News from the East Anglian Branch of Railfuture, edited by Martin Thorne and Jerry Alderson.
Railfuture News Snippets 380 - 30/11/2024
On 21st November 2024, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) published its estimated station usage for the 12 months between April 2023 and March 2024 - see here. Cambridge remains the most used station in East Anglia, coming in at 44th place with 10,033,088, whilst Cambridge North saw 1,268,788 entrances and exits, placing it at 401st in Britain. Now in its eighth year, Cambridge North's partronage is more than 50% higher than the 800k business case, admittedly produced around 15 years ago. Newcomer Soham, which opened in Deember 2021, had 66k entrances and exits, depsite still only having a two-hourly service, because of the capacity constraints at Ely. Shippea Hill in Cambridgeshire was the second least-used station in Britain, with just 70 entries and exits — a few years previously it was the least-used station and rebounded the following year because may people visited it.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has also released statistics showing that train fare revenue between April 2023 and March 2024 rose by 14 per cent to £10.4 billion compared to the previous 12 months (18 per cent below pre-pandemic levels), but at a slower rate than passenger journeys, which rose 16 per cent to 1.6 billion (seven per cent less than the 1.7 billion journeys made between April 2019 and March 2020). The slower revenue growth is partly because passengers are making shorter journeys overall. The ORR says that Government funding of the day-to-day operations of the railway is at 49 per cent of operational income.
On 28th November 2024, Royal Assent was given for the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill, which then became an Act. Meanwhile, a consultation on a new Railways Bill is also due out shortly, with a view to introducing it to Parliament by summer 2025.
A day later, on 29th November 2024, it was announced that Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, who at 36 was the youngest-ever female member of a cabinet, had resigned "to avoid becoming a distraction". She did so immediately after it became public that she had pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud by false representation (despite not making any financial gain) in 2015. This conviction involved the rather trivial matter of her mobile work phone being reported as stolen in 2013 (after suffering a "terrifying" mugging on a night out in London and had other possessions stolen) and it subsequently being found at her home in a drawer but she did not reporting the find. She had disclosed the spent conviction to Keir Starmer when he became leader in 2020 and appointed her to his shadow cabinet. Within hours, Keir Starmer appointed Heidi Alexander, previously a justice minister, as her replacement. She had been London Mayor Sadiq Khan's deputy transport mayor from 2018 to 2021. Industry observers saisd that her experience in devolved Government (in London) will be an asset in working with Metro Mayors to increase north-south rail capacity in the future.
In November 2024, when appearing before the Transport Select Committee, Louise Haigh, the then Secretary of State of Transport, told them that GBR would be running by December 2026 and that the last of the 10 DfT TOCs would be in the public sector in Oct 2027 (or earlier if they default).
Cross-Country Trains is to remove first class seats from its Class 170 units used on the Stansted Airport - Leicester - Birmingham, and Nottingham - Birmingham - Cardiff routes from the introduction of the new timetable on 15th December 2024. Hopefully, this will help to reduce overcrowding on these frequently very busy services. The current various sub-classes of Class 170 (Turbostar) units will be refurbished with a standard interior. The abolition of first class will mean there will 11 extra standard class seats per three-car unit.
Following Kemi Badenoch's election as Conservative Party leader (announced on Saturday 2nd November 2024), a reshuffle took place and Gareth Bacon was appointed shadow transport secretary.
As the new government races ahead with renationalising the 10 remaining DfT contracted operators, Rail Partners, the trade body that represents passenger train companies and freight operators, is to be wound up in April 2025. The organisation was spun out of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) in 2021 to lobby for train operator owning groups following publication of the Williams Plan for Rail, leaving the RDG primairly to perform its statutory tasks, such as rail settlement. It is assumed that the RDG will be subsumed into Great Btitish Railways.
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is inviting community organisations to bid for funding from its 'Your Station, Your Community' scheme, which could provide more than £1 million over three years to strengthen the ties between stations and the communities they serve.
On 12th November 2024, the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) applied to the Department for Transport (DfT) for a Transport and Work Act (TWA) Order to construct and operate a new busway, travel hub and path for walkers and cyclists linking Cambourne to Cambridge. The submission follows four rounds of public consultation as well as extensive community and stakeholder engagement since 2015. If approved and funded, the link would connect Cambourne to Cambridge via the new Bourn Airfield development, Hardwick, Coton and the West Cambridge site. The new travel hub at Scotland Farm would be accessed from the A428. It is highly likely that a public inquiry will be held.
On 4th November 2024, Greater Anglia (GA) uploaded episode 2 of its #LifeOnRails audio podcast, in which its new Managing Director, Martin Beable, discusses his position and GA celebrates winning "Passenger Operator of the Year" again. Each podcast can be listened to at: https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/life-rails-podcast.
Also on 4th November 2024, the BBC reported that the Stagecoach East operations director Ross Barton aid he was "hugely" frustrated because essential maintenance works would cause disruption and delays on the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway (CGB) in the coming weeks. Stagecoach said that work would take place between 6th and 18th November to rebuild the northbound Histon and Impington busway stop, which means that buses in both directions will be diverted along Station Road, Histon High Street, Park Lane and Gatehouse Lane, adding 15 minutes to bus journeys at peak times.
Wymondham railway station, in Norwolk, has a footbridge with stairs (but no lift or ramp) to cross the track and is therefore not accessible for disabled people, parents with babies in push chairs and people who take cycles on trains to work in places along the route. According to an article in the Eastern Daily Press, local campaigners will be meeting the Transport Secretary in order to get the accessiblity issues resolved.
In a press release on 18th November 2024, Greater Anglia (GA) released figures showing what it calls "continuing excellent punctuality" results for its services across East Anglia, averaging 94.7% using the long-standing (i.e. discredited and largely opbsolete) public performance measure (PPM), which measures arrival times at destination stations but ignores arrival times at all other station calls. GA's moving annual average PPM figure is now at 94.3%. GA also said that it has been the most consistently punctual train operators in Great Britain for over 18 months, since April 2023.
The cost increase on the relocation of Waterbeach station 2.4km north to be closer to the new town of 11,000 homes was mentioned in [Snippets 379]. At its Board meeting on 7th November 2024, the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) approved the proposals but opening will be delayed until 2027 (or later still, as services will not commence until houses are ready for occupation) because construction on a nearby road is expected to start in 2025, with work at the new station starting in 2026.
Around a year after the first passenger train ran using the ETCS cab signalling system, Wednesday 13th November 2024 was the first day when all trains on the Northern City Line into Moorgate station in London using it. So, the line is now run exclusively with trains under ETCS cab signalling. Lineside signals will remain in place for now but will be switched off in 2025. This is another step in the East Coast Digital Programme, which will see ETCS used in East Anglia as far as Royston and Peterborough (the latter almost up to Grantham). See news story.
Following collision by a freight locomotive earlier in the year, on 3rd November 2024 a new set of gates was installed at the level crossing next to the former Middleton Towers railway station, which used to be known merely as Middleton station until 1924. According to the Lynn News, Alex Brammer, founder of the Middleton Towers Restoration Group, which is in the midst of a project to restore the platform buildings, said: "Thank you so much to the team at Network Rail for supplying and installing the brand new crossing gates." The group has received a quote from a local roofing firm and also a local scaffolding firm in tandem. It is now awaiting a quote for the platform canopy work, while a grant request has been submitted to Railway Heritage Trust to consider funding the scheme. The long-term aim is to introduce a tea room inside the former waiting room.
On 17th November 2024, the East Anglian Daily Times (EADT) reported fears that Greater Anglia (GA) was "neglecting" the the former Trimley station building to the point where it would have to be demolished. The 'evidence' was that GA and Network Rail have stated that they are not "funded to rebuild", or restore vacant buildings othat add no operational value to the customer experience. Trimley station has not been in operational use for decade and GA says that it is "in frequent contact with East Suffolk Council regarding the building" and is "keen to work with the community if a sustainable use and funding option can be identified."
According to an article dated 16th November 2024 in the Cambridge News, land around three Cambridgeshire village stations that "serve a very low number of homes" could be used for up to 17,000 homes. These remarks from architect Russell Curtis suggested that Shepreth could accommodate 7,200 new homes to the north of the village, 2,800 homes in and around Meldreth and 6,800 homes around Foxton station. Mr Curtis said there was 'potential' for around 10,000 new homes around Ashwell & Morden because "it is unencumbered by green belt designation nor is it covered by ecological land protections".
Transport East will be holding its 'Summit' event on 16th January 2025.
Network Rail has issued a list of the most struck railway bridges in Britain 2023/24. The first two are in East Anglia. At the top of the list was Stuntney Road, Ely, with 18 strikes, closely followed by Stonea Road, Stonea with 17 strikes.
In November 2024 there was a news report suggesting that Maersk may stop using Felixstowe port. Even if this turns out to be the case, it is definitely not an argument against the need for freight on East West or even through Ely. This would not be the first time that a shipping line has moved to another port and such changes are a feature of the industry. Long-term planning for infrastructure should not be shaped by short-term thinking or events. Felixstowe port is enjoying continuing growth in volumes and new rail flows.
A group of volunteers are working to make the former Corpusty station building available for use by the local community as an events space. The surviving platform will also be restored for the potential installation of benches. The Corpusty and Saxthorpe Village Hall committee is responsible for the management of the building and has been hosting fundraising events to fund repairs. The former Midland & Great Northern station closed in 1959, along with almost the whole of the M&GN route.
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Railfuture East Anglia Branch News Snippets 380 - 30/11/2024
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