Action group seeks hourly rail service in Sherborne (Western Gazette 14/06/2014)

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

From the Western Gazette

As the Sherborne Transport Action Group reveals that changes to rail provision at Sherborne railway station will be one of its top priorities this year, reporter Sheri Willis asks commuters what they think of the service.

SHERBORNE Transport Action announced at its annual general meeting that it will continue to seek a ^Wessex by the hour^ service.

But what do commuters think of the current service provision at the station? Do they feel there is a need for change?

Caroline Roberts, 54, of Oborne, said: ^The service from Sherborne station is fine. It is exactly what you would expect from a small market town station, nothing more.^

Michael Catovsky, 38, of Tinneys Lane said: ^I do not want to see any changes as the service seems to be adequate.^

Lindsey Griffin of Corton Denham said: ^I would like to see more carriages at the peak times as often the trains are incredibly crowded and people have to squeeze in. I would also like to see the ticket office manned more and the toilets remain open when there are no staff on site.^

Charles Morris, 18, attends Sherborne School. He said: ^I think that more carriages are needed as when everyone from the schools are using the trains it is very crowded and not a pleasant experience.^

Skip Proctor, 28, of Sherborne said: ^I think that the service at Sherborne train station is very good. I have never seen anyone left on the platform or overcrowded trains.^

John Willis of Sherborne said: ^I think there are plenty of trains provided in the mornings for people commuting to work but I do not know about during the day. To be honest I do not really use the train station in Sherborne all that much and I imagine that the majority of people that use the service are people that travel for business.^

A spokesperson for the South West Trains Network Rail Alliance said: ^We work hard to provide enough capacity to match demand and during busier times will often provide extra carriages on our services. Our services from Sherborne, under normal circumstances, are adequate for the number of people travelling, with the majority of passengers able to find a seat. However there have been a small number of times when our services have experienced high numbers of customers. Due to the large number of boarding schools in the area, our services are often busier at the end of term when students are travelling home. When we are made aware of these dates we will attempt to lengthen trains to ease the pressure on services.

^We^re sorry for any inconvenience caused during these peak travel periods.^

[iantherev]

But Sherborne already has an hourly service? Or am I being dense?

[John R]

Not at all, and welcome to the Coffeeshop, Iantherev.

I must confess when the subject was posted, the story appeared a bit of a non-story. Given most of the comments from passengers were positive (and let's face it, it's usually easy to get negative views on any aspect of the railway), I couldn't work out myself quite what STAG^▸ (Severn Tunnel Action Group) wants.

[Southernman]

I did comment on this story under the original article as I couldn't understand what was being said either!:-


"I am confused by this article. Sherborne Station already has an hourly service - more frequent at peak times. Generally, but not always, there is adequate seating space. The mention of 'Wessex by the hour' possibly indicates a reference to the Bristol to Weymouth line (through Yeovil Pen Mill) which certainly would benefit from an upgrade. This is only likely to happen when rolling stock becomes available from the electrification of lines around London Paddington."

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Western Gazette:

Sherborne Transport Actions welcomes improved services but 'more still to be done'


Sherborne Transport Action Group has welcomed the introduction of new South West Train services for Sherborne

A transport action group has welcomed the addition of South West Trains new half-hourly services running from Sherborne.

South West Trains announced last month a series of changes which will bring an additional 800 extra seats every weekday between London and Somerset as well as the introduction of new services serving Sherborne.

Changes to the rail service to Sherborne station include an additional weekday service to London Waterloo at 4.02pm, a half hourly service from London between 3.20pm and 7.20pm, three additional services from London, departing Waterloo at 1.50pm, 3.50pm and 6.50pm and five direct services to Yeovil Pen Mill at 1.50pm, 3.50pm, 4.50pm, 5.50pm and 6.50pm to connect with the Weymouth line.

The Chairman of Sherborne Transport Action Group, Mike Keatinge, welcomed the additional services but said that more needs to be done to improve rail services to the area. He said: "We wholly welcome the upgrading to a half-hourly service between Yeovil Junction and Salisbury in the afternoon and early evening. We would hope that this might, at some time in the future, be extended to the rest of the day, and we look forward at some point to seeing trains from London and Salisbury running later in the evening.

"The two trains a day between Yeovil Pen Mill and Salisbury via Westbury are welcomed. But they don't seem to be gauged to any particular passenger demand. They don't really meet a need to go out and back in the day.

"The shuttle between Yeovil Junction and Pen Mill is a useful addition, but we would have hoped to see a better synchronisation with the Bristol-Weymouth trains.

"We are disappointed that there is still no move to an hourly service on the Bristol-Weymouth line, where the recent report from the Heart of Wessex Rail Partnership has again recorded healthily increasing passenger numbers. This is of course a matter for First Great Western, not South West Trains.

"But we are a little concerned that the new South West Train services should not exclude the possibility of more First Great Western trains on the single track Yeovil to Castle Cary section."

The new South West Trains services will be in operation from December 14. It has also introduced a rolling programme to refurbish all 30 of the class 159 diesel trains on the West of England route.

[grahame]

My understanding is that SWT^▸ (South West Trains) drivers need route knowledge Salisbury to Yeovil Junction via Westbury and Castle Cary (for use in times that the line via Sherborne is closed), and rather than running empty trains in the future they're running in passenger service.  On an incremental business case it makes sense even if the passenger numbers are not high - but in fact the new times do plug some gaps.   Of course, the ideal at Pen Mill would be for a train to arrive in from Junction, a pair of Heart of Wessex trains call, passing each other, then the Junction train head back.  Small problem is the lack of platform tracks. Also the resultant intermeshing and synchronisation needed between the Salisbury - Exeter line with its single track sections, and the Castle Cary - Dorchester single line sections on the Heart of Wessex.  Timetabler's nightmare?

[Southernman]

The timetabler's nightmare will be compounded when planned/unplanned diversions from First Great Western's route via Tiverton happen!

Our newly elected MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) is campaigning for a new service from Exeter to Oxford (via Yeovil, Frome, Swindon) which will add to the fun (he has a column in Western Gazette). From various previous rumours this sort of service has already been mooted but no doubt cannot happen (if it does) until more diesel units become available.

Also looking forward to Waterloo-Plymouth via Okehampton services..... More infrastructure will be needed!

[grahame]

Our newly elected MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) is campaigning for a new service from Exeter to Oxford (via Yeovil, Frome, Swindon) which will add to the fun (he has a column in Western Gazette).

"Our" being ... (constituency, name?) ... do you have links to the column where we can read about this?

Much mooted elements to such a service ... and there's a lot of sense in various parts of it.  Is he looking to franchise service or an extension of the Go-op proposals to Exeter?

[paul7575]

Any reliable half hourly service between Exeter and Yeovil Junction will require additional re-doubling - this is why the 'Devon Metro' half hourly service to Axminster can only operate in alternate hours (as explained in the 2012 GW^▸ (Great Western) franchise spec).

Does this latest idea of an Exeter to Oxford etc service (GoOp based?) therefore add an extra train as well as the proposed Devon Metro?   In which case it will almost certainly require even more track doubling.

Paul

[grahame]

Any reliable half hourly service between Exeter and Yeovil Junction will require additional re-doubling - this is why the 'Devon Metro' half hourly service to Axminster can only operate in alternate hours (as explained in the 2012 GW^▸ (Great Western) franchise spec).

Does this latest idea of an Exeter to Oxford etc service (GoOp based?) therefore add an extra train as well as the proposed Devon Metro?   In which case it will almost certainly require even more track doubling.

Paul

And yet there are other possibilities ...

Hypothetical Vision 2040. Hourly trains Plymouth - Tavistock - Okehampton - Crediton - Exeter - Yeovil - Frome - Westbury - Swindon - Oxford - Bletchley - Bedford.  At Crediton, attaches to the rear of the Torrington to Waterloo service, from which it detatches at Yeovil Junction. At Westbury, the hourly Southampton Airport area to Worcester train attaches at the rear and they separate at Swindon.

[Southernman]

Our newly elected MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) is campaigning for a new service from Exeter to Oxford (via Yeovil, Frome, Swindon) which will add to the fun (he has a column in Western Gazette).

"Our" being ... (constituency, name?) ... do you have links to the column where we can read about this?

Much mooted elements to such a service ... and there's a lot of sense in various parts of it.  Is he looking to franchise service or an extension of the Go-op proposals to Exeter?

That is the Yeovil MP, Marcus Fysh. Also keen on re-opening Chard Junction station and doubling the A303 and A358.

Not able to find an on-line copy of the printed story (Western Gazette 3/9/2015). Sorry! I would be most surprised if Go-op would be involved.....

[grahame]

I haven't found the 3rd September article, but the following was in a 19th August one:

"In time I would like to see a rail service from Exeter via Chard, Crewkerne, Yeovil and possibly a new town on the A303, to Frome, Swindon and Oxford. That would link our people in better with education, technology, arts and business opportunities, and be a new cross route to add to and connect with our London and Bristol services.

Read more: http://www.westerngazette.co.uk/Yeovil-MP-Marcus-Fysh-fresh-reopening-Chard/story-27639384-detail/story.html

[paul7575]

Also keen on re-opening Chard Junction station...

Always a popular proposal with politicians, but of little or no transport use, which is presumably why the county council didn't intervene when BRB^‡(resolve)(Residuary) sold the site a few years back?

Paul

[The Grecian]

Having travelled yesterday from Axminster-Exeter after signalling problems at Wimbledon, the line seems to be pretty much at capacity for any kind of reliable service to run, due to the knock-on effect of every late running service. Particular pinch points are Tisbury loop, which appears to be used all day by every single service (and is in the middle of the Wiltshire countryside rather than at Tisbury due to BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) selling off the down platform in 1967 assuming the then 19 mile single line from Gillingham to Wilton would suffice- it didn't) and the still-existing 17 mile single line section from Chard Junction to Yeovil Junction. Certainly any attempt to run additional services from Exeter Central to Yeovil Junction is likely to need a loop at Crewkerne.

Once Cranbrook opens there aren't many other obvious candidates for reopening - but then not many lines have had four stations reopen since the 1960s (Cranbrook isn't an exact replacement for Broadclyst, but it's located very close by).   

[Southernman]

Having travelled yesterday from Axminster-Exeter after signalling problems at Wimbledon, the line seems to be pretty much at capacity for any kind of reliable service to run, due to the knock-on effect of every late running service. Particular pinch points are Tisbury loop, which appears to be used all day by every single service (and is in the middle of the Wiltshire countryside rather than at Tisbury due to BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) selling off the down platform in 1967 assuming the then 19 mile single line from Gillingham to Wilton would suffice- it didn't) and the still-existing 17 mile single line section from Chard Junction to Yeovil Junction. Certainly any attempt to run additional services from Exeter Central to Yeovil Junction is likely to need a loop at Crewkerne.

Once Cranbrook opens there aren't many other obvious candidates for reopening - but then not many lines have had four stations reopen since the 1960s (Cranbrook isn't an exact replacement for Broadclyst, but it's located very close by).   

Often, delayed (20 or so minutes) down trains cope reasonably well until they reach Honiton. If badly delayed they can be delayed at Yeovil Jct. Up trains are not often delayed as they start at Exeter St Davids.

There are indications that money 'will' be available for a loop between Honiton and Exeter which would (a) lessen the overall delays when the timetable is in disarray - often down trains have to wait 20 or so minutes at Honiton to cross there rather than Pinhoe, and (b) enable the 1/2 hourly Devon Metro scheme to Honiton(or beyond?) to happen and (c) enable an hourly diversionary route for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services from the Tiverton line. A further loop near Crewkerne may additionally be required for this.

SWT^▸ (South West Trains) support rather grander plans for infrastructure improvements between Salisbury and Exeter. Time will tell if the required funds become available! The line is certainly quite full - and the trains are noticeably busier!

Incidentally, Devon CC are investigating whether a second Cranbrook station is a possibility. Sounds like that town will be developed.