Looe timetable changes this Summer

[whole diary]

[RichardB]

There will be changes to the Looe timetable from May to provide much better connections at Liskeard to/from Plymouth throughout the day, a good pre-09 00 arrival in Plymouth for commuters and a better spread of request stops at Sandplace, Causeland and St Keyne.  This follows local requests and liaison between ourselves (Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership) and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).

The aim is to provide 6 (or near to) minute connections out of Looe and the same for inward except out of London services where the aim is to provide 10-13 minute connections. The exception is the last connection of the day from London where 20 minutes has been deliberately allowed for robustness.  Currently day trippers from Plymouth to Looe on the key services have more than 20 minutes at Liskeard in both directions. 

To enable these changes, the number of trains a day will reduce from 15 to 13.   The first train will leave Looe at 07 33 instead of 06 30 now.  The 07 33 will give a Plymouth arrival of 08 44 with a 6 minute connection at Liskeard.  We and GWR have counted passengers on the line’s service and the existing 06 30 is little used (indeed the September Tuesday we did our counts, there was just one passenger).  Currently you can either arrive in Plymouth at 07 43 or 09 08.   The new 08 44 arrival should be attractive. 

A further bonus of the new timetable is that the last train will leave Looe at 21 55 on weekdays, 18 minutes later than now.   This will make a 7 minute connection at Liskeard for Saltash and Plymouth.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thank you for posting that advance notice here, RichardB. 

[AMLAG]

What a pity it’s taken these D&CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) inspired TT improvements (and resultant train operating cost reductions) so long to be implemented; it should have happened several years ago.

[ChrisB]

I feel for that 1 passenger on the 0630. First & Last trains should be sacrosanct if *anyone* is regularly using them, since you can guarantee that they're only on them regularly if they *have* to be on them.

[plymothian]

And that 1 passenger does use that train every day.

[RichardB]

I feel for that 1 passenger on the 0630. First & Last trains should be sacrosanct if *anyone* is regularly using them, since you can guarantee that they're only on them regularly if they *have* to be on them.

Each to their own but it really isn't a good use of resources to run a train that is used by just one person.  It's not same person every day and the few people who ever take that train may well be using it because the next one currently gets them to their destination just too late e.g Plymouth at 09 08 and will find the 07 33 will work fine for them.

[grahame]

I feel for that 1 passenger on the 0630. First & Last trains should be sacrosanct if *anyone* is regularly using them, since you can guarantee that they're only on them regularly if they *have* to be on them.

Each to their own but it really isn't a good use of resources to run a train that is used by just one person.  It's not same person every day and the few people who ever take that train may well be using it because the next one currently gets them to their destination just too late e.g Plymouth at 09 08 and will find the 07 33 will work fine for them.

It's no small thing to cut the first or last trains.

Having said that, we did not fight GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s decision to cut the 05:17 Westbury to Swindon (05:33 at Melksham) a couple of years back - first train now 07:05 from Westbury / 07:21 from Melksham.    We lost the ability to get to London at 7 a.m. which (however) we had only had for a couple of years.  A big concern was that it knocked out long distance (and lucrative) journeys being a "peak" train, and knocked out return journeys on other trains that were running anyway.   What we did ask for (and have received) was an extra train at the other end of the day and the 21:16 from Westbury (21:32 at Melksham) is new.  I was on it last night - 2 car train, about 10 in my carriage, half of whom got off in Melksham - not busy but ten times the passengers I ever saw on the 05:33.   Huge care needed - but this might well be the right decision for Looe; I trust RichardB to be fully informed and to have let us know this change is one to work as a modernisation for the future with, rather than protest.

[ChrisB]

Each to their own but it really isn't a good use of resources to run a train that is used by just one person.  It's not same person every day and the few people who ever take that train may well be using it because the next one currently gets them to their destination just too late e.g Plymouth at 09 08 and will find the 07 33 will work fine for them.

And that 1 passenger does use that train every day.

Hmmmm. someone is mistaken. I hope that 1 person doesn't lose their job owing to the loss of the service.

[LiskeardRich]

1 person doesn’t make a service viable. It would have been cheaper for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to send a taxi for that passenger every day than to run the train.

[ChrisB]

Then that is what they should do.

[froome]

Then that is what they should do.

Indeed they should.

Out of interest, has that ever happened elsewhere? (providing a taxi for a regular traveller who loses their regular service and has no other feasible choice for their regular journey).

[grahame]

Then that is what they should do.

Indeed they should.

Out of interest, has that ever happened elsewhere? (providing a taxi for a regular traveller who loses their regular service and has no other feasible choice for their regular journey).

When trains were withdrawn from the Sinfin branch, taxis were provided for the regulars for a number of years until official closure procedures had been completed.

[REVUpminster]

If they did provide a taxi and three other customers heard about and paid the rail fare GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) might even make a profit.

[RichardB]

Then that is what they should do.

Indeed they should.

Out of interest, has that ever happened elsewhere? (providing a taxi for a regular traveller who loses their regular service and has no other feasible choice for their regular journey).

When trains were withdrawn from the Sinfin branch, taxis were provided for the regulars for a number of years until official closure procedures had been completed.

This obviously is a very different kettle of fish.  The new first train will simply be one hour later.  Hopefully anyone inconvenienced by this (and I'm sorry if they are) will be able to negotiate a later start time with their employers if necessary.  Despite what "Plymothian" says, I don't believe there is a very regular passenger. 

The hard truth is that running a train for just one person is simply untenable and since the new time is just an hour later, it's also untenable thinking about a taxi or anything else.   As we all know, the Looe line is heavily subsidised and we have to get a bit real about transport economics here. 

The changes will generally be an improvement and I believe will attract more passengers to the line.  The Looe line's main traffic is daytrippers and tourists.  Looe itself is a small place - just 5,000 or so population, about half of whom are of retirement age - and the main line at Liskeard is just 8 or so miles away.  Anything we can do to get more locals on the train year-round is clearly a good thing, year-round daytrippers and tourists too.  We at the Partnership do a lot of promotion of the line, particularly online e.g. via targeted paid adverts on Facebook - you can see examples on our page here  https://www.facebook.com/greatscenicrailways  We're planning significant promotion of the May timetable which will, as well as all the online stuff, include leaflets delivered to households in Looe and the surrounding area by the Royal Mail.

One more thing to consider - in the next few years, some quite serious investment in the Looe line will be needed.  As things look now, battery trains will need either a West Ealing style charging set up or even overhead being installed in Platform 3 at Liskeard.  The more the railway, we at the Partnership and others can do to help increase year-round usage of the line, the easier that funding decision becomes.  I don't think for a moment we might be looking at closure of the line but making sure trains, particularly at either ends of the day when they are most expensive to run, are decently used will be key, I'm sure.

[grahame]

This obviously is a very different kettle of fish ...

I am - totally - in agreement with that and all you say, Richard; my comment you picked up on was in answer to a question asked.

We lost out 05:33 at Melksham to Swindon which was also a quiet train and did not fight it nor suggest alternative provision ... first train is now 07:21.  Loss of the earliest or latest journey opportunities is a serious matter reflected also on the passengers onward, return and inward journeys and whilst you do not have to have every individual service making stand alone economic sense (a mistake made in the Beeching era?), you do need to reconsider services that are a severe drain on the viability of the line and sometimes make these decisions / acceptances.