The UK’s leading authority on sustainable transport has accused the government of trying to introduce ‘under the radar’ train service cuts.
The Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) claims the government is ‘trying to sneak through a policy to give train companies a financial incentive to cut services’ by reducing the protection of passenger franchises.
Rail user groups have also expressed concern at the proposals outlined in the government’s informal consultation document, claiming they could ‘make rail a much less attractive option for people' by cutting services in medium-sized towns and affecting those commuting to work via the train.
Rather worrying.
Whilst most people would accept that in some cases VERY lightly used services could reasonably be cut, it must be rembered that this can be the start of more general cuts, especialy to first and last trains.
As an example I used to travell regularly between Gilingham in Dorset and Waterloo.
That route suffered a "total route modernisation" which consisted of new shorter trains.
After a while the train company wanted to withdraw the last evening train to Waterloo on the grounds that it was hardly used. This was true, sometimes I was the only passenger ! withdrawal might seem therefore seem reasonable.
However they had done theire best to discourage use by a number of devious tricks.
1) Acidently forget to mention this service in the timetable
2) Terminate the last train not at Waterloo, but at Basingstoke, with a 55 minute wait for a very slow train to Waterloo.
3) Cancel the connecting train from Basingstoke
4) Dont sell tickets on board the train to Waterloo, only to Basingstoke. Therefore when the connection is cancelled they dont have to get you to waterloo.
Last trains are often little used, because people avoid them in view of the perceived risk of getting stranded.
That should not be used to justify withdrawal, or the same argument can be used for what now becomes the last service.
"Installers and owners of emergency diesels must assume that they will have to run for a week or more"
adam2 wrote:Rather worrying.
Whilst most people would accept that in some cases VERY lightly used services could reasonably be cut, it must be rembered that this can be the start of more general cuts, especialy to first and last trains.
As an example I used to travell regularly between Gilingham in Dorset and Waterloo.
That route suffered a "total route modernisation" which consisted of new shorter trains.
After a while the train company wanted to withdraw the last evening train to Waterloo on the grounds that it was hardly used. This was true, sometimes I was the only passenger ! withdrawal might seem therefore seem reasonable.
However they had done theire best to discourage use by a number of devious tricks.
1) Acidently forget to mention this service in the timetable
2) Terminate the last train not at Waterloo, but at Basingstoke, with a 55 minute wait for a very slow train to Waterloo.
3) Cancel the connecting train from Basingstoke
4) Dont sell tickets on board the train to Waterloo, only to Basingstoke. Therefore when the connection is cancelled they dont have to get you to waterloo.
Last trains are often little used, because people avoid them in view of the perceived risk of getting stranded.
That should not be used to justify withdrawal, or the same argument can be used for what now becomes the last service.
I actually thought we'd taken a couple of steps forward in Scotland.
Transport campaigners have warned that the rail line which links Stranraer to Glasgow could face closure in under three years due to rising costs and the loss of direct ferry connections to Ireland next year.
The Scottish Association for Public Transport says there is a real prospect that the line could face closure south of Ayr from 2014, when the franchise is due for re-tender.
A spokesman said: “Our worry is the Stranraer section may not be included in the 2014 franchise renewal tender, unless costs can be cut substantially and passenger numbers boosted.”
The SAPT spokesman added that the switching of all ferry traffic by Stena Line from Stranraer Harbour to Cairnryan next year could signal the end of the Stranraer rail link. At present, rail passengers step off trains just metres away from the ferries at Stranraer – the new Cairnryan terminal will be seven miles from the nearest rail stop.
Richard Carr, a former freight specialist who runs the Stranraer to Ayr Line Support Association, said it was “madness” for Stena to be opening a new port with no rail link. “It must be the only ferry terminal in Britain which will have no railway,” he added.
Give me a place to stand on and I will move the Earth.
Transport campaigners have warned that the rail line which links Stranraer to Glasgow could face closure in under three years due to rising costs and the loss of direct ferry connections to Ireland next year.
The Scottish Association for Public Transport says there is a real prospect that the line could face closure south of Ayr from 2014, when the franchise is due for re-tender.
....
The SAPT spokesman added that the switching of all ferry traffic by Stena Line from Stranraer Harbour to Cairnryan next year could signal the end of the Stranraer rail link. At present, rail passengers step off trains just metres away from the ferries at Stranraer – the new Cairnryan terminal will be seven miles from the nearest rail stop.
Richard Carr, a former freight specialist who runs the Stranraer to Ayr Line Support Association, said it was “madness” for Stena to be opening a new port with no rail link. “It must be the only ferry terminal in Britain which will have no railway,” he added.
Cairnryan isn't the only case. There used to be boat trains to Weymouth quayside for the Channel Islands but the service transferred to Poole and you need a bus or taxi from Poole station.
Cairnryan had a railway line built for the military in WW2 but it didn't last long after the war. It could be rebuilt, about 4 miles from the existing line. Cairnryan harbour isn't as far from Stranraer as Cairnryan village.
The locals are mainly interested in freeing the harbour for use as a marina and there isn't much thought about the railway. No doubt the Support Assocn will think of diverting the railway to Cairnryan with a small new station on the outskirts of Stranraer.
More reason to vote Tory in Newbury because our current Tory MP has fought very hard to maintain the train service we now have, including the late trains.
Why is anyone surprised? This is the sort if thing this Labour government has been doing for years: saying one thing and doing the opposite. It shows their lack of joined up thinking as well. Just as Peak Oil is rearing it's head in public, Labour send out the message that we should all use our cars more.
