Photo: Commuters at Severn Tunnel Junction Station boarding the train to Bristol.

The new December timetable that will affect the commuters at Severn Tunnel Junction railway station.

The 7.55am train from Severn Tunnel Junction to Bristol Temple Meads and also the 4.50 and 5.50 trains from Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Tunnel Junction will be discontinued from December 2006 timetable. These plus another 13 reduction in services per day at the station means a total Service Change - Reduction of 16 = 34%

It's hard to believe that three of the most important train times for people working in Bristol will be discontinued. There are roughly 40 - 50 people who catch the 7.55 am train from Severn Tunnel and the same on the 4.50 and 5.50pm service. People who work in Bristol Centre and finish at 5pm find it very difficult to manage to catch the 5.20pm train and should the 5.50pm train be discontinued would mean having to hang around for at least 1hr 30mns.

With the Government constantly encouraging people to use public transport and discourage drivers from using their own cars to and from work it's quite incomprehensible that these three most important train times for the commuters to be discontinued is totally out of order.

Being informed that a survey has been carried out by quantifying the amount of tickets sold on the train. This is quite farcical as the majority of the people travelling from Severn Tunnel Junction actually buy their tickets from the ticket office at Severn Tunnel Junction and in experience 9 times out of 10 a conductor is never present or the train is so full the conductor cannot manoeuvre through the train to sell tickets or to check them. Surely that is an indication as to how many people actually use this train service. Also, the fact that the trains will still be running from Cardiff and actually passing through Severn Tunnel to Bristol I cannot see any reason why an extra 5mns would make any difference whatsoever in the train stopping at Severn Tunnel Junction.

Can someone recommend an alternative means of transport and how the likes of people who works in Bristol are meant to arrive at work on time? Many of them will have to look for jobs closer to home as there is a limit to the flexibility of Bristol employers can be expected to cope with.

There is a great deal of interest from the travelling public about the cancellation of these services from Severn Tunnel Junction Station.

 

First Great Western consultation on December timetable changes 13 February 2006

Train operator First Great Western will this week embark on a major consultation programme to seek feedback on significant timetable changes later this year.

The new timetable, due to take effect in December, follows the company’s successful bid for the Greater Western franchise.

As part of the bid, First Great Western submitted a draft timetable covering almost 1,500 daily services which are currently run by First Great Western, First Great Western Link and Wessex Trains, and will be included in the new franchise.

The draft timetable is based on the Strategic Rail Authority's Route Utilisation Strategy and the Department for Transport's specification for the Greater Western franchise. It also includes services where First Great Western has identified a commercial case or, within the terms of the original specification, has already been able to address significant stakeholder concern.

For example, as a result of First Great Western’s consultation into the principles of the timetable last year, the company provided a solution to save the Cornwall-London Night Riviera sleeper services and half-hourly London-Cardiff services, despite their value being questioned in the original specification.

Now the company will be asking stakeholders for their views on the detail of the timetable. The complete draft timetable will be sent to more than 1,000 organisations and individuals, including MPs, local authorities, passenger groups and business representatives. The document includes all of the company’s services in South Wales, the South West of England, the South Coast, the Thames and Kennet Valleys, the North Downs, the Cotswolds and the Malverns.

It will also be published at www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/franchise and will be made available to staff and managers in the three companies. Responses should be received by First Great Western by Wednesday 8 March.

The consultation process follows a timetable conference last Tuesday, 7 February when train and freight operators from around the country met with Network Rail to co-ordinate their aspirations for the December timetable.

Alison Forster, First Great Western’s Managing Director said: “Now that the confidential bidding process is over, we want to be absolutely open and transparent about the draft plans we have in place for the December timetable. This is a real opportunity for the communities we serve to view the detail of the timetable at the earliest possible stage and to have their say.”

Responses to the consultation will be analysed by First Great Western timetable experts to determine the impact of any suggested changes. The final timetable will submitted to the Department for Transport, Network Rail and the Office of Rail Regulation for approval.

Alison continued: “Obviously we cannot promise that we will be able to make every suggested change. But we do promise to look in detail at each proposal, consider which we could introduce, and where we cannot change the draft, provide reasons why. Most importantly, we need to ensure that any changes meet with the Department for Transport’s requirements for the franchise.”

The Greater Western franchise, which starts on 1 April, will run for at least seven years, with an automatic three year extension if performance targets are met. The current timetable will remain in place between the start of the franchise on 1 April and the start of the new timetable on 10 December.

First Great Western has committed to invest £200m in station, train, infrastructure and customer service improvements as a part of the new franchise. This includes a redesign for First Great Western’s High Speed Train Fleet, along with new engines to improve reliability and interior improvements to the existing Wessex Trains’ fleet.

Stations will be enhanced with new ticket machine technology, improvements to facilities including waiting rooms, toilets and ticket offices and new CCTV and Help Points. First Great Western has also committed to provide an additional 1,700 car parking spaces during the franchise.

The new timetable, along with rolling stock improvements and First Great Western’s investment to increase the maximum speed of the relief lines between Reading and London Paddington will lead to a 20 per cent increase in seats in the morning and 30 per cent in the evening peak.