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East Anglia Branch News - Snippets Issue 378 - 30/09/2024

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

Railfuture News Snippets 378 - 30/09/2024



The PowerPoint presentation by Guy Dangerfield of Transport Focus to Railfuture East Anglia at its meeting in Norwich on Saturday 28 September 2024 can be viewed at www.railfuture.org.uk/display3879.

In eary September, Norfolk County Council (NCC) published its 47-page 2024 Rail Prospectus, which it says "establishes a clear vision for rail in Norfolk and will set out what we feel is required to make sure that rail can serve the needs and expectations of passengers, and to ensure that it continues to support Norfolk's economy and helps deliver the housing and jobs growth planned. This revised prospectus sets out our priorities for stations and lines, and our support in large cross country infrastructure projects such as Ely improvements and East West Rail where these will have direct benefits for the county." The document can be read and feedback provided (closes 21st October 2024) by clicking [here]. The Fen Line Users Association (FLUA) used X/Twitter to encourage people to stress the importance of the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement (EACE), particularly at Ely North Junction, which NCC recognises the importance of, even though it is outside the county.

On 11th September 2024 it was announced by the Speaker of the House of Commons that Ruth Cadbury (Labour MP) has been elected as the new Chair of the Transport Select Committee.

A public consultation on the proposed £20m new railway station on the Bittern line to serve the Broadlands Business Park ends on 21st October 2024. See EDP news story.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership GCP) has published the Outline Business Case for relocating Waterbeach station to the site of the new town, just over a mile to the north. It will be considered at the Joint Assembly meeting on 16th October 2024 and at the Executive Board meeting on 7th November 2024 where members will be asked to approve the plan and agree the budget. There will be a private briefing meeting for some councillors ahead of publication but stakeholders and the public will not be allowed to attend.

On Friday 6th September 2024, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) Mayor Dr Nik Johnson toured building works at the new Cambridge South railway station, which is now set to open in late 2025 (delayed by supply chain problems and the lack of clarity on the East Coast Mainline timetable changes). In a statement as part of the tour, the Mayor said "Cambridge South will be a real boost to the city and region from day one of opening and it was exciting to see the project now really taking shape." See press release.

Greater Anglia (GA) is launching another round of its Hare Fares savings, with the main off-peak day return (i.e. flexible) fares priced from £12, and 'short hop' off-peak day return fares priced from £6. Accompanied children travel for just £2 each. There are no rail discounts or group save on these fares, which means it might be cheapere to buy a normal off-peak day fare. Purchase is on GA's website and app (anyone unable to purchase online can call GA on 0345 600 7245 option 2 to buy over the phone) between Tuesday 1st October and Tuesday 22nd October 2024 inclusive, for travel dates 2nd October to 2nd December 2024 inclusive. Unlike some other promotions, the tickets are not quota controlled.

As part of its attempt to improve the railway's finances, primarily by increasing fares, the government announced on 1st September 2024, that it would be reducing the discount offered by railcards from 34% to 33.4%, thus still complying with the 'third off' in the terms and conditions. Although this may seem negligible, indeed a trivial change, it is roughly a 1% increase in fares for those using a railcard. see news story. When asked by the BBC for a quote, Railfuture's Bruce Williamson, said: "While this represents a very tiny increase in fares for some passengers, it's a step in the wrong direction. As the slogan goes, every little helps, so why risk irritating passengers for a few pence?" The change will come into effect from from the middle of September. Office of Rail and Road figures show revenue from passengers was £10.3bn in the year to the end of March 2024, compared with £12.7bn 2019-20 when uplifted for inflation — a shortfall of £2.4bn in a year.

At the National Rail Awards 2024 ceremony on 12th September Greater Anglia (GA) picked up three awards: a) Passenger Operator of the Year, b) Fleet Achievement of the Year and c) Large Station of the Year (Cambridge). Cambridge station has not been without its problems, such as the lifts frequently being out of use, the toilets being closed for several weeks in early 2024 (a temporary arrangement was installed at the front of the station) and two of the three AMT coffee kiosks stil being boarded up following AMT's financial collapse in November 2022. Critics might also wonder how much longer that GA will be lauded for rolling out an entire new fleet of trains — technology is moving fast and the highly-praised FLIRTs will eventually start to look dated.

According to Modern Railways published at the end of September 2024, East Midlands Railway (EMR) confirmed that USB charging points will be fitted to those class 158 units still without them but they will still not have wi-fi. This will benefit passengers on the Norwich-Peterborough route.

In early September, the DfT announced that another 45 rail stations will get contactless tap-in tap-out ticketing in the South East - on top of the 47 already announced. Its experts say that contactless ticketing pays for itself in months as more people travel. Some of these stations are in East Anglia, although most are outside the Railfuture East Anglia branch area, apart from Stansted Airport (which will allow smoother journeys for international passengers from train to plane, the publicity claims) and Sawbridgeworth. These additional stations follows 47 previously announced across the Southeast.

On Tuesday 22nd October the Cambrdge University Railway Club (CURC) will have a presentation by its first giuest speaker of the Michaelmas 2024 term. They will be welcoming five guests from the Young Rail Professionals (YHRP), which is an organisation aimed at promoting rail and inspiring young people to join the railway industry. The talk will take place in Queens' College, in the Angevin Room, with doors open from 17:45 and a prompt start at 18:00.

On Saturday 21st September 2024, the Bittern Line Community Rail Partnership (CRP) used X/Twitter to tell people that rail travel into Sheringham on Greater Anglia services for the 1940s Festival was proving popular! There was free admission to Sheringham Museum for rail passengers that weekend (Saturday and Sunday) who showed their rail ticket. The CRP was at the station with free Bittern Line guides, maps and timetables.

On Saturday 28th September 2024, the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership held an Autumn Craft & Gift Fair at Lowestoft station. It was open until 16:00 and admission was free.

According to Greater Anglia, the Woodbridge Sea Scouts, aged from 4 to 7, recently helped to rejuvenate Melton station in Suffolk in collaboration with the East Suffolk Line Community Rail Paternship. The youngsters painted four huge planters & planted wildlife and flowers.

At Lowestoft station, the Wherry Lines Community Rail Paternship (CRP) asked Greater Anglia to provide some seating on the island platforms (3 & 4) to making it easier for those less mobile to rest when waiting for a train. It was an anomaly that Lowestoft did not have any seats on the platform. To save money, the CRP had suggested relocating two benches from the concourse. There were 18 benches on the concourse and booking hall, which was more than sufficient, they felt.

The North Norfolk Railway (NNR) has announced six themed events. They are Steam Back to the Forties on 21st-22nd September (a weekend of live music, classic vehicles, vintage trade stands, historical displays and wartime fashions); Autumn Showcase on 5th-6th October (two-day intense timetable with combinations that do not usually run, such as goods trains or double headings); HallowSTEAM! on 30th October to 2nd November (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths shows and activities hosted by Mad Science); Norfolk Lights Express from 15th November to 5th January (the magical sight of a steam-hauled train illuminated by thousands of tiny lights); Santa Specials from 23rd November to 23rd December, and lastly, Mince Pie Specials from 27th December to 5th January 2025.

A new television documentary series called "Abandoned Railways From Above" is coming to Channel 4. It will explore lost railway lines from the air, which is a different approach to similar TV series. The edition on Saturday 29 September will look at the 'Varsity Line' between Cambridge and Oxford - see article.

BBC One is showing a six-part Sunday night thriller, entitled Nightsleeper, which is about an overnight train from Glasgow to London being taken over by by cyber criminals.. It uses old Class 321 carriages (now owned by Great Yarmouth-based Eastern Rail Services, a company that hires rolling stock to film and TV production companies) and was formerly used on East Anlgian services, as explained in a BBC news story.


GUIDED BUSWAY
Cambridgeshire County Council pleads guilty to causing deaths of three peope on the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway

In May 2024, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) began legal proceedings against Cambridgeshire County Council following the deaths of three people (Jennifer Taylor, Steven Moir, and Kathleen Pitts) on the guided busway, as covered in numerous isuses of Snippets. The prosecution was also linked related to other incidents where people were hurt accessing the busway. Cambridgeshire County Council has pleaded guilty to health and safety offences linked to the deaths. In a stamtenrt by the authority's chief executive Dr Stephen Moir (confusingly sharing a name with one of the three victims) admitted the council had fallen "far short" in meeting health and safety standards, after Cambridgeshire County Council had pleaded guilty to health and safety offences linked to the deaths of three people on the guided busway.

"In his statement Dr Moir said: "In providing the guided busway for the people of Cambridgeshire, the county council has a duty and responsibility to uphold the highest standards of health and safety at work. We fully recognise and accept that during the historic (sic) operation of the guided busway, when these incidents occurred, that we fell far short of meeting these standards. For that, we are truly sorry...We have ensured and we will continue to ensure that the lessons learned from these historic (sic) failures are addressed properly. We will further ensure that the current and future management of the guided busway is regularly reviewed, updated and that the necessary assurances are in place to enable us to provide this important, accessible, and safe public transport system to the people of Cambridgeshire."


Railfuture East Anglia Branch News Snippets 378 - 30/09/2024

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Railfuture is a non-profit making pro-rail campaiging organsaiton, which is run entirely by unpaid volunteeers, incluoding production of Rail News Snippets for the East Anglian branch of Railfuture.

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