Phil Inskip: Report: 25th March 2007 SUBJECT - STAG - April Update for 1st April 2008 Committee Meeting

Stakeholder Consultation

Arriva Trains Wales - Held meeting with Arriva Trains Wales at Newport Station (12th February) raised various local issues such as signage etc. Notes of meeting circulated to STAG members. Have asked Arriva to come back on the issues raised after they have had time to consider. Sent reminder to Rachel and Lee 16th March, awaiting response.

First Great Western - Further to suggestion from Katharine Fenn First Great Western Customer Panel have contacted (13th February) John Curley First Great Western Route Director (West) to ask if he will meet with STAG re our proposals for the Station Development and the Cardiff - Portsmouth service. Reply received from Catherine Glanville PA to John Curley to set up date. Have received a further update from Catherine stating that as Malcolm Drury has recently been appointed as the new Route Director for the West Region she has therefore forwarded our exchange of correspondence to Malcolm, in the hope he will contact direct. Awaiting response

First Great Western - Attended the official Stakeholder Consultation meeting in Bristol on Wednesday 5th March. Notes of conference circulated to STAG members.

Arriva Cross-Country - Contacted Richard Gibson (3rd February) to ask when we would be able to meet Managers. Response Cross-Country is finalising their Stakeholder Relations Team and will contact again shortly. If there is anything important, to let him know in the interim. Still awaiting contact.

DfT - Received consultation document on the NATA Refresh, copied to STAG members for comments to enable response by end of March. No comments yet received form any STAG members

ORR - Request (26/10) to ORR for the Arriva Cross Country Franchise agreement advised it is still not yet in the public domain. Contacted Raj Chana (24th January) the Public Register Manager at DfT and he has advised their web page will be refreshed in April and they hope to add this onto the web-site at that stage.

ORR - Advised of latest Land disposals - nothing listed affecting Severn Tunnel Junction.

Passenger Focus - Received from Simon Pickering the proposed sale of land at Godfrey Road Newport to allow development of Newport station. The proposals will allow the finalisation of the new Platform 4 with Booking Office and new car park on the Godfrey Road side and Bus Station on the other side of the station. Replied to Simon, response also sent by David Flint.

ORR - Contacted to ask about above Land Sale Consultation at Godfrey Road as it does not appear on public list for consultation. Advised "Network Rail has not formally made an application to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) but we have been briefed on the scheme and we understand that Network Rail are in the process of consulting stakeholders with a view to making a formal submission to ORR shortly".

Passenger Focus - Received from Simon Pickering (5th March) details of the questions asked by Mohammad Asghar at the National Assembly plenary on the 27th February raising points from the recent meeting he had with STAG regarding the funding of development of the station. Response from Andrew Davies that it would be up to SEWTA to come forward with proposals.

Passenger Focus - Received from Simon Pickering (14th March) latest copy of Passenger Focus Newsletter.

Network Rail - Will need to send request to register as a Stakeholder Group with regard to the new Land Disposal arrangements if they go ahead.

Network Rail - Raised with the RUS team the implications of the proposed changes that the consultation on the revised Wales Spatial Plan may bring, in particular if it results in increased frequency of services to Chepstow. Response form Mike Tedstone no real problems regarding route capacity but obviously it is a franchise issue.

Welsh Assembly Government - Attended the Wales Spatial Plan Update Consultation in Cardiff (28th February). Notes circulated to STAG members 3rd March. Renée Martin, who works for WAG has sent (29th February) a copy of WelTAG Version 5 (still officially in Draft).
Welsh Assembly Government - Meeting with Ieuan Wyn Jones Plaid Deputy First Minister responsible for transport has been arranged for 15:30 Tuesday 6th May.

Parliament - Jessica Morden is looking to see if she can arrange a meeting for us with Tom Harris Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Railways, awaiting details.

Community Railway Schemes

Received advice from Mark Youngman (Transport Policy Officer Mon CC) that Community Rail Partnerships need not be located on community rail designated lines. He will pursue to see what enthusiasm there is in official circles. Awaiting further advice.

Colin James has taking on the role of lead committee member for Promotions (Marketing, Schools and Community Partnership).

Press release by David Flint sent 9th March announcing Colin's appointment.

Have received a questionnaire from First Great Western regarding the next conference in June. Has been sent to Colin to reply. Response sent and copy sent to David Flint.

Meeting arranged with Claire Evans of the Forest of Dean Tourism Officer for Friday 28th March to develop proposals. Roni Maher (Deveras) Wye Valley & Forest of Dean Tourist Association contacted but will be unable to attend owing to clash with other commitment, has asked to be kept informed of progress etc.

Colin is arranging meetings with Community Councils and Chamber of Commerce, Colin to update details.

Timetable Issues

Cardiff - Portsmouth -.

With Alan Vickers met with Andrew Pennington First Great Western Head of Train Planning in Swindon on the afternoon of Friday 14th March. Andrew Griffiths and Mark Hopwood while originally hoping to be there were unable to attend. Identified that there is a two minute Recovery time allowance on the approach to the Tunnel that is not specifically identified in the Working Timetable. It appears that while Recovery times for Engineering, Pathing and Performance are separately identified in the Working Timetable, the 'Adjustment Recovery Times' while added to the computer programme, do not appear in the printed Working Timetable. Suggested that the two minute 'Pathing Recovery Allowance' should be clearly shown in the Portsmouth services instead of the hidden 'Adjustment'. Effectively the stop at the Junction adds a total of thirty seconds compared with those that do not stop because of the two minute Pathing allowance on the approach to the tunnel. It is this thirty seconds in the overall two hour twenty minute journey that is preventing the 08:30 from Cardiff stopping at Severn Tunnel Junction.

It was explained that to keep the full 'Performance Recovery Allowance' at Bristol as proposed in the Network Rail 'Rules of the Plan', an additional thirty seconds would cause a confliction at Salisbury with an existing timetabled movement. As a result the proposal to re-instate the stop that used to be in the service prior to December 2006 was rejected.

Following the meeting, David Flint prepared a Press Release based on the meeting and advice of additional service (18:35 from Bath) to be provided in the May Timetable.
The following working day went to Salisbury to identify the total traffic movements. Identified that the conflicting movement is an empty stock used for route refresher. As this waits for ten minutes in the platform before departing and returns to wait another seven minutes before moving on, have requested First Great Western (18th March) ask again for the 08:00 to call in the December timetable by making a minor timing change to the empty stock movement. Received response this will be passed to the train planners to consider.

Identified potential reliability issues on the trip to Salisbury, sent details (24th March) to First Great Western for information / consideration.

Keith Palmer, a passenger, contacted STAG through website re loss of Portsmouth services, David Flint has responded (6th March).

Received from Mark Youngman Mon C. C. who represented SEWTA at the Cardiff - Portsmouth working group. First Great Western's first priority was to get back to the operation of a 3-car railway and deal with other associated performance issues to have blighted the whole route since the franchise came into operation. They did think a solution to the stopping patterns required on services radiating from Bristol – either towards Cardiff or east to Westbury, was through the addition of an extra Bristol urban stopping service between Cardiff and Westbury. Effectively providing a twenty minute service over that section allowing the fast Cardiff-Newport-Bristol-Bath-South Coast service to remain an express service. There are no timescales for the suggestion.

Other FGW Services - Have prepared a suggested Press Release outlining the improved service possibilities from Severn Tunnel Junction to London and Birmingham. With David Flint for consideration.

Pocket Timetable - Contact details for STAG should appear in the back of the May Pocket Timetable in the section on Rail User Groups.

Cross Country Commuting services - No change.

Arriva Trains Wales - No change.

Car Parking

Awaiting advice regarding the liaison between Mon C.C., Arriva Trains Wales and NCP on getting an acceptable turning provision for busses at the station. Mark Youngman has responded, he is looking to hold a meeting with ATW and NCP in the first two weeks after Easter. Jessica Morden MP has offered to bring the parties together to try and resolve any disagreements, awaiting update.

Station Development and Trackside Issues

Severn Tunnel Junction - Still awaiting formal outcome of Workshop on future of Severn Tunnel Junction vs. Magor. Community Councils have asked to be advised as soon as any information made public. David Davies MP has been asked if he can assist in finalising this issue. Having asked Mark Youngman what we can politically say when we meet the Community Councils he has responded " My answer to that would again be that Severn Tunnel Junction will remain open and be served by the existing level of train service. Whilst there has not yet been a formal decision on a new station at Magor, that would always have been further subject to external funding through the Regional Transport Plan process. The Newport Area Re-signalling and work at Severn Tunnel Junction seeing the re-introduction of platform 4 will pre-date that." STAG members should note for any meeting with or questions from the Community Councils.

12th March 17:55 Cardiff to London HST called at Severn Tunnel Junction albeit 78 minutes late.
Newport Platform 4 - Raised again with Rachel Woodsford (12th February) that during heavy rain water flows across the floor of the Waiting Shelter soaking any luggage etc. Also asked again (12th February) if the 2/5 train stop could be repositioned so that the Severn Tunnel Junction trains would stop under the protection of the awning rather than all but the last door being exposed to rain etc. Have also e-mailed Colin Bray (8th February) on this topic, as he was involved in the signalling alterations associated with the development of platform 4. Colin has responded by forwarding (15th February) to Brian Baralos. Still awaiting response.

Caldicot Platform - Extension of platform to accommodate 4 x 20 metre rolling stock is now complete. Network Rail is repositioning Signal N190 as part of Newport Resignalling during 2009.

Llanwern Station - No further information.

Other liaison Issues

Following discussion at Exeter Community Rail Conference had sent e-mail to Charles Howeson the newly appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of First Great Western suggesting the need for a Key Performance Indicator to measure the effect of connections when timetable changes are made. Response received proposal is with the high level experts in the Performance Directorate. Have met and discussed with Mark Hopwood (Performance Director). Having considered he feels it would be too complex to introduce and will not be progressing further.

David Flint in contact with Charles Howeson to arrange his visit to STAG.

Have e-mailed (4th February) Alan Preest a councillor at Lydney in attempt to make contact with rail users there but have received no response.

Unable to attend Dr John Walker's lecture in Cardiff on Tuesday 4th March on Road Pricing and Congestion Charging, as STAG meeting date clashed.

SEWTA meeting 14th March 2008. Colin attended as it clashed with the First Great Western timetable meeting. Notes have been typed up and will be circulated once Colin has agreed them. Meeting included the WAG Transport Grant Settlement for 2008-09. There is nothing proposed for rail at Severn Tunnel Junction in fact nothing for Monmouthshire. Obviously until Monmouthshire Cabinet makes a formal decision nothing will appear in SEWTA proposals and as is clear from the reply to Mohammad Asghar above, until it is part of the SEWTA proposals there will be no funding from WAG.

Next SEWTA meeting 10:30 City Hall Cardiff Friday 27th June.

Alan and Alexander Vickers attended Travel Watch South West meeting in Taunton on Saturday 1st March. Alan will provide notes.

Talk by Andrew Mac Naughton of Network Rail on 'The 2030 Railway' was cancelled owing to Andrew having a domestic problem.

Infrarail exhibition at the NEC 11th March had registered to attend but own domestic commitments prevented attendance.

Have registered and been accepted to attend a one day seminar on Transport Appraisal at Royal Institute of Architects in London on Thursday 27th March. This covers NATA and should help in forming official response to the NATA Refresh consultation that will need to be sent within a day or two of the seminar.

Passenger Focus conference 215 Euston Road London Thursday 24th April, Jim and Colin registered to attend.

Meeting with Tim James on Tuesday 14th February in Cardiff has been postponed awaiting new date for meeting.

Meeting with Caldicot School asked for by David Flint 12th March, no response, Colin will follow up.