Improving Wiltshire's Rail Offering.

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I find myself ... rather busy with loads of TransWilts stuff on the press and publicity side, and I'm going to drop updates and documents into this thread through the autumn ... progress under LSTF^▸ (Local Sustainable Transport Fund) which is entitled "improving Wiltshire's Rail Offering" ...

Firstly a somewhat dry official press release concerning the formation of the CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership).

Community Rail Partnerships are a coming together of local government, the rail industry, businesses and community groups to help promote through co-operation and the sharing of skill, knowledge and volunteer resources the best use of particuar local or regional train lines or services.

The TransWilts Community Rail Partnership was formalised on Saturday, 31st August, with a view to giving maximum support to much anticipated additional services that will be running from Swindon to Westbury in the near future, helping to maximise the early uptake of use of the line and to work for its continued strong passenger growth.

The draft constitution was accepted, the founding officers and steering group appointed, and the first AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) scheduled for 7th February 2014 - all unanimously - in a brief special general meeting. Representatives of First Great Western, Wiltshire Council, the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (SWLEP) and the Fedaration of Small Businesses sponsored, proposed and seconded the various votes.

First Great Western, Wiltshire Council, the chair of the SWLEP and Duncan Hames MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) (Chippenham) updated the community and user groups present on plans for service enhanceents, on engineering works scheduled for the next 3 years, on related improvements and information system under the local sustinable tranport fund, and on future direction and funding / financial issues and prospects beyond 2015 through as far as 2025.

The TransWilts Community Rail Partnership will provide a consolidated input and information discemination point for community and business groups to local authorities and the rail industry concerning the TransWilts rail line and linked / connecting service and transport. 

Partnership activities this summer have included assisting with survey work at Chippenham Station in July, helping to promote and providing on train voluteers on retimed Bank Holiday services taking people from Swindon via  the line to the seaside for the day, leafletting throughout Melksham, and one of our station groups has been busy gardening at a station too.  Our web site - atrebatia.info - already provides current information on our activities, advise to passengers who wish to use trains, timetables and more.

We have a busy six months coming up, including the probable introduction of a new service, subject to a number of matters including agreement beteen First and the Department for Transport on the operation of passenger trains right across South West England for the next 3 years.

The new service will have a significant impact for all the town served along the routes.

Press enquires to Graham Ellis - graham@atrebatia.info.  Phone 0845 459 0153.  Web site http://atrebatia.info

Graham Ellis - graham@atrebatia.info
Press and publicity, TransWilts Community Rail Partnership
TransWilts CRP, 48, Spa Road, Melksham, Wilts, SN12 7NY
http://atrebatia.info - 0845 459 0153

[grahame]

Further initial / current documents:

Initial (approved) Constitution - http://atrebatia.info/TWCRP_Constitution_095.pdf

Briefing Note for SGM - http://atrebatia.info/twr_briefing.pdf

Minutes from 31st August - (TransWilts Community Rail Partnership - about)%20Mtg%20310813.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.melkshamchamber.org.uk/chamber_beads/TWCRP%20Mtg%20310813.pdf

[grahame]

An update 'brief' ... as written to a new correspondent today asking about Chippenham to Trowbridge links.

From London and the Thames Valley all across the South West and into South Wales, the current franchise extension expires on 16th October and it hasn't yet been announced as to whom will be running the trains thereafter. In all probability it will be First group, as the only bidder for the management contract to run trains for the following 30 month period, but there is an outside chance it would be Directly Operated Rail - run by the Department for Transport.  Part of the service level requested in either case is to continue to run services as they are at present more or less, but adapting and adopting as engineering works, electrification, modernisation etc continue, where those items are already in the pipeline.

One such issue in the pipeline is Wiltshire Council's successful LSTF^▸ (Local Sustainable Transport Fund) bid for improving Wiltshire's Rail Offering, and a very great deal of work has been done between First, Wiltshire Council and many other components of the rail industry to have things in place for an improved services north to south across Wiltshire. But nothing in that can irrevocably be signed off until after the government decides who's operating trains, and under what terms. across the whole south west. Even then fallout from those negotiations needs to be considered, not least how a three year plan can be signed up to be a company that may only be around for two and a half.   One thing we do know is that an additional train running on otherwise-unoccupied paths between Swindon and Westbury is feasible by the end of the year, but a recast  involving other services too (such as would be needed south of Westbury) is not - that's something that probably best for the next franchise holder.

I believe that all parties concerned want this to work and do not see talks / contracts breaking down or failing to materialise, and on that basis I would expect to see 6 extra trains from Westbury to Swindon on Monday to Friday between the 07:04 and 19:32, which are currently the only trains that serve the Chippenham - Trowbridge line, and six services in the opposite direction.  Also six extra trains each way on Saturday, and 4 each way on Sunday.

South of Westbury, there's at least one train per hour for passengers who with to continue their journey to and from Salisbury - some of the proposed services connect well and other don't, largely as a result of working out a robust timetable for the additional trains without altering anything else.

The links [elsewhere in my letter] lead to provision timings, and the trains have now appeared on the First Great Western ticket booking pages too - take a look at a journey starting on 8th or 9th December;  that strikes me as a vote of confidence that the improvement will go ahead and a lot of us are very busy behind the scenes helping make sure we'll have a joined up service and not something which just appears as if by magic, which no-ne knows about, and could disappear just as quickly.   But it's about 2 months too early to start circulating timetables as "definite".

[grahame]

A further update - being emailed through to contacts who are not here.   

* If any members / guests can help with the venue / hosting station groups, please email me (graham@wellho.net)

* Keep 19th October clear in your diaries for the TransWilts Link meeting.


We're now almost certain that there will be major train service improvements on the Swindon to Westbury service from December, and Wiltshire Council, First Great Western, and the local community are making preparations.  Funding under the LSTF^▸ (Local Sustainable Transport Fund) (Local Sustainable Transport Fund) allows for a joined-up approach, with station and access improvements, online information systems, and travel advisors to help colleges, businesses, tourists and residents improve their journeys for 2014.

The TransWilts Community Rail Partnership - the local community, the SWLEP, First Great Western, Wiltshire Council and others working together - provides local eyes, ears, intelligence  and volunteers to support the use of the line and the services on it, and we're expecting a busy autumn.

1. We are setting up station groups to help the marketing and use of the new trains at Swindon, Chippenham, Trowbridge and Westbury stations. If you are able to offer a venue for any of these meetings, PLEASE LET ME KNOW by the end of September.  Actual meetings happen from 24th October to 12th November; venue and time details to follow on our web site
   http://atrebatia.info
[We plan to work with station groups where they already exist - at Melksham we have already an established link with the Railway Developement Group]

2. Are you available on 19th October?   That day, we're hosting a TransWilts Link meeting; every 6 months, travel and transport groups, interested non-linked individuals, and local government and rail industry from across Wiltshire get together to network for the mutual benefit of all.  PLEASE ADD^▸ (Automatic Dropping Device) THE DATE TO YOUR DIARY ... a formal agenda will follow about 2 weeks before the meeting, which will be held at The Laverton in Westbury from 10.

Our volunteers are working closely with Wiltshire Council (who are taking the lead in launching the improved service) under the Connecting Wiltshire banner -
   http://www.connectingwiltshire.co.uk/
and you'll be seeing publicity, press coverage, travel advisors, videos and more over the coming months.   And if you want to know more about what the Rail Partnership is, and how it fits in - take a look at our draft leaflet at
   http://atrebatia.info/aboutcrp.pdf

The big "prize", of course, is going to be busy trains from December, and what they represent for the local economy. For Trowbridge residents who work in Swindon that may be 45 minutes of travelling time saved per day. For Westbury residents, it can represent a viable public transport alternative to driving to Chippenham or Swindon.  For the population of Swindon, it brings Salisbury, Southampton and Weymouth much closer.  And it makes outwards commutes from Melksham to Swindon and Bristol, and business trips to the town, viable by rail.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Many thanks for posting these updates, grahame.

I am hoping that my current work commitments will continue to allow me the day off on Saturday 19 October - so I should to be able to make that meeting in the Laverton.

If so, I look forward to seeing you all there! 

[grahame]

Great if you can make it, Chris ... the agenda has gone out to one mailing list; another to follow later today.  Already in lots or people's diary.

10 am (open doors for coffee); 10:45 start of meeting - The Laverton, Westbury.
We'll have some snacks available, but in general bring packed lunch.   Finish in time for 15:06 TransWilts train;  I know one or two need to sneak out early and we'll make sure during the day that we don't put vital stuff at the end 

** Agenda for 19th

- Connecting Wiltshire presentation
- Local Transport Board
- Getting our heads around all the various official bodies and board; who's who and what do they do in transport.  Who is effective ...
- The new Greater Western Franchise and the next one too!
- Wider picture report from TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website)
- Coming TransWilts Services 2B or not 2B
   - wider that just a train service
   - mechanism
   - what the service will mean
- TransWilts Community Rail Partnership
   - SGM Report, constitution, AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting)
   - plus stations groups & reporting lines
- Changing profile of bus services
   - zigzag story
   - BSOG^▸ (Bus Service Operators Grant ), Western Greyhound cuts, etc
   - Salisbury bus station and issues
- Input reporting lines
- Near friends from Frome

All welcome ... if you're interested in integrated user input to help support and improve public transport journeys in, through, from and within wiltshire. If you're new to there meetings and would like to come, please do .. email or pm me if you need further details

[Lee]

From Connecting Wiltshire:

Improved TransWilts rail service is on track

An improved train service between Westbury and Swindon ^ with additional trains running through Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham ^ could be operating by Christmas.

Next week (October 22nd), Wiltshire Council leaders will be asked to give the go-ahead for the TransWilts Rail Service and for a detailed contract to be negotiated with train operator First Great Western (FGW^▸ (First Great Western)). It is hoped the new service will be ready to start operating on Sunday December 8th.

A draft timetable drawn up by FGW has an additional six trains a day in each direction from Monday-Saturday ^ meaning there will be one train approximately every two hours, including early morning and evening services in both directions.

There will also be an additional four trains on Sundays throughout the year, with at least one seasonal service connecting with the existing Westbury-Weymouth service in each direction. Improvements are also being made to Melksham Station.

The subsidised TransWilts Rail Service forms part of Wiltshire Council^s Local Sustainable Transport Fund project. Funding for the project comes from a Department for Transport (DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)) grant and will support the improved service for three years.

Work on developing the improved train services through Wiltshire stopped in late 2012 after central government paused and then terminated the rail re-franchising process. The negotiating and subsequent awarding of a new franchise agreement to FGW by the DfT at the beginning of October meant planning for the Trans Wilts service (included in the franchise as a priced option) could resume.

John Thomson, deputy leader of Wiltshire Council and cabinet member for highways and streetscene and broadband, said: ^The improved Trans Wilts Rail Service is an important part of the council^s commitment to reducing inequality by ensuring better access to public transport for communities.

^Clearly the delay to the new service as a result of the refranchising problems at national level was frustrating, but I am confident the expanded service will soon be running and bringing real social and economic benefits to the people of Wiltshire.^

Edit to correct typo.

[paul7575]

Don't understand his comments about 'delay to the new service as a result of the refranchising problems at national level'.  The original GW^▸ (Great Western) ITT^▸ (Invitation to Tender) (that lapsed) only had this service starting from Dec 13 'subject to rolling stock availability'.

That date doesn't seem to be affected by 'refranchising problems' at all.  Now if he'd said there is still potential for delays if the formalities aren't completed in time, he may have had a point...

Paul

[grahame]

Don't understand his comments about 'delay to the new service as a result of the refranchising problems at national level'.  The original GW^▸ (Great Western) ITT^▸ (Invitation to Tender) (that lapsed) only had this service starting from Dec 13 'subject to rolling stock availability'.

That date doesn't seem to be affected by 'refranchising problems' at all.  Now if he'd said there is still potential for delays if the formalities aren't completed in time, he may have had a point...

Paul

I would need to look back at various papers and discussions that I've not got immediately to hand ... but I'm recalling that at one point December 2013 was a realistic median date, with an "or earlier" clause in there too.  The - err - change to the franchise process certainly stopped a lot of works in their tracks, and they took a bit of getting going again!

[paul7575]

I would need to look back at various papers and discussions that I've not got immediately to hand ... but I'm recalling that at one point December 2013 was a realistic median date, with an "or earlier" clause in there too.  The - err - change to the franchise process certainly stopped a lot of works in their tracks, and they took a bit of getting going again!

But even then, surely by the time the ITT^▸ (Invitation to Tender) came out any possibility of it being earlier than Dec 13 had already gone, as far as DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) were concerned?

Paul

[Chris from Nailsea]

I am hoping that my current work commitments will continue to allow me the day off on Saturday 19 October - so I should to be able to make that meeting in the Laverton.

If so, I look forward to seeing you all there! 

Great if you can make it, Chris ...

Hmm.   Almost inevitably, having posted as above, I received a phone call this afternoon, asking me to work all day on Saturday. 

I'm really sorry, but I can't afford to turn down a whole day's paid employment, so I will not be able to attend the meeting in Westbury after all. 

Nevertheless, please do register my support for the meeting, and I'd really appreciate seeing a copy of the minutes, in due course.

Thanks, CfN.

[bobm]

Oh dear - this is turning into "confession corner".

I was only going to be able to stay for part of the day on Saturday - and now I cannot even do that.

This working weekends can be a real pain sometimes!!

[Lee]

Wiltshire Council's view of the events as they unfolded can best be ascertained by reading the following documents in sequence:

Local Sustainable Transport Fund - Application Form

Report to Wiltshire Council Cabinet meeting - 10 September 2012

Report to Wiltshire Council Cabinet meeting - 22 October 2013

Here is the relevant section of the ITT^▸ (Invitation to Tender):

But see section 4.11.5.1 of the main ITT document.

Ahh, that's a bit more positve. I'm still reading through the full ITT. Thanks for the heads up.

http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/rail-passenger-franchise-great-western/invitation-to-tender.pdf#page=114

4.11.5.1 Option GW1 -TransWilts Rail (Phase 1)

Wiltshire County Council have been working to develop rail connectivity across the county, with a particular focus on providing an improved level of service for the town of Melksham.

This scheme seeks to introduce additional weekday rail services, and reinstate Sunday services between Westbury and Swindon via Melksham.

This Priced Option requires the provision of the following specification:

• Monday-Friday: six additional trains in each direction, one train approximately every two hours between 08:00 and 19:30 with at least one arrival into Swindon (Northbound) and Westbury (Southbound) before 08:50; and at least one departure from Westbury after 19:15 and one departure from Swindon after 18:00;
• Saturday: six additional trains in each direction, as per Monday-Friday with the addition that one late service must depart Swindon after 19:00; and
• Sunday: four additional trains year round, with at least one arriving into and one departing from Swindon by 12:00, and at least one service departing from Westbury after 18:00, and one departing Swindon after 18:00. Additional seasonal extension from Swindon to connect with a Westbury-Weymouth service at Westbury, before 11:00, and one Wesbury-Swindon service to connect with a Weymouth-Westbury service departing Weymouth after 16.59.

Assumed start date: December 2013 subject to rolling stock availability. If rolling stock is a constraint, Bidders should indicate this in the submission and start the service from the earliest achievable timetable change date.

Weighting: 100%

Further information can be found at www.transwiltsrail.org.uk and from Wiltshire County Council. Because this scheme is at an advanced stage of development and has secured 3rd party funding, it may be the case that the current Franchisee and promoter are able to mobilise and introduce the service before the end of the current franchise. In this case a revised assumed start date will be advised to Bidders.

To my mind, this indicates that Paul is correct that the assumed start date was indeed December 2013 subject to rolling stock availability. However, the final paragraph also backs grahame's recollection of a degree of flexibility regarding this.

[Lee]

Wiltshire Council Cabinet has approved the commencement of the improved TransWilts rail service

[bobm]

For the record - this from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Westbury to Swindon train increase to begin in December

Trains from Westbury to Swindon are to be increased from two to eight per day by Christmas, Wiltshire Council says.

The authority has given the go-ahead for a detailed contract and new timetable to be negotiated with train operator First Great Western.

The subsidised Trans Wilts Rail Service forms part of Wiltshire Council's Local Sustainable Transport Fund project.

It is hoped the new service will be ready to start operating on 8 December.

The plan also includes an additional four trains on Sundays throughout the year, with at least one seasonal service connecting with the existing Westbury-Weymouth service in each direction.

Councillor John Thomson, deputy leader, said the expanded service would bring "real social and economic benefits" to the people of Wiltshire.

But he said it was "important local people use and support the service to ensure it is viable into the future".

The subsidy will stop in two years when First Great Western's franchise ends.

Mr Thomson said the extra services would not last beyond then if people did not use them.