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

A team of students has been named Volunteer Group of the Year for their efforts to help improve the passenger experience at First Great Western stations in Devon and Cornwall.

First Group’s Chief Executive, Sir Moir Lockhead and First Great Western’s Managing Director, Mark Hopwood, surprised students at Liskeard station, when they presented them with a certificate to mark their efforts, including painting signal boxes, weeding and planting bulbs in time for spring.

As well as making local branch line stations more inviting to customers, First Great Western’s Regional Manager for the West of England, Julian Crow, says their work is one of the factors that has helped achieve a record 18 per cent growth on the Devon and Cornwall branch lines so far this year.

He said: “It’s wonderful to see these young people coming along to volunteer. Whatever the weather they put on their gardening gloves and arm themselves with paint brushes to help spruce up the stations. We are very grateful for all the work they have done to help improve the local rail lines.”

The University works closely with the North Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership to encourage community based activities in the area.

Partnership Development Officer, Rebecca Catterall, said: “I am absolutely thrilled that the students got the recognition they deserve for the amazing activities and projects they’ve been running over the past three years. They have showed dedication and commitment to improving branch line stations for the benefit of the local community.”

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Students help boost rail travel in Devon and Cornwall

Construction of new toilets and showers for customers has begun at Inverness Station. A new left luggage facility is also on the way.

The work is due to for completion during March 2010, and will further improve the ambience of the station which has benefited from a new waiting room, variable-height counter and REACT wayfinding signage for people with impaired vision.

Funding for the latest round of improvements – totalling almost £500,000 – has come from ScotRail in partnership with HITRANS, with the latter contributing £140,000.

Steve Montgomery, managing director of ScotRail, said, “This investment will further enhance Inverness Station, making it worthy of Scotland’s fastest growing city.

Frank Roach HITRANS rail development manager, said:  “We are delighted to support this sustained investment matching year-on-year growth in passenger numbers.”

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More improvements for Inverness Station

London Underground (LU) today welcomed the RMT’s decision to accept the company’s above-inflation pay offer, providing staff with real-terms pay increases over the next two years.

This is a very fair pay deal, which provides stability for our staff in the toughest economic climate for decades.

LU Managing Director, Richard Parry

In June, LU made all unions a two-year above-inflation offer of a 1.5 per cent pay increase this year and RPI+0.5 per cent next year (or 0.5 per cent, whichever is higher).

Drivers’ union ASLEF and TSSA had both accepted the offer, and now RMT members will also benefit from the pay settlement.

LU Managing Director, Richard Parry said: ‘This is a very fair pay deal, which provides stability for our staff in the toughest economic climate for decades.

‘I am pleased that we are now able to get on with implementing this pay settlement which provides certainty for both our staff and passengers.’

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London Underground welcomes RMT acceptance of pay deal

Maida Vale Tube station receives National Railway Heritage award.

Heritage is a huge part of London Underground’s identity and keeping historical features, while introducing modern requirements that improve our stations, is very important to us and to our customers

Mike Ashworth, LUs Design and Heritage Manager

Maida Vale Tube station has won a National Railway Heritage award for the modernisation of the station which was built in 1915.

The prize was presented by Lord Andrew Adonis, Secretary of State for Transport at the Merchant Taylor’s Hall in London on 2 December 2009.

The Grade II listed building came top in the London Regional Category at the National Awards for modernisation of a heritage station.

The award recognises the work London Underground has done to restore the many original heritage features such as the large attractive mosaics of the famous Tube logo or ’roundel’, red terracotta facade and the extensive tiled wall finishes.

Historic stations

Richard Parry, Managing Director for London Underground (LU), said: ‘This award highlights the hard work by our staff to maintain the history of the station at the same time as modernising it to a high standard for the thousands of people that use the Tube everyday.’

Mike Ashworth, Design and Heritage Manager for London Underground, said: ‘Heritage is a huge part of London Underground’s identity and keeping historical features, while introducing modern requirements that improve our stations, is very important to us and to our customers.’

New CCTV, an improved public address system and tactile strips on platforms have also been installed at Maida Vale, which is on the Bakerloo line, as part of Transport for London’s multi-billion-pound Investment Programme.

White City Tube station and Earl’s Court Tube station were also shortlisted at the awards and both received certificates of merit in respect of the modernisation works undertaken at these historic stations.

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Christmas comes early to Maida Vale Tube station

Unite leadership fails to get mandate for strike action. Strike vote failure follows ASLEF recommendation to accept pay offer.

Our pay deal offers stability and security, and we urge all of our unions to recommend this fair and final offer to their members.
Richard Parry, Managing Director of London Underground

London Underground (LU) has today called on the Unite leadership to get back to discussions after the union failed to get a mandate from its members for strike action over pay negotiations.

LU has tabled a two-year offer to all unions which would see staff’s pay increase by 1.5 per cent this year, and RPI+ 0.5 per cent – or 0.5 per cent, whichever is the greater – next year.

A ballot of Unite’s circa 500 members on LU closed today, with members rejecting the union leadership’s call for strike action. Instead, members have voted for industrial action short of a strike.

The latest threat comes after ASLEF, the Tube driver’s union, recommended to members that they accept  LU’s above-inflation pay offer.

Despite London Underground inviting all unions for more talks this week, Unite’s leadership appears to be intent on causing more unnecessary industrial action which will only cause Londoners more disruption.

Their members are clearly reluctant to support such action.

Richard Parry, Managing Director of London Underground, said: ‘This low turnout and the vote against strike action shows Unite members do not want to strike.

‘The Unite leadership has failed in its bid to get a mandate for strike action, and I urge them to return to meaningful discussion now.

‘There is absolutely nothing to be gained from taking more strike action in the current tough economic climate, at a time when many Londoners have seen their pay frozen or have lost their jobs this year.

‘Our pay deal offers stability and security, and we urge all of our unions to recommend this fair and final offer to their members and urge all Tube staff to accept it.’

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London Underground calls on Unite leadership to end attempts to disrupt Londoners

To help Londoners find those Christmas shopping bargains, Transport for London’s (TfL’s) London Overground is operating extra Saturday services on the Clapham Junction to Willesden Junction part of its network during the festive season.

Londoners, particularly this year, will want to be able to look for as many bargains as possible
Ian Brown, Managing Director of TfL London Rail

The Managing Director of TfL London Rail, Ian Brown, said: ‘The build up to Christmas is a busy time for everyone and Londoners, particularly this year, will want to be able to look for as many bargains as possible.

‘London Overground is putting on these extra services on the Clapham to Willesden route so that shoppers have the maximum number of travel options available.’

There will be an extra London Overground train every hour (ie three instead of two) on Saturday 28 November, 5 December, 12 December and 19 December between 11:00 and 19:00.

These services will be in addition to the one train per hour operated by train operator, Southern.

On those dates, a normal service will also operate on the Stratford to Willesden Junction section of the London Overground.

Previously, engineering works have caused weekend suspensions on this route.

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London Overground helps Christmas bargain hunters

Work to increase car parking capacity at National Express East Anglia’s Audley End station will commence on Thursday 12 November in a £690k investment to construct a new and additional car park at the station. This project is part of the company’s Service Improvement Plan to improve capacity on the East Anglia network through the introduction of 188 additional train carriages and extra car parking at key locations. The work at Audley End fulfils a long-held aspiration to improve parking facilities, and will provide sufficient future capacity in-line with the expected further growth in passengers consistent with the introduction of new trains on the West Anglia route in 2011.

The construction of the new car park is being carried out by Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd and will provide on completion an additional 150 car parking spaces increasing the total capacity at Audley End to approximately 700 spaces. The project is scheduled for completion early in 2010 and is being managed to minimise any inconvenience to the existing car parking arrangements at the station while the work continues.

Mark Phillips, Deputy Managing Director of National Express East Anglia will formally commence the project at Audley End station on Thursday and said:

“I am pleased that work is beginning to extend the car park at Audley End station. These improvements will be welcomed by our customers with the extra 150 car parking spaces making it easier to park at this busy station. The work at Audley End is one of the first projects in the National Express East Anglia Service Improvement Plan to take shape, with more improvements to commence on our network over the coming months.”

Guy Dangerfield, Passenger Link Manager for Passenger Focus said:

“Getting to the station is an integral part of making a journey by train and passengers will applaud this increase in car parking spaces at Audley End station.  There is nothing more frustrating than finding the station car park full when you have a train to catch.”

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New Car Park extension to boost capacity at Audley End Station

Wemyss Bay Station has been named as the Best Adopted Station in Scotland by Passenger Focus, the independent passenger watchdog.

The 2009 award follows the Friends of Wemyss Bay transforming three rooms for community use on the station concourse.

The rooms were surplus to station requirements. The Friends have:

• Created a second-hand bookshop that trades six days a week to raise funds to further reinvigorate the station

• Opened a gallery which now houses an exhibition called “Action Stations” on station adoption successes, and:

• Reintroduced floral displays for which the station was once so famous.

The Friends’ work – via ScotRail’s Adopt a Station scheme which aims to put stations at the heart of communities – has now been recognised by Passenger Focus.

The Best Adopted Station 2009 certificate will be presented on Thursday 22 October to Nancy Cameron, chairman of the Friends of Wemyss Bay Station, by Robert Samson, Passenger Focus link manager.

Steve Montgomery, ScotRail’s managing director, will also attend as part of a week-long tour of the network on the fifth anniversary of FirstGroup being awarded the Scottish rail franchise.

He said: “ScotRail’s Adopt a Station scheme seeks to put stations at the heart of their communities – and the Friends have certainly taken Wemyss Bay Station to their hearts.

“They have made remarkable progress since holding their first event in April. They are returning the station to the floral magnificence for which it was once famed.

Robert Samson said: “The Friends are to be congratulated for making full use of surplus accommodation and also for reintroducing gardening.

“We have been impressed by how the group has engaged with rail industry stakeholders – for example by encouraging Network Rail to embark on its present programme of repairs which is supported by the Railway Heritage Trust.”

Earlier this year, the Friends’ work was praised in a Parliamentary motion by Stuart McMillan MSP.

It reads: “That the Parliament welcomes the work being carried out by the Friends of Wemyss Bay Station who are a newly formed group of volunteers with a keen interest in and admiration for Wemyss Bay station; notes that the group has been granted the use of the empty accommodation at the station to use as a heritage site, and further notes that the group plans to collect and display photographs of the station in its Edwardian prime and has reintroduced floral displays as a reminder of the days when the station was famous for its displays of potted plants and hanging baskets.”

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Wemyss Bay Station named Best Adopted Station

Listening to your views

We believe by listening to your views and opinions first hand, we can continue to improve our services. Therefore, twice a year we hold a live web chat event with the directors of South West Trains, giving you an opportunity to put forward your suggestions and ideas in an open forum.

Our next event will take place on Thursday 20 August between 2pm – 4pm and will be a chance for you to share your thoughts and put your queries to our Managing Director Stewart Palmer and other directors.
Submitting your questions

We are happy to accept questions 24hrs prior to our next web chat and will answer as wide a range of issues as possible on the day. A full transcript will also be available after the event has closed.
Responding to questions

We will address as many issues and concerns as possible during the two hours, but please note that given the time constraints, we may not be able to respond to everyone.

Alternatively, to guarantee a personal acknowledgement and respone to your comments, please contact our Customer Service Team before the event.

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South West Trains Live Web Chat – 20 August 2009