Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways (FoSBR) - merged topics

[whole diary]

[inspector_blakey]

I never tire of looking at the mural at Stapleton Road, it's great. I always seem to "find" something new every time I look at it. And notice how it's almost completely graffiti-free even after being there for some time!

[Cruithne3753]

I never tire of looking at the mural at Stapleton Road, it's great. I always seem to "find" something new every time I look at it. And notice how it's almost completely graffiti-free even after being there for some time!

I saw someone who appeared to be tending to it this afternoon, so it probably gets occasional maintenence.

[grahame]

I've posted some pictures of the murals and other railway atrwork in the Bristol area in the "Frequent Poster's Club" at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=5589.0 .

There are issues with copyright on photographs of art by artists who are still alive or who have been within the past 50 years, so I don't think I could post the images directly on the public readable board  - pity, because they're rather good pictures (made by the artwork, not the chump behind the camera!). However, we can I think show the withing our clique of well established mebers, which is whatI have done.

Cruithne3753 - welcome to the forum.  In just a few more posts, you'll move up automatically to the next level of membership which will give to access to "Frequent Posters" ... including the pictures and an extra board.   "Frequent Posters" isn't our busiest board, but it's an interesting place to catch up with folks and to be able to let your hair down just a little.

[Chris from Nailsea]

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

Campaigners fighting to improve local railway services are to lobby Network Rail bosses when they meet to discuss future transport plans for Bristol.

Network Rail (NR^» (Network Rail - home page)) propose the minimum service needed on the Severn Beach line is hourly.

Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways (FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways)) disputes this, claiming (NR) has used 2007 figures which do not show increases in passengers since then.

FOSBR will also meet local councillors and MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament) to discuss the issues.

The group claims Network Rail has rejected the Greater Bristol Metro project which would offer a half-hourly service cross-city from Weston to Yate.

The proposal has the support of the West of England Partnership which has included it within its bid for government transport funding.

"People want a good local train service," said Rob Dixon of FOSBR. "We need to invest in rail schemes like Portishead, the Greater Bristol Metro, doubling the track between Clifton Down and Montpelier and increasing the number of tracks on the mainline."

FOSBR is also calling for the line from Temple Meads to Parkway, which is currently two tracks, to be widened to allow more services to be run.

In a statement Network Rail said: "Network Rail shares the aspiration to grow and improve the railway and welcomes opportunities to achieve that. Any proposals have to go through the formal process of consultation with the wider industry, which include train operators and local authorities. The wider industry will have to agree the feasibility of the proposals put forward before they are included in the 10-year strategy."

[matt473]

Having now sampled the delights of the traffic in Bristol since September, I can see why an Urban railway service is needed in Bristol. There are large amounts of traffic from around 7am up until 7pm suggesting a large number of people need to travel around Bristol for the majority of the day. There is a large potential market for such a railway system which can cater for commuters, students and leisure travellers. Living in the city centre, if it was not for my bus pass included in my rent I would be catching the train to University (UWE campus at Frenchay) as it is quicker and will not be affected by traffic. I am not the only person who would do this whilst people from Portishead area for example who currently drive in would use the train as they already don't want to drive but have no alternative as the bus service is not suitable. I really hope this gets off the ground as Bristol deserves a decent urban rail system.

[welshman]

There's lots of nice theory here and the suggested use of the Henbury loop and opening of Portishead would be great.

I'm afraid, however, that the centre of Bristol is too far away from the stations.

Temple Meads is well to the south of the city centre and the line running to the south west is on the far side of the Avon from the city centre.  Going east or rather north east from Temple Meads towards Filton/Parkway etc is even further from the city centre.  The Severn Beach line runs east- west between Montpelier, Redland and Clifton Down and as far to the north of the city centre as Temple Meads is to the south.

The centre of the city is the axis between the new Cabot Circus and The Centre outside the Colston Hall.  The old university is on the hill to the north of The Centre. UWE is split between three campuses (campi?) to the north east.  Anyone travelling to any of the current or proposed Bristol urban stations, especially if they have a pram or a pushchair, would need a bus as well.  If you were coming to Cabot Circus it's easier to drive in to Newfoundland Street from the M32.  CC is right in front of you.

The Bristol issue is that the railway is in the wrong place because it got there after the City.  Contrast Cardiff with its 20 stations. Cardiff is a consequence of the railway built to get coal to the docks.  It's two main stations are at either end of the shopping/working centre and there's a spur to the Bay (or down the docks as they called it in my day).

Bristol is a consequence of the slave trade and transatlantic sailing ships.  The slave trade was abolished in 1807 in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom).  Brunel had to put his railway in the gaps.

[inspector_blakey]

I don't want to seem overly pedantic, but from the few snippets of local history I remember from attending school in Bristol it's been a major settlement for the last 1000 years or so. Bit of a stretch to say that the existence of the city is a consequence of the slave trade!

[welshman]

You've failed, you are overly pedantic.   

A slight oversimplification, I grant.  But your comment reinforces my point - the railway got there well after Bristol whereas in Cardiff the railway got there first. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Network Rail press release:

Network Rail today has received accolades from the local user group, Friends of Suburban Bristol Railway, for its efforts in improving the Severn Beach branch line.

Trains going northbound on the Severn Beach branch line can now terminate at or turn back from Clifton to Bristol Temple Meads.

This improvement promises a more reliable service for passengers travelling on the busiest part of the branch line.

It also spells an opportunity for more trains to run between these stations, accommodating the industry^s aspiration to boost capacity on this line in the future.

Jointly funded by Network Rail and the Bristol City Council, the scheme aims to reduce the delays by enabling services between Clifton ^ Bristol Temple Meads to continue to run when the rest of the branch line is congested or has failed.

Work was carried out by Network Rail to install a new signal equipment near Clifton Down. Depending on further study on time-table modelling, this enhanced capability could enable four trains to run per hour.

Mike Gallop, principal programme sponsor for Network Rail, said: ^We are honoured to receive this recognition from Friends of Suburban Bristol Railway.  Schemes like this are critical to improving service performance as the daily operation of the railway becomes more robust.  Around 75% of the passenger journeys made on the Severn Beach branch line are between Clifton ^ Bristol Temple Meads and this line is an important link for them.  We are really pleased to see a little of our effort will go a long way for passengers.^

Besides this, Network Rail has also renewed life-expired tracks between Montpelier Tunnel and Avonmouth Dock Junction as well as at Narroways Hill Junction.  These efforts have significantly improved the reliability of the infrastructure on the line.

The railway in Great Western is one of the top ten best performing routes with an annual average of 92.4% of trains arriving on time every day.

[IndustryInsider]

Welcome improvements for the local users of the route I'm sure, but is it just me, or do NR^» (Network Rail - home page) take the opportunity to blow their own trumpet a little too often?

[Brucey]

So services on the inner part of the line will increase but the outer part will see fewer trains?  Is this correct?

[JayMac]

Back to hourly outside the peaks would be fine for Sea Mills, Shirehampton and Avonmouth. And that's coming from a regular user of Shirehampton. Don't really see the need for 3 every 2 hours through the day.

As long as the service is robust and the turnback isn't used as an excuse to cancel services beyond Clifton Down then 1/2 hourly to Clifton, hourly to Avonmouth and 2 hourly to Severn Beach would work out fine IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion).

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Bristol Evening Post:

Rail industry is growing and needs investment

I am writing on behalf of Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways (FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways)) in response to the announcement by Transport Secretary Philip Hammond that the Government is to review the provision of new carriages.

FOSBR is concerned about this and the likelihood that cuts to the transport budget are likely to fall disproportionately on rail, which is a more environmentally-friendly form of transport.

The Government has said it does not offer value for money because costs have increased and that new carriages may no longer be needed because of the recession.

The point about value for money has some basis in fact. Ever since the rail network was privatised, train companies have had to hire carriages at great expense from rolling stock companies. Our rail network costs more to run and maintain than those of other European countries because of the structures imposed by privatisation.

Under the previous government, the Department for Transport told train companies like First Great Western how many and what type of carriages they could hire. The Conservatives said before the election they would stop the department interfering with such details. We hope this review is not a sign this interference is continuing.

FOSBR understands the government is reviewing its spending in view of the financial crisis but believes it is vital that they invest for the future. FOSBR is concerned that Bristol needs investment in our railway and cuts will stop this from happening. For too long Bristol has been the poor relation when it comes to spending on the railways, and investment such as re-signalling has been repeatedly postponed. We are also concerned that cuts will lead to cuts in services, with fewer trains stopping at local stations.

Network Rail recently produced their 10-year strategy for our region. In this they said that demand in the Bristol area has not been affected by the recession.

Instead, demand is still rising at faster levels than expected. From 1994 to 2005, passenger numbers at Bristol area stations more than doubled and they have increased by a third again since then. It is predicted that they will increase by at least another 30 per cent in the next 10 years.

First Great Western are already short of trains. Network Rail said it is vital trains are lengthened on the routes through Bristol from Cardiff to Portsmouth and from Gloucester to Weymouth as these are already crowded.

FOSBR asks that our councillors and MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament) put pressure on the government to ensure Bristol gets what it already needs and does not stay the poor relation in terms of transport.

Rob Dixon,

Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways,

Lawrence Hill.

[Chris from Nailsea]

See http://fosbr.org.uk/events

Timetable:
09:46 Depart Severn Beach
10:08 Clifton Down
10:21 Bristol Temple Meads
10:37 Nailsea & Backwell
10:54 Arrive Weston-super-Mare

16:14 Depart Weston
16:33 Nailsea & Backwell
16:53 Bristol Temple Meads
17:05 Clifton Down
17:33 Severn Beach

[JayMac]

I'm on this service on Sunday (18/07) from Shirehampton to Temple Meads (for onward travel to that London!). Am I likely to see some coffee shop faces? Will be nice, and kinda weird, to put faces to forum contributors.

BTW^▸ (by the way), I'll be easy to spot. I'm the guy with a big nose and a hypo Staffordshire Bull Terrier!!!