The Train at Pla,orm 1 The Friends of Honiton Staon Newsle9er 6 - September 2020 Welcome to the latest edion of our newsle4er. Train Operang Companies are connuing to increase the proporon of their normal service they are running. South Western Railway is introducing its latest amended metable on September 7th. Details of the metable are below. As usual, this month’s newsle4er brings you up to date with all the latest railway news, as well as informaon about services and the next steps on the planned improvements to our line. The latest newsle4er, and copies of previous ones, can be found on our website at: friendsoonitonstaon.org.uk/news SWR Launch New Amended Timetable - Hourly Service Returns On September 7th, South Western Railway will be introducing a new metable. For the first me since the lockdown began in March, there will be an hourly train service operang on the line through Honiton. SWR says that the new metable will increase capacity by approximately 20% compared to their previous amended metable. On weekdays, a standard hourly service will operate between Waterloo and Exeter St. David’s. However two local services from Exeter in the evening peak will not run. To compensate for these cancelled services, trains such as the 16.25 and 17.25 from Exeter St David’s will have extra carriages. The 1725 service will call addionally at Whimple. Addional buses or coaches will run between Axminster, Honiton and Exeter College in the morning and aUernoon peak periods to increase capacity and to help social distancing on trains. The weekend metable will be very similar to the planned metable due to begin in May but never introduced due to the pandemic. There are, however, some changes to the weekend service later in the month due to engineering works (see below). Mike Houghton, Chief Operang Officer at SWR said: “This metable change will increase capacity and help maintain social distancing as schools reopen and more people return to work. Whether you’re returning to work, sending the kids to school, or having a day out with the family, make sure you follow the latest travel guidance.” The rules on purchasing ckets have changed slightly. Passengers are sll advised to buy their cket online if possible. If passengers need to buy their cket at the staon, they are asked to use a credit or debit card, or contactless where they can. However, cash is now accepted at 6cket offices and most 6cket machines once again. Full details of the amended metable can be found on our website and through the Journey Planner on SWR’s website. The weekday metable can also be downloaded from SWR’s website at: southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/metables The new metable is intended to operate unl December 11th. Noce of Engineering Work - September 19th and 20th Services will be disrupted on Saturday September 19th and Sunday 20th, due to engineering work between Woking and Basingstoke. On Saturday, services will only operate between Exeter and Basingstoke. A replacement bus service will operate between Basingstoke and Woking, connecng with a train service to Waterloo. On Sunday, London-bound passengers will need to change at Andover, to catch a bus to Guildford, for a connecng train service to Waterloo. Network Rail Track Assessment Unit passing Honiton on Monday August 17th. Rail Fare Rises For 2021 Set at 1.6% July’s RPI Inflaon figure was published in August. The rise of 1.6% was much higher than many experts predicted. And unfortunately, the present price escalator set by the Government is based on the July figure. Therefore, despite the present collapse in passenger numbers, cket prices are set to rise in January by 1.6%, unless the Government decides to abolish or suspend the escalator. Gardeners Needed For Project At Honiton Staon SWR’s Safety team and the Community Rail Manager, Andy Harrowell have now agreed a new set of rules governing staon adopon acvies as lockdown restricons connue to be eased. The result is that some limited acvity can now resume. Our priority connues to be how to move the gardening project forward over the next 12 months. There are sources of funding to allow this to happen, including money presently held by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership. We can also bid for up to £500 of funds from SWR. We are urgently looking to develop the project for a group of volunteers to renew the exisng planters on Pla,orm 1, and then to decide what further plan6ng might be possible. At present, no 6mescale has been put on restar6ng the project. We are urgently seeking a project co-ordinator and a team of volunteers to move this forward. The Chairman will liaise with industry partners and funders and help write any bid documents. The Treasurer can help keep track of the financial side of the project. However, we need a project co-ordinator to recruit volunteers, plan the work, buy materials and equipment as necessary and work with volunteers to carry out the work on the staon. Under the new rules for staon adopters, work can now restart at all locaons, including staffed staons such as Honiton. There is no longer a restricon on groups only a4ending staons when staff are not working. All groups are asked to connue to give priority to passengers, staff and contractors as they move around the staon. Adopters must always bear in mind social distancing and keep space clear for others to move around the staon. This may mean that adopters have to pause during their work and move to a place of social distance to allow the flow of passengers around the staon, especially when train services arrive or depart. Groups can now a4end staons on more than one day a week, outside of peak hours, although this is sll limited to two individuals at any one me. Face coverings must be worn at all mes around the whole staon. Work is limited to gardening acvies, as well as updang art displays and community noceboards. No cleaning of hard surfaces, such as doors, windows and signage is to take place. No lier picking acvies are to take place. Book swaps and group produced leaflets are sll not allowed. If tools are to be shared between staon adopters, they must be wiped clean first. Frames for noceboards or art must be cleaned using an an-bacterial wipe before opening and wiped down immediately aUer use. Can you help us renew the planters at Honiton Staon? As you can see, they have not been touched since before the lockdown. They need plenty of TLC, and lots of new plants! GWR Trains To Be Diverted Through Honiton Again Services through Honiton will be disrupted when GWR trains are diverted along the East Devon Line through Honiton between Monday September 28th and Friday October 2nd. Network Rail will be renewing tracks in the Tiverton Parkway area. Replacement buses will run between Taunton, Tiverton Parkway and Exeter St. David’s. We ancipate that one GWR Paddington to Plymouth service every two hours in each direcon will be metabled to use the diversionary route. Fewer GWR trains than normal will operate directly between Paddington and Penzance. Passengers may need to change at Plymouth. South Western Railway services between Salisbury, Yeovil and Exeter will run to a revised metable to accommodate the diverted Great Western Railway services. The revised metable will be available from the Timetables tab on our website, or by checking Journey Planner on the South Western Railway website. If a printable metable is published by SWR, a copy will be made available on our website. Previously, agreement has been reached between GWR and SWR that passengers can board GWR services which are med to stop at Honiton, in order to travel between Honiton and Exeter. However, there have been problems in the past over whether permission has been granted for London-bound passengers to board GWR trains in Honiton in order to travel to Paddington. Check Journey Planner carefully, or contact SWR Customer Services, as permission to travel may be granted on only a few services each day. SWR recently announced that from September 7th, you may only use a cket that is shown as for travel with a specific train operator on that operator's services unless special arrangements are in place, as above. If you have such a cket and the train is cancelled, you may sll travel on services run by any operator between the same start and end staon. Normal Peak/Off-Peak me restricons sll apply. Advance cket holders will be permied to travel on other operator’s services if the original booked service is delayed or cancelled. (I hope that all makes sense. Ed) East Devon Line To Be Closed at Half-term: Replaced By Bus Service The line between Honiton and Exeter will be closed completely from Sunday 25th unl Friday 30th October, and on Sunday November 8th, for track renewal work at Exmouth Juncon in Exeter. Trains from Waterloo will terminate at Honiton. A bus service will operate between Honiton and Exeter St. David’s. A two-hourly train service will also operate between Honiton and Pinhoe, with a connecng bus service from there to Exeter St.David’s. GWR services between Exeter St.David’s and Exmouth will also be affected. More details will appear in the next newsle4er. Campaign for Vital Track Improvements Gains Further Momentum The start of August saw our campaign to persuade the Department for Transport to accept the CMSP report into the future of the railway line between Salisbury and Exeter step up a gear.