Go-Op Cooperative - proposals for additional rail services (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[george]

Hi

I'm new and was just wondering if anyone knew anything about what was happening with the new Go-Op Cooperative Westbury-brum services via Melksham . Has this proposal been dropped or just have they just not had enough news for a summer newsletter or any Twitter/Wikipedia updates.

Any info would be very much welcomed...

george

PS. Have I posted this in the right place?


Edit - changed subject line , 21st August, as this has turned into an update thread

[grahame]

Hi, George, and welcome to the forum.   There's three boards that are logical for the Cooperative proposals .. and this is one of them  . The others would be the one that deals with Oxford services from the West, and the one from Oxford to Banbury.

To my own knowledge, the newsletter at http://go-op.coop/workspace/images/GO-OP-Newsletter-Spring-2012.pdf is their most recent, but that's been moved on a little in the last few weeks for everyone in that the LSTF^▸ (Local Sustainable Transport Fund) bid it mentions has been approved.  There's more on this at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=10956.msg113702#msg113702 and what it may mean at the TransWilts 'end' of their proposed route.  Others who are members here may have a further update.  Bear in mind that things often seem to take an age through the labarynth of rail management, and that a gap of what's said in public doesn't mean nothing's happening, nor that a scheme's gone away.

[grahame]

For an update, Go-op, July 2012 newsletter is at http://www.go-op.coop/workspace/uploads/files/go-op_newsletterjul12.pdf

[IndustryInsider]

Anyone care to take a bet with me that this service probably won't ever be up and running in any meaningful manner and certainly won't be operating before the next Olympics?!

[Btline]

If the new franchise operates the planned service to Melksham, then I expect this proposal will be axed as it will be unviable.

Shame for anyone with a Coop card, as I expect you will have been able to collect points!

[dking]

According to a very good friend of mine Go-op (the new name was necessitated by threats of lawsuits over the 'Goco' name - think 'Gocomp***) is still on schedule to gain a Track Access Agreement. Ian Yeowart who spoke to the AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) on 21st June said that we had done quite well in navigating the bureaucratic maze so far. These things do take time and we don't have millions to throw at the process. Anyone can join Go-op - fifty quid a time and members' input is always valuable. Just click on <www.go-op.coop> and you can be part of a new Train Operating Co-op.

[Btline]

I would imagine that the Coop have more/better lawyers than Go Compare!

The shops are still Coop...

[dking]

Thanks for the quick response ... better than the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about)!

Go-op, while it's a co-operative organisation, is an entirely separate co-operative organisation from the Co-operative Group, which operates the majority of Co-op shops in the country. Or any other co-operative organisation, for that matter. You might just as well ask why Virgin Trains doesn't pick up the the tab for South West Trains - after all, they're both railways, aren't they?

We have links, though, and hope to have the same relationship with other co-ops as does the Phone Co-op <www.thephone.coop>, being mutually supportive.

We still need new investors, though.

[grahame]

Just to add a pennyworth here.   When a new / changed service is being talked about, there are periods that it will naturally be in the public eye and periods where the things that are happening are happening behind the scenes.   With all the activity on the franchise side at the start of this year - the consultation from January to March, and the publication of the ITT^▸ (Invitation to Tender) in July, that's been in its "public eye" phase, whereas Go-op has been in a different phase.  Avid readers may have noted a comment I made a while back that there are five companies who could end up running trains on the TransWilts line.

Now that there is funding for TransWilts (LSTF^▸ (Local Sustainable Transport Fund) and associated bid funds), it's a question of making it happen, and there are people working on that - and it involves talking and working with all potential operators.  The objective is to ensure provision of an appropriate level of service, and to ensure that it's provided and supported by everyone concerned in such a way that it works - for the area, and for whoever is operating the trains, so that it succeeds and carries on succeeding.

[grahame]

Following up ... there's rather more comment that I wrote about the next 15 years here:

http://www.wellho.net/mouth/3826_TransWilts-trains-what-the-next-franchise-period-will-bring.html

and you'll probably note (if you make a study of these things) that the "it could look like this to meet the spec" example shows a service that also happens to fit in with the Go-op suggestions.

[dking]

Grahame: useful analysis.

On a related note - Go-op is looking for a venue for its bi-monthly (during the day) Board meetings.

Criteria: must be free, must be rail accessible (or reasonably so as we're trying to cut out car journeys) and be within about a Bristol/Taunton/Westbury sort of area.

Is there a BRSA^▸ (British Rail Staff Association)/GWSA/union room anywhere? Or does anyone know of a handy venue?

[JayMac]

latest Go-Op newsletter for June 2013 available here:

http://www.go-op.coop/workspace/uploads/files/go-op_newsletter6.pdf

[anthony215]

Glad to see some sort of update. I think it would be nice to see a new open acess operator but like Wrexham and Shropshire I have my concerns about how long they will last.

The issue about rolling stock is interesting, I thought they were looking at ordering some trains from CSRE which would have given the chinese manufacturer a chance to prove that they could build good reliable trains although that looks like it is dead in the water.

The comments about trams is another interesting point especially after  the failure of their proposed service using a parry people mover of course I believe Parry are under threat of being wound up. Still I wouldnt mind them trying to run a tram route through Bristol City Centre which would be better than the BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit)

[John R]

http://www.go-op.coop/workspace/uploads/files/go-op_newsletter7.pdf

Latest update now available.

I have to say that the section on progress (or otherwise) of the track application tends to confirm my long held thoughts that this project will never see the light of day.  The thought that investors will put up enough capital to buy brand new trains for the route in question seems far fetched. Added to which, the credibility of the co-op movement has not been enhanced of late, and the one part of the route where they could genuinely have provided a service is about to have a meaningful service reinstated.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Posting personally, rather than as an Admin on this forum: I share John R's concerns that the 'go-op.coop' proposition is now, rather sadly, an apparently dead duck.