ndrailusers - Mag08

Page 1

Issue 8, October 2001

Table of Contents

Editorial

Editorial The 11.07 from Barnstaple Station, on 1st September - not a ÂŁ5 day! Picture: John Gulliver

This is the last edition of the magazine prior to this year's Annual General Meeting. At last years AGM, I anticipated that greater change would take place than has actually been the case - I should not have been so naive - and I did not anticipate that the line would be out of action, partially or wholly, for nearly half the intervening period - I should not have been so optimistic!

Problems At Barnstaple Western Summer: An Experiment By Proxy Going Continental The Cornish Railcard What's The Railway For? New Dawn It's Been A Long Wait! News Update An Early Start Friends Of Crediton AGM Readers Write Membership Matters New Members

There has never been so much Members' Meetings promise, and so much anxious disappointment, with regard to the line's future. No-one anticipates closure, but with every passing year the infrastructure declines further, the trains get older, and the politicians step ever further backwards. We know of at least one potential bidder for the Wessex franchise who has ordered his bidding team to step down, since it is thought that the new Transport Minister, Stephen Byers, is likely to be in favour of extending the current shaky and ill-omened structure, hoping that this further example of make-doand-mend will succeed where it never has in the past! Given the existing political setup - TOCs and Railtrack - the Group's view is that a long term franchise should be let to the best bidder (whatever that might mean, exactly) as soon as practicably possible, so that the process of investment and reinvigoration can start in earnest. The SRA should not be instructed to bodge and patch up the existing faltering structure, which has invested no more than the minimum required to keep the line operational (and has failed even in this), gracing our line with some of the most unsuitable and uncomfortable rolling stock currently available. We deserve better. NDRUG will be launching its policy statement The Way Ahead - The Future Of Passenger Services On The North Devon Line at November's AGM. I believe that it is the first time that the Group has organised its thoughts and aspirations in such a specific, comprehensive and official manner. The document is intended to form the core thrust of the Group's future efforts to get the line the notice it merits: it will accompany letters to the SRA; politicians - local, national, and European; the RPC; Wessex franchise bidders - anyone whom we think it might influence who, in turn, has influence on others, or who make the decisions! A structured approach is the best way the Group can influence: we must be organised and persistent - always persistent. The Way Ahead, we hope, will become an important tool in this ongoing process. David Gosling

Problems At Barnstaple There is a problem of waste disposal at Barnstaple. No, not the lack of litter bins, still absent because of the 'security situation', but rather the grossly inadequate toilet facilities. They are not extensive enough. Queues of men, women and children, sometimes stretching on to the platform, are common at busy times. There are no special facilities for the disabled, nor for parents with babies, nor for separate use by staff. At times of heavy storms, people wanting to use the facilities which do exist must negotiate the torrents of rainwater which cascade from the faulty awning directly over the main entrance doorway. The problem is compounded by the mid-afternoon closure of the station buildings. This means that there are no facilities at all from about 3.45 p.m. onwards, even though the next half an hour can be one of the busiest periods at the station, especially in summer. Your Secretary has received more telephone calls from members about this situation than any single other matter. Some have come from elderly people, for


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ndrailusers - Mag08 by Andy Hedges - Issuu