More job losses at South West Trains

South West Trains has announced the loss of a further one hundred and eighty posts, as a result of the company’s ongoing cost review – these losses are in addition to four hundred and eighty job reductions announced last month. These new job reductions will be focused on revenue protection, station and ticket office staff and more management roles. South West Trains has again reiterated that train crew and frontline maintenance staff are not affected by these two rounds of job cuts.

First Great Western fares rise fastest

A new study of rail fares over the last fourteen years (June 1995 – January 2009) has concluded that First Great Western ‘walk-on’ standard class single fares have risen by one hundred and sixty per cent, more than the comparative tickets sold by any other train operating company – by comparison, South West Trains ‘walk-on’ standard class single fares have risen by sixty per cent (the rate of inflation for the period was forty-five per cent). First Great Western ‘walk-on’ first class single fares rose by one hundred and seventy per cent during the same period - Virgin West Coast ‘walk-on’ first class single fares rose, by comparison, one hundred and eighty-five per cent, while South West Trains ‘walk-on’ first class single fares rose by one hundred per cent.

Eight stations in South West

Eight railway stations in South West England will benefit from the Department for Transport (DfT) funding in the year commencing 1 April 2009 to improve accessibility for elderly and disabled customers under the Government’s ‘Access for All’ initiative:-

• Bath Spa: £250k
• Bradford-on-Avon: £30k
• Eggesford: £18.5k
• Exeter Central: £30k
• Newton Abbot: £30k
• Pewsey: £7.9k
• Pinhoe: £1.2k
• Warminster: £6k

The funding from the DfT will meet up to fifty per cent of the cost of the improvement scheme, subject to a maximum grant of two hundred and fifty thousand pounds.

New study into Portishead reopening

North Somerset Council has commissioned a new study, costing one hundred and sixty-four thousand pounds, into re-opening the railway line between Parson Street and Portishead for passenger services. The line closed for passenger services in 1964 and for freight traffic in 1981 – the line was reopened between Parson Street and Portbury (three miles short of the original terminus) for freight trains in 2002. The local authority has recently purchased the disused trackbed between Portbury and Portishead. The study will investigate the operational feasibility of reopening the line, including track and signal plans and provide preliminary designs and costings.

Work starts on new Axminster loop

Network Rail has started work on the twenty million pound project to double one and a half miles of track on each side of Axminster railway station to create an additional passing loop – Axminster station will have a new platform, footbridge and lifts. Twelve new signals will be installed, which will require modifications to the signalling panel at Chard Junction. The scheme is expected to be completed this autumn, to facilitate the introduction by South West Trains of an hourly clockface service between Exeter St Davids and London Waterloo via Salisbury from December 2009.

And finally,

The first public through passenger train, for thirty-seven years, will be operated by UK Railtours to Swanage on Wednesday 1 April – the train, named ‘The Purbeck Pioneer’, will operate between London Victoria and Swanage.