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East Anglia Branch News - Snippets Issue 81 - 07/01/2002

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

Railfuture News Snippets 81 - 07/01/2002



The Mid-Suffolk Travellers Association (MiSTA) are in urgent need of members (including Railfuture members) living in the Ely/Cambridge-Ipswich corridor willing to take an active role on the committee, following the decisions of MiSTA Secretary Allan Hayman & Chairman John Ibbetson to stand down at the MiSTA AGM on 20th October (John agreed to stay on as Chairman until the end of December). If members willing to fill these two posts do not come forward soon MiSTA may have to fold. Please contact John on (01359)241086, or write to MiSTA, 66 Eastern Way, Elmswell, Suffolk, IP30 9DP if you can help.

The Bedfordshire Railway and Transport Association (BRTA)'s Bedford to Sandy sub-committee will be meeting in the Park Pub in Kimbolton road, Bedford on 28th January at 19:40. Anyone who is interested in helping the BRTA should telephone Richard Pill on 01234 405268.


RAIL FARES
GNER launches £5 single fare to Scotland

Keywords: [GNER]

GNER has launched a special £5/£10/£15 single fare from anywhere on its route. The special offer runs from 9th January to 14th February. There are 200,000 seats at these prices, with more £15 seats than £5 available. Details from GNER on 08457 225225.

Anglia Railways has highest fare increase in country

Keywords: [AngliaRailways]

According to BBC News, Anglia Railways holds the record for the highest fare increase effective from 7th January. The Norwich-Liverpool Street first class season ticket is being increased by 27%.

WAGN introduce peak-time one day travel card

Keywords: [WAGN]

On 7th January, WAGN introduced a new one-day travel card which is valid in peak-time. It costs £27.20 but does not give railcard reductions.


GUIDED BUSWAY
Hunts Post newspaper launches campaign to "Boot out the bus"

Whilst the Cambridge Evening News has assumed the inevitability of a guided busway on the St.Ives railway line, local opinion to the west has been much more critical. The Hunts Post newspaper has launched a "Boot out the bus" campaign to have the guided busway proposals thrown out, and a rail (or light rail) line reinstated.

The same edition of the Hunts Post also had an article about Arthur Henderson, who invented the guided bus. He has repeatedly said that the guided bus is wrong for Cambridge. It works in Essen and Adelaide, where it travels on wide, suburban roads and city streets with up to four lanes, a total contrast to the congested narrow roads in Cambridge.

David Catling, the urban railway consultant who was the first engineering manager of the Docklands Light Railway, said that he "remained to be convinced" the guided bus system was the best. Looking at the whole life-cycle costs, say over 40 years, the capital, replacement and maintenance costs may not necessarily make it the cheapest option, he says.

Steer Davis Gleave report recommends moving bus operations to Cambridge railway station

Keywords: [CambridgeStation]

In a study commissioned last August by Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridge City Council, consultants Steer Davies Gleave have suggested that bus drivers would change shifts at the railway station to reduce the number of vehicles parked up in the city centre. This will substantially increase the number of buses which go to the station. Forecast passenger numbers in Cambridge will rise by 50 per cent during the next decade.


STATIONS
Waiting room, enquiry office and WH Smith now open at Cambridge station

Keywords: [CambridgeStation]

The waiting room at the south end of Cambridge station and the enlarged W.H.Smith newsagents are now open, as is the WAGN enquiry office (formerly the Guide Friday office) which is located just off the main booking hall.


ROLLING STOCK
Anglia Railways' Turbostars to have engines replaced to improve resilience

Keywords: [AngliaRailways]

All nine of Anglia Railways' class 170 trains are having their engines replaced following a series of breakdowns suffered by the six TOCs operating the Turbostars. Starting in February, one train a week will be overhauled at Crown Point. Anglia does not expect any disruption to its timetable.


RAIL SAFETY
Fatal accident at March level crossing

Keywords: [LevelCrossings]

A 73-year-old driver died in hospital on 2nd January after a Liverpool to Stansted Airport train hit his car which was stationery on the level crossing at Norwood Road in March. British Transport Police believe that the car skidded on ice and went straight through the barriers where it became jammed.


RAIL ROUTES
Cambridge-Haverhill-Sudbury line campaign petition reaches 10,000 signatures

According to BBC Ceefax, the Cambridge-Sudbury Rail Renewal Association's petition to reopen the 32-mile former rail route from Cambridge to Sudbury has collected 10,000 signatures.


CHARTER TRAINS
GB Railways enters rail tours market in association with Hertfordshire Rail Tours

Keywords: [GBRailways]

To mark GB Railways entry into the charter train market, Hertfordshire Rail Tours have organised a bargain day trip to York on Saturday 6th April using an Anglia Railways Mk.2/Class 86 locomotive set that is spare at weekends. The day trip starts from Ipswich and calls at Colchester, Chelmsford and Shenfield (for the M25). The fare is just £22.50 for adults or £11.50 for children. Contact Hertfordshire Rail Tours on (01438) 812125 for details, or visit their website at http://www.traintrips.co.uk.


PRESERVED RAILWAYS
North Norfolk Railway to install Stalham station building at Holt terminus

Keywords: [NorthNorfolkRailway]

  The North Norfolk Railway has been gifted the surviving station buildings at Stalham, provided that the railway can remove them for preservation prior to a new supermarket development taking place on the site. The NNR intends to place the building on a new second platform and hopes to have the restored station in use by summer 2002. A £50,000 appeal has been launched to achieve this.
The NNR had once intended to build a station building at the terminal end, which would have blocked the line to further extension, but have changed the plan following the resurgence of interest in providing a Norfolk Orbital Railway which would restore the line between Holt and Melton Constable.

The railway recently took over Cromer signal box as a museum centre, and has stated an aim to take over Cromer Beach station building as well.

On 3rd January work commenced on the re-roofing of Sheringham station, which is expected to cost £120,000.


RAIL SUCCESS STORIES
Ipswich to Felixstowe Sunday service hailed as a success

The East Suffolk Travellers' Association (ESTA) has conducted a survey of 150 passengers on Sunday 25th November who were travelling between Ipswich and Felixstowe. The majority of passengers were happy with the service, which was reinstated in October 2001 after a 35 year absence. ESTA found that almost a third of passengers were travelling as part of a longer journey with the most popular destination being London.

Rail link to Bristol's Portbury Dock is now open

The 8.5 mile rail link to the Royal Portbury Dock is now open. Trail running of trains commenced in mid-December 2001, and EWS started running regular trains on 7th January 2002. The line, which passed within a mile of the docks, had been disused for 20 years. A new line was constructed into the docks for the first time. The old line still continues the last couple of miles into Portishead (albeit very overgrown and rusty), and might one day be revived for passenger use.

This freight scheme demonstrates how quickly a disused rail line, and an extension can be brought into use.


PASSENGER INFORMATION
Nationwide rail information message system introduced

All the UK train operating companies have signed up to a rail information text messaging service available via the Orange mobile 'phone network. News of train delays or cancellations will be sent to those who subscribe to it.


REVENUE PROTECTION
India finds successful way of deterring fare evasion

A gaol-on-wheels has been launched in India to round up rail fare dodgers. The four-compartment gaol. travels from station to station in eastern India picking up ticket less passengers and holding them in a compartment that serves as a makeshift prison. They are taken to Calcutta and put before a court where they have to pay a fine, depending on the distance travelled, or go to prison.

The fear this train has created in the minds of free-trippers is enormous, such that Eastern Railways has sold 40 million more tickets than usual in the last eight months.


WEBSITES
Crossrail has new website

London's proposed CrossRail, called "the most important transport project of this generation" - now has a website http://www.crossrail.co.uk.

Website to promote Channel Tunnel freight traffic to northern Britain

A website exists http://www.directlinknorth.com to promote a new high speed railway system running from the Channel Tunnel to link all major British conurbations in northern England, Scotland and Wales. The website claims that good rail links are essential to create a balanced economy.


Railfuture East Anglia Branch News Snippets 81 - 07/01/2002

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