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East Anglia Branch News - Snippets Issue 73 - 03/10/2001

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

Railfuture News Snippets 73 - 03/10/2001



The national conference of rail users takes place at Scientific Studies Lecture Theatre, New Burlington Place on Saturday 6th October is sponsored this year by Chiltern Railways whose managing director Adrian Shooter will be one of the speakers (approx.1.45pm). Also speaking will be the Green party's transport spokesman at the Greater London Authority, Jennie Jones (approx. 11.20am)

Nick Dibben from Railfuture East Anglia will speak at 12:00 on the vexed issue of the Government's multi-modal studies which are widely seen as a cover for the resumption of road building.

If you wish to attend the conference there is still space available. You can turn up on the day and pay the fee £10. It is, however, too late to order lunch. The lunch break is between 12:45 and 13:45 and there are cafes and pubsnearby.


CHUMMS - A14 CORRIDOR STUDY
Cambridgeshire County Council to pass on content of all letters to consultants

The CHUMMS letterbox has now formally closed, but any additional letters that are being received are being = recorded for the record according to Robert Tuckwell, Strategic Transport Advisor at Cambridgeshire County Council.

All comments are being analysed on a database, the content of which is being shared with the Government Office for the East of England (GO-East) and the relevant District Councils. When a decision has been taken by the Secretary of State on the CHUMMS recommendation, a copy of the database will be supplied to any consultants appointed to undertake design work.

Cambridgeshire County Council cabinet support CHUMMS proposals

Cambridgeshire County Council's cabinet met on Tuesday 25th September to produce its response to CHUMMS. Click HERE to read meeting agenda. They supported the CHUMMS recommendations which includes a guided busway on the St.Ives line.

The Cambridge Evening News quoted Councillor Shona Johnstone, cabinet member for environment and transport, as saying "Cambridgeshire's future prosperity is very heavily dependent on solving the A14 corridor problems. It will cost millions of pounds to put all these proposals into practice and we want to challenge the Government to make sure they fund them as quickly as possible. It's imperative we get moving on this as soon as possible as the problems are only getting worse with time. The devil will be in the detail and we will want to see detailed proposals on how the various issues will be solved before we can give our full backing."

STEER public meeting in Cambridge is dominated by public transport but no excitement for guided bus

Around 40 members of the public attended the STEER/FoE organised public meeting about CHUMMS art Cambridge Guildhall on 27th September. The meeting was chaired by BBC Radio Cambridgeshire presenter Christopher South with speakers Brian Human (Head of Policy and Projects at Cambridge City), John Ratcliff (STEER/FoE) and the self-styled "three witches" Shona Johnstone (Conservative), Nichola Harrison (Lib Dem) and Ruth Bagnall (Labour).

  No-one (politicians excepted) spoke enthusiastically about the guided busway proposal. Must people who commented on public transport said they would prefer conventional or light rail to busway. A couple of people said that they preferred rail but would support guided bus because it was better than nothing.

No-one (politicians excepted) spoke enthusiastically about the guided busway proposal. Must people who commented on public transport said they would prefer conventional or light rail to busway. A couple of people said that they preferred rail but would support guided bus because it was better than nothing.

People questioned what would happen to all the buses when they arrived in the city at the same time, and whether a congestion free route could be found into the city. No-one believed there was room beside the main line railway to run buses.

It was felt that a busway did not justify losing a rail route for ever. The bus would travel further than the existing road route, would only serve those local travellers and no freight would be taken off the roads. Councillors didn't deny that existing bus services would be sacrificed. CHUMMS was criticised for failing to improve passenger rail services in any way.

Shona Johnstone admitted being fed up being told that guided busways were "unproven" citing the Adelaide busway, and rejected that people will not use buses, since Cambridge Park and Ride gets one million passengers per year.

The councils have decided that it is illegal to accept Gallagher Estate's offer to build the busway, since it is essentially a bribe to grant planning permission to build houses. The councils are only supporting the CHUMMS proposals if the government coughs up the money for the public transport solution. So, instead of a "free" busway or a publicly funded conventional/light rail system, there is a more even playing field. Nichola Harrison described the busway as "the only show in town, at the moment" admitting that there were "huge questions about it".

It was also revealed that Cambridge City Council planning department are still looking at the planning application from CRTS for a guided busway on the former Bedford rail line. It is "still under consideration".

Anne Campbell MP to meet with government ministers following Transport Summit

As reported in the Cambridge Evening News, Cambridge MP Anne Campbell has vowed to brief Government ministers about the city's transport problems following a 'summit meeting' on transport she organised in the city on 5th September.

The summit was attended by senior councillors and officials, bus operators, CRTS/Gallagher Estates, Railtrack, WAGN, taxi drivers and other interested organisations. STEER and the Cambridge Cycling Campaign were invited. Railfuture was not. The summit was intended to "make things happen" rather than give rival factions a "chance to argue about pet projects".

Mrs Campbell has promised to mention Cambridge's needs to the Government, saying "I am arranging to meet with the key transport ministers and their advisers to make sure they take on board all the local and regional needs. I am determined to make sure that all the parties involved carry forward these issues."

She has produced a report about transport integration in the city. Among the key areas she believes must be addressed are:
* Organise talks about demand management and ways of persuading motorists to use cars less, such as work place charging
* Looking at ways of ploughing money raised from demand management into improving public transport
* Examining the future of Drummer Street bus station and the future of the railway station as a single project.


STATIONS
Ipswich station car park opens on Monday 8th October

Keywords: [IpswichStation]

The new multi-storey car park, built at a cost of £3 million in conjunction with Railtrack and Ipswich Borough Council, has been completed on time and will open on 8th October 2001.

There will be 435 parking spaces - an increase of 190 spaces - with CCTV monitoring, regular patrols from Anglia Railways staff and customer service help points around the parking area. Prices are £4.80 weekday peak, £3.30 off peak and all day Saturday. Sunday is only £2. There are also £21 week-long tickets.

Executive parking is also available which includes valet parking. Cycle parking is being increased to 120 places at the same time.


EAST WEST RAIL LINK
Newspapers finally report that SRA has rejected funding of the East-West Rail Link

Keywords: [EastWestRail]

You may have readit in Snippets 68 on 9th August and rail magazines since then. However, it wasn't until 24th September that the local media finally reported the SRA's decision to refuse funding for the East West Rail Link, which was expected to create up to 10,000 jobs in towns and cities along the route.

The Eastern Daily Press reported the SRA as saying that Railtrack had "insufficient finance to work on new projects" against the backdrop of trying to "deliver a reliable infrastructure and ...competent maintenance regime" following Hatfield.

Norfolk County Council lobbies Stephen Byers for EWRL

Norfolk county council decided in mid-September to lobby the Transport Secretary, the SRA and local MPs in an effort to revive the project.

SRA members heard Norfolk County Hall protests about the decision when they attended the Norfolk Rail Policy Group on Tuesday 25th September. County Hall leader Alison King said: "This decision is bitterly disappointing as it comes at a time when the railway needs to be delivering new services and new journey options to the travelling public. We must do whatever we can to ensure that this project gets back on track ? it would be of economic benefit to Norfolk, and the region as a whole, as well as easing pressure on our roads ? something which the Government repeatedly says it is committed to doing."

Consortium confident that EWRL will go ahead

According to the Eastern Daily Press, project officer Chris Hayward said: "We are disappointed, but not downhearted. We have been working under the straightjacket of the SRA for two years. We now have the freedom to redevelop the original multi-journey concept for the western section."

Mr Hayward said: "The track in the western section is there, but is in either unsafe or in a very poor condition. It has been closed for many years. It is a comparatively easy task compared to the Bedford-Cambridge section but it will cost about £25 million."

"We don't agree with the decision by the SRA. We have looked at it very carefully, and the work we have done over the last few years does not suggest we have done anything wrong. What we are doing now is looking to the private sector for funding to fill the gap and we still believe once we get that funding sorted, the service can be up and running in 12 months."


PURCHASING TICKETS
WAGN cease selling European rail travel tickets at Cambridge station

Keywords: [CambridgeStation]

WAGN have announced that from Monday 15th October 2001, European rail travel tickets will cease to be available from Cambridge station.


ROLLING STOCK
WAGN repaint class 317s in new livery

Keywords: [WAGN]

WAGN Railway have started repainting its older Class 317 electric units that were originally built for the Bedford-St.Pancras electrification scheme in WAGN's new purple livery. The interior has also been refurbished. Unit 317312 appears to be the first so treated.


PRESERVED RAILWAYS
North Norfolk Railway exchanges contracts for Sheringham station and level crossing progresses

Keywords: [NorthNorfolkRailway]

North Norfolk Railway's purchase of Sheringham Station is will be completed in mid-October. Contracts have already been exchanged. The final draft report on the reinstatement of the level crossing to Railtrack metals has been received from Ove Arup. The Bittern Line partnership Partnership paid for the survey.

Failure to submit safety case on time prevents Deltic Preservation Society visiting Mid-Norfolk Railway

Keywords: [MidNorfolkRailway]

The company that the Deltic Preservation society use to run their trains, West Coast Railways Ltd failed to apply to the Railway inspectorate in time for a safety case to travel over the freight-only sections of line (Wymondham South Junction to Wymondham Abbey). As this line is not classified for passenger use, tour operators require a safety case for each passenger movement. EWS who run most tours have no such problem.

When the problem was discovered, the MNR tried to apply for a safety case on their behalf, but it was too late. The Deltic Preservation Society rail tour will now not be visiting Mid-Norfolk Railway on 20th October. It will go to Great Yarmouth instead.

This has been a disappointment not only to the MNR but also for all the Dereham churches and museums who were opening specially.

Mid-Norfolk Railway announce "Santa Special" timetable for Christmas 2001

Keywords: [MidNorfolkRailway]

Norfolk Railway have released their "Santa Special" timetable http://www.tractionads.co.uk/mnr/services/santaspecials.


RAIL SAFETY
Improvements planned for level crossings in Great Shelford

Keywords: [LevelCrossings]

Railtrack have pledged to improve safety at the level crossing in Hinton Way, Great Shelford, following a claim by the Shelford Parish Council that it is dangerous. Vice-chairman Charles Nightingale said: "The crossing includes steps which people could easily trip over, plus rubber matting which is slippery in the winter and when it rains. The passenger gates on to the station platform have also been tied back and if you stood there with your child they would only have to run about 10ft and they would be on the railway line."

A Railtrack spokeswoman said "We are planning to put down a non-slip surface and are making sure the surface is level so there are no tripping hazards. With the gates to the station we are replacing them with a new, self-closing gate. There is no timetable but we are working on the plans now."

"Whistle boards" have been put up at the village's other crossing at Granhams Road asking train drivers to sound their horns to warn people when trains are approaching the crossing at night. Railtrack had been told by the HSE to place them at all level crossings.


RAIL COMPANIES
Railtrack PLC plans to create a new Eastern region

Railtrack, in a change to an area management structure, is to merge the Anglia & London North Eastern Zones to create an "Eastern Region", essentially a re-creation of the old British Rail  Eastern Region! There will be four areas within this region, each with their own maintenance contracts:
* ECML
* LNE Central (presumably lines in Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, County Durham and the Tyne & Wear area)
* Thameside, West Anglia & North London lines
* Anglia, Great Eastern & LTS lines.

The current LNE Zone Director-Robin Gisby-will head the new region. The aim is to "slim down the structure of the zones & concentrate resources closer to the front line" (memo from Railtrack Chief Executive Steven Marshall). Southern Zone was similarly reorganised last month into a Southern Region, divided into Wessex, Sussex & Kent areas (roughly paralleling the existing franchises).


RAILWAY MUSEUMS AND HISTORY
Cambridge's last surviving horse-drawn tram-car rescued

The body of what is thought to be Cambridge's last surviving horse-drawn tramcar has been rescued from a site in Ely & taken back to Cambridge. The double-deck tramcar, built between 1879 & 1909, was rescued by a small band of enthusiasts including a Cambridge city councillor with the help of Marshall's of Cambridge when the Ely site it was on was due for redevelopment.


GUIDED BUSWAY
Lack of bus standardisation can lead to incompatibility chaos espeically on guided busways

Trains are generally built to standard dimensions so that many passenger vehicles can run on most railway line sin Britain (although trains from the European mainland cannot run in Britain). There are no such standards for buses, as Arriva in Merseyside found out in mid-September.

Arriva North West spent £7 million on 70 single-deck DAF buses, but they are too wide for the toll booths at the Liverpool to Birkenhead tunnel. The mistake was only discovered when a driver first tried to complete the route. He had to take his passengers on an eight-mile detour because of the one-and-a-half inch discrepancy.

Trying to run buses on a purpose-built guided busway can only lead to further incompatibility issues and will inevitably lead to manufacturer lock-in. For this reason long-distance coaches cannot make use of city guided busways.


RAIL LITERATURE
Rail forum releases updated "Britain's Railways Facts and Figures"booklet

The Rail forum have updated their useful 16-page "Facts and figures" booklet which gives lots of statistics about how successful conventional and light rail is in the united Kingdom. The booklet includes projections of growth, but also calls for a level playing field between rail and road based transport.


Railfuture East Anglia Branch News Snippets 73 - 03/10/2001

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