Great Western Coffee Shop

Anne Marie Morris, Conservative MP for Newton Abbot, says the Westcountry must reap the reward of train fare rises through improved investment in its rail network

The Government's announcement that regulated rail fares will increase by eight per cent is another pressure already stretched household budgets can ill afford. We are told the above-inflation rise is to fund improvements, but in South Devon we can expect to see our familiar diesel Intercity 125s for years to come. They have given sterling service for many decades, but aren't in the first flush of youth.

The M5 only goes as far as Exeter and it seems the next generation of express trains will terminate there too.

Railways are vital to our national transport infrastructure and projects like HS2, Crossrail and Thameslink are fantastic initiatives for the areas to be served. Future economic benefits far outweigh costs, which is why the Government is pressing ahead despite these tough economic times.

The drive to develop our transport links is fuelled by a desire to let businesses escape the South East, where living costs are high and the cost of commercial property higher, but for some reason we seem to be focusing almost exclusively on the North and Midlands.

Bristol will benefit from faster, more spacious trains thanks to electrification of the Great Western main line, but Devon and Cornwall, further west, once again have been overlooked for electrification.

Former public sector employees are hunting for private sector jobs, so ensuring sufficient transport links for Devon and Cornwall is essential to our future economic prosperity.

With only a short stretch of motorway running as far as Exeter, drivers then face a spider's web of roads that are often congested or not fit for purpose. I hope the Government will fund the long-awaited Kingskerswell bypass, but this is just one piece of the puzzle. A functioning road network, plus a modern rail service and better communication links could turn the region into an attractive proposition for large businesses in London and the South East.

Too often people try to portray investment in roads or railways as mutually exclusive options. We need to tackle these misconceptions and work towards a South West transport network we can all be proud of.

I was pleased to see the Government confirm its commitment to the coastal railway, which carries more than two million passengers a year and is a tourist attraction. Dawlish, Teignmouth and surrounding villages often rely on train journeys, either for business or pleasure. A train storming along the line, diving in and out of cliff tunnels as sea spray spatters the windows, is a majestic sight, reigniting the romance of the railways of old.

The line is a local asset, but many trains that use it seem to limp rather than storm and any notion of romance is ruined by the passengers being crammed inside like sardines. When people come to enjoy our beaches and moorlands they should feel as if they are travelling first class on the Orient Express.

Tourism provides employment for many people and generates indirect benefits for other industries. We need investment to cope with the extra cars on our roads and passengers on our railways at the height of the tourist season.

Short trains with only a few carriages might be sufficient for local routes used by commuters, but they cannot cope with the sheer number of visitors looking to use them in summer. Increasing the capacity of the rail network will ensure that passengers receive the premium service they are paying for.

Much-needed investment in our railway stations now seems to be forthcoming. Some stations are dated and unwelcoming, while others continue to present problems to people with disabilities.

But we must also explore reopening stations which were previously closed but might now offer a viable alternative mode of transport to the local communities.

Towns and villages expand, and routes deemed unsustainable under the Beeching reforms in the 60s, may well be an ideal solution to transport problems now.

North and West Devon bore the brunt of the Beeching axe, with many lines and stations closing, having a huge impact on the tourist industry.

The Government is now preparing to commission a new Greater Western franchise, due to start in 2013. Regardless of which operator is awarded the contract, it is important that it is given the freedom to respond to passenger requirements, whether it relates to increasing capacity or improving stations.

I've come to accept that electrification is a dream that will not be realised for some time, but it is still a long-term aim for which we should continue to strive.

Meanwhile, station refurbishments and replacing our badly overcrowded, dilapidated rolling stock are achievable and realistic goals. I will continue to put pressure on the Government to invest in the South West's transport network.

Arguably there is already a price differential for those using the 'modernised' WCML. An Anytime Return from Lancaster to Euston is ^289.00. The same ticket type from Plymouth to Paddington is ^249.00. 16% cheaper. Both journeys are around 230 miles.

Are you arguing for different price rise formulas for areas that do not have a speedy direct link to the capital? The fares system is complicated enough.

And I'd also argue that Plymouth is not a 'major city'. It only ranks 20th in the UK in terms of population.

Actually it the 14th largest city

with its hinterland

Actually it the 14th largest city and with its hinterland has a combined population of about 400,000 and though not one of Britains "major" citys unlike now it was once considered important enough by the original GW railway to warrant major investment in 1937 west of Exeter ie the Dawlish avoiding which would have been opened in 1941 if the war had not intervened.It is becoming increasingly clear in my neck of the Woods(devon/Cornwall)that the current Swindon based FGW franchise is being run exclusively for the benefit of the Great Western Main line only and that problem needs to be addressed in the new Great Western Franchise.Yesterday a friend of mine on a South West rover ticket at Swindon noted HSTs running to and fro lighty loaded compared to to the constantly rammed HSTs we have to endure in Devon and Cornwall which says it all really.

It is a fact that Plymouth is the largest city west of Bristol.

I think you'll find that the largest city west of Bristol is Glasgow. (http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/einstein3.gif) (http://www.millan.net)

Not too difficult to make the 0553 leave at 0600 and arrive in London at 0900 like it used to.

Unlike now it was once considered important enough by the original GW railway to warrant major investment in 1937 west of Exeter ie the Dawlish avoiding which would have been opened in 1941.

I do think perhaps a new route should be built when money is available which avoids the sea wall and is wired so that there are new high speed trains serving Plymouth etc.  Besides i think FGW should get some of the class 91's and mk4 stock with a new diesel loco hauling the trains from Exeter via dawlish to Plymouth/Paignton etc

Just thinking aloud here, but is there any insurmountable technical obstacle to reinstating the ability of a class 91 to control another loco at the rear given that they did have this capability previous.

Why are there so many posts suggesting future uses of 91s/Mk4s away from the ECML,  when there are no longer any clear plans to replace them with anything else ON the actual ECML?  AFAICS once the DfT decided to replace only the ECML HST fleet with IEPs, the former trains are stuck there...

It all seems such a pointless exercise...

Paul

... the 1046 Penzance to Plymouth,a pair of hopelessly inadequate and overcrowded 153s on a so called main line connecting service.My friend who has mobility problems had to stand all the way from St Austell to Plymouth. ...

Let's hope that a revamp of services doesn't cut down the number of trains retained from scrapping to a bare minimum, but rather uses the opportunity to add more seats in total.

Personally I had enough of the financial disaster and shortcomings that are the hallmark of our privatised railway and so have many other people.

I share this hope. 

It would be an ideal opportunity to add an extra carriage to the retained HSTs too.  That ought to be a no-brainer cost-wise.  The capital costs ought to be merely equal to the cost of defering cashing in on the scrap value of the coach for a few years and the running cost ought to be extra fuel and maintence only (no more operation staff would be needed) which on a growing railway where overcrowding contrains further growth should be more than offset by extra fare revenue.

BR would have done the calculation like that and concluded it could lengthen the trains without huge extra costs, but you just know that under our present system the only way the HSTs would be lengthened would be at huge cost to the tax-payer 

We'll have the 143 on the exmouth branch for several years to come - better learn to love them!

Did you go through the old carriage wash line between Temple Meads and Bedminster? I've not coloured that one in yet on my rail atlas.  :P

Not too sure about that, I think if the agreed amount of 150's eventually arrive at EX TMD, replacing the outgoing 142's, you may see the 143's return to their 'home' depot at SPM.

Hmm. It was pitch black outside the train, so I couldn't be sure - but my personal suspicion was that that was exactly where Control had sent us ...  :o ::)

That was where it went!

How odd. Does the driver sign the road? Or was he / she talked past signal B46?

According to the signalling records signal B46 (Down Main starter at Bristol West) only shows a subsidiary aspect with route indication 'C' to the Carriage Washer Line so both a signaller and driver error ::)

According to the signalling records signal B46 (Down Main starter at Bristol West) only shows a subsidiary aspect with route indication 'C' to the Carriage Washer Line so both a signaller and driver error ::)