A PRESS RELEASE FROM PARRY PEOPLE MOVERS LTD
14th April 2005
COMMUNITY LIGHT RAIL ON THE CHASEWATER RAILWAY:
FREE PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION OF PPM LIGHT RAILCAR
SATURDAY 14 th MAY - COMMUNITY RAIL DAY
Parry People Movers Ltd is pleased to announce a public open day at the Chasewater Railway on Saturday 14 th May 2005. Free rides on the fifty-passenger PPM light railcar between Brownhills West and Chasewater Heaths stations will be available between 13.00 and 16.00.
The event will form part of nationwide activities to mark Community Rail Day, co-ordinated by the Association of Community Rail Partnerships. The day will promote Britain's local and rural railways as a valuable community resource.
The Chasewater Railway provides an ideal showcase for Community Light Rail, which can be used to bring back passenger services on disused railways or replace heavily-subsidised trains on local and rural lines. The open day will demonstrate how light rail services can operate in a rural setting.
There is particular local relevance as interest is growing in reopening the rail link to Brownhills from Walsall. A non-electrified, tram-type service is proposed in order to reduce the high costs of heavy rail and provide the advantages of frequent services and calling points.
"We are delighted to be working with the Chasewater Railway and ACoRP for this open day," said Caspar Lucas, PPM's Projects Manager. "Community Light Rail is about running railway lines more like trams - making them acceptable and affordable, but most importantly attractive to people as a real alternative to congested roads. It's about giving local railways a new lease of life, including reopening lines that were closed down before their true value was recognised and extending services to where people need to get to."
The PPM 50 light railcar is currently based at Chasewater, but once the necessary approvals are obtained it will be moved to the Network Rail branch line between Stourbridge Junction and Stourbridge Town, where it will enter public service on Sundays for a year-long trial.
NOTES
1. Parry People Movers Ltd (PPM) was founded in 1992 to develop rail transport based on a new innovation: the flywheel energy store. The company is owned by approximately 200 shareholders and is quoted on the OFEX market.
2. PPM rail vehicles offer the quality of modern light rail transport without the need for electrical power supply, giving excellent environmental performance and energy efficiency at lower cost than conventional technology. The same technology can be used on railways or urban tramways. PPM vehicles are fully compliant with accessibility regulations.
3. The vehicle technology used in PPM vehicles is licensed to the company by JPM Parry & Associates Ltd (www.parryassociates.com), a West Midlands engineering company specialising in overseas development, integrated transport, and energy/environmental issues.
4. Pre Metro Operations Ltd, a company associated with PPM, is developing innovative operational methods for the provision of public transport by different modes. Pre Metro Operations Ltd is a licensed train operating company and is currently training staff to operate the Stourbridge service.
5. The Chasewater Railway (www.chasewaterrailway.co.uk) is an independent heritage railway which operates steam and diesel train services on a former mineral railway, now within the boundaries of the Chasewater Country Park.
6. The Association of Community Rail Partnerships (www.acorp.uk.com) is a national federation of more than fifty local community rail partnerships spread across the UK. It provides advice and support on developing good quality innovative services on local and rural railways.
For further information, please contact:
John Parry MBE
CHAIRMAN
Parry People Movers Ltd
Overend Road
Cradley Heath
West Midlands
B64 7DD
UK
Telephone: +44 (0)1384 569553
Fax: +44 (0)1384 637753
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