UK rail fares "frozen in real terms".... a much quieter ride on the Midland metro...Baroness Kramer visits Bristol and (near) Exeter.... a few Network Rail time lapse videos...next week's railtours....the Integrated Transport and Logistics Company (OTLK) comes into being in Russia...
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Headlines
UK
Regulated rail fares frozen in real terms.(BBC News)
New 'smoother and quieter' Midland Metro trams go into service.(Birmingham Post)
GOV.UK.
Baroness Kramer visits South West rail improvements.
Transport Minister opens Bristol station car park and cuts first turf for Devon’s newest train station.
Transport Minister Baroness Kramer visited the south-west today (5 September 2014) to see how 2 rail improvement schemes will transform journeys for thousands of passengers.The minister’s first stop was to officially open the £13 million multi-storey car park at Bristol Parkway station. Thanks to government funding, the car park is providing an extra 710 parking spaces, in addition to the 1,100 already there.
Baroness Kramer then travelled to Newcourt, near Exeter, to cut the first turf on the £1.5 million new station planned for the site. The project is one of 5 to be awarded funding by the government, following a successful bid by Devon County Council in May 2013.
The new station, which will include a ticket machine, passenger information system, secure cycle parking, disabled parking spaces and CCTV, will be served by a half-hourly local service between Exeter St David’s and Exmouth.
Baroness Kramer said:
A modern railway station with excellent customer facilities can speak volumes about a local community. The new facilities at Bristol and the new station at Newcourt will help transform the experience of passengers and provide a boost to local economies.For the work at Newcourt, Devon County Council received £741,000 government funding. Once completed later this year, it will serve a new housing development and ease congestion on the local road network.
We have big ambitions for our railways, which is why we have embarked on the biggest programme of modernisation since the Victorian era, with more than £38 billion being spent over the next 5 years to provide better journeys for millions of passengers.
Both projects are being supported by First Great Western and Network Rail.
Local authorities in the south-west have been given more than £900 million to spend on local transport during this parliament, with £130 million being spent on improving the region’s roads this year.
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3-D Animation: London Bridge rebuilt
With a concourse bigger than the pitch at Wembley Stadium, it’ll be a breeze to walk to and from the platforms and shops at the new London Bridge station.
More at http://www.thameslinkprogramme.co.uk/
Time-lapse video: London Bridge track goes in New!
New track went in over the 9-day part closure to allow for more spacious trains, running at tube-like frequency to more destinations than ever before, once the station is rebuilt.
More at http://www.thameslinkprogramme.co.uk/
Behind the scenes at London Bridge.
Work on platform 11 at London Bridge during the nine-day blockade 23 - 31 Aug 2014.
Watford Junction modernisation moves on in August
Network Rail Press Release.
Station retail continues to shine
Figures released today by Network Rail have revealed more evidence of the changing face of modern retail with in-station retail spend once again outperforming the high street average, and growing for the ninth quarter in a row.
Average results show strong increases in retail spending at Network Rail’s 19 managed stations, culminating in a 6.1 per cent gain in the period. This is compared to steady growth figures of 1.1 per cent from the British Retail Consortium which includes many British supermarket and retail brands.
Recently redeveloped station King’s Cross continues to steam ahead when it comes to overall spend with a 15.55 per cent increase since Quarter 4 2013/14. Liverpool Lime Street station is close behind with a 14 per cent rise with Cannon Street rounding out the top three at close to 10 per cent growth.
Stations in Scotland also recorded steady growth with Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central stations rising by 5.76 and 4.68 per cent respectively.
Hamish Kiernan, commercial director of retail for Network Rail, said the growth points to the changing habits of the modern customer: "We’re working with our retailers to improve the quality and range of shopping experiences and offerings at our stations. You have to work hard to keep pace with the constant evolution of this sector, and as these results show, we are getting the mix right.
"Stations are now destinations not just to travel but where people want to meet, eat and shop. Importantly as a tax-payer funded organisation, all our profits from our commercial activities are reinvested to deliver a better railway for Britain."
Notes:
- All profits from retail commercial activities are reinvested into the railway.
- Network Rail is one of the largest land and property owners in the country and during the five year period which ended on 31 March 2014, generated £1.4bn from commercial activities for re-investment in its rail estate. This is enough to transform Birmingham New Street or King’s Cross station, or put in place 5,000km of new railway.
- There is more than 510,000 sq ft of retail space at 18 of the largest stations across the country, showcasing many leading high-street brands.
- Network Rail is also the country's largest provider of commercial property to small and medium sized businesses, with over 7,000 properties nationwide.
- Network Rail works in partnership to develop railway land and property no longer required for operational use, including multi-million pound commercial schemes above our station at Birmingham New Street and joint ventures with the likes of Ballymore, Bloc, Kier and The Office Group.
- Network Rail owns and manages 18 of Britain’s biggest and busiest stations (as well as managing St Pancras International on behalf of HS1 Ltd):
Railway Herald - Railtours
Listing offered in good faith. No guarantees offered or implied.
Please confirm runnings with operators.
Please observe Network Rail photographic guidelines.Thank you.
Monday 8th September 2014
Atlantic Coast Express (Cathedrals Express) : Day 4 (Steam Dreams)
- 34046 and 5029 Penzance - Par - Plymouth - Totnes - Dawlish - Exeter St. Davids
- 34067 Exeter St. Davids (pu) - Honiton - Yeovil - Salisbury - Woking - London Victoria
The Jacobite (West Coast Railway Company)
- To be confirmed Fort William - Glenfinnan - Mallaig (break) - Glenfinnan - Fort William
Tuesday 9th September 2014
The Jacobite (West Coast Railway Company)
- To be confirmed Fort William - Glenfinnan - Mallaig (break) - Glenfinnan - Fort William
Wednesday 10th September 2014
The Dorset Coast Express (Railway Touring Company)
- To be confirmed London Victoria (pu) - Barnes Bridge - Staines (pu) - Woking (pu) - Winchfield (water) - Basingstoke (pu) - Worting Junction - Winchester - Southampton - Bournemouth (sd) - Weymouth and return
- To be confirmed Weymouth-Upwey Bank-Dorchester South-Bournemouth-Southampton
- To be confirmed Southampton-Redbridge-Andover-Basingstoke-Woking-London Waterloo
The Jacobite (West Coast Railway Company)
- To be confirmed Fort William - Glenfinnan - Mallaig (break) - Glenfinnan - Fort William
Thursday 11th September 2014
The Jacobite (West Coast Railway Company)
- To be confirmed Fort William - Glenfinnan - Mallaig (break) - Glenfinnan - Fort William
Friday 12th September 2014
The VSOE British Pullman Surrey Hills Luncheon Train (Belmond (British Pullman))
- 35028 London Victoria (pu) - Staines - Woking - Guildford - Shalford - Reigate - Redhill - East Croydon - London Victoria
Lancaster & Crewe (SRPS Railtours)
- WCRC Diesel Polmont (pu) - Falkirk Grahamston (pu) - Cumbernauld (pu) - Wishaw (pu) - Beattock - Carlisle - Shap - Lancaster (sd) - Crewe
- 46233 Crewe (pu) - Lancaster (pu) - Shap - Carlisle - Beattock - Wishaw (sd) - Cumbernauld (sd) - Falkirk Grahamston (sd) - Polmont
The Jacobite (West Coast Railway Company)
- To be confirmed Fort William - Glenfinnan - Mallaig (break) - Glenfinnan - Fort William
Saturday 13th September 2014
The Cumbrian Coast Express (Compass Tours)
- WCRC Class 47 (Pair) Saltburn (pu) - Redcar Cetral (pu) - Middlesbrough (pu) - Thornaby (pu) - Eaglescliffe (pu) - Darlington (pu) - Durham - Hexham - Carlisle
- WCRC Class 47 (Pair) Carlisle (pu) - Maryport - Workington - Ravenglass - Ulverston - Grange over sands - Carnforth - Wennington - Giggleswick - Hellifield - Skipton - Leeds - York - Darlington (sd) - Eaglescliffe (sd) - Thornaby (sd) - Middlesbrough (sd) - Redcar Central (sd) - Saltburn
The Mendip Sprinter (organised By East Somerset Models 01749 880651
01749 880651) (Private Charter)
- FGW Class 150 DMU Bristol Temple Meads (pu) - Bath Spa (pu) - Trowbridge (pu) - Westbury Down Reception Line - Frome Avoiding Line - Witham/East Somerset Junction - Quarry Junction -Cranmore
- FGW Class 150 DMU Cranmore (pu) - Witham/East Somerset Junction - Frome Station Loop - Westbury Up Reception Line - Trowbridge (sd) - Bath Spa (sd) - Bristol East Loop - Bristol Temple Meads
Cumbrian Mountain Express (Railway Touring Company)
- 60009 Crewe (pu) - Wilmslow (pu) - Stockport (pu) - Manchester Victoria (pu) - Bolton (pu) - Blackburn (pu) - Hellifield - Settle - Appleby - Carlisle
- 60009 Carlisle - Shap - Preston (sd) - Bolton (sd) - Manchester Victoria (sd) - Stockport (sd) - Wilmslow (sd) - Crewe (sd)
The Snowdonia Statesman (Statesman Rail)
- WCRC 47/57 Hull (pu) - Brough (pu) - Howden (pu) - Selby (pu) - Leeds (pu) - Dewsbury (pu) - Brighouse (pu) - Sowerby Bridge (pu) - Hebden Bridge (pu) - Todmorden (pu) - Rochdale (pu) - Manchester Victoria (pu) - Llandudno Junction (rev) - Blaenau Ffestiniog (break/rev) & return
The Cathedrals Express To Ludlow Food Fayre (Steam Dreams)
- WCRC Class 47 (Pair) Clapham Junction (pu) - Staines (pu) - Woking (pu) - Salisbury (pu) - Bath Spa (pu) (sd) - Bristol area
- 70013 Bristol area - Abergavenny - hereford (sd) - Ludlow (sd) - Shrewsbury (break/rev) & return
- WCRC Class 47 (Pair) Bristol area - Bath Spa (sd) - Salisbury (sd) - Woking (sd) - Staines (sd) - Clapham Junction
The Solent And Sarum (UK Railtours)
- 34046 London Waterloo (pu) - Surbiton - Woking - Basingstoke - Adover - Salisbury
- 34046 Salisbury (pu) - Romsey - Eastleigh - Fareham - Haslemere - Guildford - Woking - Surbiton - London Waterloo
Derby 175 Open Day, Electric 50 At Crich Or Chtasworth House (UK Railtours)
- EMT HST London St. Pancras International (pu) - Luton Airport Parkway (pu) - Bedford (pu) - Kettering (pu) - Alfreton (sd) - Chesterfield
- EMT HST Chesterfield (pu) - Alfreton (pu) - Loughborough - melton Mowbray - Oakham - Corby - Kettering (sd) - Bedford (sd) - Luton Airport Parkway (sd) - London St. Pancras International
The Jacobite (West Coast Railway Company)
- To be confirmed Fort William - Glenfinnan - Mallaig (break) - Glenfinnan - Fort William
Ludlow-The Food Festival (West Coast Railway Company)
- WCRC Class 47 (Pair) St. Neots (pu) - Huntingdon (pu) - Peterborough (pu) - Grantham (pu) - Newark (pu) - Retford (pu) - Doncaster (pu) - Ludlow (break/rev) & return
Sunday 14th September 2014
The Royal Duchy (Railway Touring Company)
- 5029 or 34067 or 70013 Bristol Temple Meads (pu) - Yatton (pu) - Taunton (pu) - Exeter St Davids (pu) - Plymouth (sd) - Par (sd) and return
The Forth Circle (afternoon Train) (SRPS Railtours)
- 46233 Dalmeny (pu) - Inverkeithing (pu) - Kirkcaldy - Thornton junctions - Stenhousemuir - Dunfermline Town - Cuilross - Alloa - Stirling - Larbert - Linlithgow - Dalmeny (sd) - Inverkeithing
The Forth Circle (morning Train) (SRPS Railtours)
- 46233 Linlithgow (pu) - Dalmeny - North Queensferry - Kirkaldy - Thornton Junctions - Stenhousemuir - Dunfermline Town - Culross - Alloa - Stirling - Larbert - Linlithgow (then ECS to Dalmeny)
Torbay Express (Torbay Express Ltd)
- To be confirmed Bristol Temple Meads (pu) - Bath Spa (pu) - Trowbridge (pu) - Westbury (pu) - Taunton (pu) - Exeter St. Davids - Dawlish - Paignton - Kingswear and return
The Jacobite (West Coast Railway Company)
- To be confirmed Fort William - Glenfinnan - Mallaig (break) - Glenfinnan - Fort William
International
Bangladesh
Railway problems lie elsewhere.(New Age..via BBC News)
Russia
Russian Railways Press Release
The Russian Government Has Approved the Integrated Transport and Logistics Company
Governmental Decree of August 30, 2014, no. 1673-p approved the creation of the Integrated Transport and Logistics Company (OTLK).
The document confirms that the government of Russia agrees to give up Russian Railways’ 50% plus 2 shares of JSC TransContainer and 100% minus 1 share of Russian Railways Logistics as a contribution to the charter capital of OTLK.
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Recall that OTLK was created at the initiative of the railways of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus as part of framework of integrating the three countries on the basis of the Common Economic Space and Customs Union.
Currently, OTLK is one of the few real-world business projects of integration processes in the CES, and the only one aimed at consolidating the infrastructure sectors of the Customs Union.
The creation of OTLK was to ensure the development of the transport and logistics infrastructure of the three countries on the basis of uniform principles of pricing policy, the mutual use of rolling stock, the introduction of a single technology and standards of transport and logistics services in the territory of the CES, and the timing of investment in the development of the railway infrastructure of the three countries. This will create a transport platform for other large-scale economic projects.
Also, OTLK is a response to the growing level of competition for the management of global transport corridors, particularly from the EU and China. Control of key transport assets of the CES will allow OTLK to reach a business scale comparable with global industry leaders, ensuring a strong bargaining position in relations with foreign partners and contractors.
By virtue of the existing imbalance of the cargo base, the volume of transit traffic from China to Europe is 2–3 times higher than the potential traffic from Europe to China. Accordingly, the question of empty runs comes up.
Only by combining traffic in transit, domestic, and export–import transportation can the empty-run ratio be lowered.
This will not only economize transit, but also reduce empty runs on export, import, and domestic routes and, as a result, reduce the cost for operators and the cost of transportation services to shippers throughout the CES.
Such work requires uniting everything involved in the transport of assets into a single system, creating a single control technology for rolling stock on the basis of the total IT systems, the harmonization of tariffs, a flexible pricing policy, etc. OTLK was created for these purposes.
The basic condition for achieving this result is to bring together key container assets into a single technology.
This is a key competitive advantage of OTLK, since it allows for the unified management of the park in the whole inter-domain-scale of the CES to optimize empty runs and offer competitive prices, as well as to ensure the cost and quality of transport services along the entire supply chain.
On the Russian side, shares of TransContainer and Russian Railways Logistics will be transferred to OTLK; Belarus will transfer Belintertrans, which consolidates container assets in Belarus. From Kazakhstan, Kedentransservice and Kaztransservice will be transferred to OTLK.
This will make it possible to control key entry points to regions using 1520-mm-gauge rail: Dostyk, Altynkol, and Brest; the network scale and size of the rolling stock; and the required level of basic logistics competencies.
As a result of this project, Russian Railways will provide additional funds of almost $1.7 billion over 7 years for infrastructure alone.
OTLK will also have a positive macroeconomic effect. According to the calculations carried out with the participation of our consultants from Boston Consulting Group, due to the development of transport and additional shipping-related industries (transport engineering, construction, materials, etc.), by 2020, $5 billion will be added to the GDP of Russia and over 17 000 jobs will be created.
The project will positively affect the economies of other countries in the Customs Union.
Russian Railways, together with its Kazakh and Belarusian colleagues, embarked on the creation of OTLK over a year ago. Since then, much has been done; with the participation of international consultants, a detailed business plan has been developed and the economic effects of the target business model and stages of development of OTLK have been calculated. The project has received support from the highest political level of the Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Commission.
While the Russian state authorities considered the materials for the creation of OTLK, they continued working with the authorities of Belarus and Kazakhstan (including the Eurasian Economic Commission).
Support from the Eurasian Economic Commission is reflected in the basic guideline of macroeconomic policy of state members of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space for 2013–2014, approved by the decision of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council on May 29, 2013, and in the decisions of the meeting of the Supreme Council of the Common Economic Space in Astana on May 29, 2014, providing assistance to complete arrangements for the start of economic activities of the OTLK.
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