News from the East Anglian Branch of Railfuture, Edited by Martin Thorne and Jerry Alderson.
Railfuture News Snippets 120 - 16/07/2003
- RAIL COMPANIES [all issues]
- GUIDED BUSWAY [all issues]
- RAIL FRANCHISES [all issues]
- EAST WEST RAIL LINK [all issues]
- PROMOTING RAIL TRAVEL [all issues]
- RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE [all issues]
- PRESERVED RAILWAYS [all issues]
- Mid-Norfolk Railway makes progress on northern extension with level crossing work
- Plans to rebuild Southwold to Halesworth railway line deferred by council
- WEBSITES [all issues]
The Railfuture East Anglia branch officers are very eager to know the views of branch members who have been to the consultations on the guided busway. Please contact branch secretary Nick Dibben with any useful information that you learned, and your views on how the branch should approach the busway project: should Railfuture actively campaign against it or work with the council to get the best realistic benefits for rail, e.g. Chesterton Interchange station.
Snippets readers in the west of the branch area, who are eager to stop the guided busway, may be interested in how the Luton-Dunstable Translink busway schema is continuing to stall. They can tune into BBC 3 Counties Radio breakfast show on Thursday 17th July after 08:00 to hear the latest news about it.
Shareholders in GB Railways PLC (parent on Anglia Railways) can attend the 2003 AGM on Thursday 21st August, in the offices of Investec Henderson Crosthwaite at 2 Gresham Street, London EC2 V7QP.
Railfuture launched the National Railcard International Survey at Waterloo Station on Wednesday 16th July 2003. Railfuture central is eager to know how much media coverage it attracts. If you have see any report in a national or local newspaper/magazine or heard/saw any report on TV/Radio, please inform Peter Lawrence.
Paul Salveson (Transport Research and Information Network) is the third confirmed speaker at Railfuture's User Conference on 1st November 2003. The others are Theo Steel (FGE) and Chris Austin (SRA).
The branch was unsuccessful in its request to stage the 2004 Railfuture AGM. It will now be held in Newcastle-on-Tyne on 8th May 2004.
The next issue of Snippets will have a report from the Rail Passengers Committee for Eastern England meeting that was held in Peterborough on 15th July. For your diaries, the next RPC EE meeting is on Tuesday 2nd December 2003 at the Pearl Continental Hotel, Norwich. This is also the venue for the next Railfuture branch meeting on 20th September.
RAIL COMPANIES
First Group gets back in race for Greater [East] Anglia bid by buying GB Railways PLC
Keywords: [GBRailways]
In [Snippets 119] it was hinted that First Group were so eager to get the lucrative Greater Anglia franchise that they might consider buying a stake in one of the bidding TOCs, with Anglia's parent being the likely company.
On 16th July, in a deal likely to please many supporters of First Great Eastern, it was announced that First Group had reached agreement with the directors of GB Railways PLC to buy 100% of the company. It will initially pay 250 pence cash for each GB Railways share - total £22 million, against First's value of £1,000 million. First also agreed deferred payments of another 200p and 50p respectively if the group wins the Greater Anglia and both the Northern and Wales and Borders franchises. Shareholders could potentially get 500p, for shares trading at only 40p two years in 2001. Although the directors, who hold 35% of the shares, have agreed, it will require the support of other shareholders for the sale to go through.
Observers consider the takeover - in which GB Railways' entire management team will stay with the company run as a subsidiary of First Group - will make GB's bid for Greater Anglia franchise the "best of both worlds" and a forgone conclusion. The Strategic Rail Authority has given its consent to the acquisition and says it will have no bearing on the outcome, since GB will be putting the bid together, not First. FGE's website says: "The deal will bring together the region's two best performing rail operators and match the performance and financial strengths of FGE with the innovation and customer friendliness of Anglia."
FirstGroup Chief Executive Moir Lockhead said "This acquisition will make an excellent fit with our current rail businesses, re-opening new opportunities in East Anglia and Wales, giving us access to the East Coast Main Line and introducing us to the rail freight market." Jeremy Long, GB Chief Executive, said: "[it] is beneficial to shareholders, stakeholders and employees with GB Railways becoming a separate wholly-owned subsidiary within FirstGroup. This allows the existing teams to continue to lead our three established operations: Anglia Railways, Hull Trains and GB Railfreight. We look forward to building on the reputation, culture and expertise which GB Railways and FirstGroup have established."
GB report: http://www.gbrailways.com/downloads/announcement-16.07.03.pdf
Guardian storyhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,998836,00.html.
GUIDED BUSWAY
Cambs County Council guideed busway public consultations are well attended
Many people have visited the county council's public consultations on their plans to turn the St.Ives line into a concrete guided busway. The highest attendances (over 200 people) have been in Histon and Impington, which are closest to Cambridge and likely to see a considerable increase in car traffic as people drive to the busway stops. The villagers have also been angered by plans to purchase the rear part of gardens to build bus stops. The two parish councils are still deciding their official stance, having opposed the busway previously, but being told by the County Council now that the busway is a done deal.
Branch secretary Nick Dibben gave a presentation to St.Ives town council in 9th July, which was well received. There is a great deal of concern about the scheme and the Town Council are not very keen at all. There will be another meeting at the end of July when Cambs County Council are expected to give a presentation to the town council and its district and county councillors. The town council will also be seeking the views of Godmanchester and Huntingdon town councils.
The Cambridge Evening News has published several letters about the busway, all critical (as always). Attention has been drawn to the recent Wensleydale line reopening, and the far greater economic viability of a microfranchised rail service along the St.Ives line.
Railfuture members in the area are encouraged to visit the remaining exhibitions, and fill in their forms.
RAIL FRANCHISES
Extensions on the cards for National Express' Central and GN franchises
According to the SRA website on 8th July it entered Heads of Terms negotiations for a two-year extension to the Central Trains franchise and that it has also stated negotiations with National Express for a similar extension to the Great Northern franchise (the remnant of WAGN).
EAST WEST RAIL LINK
Alistair Darling offers olive branch to East West Rail supporters when announcing massive road schemes
Keywords: [EastWestRail]
When Alistair Darling announced to the House of Commons his approval for many major roads building projects, he did give East-West rail a brief mention, noting that the SRA were looking at the proposals for new services between Oxford and Bedford. It's not much, but it's a start!
The only positive side to the roads plan for the branch area is that there is nothing very much for the A47 between Peterborough and Norwich.
PROMOTING RAIL TRAVEL
GNER get into trouble for misleading scenic pictures in adverts
Keywords: [GNER]
GNER has had to correct a "misleading" newspaper advert featuring beautiful scenery visible from its train windows, which was actually the cliffs of Stepper Point on the North Cornish coast - 300 miles from GNER's nearest service at King's Cross. The picture has now been replaced with one featuring Loch Insch near Aviemore in Scotland.
RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE
Dates announced for eight-week long closure of Ipswich Tunnel to support containers from Felixstowe
From 11th July to 5th September 2004 Stoke Tunnel at Ipswich will be shut to all traffic while the track is lowered to allow passage for 9'6" containers from Felixstowe docks. The line between Ipswich and Manningtree will be closed, allowing Network Rail to carry out other maintenance work at the same time.
During this period there will be a direct train service between Norwich and London Liverpool Street via Cambridge in the morning and evening peaks only. The Cambridge-Norwich class 170 trains will be strengthened to 3-cars for the off-peak, allowing passengers to change at Ely or Cambridge for journeys to London.
Anglia service notes: http://www.angliarailways.co.uk/latest-information/service-updates.asp.
PRESERVED RAILWAYS
Mid-Norfolk Railway makes progress on northern extension with level crossing work
Keywords: [MidNorfolkRailway]
Work on level crossings had already caused the temporary closure of two roads in Dereham. On 5th and 6th July the Mid-Norfolk Railway's northern extension project saw the closure of the Neatherd Road crossing to motorists for track renewal and road resurfacing.
Plans to rebuild Southwold to Halesworth railway line deferred by council
Southwold Town Council has deferred a decision on a £6.5m proposal by the Southwold Railway Society to rebuild a railway line from Southwold to Halesworth so that locals concerned about the scheme can have their say.
The plans, which are in their early stages, include a new station being built by the boating lake on Southwold seafront, another station at Blythburgh, and tunnels under the A12 and A145.
WEBSITES
Rail unions launch joint "Save Mail on Rail" campaign website
The main rail and post trades unions have set-up website to promote their campaign to save mail on rail. The http://www.savemailonrail.org.uk website is an example of the rail unions working positively for real rail issues that affects the whole country, not just their 500 members who could lose their jobs.
Makeover for Strategic Rail Authority's website
The SRA has recently given its http://www.sra.gov.uk website a makeover to promote its "Britain's railways - properly delivered" branding. The main improvement is that a list of recent news items and publications are shown on the home page.
Crossrail revamps its website in marketing exercise - and gets single yellow light too!
Crossrail has revamped its http://www.crossrail.co.uk website to promote its new slogan 'Crossing the capital - Connecting the UK'. It includes brochures, various maps of the route options and artists impressions of the possible new trains and stations plus photos including ongoing construction work at Moor House. A new section 'What They Say About Us' lists the support Crossrail has received across business, local, regional and national government.
Only weeks after the website revamp, it announced on its news page that Transport Secretary Alistair Darling announced that "Crosslink had been given the green light", although it is more accurately a single yellow, since it merely promises extensive consultation.
BBC featured opening of the private (community) Wensleydale Railway
Various branch members are shareholders in the Wensleydale Railway, which ran its first passenger trains on Friday 4th July. They have yet to relaunch their http://www.wensleydalerailway.com website, which previously campaigned for funds, and are currently pointing to a BBCi feature about all aspects of the railway, including timetables for the daily service. The opening was also featured on BBC breakfast news, national BBC-1 lunchtime news, Radio 4 news bulletins at 07:00, 08:00 and others.
Unlike heritage railways, this community railway is offering 1/3 off fares with a Young person, Family, Senior or Disabled person railcard. However, National Rail Enquiries website does not have details of their service since they are not a member of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC).
BBCi reports: http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/uncovered/2003/05/13/wensleydale/index.shtml
BBC TV news report (Video!): http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39244000/rm/_39244096_railway13_bocquet_vi.ram.
Railfuture East Anglia Branch News Snippets 120 - 16/07/2003
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