Local stations in the West to be axed?

[whole diary]

[Btline]

Trains risk being cut from stopping at little-used railway stations in the Westcountry under the new franchise to run services in the region.

The Government is to give rail companies the power to "re-allocate" stops between larger stations, meaning small stations stand to get fewer services. Barely used stations could be closed altogether.

http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/story-16618155-detail/story.html?
http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/story-16618739-detail/story.html?

[eightf48544]

Interesting article saying lines have an aggregate number of stops per period.

So some stations could have the 2 the minimum requirement or 100 if aggregate is 100+2*N where N is the number of stations in agroup.

No wonder i couldn't work out the Taplow stops presummably we'll have to wait for the bids.

[grahame]

Taking a simple example ... 32 trains to "call" at Greenford - so that's 32 trips on the branch from West Ealing. There are three intermediate stations - Drayton Green, Castle Bar Park and South Greenford; the 32 trips will pass through 6 stations on their round trip - that's 192 passings, but only 183 stops are needed so there can be up to 9 skips. 

Similar scenario on Weymouth - 8 round trips needed, so 112 passing through the 7 stations from Yeovil Pen Mill Upwey, but only 107 stops needed.  So that looks pretty good for a thorough service at Thornford, Yetminster at Chetnole.  I'm not clear at to what would happen if a franchise winner decided to run 10 round trips to Weymouth ... the 107 stops could then be 20 at each of Yeovil, Yetminster, Maiden Newton, Dorchester West and Upwey, with just 2 each way per day at Thornford and Chetnole, couldn't it?

Tarka^▸ (Branch line from Barnstaple to Exeter) line is also interesting ... 14 round trips to Barnstaple, so 308 passings through the 11 intermediate stations, but just 194 stops required.  There's a lot more flexibility there ...

[Btline]

Seems quite a good system to me. Allowing freedom to run faster trains.

[RichardB]

In terms of the Devon & Cornwall branch lines, I don't see anything for people to be worried about.   

Quite a neat way of safeguarding existing (and key) station stops without specifying in the detail contained in the current Service Level Commitment.

[vacman]

oh please please please cut some stops from the PNZ-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) trains! the journey is such a drag at the moment!

[bobm]

It must certainly be hard work for the TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context) in Cornwall with all the short platforms....

[Kernow Otter]

There are a lot of people down here in the west who are trying to achieve exactly the opposite of that and try and achieve a similar frequency, quality, and regularity of train service at all stations that a lot of other areas take for granted. 

If the journey to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) needs speeding up, then maybe intermediate stations up the line should be missed.  Fast from EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) to RDG^▸ (Rail Delivery Group, or Reading station, depending on context) (for set down only) anyone ?

[readytostart]

oh please please please cut some stops from the PNZ-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) trains! the journey is such a drag at the moment!

Used to be a drag, it's been a bit of a pushmepullyou for a good few years now though! 

[Trowres]

There are a lot of people down here in the west who are trying to achieve exactly the opposite of that and try and achieve a similar frequency, quality, and regularity of train service at all stations that a lot of other areas take for granted. 

If the journey to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) needs speeding up, then maybe intermediate stations up the line should be missed.  Fast from EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) to RDG^▸ (Rail Delivery Group, or Reading station, depending on context) (for set down only) anyone ?

No thanks.  You would inconvenience hundreds of passengers every day by doing that...passengers trying to head for Devon and Cornwall.

[eightf48544]

Thanks for teh explanation Grahame, still can't can't work out what it might mean for Taplow. I suppose we will just have to wait and see which bidder offers what.

Is there any mecahnism for combinin g bids, by imposing teh best offers for each line into the winners bid. Probably not as it's all in "Commercial Confidence".

[Btline]

Re-route Newquay trains to St Austall or extend to Plymouth and axe Par stops.
Extend St Ives into Penzance and axe St Erth stops.

Then run:
Plymouth - Bodmin - St Austell - Truro - Penzance

[grahame]

Then run:
Plymouth - Bodmin - St Austell - Truro - Penzance

I don't see the logic in that.   Approx populations west of Truro:

Penzance: 21,000
St Erth: 1,500
St Ives: 11,000
Hayle: 8,300
Redruth: 12,500
Camborne: 22,500

That's a catchment in the station areas of around 77,000. And you're suggesting an extra change of trains or a doubling back journey for longer distance travellers from 73% of that area (population wise) to give a slightly faster service to around 21,000 people.  As I understand it, the HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) are typically getting quieter as they get towards the far west of Cornwall, so it's not as if you're slowing down packed trains by stopping them at wayside halts with little traffic on offer, is it?  And I can imagine more than a few people who visit St Ives by train from the east every summer being really thrilled (not) by having an extra excursion to Penzance to get there ...

[vacman]

The HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))'s in Cornwall are very busy from nearly all stations-but mostly with shoppers going to Truro and Plymouth, the main stations for Long distance travellers are Penzance, St Erth*, Truro and Bodmin. *If all trains from St Ives went to Pnz then people could change at Penzance. A hell of a lot of people from Cornwall drive to Exeter or Tivvy to get trains to London to save about an hour and a half on the journey. Par can be busy also when there is a connection from Newquay. But the likes of Hayle, Lostwithiel, St Germans and Saltash really dont warrant the extra messing around which will get all the user groups up in arms but it's true, and there is no reason why every London train needs to call at Camborne, Redruth, St Austell, Par and Liskeard.

[woody]

As you say vacman " A hell of a lot of people from Cornwall (and even Plymouth) now drive to Exeter or Tivvy to get trains to London to save about an hour and a half on the journey." No wonder the Dft wants to cut the number of Paddington/Penzance trains in the next Great Western franchise with more emphasis on regional services in Cornwall.Given the ongoing poor journey times on the Penzance/Plymouth/Exeter "Branch" line I can see this line eventually becoming a "regional only operation sometime in the 21st century with the main line long distance services terminating at Exeter.