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| As TFL extends the New Routemaster fleet to 1,000, CT Plus orders the Enviro400H city for their route 26 contract. |
In
my previous article I wrote about route 59 and 91 receiving New Routemaster
buses and now Wrightbus have just published their press release, so I need to
break this news.
From
Wrightbus
New
order for 195 New Routemaster buses protects 300 jobs at Wrightbus
• New Routemaster
supply chain supports UK businesses from Cornwall to Darlington
The Mayor of London is
in Northern Ireland today (29 February) where he is confirming an order with
Wrightbus for another 195 of the iconic
New Routemaster buses.
Billions of pounds are
invested by Transport for London on products and services from businesses
outside the capital every year; and the deal with Wrightbus will safeguard 300
manufacturing jobs, as well as support a supply chain of companies across the
United Kingdom.
The Mayor is confirming the order during a visit to
the Wrightbus chassis plant that was created as a direct result of orders for
London’s New Routemaster bus. While there he will tour the factory floor and
meet the team building London’s iconic red buses.
Transport for London
has a productive relationship with businesses in Northern Ireland and in 2015
they spent £93m with suppliers based
there.
Later in the day the
Mayor will head to Magherafelt to meet staff at Windell Ltd. They are glazing
specialists who have supplied glass for projects including the Emirates Air
Line. He will then head to Lisburn to meet staff at Boomer Industries Ltd, one
of the most respected names in the plastics industry, and a supplier of
materials for the New Routemaster.
The day will conclude
when the Mayor addresses guests at a business reception at Hillsborough Castle
hosted by the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in partnership
with Wrightbus.
The Mayor of London,
Boris Johnson MP, said: “I am absolutely delighted to be able to confirm a
further order for these superb buses. They are a masterpiece of British
engineering and design, and they prove that we are capable of building a bus in
the UK with cutting edge technology that simultaneously delivers jobs and
growth around the country.”
The production of 1,000 New Routemaster buses in Northern
Ireland by the family-owned Wrightbus Group – which employs 2,000 local people
– has sustained 300 jobs, created 100 brand new jobs and supported 120
apprenticeships. Today’s order was made at a reduced rate of £319,000 per bus, which is comparable to the cost of a standard hybrid bus.
Welcoming the deal,
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP said:
“This is brilliant news for Ballymena-based Wrightbus and all the Northern
Ireland firms in the supply chain who stand to gain from this significant
investment by TfL.
“I have been deeply
committed over recent months to helping get this over the line for Northern
Ireland so I am particularly pleased with this deal. These iconic buses
represent a powerful link between Northern Ireland and Greater London, as well
as with all the other UK firms whose expertise contributes to the outstanding
qualities of this world class vehicle.”
The buses have two staircases and three sets of doors allowing large numbers of
passengers to board and alight and will be supplied with opening windows on the
upper and lower decks following feedback from passengers.
The buses boast the
latest Euro 6 engines and will increase
the number of hybrid buses in the Capital to 1,900 – representing 20 per cent
of the overall fleet – when they enter service in summer 2017.
As well as the
manufacture of New Routemaster chassis and superstructures in Northern Ireland,
a number of components for New Routemaster buses are made by companies from
around the UK; including engines from Darlington, seats from Telford, seat
moquettes from Huddersfield, wheelchair ramps from Hoddesdon and flooring from
Liskeard.
Transport for London
figures show that investment in the capital’s transport network is safeguarding
jobs across the whole of the UK, with more than 60 per cent of TfL’s spend
through its supply chain going to suppliers outside of London. It buys from a wide range of suppliers across
the UK including insulated tools engineered in Wednesbury, bolts forged in
Oldbury, vehicle flooring from Liskeard, timber milled in Jarrow, cable made in
Co Durham, steel rails from Scunthorpe and new trains from Derby. Altogether
investment in London’s transport network supports 60,000 jobs in the UK supply
chain.
London's Transport
Commissioner, Mike Brown MVO, said: "Northern Ireland is a vital link in
the supply chain for TfL, and today's visit demonstrates that investing in
transport infrastructure in London means investing outside it too, creating and
safeguarding jobs across the country."
Mark Nodder OBE,
Chairman and CEO of Wrights Group, said: “We are delighted to receive this
contract extension for a further 195 New
Routemasters from TfL. This will secure employment of around 300 of
our workers for a further 12 months, and will benefit our extensive supply
chain both in Northern Ireland and throughout the rest of the UK. For us the New Routemaster has combined
innovation and cutting edge technology in a way which showcases the best of
British manufacturing excellence.
“We would like to
thank Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and TfL for this endorsement of our
company’s capability, and also acknowledge the tremendous support and
encouragement we have received from both our local MP Ian Paisley, and also
Secretary of State The Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP.”
As
the price has gone down to £319,000 does it mean that private bus operating
companies can buy these New Routemaster buses? Also, the design of the New
Routemaster will be handed back to TFL as this will allow Wrightbus to sell
similar bus types to the New Routemaster bus.
The
original purpose of the New Routemaster was to bring back the open platform and
conductor, but since mid 2015 TFL modified the rear door to make it open
outwards like the middle doors do. The disadvantage with the 3 door 2
staircases Hybrid Bus is they provide the open boarding system which increases
the risk of fare evasion. Hopefully TFL will increase the number of revenue
protection inspectors in order to maintain revenue protection.
The
competitor to the New Routemaster is the Enviro400H City manufactured by Alexander Dennis.
They have designs based on the New Routemaster such as the glazed staircase.
The bus is a standard 2 doors and single
staircase which enabled bus operating companies to buy them. The interior
decoration of the Enviro400H City is based on the New Routemaster bus, so
hopefully we may see more new bus types with designs based on the NRM.
Routes
that are currently served by New Routemaster buses are 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15,
16, 24, 38, 55, 68, 73, 88, 137, 148, 149, 159, 168, 390 and 453. I have
recently announced that routes 59 and 91 will be converting to New Routemaster
buses and I'd also like to mention that as TFL leases the New Routemaster buses
to private bus operators, they have to pay £1 per New Routemaster bus a year for rental
lease as part of the contract.
The
Enviro400H City is currently in service on route 78; those buses are bought by
Arriva London. Route 26 will soon be converted to those buses as CT Plus has recently placed an order for them as
part of their new route contract.
The
Enviro400H City deserves more publicity as the bus is the competitor to the
New Routemaster bus.
Unfortunately,
I don't have any updates about the new shortened design of the New Routemaster
bus which was announced by London Bus Club during December 2015.
The
next TFL Board meeting is on 17th March 2016 and hopefully when the papers are published I'll be able to update you
with the progress of the extra 195 New Routemaster buses.
The
reason for this quick article is to raise awareness about the Enviro400H City
bus as well as the update of the New Routemaster project.
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which is @CLondoner92
Previous new Routemaster articles: