Tuesday May 30th 2006 – Third Joint Press Release from
STOURBRIDGE'S "KINERGETIC" RAIL SERVICE:
5,000 PASSENGER JOURNEYS AND 100% RELIABLE
No services cancelled in three months - and punctuality is 99.44%
Lightweight Suburban Railway technology broke through another barrier on 28th May when a Parry People Movers (PPM) railcar completed 13 consecutive Sundays of public operation on the Stourbridge Town branch with a perfect record of service reliability and just six services out of 1,066 recorded late over the same period.
On the same date licensed train operator Pre Metro Operations Ltd carried the 5,000th passenger journey on the PPM 50 Light Railcar since public services began at Stourbridge on 11th December 2005.
"People need to rely on public transport if they're going to use it and we're delighted to be providing a service they can count on," said John Parry, chairman of Parry People Movers Ltd.
Efforts are now being launched to expand the use of PPM railcars both at Stourbridge and elsewhere in the UK, where lightweight suburban railways could revitalise railways, reintroduce tramways and offer an attractive alternative to the car for local transport. PPM's products are also aimed at overseas markets, where affordable but high-quality public transport would significantly improve quality of life and environmental effects.
PPM railcars and trams use "Kinergetic" propulsion with flywheel energy storage to achieve high efficiency, quiet operation and low environmental impact. The PPM 50 vehicle at Stourbridge is believed to be one of the world's most energy-efficient public transport modes and the technology can help tackle the threat of global warming by reducing outputs of carbon dioxide. In particular, the technology allows braking energy to be recaptured and reused for powering the vehicles along.
As well as the PPM 50 Light Railcar in service at Stourbridge, the public are this week able to view a PPM 35 Railbus on display at the National Railway Museum in York as part of "Green Railways", a special exhibition which opened on 27th May and lasts until 4th June.
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
Pre Metro Operations Ltd information
1. COMPANY: Pre Metro Operations Ltd bridges the gap between traditional railways, light rail/tramways and bus operation. PMOL's team is qualified to provide integrated transport services and innovative approaches to rail transport, including the use of new technologies such as the vehicles supplied by Parry People Movers Ltd.
2. ACHIEVEMENTS: PMOL is a licensed train operator and the first in the UK to run non-electrified lightweight rolling stock on the Network Rail system. It has obtained authority from Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate and Network Rail to operate the new passenger service on the Stourbridge Town branch.
3. PMOL operates a full day service on Sundays between Stourbridge Junction and Stourbridge Town stations (first service departs Stourbridge Junction at 09.36, last service departs Stourbridge Town at 19.55). There are four departures per hour in each direction from 10.20, with a reduced-frequency service at the beginning of the day. Standard rail fares of 80p for adults and 40p for children apply, and a PMOL Day ticket gives unlimited travel between the two stations for a day for £2. Tickets can be purchased from on-board staff; valid rail tickets and travel passes are accepted.
4. The passenger operation on the Stourbridge Town branch is supported by Centro (the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive) and the Strategic Rail Authority's Community Rail programme (now administered by the Department for Transport).
5. Limited public services ran on December 11 and 18, 2005. Full-day services were introduced on January 8 2006.
6. PMOL Sunday services were officially launched at a ceremony on 5th February 2006 by Stourbridge MP Lynda Waltho.
7. The PMOL operation gives the Stourbridge Town branch its first regular Sunday service since 1915.
8. Punctuality for non-intercity train services is defined as arriving at the destination within five minutes of advertised arrival time. The PMOL service frequently waits a few minutes past timetabled departure time to ensure connections with main line trains at Stourbridge Junction.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Mr Phil Evans, Chief Executive, Pre Metro Operations Ltd,
21 Woodglade Croft,
King's Norton,
Birmingham
B38 8TD
Telephone/Fax: +44 (0)121 243 9906.
E-mail: premetro@aol.com
Website: www.premetro.co.uk
Parry People Movers Ltd information
1. COMPANY: Parry People Movers Ltd (PPM) was founded in 1992 to develop rail transport based on a new innovation: the "Kinergetic" 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.
2. 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.
3. ACHIEVEMENTS: Twelve PPM vehicles have been built, ranging in capacity from 2 to 50 passengers. Between them they have carried over 100,000 passengers. Previous PPM vehicles have operated in Bristol, Brighton, Barking, Swansea, Birmingham, Oswestry and elsewhere. Over 50,000 passenger journeys were made on the PPM 35 Railbus (currently at the National Railway Museum) when it ran on the Bristol Harbourside line between 1998 and 2000.
4. RAILCAR HISTORY: PPM 50 Light Railcar No. 999 900, now in public service at Stourbridge, has also run on the Chasewater Railway, the Great Central Railway, the Severn Valley Railway and the Wensleydale Railway since it was built in 2001. Proving runs were undertaken on the Stourbridge Town branch in 2002.
5. TECHNOLOGY: The "Kinergetic" 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.
6. PHOTOGRAPHS: A wide range of pictures of PPM vehicles can be obtained from Parry People Movers Ltd (contact details below).
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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