From the NR^» (Network Rail - home page) Western Route Draft Study

Provision of an additional stopping service between Exeter St Davids and Axminster would support forecast passenger demand into Exeter in the peak periods as an alternative to substantial train lengthening of the London Waterloo service. The additional service would create a pattern of two trains per hour which aligns with the aspirations of Devon County Council^s Devon Metro. In order to deliver this enhanced service frequency, a new loop would be required. The additional infrastructure would also support the delivery of a sustainable diversionary route should the Great Western Main Line be closed for engineering activities, weather- related or other incidents. There would be considerable resilience benefits to be achieved which will also be captured in the assessment that is being led by the Wessex Route Study. The value for money assessment for this intervention needs to be undertaken and will be reported on in the final Western Route Study capturing all benefits that can be identified.

The recontrol of the line, with Basingstoke taking over the signalling, included section signals for up and down lines being provided at Crewkerne. This does allow the fleeting of additional trains when required, as was seen with  the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) trains diverting from Exeter to Castle Cary when Whiteball tunnel was closed.

The most likely scenario is for provision of an half hourly service to Honiton/Axminster. This will need infrastructure improvements to allow trains to pass between Honiton and Pinhoe. There is a Devon CC document ( http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/dcc-axminsterhonitonexetertransportcorridorreportjuly2013.pdf). Pages 25-40 deal with the railway.

Other than that I can see little else being done. An hourly mainline service generally would suffice between Yeovil and Axminster. An extension of the loop at Tisbury into the station, and similar at Templecombe, would allow for an half hourly service to Yeovil. There was a NR^» (Network Rail - home page) document c2006 which looked at this.

This appeared on the Bridport News website today, Wednesday:-

http://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/11284604.Maiden_Newton_residents_slam_Network_Rail_for_unexpected_overnight_engineering_works/?ref=var_0
RESIDENTS of Maiden Newton have slammed Network Rail for starting overnight engineering works nearly a month before schedule ^ without any prior warning.

Homeowners in Bull Lane, Station Road and Stanstead Road said the work, which is expected to cost the company ^2million and will take place for the next 50 nights, is keeping them up at night and have accused National Rail of being heavy handed in its approach.

One Bull Lane resident, who wished not to be named, said: ^What^s even worse is that although we have received a one-page notification telling us that the work will start in July, it did in fact start two weeks ago without any prior notification at all.

^Last night we had what sounded like chain saws cutting metal at 1am, and on that night we were not aware any work was scheduled to take place.

^Many of the residents have young families and a lot of residents are finding it difficult to sleep, and we have another three months of this ^ virtually every night of the week.^

The engineering works to the Wessex Line between Maiden Newton and Dorchester will involve removing the old track by crane, excavating the track bed and then replacing the ballast, sleepers, rail and other components using specialised road-rail machines.

Network Rail sent a letter to neighbours of the railway, and in a copy obtained by the Echo, the letter is dated Friday, June 6 and says that the overnight work, which will start at 10am and finish at 9.30am, will begin on Monday, July 14 and that it is scheduled to be completed by October 10.

However, residents claim that work started two weeks ago with no prior warning.

Residents are also angry about the approach of Network Rail concerning the work. They say they have only received one sheet of paper telling them the work will take place and they have not been visited by anyone from Network Rail, First Great Western or the contractors who are undertaking the work.

One of the residents said when she contacted Network Rail to complain, she was told she would be sent industrial ear plugs.

She said: ^Earplugs are not the answer. Network Rail is our neighbour but they have taken a very heavy handed attitude in all this.

^It must have taken quite a lot of planning to schedule this work and make the arrangements but at no time did anybody consider talking to the residents and getting their view.

^So now we^ve got noisy gangs working and banging and crashing all night ^ and the work is not supposed to have started yet.^

A spokesman for National Rail said: ^The work on the railway around Maiden Newton is part of a ^2m investment in the line to improve and upgrade the track to modern standards.

^The scale of the work meant that it was divided into packages for different contractors and regrettably a mix-up in the letters we sent out meant that our neighbours in the Maiden Newton area -specifically Bull Lane - were not notified as they should have been.

^While the work we are doing is taking place out in open country, and not in Maiden Newton, the only access point we have to the railway for miles on either side is off Bull Lane.

^As a result, residents there will hear our crews when they take their machinery on and off the track and also remove waste materials from the distant work site.

^We have to do that work at night when trains are not running and therefore it is vitally important that we keep our neighbours informed of our movements.

^That was where we fell down and we apologise for the unexpected disruption.^

Re Yeovil and engineering works - could we have the story please?

Article online in Dorset Echo

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/11079265.All_aboard_for_new_high_speed_train_service_between_Bristol_and_Weymouth/?ref=mr

Office for National Statistics released this document online yesterday:-
Classification of Network Rail under European System of Accounts 2010
It is available as a pdf download and runs to 9 pages.

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171766_345415.pdf

Effectively it rules that, because Network Rail debt is guaranteed by  the Government, the latter is exposed to the risk and therefore NR^» (Network Rail - home page) is under Government control.

There follows a "New Market Test" which concludes that NR is not a "market body" and is a central Government controlled body and is subject to the new EU^» (European Union - about) rules. This mean that the NR debt has to be added to the National debt.

That follows my thinking as well. I emailed it as a suggestion to NR^» (Network Rail - home page) the other day. Google Earth should show if there is room.

Have just seen this on the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) website.

(http://www.dft.gov.uk/news/press-releases/dft-press-20120831a/)

New study offers bus pass holders a third off train travel
Publisher:   Department for Transport
Published date:    31 August 2012


Older and disabled people with bus passes will be able to get a third off train travel as part of a twelve-month experiment announced by Rail Minister Norman Baker.

The trial is being launched on Sunday to encourage more older and disabled people to use trains, and means concessionary bus pass holders will be able to claim discounted fares on two test routes without purchasing an annual Senior Railcard, which costs ^28.

The scheme is being rolled out by First Great Western and will apply to standard off-peak fares between Worcester and Swindon via Stroud, and between Westbury and Weymouth. The Department will be assessing the trial keenly to see if a wider and more permanent application might be merited.

On Monday %th of December, while waiting for the 14.30 Exeter C to Crewkerne service, a 142 trundled in on the 14.22 Exmouth service!

Proposed G1 Network Change: Salisbury to Exeter Signalling Renewal Scheme This Network Change notice is issued in accordance with ....

It would seem that the present signalling system will be replaced and controlled by a work station at Basingstoke.
This link shows the document which mentions it, or just browse salisbury exeter signalling in the Network Rail site

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/network%20code/network%20change/current%20proposals/wessex/ncg12010wesx006%20salisbury%20to%20exeter%20signalling%20renewal/a%20ncg12010wes006%20notification.pdf

Edited to fix link. bignosemac