while the 15 service between Ilkeston, Long Eaton and Sawley will get a new fleet of larger buses costing £930,000. The nine routes between Sutton-in-Ashfield to Alfreton and Derby will receive an investment of £1.3m buying 13 new buses in May while 10 new buses costing £1.6m will appear on the Rainbow 2 service between Ilkeston and Nottingham in July. All buses will feature leather seats and a designer interior, which the company says creates an environment that would normally be associated with a high street coffee shop. With a total fleet size of just over 250 buses, the £6m investment will represent a turnover in the Trent Barton fleet of almost a fifth.

Source Trent Barton Buses, 21st January 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

West Derbyshire MP Patrick McLoughlin has called on train bosses to explain alleged overcrowding on their new hourly Matlock rail services. In a statement, Mr McLoughlin welcomed East Midlands Trains' extended services to Nottingham and Derby, but said there were problems with trains being too full. (Note from webmaster. TWEM has been campaigning with similar issues on other services).

Source and more details, Matlock Mercury, 20th January 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clearing the way for East-West Rail design. Just outside our area, but of interest to us in the East Midlands: Around 20 kilometres of disused railway line between Bletchley and Claydon Junction stations will be cleared of scrub, brambles and overgrown vegetation so that survey and investigation work can be carried out for the design development phase of the East-West Rail project.

Source and more details, Milton Keynes Partnership, 16th January 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A shuttle bus service from the new East Midlands Parkway station to East Midlands airport will make it easier to travel to the airport by rail and bus. The new airport bus service will start on January 26th, the first day of opening for the new East Midlands Parkway station. The ‘Railink’ service will operate every 30 minutes, 7 days a week from 7am to 11.30pm using low floor buses supplied by Nottingham City Council.

Source, East Mids Airport 16th January 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Monday 19th January, the Nottingham City Transport Travel Centre will be opening half an hour earlier at 08:00 Mondays to Fridays to give you more time to renew your cards, pick up a timetable or make a travel enquiry.

Source, Nottingham City Transport 15th January 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EMT introduces lower online fares. According to  "Business Traveller", East Midlands Trains is the latest rail company to offer lower fares for passengers who book their journeys online. The “Internet Advance” prices are highlighted in green and can be booked up until 1800 the day before travel. They are usually available on less busy trains.

Source, and more details Business Traveller 9th January 2009.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Long Eaton rail passengers are the first to benefit from East Midlands Trains improved CCTV technology. Passengers travelling from Long Eaton station are the first to benefit from the pilot of a new improved CCTV monitoring system for the station. East Midlands Trains has chosen Long Eaton to trial a new system which will potentially roll out to a number of its other 87 stations during 2009. More details here.

EMT news release, 04th December 2008.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TWEM congratulates Nottingham City Transport on its successes in the 2008 bus awards. For details of this and other awards see the bus awards site. Whilst welcoming this TWEM through it's contacts will continue to monitor services to see if these standards are maintained!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MORE TRAIN SERVICES THIS CHRISTMAS. Network Rail says that more train services will be running this Christmas and New Year holiday period compared to previous years as a less intensive programme of improvement work, designed to deliver a better more reliable railway, is undertaken. This comes as major projects, such as the modernisation of the west coast main line, draw to a close. More details from Network Rail here.

Source Network Rail news release, 17th November 2008.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 release, 10th November 2008.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

Source EMT news release of 4th November 2008.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stephen Abbott secretary TWEM, writes: On 31 October East Midlands Trains unveiled the first refurbished two-car Class 158 train at DeltaRail, Derby, where the work has been carried out. The interior has been completely revamped with new seating and toilet modules. The number of seats has been increased from 138 to 146, plus 11 tip-up seats, with good leg room. There are eight priority seats and five sets of four seats facing tables in each car, the remaining seats have drop down tables with pull-put extensions for supporting laptop computers and similar items. All seats have a window view. One car has a standard toilet and space for bikes and bulky luggage, the other a disabled toilet and wheelchair space.

Lighting and air-conditioning have been improved and CCTV and a passenger counting system installed. The train, and 24 similar units to be refurbished progressively by April 2010, will be used principally on the Liverpool-Nottingham-Norwich route, providing a much-needed increase in capacity and an improved travelling environment. Shown seated in the picture below, inside the train are Anna Matthews CEO of DeltaRail and Tim Shoveller MD of East Midlands Trains. Also a general interior view of the Class 158.

Photos courtesy Stephen Abbott.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corby station is to miss its scheduled 12th December opening date because there are no trains available to operate the new service. It seems that the Pioneer sets which are to be cascaded from Hull Trains will be delayed and hence will not be available to East Midlands Trains yet.

Source ACT 31 October 2008.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A MAJOR track and signal improvement to Nottingham railway station has been approved by the Office of Rail Regulation. An application for £14m was given the go ahead this morning, after strong government lobbying by Notts County Council, Nottingham City Council, Network Rail and East Midlands Trains when it was initially turned down in a draft determination in June. They have been given £9.8m which the ORR says should be enough to complete all the work Network Rail wants. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) says will mean an end to trains stopping outside the station and a seventh platform will be built at the station. The ORR today (30/10/20080 also confirmed its earlier indication that it would approve £55m for improvements to the Midland Main Line to reduce the Nottingham to London journey times to 90 minutes.

Source ORR 30 October 2008.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Northern Rail service will begin on December 14th which will link Nottingham and Leeds on a frequent basis. The BBC web-site has some more information on this.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

East Midlands Trains has issued details of the new timetable and services which will be starting on 14th December. See EMT/Stagecoach news release of 21/10/2008 for more information.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TravelWatch East Midlands congratulates the winners of the Nottingham Big Wheel Business Club Awards for their travel initiatives which were announced on 14th October:

• E.ON for Best Business with 250+ employees
• The Sherwood Press Group for Best Business with less than 250 employees
• Experian for Most Ambitious Travel Plan
• East Midlands Airport for Best Regional Travel Plan

Well done to them all.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

East Midlands MP, Geoff Hoon 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, Geoff 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, a constituency he has represented since 1992.

Source Government Office.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ATOC Station Travel Plan website is now online here. Also see and complete their short survey.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

University Buses: SMART Thinking, Uni-linking!
Buses to the University of Nottingham have got bigger, better and more frequent thanks to service improvements introduced by NCT today (22nd September 2008). Unilink 34 is one of NCT’s Top 10 Growth routes, carrying nearly 100,000 more passengers in the last financial year, an increase of nearly 46% compared to the previous year. Unilink service 34, running between the City Centre and University Park has:
* increased from every 12 minutes to every 10 minutes
* increased in bus size to operate with full size single deck buses
* has a brand new, eye-catching external look
* continues to offer coverage of the City Centre, serving Maid Marian Way, Broad Marsh (for bus and railway station), the Victoria Centre area and Old Market Square
* a new experimental winter vacation service, thanks to University of Nottingham support.
...and New Unilink 31 will start running between the City Centre and Jubilee Campus Grounds, with the following features:
An NCT service running into the Jubilee Campus Grounds for the first time buses running every 20 mins between 8am & 6pm on Monday to Friday, term times low floor, easy access buses branded in a distinctive pink livery direct links to the Victoria Centre and Upper Parliament Street The Unilink improvements are supported by the University of Nottingham as part of their commitment to encourage more staff and students to use sustainable ways of getting to and from the campus.

information from Nottingham City Transport.

The Great Train Robbery. TWEM was on the telly recently. To see it, have a look at this video clip. Courtesy BBC News.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW START FOR BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET UNVEILED. Just outside our area but of interest. Passengers and the people of Birmingham and the West Midlands have been shown visionary new designs for New Street station. The striking concept designs, clad in shimmering, reflective metal, will create a bold, modern gateway to the city for the millions of people using the station each year says Network Rail. See full Network Rail press release for more details.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is rumoured that East Midlands Trains are looking at Beeston (Nottingham) 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. Local groups have been campaigning for a decent and improving service for Beeston and for the retention of the service which many commuters rely on.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Secretary of State for Transport Ruth Kelly has launched the Station Travel Plan initiative for England and Wales at Derby Station. The project is a multi-stakeholder initiative developed by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and has involved close co-operation with train companies, local authorities, Network Rail, Passenger Focus, the Rail Safety and Standards Board and the Campaign for Better Transport. See ATOC web site for full story.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nottingham City Transport (NCT) will be paying particular attention to the rising cost of petrol and diesel and encouraging families to use their services at a time when household budgets are getting tighter. This will be followed this up in the autumn with campaigns directed at commuters, drawing comparisons between fuel prices and bus travel costs and how switching to NCT can save money. It is expected that this activity will encourage lapsed passengers to reuse NCT services and encourage new customers. Source NCT web site.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations to The North Staffordshire Community Rail Partnership which has been shortlisted in the national Community Rail Awards 2008. The Community Rail Awards, presented by the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP), are awarded each year to recognise outstanding achievement and best practice in community rail development. The North Staffordshire Partnership, which works with East Midlands Trains to promote and develop the local Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent to Derby service. See ACoRP web site for more information.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

See EMT press release for more information.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From 16th June 2008, Nottingham City Council is introducing more Shoplink Buses to make shopping easier for residents in Nottingham. See Nottingham City Council web-site for details.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

£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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

..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.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A government minister has said the possibility of reopening the trans-Pennine rail route through the Woodhead tunnel was being considered. See BBC News website from where this is copied & acknowledged. Although strictly speaking not in our area, it could have an impact on the East Midlands and would be much welcomed by TWEM.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Leicester Mercury published this relating to our autumn 2007 "Charging or Choice Conference". (Used with permission of The Leicester Mercury).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The DFT response to the Local Transport Bill can be found here. This concerns "our patch" among other things.

Click here to see more recent items