The issue over the bridge over the Manchester Metrolink line near to Piccadilly Station is actually to do with the walkway on the opposite side of the bridge to Piccadilly Station – on the side of the GMPTE building.

The loss of communications on Monday 16/Tuesday 17 April only affected stations between Woodlands Road and Bury and some sort of service was in place from 0700 with passengers being informed of the situation in the meantime. The work to repair the cables was completed by 1550.

Thanks to Rick Holt for providing the corrections to these stories, which have also been changed below and to the left.

TRAM LIKELY TO DOMINATE NOTTINGHAM LOCAL ELECTIONS
Sunday 29 April 2007
The forthcoming local elections in Nottingham (Thursday 3 May) may well see the tram dominate many people’s thoughts with the Conservative Party saying if they get elected they will look to change the plans dramatically – or even abandon the Phase 2 plans.

In Broxtowe the tram is at the very top of many people’s concerns in the election campaign. The Labour candidates are backing the extensions to Beeston, Chilwell and Clifton whilst the Liberal Democrats don’t oppose them but the Conservatives say they will do everything they can to make sure it does not go-ahead.

Cllr Richard Jackson, Deputy Leader of the Broxtowe Conservatives, said: “We are not promising we will be able to block it the day after the election, but we will do all we can to prevent it."

The Broxtowe Labour Party are in favour of the tram but feel there could have been more consultation on the actual route whilst the Greens want to see a review of the route.
Source: This is Nottingham

MANCHESTER TO PRESS AHEAD WITH C-CHARGE PLANS
Sunday 29 April 2007
Despite Bolton council becoming the fourth Greater Manchester Council to withdraw their support for the proposed Congestion Charge, the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) have voted to carry on with the plans and to agree to a timetable to submit a £1.2 billion Transport Innovation (TIF) bid to the government.

As reported last week councils in Rochdale, Trafford and Stockport (all non Labour run) withdrew their support for the Congestion Charge plan as they felt not enough information had been given to them on the subject. Now Bolton has joined the rebel councils when the Liberal Democrat and Conservative opposition joined together to oppose the plans.

But bosses of all 10 Greater Manchester councils refused to listen to these rebels when they all voted in favour of pressing ahead with the plans and applying to the TIF fund – which must include some form of Congestion Charging. However, AGMA said road pricing would only come into being when public transport had been improved.
Source: Manchester Evening News

GMPTA CHAIRMAN URGES GOVERNMENT TO BACK LIGHT RAIL
Sunday 29 April 2007
Cllr Roger Jones, Chairman of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, was a guest speaker this week at a House of Commons debate on the future of light rail, urging the government to do more to develop new light rail schemes.

Cllr Jones commented in the meeting of the all-party parliamentary group for light rail: “Metrolink has been massively popular since it launched in 1992. Passengers now make nearly 20 million journeys on the service each year. We've already secured more than half a billion pounds to expand the network and build three new lines to Oldham and Rochdale, Droylsden in Tameside and Chorlton in South Manchester. Metrolink has helped to encourage more people out of their cars and onto public transport, as well as playing a major part in boosting the local economy. We would like to see the government investing in light rail schemes like Metrolink elsewhere in the UK. We are also working with them so that we can complete our original expansion plans for the network."

Paul Rowen MP, Chair of the group, said: “I am hugely disappointed with the new government regulations that do not make it any easier for new tram schemes. We are calling on MPs to look again as light rail is something that authorities should be considering - especially when you consider that across the country, light rail schemes such as Metrolink have proven to kickstart regeneration and be hugely successful in getting people out of their cars."

Graham Stringer MP, vice-Chair, added: “The government has shown that it is biased against trams and light rail systems. It should level the playing field so that more money can be invested in extending Metrolink and other light rail systems. This will ensure more drivers leave their cars at home."
Source: GMPTE

DLR SERVICES DISRUPTED DURING LONDON MARATHON
Sunday 29 April 2007
Services on the Docklands Light Railway were disrupted during the London Marathon because a serious train failure at Mudchute. The incident happened at 0829 with full services not back in operation until 1358.

Tony Thomas, Managing Director of Serco Docklands, said: “We are disappointed with the disruption caused on yesterday's services especially as we increased our trains and resources by 50% in preparation for the London Marathon. We would like to apologise to our customers and spectators of the London Marathon for the disruption caused to their journeys. Our staff, engineers and technicians worked very hard to provide the very best service possible during the incident and also to resume services to normal as quickly as possible, without compromising passenger safety. Over the years that we have been running train services for the London Marathon, we have provided an excellent service. We are investigating the incident and doing everything we can to ensure that yestedays incident does not occur again."

During the disruption no trains ran between Crossharbour and Greenwich with shuttle services running from Greenwich to Lewisham with the Greenwich foot tunnel open to pedestrians going northbound.
Source: Docklands Light Railway

TRACK TO BLAME FOR MARCH 2006 METROLINK DERAILMENT
Sunday 22 April 2007
The Rail Accident Investigation Board have released their report into the derailment of Metrolink tram 1011 at Long Millgate on 22 March 2006, with the blame for the incident being attached to the maintenance of the track at this location.

1011 was heading for Altrincham from Bury at 0803 when two wheelsets left the track at Long Millgate, where the track becomes street running just after Victoria station. The derailed wheels remained close to the track and the tram stopped 44 metres from the point of the derailment. None of the roughly 200 passengers on board the tram were injured and no significant damage was experience to the tram.

As usual with these reports from the RAIB a lot of detail is gone into the main report and then towards the end the causes of the incident are listed. In this incident the immediate cause was:
* Failure of a repaired section of track at the transition between two types of rail, which allowed the wheels to ride up the inner face of the grooved track and become derailed.

The casual factor was:
* The repair to the transition area was undertaken without the use of a formal design change control process or quality control of the work done.

Contributing Factors were:
* side wear on the outside rail of the curve in the transition area
* the positioning of the transition between two types of track on a curve, rather than on straight track
* the choice of hard rail for track in the city centre area, making it difficult to make welded repairs to worn rails

and Underlying causes were:
* the lack of construction and inspection standards for light rail grooved tracks, or guidance on intervention points
* the absence of a defined renewal strategy based on the condition of the track on the Metrolink system

The report ends with the following recommendations for the future:
* GMPTE should ensure that a standard for Metrolink grooved rail track, including tolerances and limits for wear and gauge, is developed and implemented, and that there is guidance to inspection staff on appropriate levels and types of intervention corresponding to measured values and observations.
* GMPTE should ensure that the risk of transitions between flat-bottomed and grooved rail on curves on the system is assessed, and that they are repositioned on to straight track where this is warranted and it is reasonably practicable to do so.
* The infrastructure maintainer of Manchester Metrolink and GMPTE should jointly introduce a system for initiating, planning and implementing track renewals on the Metrolink system.
* GMPTE should ensure that the infrastructure design change and quality control procedures for the Metrolink system are reviewed, to ensure the proper control of alterations made to the infrastructure during maintenance.

In response to the report Michael Renshaw from GMPTE said: “We take safety on Metrolink extremely seriously and we will make sure that all of the recommendations in the Rail Accident Investigation Branch report are put into action. We plan to spend £100m improving the Metrolink network, and work is taking place this summer to replace 20 miles of track on the Bury and Altrincham lines. We have also created new contracts to operate and maintain the system, and have selected Stagecoach as our preferred bidder for both contracts. We hope to be able to award the contracts in the next few weeks."

The full report can be downloaded from the RAIB website with the PDF report here.
Source: RAIB & Manchester Evening News>

EDINBURGH TUNNEL NETWORK SURPRISE TRAM ENGINEERS
Sunday 22 April 2007
Delays may be experienced in checking that the roads of Edinburgh will be suitable for carrying trams after the discovery of a more extensive than though network of tunnels under the streets of the Scottish capital.

The tunnels were built to service the cables that pulled the trams around the city initially on the Edinburgh Northern Tramways from 28 January 1888, and then on the Edinburgh and District Tramways and finally the Corporation Tramways. The last use of the cable tramway was recorded in 1923. The tunnels are 3 foot wide and 6 foot tall and run between Leith Walk and Haymarket via Prince Street.

An insider to the project has gone to The Scotsman claiming that although tie knew about the tunnels they were not aware just how extensive they were. He claims: “It is not as if they didn't know about these tunnels, but the extent and size of them was certainly not fully appreciated. It has certainly not helped the project's timescale.”

It is still expected that the work to move utility pipes in the city will start for real during June. A decision on where the work will initially take place but this is likely to be revealed in the next few weeks, although this may be delayed because of extra time needed to check the roads are safe for trams.

Needless to say Steve Cardownie, SNP leader in Edinburgh, leapt on this news to stick the knife into the project again: “These tunnels have been there for a long time and you would think that any issues would have been ironed out in advance. I worry that we will see problem after problem drip out if this project goes ahead and it will only push up the final bill."
Source: The Scotsman

VANDALS CAUSE METROLINK DISRUPTION
Sunday 22 April 2007 – corrected Sunday 29 April 2007
Manchester Metrolink was hit by vandals overnight on Monday 16/Tuesday 17 April causing severe disruption on the Bury line on the Tuesday morning after fibre-optic cables near to Woodlands Road stop were cut leading to a loss of communications on the Bury to Woodlands Road section of the network.

Trams could not communicate to the control centre and CCTV and public address systems at stations was lost. Metrolink attempted to send staff to stations affected to keep passengers informed of what was happening, although some passengers did complain that they were not totally aware of what was going on.

Services started to run from Bury from 0700 although a near full service was not in action until around 0900 although delays were still being experienced during the rest of the day. Services on the Altrincham and Eccles lines were running as normal. Repairs to the cables were completed by 1550.

A Serco Metrolink spokesman commented: “We can only apologise to passengers for any inconvenience caused, but we were simply unable to operate the system first thing this morning, and there was no way of immediately advising people of the problems we had. We did get staff out to each of the tram stations on the line as quickly as possible, but we appreciate that earlier on, many passengers would have been left standing around not knowing what was happening."

“There is no quick fix. We will have to make full repairs to the damaged fibre optic cable, which is a specialist job. We have got a team in, but it is expected that it will take them most of the day to complete the job. We will have no proper communications system up and running until that has been done, but in the meantime links are being maintained between tram stations, crews, and the control centre by mobile phone, and staff on the ground. We will be running services in both directions throughout the day, and once we got the system back on track, there should be no appreciable problems for passengers" he added.

This is the third time in the last six months that trams on the Bury line have been disrupted by various incidents of vandalism.
Source: Bury Times, Manchester Evening News & Rick Holt

TRAMLINK “DERAILMENT” A SUCCESS
Sunday 22 April 2007
The emergency exercise that took place at Sandilands tunnel last Sunday (15 April) has been declared a success by the Police. The incident took place after a years careful planning and included staff from the Met Police, British Transport Police, London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service, First Tram Operations and Tramtrack Croydon Limited.

Inspector Ray Whiting, the exercise co-ordinator, said: “The Major Incident Multi Agency exercise in Croydon was a huge success. It fully demonstrated the effective and co-ordinated response of the emergency services, supported by the local authority and led by Tramlink. There will be an operation debrief at the end of the exercise and these exercises assist us collectively in being further prepared for dealing more effectively with major incidents."

The operation saw a tram “derail” inside the tunnel at around 11am heading from New Addington, with around 60 passengers on board. This was swiftly followed by another tram travelling in the opposite direction from East Croydon which “ploughed” into the previously derailed tram with a further 50 passengers on board.

The scenario saw a number of fatalities and serious injuries with these parts played the Met Police Volunteer Cadet Corps. It was also acted out in the exact time that the emergency services would work in a real situation – around 3 hours.

* A video from “Operation Mole” can be found here.
Source: Croydon Guardian & BBC News Online>

TRAMS DOMINATE EDINBURGH PRE-ELECTION DEBATE
Sunday 22 April 2007
A pre-election debate in the Scottish capital organised by the Federation of Small Businesses and the Edinburgh Evening News was dominated by the “controversial” tram project (as it is always described the The Scotsman.

Leaders of the main political parties attended including council leader Cllr Ewan Aitken and the SNP’s Steve Cardownie and top of the agenda was the tram scheme and how it would apparently cause misery for businesses, lead to bus service cuts and run out of money for important sections. In a show of hands of the 250 all ticket audience less than a third were apparently in favour of the project.

Cllr Cardownie made his usual predictable comments: “I'll predict right now that this project will not come in on budget and it's obvious the money isn't there for a link to Granton. It's a huge waste of public money that will actually lead to around 25 bus services being cut, will cause huge disruption to this city, and isn't actually needed to allow any major developments to happen. Developers are in favour of it because they are getting it for nothing."

Cllr Aitken on the other hand stood up for the scheme as you would expect: “Our tram project will make us the envy of 350 European cities, both economically and environmentally. We've already got the best bus service in the UK outside of London, and the new tram system will be fully integrated, with tickets the same price on both and passes valid for both trams and buses. But the tram scheme will bring the kind of benefits for businesses that have been seen in the likes of Dublin and Nottingham, and help us deliver major developments like the Waterfront, the new St James Centre and widespread change on Princes Street."

Cllr Aitken was not the only Councillor on the panel who had good things to say about the project with the Liberal Democrat, Conservative and Green representatives all backing the plan.

Jenny Dawe, Lib Dem group leader, said: “This money can't be used for other things, it can only be spent on trams. Part of the problem with major developments in the past is that they've been built without any provision for public transport. I'm very pleased the Waterfront is going to be served by the tram."

The leader of the Edinburgh Greens election campaign, Gavin Corbett, added: “This is not about trams competing with buses. It's about trying to persuade more people to move to public transport. European Union rules mean the council is going to be fined if it does not reduce pollution levels in the city centre."

Whilst Iain Whyte, Conservative Group Leader, commented: “There will be parts of Edinburgh that will be swamped by traffic if we don't get this tram project. I don't think there is any reason to believe the project can't be delivered on budget."

There was a further dissenting voice to the project in Kristina Woolnough, who is against the tram and is standing as an independent in the May elections: “More than £600 million of public money is being spent on a scheme that will really only serve high-density developments on the Waterfront. This project is unwanted by the people of Edinburgh and the money would be far better spent on issues which matter more to people, including health and education." Ms Woolnough missing the fact that the money is on the table for the tram and only the tram and would not have been given to the city if it wasn’t for that.
Source: The Scotsman

METROLINK EXTENSIONS THROWN INTO DOUBT OVER C-CHARGE
Sunday 22 April 2007
Three non-Labour local authorities in Greater Manchester could well throw the completion of the Metrolink extensions to the airport, Ashton-under-Lyne, Oldham and Rochdale out the window after they refused to back the Congestion Charge plans for the region.

Liberal Democrat Rochdale and Stockport and Conservative Trafford have said they no longer support the plans to introduce a Congestion Charge in Greater Manchester. This withdrawal of support would mean that the funding from the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) would not be available as all ten local authorities need to be behind the plan for the government to say yes to around £2 billion worth of transport improvements.

The fact that these three councils have announced this no support for Congestion Charging in Greater Manchester obviously has nothing to do with the forthcoming local elections!

If they do continue their opposition to the plans this could end up being good news for Birmingham and further Midland Metro extensions.
Source: Manchester Evening News

MIDLAND METRO NEWS UPDATE
Sunday 22 April 2007
Midland Metro have recently started a monthly newsletter for passengers to tell them what is going on round the network. Entitled Tramlines, Issue 2 (March 2007) can be found here. This news article features the main stories from the first two issues.

* The PA system at tram stops along the Birmingham-Wolverhampton line is currently being attended to with the aim of ensuring it works fully at all stops. Travel Midland Metro’s own maintenance team has been working on a daily basis with engineers from the system suppliers. The faults within the system have been full diagnosed and most of these have been repaired with public address announcements now being made whilst the remaining non functioning parts of the system are awaiting the delivery of spare parts which should have been fitted by now.

Travel Midland Metro say: “We recognise the importance of the PA system to our customers, especially at times of crisis when information is the key to personal decisions affecting alternative travel arrangements. We've been true to our word and have worked extremely hard to rectify the system that is in place at each stop.”

* Mitie Transport Services have been reappointed as the Metro’s preferred contractor for the cleaning and general upkeep of tram stops, car parks and trams. As part of the new contract Mitie are to introduce an enhanced cleaning specification which should have started on 1 April. Included in this is a new initiative which will see a cleaner based at Birmingham Snow Hill 12 hours a day Monday to Saturday.

* After a trial on 12 which saw the removal of tip-up seats to create more space for wheelchair users and those with buggies it has been decided to roll out the changes across the fleet.

* Service performance in February has been revealed as being at 97.5% - this has been put down to weather conditions and contractors cutting through a major signalling cable in Birmingham.

* Issue 1 confirms that 9 and 10 were transported to Crewe for repairs following their collision on 19 December 2006. Whilst these two trams are out of service it is planned to undertake a number of improvements to these trams including the reupholstering of the tram seats and installation of a CCTV system as already fitted to 03 and 12. It is also planned to improve the exterior appearance of the trams.
Source: Midland Metro

Corrections to news stories from Sunday 8 April 2007:

Nottingham 166 has not been moved to the Clay Cross store at the moment because of a lack of space but will move there once Cardiff 131 has moved to Crich (thanks to Andy Bailey for correcting this).

In Blackpool the incident involving the 13 year old girl on the Prom took place on Friday 6 April (not Thursday 5 as reported). The tram involved was Centenary 643 and it occurred southbound at Victoria Street tram stop. (thanks to Stephen McCulley for correcting and adding to this story).

Both these stories have now been corrected below as well.

EIGHT NEW TRAMS ORDERED FOR METROLINK
Sunday 15 April 2007
The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority have signed a deal with Bombardier Transportation to provide eight brand new trams for the Metrolink network. The GMPTA are investing £17 million in the new trams, which will be of the FLEXITY Swift model already operating in places as diverse as Cologne, Bonn, Rotterdam and Stockholm.

Roger Jones, Chairman of the GMPTA, said: “This is fantastic news for Metrolink passengers, who now make around 55,000 journeys on the network every day. The eight new trams will help to tackle overcrowding at peak times and improve the reliability and performance of services. This new model of tram will help to transform Metrolink. We expect to be able to place an order for at least 28 more in the near future for the first phase of the Metrolink expansion. We've secured more than half a billion pounds to build new lines to Oldham and Rochdale, Droylsden in Tameside and Chorlton in South Manchester, and work is due to start next year. This is just the start of a bright future for Metrolink."

The new trams will be 28.4 metres long and 2.65 metres wide with space for up to 200 passengers. They will also feature wide double doors enabling easier access for the disabled and those with buggies. Further details have not been revealed as to how many passengers will be seated or the percentage of low floor inside the trams (presumably not much with the high platforms the system is stuck with). They are to be manufactured at Bombardier sites in Bautzen in Germany and Vienna, Austria

The FLEXITY Swift tram was first seen in Cologne, Germany at the end of the 1990s and since this date variations of the class have been introduced in Frankfurt, Istanbul, Croydon, Minneapolis, Porto, Rotterdam and Stockholm.

Colin Walton, Chairman of Bombardier Transportation UK, said: “We are delighted to contribute to Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority’s plans in increasing the attractiveness of public transport services and to be able to positively influence mobility for people travelling within and around Manchester. This order confirms the confidence in Bombardier as a supplier of reliable urban transport solutions and the appreciation of our tram and light rail vehicle portfolio. In the UK, our technically mature and efficient vehicles are already in daily revenue service in the Docklands in London, Croydon and Nottingham.”

The new trams are due to be introduced on the network during 2009 and is part of the £100 million scheme to improve the existing network including this summers major trackwork (see this weeks separate story).

* Follow the Bombardier link below to find out more about the FLEXITY Swift trams in Cologne.
Source: GMPTE, BBC News Online & Bombardier

TRAMLINK TRACKWORK OVERRUNS BY A DAY
Sunday 15 April 2007
The trackwork taking place on the Croydon Tramlink network over the Easter weekend overran by one day after workmen struggled to break through reinforced concrete on the section of track being attended to in central Croydon (Wellesley Road/George Street).

The work was scheduled to have been finished by the end of Monday (9 April) but the strength of this reinforced concrete meant trams did not return to the section of Tramlink between Reeves Corner and East Croydon until Wednesday (11 April).

In order to ensure that there were enough trams east of the works for a normal weekday service on Wednesday a special convoy of trams were driven the wrong way round the Central Croydon loop on Monday night. These went round the loop under Police escort before being stabled for the rest of the night in Sandilands tunnel.

Paul Davison, Managing Director of Tramtrack Croydon Limited, said: “I think this is the first time we've had to run trams the wrong way through town but we had a police escort and we did it at a time when hardly anyone would be on the road. We needed to do these works and we picked the Bank Holiday weekend to cause as little disruption as possible. A lot of people go away around that time. It seemed the concrete was very strong and it took the workers a lot longer to get the old track out."
Source: Croydon Guardian

BLACKPOOL CONFIRMS NO TRAMS THIS WINTER
Sunday 15 April 2007
It has now been confirmed that at the end of the 2007 Illumination season on the Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramway (Sunday 4 November) the tramway will close for trackwork, with no trams scheduled due to run again until Easter (Friday is 21 March 2008).

This coming winter the work will concentrate on the Manchester Square to Central Pier and South Pier to the Pleasure Beach loop sections. This will mean that there is no access to the depot and Blackpool Transport bosses say there is no feasible alternative to keep trams elsewhere for five months.

Engineering Director from Blackpool Transport, Dave Hislop, said in an article in the Blackpool Gazette: “The trams will run as normal this summer until the end of the Illuminations when the whole track will be closed so that the next phase of work can be carried out. Because of the refurbishment we won't be able to get the trams out of the depot. There is no way round it for this one period of time. In doing this in one year we're hoping to be able to avoid closing it again. "But we have to bite the bullet and do this so we can move forward. In the 25 years that I have worked here, it is the first time that I know of that the full track will be closed."

As usual a replacement bus service will operate, this time for the entire length of the tramway. It is unclear at this stage whether it will operate as a 111, 1 or Line 1 Tram Replacement service. This will be the start of a year long bus service along the length of Blackpool Prom because of the new national concessionary fare scheme.
Source: Blackpool Today

METROLINK TRACKWORK DATES REVEALED
Sunday 15 April 2007
The exact dates for the track upgrade work on Phase 1 of Manchester Metrolink have now officially been revealed, along with rough details of the replacement bus service. A leaflet has been released with the details, which is available online here.

Full details of the closures are given below:
29 May to 20 June: Bury to Whitefield
21 June to 1 July: Bury to Crumpsall
2 July to 22 July: Bury to Crumpsall and Altrincham to Old Trafford
23 July to 26 July: Bury to Victoria and Altrincham to Old Trafford
27 July to 27 August: Bury to Victoria and Altrincham to Cornbrook
28 August to 12 September: Bury to Victoria

The Eccles line services will be unaffected by the work and all trams will still serve Piccadilly Gardens and Piccadilly Station as well as all City Centre stops.

There will be two types of replacement bus service, one which serves all stops in the affected area and one which calls at only limited stops to provide a faster service to and from Manchester City Centre:
* Bury buses will commence from 29 May and will generally start before 0545 (Monday-Saturday) and 0700 (Sundays and Bank Holidays). Journey times will be between 40 minutes and one hour.
* Altrincham buses will commence from 2 July, and will generally start from 0530 (Monday-Saturday) and 0635 (Sundays and Bank Holidays). Journey times will be between 40 minutes and one hour.

Fares are also be slightly altered from 21 June (when the main work starts), as follows:
Single and Return Adult Fares: Single fares will be unchanged. Return and MetroMax fares on the affected lines will be reduced.
Season Tickets: Weekly, monthly and quarterly tickets will be reduced. Annual season ticket holders are to be contacted by Metrolink with details of refund arrangements.
Concessionary Fares: Unchanged

No fares on the Eccles will be changed during the disruption on the other lines and other tickets will be available from all the usual outlets and also from Metrolink Replacement Bus drivers. Normal bus tickets will not be valid on the replacement bus.
Source: GMPTE

WORK COMMENCES ON METRO EXTENSION VIADUCT
Sunday 15 April 2007
Construction work has commenced on a new viaduct in Birmingham city centre which will carry Midland Metro past Snow Hill and onwards towards New Street and Five Ways.

The viaduct is a contribution from private developer Ballymore towards the £116 million Birmingham City Centre extension of the Midland Metro, and is expected to cost around £9 million to complete. Ballymore are contributing as part of a £500 million Snow Hill scheme which will eventually comprise 600,000 sq ft of high quality office accommodation in two distinctive buildings, 300 residential apartments, a five star hotel and first class restaurants, cafes and retail space.

Geoff Inskip, Chief Executive of Centro-WMPTA, said: “This major contribution from Ballymore shows how important the extension of the Midland Metro is to local businesses and developers. The frequent high-capacity trams will provide an enhanced service and a real boost to the accessibility of Birmingham city centre and the Black Country - with excellent links between shops, homes, offices, rail stations and major new developments.  It will make a real impact on our campaign to cut congestion for everyone.”

The viaduct will run at street level through the Snow Hill scheme and will carry the Midland Metro Line One extension into the city centre, serving Bull Street, Corporation Street, New Street Station and Broad Street with the terminus on Hagley Road, Edgbaston. The scheme will also see an urban pedestrian boulevard constructed connecting with a new pedestrian walkway situated between Snow Hill and the new buildings.

Richard Probert, Development Manager for Ballymore’s Snow Hill scheme, said: “We are delighted to be facilitating the extension of the Metro through Birmingham city centre. The fact that Metro will be immediately available to the staff of companies based at Snow Hill is a key feature of the accessibility and sustainability case of our scheme at Snow Hill. It is high time that Birmingham - like Manchester, Nottingham and other regional centres - had a high quality public transport tram route running through the city centre providing linkage between the western side of the city – all the way through to the Black Country. Ballymore shares Centro-WMPTA’s vision that the proposed extension of the Metro through Birmingham city centre will provide improved connectivity and economic benefits which will further enhance Birmingham’s ability to attract inward investment and help put Birmingham on the map as a world class city.”
Source: Centro

SERCO CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OPERATING DLR
Sunday 15 April 2007
This month sees Serco celebrating 10 years of operating the Docklands Light Railway. Serco Docklands started the management of the railway on 1 April 1997 when the railway was first put out to franchise and they sealed a new contract to operate, maintain and market the DLR for another seven to nine years last year.

The Managing Director of Serco Docklands, Tony Thomas, commented: “This is a considerable milestone for Serco. While we are extremely proud of our achievements over the last ten years operating the DLR we are looking forward with immense excitement to taking this railway toward the 2012 Games in our partnership with DLR."

During Serco’s 10 year tenure the DLR has become one of the world’s most successful railways:
* Improvement of service reliability from 91% to records as high as 97.82%
* Growth of passenger numbers from 17 million to 60 million journeys per annum
* Smooth integration of new DLR extensions to Lewisham and London City Airport
* Winning of six prestigious National Rail Awards for it's operation of the DLR
* Gaining of Secure Station accreditations for all 38 of its stations

Jonathan Fox, Director of DLR Limited, added: “Serco have been instrumental in the ongoing success of DLR and I would like to thank them for their efforts in making the railway the most dependable in the UK. As a result of effective collaboration between our two organisations DLR has set the standard for service and delivery, and our passengers continue to reap the benefits."

As part of the celebrations Serco Docklands have introduced a new Excellence Award scheme for staff who have made exceptional contributions to the railway or its local community and a new communications campaign which applauds the everyday hard work and commitment of its employees. A family daytime campaign is also planned for staff in the summer – to be held jointly with the DLR as the railway celebrates 20 years since opening.
Source: Docklands Light Railway