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Title: Call for more services to stop at Pegswood Post by: grahame on January 19, 2020, 14:46:01 From Chronicle Live (https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/mp-calls-more-trains-one-17585469)
Quote Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is under pressure to get a village train station back on the rails - after official figures showed it was one of the least-used stations in the country. Pegswood station in Northumberland had just 2,364 recorded "entries and exits" in the 2018-19 financial year. This is the number of people who entered the station to get on a train, or left the station having got off a train. It suggests that the station is barely used. And that's because it doesn't provide enough services - even though local people would dearly like to more access to trains, according to local MP Ian Lavery. Mr Lavery, MP for Wansbeck, has written to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps calling for "immediate action". In his letter Mr Lavery says: "In the year 2018-19 Pegswood had just 2,364 recorded ‘entries and exits’. This is due in no small part to the fact that the train only stops there three times a day. That sounds so familiar! Taking out ticketing distortions at Melksham, a decade ago we had around 3,000 journeys per annum on 2 calls each way per day. Now we have 75,000 journeys on 8 calls each way per day. And our 2 calls were supposed to include a "peak commuter service" into Swindon, just like Pegswood's calls are supposed to provide a peak service into Newcastle. Pegswood is not the only station on the line with a skeleton service - Widdrington, Acklington and Chathill have the same service, and I had the experience of using it last June when I took a few days to look around the North East. It struck me that the four stations - all with low passenger numbers - differ. Map, below, of Pegswood - showing a walking catchment which with a service improved to be practically useful would generate substantial traffic. A map below that showing another of the stations in the group - and even if you stopped every train that passes there (and it's on the East Coast main line), your walking passenger numbers would remain l-o-w. Not to say that housing, bus links, attractive Park and Ride facilities, or an Open Access operator such as Ryantrains providing a £5 fare from "London" (in reality Crews Hill) to there wouldn't result in considerable growth. (http://www.wellho.net/pix/pwd_map.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/cha_map.jpg) This page is printed from the "Coffee Shop" forum at http://gwr.passenger.chat which is provided by a customer of Great Western Railway. Views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that content provided contravenes our posting rules ( see http://railcustomer.info/1761 ). The forum is hosted by Well House Consultants - http://www.wellho.net |