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East Anglia Branch News - Snippets Issue 163 - 04/04/2007

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

Railfuture News Snippets 163 - 04/04/2007

BBC Online recently featured tips from rail fares consultant Barry Doe on how to reduce the cost of travelling by train: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6442947.stm.

The phone number for Traveline is being changed to 0871 200 22 33 (from 0870 608 2 608) and calls will be charged at 10p per minute (somewhat more than the 0870 charges). The two numbers will exist in parallel until January 2008, when the 0870 number disappears. The revised website address http://www.traveline.info is already live.

The Office of Rail Regulation has published National Rail Trends, for the period from October to December 2006. The full document is at http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/320.pdf.

The summer timetable in 2007 will run from 20th May to 8th September inclusive. 'one' have announced that Liverpool Street station will be closed from 23rd December to 1st January 2008 to facilitate construction of a viaduct for the East London Line extension to Dalston.

RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE
Network Rail reveals infrastructure enhancement proposals to stakeholders

Keywords: [HitchinFlyover]

On 21st March Network Rail organised a special train from Hitchin to Peterborough via Cambridge for stakeholders to view the route. It was followed by a presentation outlining their ehnancement plans.

NR intends to promote a TWA Order application in 2008 to build the Hitchin flyover, which will allow Cambridge-bound trains to avoid crossing the 'up' tracks thus reducing the annual 6,000 delay minutes associated with the current flat crossing and possibly reducing scheduled journey times which have contingency time built in.

The proposed route would make use of the first part of the former Hitchin to Bedford route and will then turn right over the ECML linking up with the Shepreth branch. NR currently has no plans for an East West Rail Link although the spur could become the first part of such a link. The £60m scheme should be completed in 2013. The feasibility study will cost £1.76m.

It will spend £0.84m to improve the crossovers north of Huntingdon so that freight trains can transfer onto the slow lines at greater speed, thus increasing capacity on the fast lines.

At Royston, Huntingdon and St. Neots stations £0.81m will provide additional car park spaces. St Neots station will be provided with a DDA compliant footbridge. The current cost estimate is £1.32m.

At Peterborough station Network Rail envisages three new platform faces, making a total of eight, together with a new station building and a footbridge to the otherside of the line.

Additionally at King's Cross station the new platform (which will be named either 'Y' for York Way or '0') will be 300 metres long and cost £15m. There will also be overhead wire power strengthening works between King's Cross and Cambridge.

Platform 1 at Cambridge station is to be extended by 6.5 metres at the London end. As the lengthening at the south end is pretty minimal (and moving ther scissors corssing northward swould be very expensive because of signalling changes) the intention is to convert the slope at the platform end to be part of the platform, and install a small set of steps. This will allow a 12-coach train of class 365 carriages to use the platform without fouling the scissors. Currenlty 12 cars of the shorter class 317 carriages [19.95m long] will fit in there already (as shown by the 12 car stop sign at the London end).

NR news: http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=2917&NewsAreaID=2&SearchCategoryID=8.

Network Rail unveils increased budget to allow for network-wide improvements in the next two years

On 3rd April Network Rail unveiled a £2,400m programme of rail works to be progressed across the network between April 2007 and March 2009. Some of this will be used to increase capacity by lengthening hundreds of platforms, building new platforms, laying additiobal tracks laid, raising line speeds raised and undertaking major resignalling schemes. Network Rail says this is a real budget increase as annual average spending on such schemes has been around £500m over the past 12 years.

STATIONS
Downham Market station wins Modern Railways station award

Keywords: [DownhamMarketStation]

First Capital Connect has won the Modern Railways Restoration Award in recogntion of the extensive work carried out at the 1846-built Downham Market station. A plaque was presented on 15th March.

Facilities for disabled travellers improved at 'one' stations

Keywords: [OneRailway]

'one' has fitted hearing loops in its miniticket offices at Wymondham and North Walsham to improve services for its hard of hearing passengers. 'one' has also revealed that North Walsham is now the busiest intermediate station on the Bittern Line, perhaps helped by the opening of a staffed ticket office.

Midget stations find new life at weekend to serve tourist attractions

Keywords: [BuckenhamStation] [LakenheathStation]

From the start of the summer timetable on 20th May 'one' will be providing a more frequent service at Lakenheath (on the Norwich-Ely line) and Buckenham (on the Wherry Lines) to serve the RSBP reserves that are riught next door to these two small stations. Sunday trains will allow morning, afternoon or whole-day visits.

Buckenham is one of several locations served by public transport that are being promoted by the local Rural Transport Partnership as a 'string of pearls' allowing easy access to explore the Yare valley on Sundays, by foot or bicycle.

Press release: http://www.onerailway.com/templates/NewsArticle.aspx?id=2879.

'one' renames stations to reflect places they serve

Keywords: [OneRailway]

In order to ensure that prospective passengers are able to find a station on websites 'one' has renamed several stations. Clacton has become "Clacton-on-Sea" and Frinton is now "Frinton-on-Sea". From the May timetable change Woodham Ferrers will be renamed "South Woodham Ferrers" and Fambridge becomes "North Fambridge".

Network Rail is categorically against move of Lowestoft Station further away from the seafront

Keywords: [LowestoftStation]

ESTA's secretary was pleased to receive a letter from John Armitt, outgoing Chief Executive of Network Rail, stating, "I would like to stress again that Network Rail will continue to oppose any such relocation of Lowestoft Station." ESTA were also encouraged by the fact that rail users from as far away as the Midlands and Yorkshire sent in objections to Waveney District Council prior to the 19th February deadline. Meanwhile, First East admitted to having conducted no surveys of passengers. ESTA has offered £200 to Passenger Focus, towards the cost of carrying out such a survey.

First Capital Connect and 'one' will extend use of Oyster Card away from London but not into East Anglia

Keywords: [FirstCapitalConnect]

First Capital Connect will be working with Transport for London to accept Oyster Cards across its network from 2009. Managing Director Elaine Holt said recently "We know that accepting Oyster Pays as You Go is something our customers want. We will be investing heavily, including the maintenance of the validators." Currently it is accepted only on limited routes such as Finsbury Park to King's Cross/Moorgate, Kentish Town to Moorgate/London Bridge/Elephant and Castle.

The 'one' routes between Liverpool Street and Stratford, Seven Sisters, Tottenham Hale and Walthamstow Central, have accepted Oyster since January 2005. However, from spring 2008 it will be extended to include various smaller intermediate stations such as Cambridge Heath, London Fields, Hackney Downs and many others. 'one; also wishes to extend Oyster availability out to Enfield Town, Turkey Street and Enfield Lock on the West Anglia routes from spring 2009. Unfortuantely, no stations within the Railfuture East Anglia branch area have yet been announced.

FCC news article http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/pages/about-us/news/display/default.aspx?id=51.

RAIL ROUTES
Consultant's report for East West Rail Link finally published - scheme is "credible, deliverable and affordable"

Keywords: [EastWestRail]

On 8th March the East West Rail Consortium today released the latest consultant's report, which took a year to produce and cost £300,000 with funding from the Consortium, four local authorities (Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Milton Keynes), South East England Regional Assembly, South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Milton Keynes Partnership, Aylesbury Vale Advantage and the Department for Communities and Local Government. Unlike previous reports that looked at the entire East Anglia to Bristol route, this one focused on reinstating the railway between Oxford and Milton Keynes and found a strong case for doing so describing it as "credible, deliverable and affordable". The report also proposed a rail service between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, with trains on both routes operating as early as 2012.

The study, which was managed by Steer Davies Gleave with specialist input from Laing Rail amongst others, estimated that it would cost between £100 and £135m to reinstate frequent (two trains an hour) passenger services between Oxford and Milton Keynes. This would include a rebuilt station at Islip with new stations at Winslow and Newton Longville. Developer funding could raise £100m.

The recently-published Freight RUS by Network Rail says: "Although likely to be outside the timescales of the Freight RUS, re-opening of the Bletchley-Claydon-Oxford line could offer a preferable 'up' routeing option for Southampton container services presently making conflicting movements at Nuneaton. It is recommended that this be examined further in the West Coast Main Line RUS." Further good news is that EWS is pushing for 16 schemes to improve rail freight, one of which is the reopening of the Oxford-Bletchley link.

Press release: http://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/news/documents/PRESSRELEASE-EWR080307.pdf
BBC New report: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6434385.stm.

Wherry Lines now officially a 'community railway'

Keywords: [WherryLines]

At the AGM of the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership on 20th March 2007, Railfuture President Peter Lawrence was re-elected as chairman and is now joined by new Vice-Chairman Alan Browning, formerly Railway Development Manager, Cambridge County Council. Mike Young (ex Norfolk County Council Freight Director) is also involved with the CRP.

On 1st February 2007 Rail Minister Tom Harris announced that the rail services on the Wherry Lines - both Norwich-Lowestoft and Norwich-Great Yarmouth via Acle and Berney Arms - have been designated as community rail services. The re-designattion of these services allow for a more flexible approach to be adopted by 'one' giving greater emphasis on meeting local needs.

The Wherry Lines became the 17th route with community rail designation. However, the 'community rail' tag refers only to the train services on this and three other routes, rather than the route itself. This semi-CR status was intreduced in 2006 for those lines that remain outside the core CR network usually because they are also used by heavy freight or other non-CR passenger services.

Peter Lawrence, said: "We are pleased about the designation of community rail status by the DfT. We will continue to seek improvements in publicity and enhancements to the current level of rail services and fares for all the local communities and visitors. It is our aim to be proactive in helping local villages, towns, business and attractions to get more from their local rail services and to work with train operator 'one', the county council and other transport operators in improving access to destinations from all Wherry Lines railway stations".

RAIL FRANCHISES
Grand Central ready to start services now that future funding is secure

Keywords: [GrandCentral]

Grand Central has received acceptance of its Safety Case from both Network Rail and HMRI. The certificate was issued on 5th March 2007, allowing the King's Cross to Sunderland passenger services to commence with the summer timetable. The company has already recruited key personnel, with 11 drivers currently undergoing a training programme.

Fraser Eagle, who were the financial backers behind Grand Central, have sold the the fledgling company to two senior rail executives in a £10m deal backed by private-equity firm Equishare. Former Prism Rail managing director Giles Fearnley, who ran WAGN and c2c until 2000, has become Chairman. He said: "We see great potential for developing Grand Central into a major UK train operating company." Bob Howells, another former Prism executive, has become vice-chairman. All existing Grand Central employees, including Managing Director Ian Yeowart - who spoke at Railfurue's confernece in Stoke-on-Trent in 2006 - and Operations Director Sean English, are staying with the company.

The funding provided by the change of overship will cover the £8m train purchase and meet running costs of around £1m until the company - initially with about 50 staff - starts earning revenues.

News article: http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2355980.ece.

Just over six months before GNER's replacement will be operating on the ECML

Keywords: [GNER]

The race to replace GNER on the ECML InterCity service is down to four bidders: Virgin/Stagecoach as "Inter City Railways Limited", FirstGroup (Britain's largest train operator) as "First London, Scottish and North East Railways Limited", National Express (the second largest) and Arriva, which operates the all-Wales franchise and is London's largest bus operator.

The winner should be decided during the summer with the operator taking over from GNER during Autumn for a maximum of 7 years and 5 months, the last 17 months being dependent on the franchisee achieving performance targets.

The DfT has insisted that bidders must plan for current and anticipated passenger growth and ensure that performance continues to improve. It wishes to see faster journey times on longer distance journeys plus improvements to security on trains and at stations. Smart-card ticketing must be implemented by January 2010.

The specification appears to require bidders to only "look at ways of" implementing the recommendations of the East Coast Route Utilisation Strategy, which will be published by Network Rail in 2007. It is envisaged that pre-series trains, delivered as part of the InterCity Express Programme, will be deployed on the ECML from 2012.

CHARTER TRAINS
Charter visits Leiston branch for first time in 15 years - perhaps for last time

Keywords: [SizewellBranch]

On Saturday 10th March the first charter train since 1991 visited the freight-only Leiston branch, which originally reached Aldeburgh and is currently a candidate for reopening to passenger services although the town of Leiston (where there is still a platform - roughly long enough for a 4-coach train - and station building) is the only place of any size on the line. Apart from the King's Lynn-Middleton Towers branch in Norfolk and Felixstowe Docks, it remains the only operational freight-only branch of signficant length in East Anglia.

The Pathfinder Tours "20/20 Vision" charter train, is one of only a few charters to traverse the Saxmundham-Sizewell line since the 1960s (regular passenger services ended in September 1966). Taking 51 minutes down and 47 back between Saxmundham and Sizewell, it was routed 'wrong line' onto the start of the double track section to Halesworth in order to gain access to the 25mph branch, which required use of a ground frame at Saxmundham Junction. The steep gradient away from the junction caused problems for the Class 47 locomotive that was hauling the 14 coaches plus three Class 20s at the rear. Four traditional gated level crossings had to be opened and closed by the train crew. The train stopped before the fifth level crossing at the Network Rail/British Energy boundary that controls access to the nuclear waste flask loading area.

The line, which was re-sleepered a few years ago, has been used to transport radioactive waste from the nuclear power station's Magnox 'A' reactor back to Sellafield in Cumbria for reprocessing. However, the ageing reactor was finally shut down on New Year's Eve 2006. Once all the spent fuel rods have been removed the line will presumably be mothballed or closed.

CAMPAIGNING FOR RAIL
Rail campaigners use online petitions to the Prime Minister

In 2006 the Prime Minister's office set-up a facility allowing members of the public to set-up online petitions, which would be sent to the Prime Ministier after the petition deadline closes and he would respond to it. Th emost well-known of these is the anti-road charging one that generated nearly two million signatures. The following may interest rail campaigners.

* http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Electrify - set-up by Roger Ford (Modern Railways) calling on the government to implement a national electrification strategy within six months, updating the 1981 joint Department of Transport/British Rail "Review of main line electrification" to take into account current installation and energy costs and rail traffic levels and, if the positive conclusions of the original report still stand, revive the proposals for a rolling programme of main line electrification. More than 2,500 names people have signed.

* http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/huntingdonbusway - calls upon the Prime Minister to Scrap the Huntingdon-Cambridge Guided busway, which is a bit late in the day as the first part is currently being constructed.

* http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Croxleylink (set-up by the Watford Rail Users' Group) to find funding for building the Croxley Rail Link, which would extend the Metropolitan Line to Watford Junction.

* http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/yes2roadpricing and http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/TRACK-CARS both support road pricing.

TRANSPORT CONSULTATIONS
Transport proposals for Stansted Airport out to consultation

In March BAA launched a 14-week 'Surface Access Strategy' public consultation on the requirements for road and rail access to Stansted Airport to serve a substantial increase in passenger numbers - and the corresponding increase in staff and goods - which will occur between 2015 and 2030 if the proposed second runway is approved.

The public transport proposals include:
* measures to reduce the growth in car travel to the airport
* longer trains to meet increased passenger demand
* Stansted Express reverting to being a dedicated service for airport travellers at the busiest times of day
* additional trains on the West Anglia Main Line serving Harlow and Bishop's Stortford
* new and improved coach and bus services to build on the success of existing services.

There are various road improvement proposals including widening of the M11 south of Stansted between the M25 (junction 6) and the airport at junction 8, and improved access to the airport from the M11 and A120.

Invitations to take part in the consultation are being sent direct to over 200,000 residents and various organisations. A series of public exhibitions in towns and villages have been operating since 27th February and will finish on 5th June. See http://www.stanstedairport.com/future for further information and to view the exhibition online.

RAIL OVERCROWDING
Morning Cambridge to Liverpool Street train claimed as second most overcrowded in Britain

The 07:18 Cambridge to Liverpool Street service, which takes 75 minutes between the two cities, has recently been in the news as the second most overcrowded train in Great Britain. According to tjhe rpeort compiled by compiled by Transport 2000 the service runs at almost twice its seating capacity with 46 per cent of passengers forced to stand.

Following the publication of the rpoet a journalist from the Cambridge Evneing News joined the train boarding a carriage that was three quarters empty. A 'one' spokesperson said "The passenger figures mentioned in the report, specific to the 07:18 service, are not representative of the average numbers using this service or the route as a whole. However, Guy Dangerfield from Passenger Focus raised concerns about the failue to provide more seats in the last ficve years despite the growing demand for rail travel in the Cambridge area both to and from London.

CEN article: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/city/2007/03/27/aa626457-8866-4238-b7c3-e8ede837302d.lpf.

ST.IVES LINE
Cambridgeshire Guided Busway construction work gathers pace

On 5th March 2007 Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander attended the start of works ceremony of the £116.2m (world's longest) guided busway project. He completed the final section of concrete at the manufacturing facility at Longstanton, which will be used to produce the guideway beams. Critics of the highly-controversial scheme will remember Mr Alexander's optimistic words: "We believe this is an innovative public transport solution for an area where so much economic and housing growth is planned...Cambridgeshire will rightly be able to be proud of it in the years ahead."

According to Transit magazine issue 304, Cavalier, Stagecoach and Whippet have signed up to use the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway which they claim will provide a 10-minute frequency in the peak periods. According to the report, a Stagecoach spokesperson was also optimistic, saying "The busway has all the makings of a hugely successful public transport project. I have no doubt that the CGB will demonstrate what can be acheived with Bus rapid Transit."

Investigation work into the old railway viaduct over the River Ouse near St Ives started on Monday 5th March. Edmund Nuttall Ltd used a drilling machine on to the viaduct to assess the strength of the bridge foundations. The Council expects the majority of the viaduct will need to be dismantled and replaced in order to make it safe for the busway and new bridleway to be built on it. The investigations will provide more information about the structure of the viaduct.

Meanwhile, it is understood that some of the groups hoping to receive redundant assets from the railway line met the Nuttalls project team in February to identify the items and agree how to arrange removal.

BBC new article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cambridgeshire/6419113.stm.

Cambs County Council expects district councils to ensure that guided buses run on time

The County Council has recently reached agreement with bus operators to operate specific bus frequencies, although opponents claim it would be impossible to run a reliable service because of traffic on the roads. However, according to Cllr John Reynolds, Cambs County Council cabinet member for transport, it is the responsibility of the district councils to enable the Cambridgeshire guided bus to operate reliably. In response a spokesman for Huntingdonshire District Council said: "We have supported the guided bus and we also support the proposed Huntingdon to St Ives bus priority measures but we have no input or control over the running of services, so we don't have a specific role in how it operates", according to an article in the Hunts Post.

A couple of videos have appeared on YouTube showing the St. Ives railway line as it now is, before it is destroyed. See:
* Cambridge - St Ives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEfo9_DSynE
* Cambridge - Trumpington: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_ko7M2t4i8.

PRESERVED RAILWAYS
Mid-Norfolk Railway works train reaches new northern limit

Keywords: [MidNorfolkRailway]

On Sunday 4th March a Mid-Norfolk Railway works train operated approximately 200 yards further north than ever before. The train stopped just over half way to Hoe level crossing (13m 61ch). Two tasks were performed: loading dumped rubble for removal, garden waste for burning up north and placing old sleepers under bridge 1696 to protect the track when the redundant farm track overbridge is demolished. In 2006 a works train went as far as 1695 (Northall Green Road overbridge - see map). In preparation for the clearance strimming and cutting Netherd and Swanton roads took place two weeks earlier.

On 24th March the largely trackless route from County School to North Mlmham was flailed. Barricades were set-up along the route to ensure that no-one trespassed onto the line. A whole day was spent trimming back the ground cover and some of the brambles on the east side of County School station were removed.

The MNR has also introduced occasional evening "Fish and Chip Supper" trains offering a glass of wine or real ale, which is included in the ticket price. Prices are £12.50 (MNR Members £10.00) for adults. Tickets can be purchased at Dereham Station.

WEBSITES
Website set-up to campaign against withdrawal of Eurostar trains at Ashford Internartional

Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament for the South East, Sharon Bowles, has launched a new website to demand that Eurostar keeps calling at Ashford International station. It is feared that Ashford will have a much reduced when High Speed 1 opens in November 2007 as it intends to make the new Ebbsfleet station the "hub" for the South East. See http://saveashfordinternational.org.uk. Railfuture is opposed to any signficant reduction in the number of trains serving Ashford International station.

Railfuture East Anglia Branch News Snippets 163 - 04/04/2007

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