A PRESS RELEASE FROM PARRY PEOPLE MOVERS LTD
24th March 2005
COMMUNITY LIGHT RAIL:
FREE PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION OF PPM LIGHT RAILCAR
CHASEWATER RAILWAY, SATURDAY 2nd APRIL
Parry People Movers Ltd is pleased to announce a public open day to be held at the Chasewater Railway on Saturday 2nd April 2005. Free rides on the fifty-passenger PPM light railcar will be available between 13.00 and 16.00.
The open day will be of particular relevance locally where interest is growing in the reopening of the rail link between Walsall and Brownhills, with possible onward connection to Lichfield. A non-electrified, tram-type service - Community Light Rail - is proposed in order to save the high costs of heavy rail and provide the advantages of frequent stops and services.
The Chasewater Railway provides an ideal showcase for Community Light Rail, which can be used to bring back passenger services on disused railways or to replace heavily-subsidised trains on local and rural lines. The PPM 50 light railcar will operate a shuttle between Brownhills West and Chasewater Heaths stations and will demonstrate how light rail services can operate in a rural setting.
Depending on demand, a minibus will be available for visitors arriving by public transport and will provide a service between Lichfield Trent Valley rail station and Brownhills West. Anyone wishing to make use of this service should contact Parry People Movers Ltd directly (see contact details below) to confirm their requirements.
Although the railcar is currently based at Chasewater, 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, including the forthcoming PPM operation at Stourbridge. Pre Metro Operations Ltd is a licensed train operating company.
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.
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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