East Midlands Rail’s first high-speed train departed Derby station today, 19.08.2019, to return rail colleagues and representatives from the Netherlands Embassy to London, in elegant EMR livery.
Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in London, Brechje Schwachöfer, previously a Foreign Office diplomat, announced at train operating company Abellio EMR’s launch, today, that the Netherlands is committed to continuing work and investment in the UK rail and bus sectors, in a strong bi-lateral relationship.
Brechje explained that Abellio will spend more than £600m on improving rail services across the EMR franchise to provide more seats and services, and better, new trains. As a committed public transport user, she shared that she chooses not to own a car and as an avid cyclist was keen to highlight that more cycle-parking will be provided at EMR stations, as one of Abellio’s methods of addressing pollution.
Managing Director of Abellio UK, Dominic Booth, has managed six train operating companies and chaired ten. He stated that EMR will build upon the £1.5bn currently being invested by Network Rail on the Midland Mainline upgrade – involving electrification of some sections of the line – allowing bi-mode trains to operate by 2020 (which will reduce diesel particulate matter by 90 percent).
Dominic stressed that partnership is key to the success of this franchise, citing organisations such as East Midlands Councils and Transport for East Midlands and added that EMR’s headquarters will remain at Derby because it is situated at the heart of the network it serves. Other partnerships agreements include Midlands Connect, East Midlands Airport, London Luton Airport, HS1, Transport for the North, Visit Derby and Stakeholder Advisory boards.
Julian Edwards began working as the Managing Director of East Midlands Railway, yesterday. He is a management accountant with extensive experience in the rail sector. He praised the experienced senior management team who deliver every day to make EMR happen.
EMR’s IT Mobilisation expert, Scott Phillips said that working with EMT and Stagecoach had been a pleasure because their professionalism and dedication to good service had made the transition so smooth.
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