What is needed to make a useful, attractive, used train service?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

A clear sign telling you the station is there ...


... an easy to find entrance, without steps ...


... a platform.  Flowers, seats and a shelter are welcome too ...


... information about how to make use of the station for new users ...


... real time information provision, either now or in the very near future ...


... and train services at least every couple of hours.  Here's the 14:35 departure ...


... going to places that people want to go to ...


... here's the next train - the 16:16 departure ...


... taking people to desirable tourist destinations, work and school.


We've already got a lot of these things on the TransWilts ... the one thing missing at Melksham, and to a lesser extent at Dilton Marsh, are trains at least every couple of hours.  And those are vital - if there's no train during the day for 11 hours and 51 minutes, you won't get much use ...

The Welsh coast line, where these pictures were taken, really works. Pwhelli at the end of the line has a population around 4000.  Criccieth and Harlech are both under 2000. Portmadoc / Porthmadog has less than 5000.  Barmouth / Abermaw is less than 3000, Towyn is much bigger at just under 8000. Finally on "the branch", Aberdovey / Aberdyfi has a population of around 1300.  Operation requires (?) 3 units, and they're uniformly 2 car 158s.

In contrast, all four out of five stations on the northern section of the TransWilts have populations of over 20,000, with Westbury (the smallest) somewhere around 13,000 to 14,000. So why on earth is it taking so long to get a service that's even half as good as the Welsh coast one?  Most of the things are in place ... just a single train missing!

[LiskeardRich]

The Welsh Government transport policies vs. English government transport policies.
The welsh government have pro-actively put energy into getting a decent rail service. Our English government isn't bothered as I see it.

[stuving]

O,r, more bluntly, who pays to run this line? And why?

[grahame]

O,r, more bluntly, who pays to run this line? And why?

Well .. what I didn't make clear (and should have done) is that the trains are always pretty busy, so the answer is "the passengers" to a large part - some through the farebox and more through their payment into the local economy of the area. The attitude of Shell Island, not accepting arrivals by train, is very much the exception (and In my view a shameful one) in these parts.  I've used the line quite a few times - this year, last year, earlier years and there are plenty of people on the trains.

[welshman]

The trains in Wales - or at least the ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) ones - are run under a service agreement with the Welsh Government.  The current rail subsidy is something over ^150 million per annum. I think I'm right in saying that ATW's income is about 50% subsidy and 50% fares.

The Cambrian Coast line runs from Pwllheli to Dovey Junction where it meets the branch from Aberystwyth.  At Machynlleth the Aberystwyth and Pwllhelli trains join so there are 4 cars to Shrewsbury.  Coming the other way, the 4 car train obviously divides.

ATW's main 158 service facility is at Machynlleth.

If you travel on the line in the peak morning or mid afternoon, you will find that it's the school bus.

One possibility being mooted for 2018, when ATW's franchise ends, is that the railway should be operated by a not for profit company.  We already have that with Welsh Water, which belongs to the nation.  Welcome to the People's Republic of Wales.

[stuving]

Well, yes ... of course political prejudice works both ways.

Just how good an argument is "the people do support it - they are prepared to pay nearly half what it costs"?
OK, I know, they pay the other half as well. Strictly speaking it goes "they are happier to pay half the cost and not use it than the full cost and do so."

[welshman]

   A political debate.

This comes back to the argument about the need for a "social railway".   I doubt if anyone could run the Cambrian line or the Heart of Wales line economically but a decision has been made that the services are needed.  That being so, they have to be subsidised.

Most of the rural Wales bus services are heavily subsidised as well.

It might be argued that a franchising model is inappropriate for a subsidised service, on the grounds that the handout should not include profit for shareholders.

The next step is obviously a train service free at the point of delivery.  Take out the fare collection mechanisms, the associated accountants, the barriers and ticket collectors and so on and you'd cut the operating costs hugely.  Take out the profit for shareholders as well and there's a further cut in the cost of provision. 

We'll keep the red flag flying...

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

There is a quite long, but interesting article in this month's Modern Railways explaining the complexities of running the line and in particular the new European signalling system installed recently.

[Lee]

What was that you said, grahame? I didn't quite catch it.

Was it - Padstow at the end of the line has a population around 3000.  Halwill and St Kew are both under 2000. Wadebridge has less than 7000.  Camelford is less than 3000, Launceston is much bigger at just under 9000. Finally on "the branch", Bude has a population of around 10000?

No? Sorry, my mistake...

[ellendune]

Ah but:

1) The roads through North Devon and North Cornwall are quite good, not so the roads to the Cambrian Coast. Bodmin is just off the dual carriageway A30 - but a short drive to Padstow. Bude is just off the A39. There are natural barriers on the Cambrian Coast that diverts the roads a long way round, so replacement buses would take a long time.

2) There is no parallel railway line conveniently close to the Cambrian Coast - if they really wanted to keep a railway to Wadebridge and Padstow it would have been cheaper to have kept the line from Bodmin Road Parkway. A bus service still runs from Bodmin Road Parkway to Padstow via Wadebridge.

3) The Cambrian Coast Line never closed so there is no big cost associated with re-opening it!

[LiskeardRich]

Ah but:

1) The roads through North Devon and North Cornwall are quite good, not so the roads to the Cambrian Coast. Bodmin is just off the dual carriageway A30 - but a short drive to Padstow. Bude is just off the A39. There are natural barriers on the Cambrian Coast that diverts the roads a long way round, so replacement buses would take a long time.

2) There is no parallel railway line conveniently close to the Cambrian Coast - if they really wanted to keep a railway to Wadebridge and Padstow it would have been cheaper to have kept the line from Bodmin Road Parkway. A bus service still runs from Bodmin Road Parkway to Padstow via Wadebridge.

3) The Cambrian Coast Line never closed so there is no big cost associated with re-opening it!

The A39 along the Atlantic Highway towards Camelford and Bude is an awful road.

[Lee]

3) The Cambrian Coast Line never closed so there is no big cost associated with re-opening it!

We appear to have taken a wrong turn down our own Atlantic Highway here - Reopening at huge expense is this way 

[ellendune]

The A39 along the Atlantic Highway towards Camelford and Bude is an awful road.

OK but it is still not far off the A30.

3) The Cambrian Coast Line never closed so there is no big cost associated with re-opening it!

We appear to have taken a wrong turn down our own Atlantic Highway here - Reopening at huge expense is this way 

Only to illustrate the differences. Those who want to explore further should indeed follow the link.

[Red Squirrel]

3) The Cambrian Coast Line never closed so there is no big cost associated with re-opening it!

We appear to have taken a wrong turn down our own Atlantic Highway here - Reopening at huge expense is this way 

I think we only think of them as huge amounts because we're conditioned to think that spending more than 10/- on a rail project outside the M25 is rank profligacy. Even if rebuilding the North Cornwall Railway to Padstow cost ^1,000,000,000 (I don't think it would!), that would seem to me not an unreasonable sum to put half a county back on the rail network.