Activists Briefing - Issue 18

16th September 2006

IN THE NEWS

A Railfuture delegation had a meeting with a delegation form ATOC on 12th September. The meeting has been described as useful but no further details are available at present.

NEWS FROM RAILFUTURE BRANCHES

Since 1997 Railfuture East Anglia had been working towards getting a suitable memorial put up at Watlington station to Ron Callaby. Ron, who died in 1991, was a long time member of RDS since the days of then Railway Invigoration Society and was the leading force in getting the station re-opened in 1975, following its closure under Beeching in 1968. The station lacked suitable cycle storage facilities and Railfuture East Anglia decided to (part) fund a cycle shed. WAGN had promised Railfuture EA that they would match what we raised, but in the event they provided enough for a shed costing £5000. We had raised about £700 with sponsored cycle rides, sales stands and donations.

Saturday 19th August saw the final stage of the project, in the unveiling of a memorial plaque on the shed by Mrs Dorothy Callaby. At least thirty people, from Railfuture, the local area and the Callaby family, attended the event which received good cover by the local press. Clara Zilahi gave an interview to Radio Norfolk.

Railfuture Severnside are holding a public meeting entitled ‘Developing Gloucestershire’s Railways’ on 21st October. There will be speakers from First Great Western and Gloucestershire C.C. Venue is Gloucester Leisure Centre starting at 14.00. Contact Nigel Bray, Severnside branch secretary, for further details.

Railfuture South Wales have been granted partner status on the South West Wales Integrated Transport Consortium (SWWITCH) and are therefore able to attend and speak at board meetings.

The next Railfuture North East branch meeting will take place at 7pm on Wednesday 27th September at Eastbourne Methodist Church, Yarm Road, Darlington. The venue is 5 – 10 minutes walk from Darlington Bank Top (mainline) Railway Station. Leave down the ramp at the north end. At the bottom of the station approach turn right onto Yarm Road. The church is straight ahead beyond the traffic island. The speaker will be from the management of Northern Rail. The meeting will focus on Community Safety in relation to the rail network although there will be an opportunity to raise other pertinent local issues.

RAILFUTURE NORTH EAST AT ACORP COMMUNITY RAIL FESTIVAL, DARLINGTON

A reminder that Railfuture North East will be running a stand at the ACoRP Festival on the 23rd and 24th of September. They would also welcome the chance to distribute any leaflets produced by other Railfuture branches or RUGs. Offers to help staff the stall would also welcome. If you could cover for say an hour this would greatly assist in covering meal breaks and the like. Please contact Gordon Barclay by e-mail at firstnorthumbria at tinyworld.co.uk or telephone 01670 505958 (evenings after 19.00).

DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE OF PRODUCING A RAIL PROMOTION TOOLKIT?

Railfuture East Anglia branch are looking at producing a Rail Promotion Toolkit which would, for example, produce leaflets encouraging use of a local station by people living nearby. They wish to ensure that they do not 'reinvent the wheel' and would like to hear from any other branches involved in such an activity. Please contact Tony Albert through branch chairman Peter Wakefield (petawake@yahoo.com).

WHEN IN WESSEX WHY NOT TRY THE ‘FOODY TRAIL’

After the success of the ‘Rail Ale Trail’ Railfuture Wessex Branch have now created the ‘Heart of Wessex Line Foody Trail’. They have selected 11 places to eat on the line between Clifton (Bristol) and Weymouth. These are described in an attractive A3 leaflet. There are 6 character restaurants, and 5 pubs serving quality food, who all prepare meals on the premises using locally sourced produce. Research for the trail was done by Peter and Tom Argent, David Greening, Jeremy Sleightholm and David Stevenson and funding was provided by the Heart of Wessex Rail Partnership’s Local Grants Scheme.

CONSULTATIONS

Network Rail published the Cross London RUS in August 2006. It is expected to become established in October. Consultation started in August 2006 on the Scotland RUS and in September 2006 on the Freight RUS.

Network Rail is currently working on seven more route utilisation strategies. Click on the link below for the consultation documents. It is noticable that, unlike the SRA, Network Rail are including User Groups in the pre-consultation phase of their RUS' but so far have not listed either Railfuture or its Branches in this category. It could simply be that we have never asked to be included! Branches should perhaps study the published calendar to see when work involving their
area is planned.

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browseDirectory.aspx?dir=\RUS%20Documents\Route%20Utilisation%20Strategies&pageid=2895&root=

RAIL USERS’ CONFERENCE 2006

Stephen Hammond MP, Shadow Minister for Rail has agreed to speak at the Railfuture RUC in Reading on 4th November 2006. His topic will be “New thinking on the railways and transport from the Conservative Party”.

Other speakers and topics are:
 “Rail for the booming South East” by Martin Tugwell – Planning Implementation Director, South East England Regional Assembly.
 “Reading Station: on the verge of transformation” by Pat Baxter – Head of Transportation, Reading Borough Council.
 “Rail Users’ must be heard” by Chris Irwin formerly Chair of South West Transport Users’ Forum.
 “Rail’s electrifying Future” by Reg Harman FCILT

A booking form will be sent out shortly with Railwatch 109.

The date and venue for the 2007 Rail Users' Conference has now been confirmed as Ely Maltings on Saturday 3rd November 2007.

DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT NEWS

Tom Harris MP has replaced Derek Twigg MP as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State with responsibility for Rail. Derek Twigg is now Under Secretary of State for Defence. Tom Harris is aged 42 and has a background in journalism. He was elected MP for Cathcart in 2001. Following boundary changes he was elected member for Glasgow South in 2005. For a full biography see http://www.tomharris.org.uk/biography.php

NATIONAL RAIL REVIEW

On 21st August the ORR published the first of the new quarterly National Rail Reviews. The new review draws on the Network Rail Monitor and National Rail Trends to assess performance, progress and the key issues being addressed by the rail industry.

1. The National Rail Review is available on the ORR website at http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/301.pdf
2. National Rail Trends is available on the ORR website at http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.129
3. The Network Rail Monitor and a commentary is available on the ORR website at http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/300.pdf
Source:ORR press release

RAILFUTURE MEMBERSHIP – HOW DO WE RECRUIT MORE MEMBERS AND KEEP THE ONES WE ALREADY HAVE?

This is the title of a paper written by David Harby but incorporating ideas from papers by Clara Zilahi, Trevor Garrod, David Harby and Peter Harris. The intention of the paper is not to be a blueprint of where we go from here but to stimulate discussion of membership promotion at national and branch level. Some of the ideas suggested could be taken forward now by national officers and branches but others are not possible without more active help being available, especially at branch level. The paper has already been sent to branch contacts and membership secretaries. Anyone is welcome to comment on the points made or put forward other new ideas. Copies of the paper can be obtained from and comment sent to .

One of the more radical suggestions already received is that we should stop printing a glossy membership form and instead just run off copies on normal paper as and when they are needed. By doing this we would be able to ‘tweak’ the leaflet as circumstances change and also make small changes to target different groups. Does anyone have experience of what other groups do?

THE COLNE-SKIPTON RAIL LINK - CONFERENCE

Andy Shackleton, Liaison Officer SELRAP, has asked me to pass on details of a conference on Friday 13th October 2006 to raise the issues and the importance of reconnecting Skipton to Colne and the rest of East Lancashire into the national network of Network Rail. To be held at the Old Stone Trough Country Lodge and Inn, Colne Road, Kelbrook, the conference centre adjoins the track bed of the old railway line.

With the growing interest in the regeneration of the old mill town of Colne, the need to see the reinstatement of the rail link is of great importance. This would bring Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds and wider areas in the Northern region of England into easy reach as well as form greater links with the rest of the country. For the purpose of this conference and the reinstatement of the Colne-Skipton rail link, Colne Connected (a Market Town Initiative) have joined together as partners with the Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP).

Speakers include:
Brian Simpson MEP & Director, North West Rail Investment Campaign.
Ian Yeowart & Sean English (Respectively) Managing Director & Operations Director, Grand Central Railways.
David Curry MP & Gordon Prentice MP, SELRAP’s Patrons.
Drew Haley, Stakeholder Manager, Northern Rail.

The booking fee for this Conference to individual delegates is £20. This will include a buffet lunch. Should you require overnight accommodation, the Old Stone Trough Country Lodge and Inn, Colne Road, Kelbrook (Tel. 01282 844844) do have rooms available, which you will need to book with them personally.

Bookings and requests for more information should be sent to Peter Nowland, c/o. Blackburn Diocesan BSR, The Olive Branch, St Anne's Church Hall, Wheatley Lane Road, Fence, Lancashire, BB12 9ED. The booking fee is £20.00 and cheques should be made payable to SELRAP. David Harby david.harby at ntlworld.com has a copy of the booking form and can email it to anyone who wants it.

SNIPPETTS

BRTA are organising a conference at Homerton College, Hills Road, Cambridge on Saturday 21st April 2007. Full details and booking forms via their website www.brta.org.uk or via Russell Pratt 115 Kimble Drive, Bedford, MK41 9SZ 01234 300815 membership at brta.org.uk.

The date of the next Railfuture Network Development Committee has changed from 7th October to the 28th October.

We have purchased a 5ft x 2ft pvc banner with the Railfuture logo printed on it. The banner will be in use at the ACoRP Festival in Darlington and is then available for use by branches and committees etc. It can be rolled up and inserted into a cardboard tube for posting. If branches would like to use it for an event please contact david.harby at ntlworld.com.

The “Growing the Railways” campaign in the regions was launched in the North West on 15th September. The regional manifesto can be read at http://www.transport2000.org.uk/news/NW_Rail_manfesto_11_Sept.pdf

Mike Crowhurst has asked me to remind branches that, if they have not already done so, he would like them to draw up a short rail strategy document for their area listing the key points.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Saturday 23rd September
Railfuture Freight Committee meeting, PCVS office, Peterborough

Saturday 30th September
Railfuture Passenger Committee, Calthorpe Arms, London,

Saturday 21st October
Railfuture Policy, Lobby Campaigns Committee, London (subject to venue availability)

Saturday 28th October
Network Development Committee meeting, PCVS office, Peterborough.

Saturday 4th November
Rail Users’ Conference, South Street Arts Centre, 21 South Street, Reading. Commence at 11.00.

Saturday 25th November
Railfuture International and EU Committee meeting, Brunswick, Derby

Saturday 2nd December
Railfuture Passenger Committee, Birmingham

Saturday 16th December
Railfuture Freight Committee meeting, subject to confirmation

Saturday 12th May 2007
RDS Ltd AGM, County Hall, Preston