When it is not hauling freight around the rail network, EWS takes on the rather more glamorous role of running the Royal Train. Now Prince Charles has become the first passenger to travel on a train hauled by a locomotive fuelled by 100 per cent bio fuel, in a trial that reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 19 per cent for its journey to Scarborough. The service forms part of a four month programme of testing to assess the suitability of this fuel for mainline rail services. EWS has worked closely with the Royal Household as part of its continuing work to lower the amount of carbon emitted from transport to Royal engagements.
If the results from the trial prove positive, it will assist in the decision making process regarding the Royal Train being permanently powered by 100 per cent bio fuel and allow EWS to consider operating freight trains for its customers using the same fuel, subject to acceptable levels of bio fuel duty. Passenger train operating companies could also consider using this fuel.
Pall-Ex founder and managing director Hilary Devey who was recently appointed patron for the Princess Royal Trust for Carers, met Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to present a cheque for £5,000. Hilary was a special guest at Sandwell Carers’ Centre celebration of a landmark 21 years of providing support and respite care to carers. Almost 150 similar carers’ centres supported by the trust provide such support across the UK. Hilary met some of the carers, and saw the benefits of Pall-Ex’s support before being introduced to Princess Anne, who is President and initiated The Trust.
Taking traffic off the road doesn’t always mean moving it onto rail. The River Cart has been used for commercial traffic for the first time in some 20 years by Steel Engineering of Renfrew. The river, which runs alongside the Westway industrial park, has been used to transport barges loaded with steel spools weighing 80 tonnes, for the first leg of their 600-mile journey around the coast of Scotland to Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The spools, which measure 8.6m wide by 6.1m high, were constructed by Steel Engineering in their unit at Westway. The size and shape of the goods prevented them from being transported to their final destination by road, where they will be used by the oil industry for laying pipes. Moorfield, which manages Westway, and Renfrewshire Council are now working on plans to enable more substantial vessels to use the River Cart for the benefit of the occupiers of Westway.
Which of your co-workers do you trust most? Temporary staff, cleaners, salesmen and security guards are perceived as the least trustworthy members of staff in a recent survey into “Trust, Security and Passwords” by Cyber-Ark Software, specialists in digital vaulting. But perhaps more surprising is the fact that the board of directors (10 per cent) and PR and marketing personnel (10 per cent) were then closely ranked as the next in line as the groups of people who are trusted least within organisations. Coming up as most trustworthy were staff in personnel, the legal department and the boss’s secretary. The survey was conducted among 200 office workers mainly consisting of IT personnel who unsurprisingly, felt that they were the most trustworthy. No mention was made of logisticians.
PUD Driver of the Year Richard Coe (left) and Fork Lift Truck Operator of the Year Greg Eaton celebrate their success in the TNT Express annual Operational Safety Competition. There were some 70 competitors. Other winners were: Linehaul Driver Mark Venters and Loading Bay Operative Richard Douglas. The competition was established in 2000 to recognise the contribution that the company’s drivers, forklift truck operators and loading bank operatives make to the success of the business.
Volvo Trucks has unveiled a new alcolock for commercial vehicles which improves on its previous version, so that calibration of the system is not needed more than once every 12 months. The Swedish government has taken the initiative on the introduction of alcolocks as standard in vehicles and Lennart Pilskog of Volvo says: “We are convinced this would save many lives, every single day on roads throughout Europe.”
The alcolock consists of a central unit and a hand-held remote unit with a disposable mouthpiece and a display screen. If the driver’s breath contains traces of alcohol, the central unit cuts the current supply to the starter motor, fuel pump or ignition system and the vehicle will not start.
Woodland Group has become official transport and logistics partner for Great Britain’s national baseball team. Its first task was to transport the team’s equipment to the German Baseball Open tournament in Regensburg, Germany in August. The team hopes to represent Great Britain at next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing.
