Rail services could be left 'in limbo,'says MP
PENINSULA rail services could be left in limbo for two or three years, says city MP Alison Seabeck.
She fears that the West Coast rail franchise fiasco could have a knock-on effect on services to Plymouth.
First Group is relinquishing its franchise for services to London, and four companies are bidding to take on a new 15-year contract.
But extended delays in renewing the Great Western franchise could even mean trains to the South West being taken back under Government control.
2 Bedroom Furnished Flat On Greenbank Road £560 PCM
View detailsComprising Open Plan Kitchen/Lounge, Master Bedroom, 2nd Bedroom, Bathroom With Shower, Allocated Parking. Council Tax Band A. EPC Rating Band E. Av. 15/07/13 For 6 Mths & Ongoing. No Pets/Smokers/HB
Terms: ***NB: Please be advised that charges are applicable per application and subject to contract. No additional charges are required for the Tenancy Agreement or Inventory unless stated otherwise.***
Contact: 01752 421825
Valid until: Sunday, September 01 2013
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin pulled the plug on the controversial West Coast main line deal as a result of "unacceptable mistakes" by his department.
He has now ordered an independent inquiry into the entire franchising process.
This will mean putting on ice bidding for the new Great Western contract which was due to start next year.
Ms Seabeck, the MP for Plymouth Moor View, said there would be financial implications for any company running services in the interim.
"Who would pay for that?" she said.
"We have no idea what the impact of this is going to be."
She said experts such as Travelwatch South West feared that services could be disrupted.
Cllr Mark Coker, the city's Cabinet member for transport, said he had called an urgent meeting of the Rail Task Force, set up under his Conservative predecessor Cllr Kevin Wigens.
The task force was instrumental in winning concessions for Plymouth in the new franchise agreement. These included more three-hour journeys to London, and a daily train arriving from the capital before 10am.
"Everything we asked for is in limbo," Mr Coker said.
"We are really concerned that the Government has gone back to square one.
"The situation is time-critical. We want to know what is happening next year."
Cllr Kevin Wigens, Plymouth's Conservative spokesman on transport, said: "I share the concerns raised by people including the MPs.
"From what I understand we are seeking urgent clarification of where this leaves us.
"We are concerned about the delays to a lot of hard-fought improvements won by the Plymouth rail task force," he said.
"The other danger is that while there is a void, other towns and cities on the route might try to amend the franchise specification.
"It's a very unsatisfactory situation."
Oliver Colvile, the MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, is trying to set up a meeting of the MPs with the Transport Secretary.
He said that in the meantime he had spoken to transport minister Simon Burns.
"He is not of the view that it's going to take two years to resolve," Mr Colvile said.
"But MPs need to be seen to be fighting our case for city and the South West."
With the appointment of a new Transport Secretary Plymouth would need to reinforce its wish list – particularly for more three-trains to London, and an early train to allow people to arrive here from London before 10am.
Comments
by CharlieDodd
Wednesday, October 24 2012, 12:24AM
“The way the anti-Plymouth brigade are talking, you'd think things were so bad that we had to WALK to London..:)
The A38 out of Plymouth is a wide dual carriageway and puts us on the national motorway system within the hour, or at Exeter airport around the same time, and as there are 24 hours in a day, a single hour is NOTHING in the big picture.
And so what if trains are slowed for a few miles on the twisty turny bits of the line, here again it's nothing in the big picture.
As for little Exeter, it's simply the Gateway to the Glorious Southwest, nobody actually wants to stop there..;)”
by timplymouth
Tuesday, October 23 2012, 10:49PM
“For a business person Charlie, that's almost a whole day you've just wasted on a coach. On the train it's only half a day you waste. The business world moves a lot faster than in Victorian times and when a business is deciding where to setup their new office/factory you can be sure that transport links will be one of their top priorities. And it's not just transport links to London, companies have offices all over the U.K. and their workers would need to travel between all of them.”
by CharlieDodd
Tuesday, October 23 2012, 9:50PM
“..Hstmtu said- 'connectivity is its big minus now'..
Yer wot mate? We can hop on a coach at Bretonside around 8 a.m, whizz down the big wide A38 to pick up the motorway network 40 miles away in less than an hour, and be in London or the midlands by early afternoon, and Manchester by teatime, that's pretty good going..:)
Likewise Plymouth to Exeter Airport is just an hour away at 46 miles.
I haven't travelled by train for some years but I daresay we could be in London or the midlands quicker than a coach.”
by hstmtu4000
Tuesday, October 23 2012, 7:24PM
“CharlieDodd said -
"Do you live in Exeter or have vested interests there mate? You always seem to be banging the drum on its behalf".
No mate just born and Bred in Plymouth and like many worried for the sake of my son where this once great city is now going being well aware of its pluses and minuses in a changing world and connectivity is its big minus now.The simple fact is Plymouth has fallen behind "little" Exeter as you put it because of Exeter's superior transport links and closer proximity to Britain major economic centres.Plymouth has had to compete with one arm tied behind its "transport" back now for many decades but now with no airport,no motorway and stagnating rail links it effectively has to compete with both arms tied behind its back.Denying those simple unpalatable truths wont alter the fact that we are now increasingly isolated economically in the 21st century and therefore loosing out to Exeter and other better connected cities.Worryingly that situation is only going to get worse if nothing is done about it as major rail transport improvements elsewhere come on line in the 21st century.If you don't believe me then ask any economist or check out any business survey which you wont of course because you seem to have your head stuck in the sand.”
by CharlieDodd
Tuesday, October 23 2012, 4:16PM
“Plymfox said- 'The only way to reduce journey times between Penzance/Plymouth and Exeter is to introduce tilting trains to the route'..
Is it really worth the trouble? Why the rush?
Britain is a tiny country compared to say the USA or Australia and our travel times are therefore small in comparison, so do we really need to worry about shaving off a mere hour here and there?
What's the Plymouth to London rail journey time anyway, half a day? That's peanuts in the grand scheme of things..:)”
by timplymouth
Tuesday, October 23 2012, 4:07PM
“The IEP trains could be used on the route to Plymouth/Penzance but I suspect the new franchisee will wish to use them on the profitable routes since the customers will probably like them (but not railway enthusiasts). The route from Paddington to Plymouth will be less than 1/3 electrified and to Penzance it's more like 1/5. What I haven't heard details about is whether the IEP trains will run under the wires for the whole journey when used on a partially electrified line or if they will be able to dynamically switch between the two modes on a single journal. They are not going to upgrade the Laira depot to service the IEP trains either so I guess that's another reason not to bother. They are going to refurbish the HST sets with new entrances/doors so that they can meet the disability regulations that would otherwise require their withdrawal. Realistically the best we can hope for is that they might shorten the HST sets so that they can accelerate quicker, like the Grand Central sets.”
by CharlieDodd
Tuesday, October 23 2012, 4:07PM
“..Tim said- 'The major industrial estates / science parks in Exeter are directly accessible from the M5, it certainly doesn't bypass them'..
Of course there are exit points but if you glance at a map you'll see the M5 doesn't stop at Exeter as others think, but describes an arc around it's east outskirts to pick up the A38 to Plymouth south of the town.
Incidentally, if Exeter is 'booming' I'm glad I don't live there, as its small size means it'll soon be swamped by industrial estates and science parks..;)”
by PLYMFOX01
Tuesday, October 23 2012, 3:45PM
“The only way to reduce journey times between Penzance/Plymouth and Exeter is to introduce tilting trains to the route. These can take curves a lot faster than the current trains that are used. (The 5 car Class 221 trains used by CrossCountry were fitted with a tilting mechanism but this was taken out of use due to trackside equipment that is required to work with them not being in place. There would have been no point in using it anyway due to the fact that the 4 car Class 220 trains or 7 car HSTs that also serve Plymouth dont have it fitted).
I dont see why the IEP could not serve Plymouth and Cornwall as they are meant to be bi mode trains (i.e diesel and electric) but knowing the Dft that will change.
I am under the impression Ms Seabeck is doing a spot of scaremongering here. If the new franchise is late in being let, one of two things will happen. 1) The Government will ask First to continue running it for a given period, or 2) It will be run under Directly Operated Railways which runs East Coast under State ownership. We could therefore see the Great Western area being renationalised (Well temporarily anyway).”
by timplymouth
Tuesday, October 23 2012, 2:03PM
“The major industrial estates / science parks in Exeter are directly accessible from the M5, it certainly doesn't bypass them. The new east of Exeter improvements are adding even more space for business, right next to the airport too. The only thing they have missed out is a direct train link to the airport, that would have benefited Plymouth and the whole of Devon and Cornwall.”
by CharlieDodd
Tuesday, October 23 2012, 1:43PM
“..Hstmtu said- 'Exeter's booming economy..no major inward investor of consequence in their right mind is going to bypass Exeter now just 2 hours plus rail journey time from Paddington,at the end of the M5...a sub standard A38 dual carriageway to Plymouth ..
Do you live in Exeter or have vested interests there mate? You always seem to be banging the drum on its behalf..;)
The fact is, Plymouth is a huge city of 260,000 people, whereas Exeter is barely more than a town with only 120,000.
And the M5 doesn't end at Exeter as you say, but BYPASSES it, looping round its eastern outskirts to put travellers on the wide fast dual-carriageway A38 to Plymouth.
As for Plymouths rail link, it's served the city well for over a hundred years, and because it twists and turns for a few miles south of Exeter, new faster trains couldn't be put on it anyway because they'd have to obey speed restrictions.”