I always thought the permit thing was about taking photos/videos on metro (inside), not of metro (outside) - but I seem to be mistaken. I'm still non-the-wiser on whether you're allowed to take photos of Metro trains on public property or not - it's all rather confusing to me!
Here's links to a couple of other forums about the issue:
http://railways.national-preservation.co...phers.html
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=26374
Managed to find some information on the now defunct Project Orpheus for those who are interested -
Introduction
CITIES, like people, need air to breathe. If a city’s main arteries are clogged and congested then, like human beings, they simply begin to fail.
Tyne and Wear is facing that failure in the next 20 years thanks to growing car use and decline in public transport.
Nexus, the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive, has overseen the provision of quality public transport since the late sixties and in the last few years has unveiled a blueprint for the future of public transport entitled Project Orpheus.
Orpheus stands on the shoulders of the Tyne and Wear Metro, which has successfully served the people of the North for 25 years and rising.
Its success in bucking the trend of national public transport decline in recent years could be the key factor in persuading people to "modally shift" or leave their cars behind to access the cities of Sunderland and Newcastle.
Economic regeneration will be hampered and stifled by chronic congestion; modal shift cannot occur without investment and rejuvenation of the existing landscape and without planning and foresight the disadvantaged areas of our society will not have access to jobs, leisure and education.
Without measures to address rising car ownership, less road space and increased pollution, Tyne and Wear could be gripped by epidemic congestion, the kind of which is witnessed daily in the south of England, by 2015 or sooner.
By building on the success of Metro, Project Orpheus can change the panorama for ever. This document sets out how we got here, where we are today and, most importantly, our plans for the future in partnership with the people of Tyne and Wear.
A celebration of 25 years of Metro it also has one foot firmly fixed in the future as Project Orpheus gathers momentum.
Orpheus is being developed to deliver the key objectives of:
- Providing greater and more equal mobility for the people of Tyne & Wear;
- Assisting the local economy by reducing levels of road traffic congestion;
- Reducing air and noise pollution; and
- Contributing to a healthier and safer society.
The potential market for the Orpheus Project includes encouraging modal shift, maintaining and increasing use amongst existing public transport users, and meeting new traffic generation to serve new development areas.
Preliminary work has identified that this indicative network could add approximately 100 route kilometres to the existing system.
High quality modern bus services with significant priority over other vehicles will provide the solution for most of these corridors for the next 10 years.
Street run trams integrated with the Metro will be the solution on the busiest corridors in 2015-2025.
A Tyne and Wear wide strategy of demand restraint is fundamental to reversing the 20 year decline in public transport use in the region.
Where We Are Going - Project Orpheus "Building on success"
For the last 35 years Nexus has overseen the delivery of high quality public transport, including the award winning Tyne and Wear Metro. The Metro has been an outstanding success offering public travel to 25% of the local population and carrying in excess of 100,000 people per day.
Quality public transport is recognised as an important supporting factor in regeneration and business achievement.
Metro has offered that support in the North East and remains at the heart of public transport in the region.
Metro is a system designed and built in the 70s. Even though it only serves one quarter of the population, it is has been heavily used by hundreds of millions of passengers. As a result, Metro in its current form is coming to the end of its useful life and there is a need to rejuvenate the whole public transport system in the region and meet the aspirations of today’s travelling public and the customers of tomorrow.
In recent years Nexus has lobbied Government for support to improve public transport in the area. The Sunderland Metro extension is an example of the success in persuading Government that public transport can reduce social barriers and open up new markets.
An additional £8million investment in digital CCTV equipment has boosted the public’s perception of safety on the network. This investment has been critical in persuading people to use public transport.
Project Orpheus is looking to take public transport in the North East into a new phase for a new generation of travellers.
It was launched in 2002 with the ambitious aim of making quality public transport accessible to all of Tyne and Wear’s population.
29 key traffic corridors have been analysed across the region to determine the best public transport solution for each corridor. These solutions were identified as a mix of Superoutes with high quality buses, guided bus lanes and the longer- term answer of street running trams in the busiest corridors.
Improving access, ticketing, information and accessibility will be a top priority throughout the Metro system. Over the next twenty years Nexus will also look to replace existing Metro trains with the latest state of the art, customer friendly equipment. Investment in signalling and communication systems will improve the frequency and reliability of core services.
This vision can only become a reality with the support of local, central and European government, as well as partners in the public and private sector.
Without this support, increased traffic congestion will affect the local economy, prevent people moving freely in the area and increase pollution levels.
The aim of Project Orpheus is to upgrade Metro and, together with the bus and tram based solutions for the 29 key traffic corridors, provide our region with a world class public transport system that is second to none.
The aim is to make Project Orpheus THE public transport solution for the next generation.
Without the solutions offered by Project Orpheus, ever increasing traffic congestion in Tyne and Wear will seriously damage the local economy, prevent people from moving freely and increase pollution levels.
25 years of Metro - a regional success story
Tyneside has a long and proud railway history. In 1904 it became one of the first British cities outside London to have an electric suburban railway, electrified to fight off competition from tramways. The electric network was extended to south of the Tyne during the 1930s but electric operation was discontinued in the 1960s when no money was available to renew fixed equipment.
Tramways and buses proved the major players in the public transport map of the decades after WWII and by 1968 Transport legislation was aimed at integration of transport and land use and within transport itself, particularly in public transport.
The Passenger Transport Authorities (PTAs) comprising local Councillors, created in the metropolitan conurbations were responsible for broad policy and the financing and integration of this public transport.
Their Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) (in the North East TWPTE, renamed Nexus in the mid nineties) were professionally responsible for that implementation.
PTEs ran the buses previously owned by the local councils, were responsible for overall public transport planning and development, and achieved integration through direct operations and via agreements with other bus operators, and with British Rail for local suburban services.
In 1971 the Tyne Wear Plan land use and transportation study recommended a balanced programme of investment in roads and public transport.
It identified the potential of the local railway system was not being realised because it did not penetrate the central areas of Newcastle and Gateshead.
Conversion to a modern urban railway with tunnels penetrating to the main traffic objectives would enable it to be the backbone of a fully integrated public transport system, in the short term for the benefit of the majority without cars, longer term as an attractive alternative to the car.
Thus the idea of Metro was born. A high frequency, modern, accessible network available to the people of the North East.
Local authorities, the PTA and the PTE endorsed these recommendations and both PTA and PTE actively pursued them.
Central Government Grant towards the capital cost was approved late in 1972 and parliamentary Powers to build Metro were given in 1973. Construction began in 1974 and the first section, from Haymarket to Tynemouth, opened in 1980.
The system was then progressively opened in phases through to 1984 when the full 55km of route became operational.
In the mid eighties Government policy moved from integration to deregulation. The Transport Act 1985 introduced commercial operation for local buses and a decrease in local political influence. PTAs no longer had total policy influence, and were limited to decisions on concessionary travel, provision of bus services which are socially necessary but not viable, financial support for local rail services and the overall promotion of public transport.
The Metro system is made up of converted suburban railway and new construction, some of which is in tunnel under the centres of Newcastle, Sunderland and Gateshead.
In 1991 an extension to the Airport was added and likewise an extension to Wearside in 2002.
The 58 Metro stations vary from major underground facilities, through bus and park-and-ride interchanges, to wayside halts in residential areas. Most stations, apart from underground, are unmanned and incorporate facilities for the disabled. Metro was the first railway in the UK to do so.
The 90 articulated twin Metrocars are a British derivative of the FRG Stadtbahnwagen B. They are lightweight steel construction clad in aluminium, and have attractive easily maintainable finishes. Each unit provides seating for 84 passengers and has a crush load capacity of over 200. Generously dimensioned door bays, accessed via sliding plug doors provide space for prams, wheelchairs and luggage; also standees.
Cars are single-manned with the driver being located in a one third width cab at the leading end of the vehicle.
Traction power is collected by pantograph at 1500v DC. Traction and rheostatic braking control is by oil/air camshafts developed from a British-Rail application.
Car suspension comprises Bochum resilient wheels, chevron rubber primary suspension and air suspension between bogie and car body. Air pressure provides a means of load sensing to maintain consistent acceleration and braking rates; slip slide control is also provided.
The system has its own fleet of works locomotives and vehicles, operating out of Gosforth Traction Maintenance Depot where the passenger fleet is also maintained.
Safety signalling uses two and three aspect colour light signals associated with high frequency a.c. track circuits. Inductive train stops are located at every stop signal. Train movements are monitored at an illuminated panel in the Control Room at the Control Centre. There is a dedicated radio link between drivers and control.
Electrical power control is located in the Control Room.
The basic operation of Metro at peak times is 12 minutes South Hylton to St James and 10 minutes South Shields to Airport.
Off peak the frequency is 12 minutes (both) and 15 minutes (both) in the evenings.
The operating day runs from 0530 to 0015.
Tickets are sold from automatic, change-giving machines at all stations. They are available for through-journeys to and from specified bus services.
Travelcard season tickets, available over a wide range of zonal combinations, are available weekly, monthly and annually, off-peak or all-day.
Concessionary travel for children, persons in full time education, the elderly and disabled is funded by the PTA and provided under the PTE arrangements.
The system carries approximately 39 million passengers a year and has significantly reduced journey times in the area.
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