Tarka Line Travails

[VT 390]

How busy is the earlier 06:25 service from Barnstaple usually?
If there is some spare capacity on the earlier service GWR could advise people who really do not want to use the coach alternative to use this service instead to spread the passenger load out. Its only about an hour earlier so would be likely feasible for most people to use this service instead. I know its not ideal having to leave an hour earlier, but it could be an option to avoid the replacement coach given that until the class 175 are fully introduced it does not look possible to improve the rolling stock situation.

 

[bramling]

It’s just the reality of living in a very large rural county that you will need to travel to reach educational opportunities that offer the range of courses and quality of teaching that students and parents want. Exeter College is located in the most accessible location within the county in terms of public transport.

Having spent time travelling in the Exeter area this month, it’s clear that the rail service provided to this booming city is operated on a shoestring. Lack of rolling stock, single line working, low frequencies, lack of turnaround time, an outpost of SWR with trains replaced by buses. This wouldn’t be tolerated in London and the South East. If the Government is serious about enabling economic growth and boosting the regions then it needs to invest.

You say it wouldn’t be tolerated in London and the South East, however Cambridge is also booming, and there’s a whole thread on here about how awful the service there has been for some while. Different issues to Exeter in that Cambridge’s issues revolve more around reliability than planned provision, however the end result is essentially the same.

Likewise, the London area has overcrowding too. In the case of Barnstaple presumably there is some scope for people to catch an earlier service in order to avoid the one heavily overloaded service. This is only what has been routinely going on in the London area for many years, ditto the way you will see motorways around London flooded with vans at 0500 in the morning, attempting to beat the high peak.

I agree that Exeter does clearly need more capacity though.

 

[Kite159]

Are we saying that families are choosing Exeter over Bideford because it is better regarded? To be fair that is a very good reason to make such a choice and it’s absolutely their right to do so.

However from my perspective I still find it bordering on insane to be travelling that sort of distance. Thinking back to when I was at sixth-form (St Albans) my journey was about 20 miles, and that was absolutely at the higher end of the spectrum. Generally the catchment ended in a circle bordered by Enfield, Whetstone, Watford, Luton, Knebworth, Hertford. Thinking back I can’t readily think of more than a couple beyond that radius, there was one from St John’s Wood but he packed it in because, ironically, the travelling was too much.

I do appreciate this isn’t rural Devon though. This does seem like a very specific localised issue for which a solution isn’t really available, in the absence of running a long SDO-equipped train. If this did exist, could it fit in the loops?

Exeter college has kids travelling from Sherborne/Yeovil which is a long day

 

[evergreenadam]

Exeter college has kids travelling from Sherborne/Yeovil which is a long day

Even longer given current problems on SWR.

 

[brad465]

Sounds like part of the solution is to open more state of the art colleges, and/or campuses of Exeter college, in areas that would lower demand along the cramped routes to the college.

 

[evergreenadam]

Sounds like part of the solution is to open more state of the art colleges, and/or campuses of Exeter college, in areas that would lower demand along the cramped routes to the college.

Probably not financially viable or attractive enough in areas of such low population density. There would be a much wider public benefit from investing in and improving the public transport system and letting the students travel to the educational offer they want to access. The Exeter rail network needs to be upgraded anyway.

 

[TastyMaltesers]

Sounds like Exeter College has most of Devon for it's catchment area? Bit of a ridiculous situation all around, even if you ignore what it means for the railways.