20/03/2008

East Midlands Trains is issuing employees with radio-controlled 'atomic' watches and new whistles to use to dispatch trains as part of its drive to improve punctuality and reliability on the network.

All 2,100 staff at East Midlands Trains, part of Stagecoach Group, will receive a radio-controlled watch, which is accurate to the second. Employees responsible for train dispatch will also receive a brand new Acme Thunderer whistle.

East Midlands Trains Managing Director Tim Shoveller said: "We know passengers want safe, reliable and clean trains. To achieve this we have an extensive programme of investment taking place during our franchise.

"Our punctuality is already good in terms of the national measures that are in place, but we want to achieve more. As well as our programme of major investment, I believe there is a place for a back-to-basics approach internally, ensuring all staff are acutely aware of the need for trains to depart on time, every time.

"It is quite surprising that just one minute's delay at a station can have a significant effect, causing the accumulation of 'knock on' delay further along the train's journey."

He added: "We will be re-briefing all staff and issuing everyone with new whistles and wrist watches that are accurate to the second. I am confident that we will see improvements to our punctuality as a direct result of this renewed focus."

Stagecoach Group is investing £90 million in the East Midlands rail franchise, making improvements in areas that impact directly on performance, reliability and customer service. The investment programme includes:

• Upgrade to Derby train maintenance depot
• Refurbishment of fleet, including technical modification work to improve engine performance, interior décor, seats and CCTV technology
• Investment in stations; additional customer help points, refurbished waiting areas, improved lighting and facilities
• Introduction of a new joint control centre in Derby with Network Rail to improve communications (currently operations for each company are in separate locations)
• New timetable in December 2008 offering faster journey times and increased capacity
• The opening of a brand new station - East Midlands Parkway
• Improved journey times on the route to London.

As part of its commitment to improve seat availability across as many trains as possible, East Midlands Trains is set to embark on a programme of alterations to its Meridian train fleet, which will improve seating capacity and reduce overcrowding.

Tim Shoveller said: "Our December 2008 timetable will bring improvements for many of our passengers as we will be running a number of additional services.

"Over the next eight weeks, we will be gearing up for the timetable change by moving carriages between trains, so that our smaller Meridian trains will get an additional carriage and some larger Meridian trains will lose a carriage.

"By carrying out this work we will be strengthening seating capacity on the smaller, busier trains in the peak hours where it is needed."

For further information, and a list of the affected trains, please visit http://www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/changetoourtrains

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact:
East Midlands Trains Press Office
Tel: 01332 262010

For more information about Stagecoach Group, contact:
Steve Stewart, Director of Corporate Communications
Tel: 01738 442111 or mobile 07764 774680
email: steven.stewart@stagecoachgroup.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

Stagecoach Group

Stagecoach Group is a leading international transportation group, with extensive bus and rail operations in the UK and North America. Stagecoach operates South West Trains, the UK's biggest commuter rail network with nearly 1,700 trains a day out of London Waterloo. In addition, Stagecoach has a 49% shareholding in Virgin Rail Group, which operates passenger rail services on the West Coast main line. Stagecoach is also Britain’s biggest tram operator, running systems in both Sheffield and Manchester.

East Midlands Trains

East Midlands Trains operates high-speed long distance services from London St. Pancras to Sheffield, Derby and Nottingham and regional services between Nottingham and Derby – Lincoln – Cleethorpes – Skegness, and between Derby and Crewe - Matlock and Norwich and Liverpool.

The franchise started on 11 November 2007 and will run until 31 March 2015, the last year and four months of which will be conditional upon achieving pre-set performance targets.

Highlights of improvements include faster journey times from Sheffield and Leicester to London from 2008, better performance, more seats, train refurbishment, investment at Derby's Etches Park train maintenance depot, a centralised information and security centre, more car parking spaces and two new stations – at East Midlands Parkway and Corby.