1(:6FROM April 2005 Devon and Cornwall Email: [email protected] Write to: 149 Polwithen Drive Carbis Bay St Ives TR26 2SW THREE HORSE RACE FOR GREATER WESTERN FRANCHISE The Strategic Rail Authority announced the shortlist of bidders for the Greater Western Franchise during April. Only three companies will be invited to tender: Stagecoach—currently run the Paignton/ Plymouth/Exeter to Waterloo South West Trains service plus bus services in Exeter, East Devon Teignbridge and Torbay; First Group—currently run First Great Western services from Cornwall and Devon to Paddington, plus bus networks in North Devon, South Hams, Plymouth and Cornwall. National Express Group—currently run Wessex Trains services plus most of the express coach service network in the region. Interestingly National Express Coaches sub-contract many of their Cornish and Devon services to First Group and Stagecoach. Forest Gone. A view not seen since the 1960s has been opened up following the The SRA also confirmed that none of the clearance of vegetation above the entrance of Highertown Tunnel Truro. A couple of months ago all that could be seen here was an apparent forest — many walking past may bidders will be expected to offer options not have realised there was a railway there at all. Although some view this policy as to replace the HSTs, an ‘industry-wide’ controversial as it can involve the felling of long established trees, Network Rail’s policy of approach will be taken instead. clearing vegetation at leaf fall black spots should result in less delays to passengers and reduced rail maintenance costs.. As all three already have substantial bus or express coach operations in the region, it with successful franchises elsewhere in the have had discussions with Railfuture Devon may be that any one of the companies Country. Commentators in the railway and Cornwall on our aspirations. winning the franchise could find press have suggested that London and competition issues are considered by the Western’s exclusion is because their bid Until now, Stagecoach has kept a rather Office of Fair Trading. involved service expansion. low profile and we were not aware they However commercial confidentiality had expressed an interest until they were This is the second stage of the franchise prevents the SRA from giving the reasons shortlisted. Stagecoach told us they were process, the first having been request of why companies have been included or waiting clearance from the SRA to start ’expressions of interest’. It is not known excluded from the shortlist. This is also likely consultations. Once they have the how many companies had expressed to prevent any Freedom of Information clearance they will discuss their plans with interest. However Railfuture was aware Act request.. Railfuture. that Go– Ahead and the GNER/Chiltern Trains consortium London and Western Similar restrictions now prevent the three The formal invitation to tender is to be Railways had done so as well as the three shortlisted companies from giving details issued in June, with shortlisted bidders shortlsited. Surprisingly both these long of their plans at this stage. However both expected to respond during August. established and experienced operators First Group and National Express Group Evaluation of the responses takes place were not allowed to bid alongside the have widely publicised their intention to during Autumn and selection of the three chosen. Both GNER and Chiltern bid and together with unsuccessful bidders Preferred bidder is expected to be Trains are highly regarded train operators London and Western and Go Ahead, announced in the winter of this year. Railfuture Devon and Cornwall is the local branch of The Railway Development Society Limited. A Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England and Wales No. 5011634. Registered Office 18a Grantham Road, Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln LN4 2LD ELECTION SPECIAL The General and local elections are now well under way and transport generally let alone railways has been ignored by the media in their election reports. This is surprising given that everyone needs transport to access those more essential services of health and education. Railfuture knows only of BBC Radio Cornwall asking election candidates about transport—and then only whether they would save Newquay Airport from closure. In an attempt to get candidates thinking about rail, Railfuture Devon and Cornwall asked known political parties for a short statement on what they would do for our local train service. Those that replied are shown below. We also asked the Liberal Democrats and the UK Independence Party for a statement but they had failed to reply at the date of writing—24 April . Railfuture remains entirely independent of any political party and has no preferences but urges all parties to include our ideas and suggestions in their manifestos. Conservatives improved rail services with more From Charlotte Sabel, Office of the Rt Thank you for writing on this important freight on rail, and the increased Hon Michael Howard QC MP issue. transport of people and goods by sea. A Mebyon Kernow flexible and appropriate public transport First of all, I would assure you that Mr From Dick Cole system is a must, and more Howard believes that it is very important environmentally friendly methods of that Britain©s railway network is properly Mebyon Kernow - the Party for Cornwall travel, such as walking, cycling and car modernised and that standards - both in is supportive of the rail network in sharing, must be encouraged. terms of passenger safety and time- Cornwall, believing that services should keeping - are raised. be safeguarded and enhanced. We "The improvement of certain roads is want a publicly accountable railway seen as necessary (surface Sadly, the way the Government dealt network. Our policy document states: improvement, widening or increased with Railtrack and Network Rail has visibility), but roads will only form part of worsened - rather than improved - the "We are opposed to the privatisation of the Cornish integrated transport current situation on the railways. The our community assets to wealthy private network. All improvements will be then Secretary of State for Transport, investors. We believe that energy, accompanied by measures to reduce Stephen Byers, forced Railtrack into water, rail and vital communications road transport. administration in October 2001, claiming must be publicly owned and publicly that it was insolvent. This came after he accountable. Green Party had promised a ©period of sat bility to From Tim Brenan, Green Party enable all the parties in the railway MK©s policy on transport issues is as Candidate for Exeter. network to concentrate on providing a follows:- I am a member of Railfuture and I do not safe and reliable system©. According to own a car. Transport is one of my key the former Rail Regulator this decision "MK maintain that it is necessary to limit policy concerns. costs the taxpayer some £14 billion. the enormous social and environmental damage caused by road transport, The past 50 years have shown that The latest annual report of its successor through both freight and the personal continuing and growing reliance on body, Network Rail, says that its ©overall motor car. We acknowledge that the road transport is a failed experiment. performance did not meet the car is essential for much of rural Despite massive investment in the road challenging targets to deliver visible Cornwall, and do not intend to unfairly network, it cannot support the transport improvements for passengers© . penalise such people who are not yet needs of the UK. The results of our road served by adequate public transport, obsession is increased congestion, The House of Commons Transport Select but the scale of car use must be actively deaths and injuries from road transport Committee -chaired by a Labour MP - reduced. MK are committed to investing and a major source of atmospheric has even said, ©responsibility for the in alternatives to the car, as a major pollutants linked both with increased railways rests ultimately with the priority. incidence of lung conditions like Asthma Government. It has had six years to and globally with climate chnage and construct a policy and structure for the "The development of a more global warming. railway that works well...it has failed to decentralised and self-sufficient do so© economy will reduce the need for goods Rail has the ability to provide transport to be transported over long distances by infrastructure with far fewer impacts and A future Conservative Government destructive heavy road vehicles. We should be encouraged to take a would seek to ensure that the also foresee a situation in which people significantly greater proportion of both performance of Britain©s railway netwokr would tend to live closer to their places transport and freight traffic. I would like is radically improved, both in terms of of work than they do at present, and this to see Rail infrastructure improvements operating and capital costs as well as of would also limit the need to travel. including the quality of service that is provided to Moves to encourage people to work at passengers. We will bring much needed home must be supported. • increased capacity on Salisbury stability to the railways, avoiding Exeter line to enable an hourly damaging upheavals and letting the "There is plenty of scope for delivering an service to Waterloo and increased industry get on with improving environmentally sound, local services performance. integrated transport policy including ELECTION SPECIAL • increased capacity on line to Labour strategic rail decisions. It will have clear Exmouth from Exeter enabling From Candy Atherton, Labour agreements with each part of the greater frequency to Topsham Candidate Falmouth and Camborne industry, setting levels of public expenditure and taking decisions about • provisdion of alternative route to what the money should buy.