Railway Cuttings 73
15 April 2004
IN THE NEWS
Peter Lawrence, Railfuture Chairman, has been busy giving press interviews.
He was interviewed by the Eastern Evening News concerning SPADS. Recently a Anglia Railways train driver allegedly passed signals at red while using his mobile telephone.
Pulse Radio of Bradford asked about rail safety in the light of the Madrid bombings. They were particularly concerned regarding services in the Leeds-Huddersfield - Manchester area.
The Daily Express asked about a Network Rail statement that pre Hatfield reliability service levels will not be reached until 2007. (The National Rail Trends October to December 2003 reliability figures are now on the SRA website)
Eastern Daily Press and Eastern Evening News asked Peter to comment on Network Rails' announcement of proposed local rail investment. Infrastructure improvements have been announced for Brundall, Brandon and Shenfield.
The Daily Mail were concerned about 'Easter Rail chaos' whilst sections of the system were closed for maintenance and infrastructure work. Peter's comments were picked up by ITV and as a result Keith Dyall was interviewed for the programme London Tonight.
Nick Dibben, Railfuture East Anglia branch secretary, reports that "various Railfuture members were at the launch of the new GA franchise on 1st April. The new company will be called "one" to signify the single operator for the region. Expect lots of "one" jokes and puns in the media. Existing route brands such as West Anglia, Great Eastern, Anglia Intercity and Stansted Express will stay.
Alistair Darling officially launched the new franchise at Liverpool Street and named a class 90 locomotive Readwald of East Anglia after one of the region's Saxon Kings. Also in attendance were Richard Bowker, an assortment of local football mascots and some guys dressed up in Saxon outfits complete with axes and swords. How they got past security I am not sure.
Nick was also quoted in the Hunts Post commenting on the increases in parking charges at Huntingdon and St Neots stations and the fact that parking is no longer free at weekends. This was stuff he sent in about a month ago, so it was hardly news!
Also in the paper, news that punctuality figures are rising plus the usual CAST.IRON v Busway letters. More detail at:
http://www.huntspost.co.uk/man/news/?tbrand=HPTOnline&tcategory=NEWS
Keith Dyall, Chairman London & South East Branch, has a letter in the current issue of Rail (485) criticising the MML route capacity plan as a missed opportunity. He is concerned about the potential for poor punctuality on Thameslink 2000 (if it is ever implemented) and the lack of planned infrastructure work. During the consultation the branch had suggested some improvements that would increase capacity significantly but would be of minimal cost.
RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY AGM
A reminder that if you are going to the AGM John Lee would appreciate your booking form by Friday 30th April. If you require lunch you MUST book and pay for it by this date at the very latest. If you have not already voted in the elections for Vice Chairman and National Executive members your ballot papers must be received by John Lee by 24th April 2004.
This was held in Peterborough on 26th March. The keynote address was made by Chris Austin from the SRA. There were further contributions from ACoRP, The Railway Forum, RPC, National Express, Network Rail and Porterbrook. Most of the discussion covered issues in the SRA consultation paper. Some of the additional comments were:
Chris Austin (SRA):
- With reorganisation there is a danger of institutionalising the current high cost base. We need to get a grip on costs before this happens.
- He is committed to continuing the link of fares between community railways
and the national Rail system.
- It takes 12 weeks to get a local promotional fare into the system. We need
to find a better way of doing this so that local lines can respond quickly to opportunities that arise.
- The intention is to schedule less trains at less busy times of year so that
all maintenance can be done at this time.
- He is keen to look at opportunities for freight. If unit costs can be reduced by using innovative methods then freight could be got back onto lines where there is none now.
- By talking about a 12tonne axle load 'Sprinter' railway he is not advocating
the banning of loco hauled services. It is perfectly possible to run the
occasional charter or heavy freight without doing damage to track maintained
to the 12T limit.
- Systematic regular maintenance is more efficient than 'fire brigade' work
when tolerances have been exceeded. If the system is correct work will be
done before the tolerances are exceeded.
- There is not much scope to reduce staff numbers where most stations are
already unstaffed but efficiency could be greatly improved by multiskilling.
- This is a genuine consultation. The strategy will not be written until he has taken on board the responses. (Ed: What does this tell us about other SRA consultations?)
- There is much bureaucracy imposed by the 1993 Railways Act. e.g. if you want to move a toilet or shorten a platform to install a disabled ramp you need to go through a complicated statutory process set up by the Act.
- There is provision in his budget for 'pump priming' of pilot projects.
- Match funding from the local community will be needed. Also funding will have to come from savings within the schemes.
- AEA Technology Rail have been commissioned to develop some in-depth proposals on alternative rolling stock options. The work is being funded by the Rail Passengers Council and the Countryside Agency.
- There are over 500? bus/rail tickets now available but they are not being marketed widely enough to be well known to the general populace.
Paul Salveson (ACoRP):
- ACoRP are commissioning work on bus/rail integration. The ACoRP conference in Carnforth on 6th May will be looking at this issue.
- If we can get costs down by a third as has happened in Germany then reopenings could be back on the agenda, especially if a new set of group standards can be agreed.
- If Regional Assemblies come about then, is already happening in Scotland,
there are better prospects of reopenings - funding would come from more
local sources that better know the local situation.
- If pilot schemes are to succeed they will need local investment.
- All sectors of the rail industry are well represented at the conference except the trade unions. As the unions have expressed their concerns about the proposals it is disappointing that they have not taken the opportunity to hear more about them.
Adrian Lyons (The Railway Forum):
- Community rail could be a test bed for technology trials.
- Bio diversity - community rail could sell itself as a green lung on urban
lines. There is opportunity for using spare land for environmental schemes.
- 50% of people in this country think that rail is a waste of time. This is because they have not thought seriously about the issue. We need to get out
and encourage them to do some serious thinking.
- We need to be looking at safety systems, such as telemetry, from the motor
industry as these are much cheaper than those in the rail industry.
Rupert Brennan-Brown (Porterbrook Leasing):
- A 2 car Pacer unit has an annual lease cost of £84,000 including maintenance.
- Porterbrook are very keen to find a home for around 150 Mk3 coaches coming off lease from Virgin. One idea is to use them for services on main lines, such as Bristol - Penzance, so as to free up DMU's to strengthen branch line services. The main difficulty to be overcome will probably be finding suitable traction to haul them.
The full text of the ACoRP response to the consultation can be read on their
website.
http://www.acorp.uk.com/
DID YOU KNOW?
- Between 1995/6 and 2002/3 passenger kilometres travelled increased by over 32% and freight net tonne kilometres carried increased by over 40%.
- Passenger journeys made are growing by 3% a year which is one of the fastest rates of increase in Europe.
- Since privatisation average rail fares have increased by only 4.6% but bus fares have risen by 9.1% and disposable income has rose by 36.5%.
- Over 2,000 new rail vehicles have entered service since privatisation. At peak capacity Eurostars travelling on CTRL will be able to carry approximately 40 million passengers a year - equivalent to 250,000 short haul flights.
- Significant train accidents are currently running at their lowest rate ever - 0.122 per million train miles, a 4% improvement on the 2002/3 figure.
- Rail is around 8 times safer than car and is broadly comparable in safety terms to bus and coach travel.
- On average passenger rail emits 36% less carbon dioxide per passenger mile kilometre than road and 78% less than short haul air.
- 60% of passengers on the regional railway network are from low income groups.
- 27% of overseas visitors to the UK use the railways to travel around the
country.
All information from a booklet "Britain's Railways Facts and Figures March 2004" produced by the Railway Forum.
www.railwayforum.com
WAY TO GO
In response to the postcard campaign most Labour MP's are just sending a copy of a letter from Kim Howells by way of reply. If anyone has received a more detailed reply indicating that their MP personally supports the campaign can they please advise me. (david.harby@ntlworld.com) In these cases we are asking the MP to agree to us sending a congratulatory press release to their local papers. Could you also please advise if you have seen any local press coverage of the campaign.
RAC QUESTIONS RAIL EMPHASIS IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT BUDGET
An RAC Foundation report issued on 23rd February 2004 has concluded that public transport expenditure discriminates against low income households. The study found that the poorest one fifth of households: spent a quarter of their income on motoring; travelled more than twice the distance by bus and coach as people in the most affluent fifth; and rarely used the rail network, which accounts for 40% of all public spending on transport. To some degree this must reflect the extraordinarily steep rises in walk-on train fares and the inability of poorer travellers to acquire the web access and debit/credit cards necessary to obtain the cheapest book-ahead train fares. Many families without cars were found to undertake more journeys in cars than by public transport. There is much criticism of the failure of traditional transport surveys to achieve representative samples and of government reluctance to understand the variations in travel behaviour between different types of locality and different categories of resident. There is an implication that by publishing average data for average households many travel problems are regularly concealed or camouflaged which impairs appropriate policy responses. Britain however is found to be ahead of most other industrialised countries in exploring the interrelationships between transport policy and social cohesion.
From the seven research papers looking at the G7 countries' experience, it would appear that France and the USA have the most experience in terms of the practical delivery of projects to address the transport needs of socially excluded people, although the main policy emphasis is primarily on providing access to employment as part of a wider welfare agenda. France is probably the most advanced in its analysis and understanding of social exclusion as both an area-based problem and at the level of individual participation in mainstream society. The arrangements made for funding and organising public transport in France are quite different to those in the UK. It is asserted that transport inequality is most pronounced in the USA despite car ownership levels being virtually at saturation level.
The report gives background information on the various researchers and suggests older research papers in this field that you might want to seek out.
To see the full report visit
http://www.racfoundation.org/index2.html
EAST WEST RAIL LINK
The East West Rail consortium have produced a new four-page glossy leaflet promoting their scheme, and focusing on the western end (as far east as Bedford). A copy can be found on their web-site:
http://www.eastwestrail.org/docs/ewrail_leaflet.pdf.
They estimate a capital cost of £65m to reopen the Bletchley to Claydon Junction route, and a new spur to Aylesbury, along with other track upgrades to passenger standard as well as a new platform at Bicester Town and a new station at Winslow. The western end of the scheme has an average benefit-cost ratio of 1.9. The consortium hopes for an initial allocation of £1.5m to proceed with the detailed design assessment.
East West Rail web-site:
http://www.eastwestrail.org.
MICHAEL HOWARD (CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER) SPEAKS ON TRANSPORT TO THE AA
A few extracts from Michael Howard's recent speech at the AA Awards Dinner.
"You won't be surprised to learn that I think the Government is failing to deliver in all sorts of areas. And that includes transport. When politicians talk about transport, what they normally mean is trains and buses. It's vital that we get policies in these areas right, as Britain needs a first-class public transport system. The Government is taking more and more control, tying up the railways in red tape.
"But despite the importance of our railways and buses, politicians have to recognise the fact that most of our journeys – almost 90% - are made by car. So I want to rise to the challenge that Brian Shaw has set me, to make motorists feel like customers, not like victims. The car is at the heart of our transport system and it needs a Government that supports it rather than persecutes it. There's no point being anti-car. We should all be pro-travel. A properly balanced transport policy would support every kind of transport so that people can get about in the way that suits them best.
"Over the years, the car has become safer, more efficient and less polluting. We should celebrate that. The car enhances the quality of all our lives. It means that we can visit friends or relatives, go shopping, enjoy the countryside. The car gives independence and control to millions of people, and I want to keep spreading that independence and control.
"Nothing sums up better the Government's wrong-headed approach to the car than the whole issue of speed cameras. They are the classic example of a government determined to intrude to an astonishing degree into people's everyday lives. They epitomise big Government. And they are yet another example of a Labour stealth tax.
"A Conservative Government would be the intelligent friend of the motorist. I don't think the car is evil. I don't even think it is a necessary evil. I think it is a necessity, which for many people remains a pleasure.
"We are also looking at other important areas. We have suggested a review of speed limits, raising the maximum on motorways to 80 miles per hour while reducing the maximum on our most dangerous roads. In the coming months we will be producing more policies covering road safety, tackling the problem of our most dangerous drivers, helping the emergency services with their use of the roads, and the many other key practical issues that face us. We'll be working closely with the AA to make sure we get them right.
"Our approach to transport policy is based on three key principles:
- Governments should give people a genuine choice about the mode of transport they choose.
- Long-term transport success will come from steady and predictable investment policies, not from incessant political interference.
- The necessary investment levels will require private sector money, and that is as important for roads as it is for railways and buses.
Source:
http://www.conservatives.com/news/article.cfm?obj_id=90036&speeches=1
Editor's comment - The missing bits:
Which party privatised the railway and created the red tape by fragmenting it? He speaks of working closely with the AA to produce road policies. There is no mention of working closely with rail users to produce a rail policy. Perhaps someone should write and ask him if he is interested in working with rail users? There is no mention of reducing road traffic. (There is a comment that if John Prescott had succeeded in his claim, when he became transport minister in 1997, to reduce the number of journeys by car "it would have meant a significant diminution in the quality of people's lives.") There is no mention of working towards any form of integrated transport system.
CAMBRIDGE (MIS)GUIDED BUSWAY ATTRACTS 3000 LETTERS
Martin Thorne, Anti-Guided Bus (Technical) Officer for CAST.IRON, thanks all those who sent letters of objection to the DfT regarding the Cambridgeshire (mis)Guided Bus scheme.
The leading news story in the Cambridge Evening News on 9th April reported that more than 3000 letters have been sent to the DfT indicating the huge strength of feeling about the scheme. It is not yet known how few of the letters were in support but Tim Phillips, chairman of CAST.IRON, told the News: "We are sure there will have been a huge number of objections, with letters of support just a tiny minority. In view of that, we call on the council to scrap the scheme now.
"The response of 3,000 letters is eight times the number of public objections that rolled in for a similar bus scheme proposed between Luton and Dunstable, and authorities there went on to scrap the idea. Cambridgeshire's scheme is even more of a white elephant and the public inquiry will cost £2 million. The council must not waste any more taxpayers' money by carrying on with it."
A News website poll, asking whether people felt the guided buses would benefit them, produced a big no vote - 2,000 people voted, 83 per cent of them against the scheme.
The public inquiry into the project is scheduled for September. Source:
http://w3.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge/story.asp?StoryID=52466
DUNSTABLE TOWN COUNCIL LOOKING INTO RAIL ALTERNATIVE TO TRANSLINK
Now that Luton Borough are the only Council supporting Translink serious consideration is being given to reopening Luton to Dunstable as a railway. Dunstable Town Council's finance and general purposes committee are recommending that an extra £7,000 should be earmarked for the study into ideas to revive the rail link.
With support from Houghton Regis Town Council, there are plans to hire a consultancy company to conduct a travel survey to assess the actual travel needs of the area. The consultancy company would analyse the responses to a questionnaire and conduct further research. Dunstable Town Council has also commissioned another consultancy company to look into the feasibility of reopening the Luton to Dunstable railway.
The study will focus on the practicability of an "at grade" junction at Luton station and the operational impact of introducing a train service to Dunstable and beyond on Thameslink and other existing services.
Students at Cranfield University conducted their own feasibility study into reopening the railway link ten years ago. They concluded that introducing the most preferable rail service would have three stops – Dunstable North (near Tavistock Street), Dunstable South (Station Road) and Luton station.
Details of the Laing Rail plans to reopen the line were reported in Railway Cuttings 72. Source:
http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=543&ArticleID=766263
DFT CLAIM TO HAVE CUT BUREAUCRACY AT NETWORK RAIL
The Department for Transport, working with the Cabinet Office's Regulatory Impact unit, have undertaken a 'Making a Difference' project aimed at reducing or removing unnecessary bureaucratic or administrative burdens relating to information and data requirements placed on Network Rail's delivery staff.
A joint project team, working closely with Network Rail, SRA, ORR and HSE, has agreed 15 practical changes to practices and procedures that will bring benefits to Network Rail's front line staff. The measures identified will -
- reduce duplication of data and information requests
- Streamline reporting requirements
- Assess the impact of changes on staff, before implementing them
- Improve communications between and within organisations
- Streamline the processes for checking information
The report and a summary document can be found here:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/dft_railwa
ys_028098.hcsp
SCENIC BRITAIN BY RAIL 2004
The 2004 edition of this highly popular guide, published by TML and sponsored by ACoRP and the SRA, is now available. ACoRP think it’s even better than last year: a guide to the scenic rural lines around the UK, with tourist information, rail partnership contacts and route maps. And it’s free! It is being distributed by TML, who welcome requests for multiple copies. Email Pat Neal, the publisher, at:
TMLPat at aol.com.
Source: ACoRP electronic newsletter 'Train on Line'
http://www.acorp.uk.com/
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Railfuture London & South East Branch AGM at 19.30 in the Margaret Fell Room at the Quaker International Centre, 1-3 Byng Place, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JH,
Railfuture AGM Newcastle-on-Tyne
Railfuture National Executive meeting. Carrs Lane Church Centre, Birmingham
Railfuture Policy, Lobby and Campaigns Committee, FOE Warehouse, Birmingham
Railfuture East Anglia Branch meeting Venue - Ipswich
Railfuture International Committee meeting, Calthorpe Arms, London.
Railfuture National Executive meeting. Calthorpe Arms, London,