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Rail companies are selling airline passengers tickets to ride even before touchdown. Heathrow Express has struck a deal with Aer Lingus, which means passengers can book onward train travel as part of their flight booking. Aer Lingus has a large number of business travellers from Ireland and operates twelve flights a day between Dublin and London Heathrow, four flights a day between Cork and Heathrow and three flights a day between Belfast and Shannon and Heathrow. Aer Lingus passengers can now book their flight and a Heathrow Express journey at the same time. Meanwhile Stansted Express welcomed Air Moldova to Stansted Airport by offering complimentary first class tickets to all passengers upon disembarking. The inaugural flight, on 29 April, was captained by Air Moldova’s Chief Executive Officer
Railcare wins Contract
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Airline passengers welcomed to rail
and qualified pilot Iulian Scorpan. Shah Snehal of the Stansted Express presented Mr Scorpan’s passengers with the tickets to London Liverpool Street. ‘We are delighted to welcome Air Moldova to Stansted Airport and look forward to welcoming visitors from Chisinau (the capital of Moldova) to the UK
and to the Stansted Express,’ said Shah Snehal. Moldova achieved independence from Russia in 1991. Gatwick Express started selling rail tickets via airline bookings many years ago. Airlines offering onward travel with Gatwick Express currently include including easyJet and Virgin Atlantic.
Porterbrook Leasing has awarded a contract to Railcare to undertake a major overhaul of its Mark 3 coaches operated by Abelio Greater Anglia. The contract, valued at £5m, starts in October 2013 and will see all 111 vehicles put through a full C6 overhaul at Railcare’s Wolverton facility. Says Alex White, operations director for Porterbrook, ‘Railcare has successfully completed several C6 projects on Porterbrook’s fleet in recent years and the Mark 3 contract will continue to build on that relationship.’
Bakerloo wedding walk Newly weds Eliot Maunder and Emily Drabek wanted to get their marriage off to a good start and together with a party of 30 wedding guests took to the London Underground. The pair were married at Marylebone Register Office and travelled to the reception at Charing Cross by tube. Railway staff reserved the front coach for them and looked after the newly weds on the short trip from Baker Street. Latin teacher Eliot, 28, and PhD student Emily, 25, went through the wide aisle gates at Baker Street with their wedding party. Says Eliot of The Cut, Southwark, London, ‘We wanted to travel on the Underground because it is so quick and easy. I travel on the Tube every day to get to work and it is 12
the best way to get around the capital. There are always staff around if you need them, and on this special day we did. They guided us to the front of the train and we had a whole carriage to ourselves for all the wedding guests.’ Emily, from Exeter in Devon, is also a fan of the London Underground. ‘When you live in Devon you really do appreciate the public transport in London,
particularly the Tube.’ Howard Collins London Underground’s Chief Operating Officer wished the couple well. ‘We are delighted that we could speed this young couple on their way to their wedding meal. The new wide aisle gates at the station meant that their guests and the other passengers were able to get through independently and onto the train very quickly,’ said Howard.
“We wanted to travel on the Underground because it is so quick and easy. I travel on the Tube every day to get to work and it is the best way to get around the capital…” ELIOT MAUNDER www.railstaff.co.uk