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East Anglia Branch News - Snippets Issue 130 - 23/01/2004

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News from the East Anglian Branch of Railfuture, Edited by Martin Thorne and Jerry Alderson.

Railfuture News Snippets 130 - 23/01/2004



BBC Radio 4's File on Four programme at 20:00 on Tuesday 27th January, reporter Alan Whitehouse will be asking whether or not Britain's privatised railway companies are delivering value for money both travellers and taxpayers.

Snippets readers near to Cambridge might like to tune into Star 107.9 on Monday 26th January at 5.30pm, when there is likely to be a 20-minute programme about the St.Ives line. Interviews with CAST.IRON executives David MacKay and Jerry Alderson and another with county councillor Shona Johnstone were conducted on 19th/20th January. Star plan to give each side 10 minutes. Note: the broadcast time may change.


ROLLING STOCK
First Great Eastern encounters technical problems with new Desiros

Keywords: [FirstGreatEastern]

According to Ceefax and the Guardian, FGE have had to re-introduce their class 312 slam-door trains to cover for stock shortage while half of its 21 new Siemens Desiros are taken out of service to fix electrical faults. Various services from Liverpool Street (which) carry 55,000 passengers a day) have been affected.


RAIL FRANCHISES
London Eastern Railway company awarded licence for Greater [East] Anglia franchise

The Office of the Rail Regulator has received an application for a licence to operate passenger, non-passenger trains, stations and light maintenance depots from London Eastern Railway Limited, which is part of the National Express Group. This is the company that will run the Greater Anglia franchise, whose directors are Anthony Mcdonald, Charles Goldson and Dominic Booth. The consultation period ends on 10th February.


ST.IVES LINE
County Council keeps tight-lipped in preparation for guided busway submission.

Cambridgeshire County Council has confirmed that it intends to submit a TWA Order on 19th February, assuming that council members vote in favour on 10th February. Cabinet member for transport Shona Johnstone has criticised CAST.IRON for not breaking down its construction costs (£7m for pilot stage, another £10m for St.Ives to Cambridge station), claiming that the county has published all their figures. However, they have never broken down figures such as £12m for St.Ives to Swavesey, and are steadfastly refusing to do so prior to the full scheme being submitted to the TWA.

Rail supporters have been asking for a breakdown that includes: * the cost within this total for park and ride facilities
* the cost for bridge construction over the Ouse including the associated bridge specification
* the cost for earthworks including the specification of these earthworks
* the cost for construction of concrete track
* a list of other elements included in the £12,029,000 total.

Meanwhile it appears that some of the estimated passenger figures purporting to justify the guided busway include passengers on buses that will not run on the guided busway. The County Council will have a chance to give answers on Thursday 29th January at The Free Church, St.Ives at 19:30 during a public meeting about the busway called by St.Ives Civic Society. Nick Dibben will be speaking on behalf of Railfuture.


RAIL SERVICES
Bittern line passengers up 20% helped by new late night services

Keywords: [BitternLine]

In 2003 the number of passengers using the Norwich-Sheringham Bittern line rose 20% to 440,000. Of these, 10,000 were on the two new late night return trains, which commenced with the summer timetable, and are receiving £110,000 subsidy over 12 months. This equates to around £6 subsidy per passenger, which is less than some rural bus services receive.

Hull Trains submits track access agreement amendments to Office of Rail Regulator

Keywords: [HullTrains]

Hull Trains Ltd has submitted an application to the ORR for changes to its route. These change mainly affect north of Peterborough, such as using the diversionary route via Lincoln, but it has applied to use Liverpool Street Station for diversions, allowing it to use the route from Cambridge. It already had permission to use Peterborough to Ely to Cambridge to Hitchin. Hull Trains has also applied for route access to Bounds Green, Ferme, Hornsey, and Ilford depots, thus keeping its options open.

In its application, Hull Trains has stated that its new Class 170 Turbostars will be in operation from 29th March 2004. This is essential, since it loses the right to use Anglia Trains stock on 31st March. The application is also needed to facilitate enhanced services from the summer 2004 timetable.


STATIONS
Ipswich is Anglia Railways' best staffed station according to its own judges

Keywords: [IpswichStation]

Ipswich station has been named Anglia Railways' best performing staffed station for the October-December 2003 quarterly period, in the in-house award scheme Ipswich scored 85.08% overall, with Diss and Stowmarket stations coming 2nd and 3rd. Anglia's self-promotion award looked at station cleanliness, provision of basic facilities and information, car parking, station and ticket office staff, their uniforms and availability plus retail presentation.


EAST WEST RAIL LINK
East-West rail plan turns to ODPM for cash

The East West Rail Consortium have submitted a bid for £87m to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to run passenger services between Oxford and Bedford and Aylesbury and Bedford. This would utilise the freight only track between Bicester, Claydon Junction and Aylesbury plus the mothballed line from Claydon Junction to Bletchley.

The consortium, with members from 35 local authorities, the South East England Regional Assembly and the South East England Development Agency, is relying on a business case prepared by consultant Steer Davies Gleave, which says that the scheme could be completed within 30 months of receiving government approval and funding. The bid has deliberately been submitted in time for the Treasury spending review in summer 2004.

The EWRC points out that the proposed services would link three of the government's proposed growth areas - Aylesbury, Bedford and Milton Keynes. News item from http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk.


RAIL ROUTES
Cambridge-Sudbury reopening conflicts with other schemes warn councillors

A headline in the Cambridge Evening News saying that the Cambridge-Sudbury railway reopening "could derail other projects" immediately brings to mind the thread of a guided busway on the route. However, in this case, Great Shelford parish councillors are supportive of the rail reopening but concerned that it may prevent a cycle route being opened.

To allay fears, CSRRA's secretary Rev Malcolm Hill was quoted as saying: "In Sudbury we have a similar situation where the former line is now a pedestrian and cycle way. Here we believe provision could be made for it to run alongside the railway line...and we hope something like that can accommodate the cycle scheme in Great Shelford."

Luton-Dunstable Translink guided busway funding from government look less than generous

Keywords: [LutonDunstableBusway]

Campaigners fighting Cambridgeshire County Council's £90m guided busway plans for the St.Ives line are starting to query whether the County got as a good a financial deal from government as it first thought.

It is unlikely that government would give rich Cambridge a better deal than deprived Luton, which was awarded £78m for a busway, having to find just £8m itself. However, it was revealed in the Luton News http://www.lutononline.co.uk that the massive Translink funding is basically illusory. Liberal Democrats discovered that it is a 50/50 partnership with £39m paid by government up front with the council having to borrow the other £39m over 20 years. This will mean interest charges of £400,000pa. Labour is saying that the 50/50 basis is normal as per everywhere else. When Cheshire County Council found that this was the case they melted away from supporting the scheme.


RAILWAY MUSEUMS AND HISTORY
Harwich railway history museum receives £9,000 grant

Plans for a rail history museum at Harwich port has received a £9,000 grant. A business plan will now be written, but approval to use the bus station as a base is still being sought.


Railfuture East Anglia Branch News Snippets 130 - 23/01/2004

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