Plymouth CityBus for sale?

The cabinet of Plymouth City Council is to consider a proposal to sell all or part of the shareholding of the local authority in Plymouth CityBus – a report to the cabinet states that a sale of all or part of the council’s shareholding in the wholly-owned bus company could raise millions of pounds, which could be reinvested in ‘frontline’ services through an accelerated capital programme.

Rail Fares criticised

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has criticised the structure of train fares in a report on the rail franchising policies of the Department for Transport (DfT) – the committee stated that it was unacceptable that the train operating companies were permitted to offer the cheapest fares on the internet only. The Public Accounts Committee stated that the cheapest fare for any rail journey should be publicised and available at station ticket offices – the Committee also criticised the DfT for failing to assess the impact on rail passengers of rising unregulated station car parking charges.

Rail punctuality at record high

Network Rail has claimed that rail punctuality achieved a ‘record high’ with 93.5 per cent of trains arriving within five/ten minutes (dependent on type of service) of the advertised arrival time during the reporting period from 1 April 2009 to 2 May 2009 inclusive – the punctuality results for the four train operating companies serving South West England for that period were:-

• Arriva Trains Wales: 95.5%
• CrossCountry: 91.3%
• First Great Western; 93.7%
• South West Trains: 94.8%

The MAA (moving annual average) punctuality results for the four train companies for the year ended 2 May 2009 were as follows:-

• Arriva Trains Wales: 93.2%
• CrossCountry: 90.1%
• First Great Western; 90.8%
• South West Trains: 93.3%

Sustainable travel city competition launched

The Department for Transport has launched a competition for up to twenty-nine million pounds of funding over three years to establish England’s first ‘sustainable travel city’ – the funds will be awarded to either one or two of England’s largest urban areas, excepting Greater London. Bidders will be expected to encourage ‘greener’ travel choices that include plans to support cycling and walking and initiatives to increase public transport use. Nine large urban areas are eligible to bid including the West of England Partnership (Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire).

British Transport Police launches South West operation

British Transport Police have launched ‘Operation Tranquillity Two’ throughout South West England – this operation is targeting people who trespass on railway lines and misuse level crossings and those passengers who carry drugs or weapons on trains. Temporary mobile metal detectors and scanners were deployed at Gloucester railway station as part of the campaign.

And finally,

The media release from English Heritage stating that a site for new visitor facilities for Stonehenge had finally been selected contained the following phrase:

‘The scheme will include an efficient, all-weather visitor transit system, offering visitors the convenience of been dropped off near the monument.’

Does English Heritage intend to provide a ‘shuttle bus’?