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Merseytravel
Chair supports Rail Service improvements for the Liverpool City Region
THE Chair of Merseytravel, Cllr Liam
Robinson, has welcomed the announcement outlining the service levels and quality
of service that bidders for the new Northern and First TransPennine Express
franchises will have to offer from February 2016.
The new specifications have been published, in a bid to drive up standards for
customers on those services that operate between the Liverpool City Region and
Manchester and beyond.
Merseytravel, as part of Rail North, a consortium of 29 Local Transport
Authorities across the North, has been working with the DfT to influence the
design of the new franchises.
Benefits to customers in the Liverpool City Region will include:-
► A share of new and refurbished diesel and electric trains, with the pacers
withdrawn from service by the end of 2019.
► All trains with WiFi by the end of 2019.
► Extra capaCity to ensure all off-peak passengers can expect a seat, and
reduced standing times during peak hours.
► Improved services from 2017 including ½ hourly evening and Sunday services,
between Liverpool and Wigan and additional evening services between Liverpool,
Warrington and Manchester and between Southport and Manchester.
► Improved passenger facilities and a commitment to safety and security and
information provision.
► An opportunity exists for TransPennine Express bidders to put forward
proposals for a new direct service to Glasgow.
Said Cllr Liam Robinson:- "From a Liverpool City Region perspective this
is a big stride forward in getting a rail network that offers customers a
consistent level of service no matter what their postcode.
For too long we have had a network of two halves. Areas served by Merseyrail
which is locally managed by Merseytravel, enjoy a network that consistently
scores highly for customer satisfaction, reliability and value for money.
However, those who travel towards Manchester on the City Line from such places
as Huyton, St Helens and Southport do not enjoy the same benefits.
Setting high standards and targets for the new franchises will go a long way to
addressing any disparity and will also give us fresh ideas and impetus for our
five-year improvement plan we're already working on with Merseyrail for that
part of our rail network. We'll be lobbying hard to secure a direct service to
Glasgow as part of TransPennine Express.
These new franchises are an essential piece of a much bigger jigsaw to
increasing capaCity on the network and in getting people where they want to go
quickly, efficiently and comfortably.
This is about getting all the benefits we can for customers on the network as it
stands, while looking at how we can transform the infrastructure to support and
drive the economy local, regionally and across the North.
We will soon see completion of the electrification of the lines between Lime
Street and Manchester Victoria and Wigan, meaning that Liverpool to Manchester
in half and hour will become the norm. Meanwhile, the Liverpool City Region's long term rail strategy will see
key activity this year with outline design work on such key schemes as the Halton
Curve, a new station and Maghull North and significant improvements to
Newton-le-Willows, subject to business cases being approved. This is all within
the wider context of work to transform transport infrastructure east to west
across the North, building on HS2 to grow and rebalance the national economy." |
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Local pub gets £200,000
facelift
THE Park Hotel pub, in Southport, is
creating a number of jobs as it undergoes a £200,000 transformation.
The pub, on Weld Road, will close temporarily on Monday, 2 March 2015, to begin an
extensive refurbishment that will see it re-open on Saturday, 14 March 2015.
As part of the investment, the pub, which is owned by Spirit Pub Company, will
receive a complete makeover, introducing a lighter colour scheme with some
signature pieces of furniture and contemporary fixtures.
The bar will be completely revamped, as will the food and drink offering
including a specials menu that will change on a regular basis and offer dishes
such as chicken and white wine pie, tomato and mascarpone risotto and
hand-battered cod fillet and chips.
General manager at the Park Hotel, Sinclair D'albuquerque, said:- "We're
incredibly excited to be undergoing such a huge transformation. The Park Hotel
is a lynchpin of the Southport community, so we're pleased to be able to offer
even better surroundings and a great new menu to our loyal guests and new guests
alike."
Sinclair is also looking to recruit new team players for full and part time
positions across the bar and in the kitchen, he added:- "I am on the
look out for dynamic, hard working individuals on the bar and in the kitchen who
want to be part of our family of team players at the Park Hotel."
If you are interested in a position at the Park Hotel please send your CV to:-
Park.Hotel.6563@spiritpubcompany.com.
Spirit Pub Company owns and operates around 800 managed pubs across the UK.
Brands in its portfolio include:- Chef & Brewer, Fayre and Square, Flaming Grill and
Taylor Walker.
Liverpool NHS Trust in court
over deadly asbestos fibres
A Liverpool NHS Trust has been fined £10,000
after it emerged its workers may have been exposed to potentially deadly
asbestos fibres. The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals
NHS Trust was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the
fibres were discovered in the basement of its offices at Derwent House on London
Road in January 2013.
Liverpool Magistrates' Court heard that the organisation had failed to act on a
survey carried out in 2006 which identified that an area of the basement may
contain asbestos, and recommended that its condition should be properly
assessed. A HSE investigation found that workers had regularly been
visiting the basement to access patient records.
The risk to them came to light on 9 January 2013 when the NHS Trust's health and
safety manager noticed that the doors to an out of use goods lift in the
basement were damaged. The lift doors contained asbestos, which meant there was
a risk of exposure to those accessing the basement.
A subsequent survey found that asbestos fibres were present in several different
areas of the basement.
The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, of Prescot
Street in Liverpool, was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £696 in prosecution
costs after pleading guilty to 2 breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc
Act 1974, on 26 February 2015.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Imran Siddiqui said:- "Around
4,000 people die every year as a result of breathing in asbestos fibres, making
it the biggest single cause of work related deaths in the UK. It's therefore
vital that organisations take the risks from asbestos seriously. The Trust, in
line with the 2006 survey, should have assumed asbestos was present in an area
of the basement and taken appropriate action to make it safe for people working
there. Instead, workers were allowed to regularly visit the basement to
access patient files increasing the risk of exposure to the potentially deadly
fibres."
Asbestos was extensively used as a building material in the 50's, 60's and 70's, but
it becomes dangerous if it is broken up and fibres are released. Airborne fibres
can become lodged in the lungs or digestive tract and can lead to lung cancer or
other diseases, but symptoms may not appear for several decades.
Information on how to work safely with asbestos is available at:-
HSE.Gov.UK/Asbestos. |
