TRANSPORT INNOVATORS PROMOTE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND TECHNICAL ADVICE

Caspar Lucas appointed as Parry Associates' Technical Services Director

West Midlands engineering firm JPM Parry & Associates Ltd has made a new appointment to its board of directors in order to focus on the provision of professional services for transport innovation.

The company, which since the early 1990s has provided project management services to the Parry People Movers (PPM) venture, is now an industry leader in the introduction of innovation to rail transport.  Since December 2005, a PPM light railcar has been running passenger services on part of the UK's national rail network by Pre Metro Operations Ltd.  Parry Associates provided the input to the acceptance process for the Sunday operation on the Stourbridge Town branch, resulting in the first public operation of a lightweight railcar on the Network Rail system.

The operation at Stourbridge points the way to the use of lightweight rail technology to radically improve local public transport in many other locations - passenger services could be introduced on rail lines that are currently closed, on sections of heritage railways, in urban areas in the form of affordable tramways, and on branches of the national rail network that today require heavy subsidy to stay open.

Caspar Lucas - formerly Parry Associates' Engineering Manager and principal projects manager for the PPM venture - has been appointed to the company's board as Technical Services Director.  A chartered mechanical engineer, he joined the company in 2004 after working in train operation, maintenance and supply activities in the main line rail industry.  He will develop the firm's business as a specialist supplier of professional services and advice on new transport technology.

John Parry, chairman of Parry Associates, said: "It can be very hard to introduce innovation on to the railways.  But without innovation, some rail lines are at risk because they're simply too expensive.  And Britain's 'tramway revolution' has ground to a halt because of cost and complexity.  Yet trains and trams are incredibly popular and will attract travellers from their cars.  Our innovations provide a way to expand rail-based transport again."

Caspar Lucas said: "Innovative lightweight rail technology is now proving itself - week in, week out - at Stourbridge.  It's both lower cost for the operators and popular with passengers: a winning combination.  The task now is to make sure that the knowledge is available to be used elsewhere, and we're ready to help anyone who wants to improve local transport."

For further information, see www.parryassociates.com/transport

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

JPM Parry & Associates Ltd

BACKGROUND: JPM Parry & Associates Ltd was founded in 1974 by John Parry, one of the early team of directors of the Intermediate Technology Development Group and chair of its Building Materials Panel, to offer technical services to the construction industry in Britain and overseas.  Shortly afterwards, the company started to develop a range of intermediate technology machinery that could be used to produce quality building materials in developing countries using local resources.  These are now in service in over 80 countries.

TRANSPORT INNOVATION: Applied to transport, the Parry approach to technological development produced the flywheel energy storage system licensed to Parry People Movers Ltd (incorporated as a separate company in 1992).  JPM Parry & Associates Ltd has continued as the project managers for the PPM venture.

EXPERTISE: The experience gained from project management of the PPM venture, including the approvals for public operation at Stourbridge, has given JPM Parry & Associates Ltd a unique background in the introduction of transport innovation.  This knowledge can now be transferred to numerous other applications where a new approach to would permit high-quality, attractive public transport to be implemented.

FURTHER INFORMATION: Please contact -
Caspar Lucas MEng CEng MIMechE, Technical Services Director
JPM Parry & Associates Ltd
Overend Road, Cradley Heath, West Midlands, B64 7DD
Telephone: +44 (0)1384 569171
Fax: +44 (0)1384 637753
Email: caspar.lucas@parryassociates.com
Website: www.parryassociates.com/transport

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