Workington Travel Difficulties

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Hopes to extend free train link in Cumbria

A free train service set up to help communities in flood-hit Cumbria could be extended until the end of May.
The service, which runs from Workington to Maryport, is said to cost ^10,000 a day - and is believed to have already cost the government ^1m.
In November flood waters devastated the area, destroying all the town's bridges, leaving residents cut off.
Workington MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Tony Cunningham said he had appealed to the government directly for the extension.
The service was originally scheduled to run until the end of 2009, but was granted an extension until 2 May 2010.
Workington MP Tony Cunningham said he had asked for the service extension until the end of May because he had concerns the new road bridge would not be ready, despite being told the bridge was a month ahead of schedule.
He said: "When the bridge is open there may be teething problems. It's a new bridge with a new road. What we don't want is to suddenly have the end of the free train and a situation forcing a lot of people on to the road at a time when the new bridge is there, with issues surrounding that."
He said transport minister Sadiq Khan had said he would extend the service until the end of May.
The free service, operated by Northern Rail trains, is funded by the Department of Transport.
Mr Cunningham said the service cost ^10,000 a day and had already run up a bill of ^1m.
Northern Rail said it was still in discussions with the Department of Transport and Cumbria County Council regarding the extension.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Transport plea after Workington bridge opens

Workington residents are being urged not to jump back into their cars, even though the town's temporary road bridge has opened.
The county council has begun a campaign to encourage people to continue to use public transport, car share or walk.
Motorists no longer face a 18 mile (29km) detour to get across the town, but some congestion is expected.
As part of the Keep Workington Moving scheme, postcards have been distributed to more than 14,000 properties.
Posters are also being displayed at bus and train stations around west Cumbria.
Andrew Moss, Cumbria County Council's head of highways and transportation, said while it was good news the bridge was open, it would not answer all the town's transport needs.
"Even though our traffic management team have put in place measures to ease any congestion we recognise that life won't be completely back to normal," he said. "So I would ask people to consider their options before they travel and use buses, trains, foot or pedal power if they can instead of relying on the car. This is particularly so for people making a regular trip such as the daily commute."

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Times & Star:

FINAL WEEK FOR FREE TRAIN SERVICE

Train services in West Cumbria will revert to pre-flood schedules from the end of this month with free travel and shuttle services coming to an end.

Six months after the floods and a month after Workington^s temporary road bridge opened, Northern Rail has confirmed that the shuttles will cease next Friday and fares will be reintroduced next Saturday, with a day return between Workington and Maryport costing ^2.

The temporary Workington North station will remain open for the foreseeable future, however, and its usage will be monitored by Northern Rail, Network Rail and the Department for Transport before a decision is made about its future.

The changes are expected to force many commuters who have travelled to work by train since November back into their cars, as the first train south from Maryport will leave at 6am and the next will not be until 8.21am.

In the evenings return trains will leave Workington at 4.29pm, 6.16pm and 7.12pm.

Northbound trains will depart from Workington at 6.48am, 7.43am and 8.29am and return services will leave Maryport at 5.08pm, 6.04pm and 6.50pm.

A spokeswoman for Northern Rail said the shuttle, funded by the Department for Transport, had been introduced in ^exceptional circumstances^ and since the road bridge opened passenger numbers had fallen.

She acknowledged that the pre-existing timetable had not encouraged commuters but said trying to change that in normal circumstances would take time. It was something that would be looked at if there was enough demand, she added.

Maryport^s retiring mayor, Peter Cross, has used the shuttle daily for work and said the train had been a godsend. ^I will have to go back to my car because there will not be a train that will get me to work in time,^ he said.

Detailed timetable and fare information is available on posters at stations, from the Workington ticket office, at www.northernrail.org or from Northern Rail on 0845 0000 125.

[grahame]

with a day return between Workington and Maryport costing ^2.

16 mile round trip for 2 pounds .... 12.5p / mile.

The changes are expected to force many commuters who have travelled to work by train since November back into their cars, as the first train south from Maryport will leave at 6am and the next will not be until 8.21am.

She acknowledged that the pre-existing timetable had not encouraged commuters but said trying to change that in normal circumstances would take time. It was something that would be looked at if there was enough demand, she added.

I thought that they HAD changed it.

Oh - and we know all about "looked at" if there is demand.  Perhaps she means "looked at so that we can find the best was to kick it into the long grass" - I'm hopeful that it's changing in these parts but that's so much what we have see over the years.

Maryport^s retiring mayor, Peter Cross, has used the shuttle daily for work and said the train had been a godsend. ^I will have to go back to my car because there will not be a train that will get me to work in time,^ he said.

Depressing, isn't it.   Tell 'em to go green and deny 'em the opportunity.   Then when there could be some silver lining from a distaster, don't take long term advantage of it ....


Of course, Workington's population is almost identical to Melksham's ... and after our 06:15 train the next one is 18:45 - so I suppose they don't have it as bad!

[brompton rail]

It will prove very hard to collect fares between Workington North and Workington as they journey is about 2 minutes. It might take that long to walk the length of a 156 never mind collect fares.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Award for Workington flood bridge built by Army

A bridge built by the Army in a week after flooding cut a Cumbrian town in two has been chosen for a top prize.
Workington's Barker Crossing was built after the town's Northside Bridge was washed away during last November's floods.
The 170ft (52 metre) bridge across the River Derwent was built the Corp of Royal Engineers.
It was named the outstanding development of the year at the annual Variety Club Property Awards in London.
When it opened to the public in December, it was the first time since the floods that people in Workington were able to cross the river, other than by rail.
The bridge was named Barker's Crossing after Pc Bill Barker who died when Northside Bridge was washed away.
As well as the Army winning praise, Cumbria County Council and Allerdale Borough Council were given credit for their part in making the construction of the bridge possible.
Tony Markley, Cumbria County Council's cabinet member for highways and economic development, said: "Barker Crossing has been vitally important to the people of Workington. The Army were fantastic in getting the bridge built so quickly after the floods and fully deserve this award for their efforts in helping Workington back on its feet."
Previous winners of the award include Heathrow's Terminal Five, the Welsh Assembly building and the Birmingham Bullring.

[IndustryInsider]

8th October is the date when Workington North, the temporary station, will be closing.  Expect it to feature in railway related quizzes in about 30 years time.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/general/2010/09/14-time-is-called-at-workington.html

[eightf48544]

It would be interesting to see the traffic figures before and after the road bridge opened.

[brompton rail]

Well the RailNews article suggests that 2000 passengers per day were carried shortly after opening and this has fallen to a trickle now. As Workington North wasn't that close to the housing estates, and I guess Stagecoach will have now restored the previous bus services, the station is now surplus to requirements.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

End of line for Workington's temporary station

A temporary railway station built for a flood-hit Cumbrian community is being closed after 10 months use.

Network Rail constructed the Workington North station when floods in November 2009 damaged or destroyed several road bridges in the area.

The service allowed people to travel across the River Derwent and avoid lengthy road detours.

But as road routes reopened, passenger numbers have fallen from a high of 2,200 per day to an average of two.

The station was built in six days and features two platforms, a portable waiting room, a gravel car park and a footbridge.

Hourly services ran as far north as Maryport, a few miles along the coast.

A spokesman for Northern Rail, which operated services from the station, said: "When the station first opened we were experiencing probably about 2,200 people using it per day. But that has unfortunately dwindled down to just one or two. Like any station that needs a lot of investment it is all going to depend on the business case and unfortunately with just one or two people using the train out of the station there is not a business case for keeping it open."

The company has promised a ^500,000 upgrade of Workington's main station, which will include refurbishment of platform canopies, additional lighting and improvements to waiting facilities.

The final train will stop at the station on Friday evening.