FOCUS TRANSPORT

Leicester Yutong E12's Enter Park & Ride Service
End of Service for Class 365 Great Northern EMU's
Class 69 Unveiled in Large Logo Livery

Leicester Yutong E12's Enter Park & Ride Service

Posted: 30 May 2021 10:30 PM PDT

11 fully electric buses, powered by 100% renewable energy, entered service in Leicester on 11th May to bring zero-emission public transport to Leicester for the first time.

The Pelican website stated

It was a pleasure to deliver this contract of Yutong E12 zero emission buses to Leicester City Council. Our contract included vehicles, civils & infrastructure. The fleet will be operated by Roberts Travel Group on three park-and-ride services in Leicester. The distinctive green buses are equipped with on-board digital screens, USB charging points at every seat and provide free WiFi to passengers.

These 11 Yutongs will be joined by a further seven zero-emission buses in autumn 2022. Four will be introduced on the Hospital Hopper service, and three more will be used to launch a new, free city centre shuttle. Named the Green Line Bus Project, these vehicles are part of Leicester's ambitious programme of investment in sustainable transport to help address the urgent climate emergency we are all facing.

Leicester's successful bid to the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) has funded most of the £7.1m required for 18 new electric buses. The TCF is also funding the £7m required for complementary works, such as bus priority measures, bus shelters, digital ticketing and real-time displays, as well as the creation of two new electric bus park & ride sites at Beaumont Leys and the General Hospital.

City Mayor Peter Soulsby said:

Thanks to our successful bid for government funding through the Transforming Cities Fund, we've been able to make this significant investment into sustainable public transport.

We know that if we are to persuade people to leave their cars outside the city centre, we need to offer them attractive and affordable travel alternatives.

These Greenline buses are clean, green and comfortable – and the more people use them, the more we can reduce congestion and improve air quality in the city.Roberts Travel Group has played a key role in the electrification project, installing a brand new charging station at its depot in Coalville in partnership with Zenobe Energy. The vehicles are charged overnight and operate all day on a single charge.
Managing director Jonathan Hunt enthused:

I am really pleased that Roberts Travel Group will be the first operator in Leicester to operate fully electric buses.

I am extremely proud that our loyal team of drivers will continue to drive the very best vehicles available, as we continue to invest in the latest technology for the people of Leicester.
We are extremely proud that despite the challenges brought on by COVID-19, the buses and their associated infrastructure have been delivered on time and on budget. That has come about through partnership working between all parties concerned.

Ian Downie, Head of Yutong Bus UK said

The vehicles were fully completed in the UK at the Pelican premises in Castleford, with driver and engineering training undertaken with the excellent team at Roberts. We are delighted to see these buses enter service in Leicester, improving air quality and the passenger experience while encouraging people to get out of their cars and onto public transport.

See a video of the new buses here

End of Service for Class 365 Great Northern EMU's

Posted: 29 May 2021 10:30 PM PDT

The last Great Northern Class 365 train departed from King's Cross on Friday 14th May 2021, after 25 years of service.

The 18:12 farewell service, lengthened from eight to 12 carriages for the special journey, called at Stevenage, Biggleswade, St Neots and Huntingdon on its way to Peterborough.

Driver Paul French (left) and Route Operations Assurance Manager Steve Castle proudly hold the headboard ahead of the last Class 365 out of King's Cross

It displayed a commemorative headboard with the Network South East "Networker Express" branding carried by the 365 fleet when introduced by British Rail in 1996.

The Class 365s entered service badged as 'Networker Express' trains from 9 December 1996 on the London King's Cross to Peterborough and King's Lynn routes. They have been used to carry the Her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to King's Lynn for Sandringham.

Since 2017, with the arrival of more modern 387s and 717s on Great Northern's routes, the 365s had been used only as 'peak-busters', providing extra capacity on limited-stop peak-time services.

Tom Moran, Managing Director for Great Northern and Thameslink, was on Friday's'Network Express' to Peterborough.

"It was a real honour to be on the last Class 365 out of King's Cross. I'd like to thank every member of the team who's played a role in keeping them running so reliably for the last quarter of a century!

"You could see the affection our customers and colleagues have for these trains from the response we had as we set off from King's Cross and at each stop on the route."

Chief Operating Officer Steve White was also on board. He said: "Today marked another milestone in the progressive renewal of our fleet as we said goodbye to our Class 365s. When they were introduced 25 years ago, they were ahead of their time and they have served us well.

"With the introduction of our summer 2021 timetable, newer, air-conditioned, Class 387 trains will temporarily support the GN network. This will help our passenger recovery from COVID-19 and also reduce our costs ensuring better value for taxpayers."

The Class 365s entered service badged as 'Networker Express' trains from 9 December 1996 on the London King's Cross to Peterborough and King's Lynn routes, and in the following year on Connex South Eastern between London and Kent.

By 2004, Connex South Eastern's part of the fleet was transferred to join the majority of the 365s, so that all 340 were operating out of King's Cross.

In the short term, subject to the expected rising passenger demand, Great Northern's parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) will replace the 365s with Class 387 trains that normally provide Gatwick Express services.

They have not been in use during the major Gatwick Airport station expansion programme, but now Great Northern passengers will benefit from the air conditioning and security CCTV that the older trains lack.

In the longer term, when air passengers return to Gatwick in volume and the airport station redevelopment is complete, Great Northern will work with the Department for Transport to introduce additional trains as required. This will enable the Class 387 trains to be returned to Gatwick Express, while also ensuring that Great Northern customers continue to enjoy the benefits of more modern trains.

Abellio ScotRail leased 10 class 365 units, for a year from May 2018 as short term cover until sufficient numbers of newly built class 385 units were brought into service. The 365 fleet were maintained at Glasgow Shields Road Depot and the class was taken out of passenger service in March 2019. More info here

365523 at Falkirk High » Thursday 10 May 2018, the first day of driver training runs.
The unit is working 11:04 Glasgow Queen Street to Linlithgow UPL. Photo by GregBee

The Class 365s will be returned to the Department for Transport, who took ownership of them in 2019 under the terms of the original procurement contract

Class 69 Unveiled in Large Logo Livery

Posted: 28 May 2021 10:30 PM PDT

The first GB Railfreight Class 69 loco to be painted is 69002. It has been outshopped in large loco livery

GBRf purchased a number of redundant Class 56 Locomotives in 2018 from UK rail leasing in various conditions. These are now being repowered in a programme being undertaken by Electro Motive Diesels at their Longport UK facility. The locos have been given Class 69 allocations.

The previous Ruston RK3 engine and Brush controls are removed and a new EMD 710 power unit with cleaner 3A emissions and electronic control is being fitted.

The EMD12N-710 engine is what is fitted in a Class 66 so the 'new' locos will be as close to running 66's which are no longer available for sale new, due to tighter emission controls on brand new locos.

The project allows the locos to be classed as upgrades as many components are retained

Retaining the main structure, weights, bogies, motors and drawgear enables GBRf to retain the track dynamics and rail interface of a Class 56, and thus the project can be classified as an upgrade, rather than a new loco which would require a more modern power unit.

69001 was load tested on the Severn Valley Railway

The cost of conversion is much lower than buying brand new locomotives. The resultant Class 69 is very similar to the Class 66 that has proven so successful for the GBRf business.

Testing of the first of ten locos Class 69 was carried out on the Severn Valley Railway in January

See the GB Railfreight Loco Fleet here