Activists Briefing - Issue 1
16th April 2005
IN THE NEWS
Railfuture East Anglia branch secretary, Nick Dibben, did an interview for BBC East on 22nd March following the GNER franchise award. He noted that it was a mixed message from a rail user viewpoint. The additional services, staff and station improvements are welcomed but there would be concern over the £1.3bn premium payout to the government that amounted to a tax on train travel.
Nick added that rail users would want to know how much would be returned to the region in investment and that the Government could no longer claim there was no money for works to relieve pinch points such as Hitchin and Welwyn Viaduct. The premium payments contrasted with the Government's approach to car tax and airline tax that gave a confused message regarding sustainable transport and climate change.
Railfuture President, Peter Lawrence, took part in a "phone in" on BBC Radio Shropshire on 31st March. The other members of the panel were from the RPC and also a local rail user group. There was a mixture of questions. Reopening and private purchase of the line from Gobowen to Llanyblodwel, a possible new railfreight depot at Wellington, the high cost of rail fares and other local and general questions on Network Rail's plans announced on the same day.
Peter made the point that we were disappointed that there was no mention in Network Rail's plans to upgrade the Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth route. One thing that came out of this programme was the lack of future strategic planning and development for UK railways.
BBC TV contacted Peter on 30th March about the announcement of Network Rail’s plans. In Peter’s opinion quite a positive document. Certainly better than previous statements from Railtrack and also from the SRA. Peter was able to arrange for Board member, Norman Bradbury, to be at Paddington station at 9am the next morning. Norman did a short interview for BBC News 24.
NEWS FROM RAILFUTURE BRANCHES
Peter Cousins of West Midlands branch and the Lichfield Rail Promotion Group reports that Cannock Chase District Council have recently approved a planning application for a Container Handling Depot at the former Mid Cannock Coal Disposal Point. This is adjacent to existing rail sidings north of the A5 and just south of Cannock station. A condition of the approval is that the company shall close their two existing sites at Longford and Burntwood.
The company currently owns 140 lorries of which 60 are dedicated to an overnight flow 7 days a week to Felixstowe and about 20 to Liverpool. The company is keen to divert much of the overnight flow to rail but would need the Chase Line to be cleared for 9ft 6in containers.
Although upgrading the route via Nuneaton into Bescot is currently programmed by Network Rail, clearing the Chase Line is not; and has been estimated at £5 million for which funds are not available. The 7-day operation of this flow may require the alternative (non-WCML) route via Peterborough to also be cleared for the containers.
RAILFUTURE ADMINISTRATION NOTICES ETC
Following the imminent closure of the London office the registered office of the Railway Development Society Limited is now 18a Grantham Road, Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln LN4 2LD. Would everyone who uses Railfuture stationery etc please amend accordingly? Company Secretary, John Lee, is arranging for the printing and supply of new stationery.
A reminder that all address labels are now being printed by David Harby to whom requests for labels should be sent. Can all branch secretaries/contacts please ensure that this information is circulated to all that need to know within their branches? Sending requests to the London office, as some are still doing, will almost certainly result in a delay in the labels being printed.
A reminder that if you require a Hot Buffet Lunch at the AGM in Peterborough on 7th May it must be booked and paid for in advance. Bookings must be returned to John Lee by 29th April at the very latest.
A reminder that all completed voting papers should be returned to the Returning Officer, John Lee, at the address shown on the voting paper to arrive no later than 23rd April 2005.
A reminder that membership of Committees is confirmed at the first Board meeting after the AGM. Committee Chairmen will be asking existing members if they wish to continue. If anyone else would like to serve on a committee (International, Network Development, Freight, Passenger or Policy) they should inform John Lee by 1st May.
If they have not already done so would branches please let John Lee know full details of their Officers (i.e. names, addresses and contact emails/numbers for Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary & Treasurer). The list should make clear which name should appear in the 2005 "Who's Who" for contact purposes.
RAIL FREIGHT GUIDANCE FOR LOCAL TRANSPORT PLANS
Freight on Rail has written a briefing paper to help local authorities make adequate provision for rail freight in their Local Transport Plans, due for submission to the Government in draft form this June. The Department of Transport guidance for Local Transport Plans made minimal reference to any mode of freight distribution so this work is designed to fill this vacuum in terms of rail. Integration of land use planning and transport is a key objective and the group is highlighting the importance of setting the right regional and local framework for rail freight so that the industry has the confidence to invest.
The Freight on Rail guidance outlines that regional economic, transport and spatial strategies and at the local level Local Transport Plans and Local Development frameworks must all cater for rail freight and be cross-referenced.
Its recommendations include
Allocation of funding to improve road access to existing and new rail freight interchanges plus provision for proper road signage to these facilities.
Promotion of new terminals and the upgrade of existing ones that have good road access with the advice that expansion of existing sites is commonly a faster and simpler way to increase modal shift.
Promote mineral strategies to use rail as the preferred mode.
Promote waste strategies to use rail as the preferred mode for access to larger landfill, incinerator or recycling centres.
Make provision to understand rail and road freight better through collection of meaningful statistics and enhanced monitoring.
The guidance includes the following statistics highlighting rail freight’s economic, environmental and social benefits.
Research shows that rail freight’s external costs, i.e. excluding congestion are eight time less per tonne kilometre than air freight and four times less than road
An aggregates train can remove 120 HGVs from the roads
Rail freight produces about one tenth of the emissions per tonne kilometre of HGVs .
Research indicates that heavy goods vehicles only pay for around 58 – 69 per cent of the costs they impose upon society
Lorries are almost entirely responsible for road repairs – a 40 tonne 5-axle lorry causes tens of thousands of times more damage than an average car.
Source: Freight on Rail press release A copy of the Freight on Rail press release and the briefing paper is available at http://www.freightonrail.org.uk/PressRelease11-2-2004.htm
DfT Guidance – Full Guidance on Local Transport Plans - 8 December 2004
ARE THAMESLINK 2000 AND EAST WEST RAIL LINK BACK ON THE AGENDA?
Business Weekly is reporting that Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott’s team has stepped in to resuscitate both these schemes. They seem to have realised what Railfuture among many other interested organisations, have been saying for ages. Namely the planned Sustainable Communities plan in the Milton Keynes and South Midlands area will not be possible without these schemes to provide the appropriate transport and communications infrastructure.
Source and link to full article: http://www.businessweekly.co.uk/news/view_article.asp?article_id=9316
__NEWS FROM SRA_-
National Rail Trends, October to December 2004 (Quarter 3) was published on 17 March
Key findings are:-
80.3% of trains ran on time in Quarter 3 (October to December 2004), an increase of 3.9 percentage points, from 76.4% in the same period in 2003.
19 out of 24 train operating companies showed an improvement in performance during this period, of which 9 improved by five percentage points or more. Five operators showed a decrease in performance.
The most improved performers were Midland Mainline (up 21.3 percentage points), Thameslink (up 13.4 percentage points), ONE (InterCity) (up 10.6 percentage points), First North Western (up 9.6 percentage points), c2c (up 8.8 percentage points), South West Trains (up 7.1 percentage points) and South Eastern Trains (up 6.3 percentage points).
Passenger kilometres (PKM) increased by 3.4% in October to December 2004 compared with October to December 2003.
Freight moved increased by 13.6% in October to December 2004 compared with the same quarter in 2003.
The National Passenger Survey (NPS) shows that at a national level, overall satisfaction ratings are at their best since Spring 2000. 76% of passengers were very or fairly satisfied with their overall journey in the Autumn 2004 survey, compared to 73% in Autumn 2003. This improvement is being driven by the London and South East sector, which accounts for the majority of journeys made.
Complaints per 100,000 journeys between October and December 2004 decreased by 12.1% compared with the same period the previous year. London and South East operators showed a decrease in complaints of 11.7% over the same period and Long Distance operators showed a decrease in complaints of 23.8%.
The average age of rolling stock decreased by approximately one year between 30 September and 31 December 2004.
National Rail Trends and the National Passenger Survey are available on the SRA website www.sra.gov.uk (under ‘ Publications’).
Source: SRA press release
FRANCHISE NEWS
As everyone will now be aware GNER have been awarded the East Coast franchise for 7 years with an automatic 3-year extension if targets are met. The SRA press release and details are on the SRA website. Sea Containers, the GNER parent company, have a more details of the financial aspects of the deal on their website at http://www.seacontainers.com/
The shortlist for the Greater Western franchise is National Express Group PLC, FirstGroup plc and Stagecoach Group. The new Greater Western franchise will be made up of the existing Great Western, Great Western Link and Wessex Trains franchises and will run from April 1st 2006 for a period of 7 years plus 3 extra years automatic extension if agreed performance targets are met.
The shortlist for the Thameslink/Great Northern franchise is National Express Group PLC, FirstGroup plc; Stagecoach Group; MTR /John Laing plc and Danish Railways (DSB) / English, Welsh and Scottish Railways (EWS). The new Thameslink/Great Northern franchise will be made up of the existing Thameslink franchise and the Great Northern network, which is currently the WAGN franchise. The franchise is expected to begin operations on April 1st 2006 for 4 years plus 2 years with an automatic extension for 3 years if agreed performance targets are met. The franchise is structured in this way to allow for potential work on the Thameslink 2000 project.
Source: SRA press releases
RAILWAYS FOR ALL CONSULTATION DOCUMENT
This consultation document, published by the SRA, seeks views on how best to make the railway more accessible. The SRA is consulting on this Strategy under section 206 of the Transport Act 2000. Following the consultation, responsibility for taking forward the elements of the final Strategy will transfer to the Department for Transport, the Scottish Executive, the Office of Rail Regulation, Network Rail and the rest of the railway industry.
In his forward to the document SRA Chairman, David Quarmby, says that the Strategy is about the access needs of customers in the broadest sense. Accessibility concerns not only step-free access but also measures such as accessible information, assistance and training. We live in a diverse society. Disabled people make up a significant and growing part of the community. As many as 10 million adults and 700,000 children in Great Britain are likely to be covered by the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Fairness for all is the basis for a healthy society, for economic prosperity, and for the effective delivery of public services. Accessibility therefore matters to all of us.
There can be commercial incentives to invest in improved accessibility. The number of disabled and mobility impaired people will grow due to ageing of the population. The rail industry needs to respond to this changing demography. If the railway is more accessible for disabled passengers, it is more accessible for everybody. The emphasis in this Strategy is therefore on ‘accessibility’ rather than ‘disability’.
Progress is being made, with more accessible rolling stock and stations and improved customer care. But there is a pressing need for much more to be done. This consultation document sets out proposals for making rail travel more accessible. It describes how accessible Britain’s railway could be in ten years time, depending on the choices that are made. It states that priorities have to be established. Not everything can be done at once and the SRA need everyone’s help to determine the priorities.
He points out that an integrated transport system and partnership with a wide range of public and private bodies is therefore essential for delivering accessibility objectives. The SRA wants to see fewer barriers and more opportunities for disabled passengers. A more accessible railway won’t be achieved overnight or by the SRA and its successors alone. The challenge is for everyone to work together to achieve this Strategy.
IF THEY WANT YOUR VOTE
This is an edited version of an article by John Rogers in the Spring 2005 edition of Rail Wales (Newsletter of the Welsh branches of Railfuture) that I thought benefits a wider circulation.
“With a Westminster general election, and council elections in some areas, upon us now is the time to badger the parties and candidates. Of course, putting pressure on politicians is something we should be doing all the time, so that when the time comes to draw up a manifesto, they realise that transport needs more than just a vague, pious reference to its being ‘a good thing’. Whatever powers over railways, or public transport as a whole, different levels of government eventually have, the Westminster, regional or local context is vital, which in turn is linked to Brussels.
“It will help to push transport up the political agenda if more and more of us write to MPs and county councillors urging general and specific measures to enable rail and bus to thrive as we want them to. If you feel you don’t have the detailed knowledge to urge specific measures, don’t worry; just ask for railways in your county/region/Britain to be improved and bus services to be integrated with them. We need to make transport something constantly on politicians’ minds. Both major parties would be very happy if transport was never mentioned during the election campaign - it would avoid them having to answer awkward questions!
“Not many politicians are knowledgeable about railways, and this is also true of many media reporters. Some welcome the kind of briefing which Railfuture can give them; it shows them a practical way ahead. The South Wales branch committee has several times succeeded in influencing policy through our meetings with key figures, our briefings and urgings, our policy documents and so on. Railfuture is of course non-party political; but it would be incredibly naive to lose sight of the fact that politicians rule railways. And, to be a little cynical, politicians fear one thing above all – losing their seat!”
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Saturday 30th April 2005
Railfuture North East branch meeting, Brunswick Methodist Church at 14.00 Speaker - Doug Hamilton on the role of Locomotion NRM in Shildon plays in reviving the fortunes of the Wear Valley.
Saturday 7th May 2005
Railfuture AGM, Bull Hotel, Peterborough
Thursday 12th May 2005
Railfuture North East branch meeting, Durham at 19.00. Speaker - Steve Butcher one of the new Regional Directors at Northern Rail.
Saturday 21st May 2005
Railfuture Board meeting, Birmingham
Saturday 4th June 2005
Railfuture Passenger Committee, Carrs Lane, Birmingham at 13.00
Saturday 11th June 2005
Railfuture Network Development Committee, FOE Warehouse, Birmingham **Note revised date**
Saturday 25th June 2005
Railfuture Policy, Lobby and Campaigns Committee, Birmingham
Railfuture East Anglia branch meeting, Bury St Edmunds Library
Saturday 2nd July 2005
Re-openings Conference, Barry Memorial Hall, S. Wales
Saturday 5th November
Rail Users’ Conference, Mechanics Institute, Manchester