Loadings on (and off) Cornish Branch Lines

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Loads of caveats as at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=17353.msg292401#msg292401 , but these show an interesting contrast between lines that are largely end to end and lines that have significant intermediate traffic.  On the former, end doors are fine ... on the latter, please can we have 150, 165 or 166.

[bobm]

The St Ives Branch has seen some high loadings, despite a half hour service and the maximum four coach trains.



In an effort to give people a better chance to keep a distance, supplementary bus services have been laid on but initially it proved hard to get people to use the bus rather than see the beach views from the train.

However GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) came up with a plan..



The open top bus has proved a lot more popular than the conventional double-decker and helped reduced the overcrowding on the trains.

[Umberleigh]

Well for once it’s good to hear about overcrowding on a Cornish branch as there have already been some rumbles about the survival post-COVID if passenger numbers don’t pick up.

[plymothian]

Numbers may be up, but I doubt any of that increase has seen much revenue pass the railway's way.

[grahame]

Well for once it’s good to hear about overcrowding on a Cornish branch as there have already been some rumbles about the survival post-COVID if passenger numbers don’t pick up.

Numbers may be up, but I doubt any of that increase has seen much revenue pass the railway's way.

Undoubtedly, so much has changed since the start of the year, and we are very much in a time of various transitions.  Such transitions have opportunities and risks.

Regional, local and connectional train service all have their place - for practically getting people about, for the enhanced quality of travel they provide over alternatives, and emotionally.  However, passengers using them do not pay in full through their farebox contribution on the line for their operations and maintenance costs.

Since we are talking in the "Plymouth and Cornwall" board, I'll quote them as examples. Imagine the effect on the economy of ... any branch terminus, or St Austell, Truro, or Penzance ... if rail ran out at Plymouth (or St Budeaux, or Exeter) and none-drivers had to get buses from there, if drivers had the option to hire cars - or indeed drive all the way.  If all traffic into St Ives, or into Falmouth from Truro, had to come on the road and with central parking and bus terminal facilities in those towns expanded to cope.  There has needed  to be (and has been) planned wider funding of the railway to bring the wider benefits to vibrant towns rather than have them turn into seas of tarmac or sink towns.  But such wider funding has been very reluctantly and thinly provided by governments of certain leaning;  in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom), I have seen a figure of around 20p in the pound of rail income being support in recent years.  Across Europe, a figure of around 40p.  And at the current time in excess of 90p.

We need to be aware of the risks and opportunities.   And while I am writing, why not go up to 100p and make rail travel free at the point of use?  Why not expand the network of connected national rail trains to help the disadvantaged towns of Bodmin, Swanage, Kingswear/Dartmouth, Fowey, Fawley and Minehead?

 

[grahame]

A follow up question from me ... what proportion of passengers who join a branch train on the branch carry on to journey on the main line?  Triggered by a question asked elsewhere (on F-a-c-e-b-o-o-k  ).

So ...

1. of 100 passengers joining a train at St Ives or intermediate stations prior to St Erth will carry on their journey on a main line train?

2. of 100 passengers joining a train at Falmouth or intermediate stations prior to Truro will carry on their journey on a main line train?

3. of 100 passengers joining a train at Newquay or intermediate stations prior to Par will carry on their journey on a main line train?

4. of 100 passengers joining a train at Looe or intermediate stations prior to Liskeard will carry on their journey on a main line train?

5. of 100 passengers joining a train at Gunnislake or intermediate stations prior to Plymouth will carry on their journey on a main line train?

Posting in the Cornwall board, but also on interest would be passengers connecting / travelling onward from Paignton, Barnstaple and Exmouth lines

[RichardB]

Here's the best I can give you just now, Graham -

1)  St Ives - it has to be in the region of internal to the line 70%, connecting to/from the main line 30%
2)  Falmouth - a lot of the traffic is very local - could again be 70% internal/30% connecting
3)  Newquay - almost entirely connecting to/from the main line - 10% internal (90%)/90% connecting
4)  Looe - around 50% of the traffic is internal (almost entirely end to end)/50% connecting (half of this is to/from Plymouth)
5)  Gunnislake  - 85/90% internal (most to/from Plymouth)/10/15% connecting

[grahame]

Here's the best I can give you just now, Graham -

1)  St Ives - it has to be in the region of internal to the line 70%, connecting to/from the main line 30%
2)  Falmouth - a lot of the traffic is very local - could again be 70% internal/30% connecting
3)  Newquay - almost entirely connecting to/from the main line - 10% internal (90%)/90% connecting
4)  Looe - around 50% of the traffic is internal (almost entirely end to end)/50% connecting (half of this is to/from Plymouth)
5)  Gunnislake  - 85/90% internal (most to/from Plymouth)/10/15% connecting

Thank you, Richard ... I have gone back to that question elsewhere and commented that only on one of the five branches is connectional traffic to the main line predominant!   Actually rather as I would have guessed, but far better to ask / check with an expert than just go on a gut feeling.

[RailCornwall]

Here's the best I can give you just now, Graham -

1)  St Ives - it has to be in the region of internal to the line 70%, connecting to/from the main line 30%
2)  Falmouth - a lot of the traffic is very local - could again be 70% internal/30% connecting
3)  Newquay - almost entirely connecting to/from the main line - 10% internal (90%)/90% connecting
4)  Looe - around 50% of the traffic is internal (almost entirely end to end)/50% connecting (half of this is to/from Plymouth)
5)  Gunnislake  - 85/90% internal (most to/from Plymouth)/10/15% connecting

Hi Richard,

Are the St. Ives figures you quote historic? With the P&R^▸ (Park and Ride) now operative at volumes exceeding Lelant Saltings I'd imagine the split now is in the order of 85/15 if not higher during the 0930-1730 period between May and September. C19 excepting.

[RichardB]

Here's the best I can give you just now, Graham -

1)  St Ives - it has to be in the region of internal to the line 70%, connecting to/from the main line 30%
2)  Falmouth - a lot of the traffic is very local - could again be 70% internal/30% connecting
3)  Newquay - almost entirely connecting to/from the main line - 10% internal (90%)/90% connecting
4)  Looe - around 50% of the traffic is internal (almost entirely end to end)/50% connecting (half of this is to/from Plymouth)
5)  Gunnislake  - 85/90% internal (most to/from Plymouth)/10/15% connecting

Hi Richard,

Are the St. Ives figures you quote historic? With the P&R^▸ (Park and Ride) now operative at volumes exceeding Lelant Saltings I'd imagine the split now is in the order of 85/15 if not higher during the 0930-1730 period between May and September. C19 excepting.

I have to say it's a bit of a guesstimate - last time I saw any split for the line it was in the region of 60/40, but that was a few years ago.  It could well be 80/20 or even, as you say, 85/15 now.  Last year saw a 23.5% increase in use of the line - another 126k journeys, a direct result of the bigger and better park and ride at St Erth.