ndrailusers - Mag05

Issue 5, December 2000

Table of Contents

Editorial

Editorial Hinterweidenthal Station on the LandauPirmasens line, Germany, September 2000.

Picture: Pauline Gulliver

A German diesel multiple unit and a platform full of bicycles? On the front cover? Have the Editors taken leave of their senses?

From Our Chairman Up and Down the Line Barnstaple Lapford Crediton Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership An exciting time for the Tarka Line Policy Matters

Well, no; at least, not yet.

It's just our way of pointing out the significance of the Rail Passengers' Council and raising two key questions: What sort of railway do we want and how do we make our wishes known? Until recently, apart from what is set down in the Passenger Service Requirement and supported by a degree of public subsidy, the railway we get has been determined primarily by the so-called iron laws of supply (determined by what the providers think they can make a profit from) and demand (expressed by what individuals will appear to be willing to pay for).

The RPC, which has evolved from the old Rail Users Consultative Committees, changes this. It signifies a new era in which the community is invited to use its voice in determining its transport needs. Rail users groups like ours can play a central part in conveying its wishes to the service providers. The 'iron laws' won't go out of the window. But at least they will be tempered by the expression of people's aspirations.

So, if you want better facilities for bicycles on trains, or prams, or luggage, or through services to Wick and Thurso (although you may have to wait a little while for these), or whatever, say so.

But read the article on the RPC in this issue to see what it aspires to and how we can help to make your wishes count.

Cycles on trains: home thoughts from abroad...

Operational Matters Winter Timetable: whenever on a Sunday?

It never rains but it pours...

Then the big flood...

Points of View Membership Matters Member's Event Group Meetings - all are welcome Cheshire Railtours Welcome to new members AGM - Summary of Presentation

by John Phillips, Member of the Rail Passengers' Committee for Western England A Cause for Celebration

John Gulliver

From Our Chairman Of all possible times to take over as Chairman of the Group, this has to be the most interesting: it is a time of great promise which, simultaneously, threatens to be one of potential disaster. Dealing with the latter point first, there cannot have been, in recent years, a time when the very fabric of our railway has been so much under threat since Eggesford signal box slid into the mill leat beneath in 1967. There are two minor problems arising from the effects of the flooding which has so comprehensively damaged the line. The first is that, after the necessary repairs have been completed, and the line is once more operational, there comes the difficulty of enticing all our regular passengers to use it once more. I had some experience of loss of traffic problems when I worked for British Railways in the seventies and eighties. Interruptions in the service due to strike action led to many freight operators deserting the company for good since they felt that the satisfactory running of their traffic could not be guaranteed. It matters not, for the sake of this argument, whether the strike was, or was not, justified, the result was a permanent fall in traffic levels. Passenger traffic, too, is not immune from this effect. It would help it after the service returns to normal, Wales & West were to offer some sort of incentive to aid the climb back to normal usage. If the Group can in any way help in this aim, then we should be prepared to do so.

The second problem arising from the current infrastructure damage is that freight traffic, the return of which we have striven to encourage for so long, will be warned off because of fears that service interruptions due to the effects of flooding may continue to be too prevalent. When BR looked after the services and the track, it could reasonably be relied upon to repair damage, since the customer was an outside company. Now, the customer is, essentially, EWS - a rail freight company, not an outside business.

Consequently, since it is necessary to woo a part of the railway industry before it is possible even to begin to woo the final customer, the task remains that much harder. In addition, since Railtrack lacks definite incentives to begin this love affair, it is difficult to see when EWS may eventually be seduced! Make do and mend is, therefore, no long term solution. The line's infrastructure must be upgraded.

With regard to great promise, potentially dawning, this is discussed elsewhere in the magazine. Future dreams are fast becoming sensible propositions, for the first time in half a century. The RPC is pushing for it; the SRA seems to have embraced it; various rail-based interest groups are behind it. Whilst avoiding euphoria, we must grasp and pursue the opportunities on offer, for there is real possibility of change; a change for the better. The Group must be behind it and instrumental in it: that is what we are here for.

David Gosling

Up and Down the Line Barnstaple The cavity which faced passengers as they emerged from the waiting room on to the platform has now been filled in and the protective fencing removed. The rotted base of the awning support has been replaced by a galvanised steel foot set in concrete. Yet more ipportantly, the other supports, all of which had been found to be rotted below platform level, have been similarly treated. The platform surfacing has been made good. Only the bracketing to fix the awning more securely to the station building is still awaited.

Credit nonetheless, to Wales & West and Railtrack where credit is due!

That said, rain water pours in great quantities between the platform awning and the building whenever there is a storm. Unfortunately, the deluge is concentrated over the doorway to the toilets. Those who venture in - and out - would be well advised to take umbrellas.

Lapford The loop has, for the first time in several years, been hand weed sprayed and the vegetation strimed. This does not mean that it is ahout to be used - only that Amey are finally complying with their maintenance contract!

Crediton Railtrack has applied for listed building consent to refurbish the up side waiting shelter. It is hoped that work will start soon to enable completion in time for the celebration, on 12th May 2001, of the 150th anniversary of the opening of the line between Crediton and Exeter. Other work planned is to extend the station entrance, move the approach road away from the station building and solve the problem with the camber of the road. A retaining wall will be built and the York paving outside the Station Tea Rooms will be re-laid.

Shippams has agreed, in principle, for the entrance to their site to be moved slightly to accommodate these alterations. Extra lighting is also planned. All of this will considerably enhance the station area and encourage more people to use the trains.

John Gulliver, Tony Hill and Linda Rogers

Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership An exciting time for the Tarka Line It's an exciting time for the Tarka Line - two initiatives in particular offer the prospect of big improvements on the line.

First and foremost is franchise replacement. It is vital that everyone makes the case for the improvements we all want to see especially hourly services between Barnstaple and Exeter from early to late and at least one train daily between Barnstaple and London The Rail Partnership has conducted an extensive consultation programme among members of its branch line working parties (including, of course, NDRUG) which has resulted in a series of bold, but realistic aspirations that local authorities and other bodies throughout the two counties want to see come out of this process.

On the Tarka Line, as well as the two already mentioned, these aspirations include a commitment to better rolling stock, action to tackle the line's flooding problems and a new Tarka Line Railcard to encourage use of the line by local residents.

The aspirations have been presented to the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority, local rail companies, other interested rail companies and the Rail Passengers Council. In addition local MPs have been asked to lobby for these improvements (readers can also help here).

Secondly is our new Rural Transport Partnership. This Countryside Agency scheme will focus on the smaller intermediate stations and how to make them as useful as possible to local people, both in terms of better meeting local transport needs and boosting the local economy by encouraging visitors.

This work, which will see an estimated ÂŁ500,000 invested across Devon and Cornwall during the next three years, is in addition to the Rail Partnership's normal activities.

There's still a great deal of publicity material around about the line - readers may have seen July's 'The Westcountry's Great Little Railways" publication, produced with support from ourselves and Wales & West.

Recently the Western Morning News carried an eight-page supplement on the Rail Partnership, which included features on the line and franchise replacement.

Partnership publicity produced and distributed to promote the line this year includes 100,000 Tarka tine Leisure Guides; 60,000 Summer "Days out from Exeter" and 50,000 Summer timetable and fares leaflets. The Line also features in our 400,000 run Cornwall & Devon Public Transport Discovery Map. Current leaflets can be obtained by writing to me at the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, Faculty of Science, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PIA 8AA or e-mail railpart@plymouth.ac.uk Richard Burningham

Policy Matters Cycles on trains: home thoughts from abroad...

Writing in a national publication, Adam Page suggests that there is good news for cyclists on the horizon (RAIL 393). The Association of Train Operating Companies' Dr Elizabeth Haywood, he believes, agrees: the SRAs franchising guidelines, she says, aim to 'enshrine existing arrangements' for cyclists wishing to use rail services.

But what are 'existing agreements'? Some, Adam Page suggests, citing those made by Anglia Railways, Scotrail and others, are good. But the devil, as so often, is in the detail. Cyclists' needs run to more than space on trains, but consider, nonetheless, the following arrangements, taken from Mr. Page's article: First Great Western: racks for up to six bikes on all trains; First North Western: maximum of two cycles per train; GNER: maximum of five cycles per train; Northern Spirit: room for two cycles on most services; Virgin Trains (West Coast): maximum of four cycles;

Virgin Trains (Cross Country): room for between four and ten on some trains; Wales & West: most services carry bicycles 'as long as there is room'.

There's the rub: as long as there is room. Even when room is deliberately made, there appears to be little of it. Compare the above with what I saw in Germany's Pfalz in September. In mid-morning one Sunday, a DMU drew into Hinterweidenthal on the single-track line between Landau and Pirmasens. The area is rural, attractive and much used for recreational purposes, as well as for commuting and longer distance travel. In short, it's rather like our Barnstaple Line.

Picture: John Gulliver I lost count at forty-nine as the bikes were lifted from the train's two cars, but there must have been a good half a dozen more. Some were folding cycles, but by no means all. Many walkers also got off. Not quite as many got on, but they included several cyclists and people clearly travelling longer distances. There was no sign that cyclists were there at the expense of other travellers.

Are we in this country too easily satisfied with 'existing arrangements'? Couldn't we learn something from the continent? The German trains weren't new, but they were beautifully fitted out for both cyclists and ordinary passengers.

Furthermore, usage was encouraged by a range of ticketing schemes aimed at both individuals and groups and by straightforward timetabling. And clearly things were working: the trains were well loaded.

Perhaps there are among our members people who are interested in both cycling and public transport, and who might have experience of taking bikes on trains on the continent? If so, we'd strongly welcome some home thoughts, if not from, then certainly about, abroad.

John Gulliver

Operational Matters Winter Timetable: whenever on a Sunday?

Sunday trains will depart from Barnstaple at 10.55 (7th January to 25th March), 11.15 (24th September to 31st December and 1st April to 13th May), 14.08 (1st April to 13th May), 14.21 (7th January to 25th March), 14.24 (when there's an 'r' in the month), 16.32 (April Fool's Day to 15th Sunday after highest January Spring Tide at Teignmouth, inclusive)...

I've made the last two up of course. Not the train times, but the notes which could have been appended to the new timetable, although even these would be accurate. The point is that the W&W's winter timetable for the North Devon Line is about its most user-friendly yet. Except, that is, for the Sunday service.

At first glance, this is lavish. Eight trains from Barnstaple to Exeter; nine in the reverse direction. Then you notice the qualifications.

For all but one of the trains in each direction, there are qualifications, set out in the usual manner in footnotes legible in faultless lighting to all with 20:20 vision and to the rest of us with the aid of magnifying glasses.

Only one train each way is scheduled to operate throughout the winter. All the rest run for limited periods only. Checks on three dates spread though the period (1st October, 3rd December and 4th February) point to a standard service of four trains in each direction, just as there was in last year's timetable.

Except that there is nothing standard about it. Nobody would dare to take a train in either direction without the most searching exanimation of the timetable's footnotes. That's bad enough in the comfort of one's own home. Imagine undertaking it on a wet winter's day at, say, Umberleigh!

The tediousness of it is enormous, the potential for mistakes huge. Yet Sundays are often busy days on the line, with large numbers of people returning to London, the Midlands and the North after weekends at home. The consequences of misreading scarcely bear contemplation. The burden of searches necessary to eliminate them can only lead people to look for more user-friendly transport modes. What all this does for the reputation of rail travel is only too easily imagined.

Without doubt, there are good reasons for this dog's breakfast of a Sunday timetable. Lets hope that something better will be served up next year.

It never rains but it pours...

Monday 22nd October was not a good day for the North Devon Line. The 07.02 down didn't get past Eggesford. Instead it had to be propelled hack to St Davids by the 07.09 from Barnstaple. That made the latter, with its usual full complement of commuters and students, twenty minutes late at Exeter.

The 07.02's failure to make it to Barnstaple meant that the 08.59 back to Exeter couldn't run. By 09.30, the crowds on the platform and in the booking office were huge. On this, the first day of the school half term holiday (when the demand for travel almost invariably rises), it was looking less and less likely that the single single (yes, I mean both 'singles') unit railcar available for the 10.14 would be able to cope. A Hookways coach had to be called up as a reinforcement. It got away just after the scheduled departure of the train, full to the aisle with passengers for Exeter. The diesel unit, already delayed by the earlier happenings, left minutes later, also with just about every seat taken. But that wasn't the end of it. Two of our Rail Group members, travelling on the later (well-filled, and internally very tatty) 12.15 from Barnstaple, found the train creeping at less than walking pace first over a river bridge and then under a road, just before Portsmouth Arms. On the way back later in the day on the 16.47 from St Davids, passengers had to transfer to waiting coaches at Eggesford. On the following morning, coaches, running twenty minutes in advance of train times, covered services between Barnstaple and Eggesford. The display panels at St Davids spelled out the familiar litany: the arrangements would continue 'until further notice'.

How long this would go on, we don't know at the time of writing. But it's worth pointing out that both station and train staff were seen to pull out all the stops to minimise the difficulties passengers faced. That was no easy matter, either at Barnstaple, where people were arriving in large numbers, or at Eggesford, where the difficulties of shepherding anxious travellers in the dark between trains and coaches were readily apparent. Their diligence did much to retrieve a very difficult situation.

This well-merited praise, however, should not be allowed to divert attention from the underlying problems. The earlier failure of the diesel unit did not go unremarked, nor did the poor internal condition of the later train. Later news of a broken rail and divers being brought in to inspect bridge foundations (four days after the line's closure) substantiated rumours of track and bridge faults which spread like wildfire among passengers. Some people, while glad that inspections were taking place, wondered why such problems had only been discovered some time after recent floods had subsided. Such concerns raise serious questions about the maintenance of and watchfulness over both the rolling stock and the track which carries it. The Barnstaple line's timetable has rightly claimed much attention in recent months. But, as these events remind us, there is clearly more to a good service than the frequency of its trains.

Then the big flood...

Picture: John Webber The last weekend of October saw some of the heaviest and longest rain to fall over the hills of north and east Devon for many years. At Cowley Bridge, the main line was washed out.

The lower reaches of the Taw Valley turned into an inland sea.

Rail and road routes between Barnstaple and Exeter became impassable.

At New Bridge, between Barnstaple and Chapleton, the waters topped the embankment. At Umberleigh, according to one of our members who managed to reach it at the height of the flood, they hammered against the rail bridge girders in waves, setting up a booming audible from the road, as if the bridge itself was on the verge of being swept away. By the

following day the waters had subsided, not a lot, but enough to reveal the damage that had been done. At New Bridge, the ballast had gone, and lengths of the underlying embankment too, leaving rails twisted and sagging over the voids. At Kingford, below Portsmouth Arms, the track had been heaved sideways.

Even in mid-November, and with track repairs under way in many places, the waters were still too high and too turgid for divers to examine the consequences for bridges at Umberleigh and elsewhere, in safety.

As I write, on 20th November, there is hope that the rail service will be restored between Exeter and Eggesford, a promise, as it were, of its full reinstatement later. Even now, though, this most recent flooding prompts important questions. They stem from three of its most striking features. One is that, apart from any consequences for the bridges, the most severe damage has been evident at precisely those places, at New Bridge and at Kingford, where it has occurred in previous years. The second is that, at each of these spots, the waters appear to have built up behind the embankments until they have finally overwhelmed them.

Picture: John Gulliver The ballast, being the final rampart at each point, has been the first to be swept away, with the substructure following. Thirdly, these breaches have been littered with debris, in which silage bales and felled timber have been particularly prominent.

It would be foolish to think that flooding can be prevented. On the contrary, all the signs are that it will become more prevalent. And it would be naive to claim that silage bales and stray timber have been the sole, or even main causes of the problems. But it's worth asking whether existing relief channels are too easily blocked by farm and other debris and whether those which do exist on this lightly engineered line are anything like sufficient to the task of allowing flood waters to pass beneath the track bed without this annual, catastrophic damage.

If they are not, and we are not prepared to have the line shut every winter, then there is little point in just reinstating the infrastructure in its present form. More drastic measures are needed. Perhaps responsibility for this should be assumed, not by the railway alone, but by the whole community it serves, in parallel with the enhancement of flood defences generally.

John Gulliver

Points of View

Re-introduction of freight on the line I read with interest (and with some amazement of the details) the article

by Duncan Rose, in issue number 4, on what he saw as the requirements for 'any re-introduction of freight to the North Devon Line'.

I cannot agree that such lengthy, time consuming and costly criteria are required. From my own experiences from within the Rail Industry, where freight traffic has been re-introduced after some years, I can assure you that, fortunately, the requirements are nothing like so complicated. For example: • re-introduction of clay from Heathfield; • traffic to/from Falmouth docks; • cement to Moorswater; • stone to Paignton; • stone to Crediton.

All of these were relatively straightforward and quickly organised. It basically requires the freight haulier (EWS in the above cases) either to approach or be approached by the customer, and then for both to arrange with whoever else might be involved, such as Railtrack and the road hauliers etc., should the business be viable to both parties.

The main reason why there has been no rail Barnstaple is simply that the economics of not unfortunately at present make economic customer situated close to the line and no offer.

freight terminal, so far, at rail to and from North Devon do sense. There is no appreciable significant traffic volume on

Tony Hill

More justification for restoring Barnstaple-Bideford line Recently announced plans to build a gas-fired power station on the original site at Yelland have naturally given rise to local concerns about the huge volume of construction traffic travelling through the expanding residential areas of Roundswell, Bickington, Fremington, Yelland and Instow.

When the original power station was built in the fifties, vast quantities of cement, steel, timber, aggregate, not to mention the generating equipment itself; came in via the Barnstaple-Bideford Railway line. This is yet another reason for this line to be restored, especially as the Rail Passenger Council has included it in its list of recommendations for future reopening.

Alan Wilkinson

Through Trains I have read with interest the comments on the possibility of a through train service between Barnstaple and London in your recent issues. While I agree with all that has been written, the one point on which I find myself at issue with most of your contributors is that the destination has to be Waterloo.

Let's took at the reality of the situation, the average journey time between Exeter and Waterloo is around 3hrs 20mins. Add to that a further hour from Exeter to Barnstaple and a traveller who makes a day-trip from Barnstaple to Waterloo will spend nearly nine hours on the train. And for how long in London? Considerably less than nine hours, that's for sure!

First Great Western, on the other hand, take a little more than 2hrs 30mins from Exeter to Paddington If they could be persuaded to take an interest in running to Barnstaple under the Open Access arrangement they would afford travellers nearly two hours more in the capital (or perhaps allow them to start later and arrive home earlier). I have heard it said that the Waterloo option is important because it would include a stop at Exeter Central. I fail to see the logic of this: why would passengers travelling from Barnstaple to London require a stop at Exeter Central en route? Are we allowing sentimentality to creep in: Barnstaple always had through trains from Waterloo in 'the good old days' and we want to put the clock back?

I suggest that a modern traveller wants modern timings and the associated convenience, and that means the quickest route.

Christopher Redwood

Points Of View is the place where you can air your views It is also the best way for the committee to be apprised of members' opinions and aspirations. It is easier to represent you if we know what you think!

Membership Matters Member's Event Richard Burningham of the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership is our guest speaker at a members' evening starting at 1915 on 7th March 2001 in the Castle Centre, The Strand, Barnstaple (opposite the former Barnstaple Town bus station).

Refreshments will be served.

Group Meetings - all are welcome Tuesday 25th January, The Corner House, Barnstaple at 1915.

Wednesday 14th March, Station Tea Rooms, Crediton from 1730.

Cheshire Railtours Grateful thanks are due to David Latimer, of Cheshire Railtours, for the generous donation of ÂŁ370, the receipts from a raffle held on one of the company's recent railtours. Currently, the company is badly affected by problems arising from Railtrack's difficulties. They intend reintroducing a full programme of tours in the Spring. For further details, call 01984 640005.

Welcome to new members Mr C Arnold Mr J Fielding Mr P Jewell Mr R Lethbridge Ms F McElderry Mr D Rose Mr Smith Mr Summerfield.

Tony Hill, David Gosling and Linda Rogers

AGM - Summary of Presentation

by John Phillips, Member of the Rail Passengers' Committee for Western England The RPC very much welcomes this opportunity to establish a firmer contact with your group. I would like firstly to explain briefly who and what we are, then go onto explain how we are striving to become more pro-active and finally address some issues which I know are of concern to the group.

The RPC comes under the umbrella of the national Rail Passengers Council. Now that the Transport Act has come into force we are to be sponsored by the Strategic Rail Authority.

The Committee's area stretches from Slough in the east to Penzance in the west and from Craven Arms in the north to Sherborne in the south. The Committee has a Chairman which is a part-time paid position and eleven members drawn from regular rail users across the region. I am the only member resident in Devon. The Committee is supported in its work by a small secretariat team of four people.

The traditional view of the Committee has been the body to whom complaints are made. This was, and remans a very important part of our work and we have achieved a number of notable successes in obtaining just compensation for passengers. Examples are given in our Annual Reports. We also react to major issues and issue press releases where a matter concerning our own area warrants media attention. However, many issues are of wider national significance and so we respond to the Rail Passengers Council to ensure the west of England perspective is taken into account.

The Committee is a statutory consultee in respect of fare revisions (on a confidential basis) and on timetable changes. In respect of the former, we have condemned Virgin for the abolition of supersaver tickets and have been instrumental in securing lower saver fares than could have otherwise been the case.

However, the Committee under its immedate past and current Chairmen, have resolved that we should be far more pro-active. To achieve this we have established a sub Committee structure which enables us to become much more focussed and members to become more expert in particular subject areas. The Committee itself meets quarterly in public at venues throughout our area. These tend to concentrate on specific issues, e.g. safety, with contributions from various industry parties. They also give the public a say and enable train operators to respond to issues raised by them and also those raised by members.

Most of the work is done by the sub-committees, however, and those activities are reported to and considered at the main meetings.

Sub Committees are TOC-specific in the case of FGW, W&W and Thames Trains with SWT, Central and VXC brought together under an 'Other TOCs' umbrella. These consider performance and timetable issues as well as service developments. There is an infrastructure Sub-Cornnittee which, among other things, considers and comments on the implications of the NMS. Finally there is a GP Sub-Committee which addresses corporate issues and policies.

An early example of our pro-active stance came as the result of a proposed cut in service on the Barnstaple branch from 11 to 7

trains on weekdays. The RUCC (as the RPC then was) was angered by this as it came without prior notice and was contained in a confidential consultation. This meant that the Committee was not able to express its views publicly. We did, however, broker a meeting between W&W and DCC which eventually resulted in broadly the service we have today. In passing, I should say that this episode once again highlighted the deficiencies in the PSR which we are still hoping to resolve when we are consulted further on the Wessex Franchise.

With only limited resources at our disposal, the concentration of efforts on the Barnstaple branch meant that our response on W&W's proposals elsewhere was lacking in that it meant some poor Cornish Branch line connections were missed. As a consequence representations were made to the Regulator who has now directed that all timetable consultations have to be accompanied by a summary of charges. This was most innportant in respect of W&W in view of the very complex nature of their services.

The RPC is also responsible for considering closure proposals. So far these have only related to very minor issues except in the case of Bath Road Depot at Bristol where we objected most strongly to the removal of the infrastructure albeit without success. We are being vigilant over the 'passing loop' at Lapford and would very much appreciate your letting us know should you hear anything untoward. We are also responsible for checking for breaches of PSR and have found some examples, including the Barnstaple line where, in a recent timetable, the requirement for trains to serve Exeter Central was breached. This was reported to the Franchising Director who required the breach to be corrected and also secured additional Sunday trains.

I turn now to Western Advance. No this is not a new form of rail ticket, but our aspirations for the future. I will just outline some of the highlights so far as Devon is concerned based upon a Wessex Franchise, bids for which are now to be sought.

Our plans start with a section entitled 'thinking bold' whereby we set out our vision for five major strategic investments all of which would to a greater or lesser degree have an impact on Devon. These are: Modernisation of the main lines from Paddington to allow a doubling of line capacity and speeds of 140mph with a target journey time of 100 minutes for London - Exeter, 200 minutes for Penzance - Reading and 90 minutes for Bristol - Plymouth.

Modernisation of other main lines to double capacity and speeds of l25mph. A journey time of 60 minutes should then be possible between Exeter and Salisbury.

Construction of additional route capacity between Reading, Heathrow, and London.

Implementation of the London Crossrail project.

Development of metro style rural-urban and intra-urban rapid transit schemes for towns and cities across our region including Exeter and Plymouth.

These all require significant investment but there is also much that can be achieved in the context of the new 20 year franchises.

Accordingly, therefore, we seek the following infrastructure improvements in Devon: Of prime importance to the RPC is the re-doubling of the Salisbury - Sherborne and Yeovil - Pinhoe sections of the South Western Main Line both to achieve an improved service and so that it can act as a viable diversionary route.

For the Barnstaple Branch we seek the installation of a passing loop at Umberleigh and raising of speed limits. We also seek the re-instatement of an Okehampton service and, therefore, double track working between Coleford Junction and Crediton and the re-instatement of the passing loop at Newton St Cyres.

We seek the re-opening of the Bideford branch.

We fully endorse the proposed re-opening of the Bere Alston - Tavistock route.

We seek an additional platform face and passing loop at Bere Alston.

We feel that the re-opening of the Tavistock - Okehanpton section should be investigated.

We support plans for an additional passing loop on the Exmouth branch.

Finally we call for a feasibility study into re-opening the Sidmouth branch and incorporating it into an Exeter metro-type service.

These will enable the service pattern that we are seeking to be introduced. I won't go through all of these but would highlight the following: London Waterloo - Exeter St Davids; two trains per hour one fast, one stopping, extended as follows: Every two hours to Penzance Four per day to Paignton Two per day to Barnstaple One per day to Newquay Barnstaple line; hourly with additional peak service, all of which should run at least as far as Exeter Central. This service could also incorporate Bideford trains with some fast trains after Barnstaple calling at Umberleigh, Eggesford, Crediton and St Davids only.

A service to Swindon via Honiton, Yeovil, Westbury and Melksham; two hourly becorning hourly over the franchise period.

Exmouth and Paignton; services to be every 20 minutes.

This level of detail has been repeated for our whole area. For those who a interested, a copy has been sent to your Secretary, and at can also be viewed on our web site at www.west-railusers.com.

I come now to how we can work more closely together. Can I repeat how delighted we are to have made this contact and I, as the local member, am very happy to act as contact and to meet once or twice a year. Our secretary, Sean O'Neill, would be very happy to ensure that you receive notices of meetings etc, and also news releases and other publications. We in turn would be pleased to be kept in touch by you via your newsletter and any other observations. Finally, of course, you are most welcome to attend our meetings especially when they are held reasonably locally.

The other issue which has been raised with me is a return to the question of infrastructure investment which seeks to avoid the disruption we are still seeing. I think that it is deplorable that the Barnstaple line is closed so often and that it has remained partly closed so long after the floods. More generally, the Committee considers that it is unacceptable to have this level of disruption and we all (and I include local government) need to put pressure on the SRA and directly to politicians to ensure that Railtrack meets its contract with TOCs to provide the paths which have been paid for. In the case of the Barnstaple line this implies an obligation to strengthen the infrastructure so that enforced closure occurs, say, every 20 years rather than every 20 months or even weeks!

John Phillips

A Cause for Celebration On Saturday 12th May 2001, the southern section of our line celebrates one hundred and fifty years of service. The Exeter & Crediton Railway was opened, on that day in 1851, from Cowley Bridge to Crediton, with much speechifying, bunting, the ingestion of various collations, the inmibibing of ale and wine, the sound of a brass band, and the arrival of the first special trains from Exeter. On the anniversary day, Crediton Station will, once again, be en fĂŞte, celebrating the event with music, dance, drama, exhibitions, craft stalls, miniature railways, vintage transport rides, and much, much more. The highlight is that steam will return to the line in the form of a special train from Hampshire hauled by Bulleid West Country Class No 34016, Bodmin masquerading as 34048, Crediton. A special renamaing ceremony will take place at Crediton station, reliving that day in March, 1948, when 34048 was itself ceremoniously named outside the booking office. Further details will be available next issue.

David Gosling