Notes from Public meeting on November 22nd 2017 at Slaithwaite Civic Hall

Posted on December 4, 2017 by admin

SMART – Slaithwaite and Marsden Action on Rail Transport

Public meeting on November 22nd 2017 at Slaithwaite Civic Hall

 

Present

Over 80 members of the public attended

The meeting was chaired by Cllr. Rob Walker.

 

Speakers:

Pete Myers                            Northern Railway  (NR)

Graham Meiklejohn             Transpennine Express  (TPE)

Michael Sasse                      West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA)

Joe Cookson                        Network Rail

Gary Godolphin                    SMART

 

Apologies

Chas Ball from Marsden Jazz Festival, Cllr Nicola Turner.

 

Welome

Cllr Rob Walker welcomed everyone and explained that the meeting would enable people to find out about changes from May 2018. He emphasised the importance of the railway – local people rely on the services for many reasons including commuting to work, attending school, college and university, leisure and local businesses also benefit from good transport links.

 

SHRUG (Stalybridge to Huddersfield group) and SMART

Gary Godolphin, SMART secretary, explained the main issues.

From May 2018, TPE will deliver most of the services. The changes will affect peak time services and local station stops.

Skip Stop services will be introduced. There will be an hourly service at Slaithwaite (SWT) and at Marsden (MSN). One of the trains will stop at SWT, the other will stop at MSN. [In an attempt to clear up any confusion, one train per hour at SWT, one train per hour at MSN, but not the same train so no direct service between the two.]

Trains stopping at our two stations will be running between Hull and Manchester Piccadilly, and between Leeds and Manchester Piccadilly and both will stop at Huddersfield.

These trains will run to Piccadilly rather than Victoria. This will affect the many people who work in the Deansgate, Spinningfields and Salford areas.

 

Transpennine Express

Graham talked about Rail North’s aspirations and TPE’s franchise.

The emphasis is to create more capacity and services between Leeds and Manchester.

From May 2018 the trains that will stop at SWT and MSN will be the skip stopping services:

One is a new service – Leeds to Piccadilly starting in May, and the other stopper will run between Hull and Piccadilly.

The present signalling means that running additional of trains is not possible, hence skip stop.

TPE has issued a consultation document – rail groups have given feedback.

Network Rail is currently looking at the suggestions and developing the new timetable and the final details are still to be worked out.

Graham said that the current draft proposals have been improved since 2014 and that TPE is working on what they have been asked to deliver by DfT and Rail North.

 

Questions and comments from the floor

There was agreement that people don’t know about these coming changes. Suggestions that questionnaires could have been distributed at stations.

Michael Sasse said that some research by TfgM (Transport for Greater Manchester) has been done.  This was particularly around the use of Piccadilly rather than Victoria. Analysis demonstrated most commuters travelled to areas better served by Victoria.

Andy Burnham (Mayor of Greater Manchester) has expressed interest in this campaign and has agreed to meet rail users’ groups to discuss the changes.

There was concern about capacity and that there are already severe problems with overcrowding. Would people be able to get on trains during peak periods from May 2018?

Graham agreed that the peak periods will need more scrutiny and said that there is no spare rolling stock at the moment. There should be new trains from summer 2018.

 

Pete Myers – Northern Railway (NR)

Pete gave some background information and explained that in 2014 an extra TPE service per hour was introduced and this had squeezed the Northern stoppers. With the extra one coming in 2018 the stopping trains will be unable to run as they do now and stop at every station.

Improvements: there will be new trains as NR will get other trains from areas that electrify. Platforms will be extended. New shelters, more ticket machines will start being introduced next year.

The NR draft timetable will probably be available for the public in Jan/Feb 2018.

 

Mick Sasse – WYCA

Mick’s job is rail technical advisor for WYCA, which was formerly West Yorkshire Metro. A lot of concerns expressed by the public are shared by WYCA and are already being voiced. WYCA has limited power in the rail system, but they exert influence across the transport industry and are a member of Rail North.

They are unhappy with the proposed skip stopping and see it as a short term measure until the Trans Pennine route is upgraded. They are continuing to work on improving the peak services.

They would like to see flexibility within the hourly timetable to get more stopping trains.

Any future upgrading must put back proper local services and skip stop mustn’t become permanent.

Electrification –  this would enable lighter and faster trains which would enable WYCAs aspiration to have two stopping trains per hour.

 

Joe Cookson Network Rail (NR)

NR manages the infrastructure – track, signalling, major interventions at stations.

The coming changes in 2018 are massive and there are currently large numbers of staff working in the North to prepare a report for the Secretary of State on options for upgrading the Trans Pennine route

 

Questions and comments

Complaint about the current evening peak service from Vic with only 2 carriages.

Pete Myers apologised and explained that NR is currently short of trains – some are being currently being refurbished, so many trains are out of service.

Also leaf fall is a serious issue this year because the fall has happened sooner than expected. This has caused problems eg higher numbers of ‘wheel flats’ and so trains are being taken out of service to be repaired.

There was a comment about the bigger picture – the South has much better transport funding – North/South divide.

Infrastructure – in the South trains have more lines to run on so faster trains can overtake. The North needs better infrastructure.

DfT and the Treasury need to respond and political pressure is needed.

Platforms – SWT has a big gap between the doors and the platform and creates access difficulties for older people and people with disabilities.

Response from Graham that the TPE trains will have two staff on trains and sometimes three.

Stalybridge to Victoria – from May there will be two trains an hour with one of those going on to Salford.

Cllr. Donna Bellamy asked if there would be CCTV cameras and better access at Marsden as part of the station improvement programme.

Response – CCTV will be installed at SWT and MSN, but disability access improvement at Marsden will not be included.

Access problems are a massive issue across the whole country. If electrification happens, bridges will be altered and access could be improved then

Question about the ‘tunnel tax’ – the high fare between Marsden and Greenfield. Mick from WYCA explained that Rail North now has a mandate to look at fare anomalies. They recognise this issue as a problem.

Comment about the importance of local connectivity being important for health and wellbeing reasons.

Could the disused Standedge tunnel be re-opened?

Some proposed timings from the draft timetable can be seen on the Facebook page of Stalybridge & Hyde MP Jonathan Reynolds.

Pete Myers will share the draft timetable when they receive a copy.

There will be lots of general publicity about the new timetables, about 12 weeks before May 2018 will see a lot of publicity.

Question about NRs trains to Manchester not stopping at MSN and SWT in the morning peak period. Pete will check on this.

Question about most westbound trains using the centre platform at MSN. No response given on this.

Agreement that ‘flexing’ the fast service could help.

 

Summing Up

Cllr. Rob Walker summed up:

Need for further consultation and that there will be a public meeting when the draft timetable is made available.

Rob encouraged everyone to use political pressure to influence Rail North – to write as individuals, members of organisations and community groups and via their local councillors, MPs.

 

Rob thanked everyone for coming.

Posted in Campaigning, Marsden, METRO/WYCA, Northern Rail, services, Slaithwaite, timetable changes, Transpennine Express | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Big turnout at meeting over fears for trains between Marsden and Slaithwaite”

Posted on December 4, 2017 by admin

[From the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 23 November 2017]

 

Around 100 people from the Colne Valley turned out for a public meeting over fears peak-time rail services for Slaithwaite and Marsden residents will be slashed next year.

Before the meeting at Slaithwaite Civic Hall on Wednesday, Gary Godolphin, secretary of, Slaithwaite and Marsden Action on Rail Transport (SMART), said the changes likely to happen from May 2018 included:

* A reduction in morning and evening peak time services towards Manchester – a major worry for daily commuters;

* ‘Skip stopping’ resulting in making travel between local stations (such as between Marsden and Slaithwaite) more difficult;

* Services terminating at Piccadilly rather than Victoria in Manchester making journeys to Spinningfields and Salford Quays longer;

* Busier services longer distances, potentially resulting in overcrowding.

The meeting was attended by senior members of train operators TransPennine Express, Northern Rail, Network Rail, the owner and infrastructure manager of most of the rail network in England and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority which provides guidance to operators about what it thinks should happen to rail services.

Afterwards, Mr Godolphin said:

“At the moment at peak times in the morning and evening we have half hourly services in both directions between Huddersfield and Manchester.

“But under the new proposals, certainly regarding Manchester, that will be reduced to a peak time hourly service both morning and evening.

“This is a serious concern for commuters some of whom fear about being able to get to their jobs on time. There are also worries about already overcrowded trains becoming even more so.”

Colne Valley Tory councillor Donna Bellamy said:

“The meeting was very well attended with many users from Slaithwaite, Marsden as well as Mossley and Saddleworth turning up.

“A lot of the issues around the timetable changes are that you would no longer be able to commute by train from Marsden to Slaithwaite or vice versa without firstly going into Huddersfield and then getting the next train out to the destination.

“This I do see as an issue and could indeed cause some social isolation, in teenagers and the elderly, many of whom use the trains in an evening and on a weekend to visit friends in the neighbouring villages, as the cost of this service is less expensive and is generally more reliable than buses, especially in the winter.

“This was discussed with TransPennine Express who did say that this would be the case and they would need to look at ticketing as not to cause a penalty charge.”

http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/big-turnout-meeting-over-fears-13943257

Posted in Campaigning, Marsden, Northern Rail, Slaithwaite, timetable changes, Transpennine Express | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Budget: £300m confirmed for rail; £35m for Trans-Pennine connectivity

Posted on November 30, 2017 by admin

BUDGET | £300m confirmed for rail; £35m for Trans-Pennine connectivity

[from Place North West, 22 November 2017]

The Budget confirmed a £300m funding package, previously announced in October, to help improve connectivity between HS2 and stations in Manchester and Crewe, alongside £35m to help improve mobile communications for train passengers on the Trans-Pennine route from Manchester to York.

The Chancellor first announced the £300m package last month, which will support connecting existing infrastructure to proposed HS2 stations at Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Airport, and Crewe.

The funding would be required to help support plans for a transport hub in central Manchester, which includes the potential construction of a new underground station at Piccadilly. The existing facilities at Piccadilly station will host HS2 services from 2033.

A report to Greater Manchester’s executive last month warned that the investment required for the station would “go beyond the budget available to HS2 Ltd for constructing the HS2 stations, and the budgets and revenue powers currently available to the council or its Greater Manchester partners”, heightening the need for Government funding.

Some of the £300m funding will be used to improve local rail connections across the North West.

At the time, former Chancellor George Osborne welcomed the funding as a “downpayment” on Northern Powerhouse Rail, but think tank IPPR North said the money was “a drop in the ocean”.

The Budget also pledged £35m towards improving mobile communications among a handful of railway lines in Britain, including the Trans-Pennine route between Manchester, Leeds, and York. The Government will fund the installation of improve trackside infrastructure along the route.

Reaction

The announcement of the Trans-Pennine mobile communications funding was met with disdain by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham:

 

Andy Burnham

✔@AndyBurnhamGM

So no news on Mcr-Leeds electrification. But at least we’ll now be able to send texts to say the train in stuck in a field near Huddersfield.

Andrew McFarlane, director and head of North West at Colliers International, welcomed the Chancellor’s confirmation of investment in Northern railways.

“His announcement of further investment in to rail infrastructure, in particular, funding for mobile and digital connectivity on Trans-Pennine routes, will be music to many Northern commuters’ ears,” he said.

“However, despite the Chancellor’s claims that productivity is key to the health of our overall economy, HS3 was left out. Investment in infrastructure to shorten journey times from Sheffield to Manchester and Manchester to Leeds is vital if we are to realise the economic growth potential of the North.”

https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/budget-300m-confirmed-for-rail-35m-for-trans-pennine-connectivity/

Posted in Electrification, Northern Hub | Tagged , | Leave a comment

“Train line from Leeds to Manchester WILL be improved, government promises”

Posted on November 30, 2017 by admin

This is a definite promise, not to be confused with the rather more specific promises made in 2011, 2012 and 2015, all of which turned out not to be promises at all………….

Far be it for us to be cynical, but the reference to reversing Beeching cuts appears to bear very little relationship to what’s actually in the document, apart from reopening a line in the constituency of the Secretary of State for International Trade. The real story appears to be that Virgin Trains East Coast franchise is to be terminated three years early, and replaced by an arrangement which reduces the payments which Virgin/Stagecoach will pay make to the government whilst also transferring risk back to the public sector.

As to the trial of 5G, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham summed it up quite well when he tweeted:

“At least we’ll now be able to send texts to say the train is stuck in a field near Huddersfield.”

[article from the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 30 November 2017, follows]

“Train line from Leeds to Manchester WILL be improved, government promises”

The Trans-Pennine rail line through Huddersfield will be upgraded, the Government has confirmed.

The vow to improve the Leeds to Manchester route has been mentioned in a huge series of reforms laid out by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.

The rail strategy announcement includes plans to re-open rail lines closed during the notorious Beeching cuts of the 1960s.

Mr Grayling said he wants to identify which routes would boost the economy, encourage house-building and ease overcrowding.

One of the mothballed Huddersfield lines – through the Spen Valley to Leeds – has since been turned into a popular cycling and walking route.

No specific plans have been mentioned in Kirklees or West Yorkshire.

But the Department for Transport (DfT) has vowed to improve services for passengers in the north by delivering new trains and room for 40,000 extra passengers.

It is thought plans for total electrification of the Trans-Pennine route have been dropped but the Examiner has learned that Mr Grayling has told West Yorkshire politicians that other ways to speed up journeys will be found.

The government has also promised that by 2020 all the trains will be brand new or completely refurbished, and all the Pacer trains will be gone.

The DfT has also committed £300m additional funding towards ensuring HS2 stations – including Leeds – can link up with local rail routes and £35m towards a trial of 5G mobile phone equipment along the Trans-Pennine line.

Mr Grayling heralded the “massive growth” of Britain’s railways in recent years as “decades of decline” under British Rail were reversed with passenger numbers doubling.

He said a “new model for the 2020s and beyond” was needed to cope with the increased demand which has caused congestion on the network.

The MP for Epsom and Ewell went on:

“Rail passengers deserve a more reliable, more efficient service and I will deliver it by ending the one-size-fits-all approach of franchising and bringing closer together the best of the public and private sector.”

He denied the plans amounted to the splitting up and privatising of Network Rail.

Rail groups have welcomed a series of reforms designed to improve the network, but Labour and trade unions responded by repeating their demands for the railways to be brought back into public ownership.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said:

“We’re pleased to see that Government is listening to what passengers want and making that the main focus, in particular the emphasis on boosting day-to-day reliability.”

Bruce Williamson, of campaign group Railfuture, said the suggestion that lines could reopen was evidence that the Government was

“finally recognising the need to invest in rail.”

But Stephen Joseph, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, warned that it was

“desperately difficult to reopen a rail line.”

Shadow transport secretary, Andy McDonald, described the proposals to reopen lines as

“more jam tomorrow from a Government which has run out of ideas.”

He went on: “The Tories’ record is of delayed, downgraded and cancelled investment, huge disparities in regional transport spending and soaring fares that are pricing passengers off the railway.

“This unambitious strategy stands in contrast to Labour’s plan to upgrade and expand the rail network across the country.”

With the cost of regulated fares such as season tickets and standard returns increasing by 3.6% in the new year, Mick Cash, leader of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, claimed it was

“no good building new lines if no-one can afford to travel on them.”

http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/train-line-leeds-manchester-improved-13971908

Posted in Electrification, Northern Hub | Tagged , | Leave a comment