South Western Railways Waterloo - Bristol services axed

[whole diary]

[stuving]

Confusing? Isn't it just! For example, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) (uniquely) never had an ERMA, but got a new direct award replacing the old one while both were in part suspended by the EMA - which itself now runs until the end of this year. (Or does it? It was last announced as extended to 26/6/21, and I've read it now runs until December, but I can find no announcement of that nor that it has now ended and the underlying direct award is in force.)

All the rest (OLR apart) have or had ERMAs, and were to get direct awards according to a timetable set out in a flood of notices in the OJEU last November. These were summarised in a table on railforums, and are copied here (with thinks to member LNW-GW^▸ (Great Western) Joint).

Franchise	DA▸ (District Attorney) start	Max duration	Core d'n	Optional ext'n
TransPennine Express	01/04/21	48 months	2 years	Up to 2 years
South Western Railway	01/04/21	48 months	2 years	Up to 2 years
Essex Thameside (c2c)	01/04/21	48 months	2 years	Up to 2 years
West Midlands Trains	19/09/21	60 months	3 years	Up to 2 years
Greater Anglia	19/09/21	60 months	3 years	Up to 2 years
Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern	19/09/21	72 months	2 years	Up to 4 years
Southeastern	17/10/21	72 months	2 years	Up to 4 years
Chiltern	31/12/21	72 months	1·5 years	Up to 4·5 years
East Midlands Railway	01/04/22	72 months	4 years	Up to 2 years
West Coast Partnership	01/04/22	72 months	4 years	Up to 2 years

Then, of course, the announcement of the new plan in May got closer, and no doubt DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) started to alter these plans to fit in with that. It looks to me as if the SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) direct award had "National Rail Contract" edited onto its front cover (in pretty colours) and maybe some of the content and style altered too.

Of course all this is only a bridge to the new "Passenger Service Contracts", which GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) will let, but it seems DfT will design them and write the process into the new legislation. The "Market Engagement" process for this has started, with its first big event next Thursday (4/11/21). The link that used to lead to DfT's contract schedule now leads to the Shapps-Williams plans instead, which is not much help.

Note that these "Prior Information Notices" went into the OJEU near the end of the transition period, and from 1/1/2021 any further ones will have used the new UK^▸ (United Kingdom) replacement, the "Find a Tender Service".

PS: this is starting to look as if it belongs elsewhere, if someone can find a plane of cleavage

[IndustryInsider]

PS: this is starting to look as if it belongs elsewhere, if someone can find a plane of cleavage

If anyone finds one of those, let me know.  To hell with climate change…I’ll buy a ticket! 

[Clan Line]

PS: this is starting to look as if it belongs elsewhere, if someone can find a plane of cleavage

If anyone finds one of those, let me know.  To hell with climate change…I’ll buy a ticket! 

To Bristol, one must assume 

[anthony215]

Wonder if pressuring our PM might help especially if it helps  save this service.

If SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) are short of units or need extra capacity there should be class 158s available during the next few years if the introduction of TFW s class 197s goes to plan

[grahame]

Next post on Facebook ... if you're on Facebook, please visit this and share it to your groups an contacts:

https://www.facebook.com/CoffeeShopCRP/posts/3088217498092015

Four train services put forward for culling by the Department for Transport.

One is ours from Bristol to London (Waterloo) via Salisbury by South Western Railway. The other three were redacted by the Department for Transport in my Freedom of Information request - see image.

Could one of the other three services to be culled be YOURS?

Please sign the petition at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/598397 to help avoid a precedent being set. Please share this post. Read more via http://www.passenger.chat

Inset is the threatened service, picture taken within the last week, giving lie to "low passenger number" guesses.

Written by the Department for Transport's technical team: "SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) last FTM asked SoS to agree to use Dec-22 in Dec-21, which is undefined, without a Timetable to show or consult, no consultation, and limited (well actually by the aforementioned apparently none at all) service modelling"

So they are looking for "quick wins" to make a political point ... " That would be great – esp if we can demonstrate progress to CHH by end of month?"

[Lee]

That's certainly a new twist on the "Super Match Game" !

[anthony215]

Saw something on facebook the other 3 routes up for the chop were in scotland.

I think im lucky the welsh governemnt is doing the opposite and trying to improve and introduce new services

[Clan Line]

"Review SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) service between Bristol TM^‡(resolve) and Yeovil Pen Mill"

Am I missing something here

[paul7575]

SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) new National Rail contract is online today:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/first-mtr-south-western-trains-limited-2021-rail-contract

I haven’t looked into the documents but it includes a new business plan and TSR^▸ (Temporary Speed Restriction) that might be of interest.

No it isn't. It's the ERMA ending in May 2023

This direct award rail contract replaces the previous South Western Railways 2017 rail franchise agreement contract.

Then why does it have the unambiguous name “National Rail Contract” on the front page? 
Page 13 of the contract includes quite a bit explaining exactly what a National Rail Contract is as well…

[paul7575]

I see the right hand box of that image in post #289 maybe gives an idea of the situation following Waterside line reopening. Restoring your railway (RYR^▸ (Restoring Your Railway)).

It seems to suggest to me that SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) will probably revert to a Romsey - Totton - Fawley, with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) taking on a second Bristol - Southampton service to restore capacity “Southampton to Romsey” which presumably means SWR won’t be operating that leg. 

But drifting off the main topic, how does a second Bristol - Southampton service fit in with the TransWilts Swindon - Southampton proposal?   

[grahame]

From around 19:00  on Facebook last night:
https://www.facebook.com/MichelleDonelanChippenham/posts/2557993741001878

Michelle Donelan MP^▸ (Member of Parliament)
Today at COP26, over 100 global leaders representing 85% of the world's forests will take decisive action to end deforestation by 2030. 
This pledge includes almost £14 billion of public and private funds. Countries signing the pledge include: Canada, Brazil, Russia, China, Indonesia, the US and the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) and many more.
This is the biggest step forward in protecting the world's forests in a generation.
Forests are truly the lungs of our planet and absorb around one third of the global CO2 released from burning fossil fuels each year. Currently, an area of forest the size of 27 football pitches is lost every minute.
May be an image of tree and text that says 'PREVENT THE LOSS OF THE WORLD'S LUNGS BY PLANTING TRE TREES'

Graham Ellis
Hi, Michelle - more locally, plans to cull through trains from London to Bradford-on-Avon in your consitituency will be driving people back into private cars for long journeys. Over 1200 of your voters have signed a petition asking you to get the Department for Transport to reverse the axe, and backup material explains why this would be a sensible thing to do. Help your local popularity if you can do this for us too, and reduce carbon in the first place. See https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/598397 (other readers - please sign!)

Michelle Donelan MP
Graham Ellis I have met with the Rail Minister, written to South West Rail and to the Secretary of State for Transport. Will keep you posted as keep trying.

Graham Ellis
Michelle Donelan MP Thank you - please do keep trying. So many people are still taken by surprise when they hear the trains are going - it used to be "Use it or lose it" but this time its "use it AND lose it" - the trains to be culled still full and standing even in the last two weeks. DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) need to take another look and not just defend the indefensible ... go on, Michelle, you're a minister - have them take another look. We as a community would be very happy to help market like we did at Melksham where we got 25 x growth and it's GREEN growth. Win, win ...

[TonyK]

From around 19:00  on Facebook last night:
https://www.facebook.com/MichelleDonelanChippenham/posts/2557993741001878

Michelle Donelan MP^▸ (Member of Parliament)
Today at COP26, over 100 global leaders representing 85% of the world's forests will take decisive action to end deforestation by 2030. 
This pledge includes almost £14 billion of public and private funds. Countries signing the pledge include: Canada, Brazil, Russia, China, Indonesia, the US and the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) and many more.
This is the biggest step forward in protecting the world's forests in a generation.
Forests are truly the lungs of our planet and absorb around one third of the global CO2 released from burning fossil fuels each year. Currently, an area of forest the size of 27 football pitches is lost every minute.
May be an image of tree and text that says 'PREVENT THE LOSS OF THE WORLD'S LUNGS BY PLANTING TRE TREES'

Graham Ellis
Hi, Michelle - more locally, plans to cull through trains from London to Bradford-on-Avon in your consitituency will be driving people back into private cars for long journeys. Over 1200 of your voters have signed a petition asking you to get the Department for Transport to reverse the axe, and backup material explains why this would be a sensible thing to do. Help your local popularity if you can do this for us too, and reduce carbon in the first place. See https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/598397 (other readers - please sign!)

Michelle Donelan MP
Graham Ellis I have met with the Rail Minister, written to South West Rail and to the Secretary of State for Transport. Will keep you posted as keep trying.

Graham Ellis
Michelle Donelan MP Thank you - please do keep trying. So many people are still taken by surprise when they hear the trains are going - it used to be "Use it or lose it" but this time its "use it AND lose it" - the trains to be culled still full and standing even in the last two weeks. DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) need to take another look and not just defend the indefensible ... go on, Michelle, you're a minister - have them take another look. We as a community would be very happy to help market like we did at Melksham where we got 25 x growth and it's GREEN growth. Win, win ...

Nice work, grahame, and good for Michelle Donelan MP.

...it used to be "Use it or lose it"...

Not use it or loose it.

[grahame]

UK^▸ (United Kingdom): After speaking to a range of senior industry figures, almost all on condition of anonymity, @RailBusinessUK
 can confirm widespread concern that significant investment is coming to an end after three decades of rail growth, with major implications

I can confirm that.

Are YOU on Facebook? If so, please share my post at
https://www.facebook.com/Graham4Melksham/posts/247547707434387

And are YOU on Twitter?  If so, please share my tweet at
https://twitter.com/Graham4Melksham/status/1456182278242066435

[Trowres]

Meanwhile, on Twitter: 'Thread' - as they say.

https://twitter.com/RailBusinessUK/status/1455866344424022016

UK^▸ (United Kingdom): After speaking to a range of senior industry figures, almost all on condition of anonymity, @RailBusinessUK
 can confirm widespread concern that significant investment is coming to an end after three decades of rail growth, with major implications 1/9

Article here: (free) registration required:
https://www.railwaygazette.com/uk/rails-growth-agenda-evaporates-as-treasury-takes-control/60218.article?clearcache=1

Mods: May I suggest that this deserves a topic of its own under "Wider Picture"?

[TonyK]

PS: this is starting to look as if it belongs elsewhere, if someone can find a plane of cleavage

If anyone finds one of those, let me know.  To hell with climate change…I’ll buy a ticket! 

To Bristol, one must assume 

Bosoms skywards?