December 2005
We fear that there has been little joined up thinking in terms of the combined effects of the Greater Western Franchise on one hand, and the South Western Franchise on the other. The combination of service cuts in both franchises will adversely affect passengers travelling in the South West region.
The argument put forward for no longer running this service is that duplicating services are available and passengers from Bristol, Bath and West Wiltshire can change at Salisbury to catch trains to Waterloo. However we raise the following points:
The Bristol – Waterloo service is not simply a long distance service but performs an important link service between towns on the way. Thus for example, the service is used by commuters and shoppers between West Wilts, Salisbury and Bath Spa on a line which suffers from severe over-crowding and is about to receive cuts in services as a result of the new Greater Western Franchise. To cut the Bristol – Waterloo service under these circumstances makes no sense.
The service is also popular as a direct service to Woking (for Guildford and Surrey, also Gatwick Airport), Clapham Junction (for South London and beyond).
The service caters for a number of areas of housing growth as specified in the South West Regional Spatial Strategy, including Trowbridge, which is attempting to attracting new businesses to the town centre where substantial brown-field re-development is taking place. The development case is boosted by there being a direct rail link to London Waterloo and we expect such a link to be increasingly popular.
The SRA Network Utilisation Strategy was published after extensive consultation and gained Ministerial approval in June 2003. The strategy specifically identified the Bristol via Salisbury to London Waterloo service as one ‘to be incorporated into the successor South West Trains franchise from 2006, possibly on an enhanced frequency basis’. Appendix C of the Strategy proposed that capacity of up to one train per hour should be provided to 2011. We would fully support this strategy and the expectations of those members of the travelling public in West Wiltshire and Bath who looked forward to improvements to the service rather than it being cut only a few years later.
The construction of Cross Rail will affect services from Bristol and Bath to Paddington for 3-4 years. An alternative service to Waterloo will become essential.
We object to the discontinuation of services west of Exeter. The current services to Torbay are a valued and important asset in an area aiming for regeneration in conjunction with new housing. The rail services are also important for tourism and provide an alternative to travelling by car.
We point also to the cuts in services west of Westbury as a result of the Greater Western Franchise. These already compromises the connectivity between the south coast and south west - passengers currently change at Westbury to travel on to the South Coast via Southampton and Portsmouth, to Bath, Bristol and to South Wales. To reduce services linking the south west peninsular to other parts of southern England and Wales runs completely contrary to regional polices for improved connectivity to the South west.
The improvement of the Exeter-Waterloo service in a regional priority. We fully support the instatement of passing loops to increase capacity on single track parts of the line, and to develop the service into a more frequent and faster service, with half hourly Exeter-Axbridge trains, to support the planned expansion of Exeter eastwards. At the South West Public Transport User’s Forum General Meeting in March 2005, the improvement of this line to a fast, reliable service, but which also serviced local communities, was top priority.
The business case for service enhancement has been established. Although we are disappointed that the finance should be from a third party, we welcome the £5 million contribution by Network Rail towards the scheme’s likely cost.