Cross Country Continues

 

Rail passengers across Britain are set to benefit from quicker journeys, thousands of extra seats and free Wi-Fi, after the government agreed a new deal for services for the Cross Country franchise.

Under the contract, which will deliver improved connections, a better customer experience and set tough new targets, Arriva Cross Country (AXC) will continue to run services which stretch from Aberdeen to Penzance, Bournemouth to Manchester and from Stansted to Cardiff until October 2019.

Rail Minister Paul Maynard said:

We are making the biggest investment in the railways since the Victorian era and today (29 September 2016) is a key milestone in giving passengers better journeys right across the Cross Country network.

The franchise, which spans parts of England, Scotland and Wales, serves both commuters and long distance passengers and these benefits from Arriva Cross Country will deliver extra and smoother journeys for customers using these services.

The new deal will deliver a range of new benefits for passengers including:

• 39,000 more seats at peak times along the Edinburgh to Plymouth route through Leeds, Birmingham and Bristol, by December 2017

• shorter journey times from Birmingham to Manchester – typical cut of 9 minutes on a weekday and 12 minutes at weekends

• £20 million government investment in more modern trains

• free Wi-Fi by April 2018 and 4G for faster download speeds

• extra services calling at Morpeth

• customer services now open 24/7 and a new mobile app to buy tickets and check live running times

• challenging targets on punctuality and service reliability to improve the passenger experience

• waiving the £10 ‘change of travel’ fee for advance tickets from January 2017

• £340,000 of funding for community rail partnerships across the Cross Country network per year

Arriva Cross Country Managing Director, Andy Cooper, said:

We are delighted to have the opportunity to deliver even more for our customers over the next 3 years through this new agreement. Satisfaction is the theme for the range of investments we will be making, with better, faster journeys with more seats and free Wi-Fi.

We will also be looking to our customers for feedback on how we can deliver them great journeys, and a strong focus on engaging with the many communities and stakeholders our trains serve across the country.

Arriva Cross Country will now start work on its new timetable that could introduce thousands of extra seats across the network from December 2017. It will pay the government a premium of £163 million to operate the franchise from September 2016 until October 2019.

South West Trains

I dont normally cover anything with South West Trains but they do work into Devon . The rail francise is currently run by Stagecoach but the operation. The Department for Transport has started consulting on the specification for a new South Western rail franchise to start in 2017. Consultation is currently taking place with passengers, businesses and local councils on their views on the next franchise and ran until 9 February 2016. The current franchise is operated by South West Trains, and covers urban, suburban, regional, and long-distance routes between London Waterloo, Reading, Bristol, Exeter, Weymouth, and Portsmouth. It also includes the Island Line on the Isle of Wight

First Group Joint Bid

FirstGroup is pleased to announce that MTR Corporation (UK) will join the Group in a joint venture to bid for the South Western rail franchise, following the assent of the Department for Transport.

Commenting, Steve Montgomery, First Rail Managing Director said:

"We are pleased that we will be partnering with MTR in a joint venture to bid for the South Western rail franchise, for which we were shortlisted in February 2016. We have extensive expertise of running commuter, inter-urban, regional and long distance services – such as those that make up the South Western franchise – and a strong track record in delivering passenger growth. MTR run successful suburban and commuter railways; their knowledge from running London Overground and TfL Rail on behalf of Transport for London will add further depth and understanding to an important component of this franchise.

"Together, FirstGroup and MTR will develop an innovative and value for money proposal that will deliver better connectivity and significant improvements for South Western customers. Our bid will keep people moving and communities prospering across the region."

First Group

South West Trains Website

South West Trains meanwhile continues and has recently introduced a new app and web site:

Rail passengers can now access the cheapest available tickets across the UK rail network with the launch of a transformational new mobile app and website. The new South West Trains digital tools allow rail travellers to directly access the best fares without having to search multiple providers.  A new powerful booking engine developed by South West Trains is the first of its kind to be created by a train operator. It will drive both the southwesttrains.co.uk website and mobile app, searching for the cheapest available fares that can often be unavailable through third party rail websites and other booking engines.

Passengers will have easy and fast access to the cheapest fares, with no booking fees when buying tickets through the South West Trains website or app. Feedback from passengers and staff has been integral to the design of the new website and iOS app. Customer experience experts and South West Trains also compared booking tools available through popular retailers with the company’s existing website and other ticket purchase channels used by customers.

The new South West Trains website is also part of an overall £11 million digital investment strategy by parent company Stagecoach Group, one of the UK’s biggest bus and rail operators. Stagecoach Group has already launched a new bus online platform, providing live tracking of every bus and ticket purchase direct from a smartphone.

A new Android app will be launched as part of a second phase of improvements for South West Trains passengers later this year. It will also include a ‘My Account’ facility and an enhanced contact section.

© Ian Kirby

Railway Week: First Stay Put

Bit of a rail theme this week as I attempt to catch up on some of the railway news from the last few weeks

First Great Western (FGW) is to be offered a new franchise which could last up to four-and-a-half years, the Department for Transport (DfT) says. The train firm currently has a short-term extension to its franchise which runs out in September 2015. The new franchise would cover the entire period of upgrades taking place on the Great Western network. It is also likely to include a replacement fleet of suburban trains for the Thames Valley. The deal means that the current FGW management team will remain in place throughout Network Rail's electrification programme, the new multi-billion pound fleet of intercity trains - to be built by Japanese firm Hitachi - and the launch of Crossrail services to Reading.
No financial deal has yet been agreed, but FGW's parent company FirstGroup, the leading transport operator in the UK and North America, will be the only bidder.
FirstGroup chief executive Tim O'Toole said "a period of detailed negotiation" would now follow but that the operator was "very pleased" with DfT's offer of a direct award of three-and-a-half years, with an option to extend for up to one year.
Tony Miles, of Modern Railways magazine, said having the same, "most experienced" team in charge of the upgrades would be most beneficial for passengers. "It's the most sensible decision to take while Great Western is undergoing this period of massive change," he said.
BBC News 10 October 2014

Photo credit: Lee Bristol under Creative Commons Licence.

FirstGroup’s continued tenure is controversial as the transport operator had cut short its contract in 2011 in order to avoid paying more than £800m in premium payments to the government. However, DfT plans to retender the contract had to be scrapped in the wake of the West Coast mainline fiasco. Instead, FirstGroup was offered an extension until 2015 on more favourable terms as the government kept the franchise system ticking over, with the DfT confirming a further extension until 2019 on Friday. The DfT argues that with a long-term programme of works on the route, including electrification of the track and the introduction of a new fleet of IEP trains, it would prove too disruptive to change operators. The uncontested deal will maintain some foothold in rail for FirstGroup, which has been beaten to a string of contracts, including losing its former First Capital Connect franchise to the new Thameslink franchise, and the shock loss of Scotrail for the Aberdeen-based group to Dutch firm Abellio.
The transport secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, said: “Throughout this period we will continually be looking at new ways to improve the service for passengers including developing proposals for a half hourly service between Plymouth and Penzance which could also serve Exeter.”
While the terms of the latest extension are to be negotiated, figures obtained by the shadow transport secretary, Mary Creagh, showed that FirstGroup’s payments to the government had plummeted from £169m a year in 2013 to £17m a year under the first direct award granted under the coalition, which sees FirstGroup run the line until mid-2016.
THE GUARDIAN 10 October 2014

Further Reading

• THE GUARDIAN 11 MAY 2011: FirstGroup to quit Great Western rail deal early FirstGroup is handing back its £1.1bn Great Western rail contract three years ahead of schedule after admitting that the deal, one of several £1bn-plus franchises struck at the height of the credit boom, had become unsustainable.
• THE GUARDIAN 31 JANUARY 2013: West coast mainline fiasco was caused by 'irresponsible decision' The west coast main line fiasco was rooted in an irresponsible decision to rush into a complex programme of railway refranchising with a depleted staff, a cross-party group of MPs has reported. The transport select committee found that civil service errors compounded this "recipe for failure", which eventually led to the award of Britain's most lucrative rail franchise to FirstGroup scrapped after Virgin's legal challenge.

Recommended Reading

• EAST NORFOLK: Need A Loan? Part Two ~ Syd To the Rescue! I see you gave poor Gemini 37146 YN06UPZ a poor write up, well I want to stand up for her! Lowestoft PBJ2F Update Another email from Syd Eade awaited me in my inbox this morning, updating the situation as regards Leyland PD2 PBJ2F
• STEVES BUS AND TRAIN PAGE: Ipswich Interrupted However, as interruptions go this was unexpected and rather good. Carters recent acquistion 915 was sitting gleaming in her all red paint job. A classic 1997 Volvo Olympian R915 RYO.

Great Western 2013

The new 15 year Great Western franchise will see passengers benefit from new express trains, additional capacity, smart card ticketing and passenger satisfaction targets as part of proposals being put forward today by Rail Minister Theresa Villiers.

The number of train services required by the new franchise will be based broadly on the current timetable, rather than the contracted minimum in the existing franchise. The popular Sleeper Service to Penzance will be retained. An extra early, fast train from London to Plymouth will be introduced. This will achieve aspirations for a ‘there and back in a day’ service to Plymouth from the capital.

Successful extra local services such as those on the Truro to Falmouth, Par to Newquay and the Severn Beach Lines, including those which are locally funded at present, are being added to the base specification of the franchise. This recognises the valuable work and track record of investment made by local stakeholders. Full responsibility for funding these local schemes is expected to pass to the Department for Transport from 2015, securing their future and freeing up local resources for other transport priorities.

Rail Minister Theresa Villiers said:

“Passengers using the Great Western Line will benefit from major infrastructure improvements and new rolling stock over the next few years, as a result of the Government’s ambitious programme of rail improvements, including extensive electrification.

“For the first time on the Great Western franchise, we will be introducing requirements on passenger satisfaction for the train operator to meet which will mean they have to focus strongly on the issues that matter the most to passengers. Extending smart card ticketing across the franchise will provide many more passengers across the West and South West with the kind of convenience Oyster has brought to Londoners. The Sleeper train is being retained, Plymouth gets the new early train from London they asked for and the future of popular extra local services such as the Severn Beach Line and Truro to Falmouth has been secured.

“This new franchise will see additional capacity delivered to benefit passengers. A more efficient and flexible franchise will encourage private sector investment, for example in improving stations and investing in rolling stock. It will promote greater efficiency and also enable the train operator to react to more effectively to changing passenger demands.”

The new franchise will run for 15 years from July 2013 to July 2028. It will require broadly the same number of trains to run between end-to-end destinations as is the case today, while giving the new operator greater flexibility with regard to timetabling and calling patterns and, in certain instances, use of connecting trains.

This flexibility will help ensure the line is used in the most efficient way for passengers and potentially allow faster journey times and improved services. It will also encourage private sector investment in the franchise, including stations.

A final decision has not yet been taken on the exact number of through services between Paddington and Penzance. The Invitation to Tender requires the continuation of 9 journey opportunities between London and Penzance each day (in addition to the Sleeper) with at least 6 being provided by through trains. After discussions with local MPs and Cornwall Council, the Government is asking the bidders to explore with stakeholders how rail services in Cornwall might be improved to ensure the right balance between long distance and regional services is achieved. The ITT therefore requires bidders to provide a price for additional through journeys above the minimum and also for a half hourly regional service on the Cornish main line. Decisions on whether these options are affordable and can go ahead will be taken prior to the new franchise being agreed.

A number of other options which could help to further improve local services have been included which potential operators are invited to consider and provide pricing for so that they can be taken forward if a value for money solution is provided and local funding is available.

Department for Transport

The ITT asks bidders to price the following improvements to services:

Cornwall

Continued operation of 9 through services. Provision of a half hourly, regular service between Plymouth and Penzance or Exeter, from May 2017 when cascaded rolling stock is anticipated to become available.

Devon Metro:

Devon Metro follows a similar concept to Bristol Metro for local services into Exeter, from Exmouth, Barnstaple, Newton Abbot and Paignton. It also proposes additional, new services on the SWT route to Axminster and to Okehampton

Cornwall Branchlines:

St Ives Trains extended to Penzance. Additional summer, Monday-Saturday Looe Valley Services

Tavistock:

Re-opening of the rail line from Bere Alston to Tavistock

There are some interesting improvements mentioned here, as at least possibilities. There are also possible cuts to Cornwall, or at least it looks like less through trains may be laid on all the way down to Penzance. As always the Devil is in the detail. Bids have to be in by October this year and we should hear who wins it March 2013.

---

Bloggers

• A-Line Coaches latest addition to the fleet, PUI 6627, originally L813 SAE when new to Bristol, has been settling in well at the company over the last couple of weeks. PTOTPA
• But for Harry it would be a clear opportunity to enjoy the benefits of Boris the Blue Wizard's cheap fares system purveyed by electronic bi-valve mollusc plastic. Public Transport Experience
• Mike Williams got in touch with his experience as a conductor for the Devon General in Torquay in the '60s Peoples Republic of South Devon
• The Obstreperous Oyster strikes again! How many "normal" London commuters will bother to go through this tortuous travail? That's why Boris and chums are banking £63 million which isn't their's! Public Transport Experience
• Today the weather seemed settled enough for the 3hr trip by open-top around the Penwith Peninsula. This must rate as one of the best routes in Britain. Excellent value with a fare of £7.40 and with the possibility of hopping on and off at such attractions as Land’s End and Geevor Tin Mine. Better value for me as with my “Twirlie” pass it was free. TGP

The Wider View: National Express East Coast

" It is simply unacceptable to reap the benefits of contracts when times are good, only to walk away from them when times become more challenging. ” More links on this story: National Express v DfT

©Carlos62 (Flickr Creative commons) Since my posting on the 30th June the National Express story has moved on a lot so it seems a good time to bring it up to date: Richard Bowker has resigned as chief executive of National Express. Bowker oversaw the record £1.4bn bid for the London-to-Edinburgh route, which committed the group to annual payments that rise from £85m in 2008 to £395m by 2015 which is the cause of all the problems they have at the moment. The transport secretary, Lord Adonis, is adamant that a franchise secured by Bowker in 2007 will not be altered. It is understood that the group has also been warned that it will be stripped of its remaining rail franchises – National Express East Anglia and c2c – if it hands back keys to the east coast ahead of a rights issue. The Guardian Sure enough Lord Adonis takes action against National Express: The government says it intends to take the East Coast rail service, run by National Express, into state ownership. Ministers have refused National Express's requests for its contract with the government to be renegotiated. BBC business editor Robert Peston said that National Express had tried to buy itself out of the franchise with an offer of "well over £100m". However, Transport Secretary Lord Adonis decided to reject the approach "on principle". The franchise is operated by a subsidiary of National Express, NXEC, which is a stand-alone company. National Express dismissed suggestions that NXEC had already defaulted on payments or that the parent company was suffering any financial difficulties. The terms of its franchise mean National Express would not lose more than £72m if it walked away. National Express indicated that it would walk away from the loss-making route, and not put further money into it, after failing to alter the terms of its franchise agreement. Lord Adonis told the BBC: "The government is not prepared to renegotiate rail franchises, because I'm simply not prepared to bail out companies that are unable to meet their commitments”. BBC It might be even worse for National Express: The government has a strong legal case for nationalising the c2c and National Express East Anglia franchises after the announcement by National Express that it will hand back its £1.4bn east coast contract, according to a respected rail industry lawyer. National Express is refusing to relinquish its two remaining rail contracts when it walks away from the London-to-Edinburgh route, as it is expected to do later this year. Lord Adonis, the transport secretary, is determined to strip the group of its other franchises under cross-default guidelines. The Guardian One rail industry source cautioned that the DfT might need to hire more personnel in order to cope with the demands of running three busy franchises. The DfT announced on Wednesday that it had drafted in Elaine Holt, the former head of the First Capital Connect franchise, to run the east coast route on behalf of the government. But not without a fight from National Express: National Express today said it will go to war with the Government after the Department for Transport sacked it from the East Coast Main Line out of King's Cross and threatened to strip it of its Liverpool Street and Fenchurch Street franchises. Noting that King's Cross operator GNER defaulted and has now been effectively barred from the UK rail business, Adonis said: "A company which had defaulted in the way National Express now intends would not have pre-qualified for any previous franchises let by the Department. It is simply unacceptable to reap the benefits of contracts when times are good, only to walk away from them when times become more challenging." National Express hit back, saying leading counsel has told it that the DfT cannot exercise a "cross-default" and strip it of its other franchises. It said: "It has been recognised that the challenges facing East Coast are purely financial and brought about by the economic downturn. National Express believes that the Secretary of State would not be permitted to execute the right of cross-default. The Standard ©Carlos62 Then, as if things couldn't get any worse for National Express we get this story: A junior transport minister has warned of fears among National Express staff that a "major accident is just around the corner" on the east coast mainline, partly because of the pressure of staff cuts. The minister, the Gillingham MP Paul Clark, spelt out a series of concerns to National Express in a letter following a meeting with an employee of the company who lives in his constituency. The worker claimed that due to reduced maintenance checks, some trains were in use with defective brakes, an allegation strongly denied by the company, which said it would "never compromise on safety" The Guardian All of this comes as a big headache for the Government. Money is extremely tight: The full scale of the funding crisis facing Britain's transport system was exposed today as the country's most expensive rail contract was nationalised, while details emerged of a potential £30bn spending gap. A leaked industry memo seen by the Guardian warned of "looming spending cuts" on major transport projects after Department for Transport officials described the consequences of restoring order to public finances. The DfT's financial constraints were exacerbated as National Express announced it will hand back its £1.4bn east coast contract at the end of the year. It also emerged that the DfT is braced for a reduction in its capital expenditure plans that could total £28.9bn over the next decade. The Guardian FEARS of spending cuts in regional transport budgets were last night ratcheted up after Gordon Brown refused to guarantee their future. Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has failed to offer protection to regional budgets. Business Secretary Lord Mandelson on Monday also announced cuts in the Department for Transport budget to pay for new housing. He was questioned whether Northern cities are being starved of cash while money is ploughed into new rail links in London and for the Olympics. Mr Brown failed to answer the question, instead saying: “I think it is important to recognise that spending on transport is up nearly 100% in real terms over the last 12 years. A lot of that investment has been in the railways.” JournalLive And yet in all of this we keep getting grand promises of extra trains running at high speed all over the country. I started to keep a note of the so called Super Express Trains that have been promised but there have been so many announcements and promises, none of them with any finding identified, that I have given up. Later this month the The Prime Minster is expected to announce more electrification of routes. It will be welcomed by all, but will there be any money to actually pay for it? As usual it will be impossible to work it out from any statement he makes, it will all come out in the small print later, or not at all. Christian Wolmar makes an interesting point looking at how high speed trains are being introduced: “because the way we run these projects in the UK, always pretending that they can be done economically and with private involvement, means that they are always complex, lack transparency and generally come out more expensive than if the procurement exercise had been kept simple” Lets leave the last words to David Milliband as he gives us his self assessment of Labours record in power: Poor at transport, environment and local government, but good at everything else. While many would disagree with the ending, few would argue with the beginning statement.

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• National Express's decision to quit East Coast franchise is a lose lose for nearly everyone (telegraph.co.uk)
• National Express may lose contracts (guardian.co.uk)
• National Express to defy Adonis (guardian.co.uk)
• Renationalising the railways: End of the line (economist.com)
• DfT pledged deal on National Express east coast line (business.timesonline.co.uk)
• National Express faces legal fight to keep remaining rail franchises (telegraph.co.uk)
• Bowker's £1.4bn bid was a heavy burden on National Express (telegraph.co.uk)
• National Express urged to do a deal with FirstGroup (dailyexpress.co.uk)

South West Trains

© Fengschwing - Flickr.com

It has been announced today that Stagecoach have won the new South West Trains contract ensuring a Stagecoach Rail presence in Plymouth for another 10 years.

Under the terms of the contract, the transport company will invest £40m in stations including London's Waterloo, from where it runs services to Brighton, Southampton, Portsmouth, Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth. Stagecoach said that it would increase capacity by 21% on mainline services and by 21% on suburban services by operating longer trains.

Victory??

This is Plymouth 03 April 2006
First Great Western has scrapped hugely controversial plans to slash the number of three-hour rail journeys between Plymouth and London, it was announced this morning.The company said it now planned to retain four three-hour journeys - two in each direction - in its new December 2006 timetable.The announcement marks a spectacular victory for the people of Plymouth and the Evening Herald, which has campaigned to save the three-hour link after First Great Western said it planned to cut the number of daily journeys from four to one from December.
Plymouth City Council leader Tudor Evans said: "It is fantastic news. What a victory for the Herald and its campaign and all the people - the MPs, the public and the business community - who have worked so hard to make this happen.
First Great Western spokesman Tim Bocock confirmed that the four journeys would be saved but said it was too early to say what the exact timetable would be.He said: "There will be changes. For example, the current 6am service will be at 5.49am. At the moment, it's difficult because the details of the timetable haven't been finalised and we don't know at what time they will run but this is our aspiration, this is what we want to do."

On the 4th April we get this...
A government minister has welcomed the reinstatement of fast train journeys between Plymouth and London.Rail minister Derek Twigg's comments come after First Great Western scrapped its hugely controversial plans to slash the number of three-hour rail journeys between Plymouth and London, as reported in yesterday's Evening Herald.In a victory for the thousands who backed the Herald's three-hour rail campaign last month, the company said it now planned to retain four three-hour journeys - two in each direction - in its new December 2006 timetable.Mr Twigg said: "The franchise is a good deal for passengers - over £200million investment to deliver better trains, station improvements, and support community rail lines. Capacity will increase on key routes. We welcome the improvements to the timetable that First Great Western have made, including the reinstatement of semi-fast services to Exeter that will improve journey times between Plymouth and London."

All this patting each other on the back does seem to ignore the fact that the new timetables sees significant cuts to many local rail services. The cutting of a symbolic ten minutes or so to get a journey under 13 hours is a very minor victory indeed. The government Minister telling us how the franchise is a good deal for passengers seem very hollow for local passengers.

Protesters wielding cardboard axes gathered at Ivybridge Railway Station to show the strength of feeling against cuts to the town's train services.Axes, banners and placards were waved as part of a protest against proposed rail timetable cuts.The protests, which began in Totnes and continued in Ivybridge yesterday, revealed the strength of feeling from many people.Under the new Greater Western franchise, Ivybridge stands to lose 14 of its 20 services to and from the town.A First spokesman said it had not been possible to adjust the timetable to get the extra calls into the station. On Monday First agreed to drop plans to axe certain services after receiving more than 9,000 responses during a month-long consultation.That meant the three-hour journeys between London and Plymouth, which were to be cut from four to one, were saved following a campaign by the Evening Herald. But residents on the line into Plymouth are concerned that local commuter services do not seem to have been addressed in the latest First announcement.


Oh well. Still at least a couple of trains might make it to London in under three hours. Victory for the people of Plymouth indeed!

Soap Box Sunday

"A soapbox is a raised, improvised platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject. Alternately, the word may be used to describe the box that soap comes in." Wikipedia

There has been a lot mentioned locally about the new Great Western train franchise starting soon which has been awarded to First. Locally First have a very poor image mainly down to their First Devon & Cornwall bus operation, which, apart from a few 'showcase' routes with new buses running in partnership with local authorities seem to be very poorly run.

12:00 - 22 February 2006 (This is Plymouth)
Cornwall County Council has condemned cuts to rail services in the county announced by the First Group in its new Great Western Franchise timetable. The proposed cuts, which will come into effect in December, will have a devastating effect on rail services in Cornwall, said a county spokesman."First is proposing massive cuts to both rural and commuter services in Cornwall, which will cause major inconvenience to rail users and damage the local economy," he said.
12:00 - 22 February 2006 (This is Plymouth)
Proposals which would see the number of three-hour rail journeys between Plymouth and London slashed from four to one are to be challeged by the city council. Rail users, business leaders, and MPs have already criticised First Great Western's draft timetable, which is currently out for consultation.The council has now joined the campaign to overturn the plans, which would see the number of three-hour journeys drop to just one a day from December. The new timetable follows First Great Western's successful bid for the Greater Western rail franchise

Cornwalls attitude to First taking over is this:

We worked very successfully with Wessex Trains, who hand over their services to First on April 1, to improve rail services throughout the county. This resulted in a level of service which was well above the minimum requirement, with significant increases in the numbers of trains on branch lines, and a corresponding increase in passenger numbers – up 40% on the Newquay branch line, 21% on Falmouth and a 16% increase on the Looe line." "All this hard work has been destroyed by First who are proposing to run the bare minimum of services to meet the Government's specification."

The changeover to First for most of our train services is now viewed as a bad one by most passengers in the local area. They see what First have done to our buses and now see them doing the same to our local trains as well - even before they officially take over. It really makes you wonder how they dare still use the slogan "First Transforming Travel" when its use down here just makes people laugh (or cry?)

To be fair to First though, it does not all look like Firsts fault. There is an item from the Times which was sent to me by 'Busing' who runs the excellent Omnibus blog.

DOZENS of branch lines and stations are to lose up to half their trains as the Government looks to cut more than £1 billion in rail subsidies. The cuts are concentrated in the West Country but the Department for Transport is also considering reducing services on the South Coast and across northern England. Even those branch lines that have recently begun to show an upturn in usage, such as the scenic St Ives line in Cornwall, are to have their services reduced. Despite ministers publicly offering support for what they have labelled “community railways”, they have privately decided that many are too lightly used to justify their cost. Passenger groups fear that the cuts, the biggest since the Beeching closures of the 1960s, are a forerunner to widespread cuts after the next election.
Commuters into Plymouth will suffer the greatest loss of services under the draft timetable published this week by First Great Western and due to start in December.

On the Great Western cuts, it (Department for Transport) said that the train operator, First Group, was responsible for deciding “when exactly trains should run and where they should stop”. But First blamed the DfT, saying: “The department provides the specification and we have to meet it.”

We now seem to be in the situation where the Government is passing the buck to the train operator and the train operator is passing the buck to the Government. And in the middle? Yep - its the passengers who will see public transport even further reduced from its current poor state. This government is very good at promising lots and delivering very little. By passing public services on to private operators it can reduce government spending on services whilst the private operator gets the blame for the poorer service, but as long as they make big profits from it they dont shout too much either. With these cuts being very much focused on the Westcountry they are a long way from London so important people wont get upset. Would they dare make so many cuts in the South East - London commuter belt areas?

Whilst I am sure that a lot of this current situation is down to central government I am not letting First off the hook! The poor bus service offered by First down here in Devon & Cornwall is purely down to First Group HQ. Its well known that Cornwall in particular is never going to be a highly profitable operation. Its just not sort of area. It cant be the easiest place to run a bus service. But people only have to look around and see how smaller companies are stepping in and taking routes withdrawn by First and running them much better and a lot more reliably to see that a decent bus service can be provided - even in Cornwall. As First withdraw from more and more routes in Cornwall you would expect them to be able to provide better buses on the few remaining routes they do run. So far though there is no sign of this happening.

What amazes me is the poor level of service provided in Plymouth by FDC. They are withdrawing from routes, putting up fares, and still not able to run services reliably and with decent buses. Very soon they are taking over Park & Ride operations in Plymouth and have already upset the council by asking to increase the fares on that service. The council have said no! It remains to be seen how well First do on that one. Park & Ride travel is certainly going to be transformed...

Rail Timetables

15 February 2006 Rail Timetables
Two linked items from This is Plymouth today:

12:00 - 15 February 2006
The number of three-hour rail journeys between Plymouth and London could be slashed from four to one under plans unveiled by First Great Western.The new timetable, which is now out for consultation, reveals rail bosses want to have just one three-hour rail journey from December.But today the move sparked a wave of fury from rail users, business leaders and MPs who slammed the plans as 'just not good enough' and 'a kick in the teeth'.
Business leaders say other trains may only be a few minutes slower, but mean that Plymouth cannot claim to have regular three hour links to London - a crucial label as the city tries to market itself to outside investors.Transport lobbyist Neill Mitchell said: "The three-hour journey is the only thing we have. We have lost Heathrow (air links), we don't have a motorway, we have not got a high-speed rail link. The only thing we have left to hang on to is the three-hours-to-London badge."
The Greater Western franchise, which starts on April 1, will run for at least seven years, with an automatic three-year extension if performance targets are met. The current timetable will remain in place between the start of the franchise on April 1 and the start of the new timetable on December 10.
A spokesman for First Great Western said that, while the number of three hour journeys were being cut, overall journey times were speeding up.He said: "This is an opportunity for Plymouth to look at the timetable. We're not going to go into any more detail until it has been finalised."
The timetable is published at http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/franchiseand will be made available to staff and managers in the three companies. Responses should be received by First Great Western by Wednesday March 8.

also
WE'VE BEEN LET DOWN BY FIRST, SAY REGULAR RAIL PASSENGERS
John Callagher, 66, from Truro, has travelled on the Plymouth to Paddington service many times with his wife.He said: "Since road congestion is getting worse we should be getting quicker and better trains to get more people on the trains and ease the pressure on our roads."But First Great Western are doing us out of important three-hour services."And they don't provide a decent restaurant any more."

Soap Box Sunday!

"A soapbox is a raised, improvised platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject. Alternately, the word may be used to describe the box that soap comes in." Wikipedia

Back to the Branch line threat I mentioned a few days ago. I have now had a chance to read properly the document "Consultatation on the implementation of the Railways Act 2005 provisions on closures and minor modifications." (PDF)

As usual these documents are written in such a way to make them difficult to understand properly and I am sure I have missed many things in them.

The biggest area of concern for me is who can ask for a line to be closed and the reasons they can give.

Under the Act, a closure can be proposed by a rail funding authority or a train or
network operating company. The rail funding authorities specified in the Act are the
Secretary of State for Transport, Scottish Ministers, the National Assembly for Wales, the
English Passenger Transport Authorities and the Mayor of London. Where a train or
network operating company proposes a closure, a view on whether it should be brought
into effect must be taken by the rail funding authority.

And one of the most alarming reasons why a line can be closed...

In deciding whether or not to close a line, network or station, an authority or operator
will want to take into account a wide range of considerations. These will probably include:
• the other calls on funding, including investments unable to be undertaken or
services unable to be supported because funds are tied up supporting underused
assets and services.

In other words an operator can ask for a line closure if they think that they can make more money by running their trains on other lines. This on its own can probably be given as a good reason to close almost any branch line these days.

Of course the paper gives lots of good sounding paragraphs about all the other things that have to be taken into consideration but I do wonder just how safe these under-performing lines are.

Basically to close a line the operator has to undertake a full assessment to make its case for closure. Then the Rail Funding Authority has to make a decision based on the assessment on whether to proceed with the closure. This then requires ratification by the Office of Rail Regulation to see if the assessments have been carried out correctly. All this can be done over a period of time and although a public consultation has to take place there is no statutory requirement for a public hearing.

Just how much of a threat to our own branch lines down here is difficult to assess at the moment. I guess time will tell but I am not confident.

From April the branch lines down here will be taken over by First Group as part of the new franchise. Although First may be better at running trains than they are at running buses, to many people down here First Group will be better known for how they run the local bus service. You will find very few people down here who think that they have done a good job. For many passengers in Cornwall for example the only hope of getting a decent bus service is to wait for First Devon & Cornwall to withdraw and then hope that someone like Western Greyhound takes over.

There is an excellent series on Bus Deregulation which is now up to part 4 on the Omnibus blog. One of the biggest fears pre D-day was that 'cowboy' operators would move in on established bus routes and run elderly sub-standard buses on busy routes, undermining decent operations. In some areas this did indeed happen. If you look at some of the fleet which FDC is running in Cornwall especially at the moment and you would think nothing has changed. The thought that the same outfit will be running the local trains is one which makes people a little bit nervous!

It remains to be seen how First treat the remaining branch lines in Devon & Cornwall. It could in theory open up more travel possibilities with more combined bus and train journies being promoted to the benefit of all passengers - or it could just be seen as a way of getting the lines withdrawn, and passing more business onto the buses which they also run. Lets just hope its the former and not the latter.

If anyone who reads this blog has any thought on this - or any other topic raised then please let me know!

Railway News

There is quite a bit of Rail News for Plymouth at the moment so a few notes seem appropriate. This is Plymouth report on plans for a new Railway Station for Plymouth. It is at a very early stage at the moment and to be honest I doubt it will happen anyway. Here in Plymouth we have a full and exciting history of seeing wonderful new buildings reported as being planned to built - only for nothing to actually happen. This also links in with the news today that First have won the new rail franchise for the Great Western area and the old Wessex Trains.