[10
AUG 00] CHILTERN RAILWAYS NEWS
Chiltern Railways To Ride Again
BY ARRYN BUGGINS
The rail operator
running trains to Warwick and Leamington has become the first in the
country to win a renewed contact.
M40 Trains, parent
company of Chiltern Railways, has made a £370 million pledge for a
new franchise for 20 years. That includes £60 million spent over the
last four years.
The company runs
trains along the London Marylebone line to Birmingham Snow Hill that
passes through, Banbury, Leamington, Warwick, Hatton and Lapworth.
It will introduce
Automatic Train Protection (ATP) on all trains, and throughout the
route on to Birmingham. Currently it only operates on the section
south of Banbury, and not the section northwards through Warwickshire.
The company plans to
buy 109 new trains across its 20-year franchise, all with
air-conditioning, full carpets, and greater leg and arm room. It
envisages doubling the number of passengers throughout its new
franchise.
Trains from London
and Warwickshire to Birmingham will also continue into Worcestershire,
heading on to Stourbridge and Kidderminster.
Adrian Shooter,
managing director of M40 Trains, said:
“We are delighted
to have the chance to create the railway that our passengers have
told us they want - a railway for the 21st century.
"This has been
made possible in no small part by the expertise, support and
encouragement of our majority shareholder Laing Investments Ltd.
"We would like
to thank pour passengers, staff, rail user groups, local
authorities, and local businesses who have all contributed their
ideas to our plans. We look forward to working with out partners to
turn these plans into reality.”
The company was
formed by a management buy out of staff when the rail industry was
privatised.
It is building a £5
million station by the A46/A4177 junction just west of Warwick aimed
to get commuters out of their cars and onto the trains. Warwick
Parkway is due to open in October.
The company is to
refurbish a series of stations including Leamington, Warwick Dorridge,
Solihull and Birmingham Moor Street.
SEE:
[10 AUG 00] BID
TO REOPEN THE CENTRAL RAILWAY TO PASSENGERS
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