Thursday September 14th 2005 – Second Joint Press Release From
FROM TOMORROW:
TEMPORARY PUBLIC RAIL SERVICE TO LINK NORTHALLERTON WITH LEEMING BAR AND THE WENSLEYDALE RAILWAY
Light railcar from Parry People Movers to provide first passenger service for half a century from September 15 to 23, with integrated bus link to town centre and main line station.
Parry People Movers Ltd - the supplier of energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly light rail vehicles for community railways and tramways - has joined forces with Wensleydale Railway plc - operators of the re-opened 17-mile route in North Yorkshire - to provide a rail service to the east of the current WR terminus at Leeming Bar.
From Thursday September 15 until Friday September 23 (excluding Sunday September 18), a PPM 50 Light Railcar will operate a regular service along six miles of line normally only used by freight trains. As the final half-mile section of track which took passenger trains into the county town of Northallerton is long gone, an interchange point has been constructed and a dedicated bus will transport passengers to and from the town centre and the main line railway station, served by Trans Pennine Express and GNER trains.
HM Railway Inspectorate approved the railcar operation on September 9. On Monday September 12 the service was previewed to the press - photographers, journalists and film crews from the regional, national and rail industry media had a foretaste both of the Northallerton service and of the potential for Community Light Rail to provide quality public transport around Britain and abroad.
The service will promote the Wensleydale Railway's intention to reinstate the track to Northallerton rail station, as well as the joint programme with Parry People Movers Ltd to develop a new design of larger railcar for visitors, commuters and leisure travellers. The railway aims to reopen the complete 40-mile railway from Garsdale on the Settle-Carlisle line to Northallerton on the East Coast main line, providing a new strategic rail link.
"We're delighted to be working with the Wensleydale Railway," said Caspar Lucas, Projects Manager for Parry People Movers Ltd. "Both of our organisations are transport innovators - the railway is breaking new ground by reopening and running its line as a local operator, while PPM railcars are a new way of providing comfortable, clean services that are affordable outside major cities. It’s a perfect partnership for better transport."
"There has already been an amazing public response to news of this service," said Ruth Annison, Chairman of Wensleydale Railway plc. "And at a time when fuel prices are so much in the news, we are also particularly interested in the low fuel consumption of the Parry railcar."
Fares on the railcar service will be £1 per single journey (50p for holders of local travelcards). At Leeming Bar, the railcar will connect with WR trains running to the edge of the Yorkshire Dales at Redmire. Tickets from Leeming Bar to Bedale, Finghall, Leyburn and Redmire are sold at WR stations and on board the trains.
Click here for timetable details.
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
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The arrangements for the bus link to Northallerton town centre and station were facilitated and supported by North Yorkshire County Council. |
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Company information and contacts are as follows:
Parry People Movers Ltd, John Parry MBE, Chairman,
Overend Road, Cradley Heath, West Midlands, B64 7DD
Telephone: +44 (0)1384 569553 Fax: +44 (0)1384 637753
Email: info@parrypeoplemovers.com
Website: www.parrypeoplemovers.com
Wensleydale Railway plc, Mrs Ruth Annison, Chairman,
Leeming Bar Station, Leases Road, Leeming Bar, Northallerton,
North Yorkshire. DL7 9AR.
Telephone: 01677 425805. Fax: 01677 427029
Email: admin@wensleydalerailway.com
Website: www.wensleydalerailway.com
Ruth Annison office: 01969 667487; home: 01969 650349;
home answerphone: 01969 650187
Email: ruth@annison3.freeserve.co.uk |
Parry People Movers Ltd information
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COMPANY: Parry People Movers Ltd (PPM) was founded in 1992 to develop rail transport based on a new innovation: the flywheel energy store, which allows vehicles to run extremely efficiently and to recapture their braking energy for reuse when accelerating. The company is owned by approximately 200 shareholders and is quoted on the OFEX market.
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ADVANTAGES: 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.
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ACHIEVEMENTS: Twelve PPM vehicles have been built, ranging in capacity from 2 to 50 passengers. Between them they have carried over 100,000 passengers in complete safety. Previous PPM vehicles have operated in Bristol, Brighton, Barking, Swansea and Birmingham and elsewhere.
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RAILCAR DETAILS: The PPM 50 Light Railcar, numbered 999 900, was transported to the Wensleydale Railway on 25th August from the Chasewater Railway in Staffordshire. The vehicle has also visited the Great Central Railway, the Severn Valley Railway and the Stourbridge Town branch of the national network since it was built in 2001.
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NEXT STEPS: After running in Wensleydale, the railcar will return to the West Midlands for passenger service on the Stourbridge Town branch, where it will be operated by Pre Metro Operations Ltd. This operation is supported by Centro (the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive) and the Department for Transport, which has taken over responsibility for the Strategic Rail Authority's Community Rail programme.
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TECHNOLOGY: 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.
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PHOTOGRAPHS: A wide range of pictures of PPM vehicles can be obtained from Parry People Movers Ltd (contact details below).
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FURTHER INFORMATION: Please contact -
John Parry MBE, Chairman, Parry People Movers Ltd
Overend Road, Cradley Heath, West Midlands, B64 7DD
Telephone: +44 (0)1384 569553
Fax: +44 (0)1384 637753
Email: info@parrypeoplemovers.com
Website: www.parrypeoplemovers.com
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Wensleydale Railway plc information
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HISTORY: The 40 mile Wensleydale railway was built in stages during the 19th century and connected two main lines: the East Coast main line at Northallerton with the Settle-Carlisle line at Garsdale. It closed to passenger services in stages during the 20th century (1950s-60s) and is re-opening in stages in the 21st century.
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THE TRACK: When passenger services ended, 18 miles of track between Redmire and Garsdale were torn up and the land was sold to adjacent landowners. The remaining 22 miles of track remained in place between Northallerton and Redmire, carrying freight traffic (stone from Redmire quarry to the British Steel plant at Redcar) until December 18 1992.
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In 1989, reprieve of the Settle-Carlisle railway from a longstanding closure proposal provided the trigger for formation of the voluntary Wensleydale Railway Association (WRA) the following year (1990). The WRA’s aim was to bring back passenger services to the surviving 22 mile track and then to campaign for the reconstruction of the 18 mile ‘missing link’, thus restoring the full 40 mile route of the original Wensleydale railway. The main purpose was for the railway to support economic regeneration of this rural dale in an environmentally-friendly way (reasoning that had been accepted when the Settle-Carlisle line was reprieved the previous year).
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In 1995, privatisation of British Rail led the WRA to take a more active part than originally planned in ensuring the return of rail services to Wensleydale as it became “do-it yourself or do without”.
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In 2000, the WRA formed a company, Wensleydale Railway plc, which launched a share offer to raise funds for development and operation of the line; more than £1.2 million was raised.
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In 2003, the Company took a 99 year lease from Network Rail for the 22 mile track between Northallerton and Redmire and re-opened two stations. Passenger services using DMU (diesel multiple unit) trains began on July 4, 2003 between Leeming Bar and Leyburn (12 miles).
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In 2004, train services were extended by nearly five miles to Redmire and three more stations were re-opened: Bedale, Finghall and Redmire. A second share offer was launched and a Prospectus is available from the Company.
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In 2005, substantial infrastructure works allowed the raising of speed limits (now 25mph for DMU trains and 15mph for freight) and the controlled introduction of some loco-hauled diesel services (Class 31/31166 and Class 37/37003 and 37198) during August. The current daily timetable offers four return services each day to ‘clockface’ timings, namely Leeming Bar depart 10.35, 12.35, 14.35 and 16.35 and Redmire depart 11.35, 13.35. 15.35 and 17.35. (This timetable is valid until 30.10.05). Forthcoming special events are the Day Out With Thomas week-end (October 29/30) and Santa Specials (November and December).
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WRA members continue to provide substantial and varied practical support in many departments, especially promoting train services and also by providing trained volunteers who work alongside the small team of paid staff as train crew, in customer services (catering and retailing); also for track patrols, rolling stock and infrastructure work. In June 2005, the 3500 member WRA launched an appeal for ‘Financial Angels’ to support the railway and £80,000 of the appeal target of £100,000 has already been raised.
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NEXT STEPS: Track is in place between Northallerton and Leeming Bar. However the facility has not survived at Northallerton for passengers to board and alight from Wensleydale Railway trains; this has prevented WR from operating services on this section of track. The collaboration with Parry People Movers, together with demonstration of the PPM railcar to the public during September 2005, offers the chance to highlight the urgency of the situation - and the potential for its solution.
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FURTHER INFORMATION: Please contact -
Mrs Ruth Annison, Chairman, Wensleydale Railway plc,
Leeming Bar Station, Leases Road, Leeming Bar, Northallerton,
North Yorkshire. DL7 9AR.
Telephone: 01677 425805. Fax: 01677 427029
Email: admin@wensleydalerailway.com
Website: www.wensleydalerailway.com
Ruth Annison office: 01969 667487; home: 01969 650349;
home answerphone: 01969 650187
Email: ruth@annison3.freeserve.co.uk
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