JCDecaux

Business Hails Tramlink as Award-Winning Innovation

25 January 2001

At the London First Millennium Awards dinner hosted by Joanna Lumley on Thursday, 25 January 2001, the London Borough of Croydon and Tramtrack Croydon Ltd are being presented with an award for Croydon Tramlink - the 28 km tramway connecting central Croydon with the surrounding area. The award is being received by David Wechsler, chief executive of the London Borough of Croydon and Bob Dorey, chairman of Tramtrack Croydon Ltd. It is sponsored by international street furniture provider JCDecaux, and its managing director, Pierre Jeanjean, is presenting the award.

London First, the leading business organisation for the capital, has organised the Millennium Awards ceremony, held at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, to honour the energy and vision behind the glorious festivals, new landmarks and community projects enjoyed across London throughout the year 2000.

Commenting on the award presented to the Croydon Tramlink, Stephen O'Brien, Chief Executive of London First, said: Millennium Year will be remembered as an extraordinary year of achievement for London. The celebrations have been an impetus for remarkable individuals and groups to bring about improvement and attract the world to the best city in which to celebrate the Year 2000.

The Tramlink has been a fantastic success story of the Millennium year by providing south London with an accessible, environmentally-friendly system which reduces traffic congestion and actively encourages public transport by offering a real alternative to the car. It has become a vital part of a truly integrated public transport system.

David Wechsler, chief executive of the London Borough of Croydon said I am delighted to accept this award on behalf of the Croydon Tramlink project and I applaud the many benefits it has brought to the area.

Tramtrack Croydon's chairman, Bob Dorey said: I am thrilled to receive this award - the Tramlink is an incredible success story and is becoming increasingly popular. It already carries around 50,000 passengers per day - more than similar, more well-established systems in the UK. Recent figures reveal that this rose to 60,000 daily users over the Christmas period with shopping centres in Croydon enjoying record trade as a result.

JCDecaux's managing director, Pierre Jeanjean said: JCDecaux believes strongly in the importance of innovation and excellence in transport infrastructure and Tramlink is an outstanding example of that ethos. I am delighted to present this award to Tramlink which has bought a wealth of benefits to the area. Increased custom for local retailers, easier car parking, renewed commercial investment - even a renaissance in pavement café society - have all been attributed to the new Tramlink service

Notes to editors:

London First was set up in the early 1990s to mobilise business leaders to improve and promote London. Funded entirely by 330 private sector organisations and most of the capital's higher and further education institutions, London First engages business leaders in decision-making about London's future. Its core activities include campaigning for improved transport and environment, promoting London as the Millennium City and increasing the employability of Londoners. London First works in partnership with business, local government, voluntary organisations and other decision-makers to ensure London's position as the leading world-class city.

Sister organisation London First Centre is the inward investment agency for the capital. London First Centre is a private and public sector partnership supported by the London business community through London First, the London Development Agency, Invest.UK (part of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office), and the Corporation of London. In six years of operation, London First Centre's free consultancy service has directly assisted over 460 companies from 32 countries around the world to locate or expand in the capital.

London First's principal sponsors are Argent Group, BAA, British Airways, BT, Canary Wharf plc, Clifford Chance, Ernst & Young, ExCel, KPMG, Land Securities, MWB Business Exchange, Nelson Bakewell, Orchestream, Paddington Basin Developments, Quintain Estates and Development, Regalian Properties, Resolution Property, Thames Water and Westminster Healthcare.

JCDecaux is a global outdoor media company with over 405,000 advertising displays in 33 countries, reaching over 120million people every day. It has a reputation for the achieving the highest quality of product design and customer service. The company is currently the world's third largest outdoor advertising group and is the world leader in the street furniture market and airport advertising.