Memorandum by the Tyne Valley Rail Users'
Group (RR 06)
RURAL RAILWAYS
The Tyne Valley line, which runs between Newcastle
and Carlisle, is 55 miles long, and runs through urban, commuter
and rural areas. It is used for commuter, leisure and shopping
journeys, as well as for connections with long distance services
at Newcastle and Carlisle. The line has considerable potential
to serve an expanding tourist industry centred on Hadrian's Wall,
a World Heritage Site. According to Arriva Trains Northern, the
number of journeys made in 2003 exceeded 1.1 million. Given that
this was achieved despite a prolonged industrial dispute, considerable
disruption due to infrastructure and rolling stock problems, and
a quality of provision that falls far short of reasonable passenger
expectations, one can only speculate at the numbers that could
be realised given a better service and rolling stock.
The central argument of this response is that
there is too much traffic on rural roads, too many parked cars
in our towns and villages, and that an attractive and efficient
system of public transport is essential to counter this. Rural
railways are an important component of an integrated public transport
system.
Given the short period available for response
to this consultation, this response is not as comprehensive as
we would have wished.
THE IMPORTANCE
OF RURAL
RAILWAYS TO
THE COMMUNITIES
THEY SERVE
The ever increasing traffic levels in rural
areas brings about a number of serious problems that plague the
affected communities. These include the following:
— The speed and weight of traffic,
which is unpleasant and which discourages walking and cycling.
It also disturbs the very peace and tranquillity of rural areas
that leads visitors to come in the first place.
— Congestion, particularly at school
starting and finishing times, and at peak times for commuters.
— Parking problems, which cause serious
problems for pedestrians, especially those with pushchairs or
in wheelchairs who can be forced in to the road, and which can
block roads to large vehicles. So far, the only consequence in
this locality has been that the refuse collection vehicle has
been unable to access properties along the affected roads, but
if an ambulance or fire appliance was obstructed, then the consequences
for life and limb could be serious.
— There is also evidence of social
exclusion in rural communities affecting those without access
to a car or, increasingly, those too old to drive.
There is plenty of evidence that it is local
journeys that clog up the roads and railways.
The North East Regional Transport Strategy calls
for a carrot and stick approach to promoting public transport
use and limiting the increase in road traffic. The imposition
of significant sticks at a national level appears to be politically
unpalatable despite the success of the congestion charge in London.
Unfortunately, the carrots on offer are also pretty measly, with
the quality of public transport being far too inferior to be a
significant competitor to the car in meeting peoples transport
needs.
Given this background, we would assert that
railways are vitally important to rural areas as part of an integrated
public transport system.
THE PROSPECTS
FOR INNOVATIVE
APPROACHES TO
THE FUNDING
AND MANAGEMENT
OF SUCH
RAILWAYS
We would urge local specification and funding
for local services. At present, the SRA specifies everything and
seemingly listens to nobody. Some decisions, eg, the withdrawal
of direct Saltburn-Newcastle services, have attracted considerable
criticism, which has simply been ignored.
The local management of rural rail services,
eg, by microfranchising, is to be encouraged. We welcome the consideration
of this in the SRA's Community Rail Strategy consultation draft.
PTE's have some powers to specify and fund rail
services. We believe that this should be extended to transport
authorities, especially at a regional level. Traffic and transport
problems often occur across local authority boundaries, and need
cross boundary solutions. These cannot credibly exclude rail travel
as a component of an integrated public transport system. Given
the SRA's near-exclusive focus on long distance and London commuter
services, it is difficult for rural railways to play their part.
THE PROSPECTS
FOR TRAFFIC
GROWTH ON
SUCH RAILWAYS
At present, the quality of provision and delivery
is too poor to meet the needs of many people. Timetables are designed
for the convenience of the operator, often making the service
irrelevant to potential users. If the railway can't get people
to work on time, get them to services when they are open, or get
them back from an evening at the theatre, cinema or concert hall,
then it might as well not exist.
Punctuality and reliability is poor. This means
that passengers cannot depend on reaching their destination or
connection in time.
The quantity and quality of rolling stock is
inadequate. This results in a poor journey experience and regular
overcrowding.
THE IMPACT
OF MEASURES
SUCH AS
BUS SUBSTITUTION
FOR RAIL
SERVICES
There is ample evidence that substitute bus
services simply don't work. They are unpopular with passengers,
who elect either to drive or not travel at all. Evidence comes
from the bus services established to replace rural branch lines
that were closed. More recently, when the Morpeth-Chathill service
was withdrawn at the time of the Arriva Trains Northern driver
shortage, few of its regular passengers availed themselves of
the replacement bus service. They returned when the rail service
was restored.
RAILWAYS AS
PART OF
AN INTEGRATED
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
SYSTEM
One question that the committee does not ask
relates to the value of railways that are properly integrated
with other modes of transport. At present, bus and train often
compete.
There is enormous scope for integration between
bus and train. This scope is recognised by Northumberland County
Council, which has recently been awarded a large Rural Bus Challenge
Grant under the heading "Bus meets Train".
The Tyne Valley railway line should be the backbone
of any integrated public transport system. The route is fixed,
and extra stations are unlikely, but frequency of services and
stopping patterns could be enhanced.
Bus routes can be modified to integrate with
rail services, but the track record of the industry in achieving
this is poor. An outstanding example of this is the new interchange
at Hexham, where few buses appear to go.
At present, there is no integration between
bus and rail in the Tyne Valley. On the contrary, the 602, 604
and 685 bus routes compete with the train. This means some places
have only limited options and has left some communities (eg, Gilsland
and Greenhead) with very little service at all.
A more sensible arrangement would be for bus
and train to do what each does best, and to cooperate to secure
real benefits for passengers. Even with antiquated infrastructure,
the train can travel between Newcastle, Hexham and Carlisle in
a time that no bus service can match. The bus, of course, can
go to settlements remote from the Tyne Valley line. Put the two
together and a winning combination can be achieved.
Examples of how this would work locally are
not difficult to find.
— In Prudhoe, the 604 terminates tantalisingly
short of the station. A short extension would see it provide an
easy connection for passengers.
— For people at Mickley, Branch End
and Birches Nook, the 602 currently passes their front door and
could provide an easy connection to Stocksfield station, which
the bus also passes.
— At Corbridge, the station is south
of the river, while the main settlement is to the north. Both
are linked by the 602 route.
— Greenhead and Gilsland are now left
out by the 685 in a bid to save a few minutes off its end-to-end
journey time. A good connection at Haltwhistle could see public
transport links to these villages restored.
None of this requires major change to existing
services. Even without integrated ticketing, real benefits to
Tyne Valley residents would result. Of course if we could find
a way of doing the job properly, ie, with coordination of the
timetables, integrated ticketing and effective marketing, the
attractiveness would be that much greater.
In conclusion, we would acknowledge that we
are very lucky to have the railway line through the rural areas
of Northumberland and Cumbria—it certainly wouldn't be built
today. However, as it exists, it is definitely worth making the
most of. The value of rural railways in promoting social inclusion
and combating the continuing increasing traffic levels cannot
be over emphasised.
April 2004
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