JPM Parry & Associates - Press release

Publications just issued by both the Department for Transport and Britain's national rail infrastructure company Network Rail point the way towards the use of lightweight passenger rolling stock to achieve the twin aims of making rail transport more attractive to users and reducing its environmental impact.

Their statements connect with the successful introduction into public service of a lightweight "people mover" railcar manufactured by West Midlands-based engineering company JPM Parry & Associates Ltd. Since December 2005, a PPM 50 lightweight railcar run by a licensed train operator has provided public services on Sundays on the Stourbridge Town branch of the national rail network. Service reliability and punctuality have reached 99%.

In its Initial Strategic Business Plan for the period 2009-14, Network Rail identifies the benefits of lightweight railway rolling stock: "Two key issues that will drive rolling stock design in the future are the expectation of reduced journey times and a requirement to become more energy efficient. On the surface these are conflicting requirements, but they are actually achievable if we can make trains lighter. Lighter trains can deliver improved acceleration and braking, reducing journey times between stations and using less energy."

Network Rail also states its intention to support work aimed at achieving these benefits: "Working with stakeholders throughout the industry we will be reviewing the way standards drive costs on community rail lines and whether there are any opportunities to reduce the subsequent costs."

The Stourbridge Town service is demonstrating both the advantages of lightweighting and how rail operations on short branch lines can be simplified by the use of appropriate risk-control measures in place of the blanket application of standards suitable to high-speed main lines. The Stourbridge service operates completely separately from other, heavier trains - providing one possible solution to Network Rail's point that "we will be undertaking work to understand how this approach can be managed" since lighter vehicles "will mean mixing heavy and light vehicles on the network"

The Department for Transport has also expressed interest in the lightweight suburban railway concept. The West Midlands franchise consultation document, published on 8th June, highlights the challenges facing the transport industry where rail services bring significant social benefits but require heavy subsidies: "It is recognised that the current operation provides a useful link between Stourbridge Junction and the Town; however operational costs are high and it is possible that alternative options for providing a rail-based service would represent better value for money. The line currently hosts the innovative 'Parry People Mover' light rail vehicle which operates an experimental Sunday service. Light rail solutions such as this could represent a way forward for the route."

Centro (the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive) has made it clear that the Stourbridge Town branch is of importance for local transport and closure of the rail link is not an option.

"We must pay tribute to our supporters and shareholders who have stood by the development of lightweight rail technology since we started," said John Parry, chairman of the company. "It's good to see that their foresight is being recognised."

Caspar Lucas, Technical Services Director of JPM Parry & Associates Ltd, pointed out the benefits of the lightweight rail approach. "It's more environmentally-friendly, more people-friendly and can reduce subsidies from the taxpayer for public transport. Lightweight suburban rail offers the quality of modern tramways - which we know attracts drivers out of their cars - but makes it available to more people and more communities because it is more affordable."

Building on the experience gained at Stourbridge and elsewhere, JPM Parry & Associates offer technical services to other transport organisations to help introduce lightweight railway technology. See www.parryassociates.com/transport for more details.

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. For further details, see www.parrypeoplemovers.com

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.

ILLUSTRATIONS: Drawings and photographs can be obtained by making contact as below.

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