Lutz Bertling will take over as President and Chief Operating Officer of Berlin-based Bombardier Transportation in June. Prior to joining Bombardier, Bertling was President and Chief Executive of Eurocopter Group, a subsidiary of EADS. He will replace André Navarri, who will remain as Strategic Advisor to the President and Chief Executive Officer of Bombardier Inc  Pierre Beaudoin until he retires in 2014.  

Cape Town’s first easy access bus - the Optare Solo SR - has been introduced for residents living on the MyCiTi route from Civic Centre to Walmer Estate and Salt River on Table Mountain. Joining residents and students at the Cape Peninsula University are previously excluded groups such as the blind and mobility impaired. The route provides connections to the Cape Town and Salt River railheads as well as the City and other MyCiTi routes from Civic Centre station. It created an operating c

The majority of the world’s population now live in urban areas. That point was reached in 2008, according to official UN statistics, as the continuing migration from the countryside and population growth within metropolitan areas have combined to  change the way the majority of the world’s citizens live. 3.3 billion of us now live in urban areas. In 1950 there was just one city of over 10m people – New York. Now there are 27, and experts believe that by the end of 2015, t

Chinese electric bus specialist BYD and Bulmineral Ltd of Bulgaria have signed an agreement to create a 50:50 joint venture company, named Auto Group Motors, to produce electric buses in Europe. This is claimed to be the first electric bus JV company in Europe and the first overseas electric vehicle JV for BYD. BYD, which is the worlds largest all-electric bus manufacturer, will manufacture pure electric buses in Breznik, Bulgaria, targeting both local markets in Bulgaria and elsewhere in Europ

Alongside the UK’s leading passenger transport directors and decision-makers are their equivalents in Europe, both within the individual states, and across the continent as a whole. New Transit cannot attempt to produce similar lists to that for the UK for each European country, but we do recognise that there is a Europe-wide group of big hitters who either have activity and influence beyond their own borders, or are leaders of innovation and achievement within their own domain, and are e

Across the transport sector there are certain individuals whose activities stand out either as beyond the significance of their own specific role within an organisation, or for introducing new ideas from an inventive technological or entrepreneurial standpoint. In an era of rapid change to the way transport services are managed, marketed and paid for it is not surprising that a group of such people feature amongst our power list. Elaine Rosscraig, Stagecoach’s head of bus customer insigh

European Commission vice president for transport Siim Kallas has been forced by France and Germany to accept a watered down version of his long awaited plans for the EU’s Fourth Railway Package. The new framework designed to encourage greater competition and innovation in rail services has now accepted single-company infrastructure and train operators as a way for countries to organise their railways. Throughout the formulation of the Fourth Railway Package, published in February, Kallas

Vehicle interiors are a regular part of my work - and perhaps the most challenging. Trying to make them attractive, exciting, stylish, cool, classy, sassy, striking, calming, sumptuous, possibly all at the same time. So it strikes me as odd that the very environment that can make people enjoy a journey and relish making it again, can so often be average to bad. Let down by poor design, inferior detailing and a singular lack of understanding as to how our eyes need to be pleased, let alone our ba

The European railway industry put on an impressive display of its buoyancy and technological innovation at this year’s biennial Innotrans exhibition in Berlin. There could be little doubt that the sector is booming and the manufacturers are on a impressive programme of technological innovation and design development- particularly in the areas of high speed trains, high capacity commuter rolling stock, new generation trams and providing vehicles to the growing number of open access and priv

Non-stop interchange One of the things that most spoils high speed rail is the need for trains to make intermediate stops. The faster the train’s design speed, the greater the penalty for stopping. While it’s no problem on a low speed rural branch line for a local train stop at a station, the amount of time it takes to decelerate a high speed train from 200mph to 0mph, and then back again, makes a huge addition to its journey time, which could otherwise be offered for end-to-end t

Smart Links - the range of short distance, often automated transport modes - have begun to shake up long-held models of what public transport is, and what it can do, over the last decade. Yet they are still only just beginning to show their true utility. This fledgling sector could well be in a position similar to the early years of railway development, when pioneering lines showed the potential, but it took several years before the rest of the world caught on and railway mania exploded. If so

A potential contradiction lies at the heart of current developments in heavily used urban public transport:  Capacity versus comfort. To be popular, and play its part in the functioning of cities, most practitioners would agree that public transport in cities should be attracting motorists from their use of private cars, by providing a high quality alternative. To be cost effective however, particularly at peak times, each vehicle also needs to shift high volumes of people. The balancing

The European Bus System of the Future project is an initiative of the EU Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. Running from September 2008 to September 2012, it was a four-year project with an overall budget of E26 million (E16 million co-funded) and coordinated by UITP, the International Association of Public Transport. The project was seen as a major opportunity for bus manufacturers and operating authorities to transform the image of bus

Along with tram-train, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is one of the longest established ‘blended’ modes of transport. It’s also one of the hardest to define, covering a wide range of technologies and operating environments, and even names. It’s known as BHNS in France, for example. What is certain is that the concept is going from strength to strength, and new systems are coming on stream at a fast pace. The latest data from EMBARQ, the international specialists in the concept,

I t might be a conventional heavy rail infrastructure operator, but Britain’s Network Rail has been doing some very unconventional thinking about what sort of vehicles could run passenger services on its tracks. Railways don’t have to be operated by trains, it acknowledges. Blended mode technologies like guided buses and tram-trains might be just as appropriate, and even trains themselves might operate differently to today’s conventional understanding. Network Rail’s &

When does a light rail scheme become a metro? And when does a metro become a suburban or commuter rail system? As railway vehicle technologies and system specifi cations move forward, it is becoming increasingly hard to tell where the dividing line is, and as successful light rail schemes generate more patronage, they are morphing into something much more like metros where planners and promoters are willing to let systems develop organically. Likewise with the arrival of more cross city commute

More than 50 exhibitors met over 500 visitors at this year’s Travel 2020 event at the Kia Oval in London on October 10th and 11th. Smart systems for passenger information, payment, management support and customer service represented the core exhibits, along with complimentary transport and mobility concepts including car share and demand responsive systems. Visitors came from transport operators in the UK and Europe, local transport authorities and government bodies, plus innovative sys

If there is one thing that has helped railways re-invent themselves as a sexy futuristic travel mode it has to be the coming of the high-speed train. Starting in Japan with the ShinKansen Bullet trains, and now a global phenomenon, just the initials ICE, TGV or HST seem to conjure a magical response amongst both users, and more importantly, political leaders. Everyone seems to want to have a cutting edge high-speed network with suitably stylish and iconic trains. This year’s Innotrans sh

Success in a nice problem to have, but finding the best solution to the problem of a lack of capacity in the face of rising passenger numbers can prove challenging. A number of rapid transit systems across Europe are facing that challenge in different ways. Introducing Bus Rapid Transit has a record of building the market by changing perceptions of conventional bus services, and in the UK, the Cambridgeshire guided busway opened last year has proved a real hit. It carried its one-millionth pass

An on board train system from Clearsy  has been designed to measure the distance between the platform and the train before installing a gap-bridging system as well as authorising it and deploying it. The gap-filler is a mobile platform filling the space between the train and the platform edge to help passengers with reduced mobility. GAPS comprises lasers which scan the edge of the platform and receive the data to check whether or not the platform is compatible with the gap filler. It then

From a background deeply routed in hardware and consumer electronics for transport, and other sectors, multinational giant Siemens is rapidly pushing forward its mission to be the provider of ‘smart’ solutions for multifunction travel and urban consumer activities. It is just one of a growing group of major companies eyeing up the travel market and launching new consumer transaction concepts. It sees the dominant trend of urbanization giving city governments the chance to turn thei

A trio of 11m-long Optare Versa EVs now entering service with Travel De Courcey in Coventry are the largest battery-powered electric buses currently running in the UK, with a passenger capacity of over 50. They are being supported in service by two ABB Terra 51 fast-charging stations, designed to charge their batteries to full capacity in under two hours. The system offers the company the ability to recharge the batteries during the day during a layover, as well as overnight. This provides the

A demonstration run by the UK’s first hydrogen-powered locomotive was a feature of the seventh International Hydrail Conference on July 3-4, hosted by the University of Birmingham and sponsored by the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research & Education. The 260 mm gauge locomotive had been built by the university’s students and staff to compete in the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ inaugural Railway Challenge contest. Built mainly from off-the-shelf components, it is

CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive in China has unveiled a prototype light metro trainset which uses supercapacitor energy storage to operate without an external power supply. Developed in conjunction with Chinese Academy of Engineering, the trainset has underfloor power pick-ups which are used to charge the roof-mounted supercapacitor unit from a fixed supply while the train is stood at a station. Charging takes 30 sec and can power the train for 2 km. Energy regenerated during braking is recover

The announcement of the government’s electrification plan for the UK railway network during 2014-19 (see New Directions page 8) has allowed confirmation of £4.5bn of orders for the government-procured Intercity Express trains for the new East Coast and Great Western franchises, under moves that will bring their assembly to a new factory in Britain. Agility Trains (a consortium of Hitachi and John Laing) was originally named supplier and maintainer of the replacements for the ageing

Relatively short connections in the transport network can have a disproportionate significance in both addressing end-to-end journey requirements, and complementing the accessibility needs of large activity sites and potential new development opportunities. In this field, some recent innovative systems are showing exciting potential to tackle problems in new ways – and even more economically and rapidly than hitherto. A group of emerging, new generation short transport concepts are offe

Britain’s tramway systems lag behind those in mainland Europe but at least some are growing. Six new trams at London Tramlink have enabled service frequencies to increase by 50% over the busiest section of routes centred on Croydon, south London. Tramlink currently carries 29 million passengers per year, up 45% from the figures in 2000, when it opened, without any increase in network length. The new Variobahn trams cost £16.3m (of which £3m was contributed by Croydon Council)

New buses from manufacturer VDL have achieved claimed significant additional weight savings which reduce fuel consumption, so cutting costs and improving operators’ environmental impact. The Transport Publics 2012 exhibition saw VDL displaying its Citea Light Low Entry model, which is an innovative, low weight concept for a low-entry single deck bus designed for both city and intercity transport. New methods of construction have resulted in a very low weight, leading to considerably lowe

A range of innovative concepts have been emerging to provide rail based transport solutions for areas of low demand over short distances. The fruits of both individual inventors and large companies looking for the next technology, they have featured smaller, alternatively powered vehicles capable of running on both existing and new track for journey lengths of 2kms or so. The quest has been to find economical and attractive links to the main rail networks that can replace conventional branch li

The announcement by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) that it is to press ahead with a long-mooted pilot scheme to test the Tram-Train concept in South Yorkshire finds it hard to explain why the government really thinks a trial of an already proven technology is necessary. After all, systems where the line between a tramway and a suburban railway has been blurred to achieve a new form of connectivity are now well established in Europe, and even in the UK. Perhaps the British project has less

The new cable car across the Thames in East London has joined the capital’s transport system in time for the Olympics. The five-minute 1km trip, costing £3.20 with an Oyster card, links the Greenwich Peninsula to Docklands. Supplied by Doppelmayr, it was built by Mace working with Watson Steel, URS Scott Wilson, lead consultant; Buro Happold, structural engineer: and architects Aedas and Wilkinson Eyre. Officially opened by Mayor Boris Johnson, the cable car connects two Olympic ven

There was considerable media coverage earlier this year when the UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders published its 2012 New Car CO2 Emissions Report, and announced that the automotive industry was playing its part in combating climate change. According to SMMT’s figures, a new car bought in the UK is now 18.0% more efficient than the average car in use in the UK. A new car in 2011 emitted 27.2% less CO2 than one did 15 years ago while CO2 emissions from all cars in use be

Smarter lighting across vehicles and premises has caught the attention of transport operators seeking to reduce costs as well as carbon emissions. Rolling stock leasing company Porterbrook trialled an LED-based lighting system on a suburban train in the West Midlands during 2009. It monitored ambient lighting and adjusted lighting levels accordingly, estimated to save 129 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, through reduced electricity consumption, if rolled out to the rest of the West Midlands el

It is a win-win situation when the engineering, commercial and marketing departments of passenger transport organisations can find common cause in their business objectives, and a shared message to present to the public and political decision-makers. But the idea of ‘going green’ is increasingly providing just that opportunity - with improved economic and environmental credentials going hand-in-hand. Applying smarter thinking about how bus and rail systems are designed, equipped and

Acomprehensive showcase of the French passenger transport world was provided at this year’s 5th Transport Publics expo held in Paris. The Biennial event brings together the whole of the industry across modes and involves both the system suppliers, transport authorities and operators. As well as a big range of buses, a tram, vehicle and passenger service delivery equipment and technologies, a feature of the show was major displays by all the French operating groups including RATP, Veolia T

The double decker is the bus design that refuses to die. By rights, it shouldn’t exist, given that it involves passengers walking up and down steep staircases on a moving vehicle, while passengers upstairs can get up to all kinds of mischief out of sight of the only member of staff on the bus. The amount of space accessible to people who can’t use stairs is small, especially on eccentric multi-door, multi-staircase, projects like the New Bus for London. The European Bus System of the

A customised version of Van Hool’s ExquiCity bus design for Metz, unveiled at Transports Publics, the biennial European mobility exhibition in Paris at the beginning of June, illustrates the latest thinking on how to deliver a genuinely enhanced road passenger transport offer to reflect the possibilities of BHNS/BRT provision as an alternative or precursor to tramway or LRT. It is a 24 metre long, bi-articulated bus with a diesel-electric hybrid drive system that will be used for public

Within 10 years, most of the world’s buses will be electric (mainly hybrids), industry consultant Dr Peter Harrop told New Transit’s ’ April conference on Electric Futures for Public Transport. He expects hybrids to become more like pure electrics over time, looking forward to new developments in supercapacitors, and on-vehicle lamination of electrics bringing huge weight savings. He forsaw large, flexible rooftop solar panels; and multiple energy harvesting (eg from shock abso

With a significant presence in the French domestic coach travel market SNCF has recently ordered fifty coaches from two manufacturers for its project Speed, long distance coach lines. The dedicated unit of SNCF Voyages, led by Maria Harti, still officially refuses to comment on a project that would compete with Eurolines internationally.  The draft long-distance plan was revealed at the end of last year by an article in Le Figaro. It reflected the impending liberalization of the French co

France’s rail market is perceived as being one of the most difficult in Europe for any new operator to break into. And both the giant state-owned rail company and the government seem determined to keep it that way - whatever EU competition policy may say. Although complying with European regulations requiring the separation of train operations from infrastructure, intended to make on-rail competition and involvement by the private sector easier, France’s rail network still operates

Alstom and Transmashholding launch new Moscow tramway Alstom are in partnership with Transmash-holding (TMH) to supply a  high-speed low-floor tramway to be built in Russia with associated innovative management systems. The modular prototype presented in  Moscow is based on Alstom’s flagship  Citadis, designed for maximum speed of  75kph, and average  25kph compared to  11kph for existing tramways in Moscow. More Pendolinos for Virgin and very high speed A

Alstom and the French Strategic Investment Fund (FSI) have been studying  a joint €60 million purchase of 85% of specialist Alsatian tram manufacturer Translohr. Parent company of the group Lohr Industries would retain a 15% stake. It appears that the acquisition would underpin the continued sustainability of the business by providing access to the commercial network of Alstom Transport and its offer to city authorities, and expertise in management, technical skills and purchasing po

Design is a language that is international, and in an increasingly global society we are all better able to understand its vocabulary, grammar and syntax whether we are from Brighton or Bratislava, or whether that design was created in London or Lille. That said, design also has the capability to speak with a local accent, and in the area of passenger transport there is an opportunity to reflect the culture and personality of particular places in the design, identity and styling of the vehicles

Ruth Humphrey has been appointed as Project Director - Depots, for Siemens Rail Systems, and  will have overall responsibility for delivery of the Thameslink depots at Hornsey and Three Bridges.  Humphrey has over 20 years industry experience in engineering projects, and over the past 10 years has led the delivery of a variety of heavy  and light rail construction projects.  She will work closely with recently-appointed Thameslink Rolling Stock Project Programme Director Da

It is something significant when the top man at Ford Motor Company outlines a “Blueprint for Mobility”, that calls for the automotive, telecommunications, and passenger transport industries to collaborate to address a coming personal mobility crisis. During his keynote address at the 2012 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford outlined a plan for a ‘joined up mobility’ solution that will help avoid a potential future of what

We’ve commented before in New Transit about the ways in which the transport modes are coming together, with public transport increasingly seen as a key element in an integrated mobility offer. What we couldn’t have forecast however, was the fact that two very senior men from Ford Motor Company would be featuring in the same issue for their major impact on thinking and leadership of the passenger transport sector. In February, the head of Ford gave his thoughts on the future of tran

Continuing economic uncertainty and spending restraints have depressed the UK bus vehicle market, but the industry has had one bright spot from the £25 million on offer under the Government’s Green Bus Fund III initiative. “I’m happy not to be gloomy about 2012”, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ Bus and Coach Section Chair Adrian Wickens says. The Volvo Bus Product Planning Manager expects to see full take-up of the third-round extension of the fu

The Wright Group has hired Dr Alan Lennon as its new non-executive chairman. Alongside this appointment he will continue to serve as non-executive director of InvestNI, Business in the Community and Young Enterprise. Lennon replaces Jeff Wright who held the position of chairman since 2006. He will continue with the Wright Group as a non-executive director. Born and educated in Northern Ireland, Lennon gained a first class honours degree in mechanical engineering from Queens University Belfast,

Recent months have seen the arrival in London of the so-called Borismaster - the new Routemaster bus for London initiated by Mayor Boris Johnston - and the unveiling at the National Exhibition Centre in November of what could perhaps be called the Raymaster - the new bus for Nottingham, in which I have myself played a role. It’s a restyling of the Tempo that I worked on for trentbarton and Optare. There’s also been launches of prototypes of the ‘European Bus System of the Fut

Shopping in Apple’s famous Fifth Avenue store in New York may appear to have little in common with bus service design. However, Ken Lin, senior planning manager at Parsons Brinckerhoff’s New York office, told the Travel 2020 conference that delivering a comparable experience is a practical ambition for the bus industry to aspire to. The store is characterised by its minimalist clean design, high quality customer assistance, distinctive product branding and products that become part

A track-side device that detects potential technical faults with trains has been installed by South West Trains at Mortlake near Richmond in south-west London. RailBAM, supplied by Siemens, monitors 300 trains a day on the Wessex route between London, Southampton and Weymouth. An array of sensitive microphones mounted at the side of the track listen to individual axle bearings on each train as it passes. Sound signatures emitted by the bearings and the wheels are captured by the acoustic senso

For railway systems  there are a range of areas of activity to improve electric traction efficiency with both short, medium and long-term horizons. They range from grid-wide issues including harnessing wasted power and returning it for re-use, to adopting the latest hybrid technology from the automotive sector. A report this year on an Energy Roadmap for the European Railway Sector, by the European Rail Research Advisory Council looked at a dozen topics ranging from infrastructure and powe

The latest electric bus from Polish builder Solaris is based on the 8.9 m Urbino family midibus. At the heart of its power system is a 120 kW four-pole asynchronous traction motor supplied by Vossloh Kiepe. Energy is stored in two batteries weighing 700 kg each. These liquid-cooled lithium-ion batteries have a rated voltage of 600 V and the capacity to store 120 kWh. The battery capacity gives the Solaris Urbino electric a claimed range of up to 100 km and a maximum speed of 50 km/h. The bat

Though BAE Systems is a UK multinational, which has harnessed capability from across its varied industrial experience to develop a leading role in power systems for transport, the core development of hybrid buses took place in the USA, where BAE Systems acquired Lockheed Martin Control Systems over a decade ago. A global pioneer was New York City Transit, which introduced heavy-duty hybrid technology in 1998 with four new Orion hybrid buses with the Lockheed System. Under an ambitious project

Electric power has always been an important feature of attractive and efficient public transport. Metros and other urban railways could not operate without it, and commuter and inter city trains have benefited hugely from electrification. Trams leapt forward by converting from horse drawn power to electric, while trolley buses were another step forward for urban bus transport. Wholly electric buses without wires have never yet been a practical solution, but the application of hybrid electric d

It’s over 50 years ago since the iconic London double deck open rear platform Routemaster entered service. Incredibly, examples are still running in London, albeit on two heritage routes. Other examples from the one-time fleet of over two and a half thousand have been sold around the world and still ply their trade in various ways. Londoners - and Britons -  have loved this bus, and no image of London has been complete without it, as attested by the  subject of our big picture c

Next year, Network Rail, the UK’s rail infrastructure organisation,  will exhibit at the massive Innotrans show in Berlin in a bid to kick start its ambitions to offer international consultancy and project delivery services. By that time, the company could have some tangible results to present on reforms it is making to deliver a more efficient supply chain and potentially offer attractive new cost effective solutions in railway project delivery to customers around the world. The c

Jorma Halonen has joined the Board of Optare as a non-executive director. Halonen, former chairman of Volvo Bus Corporation, is to replace David Stonehouse who stands down from the Optare board to pursue other business interests. Finnish born Halonen has nearly 20 years experience in the bus and truck industry. He spent seven years working with the Volvo Group, latterly as the group deputy chief executive and chairman of Volvo Bus Corporation. He is currently an independent non-executive direc

Those at the leading edge of thinking and innovation will know from recent conferences, editorial commentary and political agendas, that a current major industry focus is on addressing Urban Mobility in its widest sense. This is an area offering huge potential in terms of both creative service and system development, and customer benefits. We must expect a paradigm shift towards intelligent urban and transport planning. It will be a key focus of the forthcoming Travel 2020 conference and exhibit

A fleet of 21 Stagecoach buses fitted with BAE System’s hybrid electric propulsion system is now in service across Sheffield. The launch of the double deck buses, powered by BAE System’s HybriDrive® Series system, took place on 18 September. This follows the rolling out of similar hybrid electrically powered buses in London, Reading, Oxford, Manchester, Newcastle, Hull and Edinburgh over the past 18 months. Meanwhile, bus operator London United has reported that its fleet of 27

Six longer trams have been ordered for Croydon to allow a more frequent service on the busiest parts of the network. The trams are 32 metres long, making them 2.5m longer than existing vehicles, and are air-conditioned and low-floor to allow better access. The Variobahn model trams, to be built in Germany by Stadler, are each made up of five sections with wide gangways giving them a more spacious interior. To accommodate the longer vehicles, tramstops and the depot will be modified. The con

Alstom Transport UK & Ireland has appointed Terence Watson as its new managing director. He joined parent company Alstom Transport in 1994 as international commercial director for rail traction systems, and went on to hold many senior management roles both in the UK and, since 1999, in the company’s Paris headquarters. Watson said: “Alstom Transport has a long history in the UK and Ireland, from the supply of tube stock, regional trains, the West Coast Pendolino fleet and Dublin

The latest batches of trains ordered by Eurostar, SNCF and DB will provide a large additional capability to operate new international services on top of those services already operated in alliances. SNCF has started receiving the first trains from an order with Alstom for 55 Duplex AGV sets which feature traction equipment suited to all currents used on European rail networks,  and signalling equipment compatible with systems in Switzerland, Germany, Luxemburg and France. Modifications wil

This summer, a series of announcements by Deutsche Bahn, Eurostar and SNCF underlined the fact  that the major European rail  operators are beginning to prepare for a new era of international competition. Deutsche Bahn has already applied to run services from Frankfurt and Amsterdam to London through the Channel Tunnel from December 2013, while Eurostar has announced plans to serve a series of new destinations beyond Paris and Brussels, possibly as soon as 2014. Destinations in the Ne

The rail industry has taken the first steps in its bid to persuade the government to fund new infrastructure projects by setting out an agenda to cut costs and cater effectively for growing demand. The Initial Industry Plan (IIP) for 2014-2019 has been drawn up by all sectors of the industry from suppliers to operators and Network Rail. It details how efficiencies would be made in response to the McNulty Rail Value for Money Review and suggests that the cost of running the railway could be re

A few years ago I was awarded a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship to visit Australia and the Far East to study aspects of public transport.  During this I was given guided tours of both the Adelaide Guided Busway (O-Bahn) and Brisbane's South-East Busway.  Since then I have also visited a range of Bus Rapid Transport schemes in the UK, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.  Several things impressed me about all these: firstly that there was tremendous local pride in each city's B

Paris Transport Authoity RATP and train builder Alstom earlier this year created a joint venture Metrolab with the aim of developing the ‘automatic metro of the future’. As well as new systems, the partners are hoping to offer a proven approach to upgrading existing metro lines to driverless. Pierre Mongin, CEO of RATP and Philippe Mellier, President of Alstom Transport announced the project at the 59th UITP World Congress and Exhibition in Dubai. They said their combined expertise

O­ne function of design I mentioned in my first column is to make things work better. In the realm of public transport, encouraging people to want to make repeat journeys (ie repeat purchases) means making sure their first journey makes a good impression and leaves a feeling of calmness and comfort rather than stress. Something they are doing for virtually all their time on board the vehicle is sitting down, so this area is surely worth a significant level of attention. Which brings me to co

GreenRoad’s 360 fleet driver performance and safety management system has been enhanced to allow speeding and engine idling analysis as well as extended data integration. The new functions will improve the system’s ability to cut fuel costs and reduce accidents, said Glenn Pereira, director of product marketing at GreenRoad. The speed performance feature means that drivers are made aware in real time if they are speeding. An in-vehicle device monitors the movement of the vehicle to

The concept of vehicles drawing their energy supply from electric power as they move is not new. Trains, trams and trolley buses have done it for decades. But for road vehicles to be able to pick up their fuel without a physical connection would be a radical step. It is one which Bombardier believe is possible by inductive power transfer. With thinking initially developed to give trams and buses a wire-free energy source, the concept is now being promoted as a potential energy source for all r

The first true public transport, and well before the buses, came the railways- short stretches of steam powered ‘iron horses’. They quickly changed the nature of communications, and the shape of cities, introducing ‘commuting’ and the separation of where people lived and worked. In the late 19th century, electric motors started to do the work in urban areas, where steam and soot were less welcome than in the countryside or around industrial areas. Eventually stretches of

Blackpool, home of the oldest running tram system in the UK dating back to 1885, has long been famous for its heritage, including double deck, open top and illuminated art-deco style 1930’s tramcars, rather than its futurism. Now it is leap frogging forward to become the world launch customer for the latest Bombardier Flexity 2 tram. As part of a major programme to upgrade the entire 18km tram operation, Bombardier will next month hand over the first of 16 new Flexity 2 trams to Blackpool

The fallout from the decision to name Siemens rather than Bombardier  as preferred bidder for the £1.6bn contract to supply and finance new rolling stock for Thameslink cross-London services shows no sign of abating. On the face of it, the selection of German conglomerate Siemens rather than Canadian conglomerate Bombardier was just another element of the global market at work. However, the fact that Bombardier’s Derby factory has lost out and faces a major reduction in its wor

There is a potential revolution on the cards in how customers are offered their choices of how to travel. Rather than be faced with a myriad of options by different operators, each one of which offers an individual journey and requires separate research for information and a purchase transaction, the alternative could be a single source for the right combination to meet a traveller’s personal needs. Information is already being presented in multi-modal integrated forms with journey plann

A fleet of Stagecoach buses that run on household rubbish and animal waste has taken to the road. The recycled waste is converted into biomethane, which will cut emissions by 40% and help reduce landfill, said the operator. The project has been launched in Lincoln in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council and the East Midlands Development Agency. Stagecoach has converted 11 Optare Solo buses from its Lincoln fleet to run on the low carbon fuel. Funding for the £260,000 conversion pr

Design – a word that makes accountants purse their lips and lock the money away, and engineers stiffen their sinews and furrow their brow at this ‘interference’ in what they have carefully constructed. For these fellow professionals perceive that this dark art can have no place in their worlds of logic, order and symmetry. Design doesn’t have hard, defined boundaries like engineering or accountancy, nor does it conform to immutable and predictable rules. It evolves and ch

Virgin Trains and the Department for Transport have reached an agreement for the first of the new West Coast Pendolino trains to enter service this summer. Previously, the inability to agree commercial terms for the introduction of the new train had seen the DfT threaten to use it on the East Coast Main Line, where its Directly Operated Railways subsidiary operates, prior to the new West Coast contract starting. The new contract had been scheduled to start in May 2012 but has been put back to Ja

Merseytravel Passenger Transport Executive has taken the first steps to replacing the 30-year-old Merseyrail train fleet by launching a market testing exercise for potential suppliers. The PTE is currently preparing a business case to replace its 177-carriage fleet of Class 507/508 rolling stock when the lease for the vehicles expires either in 2015, or in 2018 should Merseytravel exercise an option to extend the lease. An OJEU notice has been issued asking for expressions of interest from pot

The Department for Transport has announced how its £46m Green Bus Fund has been distributed. The fund will result in 542 new hybrid and electric low carbon buses being introduced in England by March 2012. With the money paid to 20 operators and six local authorities as part payment for the vehicles. “Low carbon buses emit around 30 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than standard diesel buses and use around a third less fuel – that is why it was so important to kick-start

Bombardier's is manufacturing more trains per week in Derby than has ever previously been produced in the history of this site. By the end of March, over 100 cars will have been produced. The Derby site is currently making trains for Transport for London's  Underground system: MOVIA metro cars for the Victoria and SubSurface Lines, Class 379 Electrostars for  National Express East Anglia and Class 172 Turbostars for Chiltern and London Midland. Whilst production is currently at a peak

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has given the go-ahead for a £4.5bn Intercity Express Programme (IEP) and £704m plans to electrify the Great Western Main Line (GWML) between Cardiff, Bristol and Didcot. The announcement means that the IEP procurement programme will now be resumed with  the Agility Trains (Hitachi and John Laing) consortium replacing 30-year old intercity high speed trains. Although the project has been sharply reduced from the original 1400-train, £7

Bus manufacturer Optare has raised £7.4m through the issue of new ordinary shares to fund a relocation from its current Leeds factory, provide working capital and reduce borrowings. Production is expected to transfer from the Leeds site to a new location in Sherburn, close to Optare’s existing plant, during the second half of 2011. The move to the new facility will represent the completion of Optare's site rationalisation programme, with three constrained production facilities being

Why is he on the list? Souter remains the heartbeat of Stagecoach and a highly influential figure within the industry. He remains a free spirit who is willing to speak his mind and put money behind his ideas. Together with his sister, Ann Gloag, he still owns around a quarter of Stagecoach. The Perth-based group operates two rail franchises and two tram systems. It also operates a fleet of 8,000 buses in England, Scotland and Wales. Souter also has a 30% stake in Falkirk-based Alexander Dennis,

Ten, even five years ago, pursuing a transport story was relatively straightforward for journalists. It was simply a matter of picking up the phone and grilling the big names. Even transport group main board directors could often be reached on a casual whim and generally relied upon to give a view across the business. Times have changed. Throughout the vast majority of the industry, there is now a process to be followed, with requests made through PR officers, and appointments scheduled. Acces

Fifty new low carbon vehicles will soon join Scotland's bus fleet thanks to £4.4m grant funding awarded this week to six bus operators across Scotland. Stagecoach Scotland West, Stagecoach Scotland East, Lothian Buses, MacEwens Coach Services, First Glasgow and COLCHRI will all benefit from the Scottish Green Bus Fund which provides help with the up front costs of buying new low carbon vehicles. This mix of both large and small bus operators will result in the new low carbon buses

The media poured en-masse into the London Transport Museum’s Acton Depot in mid-November to view the full-size mock-up of Boris Johnson’s New Bus for London project. And it was clear that Boris was as happy as a sand boy to see a full scale recreation of his election pledge, sorry, pet project. But perhaps he was a little too enthusiastic? Jumping on the back of the mock-up he firmly grasped the centre pole which, perhaps inevitably given that it is still a mock-up made of lots of f

It was a smaller Euro Bus Expo held in early November at Birmingham’s NEC, but there were still plenty of developments announced by the major bus manufacturers. And once again it seemed that greener technologies dominated the stands. Perhaps buoyed by the recent round of Green Bus Fund announcements, it was clear to see that all of the big firms see this emerging market as the future of their industry. Alexander Dennis Kicking off proceedings with a press briefing before the opening of

When Labour came to power in 1997 it was John Prescott who was handed the transport brief. Prescott was enthusiastically pro-public transport but soon found himself under fire for being “anti-motorist”. The current transport secretary, the first to be installed by the new coalition government is the polar opposite, and the transport world got to know him a little better at October’s Conservative Party conference in Birmingham. While Prescott pledged to transform the bus from &

London mayor Boris Johnson has unveiled a life-size mock-up of the New Bus For London, providing a first glimpse of what the completed vehicle will look like when it enters passenger service in 2012. Johnson was joined in unveiling the mock-up by London transport commissioner Peter Hendy and Owen Paterson, the secretary of state for Northern Ireland at the London Transport Museum’s depot at Acton. The mock-up, which internally takes its inspiration from the Routemaster bus, features two

EU funding has enabled Transport for London to make provision for three more hydrogen buses that will enable an entire bus route in London to use this greener, cleaner technology, helping to improve air quality in the capital. TfL has secured €5.67m of funding as part of the EU's Cleaner Hydrogen in Cities project to expand its current hydrogen bus project. The funding allows for three additional zero-emission hydrogen hybrid fuel cell buses and the opportunity to extend the whole demonstr

Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority has taken delivery of the first of a fleet of up to 66 Optare hybrid buses. Jim Sumner, chief executive of Optare, handed over the first of the buses to Councillor David Sandiford, chair of the GMITA Bus Network and GMPTE Services Committee. Sumner said that he was very pleased to be handing over the buses in line with GMITA’s requirements. “This has been a major project for Optare and it emphasises our significant lead in the des

Edinburgh-based municipal bus operator Lothian Buses has announced a major 60 vehicle order for new buses from Wrightbus and Volvo. The deal is understood to be worth in the region of £12m. This latest and highly significant order for the Wrightbus Gemini 2 Double Deck based on the Volvo B9TL chassis, further adds to the 75 vehicles that have been most recently delivered to Lothian Buses by the Ballymena-based company over the last two years. When completed, no less than 435 new Wrig

French train manufacturer Alstom has lost its High Court bid to stop international train operator Eurostar from signing a contract with German rival Siemens for new trains. Alstom sought an injunction to prevent the order for 10 Siemens Velaro high speed trains, worth a reported £525m, before a full High Court trial over issues surrounding the procurement process. Eurostar announced the order last month as part of plans to expand services on new routes from 2014. This could see the opera

The number of passengers using the North's rail system is set to soar over the next ten and twenty years, according to a new report published by Network Rail. 30 - 45% rises by 2019 could see hundreds of thousands more people a year arriving in cities like Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield at peak times, according to the operator and maintainer of Britain’s rail network. The report makes a series of recommendations for targeted investment in the railways of the nor

How do you feel about spending £7.8m of taxpayers’ money? That was just one of the spiky questions that Wrightbus group managing director Mark Nodder faced when the media were invited to his company’s factory in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, in mid-September. They were there to witness the progress made on the ‘New Bus for London’, aka ‘Son of Routemaster’, and the question illustrates that this is no ordinary contract for new buses. The New Bus for Lond

German state rail operator Deutsche Bahn is to conduct a trial run later this month that could pave the way for a future direct rail service between London and Frankfurt. The move follows the signing of an agreement between DB and the owner of High Speed 1 rail route, plus planned changes to safety regulations in the Channel Tunnel. If the test run is a success, DB says that it is planning to commence services to London in 2013 with a Frankfurt route that would also call at Cologne and possibly

New Transit was given a sneak preview of the prototype New Bus for London in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, this week. The mock-up of Transport for London's New Bus for London, nicknamed the Borismaster after mayor Boris Johnson, is being constructed by bus manufacturer Wrightbus in a top secret area of its Ballymena factory. It remains true to the design that was unveiled by Transport for London in May, and uses marine-style composite material to achieve a lightweight, curved rear end, complete

A team of ladies from the Scottish bus industry has raised more than £7,000 for a rescue centre for girls in Kenya. The four ladies and their friends climbed Glas Tualaichean, one of Scotland's 283 Munros, to raise money for Walk for Water on August 1. The ladies were recruited for this challenge by the Balcraig Foundation, which was founded in 1992 by Ann Gloag, co-founder of Scottish transport group Stagecoach. By reaching the 1,051-metre summit, the walkers received sponsorship totali

Government-owned train operator East Coast is negotiating to take delivery of one of the new Pendolino trains being built to increase capacity on the West Coast Main Line. East Coast would run the train on London-Edinburgh services from next July for nine months, and it would then be returned to West Coast for the start of the next franchise which is scheduled to begin in April 2012. The train is one of four new 11-car units which are due for delivery next year but will be held in storage unti

Optare has confirmed that diesel-electric hybrid versions of its Solo and Versa models have successfully completed certification trials to satisfy the Low Carbon Emission Bus requirements under the Green Bus Grant scheme. The certification, carried out independently by engineers at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, now applies to all production Solo and Versa hybrids. It was based on Millbrook’s rigorous ‘MLTB’ test cycle, which replicates London’s route 159

It was in early 2004 when the Department for Transport instigated a review of Britain’s railways that Transport for London first proposed taking control of the capital’s suburban rail network. While many of these aspirations appear have fallen by the wayside, the review did result in part of the then Silverlink rail franchise transferring to TfL control, leading to the birth of the London Overground network in 2007.  The previous Silverlink Metro network had gained something o

The designer of Virgin’s Pendolino train fleet on the West Coast Main Line has revealed his vision for a new type of train to operate on the planned high speed rail network linking London with the West Midlands, North of England and Scotland. Paul Priestman of design firm Priestman Goode believes that the new design, which has been christened as Mercury, could be a new British design icon, following in the footsteps of Concorde, the Spitfire, Rolls Royce and the Routemaster bus and reawak

Bus operators have often pondered the conundrum of reducing bus stop dwell times in order to speed up their networks, but a research project undertaken by Swedish bus manufacturer Volvo could lead to fundamental changes in vehicle design that will assist this process. The research project is being undertaken as part of the UITP-led European Bus System of the Future programme that was launched in Rome in September 2008. The scheme is being funded by the European Union and has 47 project partners

Warwickshire independent bus and coach operator Johnsons has launched a comparative trial between the battery electric Optare Solo EV and its conventional diesel-engined equivalent in a trial that is expected to yield valuable findings that could accelerate the introduction of cleaner buses to Britain’s roads. The six-day trial, which began in late July in Stratford-upon-Avon and is being undertaken by Johnsons in partnership with Optare, Greenwatt Technology, local authorities and organi

Falkirk-based bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis has revealed that it is working on a new hybrid bus product that will be tailored to the needs of the continental European bus industry. Chief executive Colin Robertson says that the move will assist in reducing the sticker price of hybrid buses by increasing volumes. The decision by ADL to invest in the new product follows the completion of more than 20 months of successful service of the firm’s early hybrid models in London, covering more

Stagecoach launched the first of 56 new hybrid vehicles at its Oxford bus operation last month as ministers in Westminster and Holyrood announced further funding to support the introduction of low carbon buses in England and Scotland. The Perth-based group is introducing 26 hybrid vehicles at its Oxford operation, with a further 30 buses expected to be introduced at Stagecoach Manchester in November. Stagecoach chief executive Brian Souter said that the introduction of the new vehicles represen

Everyone is tightening their belts, but that doesn’t mean that investment should or will be halted. The years ahead will be about making sure that government and private enterprises spend what money they have wisely. New Transit will respond to this by highlighting investments that result in savings. One such investment is lighter buses. Fuel represents a significant, and growing, proportion of bus company costs, yet buses have become steadily less fuel efficient as manufacturers comply w

Blair has a degree in industrial design from the University of Ulster, Belfast, and a masters degree in automotive design from Coventry University. He began his career as a conceptual model maker in Germany before joining Wrightbus, the Northern Ireland-based bus builder in 1997. Today he is a senior designer with the company. His achievements at Wrightbus include the design of the first Wrightbus double decker- The Eclipse Gemini - and the revolutionary StreetCar rapid transit vehicle, which

I recall the late Matthew Bradley of Go Ahead Group returning from a trip to the giant Mercedes-Benz bus factory in Mannheim in frustration. Bradley was always looking at new ways of doing things and he wanted the Germans to help him to create the kind of vehicle that motorists might aspire, rather than loath, to use. When Bradley asked whether certain aspects of the interior could be changed the response was blank looks. The last thing Mercedes wanted was to complicate the production line by t

Ballymena-based bus manufacturer Wright Group has taken the wraps off its new midibus model - the Wrightbus StreetLite. The firm says that the StreetLite brings new thinking and a new level of technology and innovation to the small bus market and gives bus and coach operators a new model for a wide range of applications. StreetLite shares the distinctive Wrightbus product family look, taking many of the styling cues from the groundbreaking StreetCar trambus. As well as the signature Wrightbus

Optare has won 100% of Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority’s order for up to 66 hybrid buses in the face of stiff competition. The order is worth up to £13m. It is the largest single order for hybrid buses so far to be placed with help from the government’s Green Bus Fund, which encourages low emission bus use. GMITA has secured over £3m from the Fund and £1.3m from other funders, including Wigan Council, to assist in the purchase of the buses. The

Alexander Dennis is forging ahead with production of the first large-scale orders for hybrid buses in the UK. The move follows confirmation that ADL is the first manufacturer supplying the British market to have its double deck hybrid offering - the Enviro400H - certified at Euro5. In effect, ADL is the first bus producer to meet the strict, new low carbon emission guidelines set for hybrids by the Department for Transport and “policed” by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership. As a r

The Alternative Fuels & Vehicles National Conference & Expo held last month in Las Vegas, Nevada provided an important opportunity to highlight the commencement of two new rapid transit services featuring Wright Group’s StreetCar RTV. StreetCar RTV (Rapid Transit Vehicle) is at the very heart of this significant initiative by the Regional Transportation Commission of South Nevada (RTC). A total of 50 StreetCar RTVs are now in daily, fare-paying operation on two new rapid transit s

April 1990 saw the launch of the first Goldline express coach service in Northern Ireland, a brand that has since been rolled out with great success by Translink, the state-owned operator of Northern Ireland’s public transport network. Today Goldline-branded intercity express coach routes criss-cross Northern Ireland providing vital links with both Belfast and Dublin. Passengers and employees came together recently at a special event to celebrate the anniversary of the original Goldline r

Neither. The RM became an icon, but not during its glacial 11-year development. It remains a great design, but only the self-contained DBOM approach of London Transport could tolerate such a laboured delivery of fewer than 3,000 buses in total. Its further significance was the importance of the program across the post-war decade. London needed advanced, effective buses; these days are returning. Unavailability of cars, for the bulk of the population, in 1950 will be replaced by unacceptability

Neither. We are concerned that it’ll cost far too much, both in terms of initial costs and operating costs. The open platform concerns us: it belongs to a bygone era. It led to more personal injuries for passengers, and that’s where nostalgia runs out in our view. Of course London TravelWatch did contribute to the development of the bus. Our Bus Design Panel submitted a series of comments about staircase design, handrails and better identification of priority seating which we hope

It would be unfair to describe the “Borismaster” as an Eyesore so it has to be an Icon - better still, a Monument. A monument to irrational politicians. Barely 10 years ago, this mayor’s predecessor finally accepted that the Routemaster should go, despite having promised to keep those that remained and to build a new open platform bus. Boris Johnson went one better and, with absolutely no knowledge of the subject, made the same promise to build a new open platform bus and to b

The old Routemaster’s long service life turned it into a legend. But was it a good piece of design? In its day probably yes, but not in every way. So what do I like about this new bus? The heavily rounded rear dome (seen on many buses before the Routemaster, too) is a beautifully satisfying shape, enhanced here by the natural line of the rear stair window shape. The potency and power of the natural line is fundamental to good design, although many modern buses prefer styling for styling

Purpose-built buses for London have a history of success and cost-effectiveness. The new one certainly is impressive and has all the hallmarks of Wrightbus' adventurous styling together with clever features to maximise the space, the light and passenger amenity. We will never get the passenger to weight ratio that came with the original Routemaster neither will we provide all those lower deck seats now we have to have a wheelchair space, and more than one door. Nevertheless we have got a great

The final design of the New Bus for London was last month unveiled by London mayor Boris Johnson and transport commissioner Peter Hendy. The bus will use lightweight materials and it will be 15% more fuel efficient than existing hybrid buses, and 40% more efficient than conventional diesel double decks. It will feature three doors, with the rear door an open platform that can be closed off-peak, and two staircases to speed loading and unloading. Manufacturer Wrightbus is currently working on a

The final design of the New Bus for London was today (Monday) unveiled by London mayor Boris Johnson and transport commissioner Peter Hendy. The bus will use the latest green technology. It will be 15% more fuel efficient than existing hybrid buses, and 40% more efficient than conventional diesel double decks and much quieter on the streets. The pioneering design makes use of lightweight materials, with glass highlighting key features and producing a light and airy feel inside the bus. An

Stagecoach subsidiary South West Trains is to invest over £2m in regenerative braking technology on 200 of its trains. The first two trains, part of the Class 458 fleet, are currently testing the equipment in passenger service on the London to Guildford and London to Reading routes. The whole fleet of 30 Class 458 trains is expected to be fitted with the new regenerative braking software by the end of May 2010. The system will then be rolled out to South West Trains’ fleet of 172 D

Many within the bus industry have been critical about how heavy the current generation of vehicles are. Although technology in the car industry has made great strides in reducing emissions and improving fuel efficiency, it has been slow to have any sort of impact in the bus world. From an environmental point of view, the current generation of buses are gas guzzlers - a dramatic reversal from the buses of yesteryear which by comparison were remarkably fuel efficient. The fact is buses have bee

Go Ahead subsidiary Brighton & Hove has introduced four former London bendy buses on its Metro 25 route linking Hove with the city’s two university campuses and Brighton city centre. The buses, formerly used on the central London Red Arrow network, have been refurbished for their new role. “It’s an extremely busy corridor and we need extra capacity above our five minute frequency Metro 25 service operated with double deck buses,” explained B&H managing director R

Wrightbus has today (Tuesday) confirmed that they will be launching a totally new small bus this summer in what will be an important new addition to their product line up. The new, as yet unnamed, small bus draws upon every facet of the company’s design, engineering and manufacturing experience, which has most recently seen Wrightbus named as the preferred supplier for Transport for London’s New Bus for London project. Whilst the company remains naturally reticent about specificati

Five new Optare Solo single decker buses costing almost £500,000 have been introduced in Barnsley by leading operator Stagecoach Yorkshire. The 27-seaters takes the number of new vehicles since the company took over from Yorkshire Traction to 67 and an investment of £7m. Paul Lynch, Stagecoach Yorkshire managing director, said: “This further investment underlines our commitment to Barnsley’s travelling public and to making their journeys as comfortable as possible. &ld

Despite the horrendous economic climate, the run in to the coming general election seems to be marked by a very non-British degree of consensus on transport. Locally, New Generation Transport (NGT) in Leeds has gained programme entry supported on a cross-party basis whilst across the Pennines, having put the congestion charge referendum debacle behind it, Greater Manchester is forging ahead with its post-Transport Innovation Fund developments. At national level, the political arguments about H

It didn’t take long for the project to return trams to the streets of Edinburgh to be dubbed ‘Holyrood on wheels’. Scots have not forgotten how construction of their new parliament building was initially priced at £40m, but when it opened in 2004, three years late, the bill was £431m. The Edinburgh tram project has also suffered from delays and spiralling costs. In 2003, the scheme’s promoters believed they could build two lines for £473m. By 2006, this

Costs for London mayor Boris Johnson’s New Bus for London project have risen to over £10m according to figures contained within a recent Transport for London  finance report. The figure means that the first five preproduction buses, which will enter passenger service in the capital by February 2012 just weeks before Johnson faces mayoral elections, will effectively cost £2.2m per bus. However, in a written response to a question on the subject posed by Green Party Londo

Procurement Plans for a new fleet of intercity express trains appear to be on the brink of collapse after transport secretary Lord Adonis announced the suspension of the programme in the run up to the forthcoming general election. Adonis has also announced an inquiry into the cost effectiveness of the plans, a move that many within the industry speculate could kill the programme. The new intercity express procurement programme was launched three years ago, with Agility Trains, a consortium mad

Plans for a new fleet of intercity express trains appear to be on the brink of collapse after transport secretary Lord Adonis announced the suspension of the programme in the run up to the forthcoming general election. Adonis also announced an inquiry into the cost effectiveness of the plans, a move that many within the industry speculate could kill the programme entirely. The new intercity express procurement programme was launched three years ago, with Agility Trains, a consortium made up of

It’s the end of an era. After many years faithful service, a much loved model of bus is withdrawn from the city’s streets and consigned to the great bus depot in the sky. No, not London’s Routemasters, but National Express West Midlands once 1,100-strong fleet of MCW Metrobuses. Last month the final operational example (ROX 654Y for our spotting friends) was withdrawn from use after 20 years service. Now if only a directly elected Brummie mayor could demand a 21st century vers

In France, the term Bus Rapid Transit is not as widely used as in the English speaking world and the French inspired COST Action TU603 goes under the anglicised title ‘Buses with a High Level of Service’, or, in French, ‘Bus à Haut Niveau de Service’, embraces more meaningfully the concepts of quality bus services and corridors together with Bus Rapid Transit in a spectrum of approaches to improving bus service performance and quality. So let’s look at some F

Durham County Council is set to become the first local authority in the country to introduce Optare’s Solo EV battery-powered bus into service when they put three of them onto the Durham Cathedral Bus service. The County Council has ordered the Solo EVs using grants from the Government’s £30m Green Bus Fund, which meets the additional cost of an EV over that of an equivalent diesel-powered bus. When announcing the outcome of bids in December, the DfT said that it would resu

Sir David Rowlands, the former permanent secretary at the Department for Transport and chair of the DfT’s High Speed 2 company, has been appointed as non-executive chairman of rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains. Rowland’s, who was also recently appointed as chairman of Gatwick Airport by Global Infrastructure Partners following its acquisition of the airport from BAA, becomes the first non-executive chairman of the ROSCO. The move follows the acquisition of Angel Trains by a

The countdown is now on for the demise of the bendy bus in London. So are they being pensioned off to airports in Scandinavia as mayor Boris Johnson promised??Well not quite. The last month or so has seen two of the major groups announce second lives for their recently withdrawn bendys. Arriva is rumoured to be planning to move a batch of bendys to Liverpool. Meanwhile, Go?Ahead, the largest London bendy operator, is treating some of the vehicles deposed from the Red Arrow network to a gentle

Transport for London has announced that it has selected Wrightbus as the preferred manufacturer for the final design and build of its New Bus for London project. The final specification calls for a twin staircase design with three doors, the rear of which will be an open platform but with the capability of being closed at certain times. TfL?suggests that the final design will be 40% more fuel efficient that conventional buses and 15% more efficient than hybrids.

Public transport may be less harmful to the environment than other forms of transport, but it cannot afford to rest on its green laurels. There is much to be done to make bus and rail as green as possible, and encourage more people to use them. The Green Transport Awards have been established by New Transit to shine a light on the good work that is being done in the sector. The awards recognise the efforts of those the are getting it leading the way, and offers ideas and inspiration for others.

WINNER Stagecoach West Scotland, for Bio-buses ‘Bio-buses’ is a ground-breaking environmental initiative by Stagecoach West Scotland that allows customers to exchange used cooking oil for discounted bus travel. Eight vehicles in Kilmarnock now run on 100% biodiesel manufactured from used cooking oil and other food industry by-products. It is estimated that this will result in an 82% cut in CO2 emissions. Crucially, the bio-diesel is produced from tallow and used cooking oil, both

ScotRail has announced plans for a rolling stock cascade from September 2010 after the introduction of a new fleet of trains on its routes in Ayrshire and Inverclyde. The first of the Transport Scotland-funded Class 380 trains are currently under construction at Siemens' factory in Germany and their introduction will add 9,000 seats to the Scottish rail network. Meanwhile, from December 2010, trains will once again run on the Airdrie to Bathgate rail line, with new stations created, others

Although vehicle technology in the car industry has made great strides in reducing emissions, it has been slow to have a significant impact on the bus industry. Trials in London show that emissions from hybrid diesel electric buses are 30-40% lower than for standard buses. However, at present fuel savings do not compensate for the price. The £230,000 cost of hybrid buses is £80,000 more than a standard diesel bus, and they are viewed by operators as unaffordable. Apart from the 56 h

Cold War Plans to reduce Britain’s Trident nuclear submarine fleet where understandably met with dismay in Plymouth. However, it seems the local newspaper got a little mixed up. On the Plymouth Herald’s website the story initially carried a picture of, um, four of First Devon &?Cornwall’s Dennis Trident double deck buses. As First D&C managing director Marc Reddy commented: “Guess I need to ask Gordon Brown about fleet replacement in the future!”  

SNCF president Guillaume Pepy has confirmed that the French state-owned rail operator is planning to shortly begin procurement of up to 100 new generation high speed train sets that will allow SNCF to launch additional international rail services following the liberalisation of this market by the European Union. Meanwhile, Pepy has also outlined plans for an expansion of TGV?services in the Ile de France region, with additional stations that would relieve pressure on the four main Paris termini

It was 2003 when entrepreneur and easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou first announced plans to enter the budget coach market in the UK. While some parts of his easyGroup empire have come and gone (cinema operator easyCinema being one), easyBus has settled down into a niche role connecting central London with three of the capital’s major airports. The business is also poised to expand with its own operating base and additional services. Initially the embryonic business aimed to enter the

ALSTOM and Bombardier have each revealed details of their next generation of commuter trains. They will be more energy efficient than previous models. Alstom has developed a new product for the UK from its X’Trapolis platform, based on the success of fleets in Australia, Chile and Spain, and incorporating technology used in the company’s high speed trains. At the heart of the train architecture is Bogie Offset Articulation which reduces the number of bogies by 30%, making the train

The government’s announcement of a £30m scheme to subsidise the purchase of around 700 new low carbon buses, plus changes to the Bus Service Operators Grant that will reward fuel efficiency, seem to have become something of a rallying cry for Britain’s bus manufacturers to push alternative fuel technologies in recent months. Last month bus manufacturer Optare formally announced its EcoDrive strategy that aims to enhance the environmental credentials of its vehicles. Rather tha

TrentBarton has won a deserved reputation for innovation over the years and its newly rebranded Calverton Connection route shows why that is the case. To paraphrase a well known High Street retailer, this is not just a refresh of one of TrentBarton’s many brands, this is a refresh that sets a new benchmark for bus travel. It includes a new fleet of Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses, the first ever ordered by the Derby-based operator. While the German manufacturer will have been thrilled to have

First Capital Connect has resumed its refresh programme of the 20-year-old Thameslink trains in a project worth approximately £4.5m.   The continued late delivery of newly-built Electrostar trains, being introduced as part of the Thameslink Programme, had forced FCC to put the work on hold but enough are now in service on the Brighton to Bedford route for the project to resume. Unit 319374 was delivered to RailCare at Wolverton, Buckinghamshire last week. Over a period of

Blackburn-based bus manufacturer Optare has announced that Roy Stanley, its principal shareholder and former chairman, is to step down from the board. He will not be seeking re-election. Stanley was the creator of today’s Optare business when he reversed Darwen Group, formed from the collapsed East Lancs business, into Optare in June 2008. He will remain as the company’s largest shareholder, but has decided to step down from the board in order to avoid any potential future confli

Stagecoach today confirmed details of a £71m investment in new vehicles for use by its UK bus division. The group announced earlier this year that it was to make a multi-million pound investment in hundreds of new vehicles to benefit customers across its provincial UK bus operations. In total, Stagecoach has ordered 434 new vehicles in 2009-10, to be introduced across the company's bus operations in Scotland, England and Wales. Vehicle manufacturers Alexander Dennis, Scania, Plaxton

Today sees the final day of bendy bus operation on London's 507 'Red Arrow' route between Victoria and Waterloo. London mayor Boris Johnson, who pledged to banish the vehicles from the capital as part of his election manifesto, has also announced that the bendy bus will be totally withdrawn from London service by the end of 2011. "These writhing whales of the road have swung their hefty rear ends round our corners for the final time," said Johnson. "Pedestrians that leapt, cycl

Later this year will see the launch of the new Personal Rapid Transit system at London’s Heathrow airport, connecting Terminal 5 with parking facilities to the north of the airport. Airport operator BAA is already planning an expansion of the system that could eventually stretch across the airport. The driverless pods operate on a dedicated guideways and are able to convey up to six passengers directly to their destination and technology firm Eurotech, working in partnership with Arrowval

The first of a new fleet of trams for Manchester’s Metrolink light rail system arrived in the city last month after an overland journey from manufacturer Bombardier’s factory in Vienna. The new look yellow and silver vehicle is the first of a new generation of trams for the expanding Metrolink network, which is being transformed by a multimillion-pound investment programme. A total of 40 new trams have been ordered to provide more room on existing services and to cater for passenger

The government has announced plans for a new £30m scheme that will subsidise the purchase of around 700 low carbon buses. Bus operators and councils will be able to bid for the money which they can then use towards the additional up front cost of buying low carbon buses. Transport minister Lord Adonis said that the move would be a boost to bus builders and would also help kickstart mass production of hybrid vehicles by reducing initial acquisition costs. He added that the move would als

rail is making much of its environmental credentials these days, but it can’t afford to rest on its laurels. Car manufacturers are producing ever more environmentally-friendly products and train manufacturers must ensure that they do the same if rail’s green halo is to remain in place. With its new Desiro City train, Siemens is doing just that. The Desiro City is the successor to the popular Desiro UK train, which first entered service in the UK six years ago. When the current order

Dubai has a reputation for being a city that likes to do things bigger and better than any other, and recent deliveries to its ambulance fleet appear to bear this out. Dubai’s health authority has just taken delivery of three specially converted Mercedes-Benz Citaro ambulances that can be used to treat up to 20 patients. Perhaps another use for London’s fleet of soon to be redundant Citaro bendybuses?

It is now five years since trams returned to the streets of Dublin. Built with EU money, the city’s two LUAS light rail lines - the Red Line and Green Line - opened in 2004. It puzzles many visitors that the two lines do not join up. This is because there wasn’t the political will to extend the system through the historic city centre and across the river Liffey. However, the tram system has become embedded into the fabric of the city and is often featured on TV as a symbol of the suc

London mayor Boris Johnson yesterday unveiled a new fleet of 54 Overground trains, that will be rolled out across the network, which will be three-carriages long, will be able to carry almost 500 people - an 8% increase compared to the outgoing trains. Johnson was joined by London's Transport commissioner, Peter Hendy, at Willesden Junction Station to launch the new trains. The fleet of walkthrough trains will be similar to Tube trains, with more flip-down seats, giving more standing room

Network Rail has completed a new £15m maintenance building in Liverpool and handed over to depot managers Alstom to fit out for extending Virgin’s Pendolino fleet from nine to 11 carriages. The additional vehicles will be shipped over from Italy, offloaded at Liverpool docks onto road vehicles for the short journey to Edge Hill. The first of the new trains will arrive by end of 2010 with the initial batch of 44 vehicles built up into four completely new 11-carriage Pendolin

Bombardier Transportation has won a £33m order to supply 16 new Flexity 2 trams for the upgrade at Blackpool. The trams are to be funded by the Department for Transport, Blackpool Council and Lancashire County Council, Bombardier, and are to be built at its sites in Bautzen in Germany, and Vienna in Austria. The vehicles are scheduled to be delivered between May 2011 and March 2012. Colin Walton, chairman of Bombardier Transportation UK, said: ”We are delighted that after L

The major survivor of the UK's bus-building industry is calling on the government to introduce a "bus scrappage" scheme to kick-start industry investment that has been stalled by the rail franchise crisis. Alexander Dennis (ADL), owned by a Scottish business consortium and employing half of its 2000 worldwide staff at its Falkirk headquarters, is also calling for a subsidy for its hybrid double-decker bus, now on trial in London, which cuts fuel consumption by 40%, but is a third mo

England's bus fleet will be helped to go green thanks to a new £30m fund to encourage the purchase of low carbon buses. The fund is part of the Department for Transport’s wider strategy to encourage a radical shift to low carbon transport and improve air quality in our cities. Bus operators and councils will be able to bid for the money which they can then use towards the additional up front cost of buying low carbon buses. As more low carbon buses are produced and sold, costs wi

AT the last UITP?World Congress in Helskini in 2007 hybrid bus technology was very much in its embryonic state. However, this year’s event in Vienna saw all of the major European manufacturers demonstrating their hybrid developments. Belgium’s Van Hool announced the first entry into service of its production hybrid product by De Lijn, the Flemish region public transport operator. On display in Vienna was the first of an initial 79 Van Hool hybrids for the operator and the manufact

A group of employees from Volvo in Gothenburg, Sweden, have been taking part in a project in which a personal CO2 “pedometer” has kept a check on what their commuting to work costs in the form of carbon emissions. The results of the project demonstrate how Green IT can show people how they can help to reduce the climate threat and thereby increase their motivation to change their behaviour and help to improve the environment. The project saw journeys made by the Volvo employees regi

SIX bus manufacturers gathered in London in early June to hear the specification for mayor Boris Johnson’s new “21st Century Routemaster”. They will now decide whether they can build it, and how much it will cost. The six manufacturers on the list include three from the UK: Alexander Dennis, Wrightbus and Optare. They are joined by European automotive giants Scania and Mercedes. The remaining manufacturer is Spain’s Hispano. So who’s going to win the contract to bu

Transport for London has today announced that six bus manufacturers have qualified to bid for the contract to design and build the new bus for London.   Detailed bus specifications have been sent to these manufacturers - who will be revealed at the end of the year - inviting them to submit proposals for the new bus, including costs and outline designs.   Some of the key features manufacturers are being asked to include in their design are: an open platform: a defining featur

CSR Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock company has confirmed that it hopes to bid for a contract to supply train operator London Midland with between 40 and 120 new Electric Multiple Units vehicles.   London Midland issued an OJEU in early April which specified that the new trains should have a top speed of 100 mph, be capable of high acceleration and be formed into 4-car or 3-car units or a combination of such formations. The new trains will be deployed on both inner and outer commuting se

Changing market conditions have led bus manufacturer Optare and bus leasing firm Mistral to end their arrangement where Mistral had exclusive rights to sell Optare bus products to small independent operators. Under a new, more flexible arrangement, Mistral will continue to sell, lease and rent products from the Optare range into the small independent sector but on a non-exclusive basis. “Both parties recognise that current economic conditions do not support either company operating

The shadow transport secretary has heaped praise on Derby train-maker Bombardier following a visit to its factory. Theresa Villiers described the Litchurch Lane company as a "high class operation of great importance to the UK economy". She made her comments following a tour of the site, which employs about 2,500 people... Click here to open the original Derby Telegraph story

Apparently the gloomy days are now over. Recent media reports suggest that the market is rebounding from the credit crunch and investors can look forward to a brighter future. With a number of British and world banks reporting encouraging numbers over the last fortnight, the sudden resurgence in stock market confidence brought some good news to our portfolio of transport stocks with First and National Express pressing ahead. The news that National Express was reported to be in negotiations

Scottish transport minister Stewart Stevenson last week unveiled a mock-up of the new Class 380 units that will enter service with ScotRail on services in Ayrshire, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire from September 2010. The new trains, which will be built by German manufacturer Siemens, will mean more seats, better accessibility and improved passenger comfort, as well as a number of environmentally friendly features. The £200m 38-train order is Scotland’s largest electric train order f

Virgin’s Pendolinos have received the worst rating of any long distance train in a Passenger Focus survey aimed at influencing the interior design of the new Intercity Express trains. However, another modern train, the Meridian fared best. The survey canvassed passengers’ opinions of nine types of long distance trains currently in use, and their views were sought on 11 specific features of interior design. Luggage space, which received an approval rating of just 26%, was identified

Siemens Mobility, Transport Scotland, ScotRail, First Group, and Network Rail representatives gathered at the Shields traincare depot in Glasgow to signal the start of the £24m construction works to redevelop the site.  An interworking agreement was signed by all parties and a ‘ground-breaking’ ceremony marked the occasion. The depot, due to be completed by the end of August 2010, will house and maintain a new fleet of 38 Siemens Desiro Class 380 electric trains on

First ScotRail has revealed a mock-up model of its Class 380 train that will be introduced onto its services in Ayrshire and Inverclyde from September 2010. Following a three-day journey from Germany, the model was launched at Glasgow Central station by transport minister Stewart Stevenson, and will be on display until May 20. Made from timber with a fibre-glass exterior, the mock-up is the largest replica train to come to Scotland - at 24 metres long, by 4 metres high and weighs around

TRAIN operator TransPennine Express recorded a sharp increase in operating and pre-tax profits during the year to March 31  2008, according to its annual accounts. The company provides urban and inter-urban rail services across northern England, serving Tyneside and Teesside, West & South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside. Routes are also operated between Manchester Airport, Blackpool the North West and - since November 2007 - to Edinburgh and Glasgow.  The franchise is

After the good tidings of the last edition of Stockwatch with all of the major groups making significant progress on the market, this fortnight brought mixed news. While Arriva, First and Go Ahead moved ahead, National Express returned to its downward trend along with Stagecoach. Arriva’s trading statement revealed that the group is experiencing difficulties at its CrossCountry rail franchise, but its UK bus business returned a robust performance. Initially this unsettled investors who fl

Since it became fully ITSO approved over 12 months’ ago, the almex.mobile ticketing machine is still the only unit of its kind in the UK market to boast such a prestigious credential. And why?  Because Almex believe it is still some years ahead in its development due to the R&D expertise and experience of its parent company Hoeft & Wessel. The almex.mobile gained its draft certification in December 2007 to allow Almex UK, one of Europe’s leading ticketing system specia

Go Ahead Group chief executive Keith Ludeman is demanding daily updates from his London Midland management team on their efforts to restore punctuality to acceptable levels following the introduction of the company’s new timetable in December. The new timetable coincided with a considerable drop in punctuality with 82% of trains arriving on time in January and February compared to close to 90% in the first two months of last year. Punctuality at London Midland improved in March to 88%, bu

Hitachi pulls out of train bidding The Department for Transport's train procurement programme suffered a new blow yesterday when Japan's Hitachi pulled out of bidding for one of the UK's biggest ever train orders. Hitachi Europe Rail Group, which had been bidding to build up to 1,200 carriages for the cross-London Thameslink service, said it was pulling out to 'focus on current and future commitments'... Click here to open the original Financial Times story in a new window

Well at last there is some good news. After a dismal performance in the last few months, all of our portfolio of transport stocks made significant progress with all making positive gains. Leading the pack though was National Express. After a distressing few months for investors, the group climbed ahead no less than 70% to close at 256.5p on the back of City rumours that a deal between major shareholders the Cosmen family and Stagecoach was imminent. The rumours where also good news for Stagecoa

Stagecoach has taken delivery of the first vehicles that will be introduced on the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway when services commence later this year. The 10 biofuel-powered ADL/Scania double deckers are completed to a high specification and will be used on services connecting Cambridge with St. Ives and Huntingdon via the 25km-long busway which will be the longest in the world. The vehicles feature power sockets for laptop computers and wireless internet along with leather seats and air chill

Eurostar has awarded the design contract for the interior refurbishment of its high-speed train fleet to the Italian design consultancy Pininfarina. The design house will be responsible for the full interior design including styling and engineering, and the exterior livery. The 28 trains in the Eurostar fleet will be fitted out by SNCF, and the first ones are due in service in 2012. Pininfarina has been appointed after a lengthy and rigorous selection process. Known for its work in the car i

Bus manufacturer Optare last week launched the Solo EV, what it claims is Britain’s first practical electric bus, at a demonstration event at the Millbrook proving ground in Bedfordshire. The vehicle, which will carry a £70,000 price premium over the standard £100,000 price tag for diesel-powered Solo. The vehicle, which will have an operational range of around 70 miles, is being aimed at airport, local authority and community transport operators as well as mainstream bus oper

Great Northern Steam Company has launched the first new Class V/09 Atlantic 442 to be built since the early 1900’s. To be formally named Olympic 2012 in readiness of the forthcoming 2012 Olympic Games in London, the locomotive was originally built in Darlington and the last was left for main line operation in 1910. The new locomotive will be built by a specialist team of engineers at New Darlington Engineering & Locomotive Works situated just meters away from the original locomotive

102 manufacturers and operators have signed up to to attend Coach & Bus Live 2009 in Birmingham this autumn - meaning the show is secure, unlike the Commercial Vehicle Show - due to take place in April - which was cancelled. Recognising the commercial challenges faced at present by manufacturers and operators, the show has unveiled a number of new initiatives, the show to help them deal with the issues head on. "It is important therefore that suppliers and operators come toge

It was another rocky fortnight on the markets with gains and losses in equal measure, however bus manufacturer Optare had a particularly tough time with a significant collapse in its share price. Arriva’s results also failed to impress the City. Despite a strong performance from the group’s UK bus division and a significant increase in profitability at its UK rail business, the shares slumped over 5% on the day they were announced and continued on a downward trajectory before rallyi

Bus builder Alexander Dennis has announced that it is looking at making a significant number of staff redundant following a downturn in orders in recent months. The news comes just weeks after Ballymena-based competitor Wrightbus announced that it was looking to make over 200 staff redundant following a “sudden downturn in demand” (Transit March 6). It is understood that around 150 staff could face redundancy with at least half of the job losses at its Falkirk factory with the rema

Grand Central Railway this week confirmed that it has signed a lease with Angel Trains for two Class 180 Adelante units. This complements last week’s confirmation from the Office of Rail Regulation that Grand Central has firm rights to operate a fourth daily return service between Sunderland and London (see story below). The two new 125mph, five car, trains will join Grand Central’s existing fleet of High Speed Trains and will allow the open access operator to commence the addition

Former Optare executive Bob Coombes has left the bus manufacturing group Alexander Dennis as managing director of its Yorkshire-based Plaxton business. The news comes following a restructuring of the senior management structure team at ADL by the recently appointed chief operating officer Brian Davidson, which will see three general managers covering Falkirk, Scarborough and Guildford reporting directly to him. Coombes reverted to his role as managing director of ADL's chassis business on

Alstom's world’s first tramway powered by a wireless system in Bordeaux, has covered more than six million kilometres since it entered operation at the end of 2003. The Alimentation Par le Sol ground-level power supply was invented and developed by Alstom Transport and used on their Citadis trams which form the Communaunte Urbaine de Bordeaux system. Transporting over 200,000 passenger on its three tramlines every day, CUB was the first metropolitan area to opt for the APS techno

Northern Ireland bus builder The Wright Group has announced this afternoon that it is to commence a 90 day consultation with staff about the possibility of 235 redundancies at its Ballymena headquarters. The decision was explained to staff earlier today. The Wright Group will be using this consultation period to actively explore ways in which it can reduce the impact of this decision and the overall number of redundancies. The decision has had to be taken in response to a slowdown in market

Ballymena-based bus manufacturer The Wright Group has announced this afternoon that it is to commence a 90 day consultation with staff about the possibility of 235 redundancies at its Ballymena headquarters. The decision was explained to staff earlier today. The Wright Group will be using this consultation period to actively explore ways in which it can reducethe impact of this decision and the overall number of redundancies. The decision has had to be taken in response to a slowdown in market

Ever since the present government came to power, it has hankered for the opportunity to cut subsidy to bus services. Of course they wouldn’t put it that way, they would say to reform the way subsidies are distributed, but the end game really is to reduce the cost to the Treasury. It seems more than a little odd, then, that when the business minister says that the government is here to help businesses work through the impact of the recession, at the very same time the department decides to

Transport for London is moving ahead with its plans to introduce a 21st century successor to the Routemaster bus with the publishing of a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union inviting bus manufacturers to express interest in developing the proposals. The move follows on from London mayor Boris Johnson announcing the winners of the New Bus for London competition at the end of last year (Transit January 9). A joint first prize in the ‘whole bus’ design category was a

The announcement by transport secretary Geoff Hoon that the contract to build the new generation Intercity Express train has been awarded to a consortium led by Japanese manufacturer Hitachi has been criticised by rail unions and Conservative MPs. The long awaited contract will see HST units on the Great Western and East Coast main lines replaced by the new trains from 2013. Hitachi is working on the project as a member of the Agility Trains consortium that also includes  John Laing and Ba

Eastleigh-based bus operator Bluestar has launched a new fleet of vehicles for use on its services between Winchester and Southampton. The new fleet of seven Scania OmniCity buses, representing an investment of £1.5m by the Go Ahead subsidiary, was displayed in Winchester and Southampton as part of the launch and free tickets for the route, and timetable information was made available from the Bluestar roadshow team. The new vehicles will operate on the Bluestar 1 route between Southamp

Transport for London has published a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) inviting bus manufacturers to express an interest in developing and building a new bus for London, based on the iconic Routemaster. Manufacturers will be expected to take the innovative ideas and designs put forward in the New Bus for London competition and consider these in combination with their own expertise in designing and building buses to come up with a final design. The mayor of London, B

With an expected growth rate of 3.7% (UNIFE) a year for the next 10 years, the tram market represents the most promising sector in the rail industry - valued today at around €3.8bn - alongside that of high-speed trains. The dynamism of the sector is a result of the range of benefits the tram brings in a time of exponential urbanisation and tight environmental constraints worldwide. It offers a sustainable, high-quality transport solution that allows planners to rethink and revitalise urban

January It was a difficult start to 2008 for Network Rail. The infrastructure controller came under fire after engineering works over Christmas and New Year overran by several days. It coincided with the company’s chairman, Sir Ian McAllister, being awarded a knighthood in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List. The auction of Laing Rail concludes with Deutsche Bahn agreeing to pay fund manager Henderson a very full price of around £130m, so securing th

Judges of the New Bus for London design competition praised the high standard of entries that they received. A total of 225 entries were submitted in the ‘design’ category, with entries including either a ‘whole bus’ design or focusing on a particular part or element of the bus. The judging panel praised the winning joint entry from luxury car firm Aston Martin and architecture practice Foster + Partners for its styling. “The overall concept was meticulously and

A new environmental report commissioned by the Passenger Transport Executive Group has called for urban bus fleets to be modified or replaced if buses are to retain their green credentials over the private car. It also argues for the introduction of Low Emission Zones to tackle pollutants and, in particular, the use of Traffic Regulation Conditions to tackle harmful bus emissions. The report, produced by consultants TTR,  finds that, because of the volume of older and more polluting buses

London mayor Boris Johnson today announced the winners of the New Bus for London design competition and revealed that luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin was the co-designer of one of the two £25,000 winning entries. The next stage in the process will be the issue of an OJEU notice inviting manufacturer involvement in January, with production vehicles on the road in 2012 once detailed design and prototyping has been completed. Johnson said that the Routemaster was still the icon by whic

Designer Hugh Frost is looking for backers of a radical new bus design that he claims could help tackle urban traffic congestion and pollution. The FreightBus is an innovative new design that combines a bus with a lorry or van with the minimum of disruption to either service. It can be reconfigured in seconds by the conductor or driver to carry freight or passengers and passenger and freight space can be easily adjusted to match demand. Frost submitted the design for London mayor Boris Johnson

Transport minister Geoff Hoon has announced that the government plans to increase the Bus Service Operator's Grant to reflect the 2p fuel duty increase that chancellor Alistair Darling announced in his pre-budget report. However, Hoon also revealed that there will be no further increases in the BSOG until April 2010 when long mooted reforms to the scheme will take place. From then  BSOG rates will be uprated for those operators who have achieved an improvement in fuel efficiency equivalent

Andrew Brian, the chief executive of Blackburn-based bus manufacturer Optare, stepped down from his position citing “personal and family reasons” last week. Transit understands that the move follows a board meeting of the firm that was held earlier in the week. Brian had led Darwen Group’s acquisition of East Lancashire Coachbuilders in August 2007 and its subsequent merger with Optare this year. In a statement to Transit’s website TransportXtra.com last week, an Optare

Transport for London has restated its commitment to a major expansion of hybrid-powered buses. Following the election of Boris Johnson as major of London earlier this year some had expected plans to introduce hybrid buses to be cut back in a bid to cut costs. However, the mayor’s transport co-ordinating body this week assembled four hybrid buses, built by three different manufacturers, at London’s House Guards Parade for a promotional event. By the end of January next year, the nu

Network Rail and Merseyrail have renewed calls for funding to improve Liverpool Central station and for a debate on when, not if, it should be redeveloped or a new station built.  Other developments to the Merseyside network, which Network Rail says should be examined, include building a new 13-mile rail line to link the large town of Skelmersdale to Liverpool. With a population of 40,000, it is the second largest town in the north west without a rail station. The proposal precedes a fort

A competition for students to create a futuristic new tram for the Italian cities of Milan, Turin and Rome has selected the ‘Open Tram’ design (pictured above) as the winner. The tram was developed by students of the IED-Istituo di Design’s school in Rome. The Destination 2018 - Urban Transport of the Future competition was created by Alstom and the design school. It gave entrants the opportunity to develop a tram design that would be suitable for introduction in the three Ita

The new generation of Thameslink trains will be designed with more spacious interiors, have wide open spaces between carriages and feature real time travel information systems which update passengers on whether connecting train services are running on time. Air conditioning will automatically adjust depending on the number of passengers in each carriages. Passenger loading information from each carriage will be automatically transmitted to station platforms, so that waiting passengers can be adv

Transport for London has restated its commitment to a major expansion of hybrid-powered buses. Following the election of Boris Johnson as major of London earlier this year some had expected plans to introduce hybrid buses to be cut back in a bid to cut costs. However, the mayor’s transport co-ordinating body this week assembled four hybrid buses, built by three different manufacturers, at London’s House Guards Parade for a promotional event. By the end of January next year, th

Andrew Brian has stepped down as chief executive of bus manufacturer Optare citing "personal and family reasons". Transit understands that the move follows a board meeting of the Blackburn-based manufacturer earlier this week. In a statement an Optare spokesperson said: "Andrew Brian, chief executive officer at Optare plc, is taking some time off from the business for personal and family reasons. We cannot make any further comment in relation to Andrew at this time. 

Colin Robertson, chief executive of bus builder Alexander Dennis Limited, has paid tribute to Bill Cameron, the company’s chairman, who died suddenly last week. Speaking at the Euro Bus Expo show in Birmingham this week, Robertson said that Cameron was in every sense a true captain of industry. “Bill Cameron was a big figure in the bus industry, a straight-talking Scot who stepped up to the plate when it mattered, rolled up his sleeves and made things happen,” he said. Camero

Euro Bus Expo is a chance for bus manufacturers show off their new kit, but a niche hobby seems to have developed in parallel amongst the exhibition go-ers: spotting design errors. One vehicle presented limited legroom for occupants of one set of seats and lots of legroom for those sat behind. Could we be seeing the launch of business class for buses we wonder?

All of the major UK manufacturers demonstrated their new hybrid vehicle products at this week’s Euro Bus Expo show in Birmingham. While Scandinavian manufacturer Scania displayed its hybrid concept bus that was first unveiled at the UITP World Congress in Helsinki last year, rivals unveiled a number of hybrid models that will enter service in London in the coming months. UK?hybrid pioneer Wrightbus used the show to unveil its new Gemini 2 double deck model with a hybrid version destined

AIM-listed bus manufacturer Optare took the wraps off the Rapta, its new concept integral double deck bus at the Euro Bus Expo show in Birmingham this week. Although only a mock-up of the vehicle was on show, Optare believes that when production of the Rapta begins at its new plant in Blackburn next year it will be considerably lighter than its peers. With an unladen weight of 10,700kg it will be nearly 1,000kg lighter than its closest competitor resulting in a 5%  improvement in fuel cons

Scarborough-based coach manufacturer Plaxton used this week’s Euro Bus Expo show in Birmingham to unveil its new Elite premium coach product. Plaxton says the development of the new coach marks a significant investment in the business by its parent Alexander Dennis. “Our existing models are popular and are available with luxurious specifications,” said Plaxton’s sales and marketing director Kevin Wood. “Despite our success we are under-represented in that sector o

Greater Manchester PTA unveiled a model of its new-look Metrolink trams at a parliamentary reception last week attended by new transport secretary Geoff Hoon and GMPTA chair Matt Colledge. The 1.6-metre-long model tram was used to show off the new design. 40 trams will begin to be added to the Metrolink network next year to run on the existing system as well as on the extensions to Oldham and Rochdale, Droylsden, Chorlton and MediaCity:UK in Salford Quays. The trams will be yellow at the fro

Pressure is building on London mayor Boris Johnson to keep bendy buses on the capital’s Red Arrow routes. Johnson was elected mayor of London in May with a pledge to get rid of all bendy buses and replace them with a “21st century Routemaster”. However, pressure is building on the mayor not to apply this policy to the two Red Arrow routes, on which 28 bendy buses serve Waterloo and Victoria railway stations and at peak times. London TravelWatch, the capital’s passenger

Lothian Buses chief executive Neil Renilson  this week visited Wrightbus’ factory in Northern Ireland for a special preview of the new-look Wrightbus Eclipse 2 single deck bus. The Eclipse 2 is the successor to what has become one of the leading single deck buses in the British Isles. The new model features new styling with a look that has been clearly influenced by the Wrightbus StreetCar trambus model. Ten of these new-styled vehicles are currently in the final stages of productio

Ballymena-based bus manufacturer WrightBus used the San Diego convention of the American Public Transport Association to take the wraps off its hybrid-powered StreetCar RTV trambus this week. The vehicle is one of 50 ordered by the RTC of South Nevada for use on its ACE Downtown Connector route in Las Vegas. The vehicles, which feature passenger information screens and bike racks, are powered by a state-of-the-art series hybrid drive developed in conjunction with the ISE Corporation and Siemens

It would seem that in recent years the need to improve the quality of the humble bus has been coming ever more to the fore, but there has been no co-ordinated international effort to draw this sort of project together. However, last week in Rome, UITP, the international association of public transport, launched its European Bus System of the Future project that aims to end this piecemeal approach to vehicle design. The project is one of the largest surface transport research and development

Arriva North East has relaunched its Darlington bus network in a move that marks the completion of the integration of the former Stagecoach Darlington business into the group’s existing operations in the town. The transformation has seen 28 new single-deck Optare Solos introduced as part of a £7.4m investment across Arriva’s operations in the north east. The operator drew on a customer survey which found 80% of passengers use the bus to travel in and out of the town centre

National Express Group’s bid for an extension to its c2c franchise is focussing on increasing all peak services to 12-cars from December 2010. The company initially had its bid turned down by the Department for Transport on the grounds of value for money, but, after two days of frantic negotiations, was given permission to re-submit its application (Transit July 18). NEG’s plans are based on the cascade of 40 class 321 carriages from London Midland, in line with the DfT’

Bus manufacturer Darwen Group has been forced to revise plans for a stock market placing that will allow it to fund the acquisition of Optare. In a statement issued last week, Darwen said that its directors had noted the recent decline in the company’s share price and were unable to explain why. However, it is believed that chairman Roy Stanley’s links with troubled Tanfield Group, a specialist manufacturer of electric vehicles and lifting platforms of which he is founder and

The launch of a design competition to find a 21st successor to the Routemaster bus  has got under way with the organisers seeing the exercise as the perfect opportunity to find new technologies that will lead to a lighter and more fuel efficient urban bus for London. Speaking at the launch of the competition at the London Transport Museum, mayor Boris Johnson, who pledged to introduce a 21st century Routemaster as part of his successful election campaign earlier this year, called for de

Falkirk-based bus and coach manufacturer Alexander Dennis has secured one of the biggest orders ever placed in the UK bus industry from First Group. As part of the two year deal, ADL will supply over 250 buses to the Aberdeen-based group during this year and into the first quarter of 2009. The order includes 25 high capacity tri-axle Enviro 500s which will make the group the first UK operator of the type. It is possible the vehicles could be destined for First Glasgow which already opera

Arriva Yorkshire chose Yorkshire Day to launch a new fleet of 13 buses that represents and investment of £1.7m. The buses will operate between Leeds and Cleckheaton on the 254 and 255 routes which also serve Heckmondwike, Dewsbury, Wakefield, Hartshead, Clifton and Brighouse. A further 43 buses are due for delivery in 2009 and this will bring the total number of low floor buses in the Arriva Yorkshire fleet to 314 and will ensure over 90% of Arriva Yorkshire journeys will be operated

Delivery of the 1,300 new trains promised by the government risks being severely delayed by the Department for Transport’s suffocating control over the project. Haydn Abbott, managing director of Angel Trains Group, said this week that if the government had allowed the new rolling stock to be procured through the ROSCOs, the first trains could have come into service in 2009. Deliveries could still start early in 2010 if the ROSCOs are given the go ahead to procure the trains early next

Train operators and Network Rail are on the verge of putting a case to the Department for Transport which promises to dismantle the government’s argument that it is too expensive to electrify the remainder of the rail network. Despite severe pressure from the industry over the past few months, rail ministers have continually re-iterated arguments in this summer’s White Paper which ruled out a significant electrification programme before 2014 on cost grounds. Longer-term prospects

The third annual conference of bus rapid transit interest group BRT?UK, held in Cambridge last week, saw a focus on delivery and a clear emphasis by the group on what it can do in the future the promote the virtues of the mode, and perhaps more importantly, to define what BRT actually is. Indeed this was the key question of the conference. As Bob Tebb, First’s operations technical manager and chair of BRT UK, said: “What is BRT??Is it a top end bus? Does it include quality bus tra

Ballymena-based bus manufacturer Wrightbus has announced that it is developing a new double decker bus that will replace its current best selling Gemini model. Artists impressions of the new bus show a distinct resemblance to its futuristic StreetCar trambus product. Speaking at a special event to brief key London bus operators on the new product, group managing director Mark Nodder said: “By being the first to make hybrid-electric technology a reality in city bus operations in the UK,

Darwen Holdings, the AIM-listed bus manufacturer, last week announced that it had agreed to acquire Jamesstan Investments, the parent of Optare, the UK’s third largest bus builder, in a move described as transformational. The Blackburn-based firm has been in talks with Optare’s owner since early May when shares in the group were suspended. The acquisition will see Jamesstan Investments sole shareholder, Roy Stanley, who is also chairman and a substantial shareholder in Darwen, rec

Virgin Trains has claimed that the Department for Transport’s decision to turn down its request for a two-year West Coast franchise extension will cost the taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds. The £300m package rejected by the DfT consisted of lengthening the existing 53-train fleet from nine to 11 carriages, modifying depots, extending platforms and increasing car parking space. Virgin offered to pay for the infrastructure projects and bear the risks associated with the train

TRANSPORT?MINISTER?Rosie Winterton this week officially launched the last of six key routes that are subject to unique voluntary partnership between National Express-owned Travel West Midlands and Centro-PTA. The final three ‘Premier’ routes feature a new fleet of high-specification Alexander Dennis Enviro 300 buses with high-back leather seats, tinted windows, air chill systems and digital CCTV. In addition to the new vehicles, passengers using the three routes; the 934 to Pheas

Two years ago Franco-Italian bus builder Irisbus unveiled its Crealis trambus concept vehicle, similar to the StreetCar developed in the UK by Wrightbus. At last week’s Transports Publics show, the company announced that Crealis vehicles will be supplied to three French cities - Paris, Nîmes and Maubeuge. Although the development of new light rail lines continues apace in France, there is still an appetite for a bus-based vehicle that can rival the passenger appeal of trams at a f

Bus manufacturers have been urged to design vehicles that rival High Street shops in terms of comfort and ambiance. Roger French, managing director of award-winning bus company Brighton & Hove, called on bus builders to think about what passengers want. Speaking at last week’s Customer Service Excellence in Public Transport event in London, French said: “Vehicle ambiance is becoming increasingly important as we sit and sip our £3 cappucino in Starbucks we are in an en

Optare, britain’s third largest bus manufacturer, has been sold to Roy Stanley, the North East entrepreneur who bought bus builder East Lancs last year. Commenting on the deal, Stanley said: “I am committed to the future of bus making in Britain and believe that Optare has an unsurpassed range of buses - all to its own innovative design and based on full, integral construction. “This was a rare opportunity to acquire such a dynamic business at a time when it is poised to

One of the strongest themes coming out of the biennial World Congress of UITP, the international association of public transport, held last May in Helsinki, was the issue of vehicle design. It would seem that both manufacturers and operators around the world have woken up to the importance of good aesthetic design for use in public transport vehicles. At the previous UITP World Congress held in Rome in 2005, the organisation announced the winner of its ‘Re?bus’ design competition

The Department for Transport is planning to appoint a “shadow operator” to help it introduce additional Pendolino carriages on the West Coast Main Line. A shortlist of up to five bidders will be announced in May with the contract awarded in August. The new tactic from the DfT follows the failure of negotiations with Virgin to lengthen the entire fleet from nine to 11 cars and introduce an additional four 11-car units progressively before 2011. The DfT expects that the project

We’ve got trains, and we’ve got trams, a few at any rate. But in 2010, the tram-train, that is a tram able to run on conventional train tracks, will be making its debut in the UK, as part of a two-year trial in Yorkshire which takes a leaf from existing systems in Europe. The trial, to be run in partnership by Northern Rail, Network Rail and the Department for Transport, “could herald the start of a new era in public transport,” according to transport secretary Ruth Kelly

First has formally signed a bumper new bus order with Ballymena-based manufacturer Wrightbus that is worth in excess of £125m over a multi year period. The order adds to the 1,500 new Wrightbus vehicles that the Aberdeen-based transport group has purchased over the last five years. The bulk of the order calls for both single and double deck buses on Volvo chassis, but it also includes nine new Wrightbus double  deck buses, five of which are hybrids. Commenting on the deal, First

The Department for Transport has agreed to revise the Southern franchise’s profit share agreement in return for the company’s assistance with rolling stock cascades needed during the initial phases of the Thameslink upgrade. Go Ahead Group, Southern’s majority shareholder, said the deal would improve operating profit by £2m in the first six months of 2008 and that there would be ongoing financial benefit until the end of the franchise in September 2009. The revise

The Department for Transport’s plan to employ a ‘shadow operator’ to bring new Pendolino trains into service on the West Coast Main Line has attracted minimal interest. The shortlist to bid for the contract contains just two bidders - Govia and incumbent operator Virgin - whereas the DfT had said the shortlist would be up to five-strong. It is understood that when lack of interest in the contract became apparent, the DfT contacted established UK train operators and potentia

THE DARWEN Group, which recently purchased long established bus manufacturer East Lancs, has scotched rumours of plans to move production out of Lancashire and announced significant plans to expand the business through a programme of investment. Incoming chief executive Andrew Brian told Transit at last weeks Coach & Bus Live show that the company saw the exhibition at Birmingham’s NEC as the ideal platform to relaunch the business. “It’s a case of out with the old and

Network Rail is considering whether to buy tram-trains to help facilitate their introduction on routes in the north of England. The company is currently banned from buying rolling stock except for use in maintaining the network, but said it was considering applying to the ORR for permission to purchase some tram-trains to help facilitate their introduction. Giving evidence to the Competition Commission’s inquiry into the rolling stock leasing market, Network Rail explained that it co

TRANSPORT OPERATORS can expect to be soon paying $200 for a barrel of oil and, as a result, will have to look at using new technology, such as carbon composites, to improve fuel efficiency of their vehicles. That was the message of Virgin Group strategist Will Whitehorn to the assembled operators and local authority representatives at CPT Scotland’s annual conference at Gleneagles. “We are fundamentally now in a world where oil won’t get any cheaper,” said Whiteho

Leeds-based bus manufacturer Optare will use next week’s Coach and Bus Live show at Birmingham’s NEC to unveil a new look version of its best selling Solo midibus. The move comes 10 years since the Solo was first launched, with more than 3,000 now in operation around the world. Initially at least, the new Solo SR model, which features new styling that strongly resembles that of the new Optare Versa midibus launched at last years NEC show, will be available to customers alongside

Council-owned bus operator Cardiff Bus  has launched its new fleet of 15 Scania Omnicity buses, six of which will be used on its newly branded Capital City Green route linking the city centre with Thornhill via Llanishen. The remainder of the vehicles from the £2.5 million order will be used on three city routes, and all feature an enhanced internal specification based on that devised for its bendy bus fleet launched 18 months ago. Features include full air conditioning, a passenge

Esteban UK is a “one stop shop” supplier of passenger saloon seating of all types, drivers seats as well as countless different styles and types of seat coverings. Within the UK the firm concentrates on the coach and bus market where it is regarded as the market leader. In 2002 we launched the Civic bus seat range in the UK which is now considered to be the industry standard. The range was developed keeping all aspects of the bus industry’s requirements in mind at the design

Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF looks set to capture the contract to build trams for Edinburgh’s planned light rail system. Transport Initiatives Edinburgh recommended CAF as its preferred bidder for the contract to supply trams last week. CAF is best known in the UK as the company that provided the trains for the Heathrow Express.  It has recently supplied trams to Seville’s new tram system and has also put into service a fleet of diesel units for Northern Ireland

Stagecoach this week announced a massive £15m investment in a fleet of new buses as it endorsed Greater Manchester’s bid for £3bn from the Government’s Transport Innovation Fund to support its transport strategy for the region, which includes congestion charging. It marks a progression from the situation two years ago when Stagecoach took out advertisements in the Manchester Evening News accusing the Greater Manchester PTA of “failing” bus users with it lac

A NEW REPORT by the Economic Competitiveness Policy Group for the Conservative shadow cabinet has suggested that trains with rubber tyres, similar to those used on the Paris Metro system, could allow for significant increases in capacity on the UK’s rail network. The group, which is chaired by MPs John Redwood and Simon Wolfson, has produced proposals in its Freeing Britain to Compete   report that suggest that improving signalling and lengthening trains, which is currently se

There were sighs of relief in Leeds last week when the Department for Transport gave Metro, the West Yorkshire PTE, the green light to develop plans for a network of trolleybuses in the city. It’s not what they wanted, of course; the bus-based proposals have been developed after the government withdrew funding for Metro’s Leeds Supertram project, sparking fury in West Yorkshire. For Leeds it appears to be a case of you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes yo

As a public transport planner who believes in quality public transport as an antidote to petrol driven obsession, Colin Braider is enthusiastic about the growing interest in Bus Rapid Transit in the UK. But, is this the BRT that transformed Bogotá, revolutionised Curitiba and gave Brisbane a bus-based system that has a passenger carrying capacity in excess of light rail? Braider thinks not. “BRT involves religious devotion,” explains Braider, a director of consultancy Integ

The first of six new Class 395 high speed trains due to come into service with Southeastern in December 2009, has been constructed at Hitachi’s factories in Japan and is currently undergoing testing. Dubbed ‘Javelins’, the high speed trains will operate under Southeastern on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link High Speed 1 line between Ashford and London St Pancras international, where they will be capable of travelling at 186 mph. They will also be used for a high-speed shuttle

One of the strongest themes coming out of the biennial World Congress of UITP, the international association of public transport, held last week in Helsinki, was the issue of vehicle design. It would seem that both manufacturers and operators around the world have woken up to the importance of good aesthetic design for use in public transport vehicles. At the last UITP World Congress held in Rome two years ago, the organisation announced the winner of its ‘Re?bus’ design competiti

Perhaps reflecting the growingenvironmental debate around the world, alternative fuels where high on the agenda at last weeks UITP?World Congress in the Finnish capital of Helsinki. Ethanol, as a fuel, is now well established in Scandinavia. As well as Scania unveiling an ethanol-powered hybrid concept bus (see below), Maria Ljung, environmental manager of Storstockholms Lokaltrafik, the public transport authority of the Swedish capital Stockholm, told a forum session that the city would ha

Alternative fuels were a major topic at this year’s World Congress of UITP, the international association of public transport, in Helsinki. Most of the major European manufacturers used the show to announce new products that will either use hydrogen or ethanol fuels, or hybrid technology in an effort to enhance the green credentials of public transport, and, perhaps more importantly, to improve their own economic  performance. US-based economist and futurist Jeremy Rifkin, who gave

Scania used the exhibition at last week’s UITP World Congress in Helsinki to unveil a new ethanol/electric-powered concept bus. The hybrid vehicle can be powered by either ethanol or supercapacitors, which offer a longer life than batteries. Other features include a centrally-located driver seat and a full low floor interior. However, around 80% of the vehicle’s components are shared with Scania’s existing Omni range of buses. The Swedish manufacturer has built two of the 10.4-

JAPANESE CONGLOMERATE Hitachi has signed a deal with rail leasing company HSBC Rail to upgrade Southeastern’s fleet of Class 465 Networker trains with the latest generation traction system from the manufacturer. The move is part of the train operator’s efforts to improve reliability on its network. South Eastern managing director Charles Horton said:?“We are committed to improving the dependability and reliability of our trains, and this project represents a major step

Virgin Trains is planning more flexible ticketing and higher quality customer service initiatives as part of its strategy to meet targets for “substantial” increases in weekend and off-peak travel during its new West Coast franchise. VWC head of commercial, Peter Broadley, said the strategy would enable Virgin to capitalise fully on the extra 10 million seats per year the December 2008 timetable will provide. The new timetable and the completion of the West Coast Main Line upgrad

London Underground infraco firm Metronet has revealed that at a recent consultation into the proposed interiors for the new fleet of trains for the Victoria Line, 93% of the 415 respondents said they were either very satisfied or satisfied with the proposed carriage design, which is significantly higher than the 65% required by Metronet’s PPP contract. Particularly well rated was the overall sense of space in the new trains, the electronic passenger information system, better ventilatio

first Transpennine Express gave away 10,000 free train tickets this week in a bid to get travellers to try out its improved service. Passengers have snapped up 10,000 free return rail tickets over the internet in just 24 hours in the biggest free ticket offer of its kind. Launched on February 5 to mark the completion of the introduction into service of a new fleet of 100 mph Siemens Class 185 trains, the ticket offer came just one week after the latest National Passenger Survey showed a bi

First Great Western has offered a glimpse of the refurbished interiors for its 51 High Speed Trains, the first of which will enter into service next month. The new interiors are the result of more than two years of design work by Eurostar designer Michael Rodber. The redesign covers everything from seats, lighting and toilets to power points, catering and décor. “We agreed with the First Great Western team that this should not be just the usual, superficial makeover,” ex

Optare surprised the industry this week with the unveiling and launch of a new single deck model at the Euro Bus Expo show in Birmingham. The Leeds-based manufacturer also announced that it had captured a significant order from Stagecoach for 100 vehicles. The new Optare Versa sits between the manufacturer’s existing Solo and Tempo models and will be primarily seen as a competitor to the ever popular Alexander Dennis Dart. The Versa will be available in two lengths, seating either 36 or

London mayor Ken Livingstone last week issued a challenge to UK bus manufacturers when he announced that the first to produce a workable and competitive diesel-electric hybrid powered range of vehicles would scoop the lion’s share of future London bus orders. Livingstone made his comments at the City Hall launch of the first hybrid double deck bus in the world. The vehicle, which has been produced by Northern Ireland-based Wrightbus, will enter service with Arriva on route 141 between

Stagecoach has announced an  £11m investment in its low cost Megabus operation with an order for 45 vehicles. At 15-metres in length, the new coaches will be the longest in operation in Britain and the first of their kind to be manufactured in the UK. The Volvo coaches, which will have bodywork produced by  coach builder Plaxton, will be fitted with air conditioning, seat 63 and be fully wheelchair accessible. They will enter service from next February, with the last scheduled

BUS ramp manufacturer Compak is to enter the bus and coach door market under the trading name of Compak Door Engineering. The south east London-based firm has enlisted the services of John Gilbert & Co for design and development of its doors with final assembly and quality control checks being undertaken in Compak’s factory prior to distribution throughout the UK and Europe. Lee Allen, Compak’s managing director, said demand for a better quality product from vehicle manufactu

East coast train operator GNER has signed a £14.5m contract with Wabtec Rail to refurbish 103 carriages in its fleet of 125mph diesel High Speed Trains. The project is being financed by the train leasing companies and owners of the trains - Angel Trains and Porterbrook Leasing. The ‘Mallard style’ refurbishment is based on GNER’s rebuild of its 30-strong electric Mallard trains. The interior refurbishment will include new seating, new luggage racks, new tables, new car

Nottingham City Transport has become the latest operator to trial two-plus-one seating on its latest new bus deliveries to offer passengers increased personal space. The nine new Scania Omnidekka buses being placed in service on one of the local authority-owned company’s ‘Go2’ high frequency services, have two-plus-one seating with extra-wide double seats and a wider gangway for buggies and standing passengers. The 12 metre-long vehicle still seat 90, four less than identica

The award of the Integrated Kent franchise to Govia in November last year led many in the industry to question why the Go Ahead/Keolis partnership felt that 140mph commuter services on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link would be such a lucrative offering. Among the doubters was Christopher Garnett, chief executive of rival bidder GNER, who questioned how many people would be prepared to pay a 30% premium to travel on a line that terminated at St Pancras, miles from where many City commuters want to en

Southeastern has unveiled a full-scale display model of its new Hitachi Class 395 “bullet” trains, which are being built to operate high speed services between London and Kent on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link from 2009. The full-scale model (pictured) was put on show at a business park in Ashford on June 23. The Kent town is just one of locations which will benefit from the arrival of the new trains. Journeys from Ashford into London currently take up to 83 minutes, but this will f

Irisbus  unveiled a new high quality bus product at a public transport exhibition in Paris last week. Built in France, the ‘Crealis’ is based on the manufacturer’s Citelis bus, but the exterior and interior styling has been overhauled to create a product that IrisBus believe will have greater appeal than a conventional bus. The concept is similar to the StreetCar vehicle designed by First Group and Wrightbus, which is based on a Volvo bus chassis. Irisbus had previous