Railway Cuttings 72

14 March 2004

IN THE NEWS

Following a Railfuture Media Release criticising the delay in issuing reports on High Speed Railways and Community Railways and the SRA Annual Strategic Plan update Railfuture President, Mike Caton, was interviewed on the BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester breakfast programme on 16th February.

Also on 16th February Railfuture Chairman, Peter Lawrence, was interviewed on the BBC Radio 4 "PM" programme following the announcement by shadow chancellor, Oliver Letwin, of his plans to cut public spending by £35bn and freeze expenditure on transport for two years if a Conservative government is elected. Peter said that Railfuture cannot support this idea.

Recent contacts to Peter by the media have also included a interview by the Yorkshire Post on the future of rural railways and a call from the Guardian seeking the views of Railfuture on National Express taking on the Greater Anglia Franchise.

Railfuture member, Anthony Kay, was pictured in the Leicester Mercury on 4th March alongside a story about the ending of the Nottingham-Coventry service due to the changes at Nuneaton. This story was picked up by the Mercury after a letter from Anthony was published in the Loughborough Echo the previous week which informed the readers of what was going to happen to the service and encouraging them to write to the RPC(Midlands) and the SRA to complain.

Brian Hastings' Chairman's comments in the latest issue of the Railfuture Lincs Branch newsletter were quoted verbatim in the Lincolnshire Echo on 24th February. Among the topics covered Brian pointed out that overcrowding is now endemic on rail services in Lincolnshire and that the recent extension of Central's franchise contains no plans to do anything about it.

INTEGRATED KENT FRANCHISE

In the last Railway Cuttings proposed service reductions to several small stations in Kent were documented. John Pitcher, Organiser Railfuture Kent Division, reports that they are compiling a list of exactly what facilities exist, or are missing! at all the small stations threatened so Kent Division can make a detailed formal objection.

Kent Division have the support of Kent & Medway Rural Transport Partnership Officer. People in the area are waking up to what's hitting them and there has been quite a lot of coverage in the local press. At Kearsney by Dover a meeting was hastily organised by the parish council and got about 20 people at very short notice. Another worrying point is the proposed reduction of frequency on the Sittingbourne/Sheerness branch from 1/2 hourly to hourly. This is apparently so that new fast trains can be 'stabled' at Sittingbourne station. As one of our members, John Goodfellow, wrote. Talk about robbing Peter to pay Paul!

The concerns from Kent must have reached the SRA by 19th February when they issued a Press Release entitled "The Facts About Train Services in the new Kent Franchise". See http://www.sra.gov.uk/news/2004/2/kent_franchise_statement

Beltring station, which is slated for reduction to 1 Parliamentary train a week under the SRA proposals, is only a short walk from The Hop Farm ("Kent's most popular family attraction" in it's 2004 brochure). An all-in rail and entrance ticket is available including a courtesy bus link between Paddock Wood & the farm but this ticket is NOT valid at Beltring station. It is very easy to claim that a station is poorly used when you direct most of your potential users to a different station!

CAMBRIDGE GUIDED BUSWAY - GET YOUR OBJECTIONS IN ASAP

Info from CASTIRON www.castiron.org.uk/TWAobjections.php

We need you to do one very important thing before 2nd April. Please object to Cambridgeshire County Council's application to destroy our railway line to build a concrete guided busway. We are convinced that we can defeat their daft scheme (a similar one in Luton has just been abandoned), but we need your help NOW. Even if you don't live in the area, please do what you can as it only takes a few people to stop this madness
PLEASE WRITE A LETTER OF OBJECTION URGENTLY. Letters should be headed "Cambridgeshire Guided Bus Scheme, Transport and Works Act Application" and sent to:

Secretary of State for Transport Department for Transport TWA Orders Unit, Zone 3/11 Great Minster House 76 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DR

The e-mail address is: transportandworksact at dft.gsi.gov.uk. You can send a Word attachment. Letters must be received at the Department of Transport by 2nd April.

We need to show that the busway offers little benefits for £100m, and bus services on existing roads could be improved for much less. The railway line is needed for regional and national travel, not just for local bus journeys, especially since Stansted Airport is growing from 59 million to 72M passengers per year, and Alconbury railfreight distribution centre, near the end of our line, has been authorised.

After objecting then what next? You will get a response from them within about 10 days. You will be asked if you would like to appear at a public inquiry. You must reply within 2 weeks saying yes, otherwise you will be deemed to have said no. Please say YES. This is very important.

There is no obligation upon you to do anything by saying yes. It means that they will write to you again: you will be kept informed and may get invited to speak at the public inquiry. If this happens you can always turn it down. There's no cost to you.

If you get invited to present your case in public, then please contact CAST.IRON executives. They can appear as your representative if you so wish. Or will help you with your case if you wish.

TRANSLINK - LAING RAIL PUT FORWARD A RAIL LINK PROPOSAL

Despite the withdrawal of Bedfordshire County Council from the Translink busway scheme Luton Borough Council seem determined to push ahead on their own. However an alternative rail based scheme has now been put forward by Laing Rail (Operators of the Chiltern Rail franchise). Laing are proposing a dedicated rail link between Dunstable (White Lion) and Luton Interchange with immediate stations at Chaul End Road and/or Dallow Road. The scheme would be completely separate from the main line railway. Laing say that based on their own experience elsewhere they believe that capital costs would be very much less than the £36m previously estimated for a rail link or the £88m estimated for a busway.

SRA CONSULTATION PAPER ON COMMUNITY RAILWAYS

The SRA Consultation paper on a strategy for Community Railways has finally been released.
The typical line that would be eligible for Community Railway designation would:

• Have a speed limit of 75 mph or less;
• Are low frequency (normally hourly or less);
• Normally have a single operator (or one franchise operator plus freight);
• Are local or rural in character;
• Do not carry international passenger or freight traffic via the Channel Tunnel.

The list of potential routes covers 1300 route miles (12.5% of the national network) and includes 420 Stations (17%). This definition covers a wide variety of lines from short branches to the 55 mile long Grantham to Skegness line (which also carries freight, mainly from the port of Boston).

The SRA stress that there can be no 'one size fits all' solution and no overall template is therefore proposed. The approach that is proposed is to designate Community Rail routes separately from the conventional and high speed rail networks, as happens elsewhere in Europe. Consequently, they would not be covered by certain European Union regulations on issues such as interoperability – and they would have separate operational and engineering standards, appropriate for the nature of a local operation. Some routes may be suitable for microfranchising whereas for others a development of the measures that have proved successful in Community Rail Partnerships may be more suitable.

The SRA state that closures are not part of the policy. "Closures are hotly contested and the closure process takes significant senior management time to handle. With limited cost savings achievable from the limited resources devoted to these routes, it is highly debatable whether the benefits ever outweigh the costs." Ed: This does NOT say that there will be closures as can be seen from the next item about closing Etruria.

Some ideas suggested are:

• Fares: Bring into line with bus fares over the same route to allow interavailable ticketing. Consider differential pricing with a discounted rate for local users.
• Ticketing: Simpler products such as carnets and zonal tickets that could be sold through local newsagents and shops.
• Marketing: Promotion in conjunction with Community Rail Partners, local authorities, tourist boards and local visitor attractions.
• Timetables: Varying to suit local needs such as seasonal tourist demands.
• Integration: Better integration with local bus services so that they work together instead of competing for a limited market especially when both are subsidised. Timetables planned so that local buses and trains feed each others services. Integrated ticketing.
• Local management: Closer to the customer and procuring local goods and services.
• Standards and Accessibility: Look at cost reduction through ensuring standards are appropriate. Make better use of the derogation process where current Group standards are inappropriate. At the same time, reviewing standards may also help to improve accessibility of stations. The approach in recent years has been to remove foot crossings at stations with consequent limitations in accessibility, or with significant costs involved in bridging the line. This approach should be reconsidered on Community Railways, and experience with light rail systems taken into consideration, as they frequently involve street running.

Five routes have been identified for consideration as pilot schemes. They represent a broad spectrum of routes so that initiatives can be tested in a controlled way. The pilot routes are:

• The Esk Valley Line (Middlesbrough to Whitby)
• Island Line (Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin)
• Looe Valley Line (Liskeard to Looe)
• St Ives Branch (Cornwall)
• Watford Junction to St Albans Branch (Hertfordshire)

The deadline for responses is 28 May 2004 but earlier responses would be very welcome. The Railfuture submission is being put together by Peter Lawrence If any branch are planning to make their own submission would they please liase with Peter. It is important that the SRA do not receive contradicting views from different elements of Railfuture.
Source: http://www.sra.gov.uk/publications/consultation_default

PROPOSED CLOSURE OF ETRURIA STATION

The SRA are proposing that Etruria station is closed from 25 September 2004. Reasons given are diminished usage, excessive stepping distance from the platform (after WCML upgrade work) and saving 2 minutes on the London - Manchester timings. The SRA say that the decision has been taken following discussions with the local authority (Stoke-on-Trent City Council) but the mayor of Stoke was quoted in the Guardian as saying that the decision was over-hasty and made without consultation.

The industrial decline of the area has led to a greatly reduced number of users but Stoke on Trent City Council has a regeneration project for the area. Possibilities include replacing both Etruria and Longport stations with a single road, rail and park and ride interchange.

The closure proposal is being opposed by Railfuture, North Staffs Rail Promotion Group and others. Objections may be made to the Secretary of State by Friday 26th March 2004 via Kevin Liptrott, Department for Transport, Rail Sponsorship Division, Zone 3/33, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DU. Fax: 020 7944 2156. I have a draft objection letter that I can email to anyone who wants it. http://www.sra.gov.uk/news/2004/2/Etruria_release

SRA PUBLISH RUS FOR EAST MIDLANDS AND MIDLAND MAIN LINE

The Route Utilisation Strategy for Midland Main Line and East Midlands was published on 3rd March 2004. Claimed benefits will include 40% more seats and 14% less delays in the morning peak, potential for the introduction of an hourly Nottingham - Sheffield - Leeds service, creation of a regular capacity slot for freight through Leicester and better platform utilisation at Nottingham is promised from December 2004.

Tucked away in the detailed document is the comment that the SRA is supportive of the aims of Translink (the Luton to Dunstable guided busway) plan and will assist in future liaison between Luton Borough and Network Rail with regards to securing the transfer (and possible sale) of the former track bed between the two parties. http://www.sra.gov.uk/news/2004/2/mml_rus_final

RAIL SAFETY AND STANDARDS BOARD

The Railway Safety and Standards Board (RSSB)web-site ( http://www.rssb.co.uk ) has a mine of information on standards of trains, staff, track, structures and operations. The working manual for rail staff and the new rulebook GE/RT8000 are also there. http://www.rssb.co.uk/rgs.asp.

NEW GUIDANCE NOTES ISSUED FOR INSPECTORS HOLDING PUBLIC ENQUIRIES INTO ROAD SCHEMES ETC

You might find the following link useful. Orders which are within the scope of these notes include road (line) and side road orders (SRO), related compulsory purchase orders (CPOs), stopping up orders, guided transport systems and cycle track orders. http://www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk/pins/appeals/rights_of_way/guidance% 20for%20orders%20special%20road%20schemes/01_chapter_one.htm

RAIL 200 EVENTS

Most readers will know that 2004 is an important year for Britain's railways. It marks the 200th anniversary of the run of the first steam locomotive to run on rails - Richard Trevithick's locomotive at the Pen Y Darren Ironworks - as well as the centenary of the first 100mph run by the City of Truro. It is also 400 years since the first recorded existence of rail track in Britain. There are celebrations being planned throughout this year and The Railway Forum's Rail 200 website http://www.rail200.com/index.php has a list of events.

MEGABUS OFFERING JOURNEYS ACROSS THE UK FOR £1

Bus (and rail) operator Stagecoach hopes to encourage travellers to switch to buses from other modes of transport through a nationwide expansion of its megabus.com brand, which allows passengers to book journeys online from as little as £1.

From 18 February passengers can use the online booking service at www.megabus.com to purchase tickets for new bus routes linking London with Birmingham, Plymouth, Exeter, Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol, Bournemouth, Southampton, Portsmouth and Brighton. The first scheduled journeys, using high-capacity double decker buses, ran from Monday 1 March.

A pilot scheme serving Scotland, Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds was launched in August last year. Passenger numbers are now approaching 200,000 and the buses have proved popular with students, commuters, families and 'silver surfers' (according to the Stagecoach press release). Source: http://www.stagecoachgroup.com/sgc/mediainfo/releases/2004/2004-02-18/

What the press release does not say is how many tickets will actually be available for £1. Will it be like the budget airlines where the very cheap tickets are almost impossible to obtain, especially if you want to book well in advance?

TRAIN DRIVING RULES TO BE STANDARDISED ACROSS THE EU

Better working conditions for train drivers could become European law, thanks to a ground-breaking agreement between the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) and the Community of European Railways (CER).
The driving time and rest periods agreement, which was finalised after eight months of negotiations, includes requirements for a minimum daily rest period of 12 hours and a maximum daily driving time of nine hours. The European Social Partners, the ETF and CER, decided that the agreement should become an EU directive.

A further agreement between the partners outlining a common skills standards for locomotive drivers through a European driver's licence was also negotiated. Unions are concerned that the drivers' licence will only be implemented on a voluntary basis. As a result they are pressing for the licence's conditions to be included in some form in the new European legislation.

Norbert Hansen, as Chair of the ETF Railway Section representing 76 railway trade unions across Europe, called both the agreements "an indispensable condition for a social, fair and safe European railway environment". "They were," he said, "proof that the European social partners in the railway sector have the capacity to determine social minimum standards for their sector on their own."
Source: ITF News Online www.itf.org.uk/online/english

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

Railfuture's Policy, Lobbying and Campaigns Committee have asked me to remind everyone that the Euro elections will be held on June 10th 2004. Now is the time to start contacting candidates and asking for their views on transport issues. Suggested topics for enquiries are:

• Support for Eurostar services between the regions of the UK beyond London and Paris/Brussels.
• More UK rail routes to be classed as Trans European Networks (TENs).
• Need for easier availability of through tickets between the UK and Continental destinations.
• Support for high-speed lines in the UK.
• Need for a more level playing field between rail and air, e.g. by taxing aviation fuel on a pan-EU basis.

The Labour view of Europe can be found at: http://www.laboureast-euroelections.info/resource/reslist.htm. I cannot find up to date European manifestos for the Conservative, Liberal Democrat or Green Parties. If anyone can supply links I will put them in the next Railway Cuttings.

NET NOW OPEN

The delayed Nottingham Express Transit tram system was opened by Alistair Darling on Tuesday 9th March. Timetable is available on their web-site http://www.thetram.net.

RAILFUTURE AGM

Full details of the AGM will shortly be despatched with Railwatch 99. There were no nominations for Sales Officer. Volunteers are still needed to run the monthly lottery and the annual draw. There is a very real danger that these two useful sources of income will be lost if volunteers cannot be found. Volunteers please contact Peter Lawrence.

RAIL USERS CONFERENCE 2004

Subject to final confirmation the RUC 2004 will be held in the Birmingham area on 6th November 2004.