News from the East Anglian Branch of Railfuture, Edited by Martin Thorne and Jerry Alderson.
Railfuture News Snippets 312 - 31/03/2019
- STATIONS [all issues]
- Transport infrastructure pressure makes clear case for interim Cambridge South station study
- Government helps to fund massive new district near Cambridge North station
- RAIL ROUTES [all issues]
- Greater Anglia's "Norwich in 90" service to start in May 2019
- Greater Anglia install free Wi-Fi on all trains to London Liverpool Street
- 2,000 more Thameslink seats for Cambridge and Brighton commuters
- Study finds "compelling case" to move forward with "transformational" Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM)
- RAIL FRANCHISES [all issues]
It was announced on 12th March by the Department for Transport (DfT) that from 1st April 2019 Greater Anglia's (GA) Delay Repay scheme (along with Great Western Railway from the same day) will start from the 15-minute threshold, after more than two years of negotiation between GA and the DfT. In fact, at the Railfuture East Anglia meeting in Cambridge in December 2016 GA's Managing Director, Jamie Burles, said that he hoped it would be in place by summer 2017!
The Rail Delivery Group has announced that passenger operators and Network Rail will publish new measures of train punctuality from the beginning of April 2019, as part of an ongoing plan to improve performance and reduce delays. The approach will see services measured to the minute at all stops, replacing the current Public Performance Measure (PPM) which reports arrivals at a train's destination only within five minutes of the advertised time for short-distance services or 10 minutes for long-distance services. This should raise confidence among rail users that the system is not being cheated and will, hopefully, see a reduction in timetable padding between the penultimate and final stations when new timetables are introduced.
By the end of March 2019, 185 of Greater Anglia's train drivers had completed a six-day course on its new Stadler Class 755 bi-mode trains. Three days were on simulators (GA has four, each costing £1.6m) and the other three days driving the trains around the network.
As reported in [Snippets 310] the East West Rail company is consulting the public on five possible indicative routes for the Bedford to Cambridge 'Central' section. Railfuture has submitted its formal response, which is to back 'Option A' on pragmatic grounds, as it is the cheapest option both to build and operate, and is therefore least likely to be descoped, and has the shortest journey time along with generating the most from housing funds. See www.railfuture.org.uk/display2031.
Also reported in [Snippets 310] and [Snippets 311] was the progress of Soham station. In late March 2019 Mayor James Palmer visited the first monitoring noise works being undertaken, at a site off Station Road, which are needed to support a future planning application, along with vibration and light monitoring studies that will take place later. If all goes well the single-platform station could open in summer 2021.
Network Rail has completed works costing £10m at Peterborough to allow trains to travel at 75mph rather than 40mph when approaching the station from the south. Following work at Fletton junction and 800 metres of renewed track, trains will no longer have to slow down up to two miles before reaching the station. This will improve punctuality initilly but may allow the timetable to be revised slightly.
Felixstowe Travel Watch's Annual General Meeting is on Tuesday 7th May 2019 at the Salvation Army Church, Cobbold Road, Felixstowe IP11 7EL at 19:30. The guest speakers will be Graham Henderson and Elizabeth Setchim who are the authors of the book Felixstowe Ferry: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Its autumn meeting will be at the same venue on Tuesday 15th October at 14:30.
STATIONS
Transport infrastructure pressure makes clear case for interim Cambridge South station study
Keywords: [CambridgeSouthStation]
In mid-March 2019 Mayor James Palmer of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, no doubt frustrated at the 2027 earliest opening date from Network Rail for the new Cambridge South station, which is fully supported by government), said that growing pressure on existing transport infrastructure around the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC), which already has 17,250 people employed there now and 27,000 jobs by 2030, makes a clear and urgent case for considering an interim railway station to open by 2023. Network Rail is, in effect, saying that it will take longer than the whole of the Second World War to build a new station, realign track and create a grade-separated junction.
The Combined Authority, which is one of four funding bodies for the current phase of works (some might call it "thinking time") led by Network Rail, wants to know the feasibility and cost of a basic - but future-proofed - two-platform/four track station to serve the neighbouring world leading and pioneering science enterprises, teaching hospitals, and academic and research institutes, with Addenbrooke's hospital, the relocated Papworth Hospital and AstraZeneca the best known names. There are currently an estimated 26,500 visits to the campus every day from patients, staff, academics, scientists and visitors, so the case for a station is very strong, and Railfuture has been calling for it since the 1990s (although then as part of a cross-city rail link utilising the St Ives line).
Government helps to fund massive new district near Cambridge North station
Keywords: [CambridgeNorthStation]
Station operator Greater Anglia may be doing very little to encourage more people to use Cambridge North station, which opened in May 2017, but in his Spring Statement on 13th March 2019 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that £717 million has been set aside from the Housing Infrastructure Fund to 37,000 provide homes in West London, Cambridge, Cheshire and Didcot. Cambridge had asked for £193 million for the Cambridge Northern Fringe East (CNFE) project to help facilitate the move of the Anglian Water water-treatment plant to make space for a new city district including 5,000 residential units plus business and community spaces that would create about 7,000 new jobs. Cambridge City Council is still waiting for confirmation of the exact sum being provided. If the funds have been secured in full, then the relocation of the water plant and the building of houses could be underway by 2024.
RAIL ROUTES
Greater Anglia's "Norwich in 90" service to start in May 2019
Keywords: [GreaterAnglia]
On Monday 20 May 2019 Greater Anglia will commence its "Norwich in 90" franchise obligation with just four services a day (two services each way) between Norwich and London meaning that passengers can get to and from the capital in 90 minutes from Norwich (12 minutes off the current fast time) and just 55-57 minutes from Ipswich (four minutes faster). Because of pathing issues these trains will run in the off-peak, leaving Norwich at 09:00 and 17:00 and returning from Liverpool Street at 11:00 and 19:00. They will also operate at the same times on Saturdays. It has not yet been confirmed what rolling stock that will be used to achieve this challenging target, although as its new trains have been delayed it is expected to be the existing inter-city trains. Speculation that a pair of coupled four-car Stadler class 755 bi-modes will be used (despite not including first class accommodation or any catering facilities) is almost certainly untrue.
Norwich North MP Chloe Smith, who has been campaigning for better rail services since 2013, said she was "delighted" that the faster services will be started and also said "I want all of the Norwich to London services to be 90 minutes. So I'll continue campaigning for constituents on this." Of course, faster times generally mean calling at fewer stations, and this is not achievable as much of the Great Eastern Mainline (GEML) is only two tracks, as it is difficult to schedule fast and stopping trains together. However, GA as said that when the entire GEML timetable is re-cast (potentially at the end of 2020), to maximise the benefits of its new train fleet, then it will look at whether there would be benefits in adjusting when the Norwich in 90 services operate. This seems to be an undertaking to run the fast trains when the largest number of passengers will benefit rather than run more of the faster trains.
Extra summer services on the Norwich-Ipswich-Colchester-London Liverpool Street, Norwich-Lowestoft, Ipswich-Peterborough, Ipswich-Felixstowe, and Norwich-Great Yarmouth routes will be introduced at the same time.
Greater Anglia install free Wi-Fi on all trains to London Liverpool Street
Keywords: [GreaterAnglia]
Greater Anglia has completed a £4.8 million project to install free Wi-Fi on all of its 'legacy' trains that operate to and from London Liverpool Street, carrying around 900,000 passengers a month. It has taken a year to fit the equipment on 840 carriages with the Wi-Fi access points, network switch, roof antennae and power supply housed in a secure cupboard. Wi-Fi is now provided on its inter-city trains, which operate between Norwich and London Liverpool, Class 321 trains that run between Southend, Clacton, Colchester and Liverpool Street, plus the Class 360 and Class 317 trains operate commuter services in Essex, Hertfordshire, and between Cambridge to Liverpool Street including the Stansted Express. Although the on-board Wi-Fi it is necessary to open a web browser to sign in each time.
2,000 more Thameslink seats for Cambridge and Brighton commuters
Keywords: [ThameslinkProgramme]
Also starting on Monday 20th May 2019 will be a doubling of the frequency on Thameslink route between Cambridge and Brighton (via central London and Gatwick airport) from one to two trains per hour in each direction for most of the day (13 of them in the peak). This will effectively provide an additional 2,000 seats at peak times in the morning and evening. There will (finally) be Cambridge to Brighton services on Saturdays and Cambridge to Gatwick services on Sundays.
News: https://www.railbusinessdaily.com/2000-more-thameslink-seats-for-cambridge-and-brighton-commuters/.
Study finds "compelling case" to move forward with "transformational" Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM)
Keywords: [CambridgeshireMetro]
Railfuture believes that Cambridge should have a conventional tram system, like may cities around the world, many of which have reintroduced - or are now reintroducing - tram systems. However, the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority has been looking at a "bus that isn't a bus" metro system for Greater Cambridge (including Cambourne, Granta Park, Waterbeach and Newmarket Road and Trumpington park and rides) and the wider region (St Neots, Alconbury, Mildenhall and Haverhill), much like the "SuperCAM" proposal, for the early 2000s. The Combined Authority commissioned consultants Steer (who proposed the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway [CGB] in the 1990s) a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) into the feasibility of a 142km £4 billion Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM), which would include 12km of 'twin bore' tunnelling under Cambridge city and two underground stations (one in the city centre, and the other at Cambridge Station), has found a "compelling case" for the "trackless metro" scheme with a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) figure that would more than meet the Department for Transport's assessment standards. Like the CGB, central Government would be expected to largely finance the scheme. Like buses in Vienna, the vehicles would be powered by electric batteries recharged overnight and at route termini throughout the day, without the need for overhead wires.
RAIL FRANCHISES
GTR works towards 40% female trainee train drivers by 2021
Keywords: [TSGN]
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which runs Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express, claims to have launched Britain's biggest rail recruitment campaign to attract more women and young people, many through apprenticeships. In particular it wants more women to apply for trainee driver roles, and its has attended careers fairs across Britain to promote the railway to young people. GTR has more than 2,000 qualified train drivers, 700 of whom have been trained since 2015, an it has a further 270 currently in training. across Britain just five per cent of the 19,000 train drivers are women. GTR has already taken steps to address the imbalance.
GTR has introduced all female assessment centres for trainee drivers, and a scheme which sees new female recruits paired up with another woman in the company to create female-focused support networks. It has also posted job adverts on forums such as Mumsnet. In 2018 30% trainee driver roles in its Southern services were taken up by women (up from 18% in 2017) and one class on both Great Northern and Southern had a 50:50 gender split. However, that split is exceptional and it hopes that by 2021 at least 40% of applicants for train driver roles will be female. At that rate it will take decades for 50% of drivers to be women.
Railfuture East Anglia Branch News Snippets 312 - 31/03/2019
[Prev Issue (311)] [Snippets Issues] [Next Issue (313)] [Category List] [Keyword List] [People List] [Story List] [Branch Dashboard]