New funding for south west rail study

[whole diary]

[grahame]

The Department for Transport and Great Western Railway (GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)) today (9 February) announced funding for a new study into improvements to railway infrastructure between London and Devon and Cornwall.

The study, which will be carried out by Network Rail and funded and commissioned by GWR, will look at what more can be done to existing track, signalling and other railway infrastructure to improve line speed and ensure the full benefits of the new trains coming onto the network are realised.

The work will inform a report which the Peninsula Rail Task Force is providing to the government this summer, and the consideration of future funding for the railway and franchises on the route.

The Task Force is a rail improvement group formed in early 2013, comprising five local authority areas and two Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs^» (Local Enterprise Partnership - about)).

Rail Minister Claire Perry said:

"I was determined to find a funding solution for this study to look at line speed improvements and I am delighted that Great Western Railway have provided the backing. We are absolutely committed to improving the resilience of the South West^s rail network, with more than ^70m invested in this route so far and routine maintenance continuing to strengthen the line further."

Rail passengers in the south west are already set to benefit from better and faster journeys with the go-ahead from a brand new fleet of AT300 trains running between London and Cornwall, which was announced last year. The deal will allow Great Western Railway to buy 29 new long distance trains to serve the south west from 2018. This will cut journey times from London to Exeter by up to 5 minutes, to Plymouth by up to 6 minutes and to Penzance by up to 14 minutes.

GWR's Commercial Development Director Matthew Golton said:  "In the coming years we will be delivering the biggest fleet upgrade in a generation of the Great Western network - including a brand new fleet of trains for customers travelling between Devon and Cornwall and London to deliver faster, more frequent services into the capital from 2018.

"With such significant investment on its way, we need to take the opportunity now to make sure the right infrastructure can be in place to maximise the journey time, frequency and capacity benefits that the new AT300 fleet will bring. Our report will help provide information and data to help support the business case for further infrastructure improvements and better connectivity for the region."

Mark Langman, Network Rail^s managing director for the Western route, said:

"The funding of this study is really welcome news for all rail passengers in Devon and Cornwall. We know how important rail services are to the region and how passengers rely on the links both within the region and onwards to London and other major cities. We can now get this study underway and will work closely with Great Western Railway to enable a start as soon as possible.

"Network Rail's Western route is developing a programme of investment to upgrade the rail network in the west and south west and we look forward to working with Great Western Railway to see how we can bring further benefits for passengers following the introduction of new longer trains and timetables."

[TonyK]

I declare a vested interest here, with a home in Devon, not far from the site of the former Bishops Nympton and Molland station. Whilst it would be nice to see that reopen, though probably impossible, I shall take little comfort from this article so far as improvements are concerned. A few points might help to explain why.

Firstly, we have had a Rail Task Force for over 3 years, but have only just decided that it is time to look into some rail tasks. There are a number of significant changes in the offing, not least of which is the introduction of the new trains. The task - to "look at what more can be done to existing track, signalling and other railway infrastructure to improve line speed and ensure the full benefits of the new trains coming onto the network are realised" is far from an amateur one, which is why Network Rail and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) will be doing the work to "inform" the report to be sent to the Government by the Task Force. Given the rather tight timescale, this looks a bit like window dressing, to get the Task Force's rubber stamp on a report to government saying what GWR want and how Network rail are prepared to comply.

Secondly, the minister's statement that there has been "more than ^70m invested in this route so far and routine maintenance continuing to strengthen the line further" looks very much like re-announcement of the repairs at Dawlish as much as anything else. The truth may be that the minimum spend to keep the line actually opened after interference by nature has been given the cloak of major new investment.

Thirdly, Matthew Golton appears very confident that GWR will win the next franchise. Professional bravado or insider information?

Fourthly, one of the local newspapers, the Western Morning News declares that:

GWR will buy 29 new long distance trains to serve the south west from 2018.

That may be a bit of sloppy journalism, but the tenor of the press release rather encourages it.

Lastly, the Peninsular Rail task Force seems to have ruffled feathers elsewhere by promoting faster services to Exeter at the expense of Westbury. Where is joined up thinking here?

In short, is there anything here beyond another bit of publicity for a ministerial visitation, the announcement of money that has already been spent, a study to rubber stamp work that has already been done, and a raising of false hopes? After all, the elephant in the room of a Dawlish avoiding line doesn't even get a mention, meaning it is surely on the back-burner, probably without the gas being lit.

[Andy]

I read this in exactly the same way as "Four Track, Now!", being struck by the same phrase:

"look at what more can be done to existing track, signalling and other railway infrastructure to improve line speed and ensure the full benefits of the new trains coming onto the network are realised"
what can be done to existing track?
what can be done to exisiting signalling?
what can be done to existing other railway infrastructure?

If one takes out already planned changes in these areas, what is left?

Platform extensions for the longer trains?
 

[grahame]

Also reported in the Plymouth Herald

"Money is found to finish study into how to improve Plymouth's rail link to London"

Interesting to note report is dated yesterday, when press embargo was until 00:01 this morning. Oops!

[FarWestJohn]

It would be progress to hear the contract has been let for the Totnes to Penzance re-signalling which is supposed to be completed in time for the enhanced service in December 2018.

[Zoe]

According to the recently published "Enhancements Delivery Plan Update", the full resignalling will not be done until CP6^▸ (Control Period 6 - The five year period between 2019 and 2024) (2019 - 2024).  There will instead be some work to allow 2 tph from December 2018 ahead of the full resignalling later.  Details on page 169 of http://www.networkrail.co.uk/Enhancements-Delivery-Plan-Update.pdf

[stuving]

I read this in exactly the same way as "Four Track, Now!", being struck by the same phrase:

"look at what more can be done to existing track, signalling and other railway infrastructure to improve line speed and ensure the full benefits of the new trains coming onto the network are realised"
what can be done to existing track?
what can be done to exisiting signalling?
what can be done to existing other railway infrastructure?

If one takes out already planned changes in these areas, what is left?

Platform extensions for the longer trains?

Strangely, I read that same sentence and assumed it meant what it said. That is, this extra report would look at speed increases and almost nothing else. Speed was not given any priority at all in the Western Route Study and the RUS^▸ (Route Utilisation Strategy) that preceded it; they were all about capacity (the RUS even had "utilisation" in its title).

I imagine that NR^» (Network Rail - home page) know all about what sets the speed along the line, and what is needed to raise the limits. So this report just need writing - probably more an issue of resourcing that finding the money. However, given the nature of the creek up which NR have so energetically paddled themselves, all contributions are not doubt grateful received.

Of course the idea that the new trains call for higher linespeeds than if the HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) had been kept is nonsense. HSTs, with their lower acceleration, lose more time from a short speed check. But it's all of a piece with the future SET^▸ (Super Express Train (now IET)) timetable having fewer stops then now; if that makes sense then so does this.

[Henry]

 Not sure if it's the 'self congratulatory' attitude of Claire Perry and Anne-Marie Morris or the hypocrisy of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)
 subsidising NR^» (Network Rail - home page) to do their job that I find the most annoying.
 I'm sure, like myself, anyone who regularly uses GWR can tell NR of their failures.

[ellendune]

 Not sure if it's the 'self congratulatory' attitude of Claire Perry and Anne-Marie Morris or the hypocrisy of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)
 subsidising NR^» (Network Rail - home page) to do their job that I find the most annoying.
 I'm sure, like myself, anyone who regularly uses GWR can tell NR of their failures.

It is their job, but they have done it once already at the request of the government with a definite steer towards they answer they then wanted; namely to look at reopening routes. Now with the election out of the way (and all those marginal seats in Devon & Cornwall won) they want a different answer because they know they can't afford the original options. 

I am therefore not surprised if NR didn't say DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) ought to pay for it.  Besides studies are quite cheap and postpone the time when they actually have to do anything. 

[TonyK]

 Not sure if it's the 'self congratulatory' attitude of Claire Perry and Anne-Marie Morris or the hypocrisy of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)
 subsidising NR^» (Network Rail - home page) to do their job that I find the most annoying.
 I'm sure, like myself, anyone who regularly uses GWR can tell NR of their failures.

Harsh, but probably fair.

[Chris from Nailsea]

It is their job, but they have done it once already at the request of the government with a definite steer towards they answer they then wanted; namely to look at reopening routes. Now with the election out of the way (and all those marginal seats in Devon & Cornwall won) they want a different answer because they know they can't afford the original options. 

I am therefore not surprised if NR^» (Network Rail - home page) didn't say DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) ought to pay for it.  Besides studies are quite cheap and postpone the time when they actually have to do anything. 

Indeed. 

Isn't that what has already been done in response to the campaign to reopen Corsham station?  There, they didn't even come up with a project inception report.

[Timmer]

We're great at doing studies and reports in this country then doing nothing about it afterwards. Then a few years down the line commissioning another study or holding a public enquiry that can go on for months/years.

Meanwhile most countries get on and build whatever is needed that's going to take their country forward.

I find it absolutely pathetic how long it takes just to open a station or a few miles of railway line. It's an absolute disgrace. The Victorians would be laughing at us if it wasn't so sad.

[Western Pathfinder]

We're great at doing studies and reports in this country then doing nothing about it afterwards. Then a few years down the line commissioning another study or holding a public enquiry that can go on for months/years.

Meanwhile most countries get on and build whatever is needed that's going to take their country forward.

I find it absolutely pathetic how long it takes just to open a station or a few miles of railway line. It's an absolute disgrace. The Victorians would be laughing at us if it wasn't so sad.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=on2I1U-F3BY
Enough said !.