Salisbury to Exeter Rail Users Group (Serug)
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SALISBURY TO EXETER RAIL USERS GROUP (SERUG) Issue Number: 9 November 2019 Supporting the stations of: Tisbury, Gillingham, Templecombe, Sherborne, Yeovil Junction, Crewkerne, Axminster, Honiton, Feniton, Whimple, Cranbrook, Pinhoe, Exeter Central. Old and new or old and older? photo Paul Blowfield Woeful Train Performance continues There is an official statistic for measuring train performance - called Public Performance Measure (PPM). For South Western Railway, the PPM target is for 89.2% of all services to arrive at their final destination within 5 minutes of schedule. It’s really disappointing to report that this target has not been achieved in any month during 2019 on the West of England Line. Furthermore, performance line has dropped continuously over the last three months. September’s figure was 80.1%, October dropped to 72.9% and as we write this (20 November) it stands at 53.7%. Indeed, there have been only 2 days since the beginning of October that the PPM target has been reached. Put simply, on any given day currently, the chance of trains running to time is around 5%! Most delays – around 70% - can be attributed to Network Rail (signalling or points failures, landslips, trespassers, etc), however driver and rolling stock shortages have noticeably increased over the past few months and these are clearly the responsibility of South Western Railway. We’ve noticed that early morning commuter services towards London have become increasingly likely to be cancelled. Both NWR and SWR agree that this is not acceptable, and although SWR have told us that a number of additional drivers will become available shortly, upon completion of their training, we are yet to see any tangible efforts to improve the current situation A new timetable is due to be introduced in December, offering a few extra or extended services (especially in the early mornings and late evenings), but with the prospect of RMT strikes throughout most of December, it is likely that the timetable launch will be delayed until the New Year. Whatever the merits or otherwise of the strike SWR will have a difficult job to ensure as many services as possible run over that period. Summary of GWR Diversions - November 2019 The GWR lines through Taunton were closed for engineering work between Saturday 9 and Thursday 14 November, resulting once more in some GWR services between Paddington, Plymouth and Penzance being diverted over the West of England line between Yeovil and Exeter. Following the disastrous timekeeping issues resulting from previous GWR diversions, a different timetable was produced this time, with no freight trains scheduled to run during passenger operating hours. Many more South Western Railway services were re-timed than previously (resulting in a “non even-time” timetable) and more GWR services called at intermediate stations between Yeovil and Exeter. We even had a sub 2-hour London to Yeovil Junction service! (14.03 from Paddington). The fastest time from Waterloo is currently about 20 mins slower. Generally, the revised timetable worked better than that which operated earlier this year. Reliability wasn’t perfect, but certainly better than many had expected. Tuesday 12 November was the only day when things went badly awry, primarily due to driver and rolling stock shortages. Notes from the Chair The current performance woes (West of England line = WOE !) are covered above. At the SWR stakeholder conference on the 18th November, Managing Director Andy Mellors admitted matters were not good at the moment. Andrew Haines CEO of Network Rail also attended and agreed matters had to improve. Of interest, he felt that the two key contributing factors from a NWR standpoint were the high number of Temporary speed restrictions, (TSR’s) and that the Waterloo upgrade (completed in 2017) had no vision behind it to identify how the new track infrastructure would actually operate! His view that a) a clear vision is necessary and b) that the decks should be cleared to reach that vision and c) that some of the timetabling changes need to be radical, resonated well with us! We asked Andy Mellors about plans to replace the 30 year-old rolling stock (class 158 & 159). There are none! He advised it was likely that the DfT would specify new trains as part of the next franchise. We find that disappointing – why aren’t SWR pushing for development? Perhaps they will throw in the towel? We believe we have the oldest long-distance rolling stock in the UK, New trains MUST form part of the next franchise and to achieve that, the planning, specification and consultation process must start NOW. In the New Year we will start our own research with SERUG members to influence the design of new trains. Our guest speaker for a very well attended meeting, at Yeovil Railway Centre on the 26th September 2019 was Christian Wolmar the well- known railway historian and writer. We really enjoyed our evening with him - see our web site for full report. He also wrote a two-page article about us in Rail magazine dated 6 November 2019 headed, “Small enhancement schemes could make a big difference” The article is a very good read, apart from a mistake…. stating that the 3rd rail already extends to Salisbury (it actually stops much earlier, at Worting Junction west of Basingstoke) – we wish it did reach Salisbury! Finally, our work with the CMSP (Continuous Modular Strategic Planning) process (see Andrew’s note below) to deliver infrastructure investment for the service benefits, continues with Network Rail, and we hope to have the draft plan for consideration in early 2020. This will define exactly what track doubling will be needed, by using a draft timetable to improve journey times and timetable resilience. SWR UPDATE from Andrew Ardley (Regional Development Manager) The opening of the new train crew facility at Yeovil will allow SWR to introduce some additional early and late services between Exeter / Yeovil and Waterloo from the December 2019 timetable, building on the additional and strengthened services provided on the line as a whole from May. Also, in December the Sunday Waterloo - Exeter (and vice versa) services will run faster between Salisbury and Basingstoke with only the local Salisbury / Reading services calling at the smaller stations. Further enhancements are planned in the May 2020 timetable. The CMSP for the West of England line continues to progress well with the help of external representatives such as SERUG. The draft report should be ready by January, with the final version due by March. This will form the basis for the submission to the DfT of initial business cases for infrastructure enhancements (more track and signalling etc) between Salisbury and Exeter to progress through the enhancements pipeline. Gillingham Station notes from Roy Mitchell Car Parking availability at Gillingham remains a major issue. Opposite the ticket office and main entrance there were 2 disabled and 5 `20 minute’ waiting spaces available – until August- when, without notice, they were replaced by 7 disabled parking bays. This number is far in excess of what is required and results in unnecessary unused capacity. SWR have now added 2x 20 minute slots away from the ticket office – which is a pretty poor substitute. The introduction of ANPR (number plate recognition) at many stations, whilst good use of technology, means that buying a parking ticket along with a rail ticket at the ticket office is no longer possible. So, what was one transaction will require two separate purchases at separate locations. Yeovil Junction Station notes from John Whitfield. A funding application for improved Disabled Access was made in November 2018 but was unsuccessful. It has now been included in the midterm submission and so we await a response. Our hope is that a new footbridge (with lifts for the disabled) will be provided. Ideally this should also extend across to the unused, but serviceable, platform 3 where the extra staff will be based. It is disappointing to see that the majority of this funding continues to be allocated to London centric stations. It looks like the proposed driver and guard depot at Yeovil Junction will include about 30 personnel by the end of 2019 and when fully operational (May 2020) about 70 drivers, guards and support staff. We are hoping this will allow more carriages on busy services and better timetable resilience by alleviating the need to bring trains empty from Salisbury for the start of the day’s services. Community Rail Partnerships Blackmore Vale CRP (covering stations from Tisbury to Crewkerne). Contact: Caroline Rowland, Partnership Officer on 07933 212 117. There is a new line guide, pick up a copy from your station. Also published, and nearly sold out, is the Commemorative Book (picture opposite) in memory of the local individuals who fought in the first World War, many of whom never returned. Members of the Blackmore Vale DRP team ensured that those with village or town connections are remembered in this book, launched in March of this year. Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership - East Devon Line – including stations from Axminster to Exeter Central. Contact Richard Burningham on 01752 584777. SERUG’s aim is to lobby the Government, Network Rail, Train Operators and others to improve the passenger experience on this line. If you’d like to help, Bruce Duncan or Secretary, Nick Hurrell, would be pleased to hear from you. Email: [email protected] Membership is £6 per year – includes regular updates, and reduced admission to events. Look us up on Facebook, see our website and complete the form www.serug.co.uk SERUG is affiliated with Railfuture – a not for profit organisation which campaigns for a better railway in Britain .