Ryder Cup delay could cause transport problems

Ryder Cup rained off on first day of play at the Celtic Manor Resort

Following rain delays at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, there is a chance the world famous golf tournament, The Ryder Cup, will have to be extended by a day.

The first day of the competition got off to a soggy start with torrential downpours causing organisers to cancel today’s play just two hours in. Now the tournament may be forced to hold the competition’s final day on a Monday, which would be the first time this has happened in the tournament’s history.

The final decision on whether or not the tournament will be extended until Monday in order to catch up on time lost today, is expected to be made at 4pm. If organisers do decided to hold the final day of play at the Ryder Cup on Monday, as opposed to Sunday, this could have major repercussions for the transport industry.

Coach hire companies across the country have bookings to transport golf fans to the Ryder Cup Final originally scheduled for Sunday. If the decision is made to postpone the final day until the Monday, potentially hundreds of coach hire bookings will have to be rescheduled.

However with such short notice, there’s no guarantee coach hire companies will have the availability to alter the bookings to provide transportation for the Monday should the competition be extended by a day.

As yet, there’s no official word on whether or not this will become a reality, however some insiders hopeful the golfers can make up the time lost today and still finish the tournament on Sunday as usual.

Arriva wins coach contract for the 2010 Ryder Cup

Arriva secure major coach contract for 2010 Ryder Cup

Arriva secure major coach contract for 2010 Ryder Cup

One of the Europe’s leading transport providers, Arriva, has won a prestigious contract to provide a coach service for the world’s most famous golfing tournament, The Ryder Cup 2010.

The 6 day tournament is being held at the Celtic Manor Resort, New port, South Wales between September 28th and October 3rd .

Arriva will be responsible for operating more than 120 coaches a day during this period transporting thousands of spectators. Coach provider, Tellings Golden Miller (TGM) will work in partnership with Arriva UK Trains Road Transport Section to execute the complex logistic procedure required for the event.

It is estimated that TGM will transport some 70,000 golf fans and VIPs from their hotels to the tournament during the 6 days with its on-the-ground coach service. Arriva UK Trains Road Transport Section will be working on another arm of the operation providing rail replacement and train crew transport for Arriva’s rail franchise.

The Managing Director of TGM, Stephen Telling said “This contract win is an excellent example of how Arriva businesses can work together to pool the breadth of experience we have to deliver professional, co-ordinated, transport solutions for our customers.”

Martin Gilbert, road transport manager at Arriva UK Trains Road Transport Section, spoke of his satisfaction at having won such an important contract and the impact this will have on business: “Securing a contract for a major event like the Ryder Cup is a fantastic achievement and our approach will benefit our client, coach operators and the Welsh economy.” He added “It builds on our recent success in providing road transport services for the 2009 Cosford Airshow and the new Ffos Las Racecourse in Carmarthenshire and shows our ability to grow our business by looking for new opportunities that compliment our core activities.”