Larbert man Mike Hamilton is to cycle 977 miles for a charity trying to find a cure for type 1 diabetes which strikes children and adults suddenly and lasts a lifetime.

The fundraising effort follows his six-year-old nephew Jack being diagnosed with the autoimmune disease – just days after a work colleague found out her son had the same condition.

Mike (53), of Acorn Crescent, will cycle from John O’Groats to Lands End in a tribute to the Juvenlile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) for its help and support to both boys and their families since beginning their treatment.

The challenge will begin on Wednesday 5 May, with Mike cycling 70-80 miles a day – unsupported – before reaching Lands End on or around 17 May.

Mike, a ScotRail station team manager – based at Kirkcaldy, has received a boost from his company’s parent group even before even turning a wheel.

Transport giant FirstGroup has donated £1,000 over and above the £750 he has already raised.

Mike said: “Being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes can be traumatic – especially for young kids like Jack. The foundation has been a great support to Jack and his parents as well as many other families going through the same thing.”

He added, of his fundraising: “I just hope to raise as much money as possible – and to make people aware of the foundation’s work. The donation from FirstGroup has got me off to a brilliant start.”

The Aberdeen-based JDRF funds research to try and find a cure for type 1 diabetes – a chronic, debilitating and life threatening condition which requires sufferers to administer daily insulin injections.

Lisa McCartney, regional development manager for JDRF Scotland, said: “We are really touched that Mike has chosen to take on this incredible challenge to raise funds for the JDRF.”

She added: “The donation from First Group is a fantastic boost to his campaign. All the money raised will go towards funding the vital research needed to find the cure for type 1 diabetes and its devastating complications. We wish Mike the very best of luck!”

Avril Gill, FirstGroup‘s marketing manager, Group Brand, said: “The support offered by the JDRF is vitally important to so many families.

“We are often on the look out for opportunities to help worthy organisations like this one and are delighted to help.”

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LARBERT MAN TAKES ON CHARITY CYCLING CHALLENGE

Revenue from Tube and bus distribution deal to help fund transport improvements, carbon emissions-cutting projects and to boost paper recycling.

The free morning newspaper has become part of the fabric of city life and something Londoners tell us improves their daily Tube and bus journeys

Transport for London (TfL) today announced that, subject to contract, its subsidiaries London Underground Ltd and London Bus Services Ltd intend to award concessions to distribute a free morning newspaper on the London Underground (LU) and at various London bus stations to the Associated Newspapers Limited title Metro.

Funding improvements

The new concessions allow the holder to distribute free newspapers on weekday mornings, at around 250 Underground stations and at around 14 London bus stations.

Metro’s current distribution contract with London Underground Ltd began in 1999 and comes to an end on 2 April this year.

Richard Parry, Interim Managing Director, LU, said: ‘The free morning newspaper has become part of the fabric of city life and something Londoners tell us improves their daily Tube and bus journeys.

‘The revenue from this lucrative contract will go straight back into funding improvements to public transport in the Capital including the upgrade of the Tube.

Public tender process

‘The new deal will also fund carbon-cutting projects such as making our stations more energy-efficient and will further encourage newspaper recycling with more recycling bins at key stations.’

As well as expanding the existing Metro recycling scheme to more stations, the deal will also include new measures to reduce the number of copies left behind at the end of the distribution period every day.

The contract is the culmination of a competitive public tender process and will begin on 6 April 2010, lasting for seven and a half years.

Steve Auckland, Managing Director, Metro, said: ‘We are delighted that TfL has announced their intention to award the concessions to Metro.

Successful partnership

‘Our teams work extremely well together and we look forward to continuing to give our consumers the very best service during their commute.’

John Leitch, Executive Director of Metro Distribution, said: ‘I’m thrilled we’ve reached this stage in the process.

‘It’s the culmination of an enormous amount of work from our team over the last three years and we hope to build on the successful partnership we’ve had with TfL over the past 10 years.’

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Transport for London to award morning free newspaper contract to Metro

Passenger Focus is calling for the rail industry to tell passengers how many of its trains are actually arriving at the station on time. Currently, the industry measures trains as being punctual if they arrive at the final station within five or 10 minutes (depending on journey length).

The National Passenger Survey Autumn 2009 results show that nationally, passenger satisfaction with punctuality/reliability is at a record high of 83%.

However, Passenger Focus, with the help of National Express East Anglia (NXEA), has undertaken research looking at the relationship between passenger satisfaction and train lateness. Passenger Focus welcomed NXEA’s cooperation in the research as an important contribution to understanding how passenger satisfaction can be improved in East Anglia and across the wider rail network.

Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chief executive, said: “Passengers tell us they are increasingly satisfied with punctuality on the railway. Passenger Focus welcomes National Express’s work with us to understand how passenger satisfaction can be further improved.”

The National Passenger Survey (NPS) shows that train punctuality is the leading factor in whether passengers will be satisfied overall with the rail service they receive. This latest research found passengers judge lateness from the first minute the train arrives at the destination after the scheduled time. For every minute that a train is late, passenger satisfaction drops by two percentage points.

The independent passenger watchdog welcomed the fact that across the rail network more trains were arriving at the final destination within five or 10 minutes of the scheduled timetable.

Mr Smith said: “Passengers want their trains actually on time, not up to five or 10 minutes late. To drive passenger satisfaction higher, train companies and Network Rail should focus on running trains to the timetable – not just at the final destination, but at intermediate stations too. We found that less than half of passengers in this study get to their home station on time – even though many of the trains they caught will have counted as on time at the final destination.

“Longer term, we are calling on the industry to move towards a system which reports to passengers whether trains are arriving on time rather than within five or 10 minutes.”

Passenger Focus will be calling on the Department for Transport to consider these findings as it looks at setting future targets for the industry.

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Working with passengers towards a ‘right time’ railway

South West Trains (SWT) has announced proposals to reduce opening hours of ticket offices at 15 stations outside London. From today these proposals are being advertised to passengers who will have 21 days to have their say.

The independent passenger watchdog is urging passengers to get in contact and give their views on the proposed changes.

Ashwin Kumar, Passenger Focus rail director, said: “It’s essential that passengers tell us their views on what these changes will mean to them. This will ensure that we can give a full response to South West Trains on the likely impact of their changes.

“Our research shows that almost a fifth of passengers don’t want to use ticket machines and passengers travelling in groups, particularly families with children, need advice on how to buy the cheapest tickets available. We are also worried that reduced ticket office opening hours will also mean the closure of waiting rooms and toilet facilities.”

Passengers who wish to comment on the SWT’s proposal should get in contact via info@passengerfocus.org.uk, call the passenger advice team on 0300 123 2350 or write to Freepost PO Box 4257, Manchester, M60 3AR. London passengers can contact London TravelWatch.

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PASSENGER FOCUS RESPONDS TO SOUTH WEST TRAIN’S PLANS TO CUT TICKET OFFICE HOURS

ScotRail said today that it will ensure rugby fans get to and from the Scotland v England

RBS 6 Nations game at Murrayfield on March 13.

The train operator also announced that it intends to run more than 95% of trains across Scotland on the day of the game.

Steve Montgomery, ScotRail’s managing director, said: “I am delighted we will run even more trains on March 13 to ensure that rugby fans enjoy their big day out.”

The company plans to run its usual rugby services between Glasgow and Edinburgh services for the 17.00 kick off – with extra carriages provided.

On the previous two strike dates by the RMT, ScotRail ran at least nine out of 10 trains – with the figure reaching 93% of all services on Monday March 1.

The special timetable for March 13 will again see 100% of services on many routes, especially across Central Scotland. The 100% services will also include Aberdeen and Inverness services to and from Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Mr Montgomery added: “We have made every effort to give rugby fans and the travelling public as robust a service as possible. The contingency plans are such that we intend to run at least 95% of services.”

The special timetable is still being finalised and will be announced in the near future.

As previously, a number of rural services will be replaced by buses.

The RMT strike is over having ticket examiners rather than conductors as the second person on services on the new £300m line between Glasgow and Edinburgh via Airdrie and Bathgate.

The new line will create 130 new jobs – and the trains are the same as those which have operated in Scotland for 25 years.

ScotRail remains available for meaningful talks at any time.

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SCOTRAIL UPS ITS GAME FOR CALCUTTA CUP DAY

Northern Rail has become the first train operator in the UK to achieve the prestigious Investors in Excellence Standard.

The nationally recognised mark of quality acknowledges Northern’s dedication to continually improving the quality of its operations to benefit customers and employees.

The assessors found that: “Northern clearly embraces the concepts of Excellence and is on a journey to achieve them. There are many good examples of this and further examples of ‘work in progress’ to improve based on analysis of the current and future landscape. Northern actually uses the Excellence model internally and all staff (at all levels) embraces the ethos of the Vision, Mission and Values.”

The Investors in Excellence Standard complements the Continuity Marque awarded to Northern by the North of England Excellence Scheme for the train operator’s commitment to putting in place the right people, resources and plans to deliver a successful, growing railway for passengers across the north of England.

Northern runs 2550 train services every week day and has attracted 34% more passengers since it started five years ago. It has also improved the punctuality of its services from 83.7% when it started to 91% of trains on time in the last 12 months.

Ian Bevan, Managing Director, Northern Rail said: “We’re delighted to achieve the Investors in Excellence Standard. This is testament to dedication of everyone across our business to improve the quality of the service we deliver for our customers.”

David Teale, Chief Executive of North of England Excellence said “Northern Rail is making great progress, having achieved Marques and Investors in Excellence accreditation, alongside the North of England Excellence Leadership Award”

Northern Rail has adopted the European Foundation Quality Management (EFQM) model as a basis for auditing activities, processes and results against a recognised benchmark.

Northern Rail has become the first train operator in the UK to achieve the prestigious Investors in Excellence Standard.

The nationally recognised mark of quality acknowledges Northern’s dedication to continually improving the quality of its operations to benefit customers and employees.

The assessors found that: “Northern clearly embraces the concepts of Excellence and is on a journey to achieve them. There are many good examples of this and further examples of ‘work in progress’ to improve based on analysis of the current and future landscape. Northern actually uses the Excellence model internally and all staff (at all levels) embraces the ethos of the Vision, Mission and Values.”

The Investors in Excellence Standard complements the Continuity Marque awarded to Northern by the North of England Excellence Scheme for the train operator’s commitment to putting in place the right people, resources and plans to deliver a successful, growing railway for passengers across the north of England.

Northern runs 2550 train services every week day and has attracted 34% more passengers since it started five years ago. It has also improved the punctuality of its services from 83.7% when it started to 91% of trains on time in the last 12 months.

Ian Bevan, Managing Director, Northern Rail said: “We’re delighted to achieve the Investors in Excellence Standard. This is testament to dedication of everyone across our business to improve the quality of the service we deliver for our customers.”

David Teale, Chief Executive of North of England Excellence said “Northern Rail is making great progress, having achieved Marques and Investors in Excellence accreditation, alongside the North of England Excellence Leadership Award”

Northern Rail has adopted the European Foundation Quality Management (EFQM) model as a basis for auditing activities, processes and results against a recognised benchmark.

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Northern Rail Achieves Investors in Excellence Standard

train operator East Coast’s share of the rail and air travel market between Edinburgh and London has almost doubled, from 12 per cent in 2005 to 23 per cent in January of this year.

East Coast trains are also racing ahead between Newcastle and London. In 2005 rail held a 45 per cent share of the market – by January of this year, rail’s share had leapt to 66 per cent, a 21 per cent increase.

The latest figures for East Coast are the best achieved by trains on its route for ten years – providing compelling proof that more and more long-distance travellers are voting with their feet and choosing the train instead of the plane.

East Coast managing director Karen Boswell said: “The latest statistics clearly show that our trains are attracting the biggest market share for a decade on our two most keenly-contested long-distance routes.

“Air passengers endure lengthy transfers to and from out-of-town airports and delays checking in and out. East Coast customers relax and enjoy city centre to city centre journeys on a consistently more punctual service. Our trains offer free wireless internet access, creating a mobile office environment, and tasty food and drink – plus great views along the way.

“We’re cutting the cost of travel with our miniature prices, with bargain fares which are much cheaper than a generation ago. Our cheapest one-way fare between Edinburgh and London costs 39 per cent less than the lowest priced train ticket between the capitals more than 30 years ago in 1979. No wonder more people are choosing the train over the plane.”

East Coast also offers a wide range of tailored travel packages to suit the business traveller. First Class or Standard all-inclusive packages can be bought for the same price as an Anytime ticket, offering as much as £70 worth of extras at no extra cost. Benefits include on-train dining, car parking and travel by London Underground in zones 1 and 2.

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TRAIN TRAVEL GROWS AT AIRLINES’ EXPENSE

Wheelchair users, people with dogs, parents with pushchairs and passengers with heavy luggage can all now benefit from step-free access at Hainault station.

Hainault is a cracking example of the improvements the Mayor wants to see in our Tube stations, particularly those in outer London.

Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor of London’s transport advisor

Hainault station on the Central line has been modernised as part of Tansport for London’s (TfL) multi-billion pound Investment Programme with three new passenger lifts, enabling step-free access to the platforms from street level.

The work also included a new wide aisle gate in the ticket hall, which means that mobility impaired customers and visually impaired people with dogs will be able to independently enter and exit the station, instead of waiting for a member of staff to open the wide gate for them.

Helping passengers

A new accessible toilet has been installed that will be useful for wheelchair users and new tactile strips with tonal contrast on steps will aid visually impaired people.

The first thing passengers will notice on entering the station will be a new electronic display board informing them of the first trains leaving the station, so they will know how many minutes they have got to get to the platform. In addition there is a new control room, new CCTV cameras, new electronic train information boards on platforms, passenger help points and improved signage.

Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor of London’s transport advisor, said: ‘Hainault is a cracking example of the improvements the Mayor wants to see in our Tube stations, particularly those in outer London. The work that has taken place there will make the station more accessible, safer and easier to use for the thousands of people that rely on it every week.’

Heritage features

Tricia Madge, the Central line Manager, said: ‘Hainault station has been modernised throughout and the lifts and wide aisle gates will particularly help wheelchair users, people with dogs, parents with buggies and passengers with heavy luggage. There are now a total of 59 Tube stations which are step-free.

‘In addition, the station has been retiled, there are new CCTV cameras, a new accessible toilet, electronic train information display boards, passenger help points, improved signage and lighting and a new control room.

‘But customers will see that the station has been refurbished sensitively respecting the history of the building, with heritage features retained, such as the original platform roundel and patterned canopy.’

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Hainault Tube station is now step-free with three new lifts

ScotRail today announced it intends to run at least nine out of 10 trains when the RMT trade union strikes on Monday.

The special timetable aims to provide 100% of services on many routes – including Edinburgh-Glasgow Queen Street and all services in Strathclyde, except Motherwell-Cumbernauld.

It also aims to run Glasgow and Edinburgh services to Aberdeen and Inverness as normal.

Steve Montgomery, managing director of ScotRail, said: “It is business as usual for Scotland’s railway. Our contingency plans are such that we will run at least nine out of 10 trains – as happened during the strike last Saturday.”

He added: “However, we have again had to revise some services because of the RMT’s bid to cause as much inconvenience as possible to our customers.

“Tough choices have had to be taken to ensure that as many people as possible are unaffected on the day.”

A number of rural services will be replaced by buses. Where changes have been made, services will be replaced with buses. A small number of services have been cancelled.

ScotRail is extremely disappointed by the RMT strikes over having ticket examiners rather than conductors as the second person on services on the new £300m line between Glasgow and Edinburgh via Airdrie and Bathgate.

Mr Montgomery said: “The new line will create 130 new jobs – and the trains are the same as those which have operated in Scotland for 25 years.”

“The new line also underpins growth in the railways. It is about investing in the future and about bringing significant benefits to the communities it will serve.”

SERVICES RUNNING NORMALLY

• Edinburgh – Glasgow via Falkirk High

• Strathclyde services, except Motherwell – Cumbernauld

• Edinburgh / Glasgow – Aberdeen / Inverness

• Aberdeen – Inverness

• Glasgow – Edinburgh via Shotts

• Glasgow – Maryhill / Anniesland

• Caledonian Sleepers

ROUTES WITH MINOR CHANGES

• Glasgow/Edinburgh – Alloa / Dunblane / Perth

• Edinburgh – Bathgate

• Fife Circle

• Edinburgh – Newcraighall

• Edinburgh – North Berwick

KEY SERVICE CHANGES

• Glasgow – Oban / Fort William / Mallaig – buses will replace trains

• Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh / Wick / Thurso – buses will replace trains

• Glasgow – Carlisle: buses will replace trains between Kilmarnock – Dumfries / Carlisle

• Stranraer / Girvan – Kilmarnock: buses will replace trains

• A reduced service will operate between Perth and Edinburgh

ScotRail urged customers to purchases tickets, including season tickets, in advance of travel to avoid delays at their destination on March 1.

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At least nine out of 10 trains to run despite RMT strike

Passenger Focus interviewed around 1500 passengers in the south west to make certain passenger views were central to long-term plans for the region’s railway.

Mike Greedy, Passenger Focus manager in the South West, said: “Passengers tell us that their future priorities include better punctuality, less overcrowding, later-evening trains, better connections and journey-time improvements. It is vital for the industry to start planning for increasing numbers of passengers on what are already busy routes and this study is a step in the right direction.”PASSENGER FOCUS COMMENT ON NETWORK RAIL’S VISION FOR GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY

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PASSENGER FOCUS COMMENT ON NETWORK RAIL’S VISION FOR GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY