Select Committee on Transport Written Evidence


Memorandum by Nottinghamshire County Council (RR 31)

RURAL RAILWAYS

INTRODUCTION

  Nottinghamshire County Council has a long history of pursuing innovative rail development projects and playing a pro-active role in the management of the rail network within the County. The County was the Lead Authority in the development and implementation of the "Robin Hood Line" Project involving the restoration of heavy rail services in a 32 mile corridor between Nottingham and Worksop; and the County is one of the Local Authority Partners in the Nottingham Express Transit light rail scheme, the first line of which opened to the public in March 2004.

  The response to the Inquiry is structured as follows. Firstly, a description of the local rail network within the County will be given. Secondly, the role of heavy rail in the County's Rural Transport Strategy as set out in the Local Transport Plans for Nottinghamshire will be discussed and compared to alternative bus provision. Thirdly, an outline of the measures undertaken to promote use of the local rail network within the County will be given. It is hoped that these points will cover the issues which the Inquiry hopes to investigate.

  It should be pointed out that because of the short consultation deadline this response reflects the views of Officers of Nottinghamshire County Council only.

1.   The rail network in Nottinghamshire

  Nottinghamshire is served by two main Inter-city routes. The Midland Main Line links Nottingham with Leicester and London, whereas the East Coast Main Line to the east of the County links the market towns of Newark and Retford with London, the North East and Scotland.

  To the west of the County, the "Robin Hood" Line links Nottingham with the former mining communities of West Nottinghamshire and Worksop. The line was originally sponsored and funded by the Robin Hood Line consortium of Local Authorities, but has now been incorporated within the National franchised rail network as an adjunct to the Central Trains Franchise.

  Linking the settlements in the County on an east-west axis are three lines which can be said to be "rural":

    —    The Nottingham to Newark line serves many small communities in the Trent Valley, many of which are served by services which stop on request. Train services on this line are provided by Central Trains as part of a network of services linking the East Midlands with the West Midlands and South Wales;

    —    The Nottingham to Grantham Line is used by cross country services linking the North West with East Anglia and from Skegness to Crewe. Many of the latter services stop at the stations on the line serving the local communities in the Vale of Belvoir;

    —    The Worksop to Retford Line links the towns of Worksop and Retford with Sheffield and Lincoln;

    —    Finally, in the far north of the County, there is a line linking Doncaster with Gainsborough, Lincoln, Sleaford and Peterborough, but there are no intermediate stations within the County on this route.

2.   The role of heavy rail in the County's rural transport strategy, and a comparison with bus service provision

  The objectives of the County's Rural Transport Strategy as set out in the Local Transport Plan for North Nottinghamshire for the period 2001/02-2005/06 are given below :

    —    To increase transport choice and reduce isolation in the rural areas;

    —    To increase sustainable accessibility to and within town and local centres in ways which will enhance economic activity and encourage development in these centres;

    —    To restrict traffic growth and encourage modal change away from the private car, particularly for work journeys to town and local centres and other major transport generators;

    —    To improve road safety for vulnerable road users, and to relieve communities from the adverse effects of through traffic;

    —    To promote recreational and tourism opportunities in rural areas through sustainable forms of transport, including walking and cycling.

  Similar objectives apply to the rural parts of Greater Nottingham, which is covered by a separate LTP. The role of heavy rail in meeting these objectives will now be considered below.

REDUCING ISOLATION IN RURAL AREAS

  The number of rural communities served by rail services in Nottinghamshire is small, and most rural communities rely instead on bus transport to provide accessibility for those without a private car. A survey in 2002 identified that 55.2% of rural households were within approximately a 10 minute walk of an hourly or better bus service (a Rural White Paper standard), which is considerably higher than the national average. However over recent years there has been a significant trend of commercial bus operators withdrawing rural bus services. The County Council has responded well to this, increasing local spending on supported routes. However where they exist, rural rail services provide a valuable lifeline for the communities concerned, which may be increasingly important in the future.

ACCESSIBILITY, TRANSPORT CHOICE AND MODAL SHIFT

  Heavy rail provides a fast and convenient means of access to major centres of population for people living in rural areas. In Nottinghamshire, traffic congestion in the morning and evening peak on the approaches to Nottingham City Centre together with difficulties in car parking mean that for people living in rural areas at a distance from the conurbation, heavy rail can offer a realistic alternative to the private car in accessing the city. This has benefits of increasing transport choice, restricting road traffic growth and encouraging modal shift.

  Even with good bus priority measures, bus services are often unable to offer the same attributes offered by a heavy rail service in terms of speed and direct, segregated access to major centres. Where they exist, rural railways can offer commuters a more attractive public transport alternative to the private car than bus, and therefore a better chance of achieving modal shift. This has been evidenced by the success in the Robin Hood Line, where 40% of passengers have been displaced from the car.

  Furthermore, the existence of a fixed and segregated heavy rail link offers a degree of "permanence" and stability to the public transport network in an area, with individuals taking long term decisions such as house or job relocation on the basis that services will be provided into the future.

PROMOTION OF RECREATIONAL AND TOURISM OPPORTUNITIES IN RURAL AREAS

  In Nottinghamshire, the rural rail routes pass through areas of attractive countryside, and accessibility to these rural areas is enhanced for recreational and leisure purposes by the ability of rail services to carry bicycles—something which buses are generally not able to do.

  In the case of the Robin Hood Line in the County, results of a recent passenger survey have shown that just over 10% of passengers use the line for travelling for leisure/social purposes, and this has been actively promoted in the publicity for the line. For instance, a separate guide listing possible walks from the stations on the line has been published, and with some limited exceptions, bicycles are usually carried free on the line.

WIDER COMMUNITY BENEFITS GENERATED BY HEAVY RAIL

  Whilst the Robin Hood Line cannot be strictly categorised as a "rural" railway, the project has shown that investment in heavy rail can produce substantial community benefits and can play a major role in helping to achieve the transportation objectives of the Local Transport Plan. These include the achievement of environmental, economic, accessibility and integration benefits.

  A major passenger survey was carried out on the line by NOP Market Research in November 2002, and the results have confirmed that:

    —    the line is contributing to reducing congestion and providing environmental benefits. More than one third of passengers access the line by car, taking advantage of the free car parking facilities provided at stations;

    —    the line has influenced journey to work patterns. Of the passengers who had changed jobs since the RHL started, two-thirds considered the line was a very or fairly important factor in their choice;

    —    the line has increased accessibility to employment sites. Of the passengers who had changed jobs since the RHL started, the importance of the line in choice of workplace was higher amongst those who were unable to make the journey by other means, those without regular access to a car, and for young people generally. It is these consumer groups for whom improved employment opportunities via enhanced accessibility using public transport, are likely to be most beneficial;

    —    the line has widened peoples' travel horizons and broken down perceived barriers affecting access to major centres. One in five of those who had not made the journey before the RHL started said it was because there had been no other suitable public transport available. This is particularly true of shoppers for whom there may have been perceived barriers to travel into Nottingham City Centre, such as parking problems or traffic congestion. This relates to the point made above about the ability of heavy rail to offer fast journey times to major centres in part due to segregation from other traffic, and it is this attribute which can enhance economic activity and encourage development in these centres.

3.   Measures undertaken to promote use of the rail network within the County

  The Robin Hood Line has shown that rail can attract passengers through high quality facilities including comfortable trains with regular departure times, attractive station environments, CCTV surveillance of platforms and car parks, and live passenger information.

  More importantly, this patronage growth has been achieved through innovative marketing, using attractively-designed timetable leaflets delivered door-to-door to all households within the corridor. It is felt that these measures can help achieve the patronage growth required on rural railways.

  The County is trying to increase the patronage on rail services through the Rail Quality Partnerships programme. The objective of such a partnership will be to make travel by train more attractive by improving the quality of all aspects of a journey of which rail forms a major part. Three categories of improvement are highlighted :

    —    The service: for example, frequencies and calling patterns, quality of rolling stock, provision of ramps for easier access/egress on trains, effective customer care and integration with bus services including inter-availability of ticketing;

    —    The station environment: for example, live passenger information on platforms, better security and lighting, and raising substandard platforms for easier access onto trains for people with mobility difficulties;

    —    Access to stations: for example, improved bus interchange and park and ride facilities, provision of cycling and walking routes, secure cycle storage and improved highway signage to stations.

  Over the past two years, the Council has carried out the following improvements to some rural stations within the County:

    —    major improvements at Newark Castle station, including the installation of CCTV to cover the station car park and platforms, the installation of a shelter on one of the platforms, and the installation of a Passenger Information Screen displaying train running information;

    —    improvements to other rural stations including the resurfacing of car parks, the installation of new information panels, and the installation of waiting shelters.

4.   Conclusion

  In conclusion, it is felt that rural railways in Nottinghamshire play a vital role in achieving the aims of the County's Transport Strategy, and that the provision of heavy rail services brings substantial benefits to the communities served. Many of these benefits would not be fully realised should these rail services be replaced by bus.

Jonathan Hall

Senior Transport Planning Officer

Environment Department

May 2004





 
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