RMT to take tube safety campaign to Euston passengers after fire detection failures and calls for urgent inspections at all sub-surface stations

Gemma King
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RMT to take tube safety campaign to Euston passengers after fire detection failures and calls for urgent inspections at all sub-surface stations

TUBE UNION RMT is to leaflet rush-hour passengers at Euston station this Wednesday morning over cuts to safety and safety-critical jobs following revelations that fire detection systems at the station failed last month creating the potential for a major disaster that was only avoided by the actions of a vigilant member of station staff.

RMT also confirmed today that it has written to London Underground requesting that all fire detection equipment at sub-surface stations be inspected within the next 72 hours under Section 12 Fire Regulations which were introduced after Kings Cross.

The Euston fire, which has close parallels with the Kings Cross disaster in 1987 one stop up the line, was caused by mechanical friction in the closed chamber underneath an escalator igniting accumulated dust and grease.

Fire detection systems failed and the smoke was spotted by staff members who activated the manual evacuation procedure and closed the station averting a potential disaster. RMT is pointing out that it’s those very staff who are among the 800 jobs that are currently under threat from Boris Johnson’s cuts and which are subject to a current ballot for industrial action which closes on Wednesday – 11th August.

Another fire alert was again raised by tube station staff last Friday in the morning rush hour at Oxford Circus where an air conditioning unit ignited and was spotted by staff members who safely evacuated the station.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

“The two recent fire incidents at Euston and Oxford Circus show once again that it is vigilant and trained staff at station level who are critical when it comes to spotting potential danger and activating emergency evacuation procedures – yet these are the very staff that TfL are looking to axe in a cull of 800 tube station posts.

“If anyone wanted a clear example of why we are currently balloting for action over the axing of safety-critical tube jobs they need look no further than the role played by staff at Euston and Oxford Circus. If those station staff hadn’t been on duty we could have had major disasters on our hands.”

Two vandals jailed for over 8 years for deliberately placing objects on the railway line

Stewart Thorpe
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Two vandals who admitted deliberately placing objects on the railway line at Dosthill, Tamworth, Staffordshire, almost causing a train travelling at 95mph to derail, have been jailed for a total of eight-and-a-half years following an investigation by British Transport Police (BTP).

Richard Stephen John Hamilton, 21, and Ashley Michael Leedham, 18, both from Kingsbury, Tamworth, pleaded guilty to malicious obstruction of the railway with intent to endanger safety when they appeared at Warwick Crown Court on Tuesday 15 June.

The incident happened at around 11.30pm on Thursday 18 March 2010 when the driver of the 23.09hrs Birmingham New Street to Nottingham service reported striking concrete blocks and other debris that had been piled 4ft high on the line near Cadogan Road, south of Wilnecote rail station.

BTP officers investigating the incident said it could have led to serious injury or even the deaths of passengers or members of the train crew.

The driver of the CrossCountry service managed to bring his train to a halt after hitting the objects, which included concrete posts, wooden pallets and bags of cement. No one was injured but the driver was left extremely shaken.

The train, which was travelling at around 95mph at the time of impact and had about 50 passengers on board, suffered severe damage and had to be taken out of service, causing delays and inconvenience to passengers and the rail network.

BTP set up an incident room at Wales and Western Area headquarters in Birmingham and launched a major inquiry – Operation Rope – which resulted in the swift arrest of Hamilton and Leedham.

Speaking to police afterwards, the driver of the train which struck the debris described how he felt the train lift from the tracks after impact and believed it was about to derail.

He said: “I thought my time was up. I thought the train had come off the rails as it was juddering violently. I then remember seeing a road bridge going over the railway lines and I remember shouting to myself ‘Oh no’.

“I thought the train was going to hit the bridge and that I was going to die.

“Images of my children, my family and people close to me flashed before me and I thought I would never see them again.”

Thankfully, the train did not derail and eventually came to a halt just under half a mile from the point of impact.

BTP officers and emergency railway personnel attended the scene and found that objects including concrete posts, wooden pallets and bags of post-mixed concrete and cement had been placed across the railway lines.

These materials had been left in the area by railway contractors in preparation for maintenance work that was scheduled to take place in the Winecote area.

Rail staff who cleared the debris from the line after the incident estimated that around 30 concrete posts, each weighing 20kg, more than a dozen bags of cement and two wooden pallets had been used by Hamilton and Leedham to build the obstruction.

When interviewed by police, Hamilton and Leedham both initially denied any involvement and claimed to be elsewhere at the time of the incident. However, both gave differing accounts of where they had been and what they had been doing on that evening.

After being shown CCTV images and when further evidence was put to them, both changed their stories and admitted playing a part in causing the obstruction, although each played down his involvement and accused the other of instigating event and taking the lead role.

Chief Inspector Allan Gregory, of British Transport Police, said: “It is a matter of sheer luck that no-one was seriously injured in this incident.

“The reality is that we could have been left dealing with mass casualties or even, in a worst case scenario, fatalities.

“BTP launched a thorough investigation into the incident with an incident room set up at Wales and Western Area headquarters in Birmingham.

“This helped lead to the swift arrests of Hamilton and Leedham who, after initially flatly denying any involvement, pleaded guilty when confronted by the evidence gathered by BTP officers.”

At Warwick Crown Court today, Hamilton was jailed for four-and-a-half years and Leedham for four years.

Network Rail route director, Jo Kaye, said: “This was a ludicrous thing to do and could easily have resulted in passengers or the train crew being killed.

“It is good to know that the judicial system has recognised the seriousness of the case in the sentences they have given.

“I hope this acts as a lesson to anyone else who may be inclined to carry out such reckless acts.”

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces up to $25 Million for High-Speed Passenger Rail Research

Stewart Thorpe
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U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is soliciting research proposals to foster rapid development of high-speed and intercity passenger rail service technologies in the United States.

A pool of $25 million is available for basic and applied technology research, development and demonstration projects to advance the state of the art in track and structures, train control systems, operating practices and rolling stock. FRA is seeking projects focused on accelerating development of technologies that ensure safe, efficient and strategic deployment of integrated passenger rail systems. The solicitation is open to all sources.

“President Obama’s bold vision for high-speed rail is a game-changer for transportation in the United States,” said Secretary LaHood. “This undertaking is not only creating good jobs and reinvigorating our manufacturing base, it’s also going to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”

“It is vitally important that we promote and facilitate cutting edge research and advanced technology development,” said FRA Administrator Szabo. “This effort will increase the rail industry’s scientific knowledge base while permitting us to exploit the potential of existing technologies and help expand our domestic rail equipment manufacturing capabilities.”

The solicitation continues FRA’s long history of supporting the development of advanced rail systems by providing funding and technical assistance in support of new equipment, infrastructure, and testing technologies. Nationally, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided an $8 billion down payment for high speed rail.

The solicitation, BAA (Broad Agency Announcement) 2010-1, Research and Demonstration Projects Supporting the Development of High Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Service, published on July 28, 2010 can be viewed at Federal Business Opportunities (www.fbo.gov) and FRA’s website (http://www.fra.dot.gov/Pages/918.shtml) and will be open through September 30, 2012.

East Midlands Trains’ best station award winners

Jonathan Webb
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East Midlands Trains’ station staff are celebrating after the winners of the company’s newly launched ‘Best Station Awards’ were announced.  The awards look to recognise the best of the company’s 89 stations under the categories of Best Small Station, Best Medium Station, Best Large Station and Most Improved Station.   

Leicester scooped the award for Most Improved Station this year.   The judges commented that they were particularly impressed with the team’s consistent high standards and flexible approach.   

In the large stations category, London St Pancras was named as winner due both to the initiatives taken by the staff to improve customer service at this busy station, and the care and attention given to passengers by the staff working there, often under difficult circumstances. 

At Corby, which picked up the award for Best Medium Station, judges praised the success of the newly opened station as well as the team who work closely together to deliver a professional, high quality service to customers. 

And, last but by no means least, Blythe Bridge claimed the award for Best Small Station for the improvements made there, including new customer information screens and new platform shelters.  The judges were also particularly impressed by the level of community support for this station. 

Derby, Sheffield, Beeston and Narborough stations all received Highly Commended awards. 

David Horne, Customer Service Director for East Midlands Trains, added:  “These awards are a reflection of the hard work that goes on at our stations day in, day out.  For many passengers travelling with us, the first time they will come into contact with East Midlands Trains is when they arrive at one of our stations, so it’s absolutely crucial that they start their journey with a positive impression. 

“We’re delighted with the enthusiasm shown for this year’s awards and would like to congratulate all the winners on their success.” 

Kelly Betchley, Passenger Link Executive for Passenger Focus who helped to judge the awards, added: “Stations are the gateway to a passenger’s railway journey. Our latest research shows that passengers rate East Midlands Trains’ stations higher than the national average and these awards recognise and applaud the company’s efforts to improve passengers’ experience. Keep up the good work!” 

Winners of the East Midlands Trains Best Stations Awards. Pictured from left are Kas Pinjara of London St Pancras station, Janine Ward of Leicester station, Faye Lambert from the North Staffs Community Rail Partnership representing Blythe Bridge and Pauline Wilson of Corby station.

Plaque unveiling at Chester marks latest phase of Station Work

Stewart Thorpe
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A plaque was unveiled on the island platform at Chester railway station today (Friday 6 August 2010) to mark the completion of the latest phase of work to renovate the station.

The £1.1m project was largely paid for by Network Rail, with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Railway Heritage Trust and Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Network Rail route director Jo Kaye said: “The station is an important gateway to the city, used by nearly 3.5m people a year, who rely on rail. Much has been done in recent years to improve the station frontage, with a new road layout, architectural lighting and structural repairs. The main concourse has been transformed with a new ticket office, coffee shop and ticket barriers and the roofing renewed.

“Now we have been concentrating on the island platform, used by Merseyrail passengers on the line to Liverpool.”

Work started in February to refurbish platform 7 and part of the station buildings on the platform known as the West Pavilion. Being a listed building, special permission had to be obtained to carry out the work and any new material used had to replicate the existing fixtures and fittings as closely as possible.

Two unused out buildings that had previously been add but were out of character with the original structure, were demolished.

Platform paving was taken up so that the material it was embedded in could be renewed, any old slabs that were serviceable were reused and new slabs matched to the old.

Uneven coping stones that line the platform edge were levelled.

The stone and brickwork of the West Pavilion was repaired and cleaned, and new cast iron guttering and rainwater pipes were installed.

Six doors and five windows were replaced, all matching the style of the originals, and all the external windows, doors and pipe work was painted.

At roof level, the sheeting that covered the gable ends of the canopies over platforms four and seven was removed so that steelwork could be repaired and painted before new glazing was fixed in place.

Work is continuing on a new waiting room, customer services office and café to serve the island platform, and in a completely separate scheme, negotiations are ongoing to build multi storey car park.

Reunion of Hiroshima tram girls

Jonathan Webb
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Today, as they do every August 6th, the girls who drove trams in Hiroshima during the war hold a reunion at the Hiroshima Electric Railway Company. They remember the day, 65 years ago, an atomic bomb was dropped on the city and many of their fellow workers were killed or badly  injured.

The girls, some as young as 14, were trained as drivers and conductors to fill the vacancies left by the men who had gone to fight. It was the first time that girls had been allowed to drive trams in Japan.

Some of the trams were so busy that there was no room for the conductor and she would have to stand on the front coupler and ask passengers, through an open window, to ring the departure and stopping bell.

In total approximately 300 girls were trained to work on the trams, with the older girls working the late and night shifts. Although the bombing, which killed 140,000 civilians, devastated the city, trams began running 24 hours later, albeit on a very short section of route.

Tram 3701 passes near Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park and Museum. Picture: www.upmain.com

£300m contract awarded for redevelopment of Bond Street Tube station, London

Stewart Thorpe
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The redevelopment of Bond Street Tube station, a key element of the Tube upgrade, moved a step closer today as Transport for London (TfL) announced that it intends to award the contract for the redevelopment of the station to Costain Laing O’Rourke JV. Main construction will get underway in 2011.

When completed in 2017 the £300million redevelopment will transform the station delivering:

  • A dramatic increase in station capacity ahead of the completion of Crossrail;
  • A new entrance and ticket hall north of Oxford Street to increase capacity and provide step-free access to both the Central and Jubilee lines;
  • New escalators and an additional access route to the Jubilee line to reduce congestion; An improved interchange between Central and Jubilee lines;
  • Step-free access to the new Crossrail station;
  • and Improved pedestrian areas around the station with new seating and lighting;

More than 155,000 passengers currently use Bond Street Tube station every day, a figure that’s expected to rise to over 225,000 with the arrival of Crossrail in 2017.

Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor of London’s transport advisor, said: “This station emphasises the need for progress to be maintained on both upgrading the Tube and building Crossrail. London is the heartbeat of the UK and upgrades like this are vital to long-term job creation and economic growth around the whole of the country. Our focus at all times will be on delivering the infrastructure London needs at the best possible value for tax and fare payers.”

The announcement of the contract award has been made following a competitive tendering process and in line with European procurement requirements.

David Waboso, Capital Programmes Director for London Underground said: “By 2017, Bond Street station will be served by both London Underground and Crossrail and will be a key gateway to the West End. This redevelopment is essential to ensure the station can accommodate the large increase in passengers that will use the station. The £300m redevelopment of the Tube station, coupled with the new Crossrail station, will transform the Bond Street area and act as a catalyst for further investment securing the West End’s position as a premier shopping and entertainment destination and major employment centre.

“Work will shortly get underway to increase the station’s capacity by creating a new entrance and ticket hall on the north side of Oxford Street and installing additional escalators and passageways below ground. In addition, the station will be made accessible, with step-free access from the street to all platforms and interchanges.”

Separate contracts will be let by Crossrail in due course for the construction of the new Crossrail stations at Davies Street and Hanover Square which will connect to Bond Street Tube station.

M-Pact Thales consortium awarded additional extension works on prestigious Manchester Metrolink Project

Gemma King
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The M-Pact Thales (MPT) consortium has been awarded the contract to provide the new Manchester airport link and extensions through Oldham town centre and into Rochdale town centre as part of the ongoing programme to deliver a world-class tram system around the city of Manchester.

Construction work for this additional £275m extension has already begun with MPT carrying out all the design, construction and maintenance work for the new lines. Laing O’Rourke and VolkerRail, jointly M-Pact, will deliver all the civil and rail infrastructure requirements and Thales UK will provide all the electrical systems engineering works, including power and overhead line equipment, and the tram operating system under a standalone contract.

The works follow on from the original phase 3 contract awarded in June 2008, which was further extended in March 2010 to provide an additional 3.9km line to Ashton and 4.5km line to Didsbury.

Bryan Diggins, Project Director, M-Pact Thales, says: “It is a great achievement for the consortium to continue working together on this critical project. This award will allow us to complete the original vision for Manchester, providing the vital link from the urban areas of the city to the airport, and essential town centre links for both Oldham and Rochdale.”

David Leather, Chief Executive of GMPTE, says: “Following the approval of funding support from AGMA and GMITA, we have concluded negotiations for the delivery of the long awaited expansion of the Metrolink network.

Contracts have now been signed for new lines to Manchester Airport and the town centres of Oldham and Rochdale, adding to the construction that is already underway from Manchester through Droylsden to Ashton, from Manchester through Chorlton to East Didsbury and the conversion of the former heavy rail line to Rochdale via Oldham. This milestone in Metrolink history will see the system almost treble compared to today’s network. With the support of our Delivery Partner, Parsons Brinckerhoff, and the experience of MPT we are confident of successful delivery of the new lines.”

It is anticipated that trams will be running to Oldham and Rochdale town centres during spring 2014 and to Manchester Airport during mid 2016.

The Blue Train Scoops Africa’s Leading Luxury Train Award

Stewart Thorpe
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The Blue Train, so-called ‘window to the soul of South Africa’  won ‘Africa’s leading luxury train award’ in July during the World Travel Awards – Africa and Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony.

The World Travel Awards, since its inception 17 years ago, has always been an important aspect in travel and tourism as it has raised the bar for standard of customer service.

These prestigious awards aim to encourage a world-class competition and to stimulate innovation and creativity as well as ensuring that travellers receive exceptional value. It further acknowledges the organisations that contribute significantly in the tourism and travel industry.

The world Travel Awards are known as “the Oscars of the Travel Industry”, and winning these awards is a great achievement for any company because it means that winners consistently excelled beyond expectations, the awards separates the good from the outstanding while reassuring travellers and taking their expectations to greater heights.

Winners were carefully selected based on the 183 000 votes cast by travel professionals which include travel agencies, tour and transport companies as well as tourism organisations in over 160 countries across the world.

The Blue Train which combines the luxury of the world’s leading hotels with the charm of train travel out- shone its competitors and claimed it’s well deserved first spot. It has built an incredible legacy and has now won this award for two consecutive years. It has also won The World’s Leading Luxury Train award in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and again in 2009.

By winning Africa’s Leading Luxury Train, the Blue Train will automatically go through as a nominee for the World’s Leading Luxury Train where the travel trade will cast their votes later in the year.

Amsted Rail and Faiveley Transport join forces on the market for freight rail brakes

Stewart Thorpe
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Ellcon National, Faiveley Transport’s American subsidiary, and Amsted Rail, world leading manufacturer for undercarriage rail components for the freight market, announced the creation of a joint subsidiary in which Faiveley Transport will have majority ownership.

“This new company will be fully operational on October 1, 2010. It will enable freight car manufacturers to have access to the widest range of components and undercarriage equipment systems”, said Robert Joyeux, Chairman and Managing Director of Faiveley Transport. “This strategic agreement gives Faiveley Transport direct access to the global freight market through Amsted Rail. We will have the opportunity to further discuss this agreement at the end of September when the new joint venture will become operational.”

This union between two world leaders puts them in an ideal position to provide outstanding technical solutions that will improve the performance of trains and increase savings during the lifecycle of rolling stock.

“Ellcon National’s existing brake components portfolio will be integrated with Amsted Rail’s extensive undercarriage systems, enabling railcar designers and their customers to access an unprecedented component engineering team”, explains Mr. John Wories, President of Amsted Rail.

The alliance between these two century-old companies, with their technical expertise and commercial synergies, will significantly accelerate their growth on the world market.

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