New diesel trains for First Great Western

The Department for Transport (DfT) has invited four train manufacturers to bid to build two hundred new diesel rail carriages at an expected cost of three hundred million pounds – the new carriages, which are expected to start entering service in 2012, are destined for the First Great Western, Northern and Trans-Pennine Express rail franchises. The new carriages for First Great Western will operate on services in the Greater Bristol area and in the Thames Valley – the exact number of new carriages for each of the three rail franchises has yet to be announced. The four train manufacturers who have been short-listed for the manufacture of the two hundred new carriages are:-

• Bombardier Transportation UK Limited
• Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, S. A. (Spain)
• CSRE Limited (China)
• Hyundai Rotern Company (South Korea)

First Great Western operates Britain’s most unreliable train

The annual survey of traction and rolling stock fleet reliability has revealed that First Great Western (FGW) operates the most unreliable train in Britain - the FGW class 143 Pacer trains caused delays of five minutes or more due to a technical or maintenance defect every one thousand, eight hundred and forty-three miles during the year ended 13 October 2008 (by comparison, an Arriva Trains Wales class 143 unit travelled four thousand, nine hundred and seventeen miles between attributable delays).

The comparative data for other rolling stock in the FGW train fleet was as follows:-

Average miles travelled between delays of five minutes or more due to a technical or maintenance defect for the year ended 13 October 2008:-

• Class 142 units: 3,452 miles (Arriva Trains Wales: 5,328 miles)
• Class 150 units: 3,649 miles (London Overground: 6,529 miles)
• Class 153 units: 5,036 miles (National Express East Anglia: 10,309 miles)
• Class 158 units: 4,845 miles (South West Trains: 10,939 miles)
• Class 180 units: 8,290 miles (Hull Trains: 13,511 miles)
• High Speed Trains: 10,818 miles (East Midlands Trains: 11,875 miles)

On-the-spot fines for anti-social rail passengers

Rail passengers who cause misery for other customers by smoking, drinking alcohol excessively or cause a nuisance on trains will face on-the-spot fines from the New Year under new police powers. The British Transport Police can only currently warn or arrest anti-social rail passengers – from the New Year, the police will be able to issue a fifty pound fine. The new fifty pound fine is been introduced as the Government extends the penalty scheme for disorder scheme.

New entertainment system for First Great Western ‘sleeper’ train

Customers on the First Great Western ‘Night Riviera’ sleeper service between Penzance and London Paddington are to have access to on-demand television using the Volo In-Train Entertainment System, similar to the facilities currently available to business class air travellers – passengers will be able to choose from a range of television programmes.

And finally,

A company based in Chicksgrove near Salisbury, Capoco Design Limited, has been named as the joint winner of the competition, sponsored by the Mayor of London, to design a new double-decker bus – the other joint winning entry was submitted by a partnership of Aston Martin and Foster + Partners.