Keolis is, effectively, state-owned via French National Railways (SNCF); Amey was once a UK company but is now owned by Ferrovial, a Spanish conglomerate. The consortium also operates the Docklands Light Railway.
Andy Milner, Amey's chief executive, said: "While the proposed changes won't happen overnight, the railway will be unrecognisable in five years thanks to the vision of the Welsh Government."
He added they would focus on working with Transport for Wales to transform the existing infrastructure and introduce new trains to "significantly improve the passenger experience" as well as creating hundreds of new jobs and apprenticeships.
Alistair Gordon, chief executive of Keolis UK, said it would be a transformative new rail service.
Well now, we have heard all this before ...
Don't hold your breath!
Stagecoach Shines in Sheffield?
While a certain other big bus company seems to stagnate, news is breaking of two goodies from Uncle Brian's lads and lasses.
Service 50 etc is part of a coming together of several bits of the Stagecoach Chesterfield operation. The proposal is to equip the route with new buses (goody) and change to run Limited Stop within Sheffield.
Sheffield Transport (actually the Joint Omnibus Committee) ran route 30 to Eckington. Later this became routes 62 and 64 via several wiggles to Chesterfield. With the development of Mosborough new town this got rejigged and by the 1980s it reverted to a 262 to Eckington only, largely at similar frequencies to the 1951 service 30!
Both routes had restrictions (Minimum Fares or/and a Setting Down Restriction) as here for the 262.
MINIMUM FARES apply between Sheffield and Intake
RESTRICTION-On journeys from Sheffield before 1800 hours on Monday to Saturday no passenger will be set down before reaching Birley Lane.
The proposals for today's 50 etc. involve halving the stops served between Sheffield and Birley Lane!
What goes around comes around.
And Even More So?
Currently the X17 runs hourly from Matlock to Sheffield with a half hourly service from Chesterfield to Sheffield.
From July Stagecoach will link the ""short" X17s with the existing X65 from Meadowhall to Barnsley.
On Sundays you will be able to ride through from Matlock to Barnsley every hour.
A longer term scheme may extend further by linking to the relatively recent X10 motorway express from Barnsley to Leeds.
Matlock - Sheffield - Barnsley - Leeds!!
Come on First, how will you respond? How about an hourly Sheffield - Barnsley - Leeds - York coach-type service?
And Now The Bad News
Remember the ever (in)efficient South Yorkshire P T E in its disguise as Travel South Yorkshire?
Remember it published a non-leaflet for services 83 and 83a combing the correct 83 times with the incorrect 83a times?
This was corrected, followed immediately by a similar bludner with services 7/8/8a!
Well this has now been corrected ...
... INCORRECTLY.
The on-line non leaflet has two pages of times of buses from Crystal Peaks ...
... to Ecclesfield (Extracts ONLY shown on this blog).
This is followed by a second copy of the first "page".
The rest of the day's times do not appear.
But, joy of joys, next comes just one arbitrary page of times from Ecclesfield to Crystal Peaks.
Earlier AND later times do not appear.
Bearing in mind that this change starts on Tuesday with a Bank Holiday and the weekend in the way, what chances are there that the Sheffield public will be able to find out the times of their buses?
Answers on a postcard to ...
Stupidly Stagecoach does not even bother to publish its own times, but offers an utterly out of date TSY version of the joint service on its web site ...
... whilst First, in the true spirit of partnership, shows only it's own service 8/8a times; but at least they are correct for the upcoming timetable change.
An utter and inexcusable shambles. Beyond belief.
Wave goodbye to a few more passengers! For ever!
But Best On Weston Fares First!
Odd this; you might expect First to ramp up its fares now Crosville has finally breathed its last. But no; there are very many substantial fares reductions from this coming Sunday.
Single fares have modest increases and returns are withdrawn BUT day tickets are reduced and will be the same price as a return if you pay electronically via the m-Ticket gubbins.
An interesting (and possibly commercially courageous) development.
Tomorrow, some more snippets for the Bank Holiday including what may well prove to be an fbb scoop - it it's right!
Well now, we have heard all this before ...
Don't hold your breath!
Stagecoach Shines in Sheffield?
While a certain other big bus company seems to stagnate, news is breaking of two goodies from Uncle Brian's lads and lasses.
Sheffield Transport (actually the Joint Omnibus Committee) ran route 30 to Eckington. Later this became routes 62 and 64 via several wiggles to Chesterfield. With the development of Mosborough new town this got rejigged and by the 1980s it reverted to a 262 to Eckington only, largely at similar frequencies to the 1951 service 30!
Both routes had restrictions (Minimum Fares or/and a Setting Down Restriction) as here for the 262.
MINIMUM FARES apply between Sheffield and Intake
RESTRICTION-On journeys from Sheffield before 1800 hours on Monday to Saturday no passenger will be set down before reaching Birley Lane.
The proposals for today's 50 etc. involve halving the stops served between Sheffield and Birley Lane!
What goes around comes around.
And Even More So?
A longer term scheme may extend further by linking to the relatively recent X10 motorway express from Barnsley to Leeds.
Come on First, how will you respond? How about an hourly Sheffield - Barnsley - Leeds - York coach-type service?
And Now The Bad News
Remember the ever (in)efficient South Yorkshire P T E in its disguise as Travel South Yorkshire?
Well this has now been corrected ...
... INCORRECTLY.
The on-line non leaflet has two pages of times of buses from Crystal Peaks ...
But, joy of joys, next comes just one arbitrary page of times from Ecclesfield to Crystal Peaks.
Bearing in mind that this change starts on Tuesday with a Bank Holiday and the weekend in the way, what chances are there that the Sheffield public will be able to find out the times of their buses?
Answers on a postcard to ...
Stephen Edwards
Director General
SYPTE
11 Broad Street West
S1 2BQ
Stupidly Stagecoach does not even bother to publish its own times, but offers an utterly out of date TSY version of the joint service on its web site ...
An utter and inexcusable shambles. Beyond belief.
Wave goodbye to a few more passengers! For ever!
But Best On Weston Fares First!
An interesting (and possibly commercially courageous) development.
Tomorrow, some more snippets for the Bank Holiday including what may well prove to be an fbb scoop - it it's right!
Next Catch-up blog : Monday 28th May
Why is it a "commercially courageous development"?
ReplyDeleteIts the same system that has been in operation over much of the rest of the West of England territory for a couple of years and has seen huge passenger growth in Bristol.
I understand that revenue growth has been closer to static, and there are extra costs involved as saloons have been replaced by double decks, but if anything was "courageous" it happened a few years ago.
Of course, with electronic payment being so "popular" and once passenger numb rs have grown, it becomes easier to increase fares without anyone really noticing.
ReplyDeleteCynical, moi?
Couple of extra things about the Stagecoach Chesterfield changes that aren't mentioned by Stagecoach publicly but are known by staff; the x17 is getting new buses with the extension (8 adl e400 mmcs) so the gold scanias currently used on the x17 are going onto the 50 when that is upgraded, rather than the 50 getting brand new buses, and the X10 is having its timetable altered in order to allow for connecting journeys between the x17 and X10.
ReplyDelete