Environmental report calls for cleaner buses

A new environmental report, produced by consultants TTR, has called for bus fleets to be modified or replaced if buses are to retain their ‘green credentials’ – the report states that the volume of older and more polluting buses in the South West of England means that the car has outperformed the bus on reducing both particulate emissions and nitrogen oxide. The report recommends that bus operators should reduce pollution in the region by eliminating or modifying the oldest and most polluting vehicles – for cost reasons if older buses cannot be replaced quickly with new cleaner vehicles, then the report recommends that retro-fitting technologies (e.g. diesel particulate filters) can be very effective in ensuring that older buses match the performance of newer vehicles. The report also recommends the introduction of hybrid buses and the wider use of sustainable biofuels.

Passenger Focus calls for cap on individual fare rises

Passenger Focus has demanded that the Department for Transport place limits on the amounts by which train operating companies can increase individual regulated fares – at present a train operator can increase the company’s regulated fares by an average of RPI (Retail Price Index) plus one per cent, but can increase individual regulated fares by RPI (Retail Price Index) plus six per cent. Train operating companies were therefore able to increase some regulated fares by eleven per cent in the recent January 2009 revisions. It has already been agreed that individual regulated fares on the new South Central franchise, commencing in September 2009, will not be permitted to increase by more than RPI (Retail Price Index) plus three per cent.

Megabus passes ten million customers

Stagecoach has announced that its low cost inter-city coach network, Megabus.com, has now carried over ten million customers since it commenced operations in 2003 – the company is now attracting over two million passengers per annum. Megabus.com operates four routes in the South West of England:-

• Bournemouth – Winchester –London
• Cardiff – Newport – Bristol – London
• Cheltenham – Gloucester – Swindon – Reading – London
• London – Exeter – Plymouth – Newquay – Redruth – Camborne - Penzance

West Somerset Railway

The West Somerset Railway has announced plans to build a new four-carriage platform at Norton Fitzwarren – it is planned to open the new platform in August 2009. The new station at Norton Fitzwarren is located just over four kilometres from Taunton railway station, which is situated nearly nine kilometres from the existing eastern terminus at Bishops Lydeard.

Through ticketing to two Dorset towns

It is now possible, following a joint initiative by South West Trains and Wilts and Dorset, to purchase through rail tickets between any station in Great Britain and two Dorset towns, Blandford Forum and Swanage. Customers wishing to travel to and from Blandford Forum use Wilts and Dorset service X8 to and from Poole railway station – passengers travelling to and from Swanage use Wilts and Dorset service 50 to and from Bournemouth railway station.

And finally,

English Heritage has placed the nine-arch Brunel viaduct at Chippenham on the organisation’s ‘At Risk’ register, describing the condition of this massive civil engineering structure as ‘poor’ – the viaduct is crossed by four First Great Western high speed trains every hour and by a number of freight trains conveying heavy stone from quarries in the Mendips!