The future of the Severn Beach Line is looking better than ever following a new agreement between the city council and First Great Western.
The agreement reduces the cost of the city councilÆs annual contribution to the agreed service by hundreds of thousands of pounds whilst also including even more service improvements. That leave a substantial sum free - either to commit to even more improvements on the Severn Beach Line - or to invest in restoring other well-loved but struggling public transport services to better commercial health.
The new contract has been agreed in light of new franchising rules which allow local councils to reinvest the money saved from renegotiated contracts rather than giving it back to the government. Bristol City Council lobbied government to achieve this.
Despite the leaner financial support, the new contract will contain an important improvement to the Sunday service. The 18:53 from Temple Meads to Severn Beach and the 19:43 from Severn Beach to Temple Meads presently operate in the summer months only. They will now operate throughout the year.
The agreement confirms the continuation of the enhanced service that the Council has been funding since early 2008 and recognises the substantial growth in passengers that this enhancement has generated.
The new contract will run from 21 May 2011 until 31 March 2013 when the current FGW franchise terminates. Both FGW and the City Council wish to maintain the enhanced service but a contract beyond this date depends on decisions concerning the extension or replacement of the franchise.
Gary Hopkins, BristolÆs Executive Member for Strategic Transport, Waste & Targeted Improvement said, ôMore for less is not just talk. With proper service planning and business-like negotiations we can get a good deal for tax payers and users of a service, which still makes sound commercial sense to a professional operator. I am delighted that we have managed to secure this service for the foreseeable future, in a way that recognises the significant passenger growth that our money has generated up to now.ö
Passenger journeys on the Severn Beach Line have increased by 80 per cent over the last four years. This spectacular passenger growth is great news, but it has led to difficulties for passengers trying to buy tickets on busy trains, particularly if they are making short journeys. Passengers arriving at Bristol Temple Meads without tickets are often faced with queueing to pay their fare.
To address the difficulties facing passengers, new ticket machines have been installed at Montpelier, Redland and Clifton Down stations with funding provided by the City Council. The machines will enable passengers travelling in the direction of Temple Meads to buy tickets before boarding their train.
The following inner - zone tickets will be available from the new machines.:
Weekly season ticket ú6.00
Adult single ú1.50
Adult return ú2.00
Child/ Railcard Single ú0.75
Child/ Railcard Return ú1.00.
Payment is by cash only given the relatively low fare values and the need to avoid creating queues by accepting card payments.
The installation of ticket machines complements other measures already in place to maximise the collection of fares on the Severn Beach Line: additional ticket examiners now travel on many trains and revenue protection staff will be at station exits.
Since 2008 Bristol City Council has invested ú400,000 per year into providing a more frequent service on the Severn Beach Line including trains on Sundays. The new contract reduces this amount to just over ú200,000 even though the services level will be higher than previously.
The Council has also been working in partnership with the Severnside Community Rail Partnership and First Great Western and to carry out station improvements on the Severn Beach Line. Improvements include new shelters, web based customer information systems, environmental improvements, community art projects and poster cases to display bus interchange information. These initiatives have been successful in substantially reducing vandalism and graffiti.
Councillor Hopkins, added: ôWhen weÆre talking about investment in public transport, this is the way to do it. Public money must work hard and get results. Extra trains and proper investment in safe and welcoming stations have transformed the Severn Beach Line into an attractive and cost effective travel choice for commuters, shoppers and school children. And there is more good news to come in the form of newer trains and larger carriages later this year.
ôWe are confident that the route will remain sustainable. The Severn Beach Line success story is a shining example which should inform the way we continue to do business in the future.ö