Julie Boston talk

[whole diary]

[infoman]

https://www.trinitybristol.org.uk/activities/art-of-resistance/events/in-conversation-series-julie-boston?utm_source=Bristol24%2F7&utm_campaign=9803694e5d-b247whatson_050721&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_67a9a4e1bd-9803694e5d-38758697&mc_cid=9803694e5d&mc_eid=86ae7efe71

[Lee]

https://www.trinitybristol.org.uk/activities/art-of-resistance/events/in-conversation-series-julie-boston?utm_source=Bristol24%2F7&utm_campaign=9803694e5d-b247whatson_050721&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_67a9a4e1bd-9803694e5d-38758697&mc_cid=9803694e5d&mc_eid=86ae7efe71

People like Cat Hobbs and Joe Patrick rightly get the plaudits and credit for the leadership and ideas that characterised FoSBR^» (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - site) during its peak years in the 2000s when that organisation successfully fought closure proposals and, against the odds, came out the other side with a vastly improved rail service on the Severn Beach line.

However, you also need someone on the ground to organise people to get the message out at stations and on trains, organise demonstrations and meetings, and all the unsung bread and butter stuff of modern canpaigning. That's what I remember Julie Boston throwing her heart and soul into every time I visited Bristol during that period, and also how she somehow always seemed to find time to support our efforts at Save The Train as well - Never forgotten, forever grateful to her for.

A true rail legend - Julie Boston, I salute you!

[Red Squirrel]

I saw Julie and a couple of other old FoSBRites on a trip out to Severn Beach the other day, and her energy shows no sign of diminishing!

FoSBR^» (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - site) has a different task now. The argument is (currently!) going our way. Rather than fighting closures and service reductions, we are trying to speed up openings and service improvements. We have the previous generation of campaigners to thank for being in this position.

The work at Bristol East Junction is about to bring a step change in Bristol's suburban rail services. We expect them to break ground at Portway station (at last!) within a few weeks. Portishead is coming closer, along with the Henbury spur.

But there's so much more to fight for. Most of Bristol's suburban stations are pretty grim places to be in, and are poorly served by buses. New stations are needed at Saltford, Ashton, St Annes Park and half a dozen other places. Pilning needs its footbridge back! Thornbury sits at the end of a freight line but has no passenger service. And we need a train every fifteen minutes on the core suburban network. FoSBR is fighting for all of these things, and more.

COVID rules may have made campaign groups such as FoSBR seem a bit invisible in the last year or so, but we've not been idle. I'll leave it to others to judge if FoSBR has passed it's peak. I think the best is yet to come!

[johnneyw]

COVID rules may have made campaign groups such as FoSBR^» (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - site) seem a bit invisible in the last year or so, but we've not been idle. I'll leave it to others to judge if FoSBR has passed it's peak. I think the best is yet to come!

I concur that FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) may not have reached it's peak yet but happily, it is less of a lonely voice these days.

[Lee]

FoSBR^» (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways - site) has a different task now. The argument is (currently!) going our way. Rather than fighting closures and service reductions, we are trying to speed up openings and service improvements. We have the previous generation of campaigners to thank for being in this position.

I'm sorry, but you cant simply characterise FoSBR campaigners from back then as only fighting closures and service reductions, while today's FoSBR campaigners are the ones trying to speed up openings and service improvements.

For example, If it hadn't been for Cat Hobbs devising a plan to improve services on the Severn Beach Line back then, and a brilliant campaigning plan to see it through to completion, you wouldn't have anything like the level of service on that route that you have today.

Similarly, people forget that Joe Patrick devised a plan to renovate and expand services and facilities at Pilning long before the current incarnation of Pilning Station Group was born and began its superb modern day campaigning work.

Last but not least, back then when Julie Boston was out and about doing all those wonderful unsung campaigning tasks, she would invariably also be handing out leaflets that showed FoSBR's future plans for rail in great detail - It's certainly not a new direction for FoSBR to be taking now campaigning-wise!

The fact is that people like me and representatives of other user groups were constantly working with and alongside FoSBR during those difficult days. What people today might not realise with the passing of time was that our experience fighting the negative proposals being put forward also greatly spurred us on to push for far better things in the future.

Gateway To The Future is an good example of that. Written jointly by Save The Train, FoSBR, CANBER^▸ (Campaign Against the New Beeching Report) and others in the midst of the darkest days of 2007, it set out a hugely ambitious blueprint for the future of rail travel in our region.

To a very large extent though, I have said my piece on this subject. I have in the past questioned the future direction of FoSBR on this forum, and I do believe I have earned the right to express an opinion on that, without it being seen as an unduly negative move on my part. It is also true that the aims and aspirations since put forward by current FoSBR members such as Red Squirrel have largely addressed my concerns, and as an overall blueprint there is very little I would disagree with, and the vast majority I would very much endorse.

It is still my opinion that FoSBR has seen better days, but I also agree with Red Squirrel that the best may yet still be to come. I genuinely and wholeheartedly hope that the latter comes to pass.

[johnneyw]

We expect them to break ground at Portway station (at last!) within a few weeks.

Blimey, just as I was beginning to think that Bristol City Council had given up on the whole thing as being beyond their abilities.  Is this an official/semi official forecast or is it through the grapevine?

[Red Squirrel]

Latest news we have is that the contract has been awarded and that construction starts 'in July'. And yes, that is this July!

[johnneyw]

Latest news we have is that the contract has been awarded and that construction starts 'in July'. And yes, that is this July!

July runs out tomorrow (Saturday) and seeing that I've unexpectedly become underutilized in the afternoon, I might splash out on a return ticket from Redland to take me past the Portway site to see if I can spot any orange jackets or yellow JCBs....unless, off course, any forum members can advise against such extravagance on the grounds that there's no activity on the ground.

[johnneyw]

I've just gone past the Portway site on the Beach Express and can't see any sign of actual or imminent activity there.  Could be that another delay announcement has been delayed?