Railway Cuttings 74
16th May 2004
IN THE NEWS
A few months ago Peter Lawrence was asked by the East Norfolk Travellers Association to help with their bid for lottery funds. Peter is pleased to say that their bid for £5,000 for new notice boards, colour printer etc was successful and has been paid in full.
Peter Lawrence has twice been interviewed by the Guardian. The first was a story about Stagecoach deciding to increase their dividends to shareholders after making an increased profit on rail operations. The second was about an article in Country Living magazine. At some stations car parking is at a premium with rail travellers having to arrive in station car parks before 07.00 to be sure of a parking place. In some cases it is reported that there is a four year wait for spaces.
Following a report in the Eastern Daily Press concerning speculation that the SRA were taking a different attitude towards the East West rail link Peter replied with a letter which was published. This resulted in a lunch time interview with Radio Norfolk.
Railfuture North East branch arranged for the Railfuture AGM to be mentioned on Teletext (Ceefax)
BEDFORDSHIRE CC ‘U TURN’ ON TRANSLINK SCHEME
At a special meeting on 19th April Bedfordshire County Council’s Executive decided to reconsider the Council’s position on the Translink scheme. The Council are now to discuss with Luton Borough Council and the Government Office of the Eastern Region how the original joint application can proceed.
The official reason given is that new information has come to light. However the Bedfordshire on Sunday newspaper is reporting that County bosses were hauled over the coals at meetings with Go-East, the Government's regional office, the Department of Transport and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
Source: http://www.seriousaboutnews.co.uk/bos/page.html?pageID=3&storyID=26265
CAST.IRON ANALYSIS REVEALS MASSIVE AMOUNT OF PUBLIC SUBSIDY WILL BE NEEDED FOR GUIDED BUSWAY
Cambridgeshire County Council claims that it supports the guided busway because it would not require any long-term subsidy, but a reopened railway would. However, CAST.IRON has produced a thoroughly researched 40-page analysis of the costs of operating a guided busway, and believes that an average of £873,000 subsidy is required each year just to maintain the busway. After allowing for initial loss-making bus services, prior to new houses being built, a total of £11.6m subsidy is predicted. This is the first ever analysis not performed or funded by the schemes backers.
CAST.IRON's 40-page busway analysis: http://www.castiron.org.uk/analysis
INTEGRATED TRAVEL AND THROUGH TICKETING IN WALES AND BORDERS
This is the title of a report issued by the South Wales branch of Railfuture. Based on research undertaken by branch committee member Roger Ellis the report reviews current integrated provision and finds evidence of significant inconsistencies and barriers to both understanding and use of the facilities.
Key concerns are:-
Failure of some Plus-Bus schemes to meet fundamental needs as regards prime destinations (including tourist centres)
In some cases of joint services through tickets (even Wales flexi-pas) are not accepted by all operators.
Confusion over ticket validity on local authority funded services.
Lack of clear definition of the scope of validity of some products.
The report makes recommendations to overcome the problem and make through tickets more ‘passenger friendly’. The report can be downloaded from the Branch website: www.chartist.demon.co.uk/rdsw/dre-buslinks.doc
THE SAGA OF FELIXSTOWE BEACH
After Saxon Press, the sole occupiers of Felixstowe Beach station, moved out ESTA committee members went into action, and in conjunction with local District and Town Councillors, explored the possibility of having the building listed and so prevent its destruction and wanton vandalism. Part of the case was that the station could well have a new lease of life as a station when the planned South Seafront project comes to fruition. A meeting was hastily arranged with Network Rail and the issue was given widespread coverage on both "Look East" and "Anglia News" programmes as well as local radio stations.
Sadly all the campaigning was unsuccessful as, within a fortnight, it was announced that the demolition would go ahead, the companies involved having given appropriate notice under environmental legislation. The official position was that the building "had no foreseeable railway use" and the cost of making the building safe was estimated at £100,000!
The demolition of the 1877 station was filmed by TV crews on Sunday morning, 11th May. It took just two hours!
YORKSHIRE BRANCH PRODUCE NEW RECRUITMENT LEAFLET
Yorkshire branch has produced a recruitment leaflet highlighting local aspirations and successes. This follows a similar one from Lincolnshire Branch last year and has been designed so that other branches could adapt it for their own recruitment drive. For sample copies send SAE please to Graham Collett, Railfuture Yorkshire Branch Membership Secretary, 16 Wilstrop Farm Road, Copmanthorpe, York YO23 3RY.
UCKFIELD-LEWES REINSTATEMENT
The latest threat to this comes from the Government Office for the South East, who propose to delete the scheme from their Draft Regional Transport Strategy. The Wealden Line Campaign is urging people to submit objections to this proposed deletion and to stress the need for this long-missing link to be reinstated. This has to be done on a special form & submitted by May 21st. Full details on their website http://home.clara.net/wealdenline
EASIER RIDE FOR CYCLISTS TAKING THE TRAIN?
The SRA is consulting on new proposals to make it easier for cyclists to use train services. A draft policy published by the SRA recognises the social and environmental benefits offered by cycling and seeks to encourage the use of cycles through improved access and parking at stations, improved bike-rail integration, and clearer information about services available to cyclists. The SRA's aspiration is to see cycle parking facilities at all but the most lightly used stations within five years. The draft policy says TOCs should promote the carriage of cycles on off-peak trains. During the peak, carrying cycles should be left to the TOC's discretion, depending on circumstances such as passenger numbers. The carriage of compact folding cycles should be promoted on all services.
It is expected the Railfuture Cycling sub-committee will be replying to this consultation document on behalf of Railfuture.
NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE REPORT ON LIGHT RAIL PROJECTS
The National Audit Office has issued a report on recent light rail projects. The report examines the funding of the seven schemes that have been constructed since 1980. There are questions raised about:
Overestimating the number of users
Claims about social and economic benefits
Lack of integration with other public transport
Why other countries in Europe can do these things better.
The NAO have identified five barriers hindering the wider take up of light rail and a range of issues that need to be tackled if future systems are to be improved: A summary can be found at: http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/03-04/0304518es.pdf
BEDFORDSHIRE RAILWAY AND TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION
BRTA have been greatly encouraged by the amount of objections to the proposed Willington rowing lake which would encroach on the route of the Bedford-Sandy Rail Link They encouraging people to write to John Prescott and Bedfordshire County Council and demand an inquiry so all sides can be represented. Likewise they still need to realise the sums of money needed for leaflets and the target of £5000 for a Bedford-Sandy pre-feasibility study. This is a key part of the East-West rail link.
Tim Philips, Chairman of Cast.Iron will be giving a talk entitled “The fight to save the Cambridge - St Ives - Huntingdon Rail Link” at 3pm on Saturday 10th July 2004. Venue: Friends Meeting House, 5 Lansdowne Road, Bedford, (off Union Street). 5 mins walk from Bus Station and 10 mins walk from Railway Station. In view of the ‘Translink’ U turn by Bedfordshire C.C., reported above, this is a great opportunity for Guided Bus opponents to compare notes.
Further details available at www.brta.org.uk" rel="external">http://www.brta.org.uk www.brta.org.uk
VALE OF GLAMORGAN LINE REOPENING ON TARGET FOR MAY 2005
After campaigning for nearly 10 years the South Wales branch of Railfuture are hopeful that the Vale of Glamorgan line will reopen to passenger trains in May 2005. The line will connect the rail network to Cardiff International Airport. Contracts have been let by Network Rail for the track, signalling and station works with actual work due to start in June 2004.
PLANS TO REOPEN BEDALE STATION SUFFER A SETBACK
Reopening the station at Bedale on the Wensleydale line is part of regional development agency Yorkshire Forward's Renaissance Market Towns programme. The plan aims to boost tourism and increase facilities in the town. However Hambleton District Council are not so keen and councillors have deferred a decision on approving an application for change of use of town's former station. Maurice Cann, head of development said: "Clearly, to open up a railway station means that you are wanting to attract passengers to the station and there are issues of how they are going to get there, both for pedestrians and people in cars."
Source: http://www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/the_north_east/archive/2004/04/09/A9l7sm.na.html
GNER BOSS, JAMES SHERWOOD CALLS FOR BEEECHING MK 2
While speaking at a rail industry forum in London Mr Sherwood, president of Sea Containers, called for the scrapping of unprofitable rail lines, saying regional services that run empty should go "to hell". He said: "We need to get the Government focused on trimming off the unnecessary bits that very few people use.” “We have got to get commuters and long-distance travellers to their destinations and on time, but to hell with freight and regional railways which are running around virtually empty.”
Clive Gossop, the regional director of the Rail Passengers Committee, defended rural services and said the comments were ill-informed. “It is the regional services that Arriva operate that feed into the James Sherwood's trains. GNER really struggles to provide sufficient car parking spaces. By shutting down, what he deems unprofitable, it would increase demand on parking spaces. It would also put more pressure on the roads. It is the regional services that get people to the bigger stations."
A spokesman for GNER said: "GNER is not advocating the closure of regional railways, given that 30 per cent of our revenue comes from connecting traffic." Source: http://www.thisisyork.co.uk/york/archive/2004/05/04/york_news_local26ZM.html
Ed. Comment: Perhaps Mr Sherwood should study what happened when Dr Beeching closed many so called “unprofitable” branch lines. Many passengers did not then go to the main line station and catch a train – they made the whole journey by road.
NEWS FROM THE SRA
Rail Industry Formally Seeks New Deadline (31st December 2005) for Slam Door Train Removal. http://www.sra.gov.uk/news/2004/Folder.2004-03-29.7340788589/srntp
A progress report on the delivery of the West Coast Main Line Strategy was published on 27 April. The full 52 page report can be downloaded from http://www.sra.gov.uk/
TREASURY FUNDING GRIP IS PREVENTING CROSSRAIL FINANCING SAY LONDON ASSEMBLY
The London Assembly has made a call for greater financial flexibility. The economic and social development committee’s report into alternative methods of funding for regeneration found the Treasury’s tight grip on local government finance at odds with ‘a pressing need’ for creative mechanisms to secure investment for projects such as Crossrail and the Thames Gateway. Source: http://www.newstartmag.co.uk/news638.html