It isnt the saving in resources but the rebooting of the mind set which would be the key benefit.
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Swanage Railway recruiting a Chief Executive
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It isnt the saving in resources but the rebooting of the mind set which would be the key benefit.
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RailUK Forums
alf
On Moderation
Some time ago I was a Swanage member for a few years.
I remember two public meetings packed to the rafters with ordinary
Swanage / Corfe people.
A local acquaintance stood up at one of the meetings & said he was looking forward to going to Waterloo station in London & seeing Swanage in big letters on the destination board.
He was cheered & clapped to the rafters by the entire audience.
The Purbeck public are/were expecting the railway to deliver & were 100% behind a service to & from the main line.
25 mph to Wareham from Norden was a damp squib.
40 mph would have made a service more competitive & appealing. It is possible with a new gutsy Chief Exec who identifies & addresses the Regulator’s concerns about 40 mph.
Another problem is that ALL the Swanage trains on the down platform at Wareham were shown on the platform display as “Private Charter”.
“Swanage” in bright lights on the display would have been an advert for locals waiting on the other platform for London or locals going west towards Dorchester in the down platform.
I remember two public meetings packed to the rafters with ordinary
Swanage / Corfe people.
A local acquaintance stood up at one of the meetings & said he was looking forward to going to Waterloo station in London & seeing Swanage in big letters on the destination board.
He was cheered & clapped to the rafters by the entire audience.
The Purbeck public are/were expecting the railway to deliver & were 100% behind a service to & from the main line.
25 mph to Wareham from Norden was a damp squib.
40 mph would have made a service more competitive & appealing. It is possible with a new gutsy Chief Exec who identifies & addresses the Regulator’s concerns about 40 mph.
Another problem is that ALL the Swanage trains on the down platform at Wareham were shown on the platform display as “Private Charter”.
“Swanage” in bright lights on the display would have been an advert for locals waiting on the other platform for London or locals going west towards Dorchester in the down platform.
There were so many issues with the trial service including:
- poor connections
- no through ticketing with any sort of railcard
- poor revenue collection on train
- second year trial an exact repeat of the first with no lessons learned.
- no period returns despite Swanage being a huge short break destination.
I’m sure the bus is fine but there are a huge number of people who’d never set foot on a bus but would be happy to take a train, there’s a huge difference in perceptions of the two (unfortunately).
- poor connections
- no through ticketing with any sort of railcard
- poor revenue collection on train
- second year trial an exact repeat of the first with no lessons learned.
- no period returns despite Swanage being a huge short break destination.
I’m sure the bus is fine but there are a huge number of people who’d never set foot on a bus but would be happy to take a train, there’s a huge difference in perceptions of the two (unfortunately).
I hate to disappoint you but the new CEO is to manage the Swanage Railways transition to a single charity. The local organisations have been told there is no chance of a service operating to Wareham before 2027. If the Swanage Railway is going to operate the service it needs to obtain a mainline license. It's doesn't currently see how it could finance obtaining a license. My interpretation is that a Wareham service is effectively dead and that the new CEO will need all his "gutsyness" to save the heritage operation.
1. The connections at Wareham were dictated by the pathing available.
2. Through ticketing and accepting railcards would have reduced the revenue share which SRC received from those tickets to an unacceptable level.
3. Insufficient volunteer staff prepared to do this job. Some paid staff were deployed where available.
4. An alternative schedule was put forward to increase services between Wareham and Corfe Castle (where many passengers alighted to await steam traction) but this was rejected by the decision makers.
5. The decision makers rejected a suggestion that period returns should be available.
Invincible
Member
Does seem strange the decision makers wanted the DMU to run the full line rather than be a Wareham Corfe shuttle. As there is no formal report or review a out the 2023 trial publicly published we can only speculate (like the ability to ride the full line with a future DMU discount rather than pay for steam or overcoming any disability issues changing at Corfe?)
If a new CEO is appointed looks like there is a lot of paperwork to do to change the organisation to a single charity for a long term improvement?
If a new CEO is appointed looks like there is a lot of paperwork to do to change the organisation to a single charity for a long term improvement?
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I think they were mindful it had always been promoted as a Swanage <> Wareham service rather than a Corfe Castle <> Wareham service with connections to / from Swanage.
Diesel and Steam have always been the same price to avoid any customer relations issues.
In 2017 when the Wareham service days meant there were 2 steam services operating (Swanage <> Norden) and 1 DMU (Swanage <> Wareham) the section between Norden and Swanage was over supplied with capacity.
As much as the Wareham service on the face of it is a good idea (and was one of the objectives of SRT SRC) to deliver it has uncovered so much complexity and not to mention unforeseen issues as well as financial, resource and operational challenges it is best held in abeyance for the time being.
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Llanigraham
On Moderation
I would suggest from my own experience that is just the formal side of the Partnership and there is a lot more going on in the background.
This work must have a very long gestation period as there is very little tangible evidence of the PCRP achieving anything other than litter picking, bulb planting and an old fashioned sign being painted on the wall at Wareham Station.
The stuff that really matters to rail passengers (timetable, fares, access to amenities ie toilets, booking offices, waiting rooms, mobility access) shows no sign of any improvement or influence of the PCRP.
I am sorry to say that based on the tangible evidence PCRP is a talking shop. If there is good work going on in the background then they need to being it to the foreground.
Llanigraham
On Moderation
As I said, we don't know what is going on in the background, and but quite often those discussions can't be broadcast until everything is agreed. You might be surprised how much of what you mention about being relevant to passengers is discussed "in the background".
(And note I'm nothing to do with this Partnership)
I judge by results and if anything, while all the background discussion has been going on, the customer experience at Wareham Station has deteriorated. A pretty flower bed does not make up for not being able to access the waiting room or toilet.
Invincible
Member
Going slightly off topic but it's SWR/First policy to do not have waiting rooms and toilets open when the station is staffed. And Wareham has part time staff,
So nothing to do with the PCRP.
There was a plan to do away with all ticket offices, which could have meant no waiting rooms and toilets at all, but was withdrawn.
Thank you. I was aware of that, but it comes back to the issue if the CRP has no involvement with timetables, fares, accessibility, waiting rooms, toilets, car parking charges etc etc then what practical purpose do they serve?
If one was being uncharitable, one might think a CRP was a construct designed to deflect local issues away from the TOC as well as getting litter picking and flower bed weeding for free.
Llanigraham
On Moderation
Do you actually know what a Community Rail Partnership does? I am getting the impression that you don't, so can I suggest you have a look at this website (https://communityrail.org.uk/) which gives an excellent description of their role.
They are certainly involved with many of the things you mention and they are certainly not there to deflect criticisms away from the TOCs. In fact they have been know to constructively "have a go" at some TOCs often with good results. And they deal with a lot more than flower beds and litter!
(Perhaps this is going off topic and needs it's own thread?)
Indeed if anyone would like to discuss that topic further, please do create a new thread (feel free to link to it from here).
Well just down the road from Swanage is the Tank Museum. Its Director (since the beginning of the year) is Chris Price, former Chief Executive of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. I have no idea whether he was considered a success in that role...
Fragezeichnen
Member
The previous MD of the Severn Valley Railway, Helen Smith came from the tank museum. Judging her success is difficult because her time at the helm was almost completely taken up with the pandemic. She departed around the time it became clear the railway was in very poor financial situation and would have to make major changes to it's operations and staffing. So perhaps she could have done better, although the railway survived.
It seems like an extraordinarily difficult job to me. You are running a railway, with safety responsibility for track and trains, which is hard enough. On top of that the railway is actually a tourist attraction which has to persuade people to make "pointless" journeys to survive. But your tourist attraction is also a charity with a perpetually perilous financial situation and a reliance on goodwill and external support. You also have to keep the workforce happy, a volunteer workforce who may well have their own ideas of what is important about the railway(a large fleet of steam engines and a busy timetable) which are completely different to those the accountants would say are important(fuel efficient diesels and operations only on profitable days) - and unlike on the mainline if discontent spreads you can't even negotiate, volunteers will just leave. Any of those individually would be hard enough, but you have to juggle them all simulatenously.
It seems like an extraordinarily difficult job to me. You are running a railway, with safety responsibility for track and trains, which is hard enough. On top of that the railway is actually a tourist attraction which has to persuade people to make "pointless" journeys to survive. But your tourist attraction is also a charity with a perpetually perilous financial situation and a reliance on goodwill and external support. You also have to keep the workforce happy, a volunteer workforce who may well have their own ideas of what is important about the railway(a large fleet of steam engines and a busy timetable) which are completely different to those the accountants would say are important(fuel efficient diesels and operations only on profitable days) - and unlike on the mainline if discontent spreads you can't even negotiate, volunteers will just leave. Any of those individually would be hard enough, but you have to juggle them all simulatenously.
michaelh
Member
Even when the bus is £4 return and free to OAP's whereas the train (according to an earlier post) is £25?
Absolutely - even worse are the number of recipients of free bus passes who still use their car and whinge about car parking charges.
You would have to pay some people to get them on the bus.
Mike Machin
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I'm not surprised, travelling by bus is simply awful! I shall be entitled to a free bus pass in a couple of month's time, but I shall continue to enjoy the air-conditioned tranquility of my electric car, travelling with who I want, when I want enjoying the music I like.
I'd rather walk or stay at home than have to travel on a bus!
Doubt it. Unless it is commercially viable - and the evidence from last time seems to be it wasn't - if they've got any sense they won't touch it with a barge pole.
Invincible
Member
The Swanage Railway is a large operation with over £3 million PA according to
https://register-of-charities.chari...ils_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_subId=0
So could do with a good CEO to take it forward into a prosperous future.
There are challenges like rising costs of coal and projects like the carriage shed to protect stock.
But the railway and museums need visitors and good experiences.
Most, like Mike above, will arrive by car, which is the reason the branch line closed in the 60s.
However roads are getting congested and a lot of the 13,000 passengers on the 2017 Wareham to Swanage trial came off the mainline SWT train.it lost money but probably eased road congestion and brought new visitors who may not have otherwise visited.
The report and results for the 2023 trial have not been published. It was busy, but from the financial page of the SR magazine Summer 2023 it was bing subsidised by £100k. This is only a small faction of the total revenue so worth looking at again when the railway is in a good financial position to bring in new visitors and help road congestion.
Enough said.
Whether you are running a charity, not for profit or commercial business, you can't afford to operate things which make a loss.
Invincible
Member
Although many charities operations run at a "loss" (such as Foodbanks etc) and supported by donations (with gift aid).
With the SR, coal and stock overhauls costs are increasing, so rather than family train tickets increasing and becoming unaffordable, and the continued appeals, the SR charity should move and increase the price of trust membership from annual to monthly, with gift aid, to bring in more revenue?
Was sad to see the end of the fine dining trains, staff made redundant and carriages sold (where other heratige railways kept theirs). Hopefully the fish and chips and cream tea trains have been making a profit.
The former 4TC weekend "seaside specials" charters from London seemed to be full and make a small profit, maybe could be brought back with one of the Saturday (or Sunday) SWR (or GBR) regular morning trains from Waterloo meeting a SR heratige DMU at Wareham to provide a cost effective (and profitable for the SR) day trip to Swanage with a lunch in town, with an afternoon DMU return to Wareham to connect with a return SWR (or GBR) afternoon train service. Could do well if promoted well by SWR, worth investigating?.
With the SR, coal and stock overhauls costs are increasing, so rather than family train tickets increasing and becoming unaffordable, and the continued appeals, the SR charity should move and increase the price of trust membership from annual to monthly, with gift aid, to bring in more revenue?
Was sad to see the end of the fine dining trains, staff made redundant and carriages sold (where other heratige railways kept theirs). Hopefully the fish and chips and cream tea trains have been making a profit.
The former 4TC weekend "seaside specials" charters from London seemed to be full and make a small profit, maybe could be brought back with one of the Saturday (or Sunday) SWR (or GBR) regular morning trains from Waterloo meeting a SR heratige DMU at Wareham to provide a cost effective (and profitable for the SR) day trip to Swanage with a lunch in town, with an afternoon DMU return to Wareham to connect with a return SWR (or GBR) afternoon train service. Could do well if promoted well by SWR, worth investigating?.
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D Williams
Member
? Could you expand on this suggestion please. Perhaps I am misunderstanding the intent but do you think trust members should pay their sub twelve times a year instead of once?
Invincible
Member
The current membership is £32 pa, I've noticed the Guardian and Wikipedia, for example, also give the option of higher rates, say £5, £10 or £15 per month, which would enable more regular income in addition to the project appeals.
Trust income from membership is relatively small (compared to donations, legacies and gifts) partly because many of the members purchased premier life time membership many years ago and that income has been received and spent ie it is not a recurring income stream. Attracting new membership appears to be quite a challenge and I am not sure what increasing the membership fee would achieve. I fear it could be counter productive.
The f and c specials and cream tea trains are often a dedicated carriage on a service train. Self evidently this is a much lower cost than operating dedicated trains which require loco, crew, etc etc.
The charters which come down the branch generate track access fees (and possibly some station access fees or handling fees) but these are relatively small sums of money.
The problem with any form of Wareham service is the insurance premium for mainline running and the mainline track access and station access charges.
Plus the cost of obtaining and maintaining a mainline operating license including the additional full time staff or consultants to do it, or hiring in an operator on a full time basis both of which would cost lots more than the costs incurred in the 2 trials.
Indeed one has to wonder how over optimistic Swanage Railways revenue and costs projections were for the two trials.
43096
On Moderation
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Or, indeed, the consultants who would no doubt have been involved, with none of the risk of actually running the service.
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