Translink has provided agriculture students at the CAFRE Greenmount Campus in Antrim with level crossing safety awareness training. ‘Some students may come from areas without railway level crossings and it’s important to share this knowledge with them’, said Translink’s Level Crossing Risk Manager Keith Pollock. ‘Also, many of the students will learn to drive cars in the coming months and this event will help raise their awareness of how level crossings operate and the risks associated with them.’
South Western Railway has launched a campaign to encourage more women to apply for jobs as drivers, with vacancies for trainees at its Farnham, Fratton, Waterloo and Weymouth depots. SWR says 8% of its drivers are women, in line with the national average. Fraser Dawson, SWR’s Recruitment Business Partner said ‘our latest recruitment campaign showcases our inclusive, flexible workplace culture, the benefits and the development opportunities available – no matter where people are in their career journey. If you’ve ever wondered about working in rail, take the leap and join us on this exciting journey.’
One of the trainsets used on Enterprise services to Dublin ran on test into Belfast Grand Central station for the first time on September 22. An hourly service of 15 trains/day is planned. The station has been built as an integrated transport hub to replace the existing Great Victoria Street rail and Europa bus stations; bus services began using it on September 8, but a date for train services has not yet been confirmed.
Southeastern has now put into service all 30 of the Siemens Mobility Class 707 ‘City Beam’ EMUs owned by Angel Trains. They were originally ordered for South West Trains, but then transferred from South Western Railway to Southeastern which began using them from September 2021.
Dave Andrews, Chair of the Bristol & Bath Trams Association has been elected Chair of the Light Rail Transit Association’s Campaign Group with James Willis as Vice-Chair. This follows the decision of Jim Harkins to stand down from the LRTA Council after 36 years; he continues to provide the Secretariat for the All Party Light Rail Group in parliament.
Quadient is to install Parcel Pending smart lockers at up to 50 Northern stations by spring 2025. ‘Our stations are at the heart of the communities they serve and as such they are the perfect base for other popular services that people require’, said Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern. ‘Access to parcel delivery lockers at stations is something our customers have told us makes their life easier, as they combine travelling with collecting or dropping off their parcels.’