Copied from SWRG:
CAMPAIGNERS AGAINST massive cuts to rail
services in Bristol and the west will be on the march on Friday, December 8, to
protest against plans which will increase rail overcrowding and force passengers
off the rails and onto already congested roads.
From December 11, First Great Western intends to cut train seats in greater
Bristol by 1,839 a day - a 20 per cent cut; to slash trains from 69 to 57 - an
18 per cent cut, and to cut and reduce many services - details below.
On Friday, Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy, Southwest TUC secretary Nigel
Costley and RMT assistant general secretary Pat Sikorski will join local trade
unionists and rail users in a walk from Bristol Temple Meads station to the
government offices at Temple Quay, where they will hand a protest letter to the
Transport Department.
The protest, organised by RMT's Bristol Rail branch, is also supported by
Transport 2000, Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways and Save Severn Tunnel
Junction Train Services
Meet: Brunel Shed car park, Bristol Temple Meads Station from 15:30
Walk: to Department of Transport from 16:15 to 16:30
"Trains in and around Bristol are already full to bursting, and these
unnecessary cuts can only force people off trains and into cars, and t hat will
mean more road congestion, more pullution and more accidents," RMT general
secretary Bob Crow said today.
"If the government wants to meet the climate challenge set out so starkly by
the Stern report it must tell First Great Western that these cuts are
unacceptable.
"Kerry McCarthy has done rail users a service by tabling a House of Commons
motion calling for rail capacity and service frequencies in Bristol and the west
are maintained and improved (text and signatories to date below)
"We need to see greater rail capacity, more trains and more seats, and any
attempt to cut them should be met with howls of protest," Bob Crow said.
ends
Notes for editors:Below are: a summary of the train service cuts affecting
Bristol and the surrounding area; text of the Early Day Motion (311) tabled by
Kerry McCarthy and signed to date by 28 MPs, and the text of the letter from
Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy, RMT general secretary Bob Crow and Southwest TUC
secretary Nigel Costley to Tom Harris MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of
State for Transport
Attached to this email is the appendix detailing capacity cuts referred to in
the letter.
Train service cuts affecting Bristol and surrounding areas include:
loss of early morning Cardiff-Bristol service
two-hour gaps at Oldfield Park, Keynsham and Patchway
reduced peak period services at Keynsham, Bedminster, Parson Street and
Weston Milton
loss of early services between Bristol, Yate and Gloucester and late evening
services at Yate, Cam and Dursley, Gloucester and Patchway;
irregular intervals between trains from Bristol, Weston-super-Mare and
Taunton, plus loss of connectivity on trains to/from London
Early Day Motion 311, tabled by Kerry McCarthy and signed (at December 5) by
27 other MPs.
To check latest list of signatories visit
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetai ... ESSION=885
FIRST GREAT WESTERN TRAIN SERVICE REDUCTIONS IN BRISTOL AND WEST OF ENGLAND
27.11.2006
McCarthy, Kerry
That this House notes with concern that from 11th December 2006 users of First
Great Western train services in the Bristol and West of England area will suffer
the loss of their early morning train service from Cardiff to Bristol, early
morning services and late evening services between Bristol and Gloucester,
irregular intervals between trains from Bristol to Weston-super-Mare and
Taunton, reduced capacity on short platform stations to Weston, such as Worle,
loss of connectivity on trains to and from London and extensive reductions in
train services to local stations in the Bristol area; further notes that First
Great Western plans to reduce the amount of rolling stock used on train services
in the Bristol area, including cutting Cardiff-Portsmouth trains from three to
two coaches, an overall reduction of 1,839 seats, equating to a 20 per cent. cut
in train seat availability, and a reduction in the number of trains from 69 to
57, equating to an 18 per cent. cut in
trains; calls on the Government to urge First Great Western urgently to
reconsider the reductions in levels of rolling stock on these key services, the
consequences for overcrowding and forcing passengers onto the already heavily
congested road network, with all the outcomes for increased carbon emissions,
pollution and road traffic accidents that these train service cuts will lead to;
and further calls on the Government to ensure that capacity and train service
frequency in the Bristol and West of England area are maintained and improved
Text of the letter from RMT general secretary Bob Crow, Bristol East MP Kerry
McCarthy and Southwest TUC sceretary Nigel Costley to Tom Harris M.P, the
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport
Reference: rail service cuts FGW Dec' 06
BY HAND
Tom Harris M.P.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport
Department for Transport
2 Rivergate
Bristol
BS1 6EH
Dear Minister,
Subject: Planned Cuts to FGW Rail Services in Bristol and the West of England
from December 2006
We are writing to you as representatives of rail workers and rail service
users in the Bristol and West of England area to express our very grave concerns
over impending planned rail service changes from 11 December 2006 that will have
a marked effect on the people of Bristol and surrounding areas.
1. December 2006 Timetable
In February 2006 First Great Western (FGW) published a draft of the timetable
they proposed to operate from December 2006. This was based on the "Service
Level Commitment - SLC2", which formed part of the Franchise Agreement.
Following consultation on 17 July 2006 FGW published a revised timetable for
December. In the South West most of the suggested amendments had been taken on
board, but in the Bristol (West of England Partnership) area, hardly any changes
have been made in response to suggestions from local authorities and rail users'
bodies. Those changes that FGW did make made the local train situation in our
area even worse.
The case for amending the changes planned for December 2006 has not been
helped by the wilful and utterly irresponsible abandonment by the Liberal
Democrat-run Bristol City Council of any meaningful policy of encouraging
improvements to local train services. Having announced in their February 2006
budget the withdrawal of the Council's historic and rather frugal annual budget
for promoting rail services in Bristol and subsequently having axed the
Council's one remaining rail officer, it may have appeared to some in the
Department of Transport (DfT) that local train services were not a priority for
the citizens of Bristol. We can assure you that this is an entirely erroneous
impression. The people of Bristol including our members and constituents remain
deeply attached to their local train services and it is a most inappropriate and
retrograde step, in the year in which Bristol is celebrating the 200th
anniversary of the birth of our railway pioneer, Isambard Kingdom
Brunel, to preside over the dismantling of his wonderful railway.
It is clear that these cuts in services are completely contrary to the
Government's stated aim of reducing carbon emissions. Even prior to the Stern
Report, the Government has set itself challenging targets to reduce carbon
emissions by 20% and 60% by 2010 and 2050 respectively. Carbon emissions from
transport currently account for around 25% of all UK carbon emissions, the vast
majority of which are produced by road transport. Great Western's proposals go
completely against the growing political consensus of encouraging a more
environmentally friendly approach to transport.
We remain deeply concerned over the following timetable issues affecting
Bristol and the surrounding areas:
┬À loss of early morning service from Cardiff to Bristol;
┬À two-hour gaps in the middle of the day at Oldfield Park, Keynsham
and Patchway;
┬À reduced peak period services at Keynsham, Bedminster, Parson Street
and Weston Milton;
┬À loss of early morning services between Bristol, Yate and Gloucester
and late evening services at Yate, Cam and Dursley, Gloucester and Patchway;
┬À irregular intervals between trains between Bristol,
Weston-super-Mare and Taunton, plus loss of connectivity on trains to/from
London
┬À irregular intervals between trains between Bristol and Severn Beach
2. Penalty Fares
In mid-September 2006 a poster appeared at stations and briefing handouts were
issued to FGW staff with responsibility for revenue collection and protection
announcing that FGW intended to implement a penalty fare regime from 1 October
2006. While Penalty fares are a tried and tested method for controlling fare
evasion, such schemes need very careful implementation particularly at unstaffed
and part-time staffed stations of which there are a large number in this area,
where ticket machines will not deal with problems of high peak use. FGW had not
carried out statutory consultation on these proposals and therefore was in
breach of the Penalty Fare Regulations. The Franchise Agreement required FGW to
implement a scheme by 1 October 2006. Proper consultation was not carried out
and as a result FGW have been unable to fulfill the conditions of the Franchise
Agreement.
3. Reduced Rolling Stock and overcrowding
We are dismayed and extremely concerned to discover that FGW intend to reduce
the amount of rolling stock used on local train services in the Bristol area, by
cutting the Cardiff-Portsmouth trains from 3 to 2 coaches and by not
strengthening any peak period trains. Bristol local trains on all routes consist
of 2 coaches throughout the day, but with trains strengthened to 3 or 4 coaches
during the peak period (except for the Severn Beach line services). For a
detailed breakdown of the reduction in rolling stock availability from December
2006 please refer to the attached Appendix.
Local trains are already stretched to capacity at the peak, with passengers
frequently complaining of uncomfortable and alarming levels of overcrowding and
rail staff on a number of occasions raising issues of passenger safety. Any
further withdrawal of coaches will mean unacceptable levels of overcrowding and
passengers left behind at stations.
Under current plans the rolling stock availability for local Bristol trains
will reduce from 11 December 2006 with 8 (two coach) units going to Arriva
Trains Wales for use on Wales & Borders Franchise services, while 7 (two coach)
units will be lost to local Bristol train services going to strengthen train
services in Merseyside. The overall reduction of 1,839 seats, equates to a 20%
cut in train seat availability. The reduction in the number of trains from 69 to
57 equates to a 18% cut. Clearly this is a significant and serious reduction.
4. Urgent Action required on Rolling Stock - see Appendix
FGW has now agreed to put on extra coaches on certain trains on the
Bristol-Westbury route and on the main morning service from Yate-Bristol. The
significant problem is on the Bristol-Weston-Taunton and
Cardiff-Bristol-Portsmouth routes.
Originally FGW proposed 3 High Speed trains (HST) would be used from
Bristol-Weston-Taunton during the evening peak. When the timetable was recast in
July, however, this was dropped to 2 HSTs - a loss of 350 seats.
Currently there are 2 trains from Bristol to Weston-Super-Mare and Taunton at
17.15 (2 coaches) and 17.25 (4 coaches). Two separate trains are needed because
combining them into one 6-coach train would not fit on certain station
platforms. However, from December 2006 only one 2-coach unit will be provided.
We urge you, Minister, to use your powers, through your Department to
reconsider as a matter of urgent priority the reductions in levels of rolling
stock on all the key services we have listed above. The consequences for
passengers of overcrowding and packed trains leaving passengers behind will
deter people from travelling by public transport, and force them onto the
already heavily-congested road network, with all the outcomes for increased
carbon emissions, pollution and road traffic accidents that this means.
On key strategic corridors, rail has an increasingly important role to play in
Bristol and surrounding areas. Local rail use has doubled over the past 10 years
and continues to grow. We are looking for DfT's support to ensure that
sufficient coaches and train services are provided for this desirable and
hopefully continuing growth.
It does appear to us that one part of the DfT is pushing FGW to withdraw
trains from the Local Transport Plan while another part is pushing forward the
agenda for tackling congestion and accessibility by encouraging a modal shift
from private to public transport.
We would very much welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss all of
these issues and to provide you and your officials with more details.
Yours sincerely,
Bob Crow
General Secretary,National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers
Kerry McCarthy M.P.
Bristol East
Nigel Costley
Secretary, South West TUC