The West of England rail summit was held in Keynsham Town Hall on 1st March. I quote below a select few snippits from the minutes which may be of interest.
More Train, Less Strain – question on First Great Western’s plans to increase rolling stock to cater for the increase in passengers in future
Andrew Griffiths from First explained the number of coaches had increased from 108 at the start of the new franchise to 134. First are looking at opportunities for Cardiff to Portsmouth services and will involve all Councils along the route with their proposals.
Friends of Bristol Suburban Railways – question on how First Great Western underestimated passenger numbers and whether lessons learned to reduce risk of overcrowding trains in future.
First Great Western took responsibility for the problems of the last few months. Andrew Griffith’s presentation set out what they are doing on rolling stock improvements, May and December 2007 timetable changes.
Friends of Bristol Suburban Railways – question on how First Great Western will improve communication with customers
First Great Western recognise there have been communication problems and are appointing a new customer services head.
DfT regards current performance on Great Western route in January 2007 as `unacceptable’
Investing in Performance:
• Aiming for 90% of trains on time:
– ‘Integrated Control Centre’ with Network Rail.
– Infrastructure improvements with Network Rail.
– Train reliability improvements.
– Special attention on worst performing services.
• Customer Services:
– New organisation structure.
– Investment in staff training.
– Investment in customer communications.
Investing in Trains:
• High Speed Train refurbishment:
– £63m programme due to complete December 2007.
– New first and standard class interior (inc power points).
– New toilets.
– New catering offer.
– £51m on new clean, green engines + reliability mods.
• West fleet refurbishment:
– £4m programme.
– Interior refresh and ‘local lines’ livery.
Investing in Stations:
• General improvements:
– £14m programme over 3 years.
– Waiting rooms, toilets, ticket offices, subways, signage.
– Automatic ticket gates and WiFi at key stations.
• Specific programmes:
– New Help & Information Points at all stations.
– New Ticket Vending Machines (Penalty Fares).
– New CCTV system.
– 1,700 additional parking spaces.
• Bristol Temple Meads:
– £2.5m investment package:
• Redesign of ticket office and travel centre.
• New customer lounge, waiting facilities, toilets and information points.
• Additional ticket machines and retail units.
– External developments:
• Broadmead, Temple Quay, Bristol Arena, Post Office, Collett House.
• Bristol Parkway:
– New third platform (April 2007) with waiting lounge, possible fourth platform.
– Extra parking (probably an extra deck).
May 2007 changes:
• Weekdays:
– Weymouth / Portsmouth / Brighton:
• New service: 0526 Westbury - Southampton call Warminster
• 0630 & 0730 Cardiff Central - Portsmouth Harbour call Severn Tunnel Junction
• 0857 & 1657 Brighton - Cardiff Central call Cosham
• 0857 Brighton - Cardiff call Keynsham [provisional]
• 1200 Cardiff Central - Brighton call Cosham
• New service: 1234 Bristol TM - Westbury call all stations
• 1422, 1522 & 2022 Portsmouth Harbour - Cardiff Central call Severn Tunnel Junction
– Swindon via Bath:
• New service: 0835 Bristol TM - Swindon call Keynsham, Oldfield Park, Bath Spa, Chippenham
– Weston-super-Mare & Taunton:
• 1409 Great Malvern - Taunton call Weston Milton, also retimed off Bristol TM 1621
• 1602 Cheltenham Spa - Taunton call Weston Milton
• 1640 & 1740 WSM - Filton AW call Stapleton Road
• 1700 Paddington - Bristol TM extended to WSM calling Nailsea, Yatton and Weston Milton (in place of 1730 Paddington - WSM).
– Gloucester / Cheltenham / Worcester:
• New service: 2230 Cheltenham Spa - Bristol call Gloucester and Bristol Parkway (Adelante)
– Cardiff:
• Extended service: 0535 Weymouth - Filton AW extended to Cardiff Central call Patchway and Newport
• Extended service: 2330 Paddington - Bristol TM extended to Cardiff Central call Newport [provisional]
– Severn Beach:
• 2116 Bristol TM - Severn Beach and 2156 Bristol TM - Severn Beach retimed 30 minutes later
Urban Rail: Severn Beach Line:
• Challenges and Opportunities:
– Hourly / irregular frequency.
– 10 closely-spaced stations.
– Single track, 2 passing places.
– High local catchment.
– Vandalism and neglect.
– 375k journeys p.a. (10% growth expected this year).
• Line Working Group:
– Set up by FGW and Severnside CRP.
– Bristol City and South Gloucestershire Councils.
– Community groups (e.g. East Side Traders).
– Pressure groups (e.g. Friends of Bristol Suburban Rlys).
– Network Rail.
– British Transport Police.
– Passenger Focus.
• Line Development Plan:
– Service enhancement (Bristol City Council looking to fund an extra unit for more frequent weekday service and new Sunday service)
– Security at stations (CCTV, Help Points, shelters)
– Station clean-up (Montpelier ‘blitz’ with NR and residents)
– Zonal fares and mini-TVMs (revenue collection)
– Raising the profile (Stapleton Road adoption, ‘Santa’ and ‘Easter Bunny’ trains, leaflet drop to households etc)
– Clifton Down turnback (contingency benefit).
– New Park & Ride station (Portway, major expansion planned)
Passengers using local stations:
• 14% growth last year
• 192% increase since 1995 (wow!)
Growth is not just in the peak:
Over last 5 years at North Somerset stations
• 30% growth in peak
• 60% growth off-peak
• 47% growth towards Bristol
• 67% growth contra-flow towards Weston /Taunton
Local Action - Delivery is the Key
In hand:
• CCTV for Patchway (through Rolls Royce) - done
• Severn Beach Line Development Plan - March
– Zonal fare system - May
– Simplified station timetables - May
– Improved pocket timetable and fares - May
– Montpelier station clean-up – 13 May
• Station Support Groups - Patchway, Yate, Keynsham, Oldfield Park
Soon – hopefully:
• Severn Beach line improved service - December
• CCTV at Bristol suburban stations
• New shelters at Parson Street
• Keynsham - ramp and community notice boards
• Yate - car park access road and re- marking car park
• More station support groups - Weston Milton, Nailsea, Sea Mills
• Stapleton Road market garden
• Improved timetable and service pattern - December
Hope its useful to someone, of interest is mid-year timetable change & other improvements. Hope there can be some changes.
PM me if you would like full summary (.doc format)
More Train, Less Strain – question on First Great Western’s plans to increase rolling stock to cater for the increase in passengers in future
Andrew Griffiths from First explained the number of coaches had increased from 108 at the start of the new franchise to 134. First are looking at opportunities for Cardiff to Portsmouth services and will involve all Councils along the route with their proposals.
Friends of Bristol Suburban Railways – question on how First Great Western underestimated passenger numbers and whether lessons learned to reduce risk of overcrowding trains in future.
First Great Western took responsibility for the problems of the last few months. Andrew Griffith’s presentation set out what they are doing on rolling stock improvements, May and December 2007 timetable changes.
Friends of Bristol Suburban Railways – question on how First Great Western will improve communication with customers
First Great Western recognise there have been communication problems and are appointing a new customer services head.
DfT regards current performance on Great Western route in January 2007 as `unacceptable’
Investing in Performance:
• Aiming for 90% of trains on time:
– ‘Integrated Control Centre’ with Network Rail.
– Infrastructure improvements with Network Rail.
– Train reliability improvements.
– Special attention on worst performing services.
• Customer Services:
– New organisation structure.
– Investment in staff training.
– Investment in customer communications.
Investing in Trains:
• High Speed Train refurbishment:
– £63m programme due to complete December 2007.
– New first and standard class interior (inc power points).
– New toilets.
– New catering offer.
– £51m on new clean, green engines + reliability mods.
• West fleet refurbishment:
– £4m programme.
– Interior refresh and ‘local lines’ livery.
Investing in Stations:
• General improvements:
– £14m programme over 3 years.
– Waiting rooms, toilets, ticket offices, subways, signage.
– Automatic ticket gates and WiFi at key stations.
• Specific programmes:
– New Help & Information Points at all stations.
– New Ticket Vending Machines (Penalty Fares).
– New CCTV system.
– 1,700 additional parking spaces.
• Bristol Temple Meads:
– £2.5m investment package:
• Redesign of ticket office and travel centre.
• New customer lounge, waiting facilities, toilets and information points.
• Additional ticket machines and retail units.
– External developments:
• Broadmead, Temple Quay, Bristol Arena, Post Office, Collett House.
• Bristol Parkway:
– New third platform (April 2007) with waiting lounge, possible fourth platform.
– Extra parking (probably an extra deck).
May 2007 changes:
• Weekdays:
– Weymouth / Portsmouth / Brighton:
• New service: 0526 Westbury - Southampton call Warminster
• 0630 & 0730 Cardiff Central - Portsmouth Harbour call Severn Tunnel Junction
• 0857 & 1657 Brighton - Cardiff Central call Cosham
• 0857 Brighton - Cardiff call Keynsham [provisional]
• 1200 Cardiff Central - Brighton call Cosham
• New service: 1234 Bristol TM - Westbury call all stations
• 1422, 1522 & 2022 Portsmouth Harbour - Cardiff Central call Severn Tunnel Junction
– Swindon via Bath:
• New service: 0835 Bristol TM - Swindon call Keynsham, Oldfield Park, Bath Spa, Chippenham
– Weston-super-Mare & Taunton:
• 1409 Great Malvern - Taunton call Weston Milton, also retimed off Bristol TM 1621
• 1602 Cheltenham Spa - Taunton call Weston Milton
• 1640 & 1740 WSM - Filton AW call Stapleton Road
• 1700 Paddington - Bristol TM extended to WSM calling Nailsea, Yatton and Weston Milton (in place of 1730 Paddington - WSM).
– Gloucester / Cheltenham / Worcester:
• New service: 2230 Cheltenham Spa - Bristol call Gloucester and Bristol Parkway (Adelante)
– Cardiff:
• Extended service: 0535 Weymouth - Filton AW extended to Cardiff Central call Patchway and Newport
• Extended service: 2330 Paddington - Bristol TM extended to Cardiff Central call Newport [provisional]
– Severn Beach:
• 2116 Bristol TM - Severn Beach and 2156 Bristol TM - Severn Beach retimed 30 minutes later
Urban Rail: Severn Beach Line:
• Challenges and Opportunities:
– Hourly / irregular frequency.
– 10 closely-spaced stations.
– Single track, 2 passing places.
– High local catchment.
– Vandalism and neglect.
– 375k journeys p.a. (10% growth expected this year).
• Line Working Group:
– Set up by FGW and Severnside CRP.
– Bristol City and South Gloucestershire Councils.
– Community groups (e.g. East Side Traders).
– Pressure groups (e.g. Friends of Bristol Suburban Rlys).
– Network Rail.
– British Transport Police.
– Passenger Focus.
• Line Development Plan:
– Service enhancement (Bristol City Council looking to fund an extra unit for more frequent weekday service and new Sunday service)
– Security at stations (CCTV, Help Points, shelters)
– Station clean-up (Montpelier ‘blitz’ with NR and residents)
– Zonal fares and mini-TVMs (revenue collection)
– Raising the profile (Stapleton Road adoption, ‘Santa’ and ‘Easter Bunny’ trains, leaflet drop to households etc)
– Clifton Down turnback (contingency benefit).
– New Park & Ride station (Portway, major expansion planned)
Passengers using local stations:
• 14% growth last year
• 192% increase since 1995 (wow!)
Growth is not just in the peak:
Over last 5 years at North Somerset stations
• 30% growth in peak
• 60% growth off-peak
• 47% growth towards Bristol
• 67% growth contra-flow towards Weston /Taunton
Local Action - Delivery is the Key
In hand:
• CCTV for Patchway (through Rolls Royce) - done
• Severn Beach Line Development Plan - March
– Zonal fare system - May
– Simplified station timetables - May
– Improved pocket timetable and fares - May
– Montpelier station clean-up – 13 May
• Station Support Groups - Patchway, Yate, Keynsham, Oldfield Park
Soon – hopefully:
• Severn Beach line improved service - December
• CCTV at Bristol suburban stations
• New shelters at Parson Street
• Keynsham - ramp and community notice boards
• Yate - car park access road and re- marking car park
• More station support groups - Weston Milton, Nailsea, Sea Mills
• Stapleton Road market garden
• Improved timetable and service pattern - December
Hope its useful to someone, of interest is mid-year timetable change & other improvements. Hope there can be some changes.
PM me if you would like full summary (.doc format)