It is still possible to sign for the LiRa-2 Final Conference on September 15th in Manchester. This conference wil mark the end of the activities of the LiRa-2 INTERREG project. After almost three years the LiRa-2 project is coming to a close. At the LiRa-2 final conference the results and findings of this project will be presented. You are welcome to participate in the conference, which will be held in Manchester, United Kingdom, on September 15th 2005. The location of the conference is the Museum of Science and Industry.

If you are interested in attending the conference and want more information about the hotels and travelling to Manchester, please go to the registration form. Participation is free of charge, hotel and travelling are at your own expenses.

A pocket-sized booklet which is full of tips on using buses, trains and trams in Greater Manchester is proving so popular that requests for it have even come in from the USA and Europe. A second edition of GMPTE's free 'Connecting People with Places' booklet has now been published after the first 20,000 copies were snapped up.

The booklet is available at various locations around Greater Manchester, including all GMPTE Travelshops at local bus stations. Frequent, as well as infrequent, users of public transport are being encouraged to pick up a copy to find out how to get the best from local services.

Visitors to Greater Manchester - including those from abroad - are also able to get hold of the booklet by ordering it on GMPTE's website.

A milestone was reached in the building of the Oosterheem line on the 22nd of June when the first bridge segment was put in place. Like a caterpillar, the construction site crawls into the Oosterheem area. All 33 bridge segments will be in place at the end of 2005.

See www.randstadrail.nl for more information.

Transport bosses in Greater Manchester are planning to expand a unique initiative which persuaded hundreds of people in the county to use public transport more often.

Selected residents living near to the Stockport- to- Manchester Quality Bus Corridor were given the chance to have a day's free travel on the 191 or 192 bus services as part of a joint project run by GMPTE and Stagecoach Manchester towards the end of last year.

The corridor, which runs along main roads between the town and the city, has significantly improved bus journey times and punctuality by giving buses advantages over other vehicles.

These include traffic signal prioritisation and separate bus lanes. The free bus travel campaign was designed to get people to give up their car for a day in favour of a quicker and healthier public transport alternative. More than half of those who took part are now using the bus more often or say they are more likely to use it in the future. Nearly a quarter admitted they rarely caught a bus before the promotion.

GMPTE's Service Delivery Director, Denise Lennox, said: "We're delighted that more than 1100 people decided to take up the offer of a free Dayrider ticket, with some impressive results. There are so many benefits of using public transport instead of your car. It is better for the environment, can often be quicker and it can improve your health as well.

"Many people simply never think about catching a bus. Some have outdated ideas of what it will be like and have got into a routine of using their car. It's been nice to be able to persuade so many people that using the bus can be a better alternative."

Mark Threapleton, Managing Director of Stagecoach Manchester, added: "Bus journeys between Stockport and Manchester are frequent and reliable, and offer a realistic alternative to using a car. We were pleased to have the opportunity to show off the service to people who don't often use the bus, particularly those who commute to work. "Since the Stockport to Manchester Quality Bus Corridor was introduced we've seen journey times for the 192 service reduce by up to ten percent in peak periods. It's great that the pilot has been such a success."

It is the first time GMPTE has worked in partnership with a bus operator to promote a public transport service in this way. The idea came out of the flagship 'Integrate' project, which was launched in 1998 and is the longest standing partnership agreement of its kind.

GMPTE is now working with the bus operators to develop a similar initiative in North Manchester following the success of the pilot campaign.

In East Lancashire two major projects are working together ensure that the right sort of housing is provided with the right transport links.

The Government Communities Plan, launched in February 2003, highlighted that the provision of attractive, affordable, housing with good public transport links is crucial to creating vibrant, sustainable communities in urban and rural areas.

The Partnership's Rapid Transit project and the Elevate Housing programme are working together to forge these critical links to ensure everyone in East Lancashire has access to jobs and all the social facilities they need.

Elevate is a housing market renewal pathfinder, established to transform the industrial towns of East Lancashire by tackling acute problems of low demand housing and abandoned homes.

Elevate's vision is that East Lancashire becomes a place where people choose to live, work, visit and relax. £103 million will be invested in the first two years of what will be a 10-15 year programme, funded through Elevate, English Partnerships, the Housing Corporation and the NWDA. Further investment will come from a range of other public and private sector.

The Rapid Transit project aims to deliver a radical overhaul of the public transport system in East Lancashire by developing an integrated rapid transit network. An important aspect of the Rapid Transit Project is that it grows alongside broader regeneration initiatives such as the Pathfinder housing market renewal programme, providing increased accessibility to jobs and encouraging the design of new developments to facilitate public transport.

The work on the RandstadRail light rail system between Rotterdam and The Hague continues at full speed. A new stop 'Ternoot' has been officially opened on the 7th of July 2005.

Nearby, at the Prinses Beatrixlaan, RandstadRail is literally taking shape. A big assembly hall has been built in which steel segments of the new fly-over are to be welded. The first of these left the assembly hall on the 7th of June 2005.
This segment still has to be given a final coating before being put in place in the autumn of 2005. The outside of the assembly hall features an image of the fly-over in its finished state.

On the Prinses Beatrixlaan columns are awaiting prefabricated concrete bridge segments. The first six of these segments have already been placed in the weekend of the 15th and 16th of July.

See www.randstadrail.nl for more information.

The Rotterdam Tramway Company (RET) has bought 21 new light rail vehicles (LRVs) for the RandstadRail light rail system between Rotterdam and The Hague. These LRVs supplied by Bombardier Transportation are due to commence service in 2008. The contract was signed by the new manager of the RET, Pedro Peters, and Wolfgang Tolsner, Chief Operating Officer of Bombardier. The new LRVs were officially presented to the public by Mr Hulman, member of the executive board of the city region of Rotterdam and Mr Bruins, member of the executive board of the city region of Haaglanden. The purchase prize exceeds 80 million euro.

These modern light rail carriages are fast, safe and comfortable. The transparent trams are equipped with onboard cameras to ensure public safety and can reach a maximum speed of 100 km/h. They accelerate fast and also have a shorter braking distance compared to other trams, effectively shortening the travelling time. Passengers onboard have access to current travel information through electronic displays. The trams also have top cooling for a comfortable temperature in summer.

Work has now been completed on a new 43-space car park at the Crumpsall Metrolink stop - meaning more people will able to park up, leave their cars and take the tram.

The development is part of a major investment by Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority in Park and Ride facilities at stops along the Bury - Altrincham Metrolink line. A six-space cark park was opened at Besses O'th Barn last month, and advance works are currently underway on a major Park and Ride site at Whitefield.

Councillor Andrew Fender, Manchester spokesperson for Authority, welcomed the opening of the new car park at Crumpsall saying: "Undoubtedly, Metrolink has been a major success in encouraging people to leave their car behind for some journeys. The car parks along the Bury line are very well used and I'm sure that this added capacity at Crumpsall will be appreciated by regular users of the car park in place there.

Hopefully, the new facility - which has also seen the installation of cycle stands and lockers - will encourage others to think about leaving their cars behind and taking the tram."

The development has been subject to extensive local consultation during the planning process and also involves upgrading access to the platform to conform to the latest Disability Discrimination Act standards.

Two East Lancashire Partnership transport initiatives were recently honoured at a prestigious national awards ceremony in London. Bowland Transit and Carnforth Connect were both nominated for awards at the UK's Bus Industry Awards. The Ribble Valley Service Bowland Transit triumphed in the Buses for Pleasure category.

The rural bus service which is jointly funded by Lancashire County Council, the Countryside Agency and the Enterprising Rural Communities Programme aims to improve the mobility of those living in the Forest of Bowland as well as encouraging visitors to enjoy this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Bowland Transit also came up trumps in the Bus in the Countryside category pipping Carnforth Connect another Enterprising Rural Communities rural transport project at the post.

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority is planning to spend around £150,000 on reinstating the canopy over Platform 1 at Altrincham Interchange.

Members received feedback from GMPTE on a detailed study into options for improving shelter at the platform, which they commissioned earlier in the year.

Platform 1 is used by Metrolink passengers and is the busiest at the station. The glazed panels on the canopy over the platform were removed by Network Rail in April 2003 due to safety concerns. The organisation is responsible for maintaining the platform roof at the Interchange.

Councillor Roland Griffin, Trafford spokesperson for the Authority, said: "I'm delighted that we will be able to provide shelter for passengers using Platform 1 at Altrincham Interchange, which will be equivalent to the length of a double tram. The roof is currently in an unacceptable condition and people are having to put up with waiting for trams in the wind and rain.

"Whilst the Authority remains committed to constructing a new, high quality transport interchange on the site of the existing facility, this will take a number of years. It is therefore essential that the canopy over Platform 1 is reinstated in the near future.

"We have asked GMPTE to carry out further work into certain options and to present a preferred choice to us, together with a schedule for the work, at the start of September."

Although an initial attempt to secure £16.5 million in government funding for a major redevelopment of Altrincham Interchange was unsuccessful, the Authority remains committed to remodelling it in the longer term.