Great Western Main Line to be electrified

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced plans to electrify the Great Western Main Line between London and Swansea – the routes between Bristol Temple Meads and Hayes and Harlington via Bath Spa, Chippenham and Swindon and between Swansea and Swindon via Cardiff Central and Bristol Parkway will both be electrified, together with the tracks between Bristol Parkway/Patchway and Bristol Temple Meads via Filton Abbey Wood. Planning work is expected to start immediately, with the entire project been completed within eight years, although some stages will be completed earlier. Electrification will make possible the direct replacement of the existing diesel high speed trains by new electric Super Express intercity trains and by hybrid diesel/electric units to provide through services to and from locations beyond the electrified network. New electric units will yield significant savings in leasing and operating costs and will benefit passengers with more reliable and quieter trains – the new electric trains are ‘greener’, as they produce less CO2 emissions and emit no air pollution at trackside. The Government also announced that a new rolling stock deployment plan will be published later this year.

South West told to revisit transport priorities

The Department for Transport (DfT) has now responded to the proposals submitted by the region in February this year setting out the transport priorities for the next ten years – the list of transport priorities submitted by the region has been approved, with the exception of the Westbury bypass, following the rejection of this road scheme. The list of priority schemes includes the Greater Bristol Bus Network, the Bath Transportation Package, a bus rapid transit scheme in Bristol, together with a contribution of twenty million pounds towards the cost of redoubling the railway line between Kemble and Swindon. The inclusion of a scheme within the ten year priority list does not necessarily mean that funding has been approved – schemes will only proceed once they have completed the DfT funding approval processes and secured any necessary legal powers. The DfT has asked the region to reconsider the decision to defer a number of public transport schemes, which are closely connected with growth and regeneration initiatives, to the final period of the ten year programme. The DfT have also described the region’s programme as ‘very challenging’, an obvious expression of concern about deliverability.

Consultation on bus driver hours

The Department for Transport (DfT) have announced a consultation on the existing UK Domestic Drivers Hours Rules – these regulations, which impact on most drivers of local bus services in the South West of England, include duty lengths, together with break and rest requirements – the consultation finishes on Tuesday 13 October.

‘Midsummer Madness’

South West Trains (SWT) have announced a special promotion for passengers travelling on the operator’s services on Saturdays 1, 8, 15 and 22 August and on Sundays 2, 9, 16 and 23 August – day return tickets for adults will cost a maximum of ten pounds (a maximum of five pounds for children). The discount tickets can only be used on trains operated by SWT and are not valid west of Honiton, between Bristol Temple Meads and Salisbury or to and from the Isle of Wight.

And finally,

Mystery surrounds an advertised new bus service in Cornwall! Angry passengers have been arriving at Par railway station expecting to travel to the Eden Project on a route numbered ‘102’, operated by First Devon and Cornwall, but finding that the new service was not been provided – the timetable for the new bus service, consisting of four northbound and five southbound journeys, was in the Traveline South West database and was also been advertised in an leaflet produced by First Great Western. No details of the new service were available on the Cornwall Council public transport website or on the First Devon and Cornwall website and a search on the VOSA website failed to find the relevant registration.