New CCTV hub will help make rail travel even safer
Commenting on the official opening of the British Transport Police's new London CCTV hub, Michael Roberts, ATOC Chief Executive, said: “Bringing together vital information gathered through CCTV by all operators serving London and the south east, plus that of the BTP and Network Rail, means that the industry is able to ensure rail travel in the capital is safer than ever.
“Train companies have been improving and extending their own CCTV, and the new central hub will build on that to not only benefit the millions of people visiting and travelling around London this summer, but also those commuters and passengers who use the network every day. The hub will help the industry continue to reduce the level of crime on the railways, and reassure passengers that we are always working hard to keep them as safe as possible.”
Network Rail
TWO NEW PLATFORMS AND 700 EXTRA TRAINS FOR BLACKFRIARS
Work to rebuild Blackfriars station comes a step closer to completion this weekend as the station’s final two new platforms open for use.
Passengers will benefit from more than 700 extra trains every week at Blackfriars thanks to the new platforms and the completion of engineering work on the central London section of the Thameslink route, allowing trains to serve the station later at night and on weekends.
Network Rail senior programme manager for Blackfriars, Paul Byrne, said: “Our work to rebuild Blackfriars is approaching completion with two new platforms opening on Saturday, coupled with the end of weekend closures on the route, allowing over 700 extra trains to serve the station each week.
“We’ve still got a plenty of work to do before the Blackfriars upgrade is completed but more areas of the new station are opening month by month, train services are improving, and passengers are seeing the benefits.”
First Capital Connect customer service director Keith Jipps said: "The continued improvements at Blackfriars station are great news for our customers. We'll have 40% more trains serving the station once we reopen at night and weekends. This and the new south station entrance, suddenly makes Blackfriars a great destination for art lovers and theatregoers."
Network Rail, working in partnership with Balfour Beatty, has rebuilt Blackfriars station on top of a Victorian rail bridge, creating the only station in London to span the River Thames. The new station roof, built on top of the bridge, is currently being fitted with 4,400 solar panels to create London’s largest solar array. Timelapse footage of the entire station rebuild – from 2009 until the present day – is available online: http://bit.ly/JwzFT7
Saturday also sees weekend and late evening services return to First Capital Connect’s Thameslink route through central London. For three-and-a-half years the section of the route between London Bridge and St Pancras has been closed every night and almost every weekend to allow Network Rail to install new track and signalling and rebuild Farringdon and Blackfriars stations.
The work is part of an upgrade of Thameslink route, which runs from Bedford to Brighton through central London, which will eventually allow 24 trains per hour in each direction to run through Blackfriars.
Network Rail
FIRST MINISTER UNVEILS FORTH BRIDGE MEMORIAL TO MARK RESTORATION COMPLETION
First Minister Alex Salmond today joined workers from Network Rail, principal contractor Balfour Beatty, and members of the local communities in North and South Queensferry to celebrate the recent completion of a 10 year restoration project and remember those who lost their lives building the Forth Bridge.
Twin memorials, unveiled in prominent public locations in North and South Queensferry, pay tribute to the thousands of ‘Briggers’ who contributed to building, maintaining and restoring the structure in the 129 years since construction began.
Both memorials consist of a 7ft upright bronze section built into a stone base. The upright bears the names, ages and occupations of 73 men who died during construction, the base is engraved with the words: “To the Briggers, past and present, who built, restored and continue to maintain this iconic structure.”
First Minister Alex Salmond said: "The Forth Bridge is perhaps the single most inspirational structure ever to have been built in Scotland. As a pioneering, supremely practical but also very beautiful feat of engineering it has few equals anywhere in the world and the completion of its ten-year restoration project is a terrific achievement.
"All of this has been made possible thanks to the Briggers past and present, who have shown incredible bravery, industry and skill in the 129 years since the bridge was built.
"All of this has been made possible thanks to the Briggers past and present, who have shown incredible bravery, industry and skill in the 129 years since the bridge was built.
"Above all, we honour the sacrifice of those who lost their lives during the bridge's construction. They helped make possible what remains perhaps Scotland's greatest-ever engineering achievement and these memorials are worthy tributes to their skill and courage."
David Simpson, route managing director, Network Rail Scotland, commented: “The work which has been undertaken by the team on the Forth Bridge over the last decade has been completed to exacting standards and produced results which have been recognised across Britain, Europe and the rest of the world.
“We are enormously proud of our modern day ‘Briggers’ but we acknowledge that we would never have been there were it not for the hard graft and sacrifice made by all those who went before us. For that reason, it made perfect sense to us to celebrate our modern day achievement by supporting this community driven memorial which will stand side by side with the bridge for many years to come.”
During his address, Mike Peasland, Chief Executive Officer of Balfour Beatty’s Construction Services UK division, added: “To be given the responsibility of restoring such a treasured part of the UK’s railway heritage, a significant icon of Scottish civil engineering, has been a unique challenge. To now stand here to celebrate the last 10 years during which Balfour Beatty has been responsible for the restoration project is an honour and something that we can be rightfully proud.”
The concept for the memorials was devised by a dedicated team of local historians and enthusiasts. Over the last seven years, they have researched the subject matter, rallied local support and raised funds for the concept. Network Rail and Balfour Beatty became principal sponsors to acknowledge the support of the communities north and south of the bridge and to recognise the dedication of the men and women who have worked on the structure during the past 10 years.
The monuments were designed by local artist Gordon Muir and were be cast by Powderhall Bronze Ltd, Fine Art Founders, in Leith.
Len Saunders from the Forth Bridge Memorial Committee commented: “We are immensely pleased that Network Rail and Balfour Beatty have chosen to celebrate the completion of the decade long bridge restoration in such a fitting way. And that the support, together with our many other sponsors has resulted in a fine public memorial to ‘The Briggers’.”
Twin memorials, unveiled in prominent public locations in North and South Queensferry, pay tribute to the thousands of "Briggers" who contributed to building, maintaining and restoring the structure since construction began.(ScottishGovernment on YouTube)
18 May 2012, 19:26:06
New Oyster online accounts help customers keep track of their travel
18 May 2012,
01:00:00
Millions of Oyster card users are now able
to check their accounts online. The new service is available for season ticket
or Oyster pay as you go users, and allows them to look back over their journey
history and fares paid.
Olympic legends compete to be the fastest to cross London
17 May 2012,
01:00:00
Sally Gunnell, former 400m hurdles Olympic
gold medallist, and Chris Boardman, former cycling world champion and Olympic
gold medallist, will today race against each other to find the easiest and
quickest route across London to the Olympic Park.
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