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September 26, 2006
From Ystrad Mynach
I've been working in the Welsh Valleys for the last couple of days, and one of the delegates on my course was telling me how he used to commute by train - from Cardiff where he lives close to the station - up the valley to Ystrad Mynach to work. It's cheaper in the long run that the car, and if the train turns up it's more relaxing too. Problem is, though, that the train he catches keeps getting "pulled" to fillin for other more popular services.
I had a few minutes to look around in South Wales early this evening, and it's lovely. I've posted a picture or two on my other site. But this pair struck me. Standing more of less in one spot, but turning 180 degrees. On one side, the magnificend old railway viaduct, expensively turned into a path with a single walker. And on the other side, the road traffic that, were there still a train service across, would at least be shared.
What a crazy situation. The current operator / regime is not looking after its customers (pehaps it has so many that it doesn't mind loosing some?), there's unused trackbed expensively turned into walkways and roads clogged with cars and buses. And I keep hearing the cry I would use the train if I practically could
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Posted by gje at 08:41 PM | Comments (0)
September 24, 2006
Consultant's reports recommended a modest INCREASE
The Department for Transport has published (under my Freedom of Information request) two consultants reports from 2004, showing various options that were considered for the TransWilts service from December 2006.
The Consultants looked at options that included the reduction of the service to just ONE train each way daily, at options that included moving the evening train earlier (16:38 off Swindon) and later (18:38 off Swindon). Another option considered was 3 daytime trains between the commuter train (that's one more than at present) packaged with retaining the evening train.
They concluded that the daytime trains made sense, and that the evening train should NOT be moved. Which makes it somewhat ironic and disappointing that the daytime trains are gone, and the evening train has been moved later. The report clearly notes the negative impact on the economy of the area that would be caused by culling most of the trains.
[i]Why on earth get specialist advise if you're going to ignore it?[/i]. I suspect that some 'clever' person noticed that a bit of immediate money could be saved by operating a remenant TransWilts service in 'marginal time' with a train borrowed off another line, and that smart Alec's ideas were given precedence over a researched and presumably quite expensive set of consultants reports that for the whole GW area add up to nearly 300 pages.
See Freedom of Information - the Consultant's reports for FGW
As well as the "TransWilts" service, the FOI reports cover other services in the FGW area.
Posted by gje at 05:59 AM | Comments (0)
September 23, 2006
A difficult choice for voters
It was good to meet with Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones at Melksham station on Friday. He's the propsective Tory candidate for the Chippenham Consituency at the next general election. I've also met with Duncan Hames, the Lib-Dem candidate - indeed, Duncan spent several hours with me going through situation and options a few weeks back, and gave his support by coming along on our 4th September pre-dawn trip. Both are excellent candidates and for those of you who are votes in Chippenham (Chippenham / Melksham / Corsham / Box), you have a very difficult choice indeed based on the individuals. Neither strikes me as being a party stooge, and both are taking a very clear local interest. Duncan is already very familiar with the area as he lives here, and represents part of the area at a local level. Wilfred is building up his base very well ahead of time.
Both are exceptionally supportive of the campaign for an appropriate TransWilts train service, though of course a prospective candidate has far less ability to influence than a sitting MP (they're also all actively supportive, remember).
See picture and links from Friday.
Posted by gje at 05:44 AM | Comments (0)
September 17, 2006
20% service cut = 40% traffic cut?
Here's a picture that I took on the lunchtime train from Melksham one day last week - 13:35 from Melksham to Chippenham. It's probably the quietest train of the day (the 07:45 is generally accepted to be the busiest, the 17:02 typically has about 25 people on it these days, and I was amazed at the 42 on the 05:52 at the start of this month.
Not exactly full, not exactly empty. But consider this. Each person travelling up from or via Melksham has to make their way back at sometime, and that's NOT going to be on the same train when it turn around at Swindon, is it? So that's around a dozen people who, if and when this train ceases, will shift away from their rail trip in BOTH directions. Add to that the dozen or so who are on the return trip (that's at Melksham at about 14:50), and further the people who use the train South from Melksham and you've got, at a conservative esimate, some 30 journeys lost on the lunchtime train and 30 journeys lost on other trains too.
Take out the lunctime service and you're sucking lifeblood from the other trains too. And the twits (sorry, I'm getting frustrated) are taking out the 09:12 and 17:02 as well - twice as busy as the lunchtime train, and another 120 journeys lost.
Then you take out the 42 on the morning service and THEIR returns .... and there's an evening train with a dozen or so that's going and THEY won't be coming back even if their return train survives.
Doing the maths, I think that's around85% of weekday passengers lost by cutting the 60% least busy of the weekday trains. On a service that was twice an hour, cutting it to once an hour MIGHT not loose too much as people would wait around. But if I can't catch the 08:47 from Swindon, I'm NOT going to opt to wait for the 18:43, now am I?
The cuts still don't make any sense, and the resulting service has gone from draft to daft.
Posted by gje at 07:08 PM | Comments (0)
September 15, 2006
If its working well, change it so it doesnt.
An exhausting week (away from the train issue) for your diarist ... just letting you know that I've far from forgotten the train issue.
I was in Melksham this lunchtime, by car.
A year ago, one hour's free parking was introduced in two car parks on the edge of town and it did a great deal of good to the town centre - people were popping in to town and able to park for a five minute bank run or to pick up bagettes and the local economy was hugely helped. The car parks selected meant that people didn't bring their cars right into the centre and cause more conjestion, with the central (and awkward) car park receiving the visitors who were staying for a few hours - so that was well occupied without leading to a major traffic jam.
A success story?
Yes, until someone in Trowbridge (where they control these things from) noticed that the total number of free parking spaces in the two car parks was more than they had budgeted for and by moving the free parking hour into town, and charging on the outskirts, their targetyed space budget could be reached. So on August 7th, it was all change. What's the result
* A lot of people driving into the very centre when they had been walking for the past year.
* An overcrowded central car park with people cruising and lookig for spaces
* Very quiet outer car parks.
In fact, it's probably much easier now for us to pop into Devizes to deposit a cheque - or at least we won't resent 40p for 5 minutes if we go there!
When something is working well, yes, look and see if t can be even better but why the **** kick a success story in the teeth just because of regional targets that do damage when applied locally. Of course, the same can be said for our train service, blooming at 35% per annum, but slashed back based on old figures from which there's an assumed growth rate on 1.7%.
Posted by gje at 03:05 PM | Comments (0)
September 04, 2006
Is this train used?
I'm buoyed up, enthusiastic concerning news / figures / infomation received and observed, even if also tinged with a little dark clound that says "perhaps too late". We'll see. I found myself on the 05:52 from Melksham to Swindon this morning, with 18 people on from Melksham to Chippenham, and no less that 42 from there to Swindon. Yes, I had raised a group but my group save ticket was actually a minority of people on the train. Here are some pictures:
> The view of ... the Department for Transport |  The view of ... the users of the service |
These are both views of the same train; what I see is a whole lot of passengers and talking to them I see a whole wide range of journeys, and I hear of problems for them when the train is no longer available. What the DfT see is a very nice, expensive train with no-one around. Dear Mr DfT, please come down while you've still got a chance and look inside the train! If you change you mind at the 11th hour and reprieve the service, you won't be admitting weakness - you'll be showing strength of character in changing a decision that is no longer the right one, even if that change gives you a bit of extra work in getting the December timetables through.
Click on either image to enlarge.
Posted by gje at 06:54 PM | Comments (0)