South West Trains strike action

ASLEF have rejected a pay offer of 4.5 per cent and announced a four day strike, instructing their members, employed by South West Trains, not to work any shift commencing between 0001hrs on Monday 31 March and 2359hrs on Thursday 3 April.

South West Trains have announced the company’s intention to operate an hourly train service between London Waterloo and Salisbury on each of the four strike days, as follows:-

• London Waterloo depart 0745hrs and then every hour until 1945hrs
• Salisbury depart 0605hrs and then every hour until 1805hrs
• Road replacement bus services will also operate on the following corridors in South West England:-
  • Axminster – Exeter St Davids calling at Honiton and Exeter Central
  • Bournemouth – Southampton Central calling at Pokesdown and Christchurch
  • Bournemouth – Weymouth calling at Poole, Wareham, Wool and Dorchester South
  • Salisbury – Yeovil Junction calling at Gillingham, Templecombe and Sherborne

Train services in the region operated by Arriva Trains Wales, CrossCountry and First Great Western are expected to operate normally during this four day period.

Major shake-up for bus subsidy?

The Department for Transport has published a consultation paper, ‘Local bus services support – options for reform’, with proposals for a major shake-up to the way bus subsidy is paid in England.

The changes could see fuel duty rebate linked to carbon dioxide emissions in the short-term, but much more substantial reforms could be introduced at a later date, including a new ‘per passenger’ payment, which would include the existing concessionary fares subsidy.

CrossCountry December 08 timetable to start on time?

Many rail industry observers are now questioning whether Network Rail will complete the West Coast Route Modernisation works in time for the December 08 timetable change, when CrossCountry is contracted to commence operating a radically different service pattern – Andrew Cooper, the managing director of CrossCountry, has stated that any delay in the timing of the introduction of this major timetable change would be ‘catastrophic’!

Regional Transport Board Chair gives evidence

The Chair of the South West Regional Transport Board, Julian Johnson (a Conservative member of Wiltshire County Council) gave evidence to the House of Commons Transport Committee on Wednesday 19 March on the Government white paper ‘Delivering a Sustainable Railway: A Thirty Year Strategy for the Railway?’ – his evidence can be viewed at:- www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/VideoPlayer.aspx?meetingId=1380’

Trainline Smart

The Trainline is developing a system where a customer can purchase a rail ticket on the internet and then have it downloaded onto an ITSO compliant card. It is envisaged that train managers and revenue protection staff would be issued with a hand held reader to check the ticket.

And finally,

Pro-rail campaign group, Railfuture, is struggling to halt a severe decline in membership, as many of its members ‘die off’ – David Harby, the organisation’s membership officer, has reported that over the last fifteen years, the annual loss of members has consistently been ten per cent of the membership, with two-thirds of the loss due to death or serious illness.