Great Western Coffee Shop

Earlier today I spotted an interesting set of stats in the ORR's National Rail Trends - Chapter 7: Regional usage profiles. The pdf is here http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/rolling-c7-rups-v1.pdf (http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/rolling-c7-rups-v1.pdf)

It breaks stuff down into the regions, such as South West, South East, West Midlands, Wales, etc, but also gives a ballpark passenger journeys figure for each county or unitary council area in 2007-8 and the increase (or fall, though this mostly seems to affect journeys to and from Scotland, presumably down to the effect of cheap flights) this represents since 1995-6.

I'll leave it to you to pick out the bits you are interested in, but one striking thing in the South West stats is the explosion in rail traffic in Bristol, Bath and the surrounding areas since 1995. So, just to stir the pot a bit, were the civil servants who invented the county of Avon right after all? Does the area need an over-arcing body to look after transport matters? A passenger transport authority at the very least?

Many people think so, and the potential creation of a Greater Bristol Integrated Transport Authority remains a hot topic in the area - see http://www.tfgb.org.uk/

The closest thing that currently exists to it is the joint working between Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol City, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils on transport policy as part of the West of England Partnership - see their rail page at http://www.westofengland.org/transport/rail

Too right they do and the area will continue to have poor public transport so long as the situation remains as is. None of the grouos involved are willing to relinquish any power to what they see as a wholly Bristol centric transport body. They all want taking outside and shooting.

I dot not believe the statistics bear much relation to reality.

On Saturday I caught the late running [approx 40'] 1339 from Truro to Penzance. Well over a hundred people got on at intermediate stations and there were no ticket checks. As some stations such as Hayle no facilities to purchase tickets I am sure most of these people travelled free.

On Sunday on the Falmouth line there was no way of paying for a ticket on the train. On alighting at Penmere people [10 people alighting] some asked could they pay but the answer was 'no that is al right'. I can only assume the conductor's ticket machine was on the blink.