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October 29, 2007

Commutes are longer, and in the west we may know why

5% more people now have a commute that takes over an hour ago than was the case in 1996. So says the radio this morning. Why should that be in a country when we're improving technology and supposedly can move things quicker and more efficiently generation by generation?

The radio highlighted traffic and conjestion as a cause, and that's where the article lead - indeed, for business journeys where I have to drive I had been reviewing my 2008 strategy and I'll now be staying away in a lot more areas, and staying an extra night when I present (for example) a course in Cambridge.

Picture - Traffic jams become worse - and perhaps more so if and when a Westbury bypass feeds all the traffic that the Bath fathers don't want through here

But there are other causes too - changing demographics and the cost of housing in the stockbroker belt have pushed some commuters further out - people travelling in from Chippenham and Hungerford and Andover - a handful in 1996 but a significant flow in 2006.

Picture - Commuters wait for a train at dawn at Andover, a long commute where traffic has rocketed

There's other local issues too.

Melksham commuters to Swindon used to catch the train - 25 minutes. Some have given up their jobs (yes - THAT is what the FGW / DfT changes did to some people) and others have taken to the roads - pushing them up to over an hour end to end.

Looking at other West Wilts to Swindon commuters? Well, there too you find an extra quarter of an hour (minimum) or perhaps more - a dogleg via Bath and often a wait for a connection. So that puts them over the 1 hour mark.

Is it just a Swindon issue? No - I've heard that other commutes such as Frome to Bath and Bristol were seriously messed up last December (if you've got a fixed starting time and it used to be convenient for a train, but the train time has changed, that can really mess up your commute time!) and I understand that Keynsham to Severn Tunnel Junction and other cross-Bristol commutes are going to get seriosly bad as from this coming December.

Picture - This is supposed to be the peak of the peak hour, but the train that left at a quarter to 8 has been withdrawn and the resource stands unused. The next train - the 19:50 - is far too late! 25 minutes to Swindon by train, or 95 minutes by bus.

And finally ... I note that FGW are allowed up to 15 minutes longer now in train schedules between Oxford and Worcester. I wonder how many more commuters that will push over the magic 1 hour.

Over the past month, I've watched how The Coffeeshop has grown in populatity - in posts and viewers who are starting to take more interest in their daily time with the railway - after all, "an hour each way" is 8% of their time which is pretty darned significant! I expect that site will be even busier come the December changes!

Picture - First Great Western are returning this high speed train to the company they lease it from in a couple of months, and I understand it will sit unused in a siding in Hampshire. We are already seeing these high speed trains regularly replaced by slower, shorter trains on the Worcester line (is that why they need the extra 15 minutes?)... although we're told they're replaced by longer high speed trains

Posted by gje at 07:38 AM | Comments (0)

October 24, 2007

Comparing a Wiltshire town with a Norfolk one

The good people of Brandon, in Norfolk, have a railway station. There are just two platforms, bare, with the booking office now occupied by a company that's something to do with paint rather than railways. And they've got a train each way every hour or two, I am told. "Really not adequate" says one of them, who is on my course this week. "There's a bus too - going to Thetford as well and leaving at virtually the same time that the train goes".

"How big is Brandon" I ask. "Oh - several miles across - quite a big town". Hmm; I'm always interested in Melksham comparisons but "sevearl miles across" isn't the units I'm used to. Another delegate on the course searches online and finds that Brandon, at the last census, had a population around the 6500 mark - that's around a third of the size of Melksham.

I think I spot - yet again - a case where Melksham Station is so under-served that it verges on the malicious or negligent by whoever proposed the current service. Which is probably why everyone tries pointing at everyone else ...

Posted by gje at 07:41 PM | Comments (0)

October 21, 2007

And the week ends with two more cancellations!

Two cancellations may not sound like very much to you - but it's a lot to us here who rely on the TransWilts line when we've only got two trains each way each day in the first place! Yesterday, both the 19:08 to Westbury and the 19:50 to Swindon were cancelled, leaving just the 06:44 and 07:17 services operating.

Yes - I live in Melksham, a town of 24,000 people with a train service schedule of just four a day - that's one train per 6000 population. And First aren't even able to make that limited service run reliably! So - what service level SHOULD a town of this size have? Here are some local comparisons:

Trowbridge. Population 30,000, circa 60 trains a day. One train per 500

Bradford-on-Avon. Population 15,000, circa 30 trains a day. Also one train per 500.

Westbury. Population 12,000, circa 80 trains per day. One train per 150 inhabitants.

Warminster. Population 16,000, circa 40 trains a day. One train per 400 inhabitants.

One hundred and fifty ... four hundred .. five hundred ... five hundred .. six Thousand. I'm not going to go so far as to suggest that Melksham should be increased to the same service level as any of the others - just that it should be at a level that can be measured in hundreds too. How about one train per twelve hundred head of population. I make that 10 trains (to Swindon) and 10 trains to (shall we say) Salisbury.

Footnotes

Service at Bradford-on-avon nearly doubles in December - so they will be at one train per 250 head of population. Good for them!.

The County Councillor for Westbury, with the very best ratio in the area, is also the cabinet member for transport. I know that her Westbury is a special case, but I would encourage her to provide a somewhat more level playingfield - otherwise it looks as if she's heavily biased.

The weekday service at Melksham does NOT improve in December, and so the ratio of six thousand will remain. With growth in the area, the ratio will actually be getting worse ....

The ratio yesterday wasn't six thousand - it was TWELVE THOUSAND. That's why we get a little upset at even a single cancellation. We get rather tired of being spat upon.

Posted by gje at 01:47 PM | Comments (0)

October 18, 2007

Does the new man want to play hard?

I wrote a letter of introduction to John Curley, who is the new "Route Director, West" at First Great Western. One of his major concerns is the South Wales to Portsmouth service - running at a level of some 20 carriages in daily use on the express services, plus many more on the more local trains, and I felt it was important that he's aware of the TransWilts - services up to Melksham, Chippenhm and Swindon in his early planning days.

I get several feelings from his answer. I get the feeling that he wants to position himself as the hard man in initial contacts. I get the feeling that we've got to again go through with him the case for the TransWilts. Both less than great bits of news. But on the positive side, I concur with his statement that kneejerk reactions aren't the best fixes as they can crreate more problems than they solve, and I welcome his suggestion of a meeting to go into the facts and figures behind the headlines which he described as "emotive". Hey - that's headlines for you!

Oh - and here is what I wrote ...

Dear John,

Congratulations on your appointment as "Route Director, West" with First Great Western. I understand that your roll will be to "Champion routes and to act as lightning conductors, anticipating and reacting to issues before they surface" and that you have a "kickoff" meeting on 19th October, in relation to services on the South Wales to South Coast axis. Do I have that right?

And can I ask if you remit extends a little further - to issues that have already surfaced, but which need that little extra attention to help the team that's alraedy been trying very hard to come up with solutions. One such is the "TransWilts" train service, which shares the Portsmouth to Cardiff line via Salisbury up to Trowbridge, then turns off and serves Melksham, Chippemham and Swindon.

At this time last year, your company ran five trains a day each way on this line - a limited but useful service that had shown dramatic growth in the previous five years - the O.R.R. quoted growth at 35% per annum, but those figures are skewed by local ticketing factors and the real growth was more like 10% (compound).

Even with 10% growth, it was a very strange decision (forced on you by the DfT we are told) to cut over half the services, and an even stranger decision to reschedule the remaining trains away from the peak into the very early morning an early evening. Consultation inputs during 2006 suggested that the remaining trains should have been run, as provided by the SLC, to provide a commuter service in and out from Swindon - but instead of implementin the suggestion, First Great Western pushed the one remaining morning train even earlier, and the one remaining evening train even later. Net result - 100,000+ journeys last year, but less that 10,000 (forecast) this.

Uniquely in the South West, there are half a dozen SSTCs (Strategically Significant Towns and Cities) along the 40 miles or so from Swindon to Salisbury, with huge growth forecast over the next 20 years. Listen to the experts from estate agents such as Drewett and Neate speak in West Wiltshire, and they'll talk about the area developing as a dormitary area for Swindon, Bath and Bristol - and they'll put Swindon first on their list.

First's decision to nearly double the service to Bradford-on-Avon to twice and hour from December is a good one. But Bradford is only half the size of Melksham, served ONLY from Swindon at 06:18 and 18:45, and from Westbury at 07:00 and 19:35. Melksham to Swindon by train - 25 minutes. By bus - 95 minutes. Perhaps you start to see some of the latent market there; well - not THAT latent; the area is desparate for an appropriate service.

In the proposals for December 2007, as revealed by the Freedom of Information, are plans for three extra round trips a day from Salisbury to Swindon using a train that otherwise will provide a duplication of a service from Salisbury to Southampton (I understand there are 2 trains in 12 minutes in each case!). Although it's the 59th minute of the 11th hour, can I ask you, PLEASE, to use that train on the Salisbury - Swindon run? Passenger on Salisbury - Southampton will use other services / they have a big improvement anyway, but prospective passengers on the Swindon run will be gained, giving you a whole renewed ridership.

For December 2008, an extra two "cycles" of the same train - giving a 17:50 and a 20:50 off Swindon - would complete the picture of a shoe-string but very much usable service, fit to grow faster than even at the histortically quoted ORR rate of 35% per annum.

John, I think you'll find at your meeting next Friday that the Wiltshire County Council representitive is very much "on side" for these changes. I've spoke at length with Peter West at the DfT and he's very much in support or an improvement, and I know that FGW are keen to make a positive step forward too. This is an excellent opportunity for a win-win-win-win for everyone - The County, the DfT, the passenger and First!

Graham

Graham Ellis (on behalf of "Save the Train")
01225 708225
email: graham@wellho.net
background reading: http://www.savethetrain.org.uk

And here is the reply

Dear Graham,

Many thanks for your impassioned missive on the need to correct the wrongs inflicted upon the citizens of Wiltshire by our recent timetable changes.

First the bad news.
There is absolutely no chance of making any changes for Dec 2007.
My first priority in the new role is to drive up the quality of our daily service delivery which has been poor for too long. One cause of this has been late and unstructured changes to the plan .The plan for this December has now been closed down.
More to the point I have not yet had time to form a balanced view of the competing aspirations from a wide range of stakeholders and interest groups for what is a very constrained pool of resources.
However I hold to brief to defend the status quo and would welcome the opportunity to meet and discuss your proposals and supporting arguments in detail as part of the process of consultation that will inform any changes for Dec 2008 .
If you would like to take me up on this please contact [details deleted] , I am spending much of my time out and about looking at our current services and would be happy to meet you wherever is convenient.

John Curley
Route Director West

First Great Western
First Rail Holdings Ltd
Registered in England number 5154485
50 Eastbourne Terrace,Paddington,London.W2 6LX

Forum discussion - John Curley's full letter of reply

Posted by gje at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

October 15, 2007

A First to Stagecoach comparison

[15th October, 08:00, near Basingstoke]

I'm on the 07:35 from Andover into Waterloo. Although it's a rush hour train, I have a seat ... and at a table too so that I'm able to have my laptop open and do a little typing. The seat is soft and comfortable, and in spite of the foggy, foggy morning the train is on time. When I get to London, I'll be near enough to my final destination to walk rather than use the tube or a bus. And my fare is only £42.90 return.

I checked when I woke this morning to see about the alternative route from Melksham / Chippenham to London, and saw straight away that an least some trains were missing out the Bath and Chippenham stops. I could have spent over £100.00, taken my chances, and ended up in Paddington with that horrid onward journey Eastwards into the heart of London where Brunel's railway expires on the outskirts.

Andrew Haines, a former Managing Director of South West Trains is now in charge at First Great Western. My morning comparison shows just how much work he has to do. I understand he's planning to be at the FGW helm for less that a year; I wish him all the best in turning the services around, and look forward to being wooed back onto the more logical western route from my home town for my London journeys.

Posted by gje at 04:24 PM | Comments (0)

October 03, 2007

Comment on December timetables

As this is the "daily update", I'm taking the opportunity to post a press review I've just written about the upcominng timtable and changes. (I was aske about timetables - Melksham specific, then to add any extra more general comments)

Trains / Melksham:

Weekday trains to and from Melksham are unchanged. They remain at the two services per day (round trips leaving Swindon at 06:19 and 18:45 to Westbury and back), so they're still timed at First's operational convenience in what they call "Marginal time" using the train that's borrowed off the Stroud Valley line when it's not wanted there. "Very disappointing indeed" if you would like a quote.

A very great deal of work was undertaken by First Great Western, Wiltshire County Council, and others and draft timetables written in May showed an extra 3 trains a day each way, from Salisbury to Swindon via Westbury, Trowbridge and Melksham at 07:40, 10:30 and 13:30. These service proposals have just been revealed in detail under a freedom of information disclosure, but the disclosure did not extend to giving us the detail as to why the this major improvement was withdrawn before the timetable was finalised.

There is one good piece of news. There's going to be the return of a southbound Sunday service, calling at Melksham in the early evening. This means that residents of Melksham can get back to the town after spending the weekend away by public transport, without having to do a bus dogleg via Bath. It also means that people working for the week in Melksham can get here by train on the Sunday evening and check into their hotel or B&B. Although one extra train a week is a tiny improvement, it is very significant in that First Great Western are providing it without financial subsidy, and over and above the Government's minimum specification level. Good news indeed as it shows a first step towards a more appropriate service.

Other trains: [West Wilts]

The services between Bristol and Westbury have been re-cast to provide a more regular service; until December, the 2 trains per hour arriving at Westbury from Bristol have been within a few minutes of each other, whereas from December they will be more evenly spaced. Overall, a sensible change but like any timetable change it may give rise to specific individual hardships. Alternate trains now head noth from Bristol to Cheltenham and Great Malvern, rather than all carrying on to Newport and Cardiff.

Services to Dilton Marsh are reduced very slightly - that's a major victory as at one point it looked at one point as if the service could be halved. With major house building going in close by Dilton Marsh station, it is sensible for all the services there to be retained.

Although not strictly a timetable issue, First Great Western are loosing 12 of the 2 coach trains of the type used on the Portsmouth to Cardiff expresses in December (they're being transferred North) and they are being replaced by 30 year old Pacers, the first two of which have arrived in the area out of storage in Manchester. The Pacers cannot be used south of Warminster, but may appear much more often in the future on services that travel northwards from West Wilts. Further stock changes will occur in the new year, when the 6 year old Adelante trains used on some services from Westbury to Exeter and London are phased out, to be replaced by 30 year old "125"s. That's not totally bad - the 125 units are dearly loved and have increased capacity, whereas the Pacers are almost universally unliked.

Information:

We're running a forum that covers train services across the First Great Western area - "by a customer, for customers" at
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeeshop
where we've had over 2500 messages posted in the last 6 months.

More specifically for the "TransWilts" via Melksham, the "Save the Train" forum at
http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/forum
now has over 5000 messages posted since it started.

New members very welcome on either forum.

FINALLY ,... There's a public meeting on Tuesday 9th October, at 7 p.m. at the Railway inn, Westbury, organised by the West Wilts Rail User group. Andrew Griffiths, First Great Western's Regional Manager for the area, will be talking on "First Great Western - Progress and Future" and, we are told, there will be plenty of time for questions.

Posted by gje at 07:45 AM | Comments (0)