We have been supportive of Stagecoach East Midlands charity work for some time and was pleased that we were able to take an active part, along with our friends at LEYTR, in the latest project. Working with Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal for 2016, Stagecoach east Midlands has effectively donated a double deck bus as a mobile promotional vehicle on which members of the public have been invited to sponsor messages.
We were excited when Stagecoach East Midlands announced the plan in January and the bus was unveiled outside Lincoln Cathedral yesterday afternoon (March 14th). Now it is in service from Stagecoach’s Lincoln depot but Managing Director Michelle Hargreaves has confirmed that over the coming months it will be transferred around the East Midlands’ operating area spending time working from the depots at Mansfield, Worksop, Gainsborough, Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Hull.
Stagecoach and Marie Curie are still taking donations in return for daffodil messages on the bus and details on how to sponsor a message can be found at     https://t.co/QmIb2LfCzG
The Scania/Enviro 400 (15653) is extremely eye catching and will help promote the work that Marie Curie does as it travels around the East Midlands and Humberside. A nice touch is the daffodil graphic on the cab door, which will be seen by all as they board the bus.
And if you see the bus look out for the Steven Knight Media/LEYTR sponsored message near the entrance doors.

The era of yellow ends on trains could be coming to an end. A new Railway Group Standard comes into being today which says that the front end of trains no longer needs to be yellow on new or modified trains complying with the relevant headlamp requirements.
In the 1950s, diesel and electric-powered trains were gradually introduced on to Britain’s railways to replace steam locomotives. Being far quieter, people working on or near the line found them more difficult to anticipate on approach, and so new requirements were introduced to have yellow warning panels on the front ends of all diesel and electric trains. This requirement has existed to the present day; however, since that time, headlamp technology has improved.
The requirement for all new trains introduced on to the GB mainline to have the right arrangement and illumination of headlamps is in law. This meant that the  Railway Group Standards on visibility and audibility needed to be changed to reflect what the law actually requires, and so the new Railway Group Standard no longer contains a requirement for yellow front ends on trains that comply with legal requirements for headlamps.
The Railway Group Standard explains what’s actually changing?
• New or upgraded trains introduced to the network must comply with legal requirements to have the correct arrangement and illumination of headlamps and can also display a yellow front end.
• Existing trains which do not comply with the headlamps requirement must still have a yellow front end warning panel.
• Yellow plant still has to be yellow all over, and shunting locomotives and snowploughs still require forward-facing surfaces painted yellow with black diagonal stripes where it’s reasonable to do so.
• Where a non-yellow front end train is being considered on a route where trains  with yellow front ends are currently used, the operator will need to consult all affected parties and carry out appropriate risk assessments.
This will include considering:
○ All operating conditions likely to be experienced by the train
○ The impact on the safety of railway workers, passengers and members of the public
○ The impact on safety at level crossings
○ The effect of front end colour on the perceived position of a stationary train when a driver is undertaking a permissive move into a platform already occupied by another unit
○ Reliability and maintenance of the head lamps
○ All relevant duties under health and safety legislation The new standard provides guidance on front end colours, particularly if a company  decides to exclude the yellow warning panel.  There is also advice on taking care to consider the impact of choice of certain colours  and designs, for example, avoiding colours associated with signal aspects or with  high visibility clothing to avoid confusion.

I recall that in the distant past - around 40-years ago - many bus services were still operated by a two-man crew. Buses were slower than they are today, or should I say acceleration and top speed was slower than modern buses. But, I’ll wager that the end to end journey times would have been quicker than today.
Memory always plays tricks, but again I recall that journey times with a conductor on board were longer than they are today on comparable routes. As bus technology improved, we also saw widespread conversion to driver-only operation. But, at the same time journey times were reduced. Admittedly there were fewer vehicles on the roads.
Fast forward to today and traffic congestion has increased massively, whilst journey times continue to reduce. This trend towards reduced journey times has a negative effect - increased delays.
It is not unknown to me to see at least three buses following each other on a ten minute frequency service, whilst cutting journey times to balance the books is not unknown. Take a route that really should have an end-to-end running time of 64 minutes, but by making it 59 minutes it saves a bus and drivers. A win for the balance sheet but not for punctuality.
The problems facing bus drivers was brought starkly home to me during a visit this week to London. I understand that Transport for London (TfL) allows around 28 minutes for a journey from Trafalgar Square to Tower Hill. I can tell you that an average journey can take at least 45 minutes and at times double the running time allowed.
On the route I took, the 15, there were numerous road obstructions as a result of building works, but this was compounded by courier drivers double parking, or just blocking the whole road whilst they make deliveries. I realise they have a job to do but doubt they realise the effects of their parking.
And as for the thoughtless actions of other road users at junctions, several buses I was on were prevented from moving due to other traffic completely blocking road junctions. The actions of some were unbelievable. Heading down Tottenham Court Road a private hire vehicle decided that he could avoid the queue of traffic and went off down the wrong side of the road going the wrong side of a keep left bollard before turning right. However, the driver soon saw blue flashing lights as in making the right turn he cut across a police car coming towards him!
But back to my route 15 experience, the downside of the delays is the knock-on effect to the next journey and several inbound buses were announcing that they would terminate at Aldwych and not go through to Trafalgar Square. Yes, there are alternative buses for the short section of the route not being covered, but it inconveniences that passengers. The delays also affected the Routemaster Heritage 15 service with at least one bus from Tower Hill turning back at Ludgate Hill, not a god advert for the tourist.
And whilst on the subject of the Heritage route, what are the conductors for? Boarding at St Pauls with my good lady we started to board the stairs at which were were stopped and whilst standing on the stairs of a moving bus with an open platform had to hand over our Oyster Cards to the conductor to touch on his card reader, which took him several attempts with each card before a successful transaction was confirmed. Perhaps Platform Attendant is a better term and maybe TfL should put notices on these buses that tickets etc will be checked on boarding.
But having suffered from conductors and traffic congestion, the London Bus network is a great way to see London.

Thumbs up to Virgin Trains, who this morning have named a Pendolino ‘The Cumbrian Spirit’. The train naming follows calls at the end of last year to restore the honour of a named train to Cumbria, one of the areas of the country that had been devastated by storms and flooding.
Previously there was a Mk 3 DVT named ‘Spirit of Cumbria’. The new name adorned the sides of Pendolino 390010. It is hoped that the train will spread the ‘The Cumbrian Spirit’ the length and breadth of the West Coast Main Line for many years to come.
‘The Cumbrian Spirit’ is not, however, the first name to be carried by 390010. Actually its not the second, third or even fourth. Pendolino 390010 was fitted with ‘Virgin Star’ nameplates by Alston prior to delivery to Virgin in May 2002. By the time the train was used on shuttle services to the Manchester Commonwealth Games in June of the same year it had been re-named ‘Commonwealth Games 2002’. Two years later in October 2004 it was named ‘Chris Green’ to commemorate the stepping down of career railwayman Chris as Chief Executive of Virgin Trains following the delivery of the first stage of Pendolino timetable introduction on the West Coast. Chris went on to be Chairman of Virgin Rail. 390010 was further renamed in May 2007 to ‘A Decade of Progress’ to celebrate the publication of a book of the same name and ten years of Virgin operation on the West Coast Main Line.

Virgin Trains issued the following Press Release........
Pendolino 390010 now carries the name ‘The Cumbrian Spirit’ to acknowledge the courage and resolve shown by local as they rebuild their lives and businesses after the floods.
The Cumbrian Spirit was unveiled by Andrew Hunter of Grasmere Gingerbread, in front of flood victims and representatives from organisations who helped them throughout December and continue to support the region’s recovery. Grasmere Gingerbread’s warehouse flooded, resulting in their stock being damaged.
Cumbria was hit by the worst flooding on record as a result of storms Desmond, Eva and Frank in December, which saw some areas flooded three times within one month.
Anna Doran, General Manager at Virgin Trains, said: “We care about Cumbria and its people, so it has been heartbreaking to see the devastation the floods have caused across the region. But the people of Cumbria have not been beaten. They have shown tremendous courage and determination to continue business as usual and rebuild their communities - something described locally as the ‘spirit of Cumbria’. At Virgin Trains, we share their spirit and wanted to recognise everything they have been through. The Cumbrian Spirit is a small gesture to acknowledge the local communities that we’re proud to play a part in. We’re keen to continue helping those who have been affected and is about celebrating Cumbria and showing that Cumbria is very much open for business.”
Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive, Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “We think it’s great that there will be a train travelling along the West Coast Mainline carrying this positive message about the people of Cumbria.”
The Cumbrian Spirit made its inaugural journey with a trip to London today, stopping at Penrith and Oxenholme.

The fleet of New Buses for London, AKA New Routemasters, AKA Borismasters is set to reach around 1,000 following the signing of a further order for the iconic buses. Mayor of London Boris Johnson has placed an order for a further 195 buses with Wrightbus of Northern Ireland. The order was confirmed as Boris visited the Wirghtbus plant on Monday last. It is reported that the order will secure the employment of 300 staff at the Wrightbus plant for a further 12 months.
The contract has been signed at a cost of £319,000 per bus, giving a total contract value of over £62 million, which the Mayor's office says is comparable with standard hybrid buses. The vehicles from the latest order will have Euro 6 engines and will also be fitted with opening windows.
Final deliveries of the first 800 New Routemasters is due to be completed by July this year. The plan is for the vehicles to have a 14-year working life in the Capital. Buses from the latest order are due to enter service in the summer of next year.

• Transport for London is de-furbishing the small fleet of original Routemasers used on the heritage service between Trafalgar Square and Tower Hill. Operated by Stagecoach they are having a number of original features refitted including tungsten lighting. The refurbishment work is being done by Hants & Dorset Trim.
  
• New Routemaster LT2, the first of the type to enter service in February 2012 has re-entered service with Arriva in a green livery, which was applied when it was loaned to First West Yorkshire, but with London Transport fleet names to resemble the livery of the erstwhile London Transport Country Area service.
  

Most businesses have strict brand guidelines and spend a huge amount of money on branding. For transport companies, vehicle liveries form part of the brand and strict guidelines are in place to ensure a consistent image.
But look around and things are not as consistent as they seem…
I recall in my days with the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive that buses repainted at Walsall Works differed slightly from those that went through Tyburn Road Works in Birmingham. Then there was Coventry, most buses here were painted to the guidelines, but then supplies of Coventry Marshall Red paint were used up on the repaint of several Daimler CVG6s, rather than them receiving the corporate PTE blue and cream colours.
Fast forward to 2016 and I was drawn to a photograph of a Stagecoach Enviro 200 taken by our good friend Damon Powell. It looked odd and the reason was that it carries the Dart SLF-style livery, rather than the usual Enviro 200 livery. Having done some investigation we can reveal that it was an error when the bus was repainted out of Nottinghamshire County Council livery. Bus 36003, part of the Stagecoach East Midlands fleet, was the first of the type to get a repaint and the was done incorrectly. When noticed a second bus was already receiving a repaint, but this was quickly altered to the correct style. The decision was taken, however, to leave the incorrect livery on 36003.
A further Stagecoach Enviro 200 to carry a non standard livery is Manchester’s 36075 which we featured in our Stagecoach Manchester Fleet Handbook and which received a trial livery, which was not adopted.
It is not just vehicles carrying the current Stagecoach livery that carry different styles. I remember a visit to Cambridge many years ago when it struck me that the stripes livery on Dart SLF P324EFL didn’t look right. It was certainly a different interpretation into how the stripes should be applied.

 It is always good to hear of corporate businesses supporting charities that do tremendous work, so Steven Knight Media was impressed with the latest initiative from Stagecoach East Midlands - a company that we know well. Only last year Stagecoach East Midlands supported the Lincoln Poppy Appeal and now it plans to turn one of its Enviro 400 double deck buses yellow in support of Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal 2016.
Marie Curie provides care and support for people living with terminal illness and their families. The charity has been carrying out this vital work for over 65 years - last year alone they cared for over 40,000 people across the UK.
Every March, millions of people across the UK show their support for the Great Daffodil Appeal, which has been raising awareness and funds since 1986.
Stagecoach East Midlands has supported the charity for some time including in the past having a bus painted in a special promotional livery. Now for 2016 Stagecoach East Midlands will be launching a daffodil bus, which will take to the road in March.
The bus will be adorned with daffodils which will carry personal messages allowing people to remember their loved ones on the bus.
Messages will be subject to approval by Stagecoach East Midlands and a donation of a minimum of £5 is requested, which will be donated to the Great Daffodil Appeal.

Simply fill in the form below stating your name, contact details and the personalised message you’d like printing inside your daffodil; please note all messages are subject to approval by Stagecoach East Midlands.
Stagecoach East Midlands tells us that each daffodil will be printed onto vinyl with the personalised message in the centre then applied to the bus. Sponsors can also add their name and location, such as ‘donated by John Smith, Nettleham’. The daffodils will be placed on the bus at random.
Once the daffodil bus is out on the road it will operate across the Stagecoach East Midlands area including in Gainsborough, Grimsby, Hull, Lincoln, Mansfield, Newark, Retford, Scunthorpe, Skegness and Worksop.
Stagecoach East Midlands is accepting messages and donations until the end of February, but space on the bus is limited.
Help Stagecoach East Midlands to reach its target and fill the bus with daffodils.
Every donation counts and Steven Knight Media along with our friends at the         Lincolnshire & East Yorkshire Transport Review (LEYTR) will be supporting this great
                                                                                           cause.

                                For more information, and to place a message visit the Stagecoach site at
                                                                                        https://t.co/QmIb2LfCzG

I was intrigued to read a recent Blog post from Louisa Phillips’ which said that Stagecoach South East has applied ‘One’ branding to an Enviro 400 double deck in Eastbourne. As would be expected the bus is used on services 1 and 1A in Eastbourne. Besides the distinctive ‘One’ logo the strapline on the bus reads ‘One for the road’.
But, where have I seen this idea before. Yes, its nothing new. And it’s nothing original as we can now reveal.
Back in the history of Stagecoach in Peterborough, almost 12 years ago to be almost precise, a fleet of Volvo Olympians used which were used on the city’s Route One were given ‘One’ branding. And guess what the application of the branding seemed to have a ‘family feel’ to the one recently adopted in Eastbourne.
Is this a case of ‘what goes around comes around’ or ‘why invent the wheel’?
We can reveal that in Peterborough, the ‘One’ brand was devised to differentiate the route from the main Peterborough Citi network due to it being operated by non-low floor buses. Two years on Tridents were delivered and the ‘One’ brand was no more. The idea for the Peterborough ‘One’ brand is credited to Stagecoach East’s (who operate the the Peterborough network) then Commercial Director Philip Norwell. Fast forward 12 years and the same Philip Norwell is now Managing Director of Stagecoach South East. He has obviously taken the view that a good brand is worth re-using and for Philip Norwell this is the ‘One’!

Many years ago I was responsible for the renaming of a Virgin Pendolino. I recall the train was named ‘Virgin Hope’, but whilst having a regular meeting with my opposite number at Alstom, Helen Connolly, we were discussing how to mark the occasion of the first Pendolino to travel a million miles.
Several Pendolinos were monitored. 390022 was the one that had travelled the furthest, but the view was that a more memorable name than Virgin Hope was needed. The discussion centred around how we could involve staff and passengers and what else we could do to raise the profile of the Pendolino train.
So, we looked at educational opportunities and blue sky thinking came up with the name ‘Penny the Pendolino’. So now we had a name. The nameplates were fitted at Wembley depot without any ceremony. This created a mystery as to why the train had been renamed.
The next stage was to calculate when the train would hit the magical million miles. By working with train and fleet planners this was fairly simple.
The stage was set, the train would work a Glasgow-London morning service, hitting the one million miles on the journey. A party atmosphere was planned with a celebration cake for all passengers along with a commemorative certificate. The train would then roll into London’s Euston station with staff from Virgin and Alston holding a banner on the platform.
All planned, but then disaster. A few days before the planned run, the southbound cab of 390022 was struck by an object hanging off the overhead line south of Rugby. The windscreen would need replacing.
Worse still the incident had damaged some cab wiring and windscreen surround. Despite the best efforts of the Alstom team, there was insufficient time after the windscreen surround had been repairs to fit a new windscreen and allow the bonding to set. The planned activity had to be cancelled.
Following repairs 390022 was put back into service and recorded its one millionth mile on 8th January 2008 as it headed the 17:15 from Euston to Glasgow. At the end of November this year 390122 (it now has 11 coaches) has covered 3,471,364 miles and could hit the three-and-a-half million mile mark by the end of this year. ‘Penny’ remains the leading Pendolino for the highest mileage.
So that is how ‘Penny’ got her name without a formal naming event.

Virgin Trains is full of surprises at the moment. Just months after it introduced automatic compensation for train delays where passengers buy advance tickets direct from its website, it has now introduced more information departure monitors at London Euston.
Rather than just a departure time, destination and calling points the information the displays really are passenger focused.
The improved departure monitors will help passengers travelling on the West Coast route to find a seat on their train and generally have more relaxed journeys out of the capital.
In what is seen as an industry first, a pictogram on the information screen shows reservation levels in each carriage to indicate where customers without reservations are most likely find a seat. Passengers travelling with Virgin Trains can also see where bicycles can be loaded and where disabled seats are located.
Wow, this really is a step forward, but could Virgin do more. The pictograms only show reservation levels but could could there be a ‘real time’ alternative. The Pendolino trains, at least, have load sensors which is part of the safety systems for tilt. Could these be programmed to calculate loadings? Admittedly it would have to be based on an average weight per passenger, but it could give real time train loading information.
That said, the system in use now is a major step forward.
The new screens at London Euston station will also provide customers with a range of information aimed at helping them to:
Relax at the station: The screens will show each train’s approximate boarding time to help put customer’s minds at ease, and allow them to enjoy the station’s other facilities until their train is ready to board.
Manage their time: The estimated arrival time at each calling point will be shown.
Cope with disruption: If a train in cancelled, the screens will show next train information for all calling points so passengers can find their next best option.