ScotRail is to launch a Sunday train service for day trippers to Oban from Edinburgh, Linlithgow and Polmont over six weeks this summer.

The service has been welcomed by VisitScotland.

It will start on Sunday 25 July and run each Sunday until 29 August inclusive.

The service is timed to give passengers five hours in the West Highland town and designed to appeal to people in Edinburgh and West Lothian who would love a day out in Oban – without taking the car.

The train will leave Edinburgh Waverley at 0810 and arrive back in the capital at 2107.

Graeme Macfarlan, marketing manager at ScotRail said that the move was in direct response to listening to customers – as well as people opting to holiday in the UK due to ongoing uncertainty regarding air travel.

He added: “Many customers in the East of Scotland have told us they would love to experience the West Highland Line for a day out but would prefer not to change trains – and sometimes stations – at Glasgow.

“This new, direct service changes all that and should boost tourism. And we’ll be offering cream teas on the scenic route, which really is the icing on the cake of a special day out!”

David Adams McGilp, VisitScotland’s Regional Director in Argyll said: “We’ve just launched a £250,000 campaign specifically encouraging Scots to take holidays in their own country, so expanding train services to accommodate the needs of the day trip market fits very well with this.  There are lots of things to do within walking distance of Oban station for families and individuals alike, not least taking in the panoramic views from McCaig’s Folly, the open air platform on top of the hill behind Oban.”

‘Kids Go Free’ now online
In a separate move, ScotRail has improved its Kids Go Free ticket offer by making it available to purchase online.  With Kids Go Free, up to two children aged between five and 15 can travel free with each adult who buys a Kids Go Free ticket. Terms and conditions apply.  More info:  http://www.scotrail.co.uk/content/kids-go-free.html

Notes to Editor:
The Oban departures are from Edinburgh Waverley, Haymarket, Linlithgow and Polmont only.

The fare will be £30 return or £20 single.  Children go half price.

Tickets are available ONLY by telephoning ScotRail Telesales on 08457 55 00 33.   Seating will be on a first come first served basis.  No other ticket offers or discount card can be used in conjunction with this ticket.

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Day trip to Oban – direct from Edinburgh

First Great Western has teamed up with National Geographic Channel UK to explore the history of the Great Western Railway to commemorate its landmark 175th anniversary.

It is 175 years since prolific railway engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was granted the Royal Assent of the Great Western Railway Bill at the Houses of Parliament. To mark the occasion renowned historian, Dan Cruickshank, will explore the network as well as the history of Brunel on Great Railway Adventures on National Geographic at 9pm tomorrow.
Produced by ITN Productions, Brilliant Brunel is the second programme in the three-part series and pays particular attention to one of the engineer’s most famous constructions, the Box Tunnel just outside Bath. At the time it was the longest railway tunnel the world had ever seen.

It is the latest in a list of activities to mark the 175th anniversary of the Great Western Railway. Other events include train namings as well as special non-stop steam train, The Bristolian, which spent a day on the tracks last month.

A First Great Western spokesman said: “This is a landmark anniversary and a great chance to explore our heritage. Brunel’s constructions all that time ago really did shape today’s railways and should be celebrated.”
Dan Cruickshank said: “Join me on a railway adventure like no other as I explore how trains helped shape modern Britain. I’ll be unearthing the incredible engineering achievements of Brunel, whose designs revolutionised public transport and modern engineering and set the standard for the construction of the railways. Using careful surveys to minimise grades and curves allowed him to create several bridges and viaducts, the most famous being the Box Tunnel.”
Great Railway Adventures with Dan Cruickshank will be broadcast on Wednesday 12th May at 9pm on the National Geographic Channel UK.

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Brilliant Brunel – the 175thanniversary of Great Western Railway

Tube Lines’ closure programme revised to lessen impact on Londoners – Route through West End maintained during early weekday closures on Bank branch

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and Transport for London (TfL) have taken action to greatly reduce a programme of weekday evening closures proposed for the Northern line this summer.

The company currently responsible for upgrading the line, Tube Lines, had proposed to close the entire line north of Stockwell from the early evening for improvement works.

Revised closures

The Mayor and TfL told Tube Lines the immense disruption this would inflict on Londoners lives would be unacceptable.

They have now arranged for the closures to be scaled back so that only the Bank branch between Kennington and Camden, and the High Barnet branch north of East Finchley will close from around 21:30 between Monday and Thursday from 5 July.

A through-service will be provided on the Charing Cross branch to maintain services to the West End, link north and south London, and provide Northern line passengers with alternative ways to get home. Replacement buses will also be provided.

A revised closures plan was agreed ahead of TfL’s purchase of Tube Lines, which is expected to be completed by the end of the month.

Faster journey times

A ‘hangover’ from the previous PPP contracts means that some closures must still happen.

Under the new proposals weekend closures proposed through July and August between Kennington and Morden will go ahead as per the original Tube Lines plan, while the future closure programme is reviewed.

To cancel them would cause significant costs and set back a programme that is already seriously delayed.

However, upgrade work to replace the 40-year-old signalling system on London’s busiest Tube line will deliver faster journey times, improved reliability and vital additional capacity.

Maximum benefit

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London and Chair of Transport for London, said: ‘This is the first sign that we are close to an escape from the dastardly confines of PPP contracts that required closures to be arranged for the maximum benefit of shareholders rather than the travelling public.

‘This is vital upgrade work, and some closures will be necessary, but as we take control of Tube Lines and reconfigure the upgrade programme, we’ll be looking to proceed in a way that causes Londoners the least disruption possible.’

Following the acquisition of Tube Lines, TfL will get full visibility of the state of the upgrade programme, and will carry out an urgent assessment of the planned work and the closures that are needed to deliver it.

The objective will be to deliver the upgrade with significantly less disruption and far fewer closures.

Control over the work

TfL will be engaging fully with the business community and listening to its views as the closure programme is reviewed in the interests of London’s passengers and businesses.

Mike Brown, MD London Underground, said: ‘Londoners want their Tube upgraded, but they also want to be able to get around their city.

‘Although the Northern line upgrade is essential, we can approach it in a way that inconveniences Londoners less.

‘Some closures have already been planned, and we need to go ahead with them, but once we have control over the work we will be able to cut disruption.  Our priority is to lay out a programme that gets the job done to a timetable that suits Londoners and with the minimum disruption to our customers and businesses.’

While the Northern line does not directly serve any of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic venues, TfL today moved to reassure Londoners that the line will be running a full and reliable service during the summer of 2012.

Details of the Northern line closure programme: July – August 2010

Weekend closures - Kennington to Morden

10 July 2010 to 11 July 2010
31 July 2010 to 1 August 2010
7 August 2010 to 8 August 2010
21 August 2010 to 22 August 2010
30 August 2010*

*Bank Holiday Monday only – Extended engineering hours will commence on 5 July with early shutdown from 22:00 Monday to Thursday on the Bank branch (Kennington to Camden Town) and on the High Barnet branch north of East Finchley.

Last trains would serve these sections at around 21:30, and replacement buses will then be provided.

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Mayor and TfL act to limit Northern line disruption

Ten of the largest stations on London Underground sign up to 10:10 campaign to reduce energy use.

The Tube stations participating in the 10:10 initiative are Bank, Charing Cross, Earl’s Court, Green Park, Holborn, Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, Liverpool Street, Moorgate and Victoria.

Over the next 12 months these stations will work to be even more environmentally friendly by implementing a range of energy saving initiatives, including switching off escalators during off-peak hours and turning off unnecessary lighting during daylight and engineering hours.

Cut emmissions

These carbon cutting measures should help save an estimated £70,000 and over 500 tonnes of CO2 per year.

London Underground is committed to cutting energy and is already doing a lot to cut emissions. These 10 stations have been chosen as they are high profile and able to meet the criteria of the 10:10 campaign – learnings from this campaign can then be used across the Tube network.

LU’s 10:10 commitment aims to build on the success of London Underground’s Energy Station Challenge, an internal energy saving competition that encourages station staff across the network to reduce energy consumption at their station by switching off unnecessary equipment.

All Tube stations owned and managed by LU take part in the Energy Station Challenge, which was re-launched in 2008. The competition is a key driver in improving energy saving across the network.

Carbon footprint

Last year, West Hampstead was the most improved station, saving £2,400 and 18 tonnes of CO2. This year’s winning station, Tooting Broadway reduced its carbon footprint by 24 tonnes of CO2 and saved £3,500.

The ten stations that have signed up to 10:10 will all receive detailed energy efficiency plans to help them achieve the 10 per cent target.

As part of the 10:10 initiative, light switches are to be installed across the ten stations to allow staff to safely switch off lighting in areas of the station that operate shorter opening hours, such as the western ticket hall at Knightsbridge, and on platforms during engineering hours.

This is part of a wider initiative across London Underground to install light switches and sensors at stations which do not currently have the facility to switch off lighting.

Earlier this year TfL announced that all its head office buildings including London’s Underground’s headquarters at 55 Broadway would participate in the 10:10 campaign.

London Underground’s commitment to 10:10 is part of the Tube’s ongoing work to incorporate sustainability into its operations. Last year the Tube improved its carbon efficiency by five per cent, despite carrying over a billion passengers for the fourth year running. It was also the first public transport operator to achieve the Carbon Trust

Standard – an award given to organisations for managing and reducing their carbon emissions. Only 302 organisations in the UK have achieved this level.

Regenerative braking

One of the measures that has helped one of the UK’s busiest transport networks to achieve this improvement is an energy efficient system called regenerative braking, which recovers electric power during braking and feeds it back into the electricity supply.

This system provides up to 25 per cent savings in electricity. It is currently used on 15 per cent of the Tube network; this will increase to 50 per cent by 2012 and the entire network by 2020.

Howard Collins, London Underground Chief Operating Officer, said: ‘Despite the Tube being one of the most environmentally friendly ways to travel in London, more can still be done to help protect the environment.

‘Signing up to 10:10 is just one of the ways in which London Underground is changing the way we operate, helping to make London a greener and more pleasant place to live.’

London life

Eugenie Harvey, Director of 10:10, said: ‘The London Underground is truly iconic and such a crucial part of life in London, ferrying millions of people around the city every day.

‘We’re so happy to have them onboard – reducing carbon emissions’ is, literally, as everyday as catching the Tube.’

The signing up of TfL head office buildings and major Tube stations to the 10:10 commitment are just part of a raft of measures that TfL has undertaken to cut carbon emissions and improve the organisation’s impact on the environment.

TfL is committed to being more energy efficient and cutting carbon and pollution across its operations.

Key measures include the introduction of diesel-electric hybrid buses on London’s roads which are cleaner, quieter and use significantly less fuel than their diesel counterparts, cutting emissions of carbon dioxide by up to 40 per cent.

A further 300 new hybrid buses will be operating on routes across London by March 2011. After that it is expected that all new buses entering London will be hybrid buses – the most ambitious hybrid bus programme in Europe.

Cycle hire

TfL is also investing millions into programmes and technologies that will deliver a cleaner, greener capital such as the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme launching later this summer, encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles and promoting the benefits of walking.

Improvements to London’s public transport services have helped deliver a six per cent shift away from the private car since 2000, one of the major contributors to transport related carbon emissions in London.

Public transport in London such as the Tube already offers a sustainable form of travel around the Capital. Figures from the Environment Agency reveal that this has helped the average Londoner to have a lower national carbon footprint of 11.28 tonnes per capita compared to the UK average of 12.10 tonnes per capita.

This is one of the lowest out of all the regions in England and is attributed by the Environment Agency to high public transport use.

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Ten Tube stations for 10:10

A £700m upgrade to bring better journeys for thousands of Londoners. Upgrade is a crucial part of Transport for London’s (TfL’s) multi-billion pound Investment Programme.

Victoria Tube station, one of the busiest and most congested on the network, is set for a radical £700m transformation as TfL today announced that a contract has been awarded for its redevelopment.

As part of TfL’s multi-billion pound Investment Programme to improve and expand the transport network, VINCI BAM Nuttall Limited joint venture will reconfigure Victoria station - creating a brand new ticket hall, doubling in size the existing southern ticket hall, and installing new entrances, nine new escalators and step-free access.

The station redevelopment is essential to supporting the upgrade of the Victoria line and the two together will result in quicker, easier, and less congested journeys for thousands of Londoners.

Between now and 2018, TfL will upgrade eight Tube lines, build Crossrail, and expand the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and London Overground networks, as well as delivering other major improvements.

Such investment is vital to the future growth, prosperity and the competitiveness of London and the UK, particularly for creating new jobs and opportunities.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said: ‘Anyone that’s ever been near Victoria Tube in the rush hour will know that these improvements cannot be made soon enough.

Vital upgrade

‘It will make journeys easier for the hundreds of thousands of passengers that use the station and is exactly the type of investment I am determined to protect in the Capital.’

Redevelopment work will begin next year that will deliver:

• Cuts in peak time congestion and improved capacity, with a new north ticket hall and entrance to the station beneath Bressenden Place allowing passengers from Victoria Street to enter the station without crossing busy roads above ground
• Better station access for all passengers with new lifts in the enlarged existing south ticket hall providing step-free access to all platform levels and wider stairs to the National Rail station
• Seven new lifts providing step-free access from street to the Victoria line and for interchange with District and Circle line platforms
• A new passageway to the north end of the Victoria line platform

Richard Parry, London Underground’s Strategy and Commercial Director said: ‘Used by more than 80 million passengers each year, upgrading Victoria Underground station is a key vital part of improving the Tube network which will ensure the station can cope with future demand, cut congestion and improve access for all our passengers using the station.

Improved accessibility

‘This will be a huge benefit to residents, commuters and tourists, and customers will no longer face being held up by the station having to shut for several minutes in the rush hour because it is too full.

‘It will also be much quicker and easier for passengers to enter and exit Victoria Underground station as they won’t have to cross several busy roads.’

The station will be constructed in two main phases in order to deliver it in the most cost effective way.

The first phase is the construction of the new entrance and the new north ticket hall under Bressenden Place, which will start in 2011 and be completed in 2016.

The remainder of the upgrade works including new lifts and escalators from the existing Victoria line ticket hall which will be doubled in size will be completed by 2018.

During the upgrade work TfL will work closely with the contractors to ensure any possible disruption is managed with as little impact as possible on passengers using this key interchange.

Easier, faster journeys

Bob Lloyd, Project Director, VINCI BAM Nuttall said: ‘The joint venture is experienced in complicated, multi-disciplinary construction projects.

‘Both contractors are long established companies whose people have extensive experience and expertise in all sectors.

‘Of course, a successful scheme is not just down to technical expertise but the ability to work together.

‘This project will benefit from the team approach of VINCI Construction UK and BAM Nuttall who have both previously worked together on a number of successful major projects and currently on the upgrade of Tottenham Court Road Station.

‘We are proud to be awarded the Victoria station upgrade and will seek to exceed the expectations of all our stakeholders by meeting the challenges of delivering the scheme and providing passengers to and from Victoria station with an improved travelling experience.’

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Victoria Tube station to be transformed

The good news comes after the winter months saw First Hull Trains’ first service of the day on a Sunday diverted through Goole, instead of Howden and Selby, due to difficulties associated with Network Rail’s – which owns and operates Britain’s rail infrastructure – keeping the line open in the winter. A bus service, provided by First Hull Trains, was trialled between Selby, Howden and Goole but this was withdrawn due to very little interest by travellers.

Now, much to the delight of passengers, as of Sunday, May 23, the 09.07am departure from Hull to London on a Sunday morning will be routed back via Howden at 09.30am and Selby at 09.41am with an arrival time into London Kings Cross of 11.47am.

It comes on the back of First Hull Trains working hard in conjunction with Network Rail over the winter to ensure that services could run via their normal route from the summer timetable and now they are delighted to announce that services will be back to normal.

Tracey Parkinson, customer services manager for First Hull Trains, said: “Naturally we were disappointed that operational issues resulted in our first service on a Sunday morning being diverted. Our team has worked tirelessly to rectify the situation over winter period and I am delighted that things will be back to normal from next Sunday.

“This is great news for Howden and Selby passengers and, once again, customers will be able to spend and enjoy a full day out in London on Sundays throughout the summer months.”
Reg French, of the Selby Rail Users Group, said: “First Hull Trains promised to do all that they could to restore this service and they have delivered on that promise. It is important that Selby residents support the company’s efforts by using its services wherever possible so that we are able to maintain what we have now in the future. It is wonderful that our town has 70 First Hull Trains services a week to and from London and 20 over the weekend.”

For tickets, fares and timetable enquiries, customers should call 08450 710 222 or visit www.hulltrains.co.uk. Telesales Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 07:00-22:00 and Saturday & Sunday 08:00-19:00.

For more information, please contact our communications advisor, Simon Taylor at Mercury, on: 01482 869 553 or via email, at: simon.taylor@mercury-marketing.co.uk

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May 23, 2010, sees First Hull Trains’ Sunday Service Reinstated at Selby and Howden

The first of five zero-emission hydrogen hybrid fuel cell buses arrived at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire today where it will undergo thorough safety and performance checks before it hits the streets of London later this year.

The five hydrogen hybrid fuel cell buses will enter service at the end of the year on route RV1, travelling between Covent Garden and Tower Hill.

While at Millbrook the vehicle will undergo a rigorous testing and certification process to ensure it meets Transport for London’s (TfL) and Department for Transport’s requirements.

One of the cleanest bus fleets

TfL is committed to introducing less polluting transport choices to improve air quality and help tackle London’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Once in service the hydrogen hybrid fuel cell buses will produce no harmful emissions, only water vapour, and will join one of the cleanest bus fleets in the UK.

The buses will be delivered in partnership with Air Products, ISE Corp and Wright Bus.

The buses will be operated on behalf of London Buses by First Group.

Genuine long-term benefits

The new hydrogen buses will also be hybrid and will join the 56 diesel hybrid buses currently in service along with an additional 56 due to enter service later this year.

The Mayor has also committed to ensuring the New Bus for London will use the greenest hybrid technology available, when it enters service in 2012.

Mike Weston, Operations Director for London Buses, said: ‘London faces many environmental challenges but we believe alternative fuels, such as hydrogen, will bring genuine long-term benefits in tackling CO2 emissions.

‘The arrival of the first hydrogen hybrid fuel cell bus marks an exciting new chapter for London Buses as we embrace new technologies to further build on the excellent work we are doing to improve air quality for Londoners.’

The London Hydrogen Partnership recently published a hydrogen action plan which pledged to support the introduction of more hydrogen fuelled vehicles in the Capital.

For more information visit the Greater London Authority website.

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Transport for London Greener era for London’s buses moves a step closer

Train operator East Coast introduces its new timetable from Sunday, May 23, and is advising customers to check carefully for changes.

The new East Coast timetable runs until Saturday, 11 December. All the new timetables can be viewed and downloaded via the East Coast website, www.eastcoast.co.uk.

Summary timetables covering local sections of the East Coast route are also available in convenient pocket sized format.

A summary of the main changes is outlined below:

Mondays to Fridays:

• 09.30 Edinburgh to London King’s Cross and 07.52 Aberdeen to London King’s Cross will both call additionally at Newark North Gate;
• 11.40 Leeds to London King’s Cross and 12.40 Leeds to London King’s Cross will both no longer call at Newark North Gate;
• 19.00 London King’s Cross to Newcastle (Mondays to Thursdays) and Edinburgh (Fridays only) will no longer call at Grantham, but will additionally call at Newark North Gate;
• 19.03 London King’s Cross to Leeds will no longer call at Newark North Gate, but will additionally call at Grantham.

Saturdays:

• 06.30 Newcastle-Glasgow Central will depart Newcastle at 06.25 and call additionally at Haymarket.

Sundays:

• 09.00 London King’s Cross to Edinburgh and 10.10 London King’s Cross to Leeds will both no longer call at Grantham, but will call additionally at Newark North Gate;
• 09.10 London King’s Cross to Leeds and 10.00 London King’s Cross to Edinburgh will both no longer call at Newark North Gate, but will additionally call at Grantham.

For full details of the new East Coast timetable, download a copy at www.eastcoast.co.uk, or pick up a copy from East Coast stations and at other stations at which East Coast trains call.

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NEW EAST COAST TRAIN TIMETABLE STARTS ON SUNDAY, MAY 23

ScotRail is offering a month’s free travel to season ticket holders.

Customers who sign up online and buy 11 season tickets in a row using the train operator’s recurring payment option will get the 12th month absolutely free.

Customers who have already signed up for recurring payments are also eligible to get their 12th month free.

Steve Montgomery, managing director of ScotRail, said, “This is a great offer for monthly season ticket holders.  They avoid having to renew their ticket every few weeks and get a month’s free travel too.”

Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said: “As we work towards achieving our world leading climate change targets one of our key priorities is to encourage more people onto sustainable forms of transport such as the train. In the current tough economic climate, offers like this bring extra benefits by saving the passenger money while promoting regular rail use.”

This offer is available only to passengers who purchase their tickets on ScotRail’s website. Tickets are valid only on ScotRail services.

Some example savings:

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Season ticket boost for ScotRail customers

Southern is leading the way in providing better passenger information at stations.

As part of Southern’s on-going mission for continuous improvement, a new project is underway to transform the way in which people get their information at railway stations.

Every station on the Southern network is to undergo a major passenger information change with information presented in logical zones, rather than where space currently permits.

Called Information Zones, the new areas will rationalise the way in which information on stations is presented to passengers, so the same information is in the same place at whichever station you happen to be.

The stations will be divided into four separate and distinct zones:

• Welcome Zone – containing station facility and where appropriate,
community information

• Ticket Zone – containing ticket purchasing and real time passenger service information

• Train Zone – containing penalty fare and timetable information

• Onward Journey Zone – containing multi-modal travel information

Work has been done at all 157 Southern stations to map existing poster sites and work is beginning on the re-zoning of each station.

Project Manager, Feras Alshaker said: “At the moment, information at stations across the country is displayed a little haphazardly. We are going to change all that with a major de-clutter of non-essential signs and posters, and display useful information that is grouped together in logical areas.”

The project will be completed by December this year at all 157 Southern stations.

Mr Alshaker added: “We have done a lot of work on this already and by December, every Southern station will feel more welcoming and will have the same information in the same area, no matter where you are.”

The project complements Southern’s Station Travel Plan initiative where stakeholders and passengers told us that most people wanted clearer information, especially about onward travel options.

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New Information zones for every Southern station