'On track with Dave Wood', in the Bristol Evening Post, every Tuesday

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Opinion piece from the Bristol Evening Post (13/07/2010):

It beggars belief the council is ignoring rail

At a recent meeting, Bristol City Council went ahead with a ^48 million bendy bus scheme despite Government warnings that the money may not be there.

You could understand if the money was for the reopening of the Portishead rail line to passengers. But a bendy bus? It is not worth taking the risk. The council is prepared to risk ^170,000 for it. Is this taxpayers' money? We are all told to tighten our belts, expect no pay rises for two years. Do I need to carry on? How many times has it got to be said the bendy bus is not up to the job? It speaks volumes when other places around the country are getting rid of it, including Boris Johnson's London.

The obvious choice to cure Bristol's transport problems is our local rail network. This is where the problem starts. It seems our local decision makers do not want to invest in our local railways.

The council wants to spend ^40m to have a bendy bus route from Ashton Vale to Temple Meads. Why spend this ^40m on a new route into Bristol when nearby is the Portishead rail line that runs from Ashton Gate directly into Bristol Temple Meads station. No money needs to be spent on new bridges and the infrastructure for the railway is all in place. It beggars belief the council is ignoring the railway with its obvious advantages.

The catchment area along this rail corridor is huge, and could include a new station at Ashton Gate for the new Bristol City football stadium at Ashton Vale. And if Sainsbury's supermarket gets built, a new Ashton Gate station would come into its own. Also on this direct rail route into Bristol are Parson Street and Bedminster stations. If the travelling public had a half-hour train service here this line would be well used .

The ^170,000 would be better spent on a new platform at Shirehampton park and ride site. This is where the money is needed on the successful Severn Beach line that is attracting new passengers all the time. People coming into Bristol from South Wales and Portishead could use this park and ride site. It is ideal for them to leave their cars there and then travel by train to their work in Bristol. By getting people to use this park and ride site it would reduce traffic congestion in Bristol.

Millions of pounds have been spent on showcase buses and bus lanes. For all this there has not been much increase in passengers using the buses. Compare this with the successful increase in people using the railways, up between 35 to 45 per cent and still climbing. Our local railways are crying out for investment, but they are being ignored because our decision makers prefer buses that cannot attract passengers like the railways. It is quite obvious the Bristol public want railway investment.

Forget the bendy bus and invest in successful Bristol railways.

Dave Wood is a member of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union, Bristol. The above is written in a personal capacity.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From a FoSBR^» (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - site) (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) flyer:

'On track with Dave Wood' is a weekly column - every Tuesday - in the Bristol Evening Post.

Dave is a rail worker, an RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) member and a FoSBR who shares our vision for a frequent, reliable, affordable service to the 26 stations in the greater Bristol area.

Everyone can support rail by buying the Tuesday Evening Post and making the case for rail by e-mailing epletters@bepp.co.uk

Dave's first column was on Tuesday 6 July 2010.

[JayMac]

Replies to the Dave Wood column of 13th July as printed in Bristol Evening Post's letters page.

Public transport in Bristol and the surrounding areas has been poor and too expensive for many years. There have been a myriad of reasons but one of the key ones has been the failure of the different political groups and neighbouring councils to reach agreement and therefore make progress.

With the Government facing a massive inherited financial problem it is clear that money will be tight. Discussions took place between myself and the transport representatives of the three Conservative-controlled councils that make up the West of England Partnership. The view was unanimous that because our schemes were mainly public transport improvements and provided a much higher return on investment than some of the road bypass schemes elsewhere, we should press on while at the same time speaking to Government about what modifications they might favour.

This policy, in the shape of pushing ahead with Transport and Works Act approval for an Ashton to city centre route, was put to Bristol and North Somerset full council. All three parties in Bristol approved and voted for it, as did North Somerset who contributed some of the money.

We could have pulled out but the result would have been a massive blow to transport improvements for Bristol and surrounding areas for many years to come and damage to our partnership.

I have made no secret of the fact that I feel that ultra-light rail must play a more important role in major schemes, but please bear in mind the Ashton scheme can run single and double-decker buses as well as bendy buses, thus improving services to Weston-super-Mare and other towns. Also, even if in discussions with Government the technology then changes on this route, the money being spent over the next three months will not be thrown away.

Whether we are fully or partly successful with the individual funding bid remains to be seen, but having all parties and all four councils agreed and united on supporting this scheme is important. Even if the cash from Government does not come straight away, having the agreed completed design ready will mean that as other funding opportunities arise we will be ready.

Councillor Gary Hopkins,

Bristol City Council cabinet member for strategic transport, waste and targeted improvement.


IN his article of July 13, 'It beggars belief the council is ignoring rail', Dave Wood of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMTU) attacks the council for "risking" ^170,000 on the proposed rapid bus route, claiming they should be investing in the rail line through Ashton Gate.

The RMTU is a tireless advocate for the rail network and for that all public transport users should be grateful to them. But as Mr Wood well knows, there is simply no money in the city budget to spend on the rail network.

The rapid bus route is costing ^47.6 million, of which the city council is contributing ^4.6m and the Government the remaining ^43m. Unfortunately for the council, it is a case of spending ^4.6m and getting a rapid bus route or getting nothing at all. The DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) is not going to send enough money to reopen the Portishead rail line in a gift box anytime soon, and the council certainly doesn't have the cash.

Until central Government commits to spending on public transport on a scale equal to our European neighbours, rapid bus routes are the best we can hope for.

There is transport money available in this country, but the policy of the last Government and apparently this one as well is to spend it on bypasses and link roads.

The new Transport Minister's first utterance was that he was going to "end the war on the motorist" and he has since proven himself to be firmly in thrall to the road lobby. Any new money for public transport is five years away at least.

In an ideal world we would be getting trams and electrified rail lines rather than bendy buses. But it is only Boris Johnson who is getting rid of bendy buses, rather than cities across the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) as Mr Wood claims, and that was mainly because it was the only thing in Boris's election manifesto he could actually do.

Mr Wood claims the council is risking taxpayers' money in an era of belt-tightening. The reality is that the council can either commit nothing and be guaranteed no transport infrastructure in the city for the next five years minimum, or commit the ^170,000 to get the ^43m of Government money to provide a rapid bus route that, while hardly ideal, will provide tangible benefits. We'd all like to see more spent on public transport. But it would be folly to let the perfect kill the good.

Tom Follett,

Blagdon.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Dave Wood's column, from the Bristol Evening Post, for 20 July 2010:

How encouraging to hear that this great city of Bristol is in line to get a 10,000-seat concert arena, at Ashton Vale near the proposed Bristol football stadium.

This will raise the profile of south Bristol, which for too long has been neglected. South Bristol is now undergoing a revival in much-needed investment. With the prospect of a new football stadium, a new concert arena and a new Sainsbury's store there is a lot to look forward to.

Before we get carried away there is the issue of transport that needs to be addressed. The West of England Partnership, which applies for funding, and Gary Hopkins, Bristol City transport boss, would like the bendy bus to run from the park and ride at Ashton Vale, to Bristol city centre and Temple Meads station. We are told ^48 million is needed to complete these routes.

To start off, a new bridge would have to be built over the existing Portishead line. Also the route of the bendy bus would be along Cumberland Road on an existing redundant railway line. But there are concerns that by using this railway line, the weakening of the listed Ashton Avenue River Bridge, puts paid to any train journey's again.

Also, the lowering of the railway track bed under Cumberland Road Bridge increases the risk of flooding here. Also, the harbour railway will have to be realigned into a kind of switchback ride over a shortened distance and reduced steaming days.

It would be better if this heritage environment was left as a railway for whatever leisure purposes and for any rail opportunity that may arise.

The obvious choice to sort out south Bristol's transport system is to invest in the Portishead line. It is right on the door step of the proposed football stadium and concert arena, also it is just across the road to the proposed Sainsbury's.

This is where the West of England councillors and Gary Hopkins should be looking to invest. It so obvious, but why are they neglecting the Portishead line?

The entire railway infrastructure is in place, except a new railway station at Ashton Gate. The catchment area of this line is immense, so why is this railway line being ignored? Also, south Bristol is lucky to have Parson Street station; this is on the main line to London.

Until our decision makers stop starving our local Greater Bristol Metro system, our transport system will always be inadequate. Start investing in the Greater Bristol Metro now.

Out of goodwill to the community, why don't Sainsbury's and Bristol City Football Club help with costs to a new Ashton Gate railway station? It is only right they should do this, because of the unrest these building projects have generated. Also it would show the community, they are prepared to contribute to the area.

●Dave Wood is a member of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union, Bristol. The above is written in a personal capacity.

[JayMac]

Dave Wood's latest column from the Bristol Evening Post (10/08/2010):

This August will see the 175th anniversary of the Great Western Railway.

Today that railway carries tens of millions of passengers a year through the Thames valley, the West Country and Wales.

There has been an ever-improving service for passengers and freight. More people are choosing to travel by train, and high levels of growth are predicted to continue, particularly around London Paddington and Bristol. Demand for freight is also expected to continue to grow, as it is increasingly recognised as an economically sensible and environmentally efficient form of transport.

Here in Bristol, the re-opened old West Depot freight yard at South Liberty lane, Bedminster, just beyond Parson Street Station, is proving to being a success. What is needed is more freight yards to be opened up in Bristol, for example the old marshalling freight yard at East Depot in Brislington, just off Saint Phillips Causeway.

The British economy is boosted to the tune of ^870 million a year by the rail freight industry. Rail transport now accounts for the movements of more than 100 million tons of goods, worth around ^30 billion each year ^ and that figure is destined to grow.

These are promising times for the railway, unless the Conservative- Liberal Democrat coalition Government nips it in the bud.

The railways need investment, to get us out of this recession. If this Government comes down heavily on transport with spending cuts, they will set us back years.

What is needed is to electrify the Great Western line to London Paddington.

Another concern is rolling stock ^ we are short of carriages ^ and this needs to be addressed. As high levels of passenger growth are expected in the Bristol area, so more carriages are needed. And we need to make sure the order for rail carriages is given to British firms to keep people employed.

Improved rail links could also help hundreds of thousands of ordinary people hold down better jobs, according to a study. The Research Institute's Centre for Cities looked at rail projects, and found they were especially good news for nurses, tradesmen, clerical and skilled workers and sales people. Better links meant they could tap into new opportunities and higher wages.

We're in a difficult jobs climate and it's unlikely future opportunities will be found on the doorstep.

Lets hope this Government is listening. To the best of my knowledge we will have a better picture of what is happening come the autumn.

Dave Wood is a member of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union, Bristol. The above is written in a personal capacity.

[JayMac]

Column from the Bristol Evening Post (17/08/2010):

Bristol City Council should know whether it can swap bendy buses for an ultra-light tram system by the autumn.

Having read the rush is on to develop something that can be used on the Portishead and Severn Beach railway branch lines, it should also be capable of transposing from a rail mode vehicle to a street mode vehicle on Bristol's greater road network.

This concept comes across as futuristic, forward thinking, and appealing. Also it comes across as a very innovative idea, because when it is used on the road network no utility companies, water or gas services will be interfered with. And the ultra- light train will run on rails laid down. There will also be no overhead electric cables to worry about. It all sounds absolutely wonderful then, when explained like this.

Now let's start coming into the real world. Investment will be needed to be put into the Portishead and Severn Beach lines. This will not come cheap, as these lines have been starved of investment in the past. We are looking at millions of pounds here ^ have the Conservative and Lib Dem Government, Bristol City Council and the West of England Partnership budgeted for this? I am not trying to be negative or put a dampener on things, but all this needs to be taken into consideration.

Are they considering building new platforms at Portishead and Ashton Gate? Will they be rebuilding and opening Pill station, because this is required on the Portishead line? On the Severn Beach line, are they going to build a new platform at the Shirehampton park-and-ride site next to the Severn Beach line? Also are they going to double the track from Clifton Down station to Montpellier station? Because all of this will be needed to get at least a 30-minute train/tram service here.

Personally I do not think a lot of things have been properly thought out. It is quite obvious the Conservatives and Lib Dems want to destroy our public services. They are interested in the ultra-light train because it is cheap.

It is a corner-cutting exercise that could leave us with lots of problems for future generations.

It is bad now ^ we do not want it getting any worse.

We should think hard and long on this one, it is not as good as it is made out to be.

Any money left over from the bendy bus because of spending cuts should go to improvements to the Greater Bristol rail network.

Dave Wood is a member of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union, Bristol. The above is written in a personal capacity.

[JayMac]

Rather than continuing to quote Dave's column in full every week, I'll just post the link in future.

Column from 24/08/2010:

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/track-Dave-Wood/article-2561365-detail/article.html

[JayMac]

An interesting response to Dave Wood's latest column in the Bristol Evening Post from the four Executive Members of the West of England Partnership Joint Transport Executive:

Your correspondent speaks plenty of sense

Your correspondent, Dave Wood, is correct with his calls for investment in rail. The railways play an important part in reducing congestion and improving the economic future of the area, which is why they are a priority for the four West of England councils.

The councils have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Network Rail, First Great Western, CrossCountry and South West Trains in order to ensure that we work ever closer, and we have close relationships with rail groups such as the Severnside Community Rail Partnership.

Our Greater Bristol Metro major transport proposal aims to enhance the local rail network with half-hourly cross-Bristol train services. It is a key element of our programme of transport schemes.

Changes at Bath and Keynsham stations have been made as a result of our lobbying; Bristol City Council, as a single example, supports the Severn Beach Line with a subsidy of ^400,000 a year. Rail patronage locally has increased by 8 per cent over 2008/09 levels, with significant increases at Filton Abbey Wood and on the Severn Beach line.

We have been successful in getting improvements to local services and infrastructure included in Network Rail's Great Western Route Utilisation Strategy, March 2010 setting out long-term plans for the rail network. A great deal of work has been done investigating the costs and work involved in reopening the rail link to Portishead, allowing us to plan ahead in partnership with Network Rail. We have actively supported the electrification of the Great Western mainline to Bristol with the potential for electrified suburban services.

A new railway station costs in the order of ^5 million; a kilometre of track can cost in the order of ^11m to lay; a single railway carriage costs about ^1m. This sort of spending has to be balanced against councils' duty to support and maintain schools, provide elderly care, protect vulnerable children, provide housing for those who need it, collect and recycle rubbish, be ready to manage emergency situations such as floods or other extreme weather, repair and maintain roads, catch rogue traders, benefit cheats and fly-tippers, run libraries and leisure centres ^ to list but a few of their tasks.

The Department for Transport oversees the franchise process and the allocation of rolling stock. We would welcome any support Mr Wood could give us lobbying them on our behalf for an increase in local spending as soon as possible.

The councils in the West of England Partnership are working together and investing in transport improvements, it is being progressed in stages. The changes that can be made relatively easily, quickly and at affordable budgets are being done first. But be certain, rail improvements are on our agenda.

The four Executive Members of the West of England Partnership Joint Transport Executive, Councillor Charles Gerrish, Bath & North East Somerset, Councillor Gary Hopkins, Bristol City Council, Councillor Elfan Ap Rees, North Somerset, Councillor Brian Allinson, South Gloucestershire.

[JayMac]

Column from 31st August 2010:

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/track-Dave-Wood/article-2585581-detail/article.html

[JayMac]

Column from 7th September 2010:

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/lifestyle/Highest-Europe/article-2617880-detail/article.html

[eightf48544]

Perhaps he should suggest that Bristol councillors visit Karslruhe.

Just come back from there. Trams run on heavy rail sharing tracks with 70 year old steam locos, freights, REs^▸ (Religious Education) and ICE and then through the streets of Karlsruhe and Heilbronn. They run for over 100kms from near the French border to East of Heilbronn. They clip along at up to 100kph.

At Heilbronn you catch the tram from the road in front of the station and then proceed to cross the mainline to Stuttgart to get to the line to Karslruhe. It's quite interesting to stand on Heilbronn Haptbahnhof and watch the trams cross over the the mainlines. No problems they run under standard heavy rail signals with Indusi the German safety system which stops a train if the driver tries to SPAD^▸ (Signal Passed At Danger).

They would be ideal for the Portishead and Severn Beach, including round to Filton, branches with street running  in Bristol city centre sharing lines wth Freight and HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) on a loop through Temple Meads, Heavy rail electrified at 25KV mainline  standard, street running 600/750 DC^▸ (Direct Current). As in Karlsruhe although the German standard mainline is 15KV 16 2/3 cycles.

[paul7575]

Perhaps he should suggest that Bristol councillors visit Karslruhe.

If he wants to save travel expenses why not just go to Sunderland. 

Tyne Wear Metro light rail vehicles share tracks with DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit), HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) and 66s hauling coal from Tyne Dock.

Paul

[ChrisB]

From a FoSBR^» (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - site) (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) flyer:

Everyone can support rail by buying the Tuesday Evening Post

No mention of increasing the profit/ sales of the paper then?....

[JayMac]

Column from 14th September:

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Platforms-falling-apart-overgrown/article-2639391-detail/article.html

Column from 21st September:

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/track-Dave-Wood/article-2666485-detail/article.html

[JayMac]

Column from 28th September:

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/track-Dave-Wood/article-2693436-detail/article.html