News from the East Anglian Branch of Railfuture, Edited by Martin Thorne and Jerry Alderson.
Railfuture News Snippets 68 - 09/08/2001
- EAST WEST RAIL LINK [all issues]
- DISABLED TRAVELLERS [all issues]
- Wheelchair access at March station now available
- Central Trains don't cater for disabled passengers in large buggies
- RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE [all issues]
- STATIONS [all issues]
- RAIL ANNIVERSARIES [all issues]
- RAIL IN THE MEDIA [all issues]
- WEBSITES [all issues]
- RAIL FARES [all issues]
A reminder that the deadline for influencing Cambridgeshire County Council about the St.Ives line is 31st August 2001. Dedicated email address is [CHUMMS.letterbox at cambridgeshire.gov.uk] or write to CHUMMS letterbox, Box ET1010a, Cambridgeshire County Council, Shire Hall, Cambridge CB3 0AP.
EAST WEST RAIL LINK
SRA turns down funding for "Phase 1 West" - Bicester to Bletchley
Keywords: [EastWestRail]
The SRA informed [laurence.collins at ipswich.gov.uk], chairman of the East West Consortium, at a meeting on 31st July 2001 that the Rail Passenger Partnership bid to subsidise a new train service between Oxford and Bletchley had been turned down. The bid was originally submitted in July 1999 and pre-qualified in September 1999.
The SRA has yet to confirm in writing the reasons for the SRA turning down the scheme, but they are believed to include a lack of funding and engineering resources within the industry and concerns over capital costs and other forecasts.
 |
This does not mean the end of the east west rail link. The Consortium will work with the SRA to understand and address the SRA's concerns. The SRA has now recognised the strategic importance of the route; it will ensure other projects have 'passive inclusion' of EWR (including access to Milton Keynes Central) and will publicly acknowledge the scheme's value in statements and, most importantly, in the Strategy document due in November 2001. |
The consortium will now be looking at all funding options and work to ensure they deliver the original aspirations of 90 mph, twin track infrastructure providing as many journey options west of Bedford as possible.
Anyone wishing to comment on this decision can contact Iryna Terlecky at the SRA - email: [iryna.terlecky at sra.gov.uk].
East West Consortium website: http://www.eastwestrail.org.
GB Railways web-page: http://www.gbrailways.com/ewr.htm.
DISABLED TRAVELLERS
Wheelchair access at March station now available
Keywords: [MarchStation]
Access for wheelchairs, pushchairs and cyclists is now available to/from the eastbound platform at March. This has been achieved by turning the two redundant through platforms into terminus platforms. Also a car pick up/drop off point for wheelchair users has also been created at the adjacent BRAZA Club car park.
Central Trains don't cater for disabled passengers in large buggies
Keywords: [CentralTrains]
According to local media on 7th August, Michael Watson, 50, a regular rail passenger who suffers from severe arthritis was told by Central Trains that his 4ft 6in long four-wheel buggy was six inches too long to travel on the train, and was ordered off the train by a guard at Ely station. Ahead of the trip he had phoned every station to organise a ramp to drive his road-going buggy from platform to train.
A Central Trains spokesman said Mr Watson was offered a taxi and would be reimbursed for his expenses, adding: "A few train operators can carry these scooters but we do not allow them in at all. He should not have had the embarrassment of getting on the train then off again. It was a communications problem and we have apologised to him as the staff at Ely let him on the train. He should have been told, or asked what sort of vehicle he had. We carry wheelchairs and we issue photos of the type of scooters we can't carry.' Other train operators in East Anglia have allowed Mr. Watson on board.
RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE
Additional bridge protection measures in place at Ely
The low road bridge under the railway at Ely station, which has one of the worst records in the country for being "bashed", is to be fitted with additional electronic detection & warning signs to alert drivers of vehicles too high to pass safely under it, using an infra-red beam which is broken by tall vehicles. The £50,000 cost is being funded jointly by Railtrack & Cambridgeshire County Council.
There is a similar low bridge at Manningtree, which is also regularly hit. There are no plans to add such a system there, yet.
STATIONS
Boost for 'Crouch Valley' line stations
The Wickford ? Southminster 'Crouch Valley' rail link was re-launched on Friday 27th July with the opening of 'Right Tracks' healthy-living café in the former station house at Southminster which had been derelict for many years. The Essex Community Rail Partnership will be opening an office at the station.
At Burnham-on-Crouch, joint funding by the Strategic Rail Authority, First Great Eastern and Railtrack will result in a new ticket office and cosmetic improvements to the station.
First Great Eastern press release: http://www.ger.co.uk/html/news2story.asp?which=48.
SRA press release: http://www.sra.gov.uk/news/releases/2001/Aug/Building_A_Better_Railway_2001_200801.htm.
RAIL ANNIVERSARIES
150th Anniversary of arrival of railway in Meldreth celebrated
The 150th anniversary of the Great Northern Railway's arrival in the village in 1851 was celebrated by members of the local Women's Institute branch, who greeted rail passengers at the station dressed in Victorian period costume. The Royston & District Model Engineering Society also provided rides on a miniature steam railway in the station car park.
RAIL IN THE MEDIA
BBC programme to feature problems and frustrations of the train traveller
The BBC are researching a programme about the problems/frustrations with the British train system from the point of view of the passenger and have asked Railfuture for help. They are looking at the following areas:
Punctuality, Reliability, Cleanliness of trains, Train fares, Accurate timetable information.
The research team will be looking at all areas of the UK rail system not just London and above all they wish to interview regular (i.e. daily) passengers and sit with them on their journeys. It might be between Ipswich and Peterborough, Sheffield and Derby or perhaps even Gunnislake to Plymouth.
Can you put the BBC in touch with daily travellers? If you know of daily rail travellers within your group, whether they be long distance or just using local services, the BBC wish to hear their views.
Contact Dermot Caulfield [dermot.caulfield at bbc.co.uk] at the BBC on 020 875 25878 or 020 875 25820 or write to 4225 BBC White City, 201 Wood Lane London W12 7TS. Please ask your regular rail traveller to mention RAILFUTURE when contacting the BBC.
WEBSITES
Website provides taxi information relevant to all stations in Great Britain
The http://www.traintaxi.co.uk website, run by Traintaxi Limited, will give you telephone numbers of local taxis and details of taxi ranks for every station in Great Britain. This is a service which National Rail Enquiries does not offer.
RAIL FARES
Comparison of train fares with alternative bizarre journeys
Ever thought that Railfuture should be campaigning more to keep train fares lower? Well, a BBC news item reports that it is (was) cheaper (per mile) to fly with Concorde than take the Heathrow Express and likewise fly on a rocket into space than take the London Underground.
Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1480000/1480175.stm.
Railfuture East Anglia Branch News Snippets 68 - 09/08/2001
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