Memorandum by Midlands Branch, Railfuture
(RR 20)
RURAL RAILWAYS
The Midlands Branch of Railfuture (Railway Development
Society) is involved in an area that is principally urban with
very few genuine rural railways. We do however have strong views
on the SRA's proposals which are summarised below.
RURAL RAILWAYS
AND THE
COMMUNITY THEY
SERVE
Railways in a rural area are vital to the community
because they offer faster, more comfortable journeys than a bus.
In addition they prevent rural roads being blocked by heavy vehicles,
for example the transportation of aggregates in block trains from
quarries into conurbations. In this area there are power stations
connected to rural lines who must continue to be served by trains
from the national network.
INNOVATIVE MANAGEMENT
AND FUNDING
It is essential that any changes in management
arrangements do not prevent services accessing the rural line
from the national network and visa versa. Local authorities do
have the power to fund rural railways but often do not do so.
If a community is to be involved there must be some way of measuring
benefit, for example improving a station, providing a car park
or the local post office issuing railway tickets.
In our area the Walsall to Rugeley line is included
in the SRA list. This is traversed by local services between Birmingham
and Stafford. It is essential this through service is developed.
It is one of the West Midlands key commuter routes with growing
traffic, whatever management arrangement is in place must encourage
this development to continue. Another concern is that Rugeley
Power station receives its coal by rail from trains traversing
this line. This must continue.
It is suggested that maintenance standards are
be reduced on rural lines that only have light weight trains eg
sprinters. British Rail did this to cut costs. It is a false economy
because if maintenance is allowed to slide too far then retrieving
the situation can be very expensive and disruptive to train services.
A funding innovation that would really help
is to provide a fixed (inflation increasing) annual sum ring fenced
to improve the railway.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
TRAFFIC GROWTH
Local management and local shuttle trains should
provide a facility with local ownership, the opposite of the current
situation when a service is provided by an international profit
making organisation. A local management my be able to innovate
for example introducing wagon-load freight.
BUS SUBSTITUTION
This was once a fashionable idea but thoroughly
discredited even before bus services fell apart with deregulation.
On the edge of our area the Derby to Sinfin line (under British
Rail) lost its trains and passengers were carried by bus and taxi.
Patronage fell to very small numbers and the line was closed.
We would not wish this to happen again.
Buses do not have anything like the record of
rail for modal shift from private car to public transport.
During times of service disruption buses are
often substituted for trains. This introduces a poorer travel
experience and a longer journey. It is entirely inappropriate
for the railways to charge a premium fare when this happens and
this situation urgently needs to be reviewed.
Nigel Cripps
For RDS (Midlands Branch)
18 April 2004
| 
