Tarka Line - Exeter to Barnstaple - services, passenger numbers, carriages, engineering works, incidents and events

[whole diary]

[Lee]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) links.
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=2216

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=2217

From Monday 10 March until approximately 1530 on Friday 14 March 2008 buses will be replacing trains between Barnstaple and Exeter St Davids.

From Monday 17 March until approximately 1530 on Friday 21 March 2008 buses will be replacing trains between Barnstaple and Exeter St Davids.

[TerminalJunkie]

...and for those people who can't read FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s appallingly small print, there's an easier-to-see version here:
http://ndrailusers.wikispaces.com/Engineering+Work

[TerminalJunkie]

There's also a summary of the work to be carried out here:
http://ndrailusers.wikispaces.com/Engineering+Details

[Lee]

From the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership website (link below) :
http://www.carfreedaysout.com/events/tarevent.htm

Jazz Trains back for 2008

Tarka^▸ (Line from Barnstaple to Exeter) Line Jazz Trains will run again from Barnstaple to Eggesford during Summer 2008. Dates for 2008 are:
Friday 13 June, Sunday 29 June (a special Sunday lunch session with the Steve Tucker All Stars Band playing solely at the hotel), Friday 11th July, Friday 8th August and Friday 12th September.

The train will leave Barnstaple at 18 08, arriving at Eggesford at 18 37. Everyone then makes the short walk to the Fox and Hounds Country Hotel where the band continues to play.

The return train will leave Eggesford at 21 34, arriving back at 22 03. The Adult Cheap Day Return fare is ^4.50 - four people travel for the price of two Adult Cheap Day Return fares - a total of ^9.00

The train can't be booked in advance but you do need to book with the Fox and Hounds Hotel if you have dinner there while the band plays. Please follow the link to their website (http://foxandhoundshotel.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=13&Itemid=49) or call them on 01769 580345

[Chris from Nailsea]

From thisisnorthdevon.co.uk:

The number of passengers using the Tarka Line between Barnstaple and Exeter increased by almost a quarter in March, new figures reveal.

There were 25,146 passengers using the scenic line in that month alone, which is 23% more than in March 2008.

The rise in popularity of the 39-mile river valleys route, which is run by First Great Western, has been attributed to an improved service and special ticket deals.

Recent complaints about overcrowding on some services, including at weekends, appears not to have deterred passengers.

[vacman]

The rail company will not at all be happy with this.
They have been laying on a terrible service with prices hikes in the hope passengers will dminish, save them having to run the service and upgrade the line then, as it would be economically nonviable.

(I have a friend who works for them and can take this as reliable). The Boss, Devon

I loved this comment, the muppet who wrote it obviously hasn't read the article, more passengers are using it beacaus THE "RAIL COMPANY" have put on MORE trains! they're hardly going to put on more trains to turn away passengers!!!! duuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrr 

[Btline]

Ha ha, perhaps he is thinking of the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Axe in 2006! (where many feared that branch lines were to be AXED)

[devon_metro]

Ha ha, perhaps he is thinking of the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Axe in 2006! (where many feared that branch lines were to be AXED)

Don't you mean the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) minimum service? 

Seriously btline, why don't you work for a tabloid newspaper, some of the sensationalised stuff you come up with...!

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Commuters in call for more trains

Commuters in north Devon have demanded more early and late trains on the Exeter to Barnstaple line.

The Tarka^▸ (Line from Barnstaple to Exeter) Line has hourly services to Exeter, but the earliest leaves Barnstaple at 0709.

Getting to London means changing at Exeter, which means the earliest commuters can get to London is 1130.

First Great Western, which operates the line, says it does not make any money from it and will need financial support from Devon County Council for changes.

Passenger numbers on the line have risen by 50% since 2001, to about 320,000 journeys a year.

But the Tarka Rail Association, which represents commuters, said commuters to London were not being given an adequate service.

Braunton-based businessman Tony Carter-Burns needs to travel to London for meetings. But he is so frustrated by the line's services that he regularly drives to Tiverton to get an earlier connection to London. He said: "I'd love to see an early train that would get me to London for 0900. "That would be fantastic, but right now it's a real pain."

Julian Crow, regional manager for First Great Western, said there were no plans for increased services to London, although a new early morning service was being considered for Plymouth. Any changes would be subject to funding from the county council. He said: "We have to talk to the county to see how affordable it would be."

[Btline]

Don't you mean the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) minimum service? 
Seriously btline, why don't you work for a tabloid newspaper, some of the sensationalised stuff you come up with...!

But that's what I mean. The headlines assumed it was FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s cuts. My post was about Vacman's "muppet", who probably believed them.

So in my original post, I should have used inverted commas around "FGW Axe". Then perhaps you would have understood.

[devon_metro]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Commuters in call for more trains

Commuters in north Devon have demanded more early and late trains on the Exeter to Barnstaple line.

The Tarka^▸ (Line from Barnstaple to Exeter) Line has hourly services to Exeter, but the earliest leaves Barnstaple at 0709.

Getting to London means changing at Exeter, which means the earliest commuters can get to London is 1130.

First Great Western, which operates the line, says it does not make any money from it and will need financial support from Devon County Council for changes.

Passenger numbers on the line have risen by 50% since 2001, to about 320,000 journeys a year.

But the Tarka Rail Association, which represents commuters, said commuters to London were not being given an adequate service.

Braunton-based businessman Tony Carter-Burns needs to travel to London for meetings. But he is so frustrated by the line's services that he regularly drives to Tiverton to get an earlier connection to London. He said: "I'd love to see an early train that would get me to London for 0900. "That would be fantastic, but right now it's a real pain."

Julian Crow, regional manager for First Great Western, said there were no plans for increased services to London, although a new early morning service was being considered for Plymouth. Any changes would be subject to funding from the county council. He said: "We have to talk to the county to see how affordable it would be."

They can actually get to London for 1125. Moaners 

Amusing too that you can't get to London from Tiverton until 0922 unless you leave at the crack of dawn!

[vacman]

How many people would actually bother to commute to London from Barny? 3? 4?

[devon_metro]

A service that connected with the up Hind might be useful. Although how can they complain at an hourly service? The barny line hardly passes through any areas of high population!

[vacman]

A service that connected with the up Hind might be useful. Although how can they complain at an hourly service? The barny line hardly passes through any areas of high population!

Some people will moan about anything, I'm sure grham wouldn't complain about an hourly service to a certain town in Wilts!!

[Feckham]

Hi

Well I do the "commute" on an infrequent basis getting in at 11:25(ish) is not a problem as London office is only 10 minute walk.  However if management want there before this, then it is the "Crack of Dawn" job, with a taxi to TVP at hugely inflated prices of course.

So long as FGW^▸ (First Great Western) keep the 18:03 from PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) for the return, its not a bad days work, all things considered, apart from the EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) connection on way home.

For the benefits of the contributor in the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) article wanting to get to London by 09:00 to "commute" - there are plenty of alternatives for such "meetings" - "Decline Invitation" is just one of those  - or get the other invitees to try and get from PAD to BNP^▸ (Barnstaple) by 09:00 and hold the meeting in Devon.

Fecks