This may not be news to some avid followers of the saga (especially those who work on the inside), but here are some interesting facts I have come across recently - either new from the DfT'd FOI information, or confirmed by it.

1. That Wilts County Council has written to the Department for Transport just twice since the start of last year with regard to the Greater Western Franchise - once in response to a consultation request in July of last year, then once again in October of last year. The Department for Transport didn't reply to that letter until 19th July this year.

2. The last November (just before the franchise was awarded), the First Group offered to perpetuate the present service level for a cost of 0.3 million pounds per annum, and this would have lead to a 2 million pound reduction in the 1100 million pound franchise premium had it been accepted.

3. That studies made prior to the service level specification for the Great Western Franchise being drawn up assumed a 1.8% per annum (average) traffic grown rate across Wiltshire.  For certain movements such as Wiltshire to West London, that assumption was raised to 2.2%. I cannot see anything in the information supplied to me that shows that the 35% per annum compound growth experienced over the past 5 years was taken into account when considering the TransWilts service.

4. That the availability of a class 153 train is around 84%.

5. That the SLC2 document current at 31st August 2006 requires First to provide a train from Westbury on Monday to Friday that arrives into Swindon between 08:00 and 08:30. Such a service is NOT shown on the current draft timetable.

6. That an option of just ONE train a day for Melksham was considered, toghether with an option of a train every 2 hours just as I advocate.  That the option of truncating the Severn Beach branch at Clifton Down was considered.  I have not been supplied with details of these considerations.

7. That the specification of SLC2 doesn't force First to run the service from the Swindon end; they are also allowed to run it from the Westbury end as it runs at present. The following would be valid: A service at 07:40 from Westbury (perhaps coming up from Weymouth), arriving Swindon at 08:25, returning at 08:40 from Swindon and getting to Westbury at 09:25 (perhaps continuing to Weymouth) Second service from Westbury at 16:40, Swindon 17:25 to 17:40, back in to Westbury at 18:25 - again Frome and Weymouth extension acceptable as part of the service on that line.  First are NOT forced to give us the Stroud Valley train in what the report call "marginal time" - that's simply the cheap option they've chosen.

I have also noted the following from the Jacobs report   :

1) Oxford - Bicester line closure was considered.

2) Stopping service between Banbury and Oxford was considered for withdrawal.

3) Withdrawal of services from "lightly used stations" on the Reading - Gatwick Airport route was considered.

4) Withdrawal of services from "lightly used stations" on the following routes was considered :

a) Cardiff Central - Portsmouth Harbour.

b) Bristol Temple Meads - Westbury.

c) Westbury - Southampton Central.

d) Westbury - Weymouth.

e) Westbury - Swindon.

5) Withdrawal of services from "small stations" on the Plymouth - Penzance route was considered.

6) Withdrawal of services from some stations on the Barnstaple and Exmouth lines was considered.

7) Withdrawal of services from all intermediate stations on the Newquay and Looe lines was considered.

8 ) Peak hour only service on the Gunnislake line was considered.

It could be said that the South West has had a "lucky" escape in that the December 2006 service cuts could have been a lot worse (unless you happen to be a Melksham , Newquay or Pilning passenger , to name three stations that didnt emerge well from this saga.)

The important point , as Graham says , is that these reviews can happen as often as yearly. For example , we know that First will be reviewing the timetable as early as December 2007 , and have been conducting usage surveys at various points on the FGW network. We also know that the Southampton - Westbury "shuttle" , Bristol - London Waterloo , & SWT  services west of Exeter will be gone by the end of next year.

I have been comparing the FOI answers to the Greater Western Franchise Agreement and I note the following with interest :

Quote from the Greater Western Franchise Agreement :

"developing and promoting an interurban network for Cornwall to be known as "Network Kernow"

Can anyone tell me more about "Network Kernow" ?

Here is a link to the Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey.
http://www.historic-cornwall.org.uk/index.htm

The survey concentrates on 19 towns (see map link below.)
http://www.historic-cornwall.org.uk/towns.htm

Of these , 12 have railway stations.

The situation at Saltash (25% cut in services proposed) is best described by the link below.
http://www.srug.org.uk/index.php

St Ives & Newquay both had large service cuts proposed (St Ives may have theirs pulled back to an extent , subject to confirmation.) They are both branch line terminals , which means that both would suffer from the recently announced regressive Network Rail track renewals policy (link below.)
http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=420.msg1242#msg1242

You will notice that Looe (also a branch line terminus that had service cuts proposed) is not classed as an urban area.

This leaves Penzance , Hayle , Camborne , Redruth , Truro , St Austell and Liskeard , all of which are on the main Penzance - Plymouth line and emerged relatively unscathed (but not totally) from the recent franchise replacement process.

It also leaves Falmouth & Penryn. There are two ways of looking at the situation there.

1) Quote from the Network Rail Business Plan 2006 (Page 9 of the link below.)
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/documents/3110_Route%2012%20Reading%20to%20Penzance.pdf

"We plan to increase capacity between Truro and Falmouth by introducing a train passing facility and extended platform at Penryn station. This will permit two trains to operate on the branch at one time instead of the one train operation that currently exists."

2) Quote from the link below.
http://www.moorestephens.co.uk/website/uk.nsf/pages/sectors.shipping.ports

"We performed a feasibility study into proposals to develop a container terminal in Falmouth."

The guage is more suitable for freight trains from Falmouth eastwards.

I cant find any information on "Network Kernow" but there are new proposals under the Greater Western Franchise for a First Group led "Kernow Connect" card that will replace existing schemes to enable combined bus/rail travel in the county (link below.)
http://db.cornwall.gov.uk/ltp/marchannex3/section_1042612311302.html

The link above also details Cornwall County Council's bus / rail interchange plans , which surely would be much more effective with an improved rail service rather than a reduced one.

But First are NOT even providing a peak service.  A peak service would arrive in Swindon between 08:00 and 08:30 and would leave between 17:30 and 18:00.   See the Jacobs report which looked at options of earlier and later services instead of these peak hours and REJECTED the options.