COMMENT


ACoRP Community Rail Awards 2012


The 2012 awards were presented at a gala dinner on Friday 28 September at STEAM, The Great Western Museum in Swindon, by FGW managing director Mark Hopwood.


Involving Young People: Cambrian Railways Partnership for the ‘First Class Safety’ Schools DVD


Community Art Schemes: Friends of Heaton Chapel Station for the ‘Running Man’ Art Project (pictured top right)


Local Transport Integration: Southern – Station Travel Plan Initiatives


Best Station Garden or Floral Display: Friends of Dronfi eld Station for Dronfi eld Station Garden (pictured top left)


Best Station or Train Retail Outlet: Signal Box Café – Bodmin Parkway


Station Development: Northern Rail, Network Rail, High Peak and Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership, Friends of Glossop Station and the Railway Heritage Trust for Glossop Station Development


Small Projects Award: Derwent Valley Line CRP for ‘Get on track for great school trips’ project


Best Community Rail Image: Simon Clarke for Schoolchildren at launch of the ‘My Mill Hill’ artwork project (pictured bottom right)


Best Marketing Publication: Cambrian Railways Partnership and Good Journey for ‘Wales on Rails for families’ leafl et


Best Community Rail Event: Marston Vale CRP for the Marston Vale Easter Eggspress


‘Passengers Matter’ Award: Southern for ‘Eyewitness on the Arun Valley’


Best Station Adoption Group: The Acorn Centre for their ‘multi station – adoption project’


Outstanding Volunteer Contribution: Cllr June Player, The On Board Group, Oldfi eld Park


Outstanding Railway Staff Contribution: Jason Townsend, Northern Rail


Outstanding Teamwork Award: Mid Cheshire CRP, Volunteers & Partners for the North West in Bloom project


The Overall Winner: Northern


Full details on runners-up and sponsors at www.acorp.com/uk


rail technology magazine Oct/Nov 12 | 21


Suitable rolling stock


One of ACoRP’s longest-standing concerns is over the type and quality of rolling stock used on many rural lines, which Buxton notes is “just not appropriate” – “it’s designed for high- throughput, high-volume traffi c; we could really do with rolling stock with better window views, suitcase room, room for bicycles…”


He said he understands the rolling stock procurement process and why such things are likely to remain on the wishlist for now, but hinted that since ACoRP has been doing such a fantastic job of boosting ridership and revenues on rural lines, perhaps it is time train users got a better deal too.


He explained: “Some of the trains, particularly in Devon and Cornwall, are reaching capacity – there’s nowhere else for people to go. The logical step is to put more trains on.


“The success in the South West has been phenomenal, and it’s been because of the community rail approach: look at Falmouth to Truro, for example. They put a passing loop in and it’s now got a half-hourly service that’s completely over-subscribed.


“On some lines the summer period peak is now the same every year, because they physically can’t get more people on.”


Micro-franchising


One option discussed in the RUS, as consulted on by the DfT, is using micro-franchising to boost local control over small parts of the network. ACoRP has been consulted on that, and is consulting on it itself.


But Buxton said: “We support the concept, but


we’re not of the opinion that micro-franchising will run at the moment. Most of the CRPs aren’t big enough to get the economies of scale, and they don’t have those skills. Most of the CRP offi cers have been recruited because they have regeneration or community involvement skills, not running railways. Let’s leave running railways to other people.”


He expressed some concerns over the Government’s idea of devolving franchising decisions to the regions, as discussed in detail in the June/July 2012 edition of RTM on p16-17. How affected those plans will be by the current review of franchising after the West Coast fi asco is still a matter of speculation.


But Buxton said that the basic concept could see rural lines in the shire counties miss out, as conglomerations of PTEs prioritise urban areas. He said: “If I’m asking for an extra 153, say, to deal with extra holiday traffi c in the Esk Valley, I can quite easily see Manchester or Leeds refusing, saying they need it urgently for the 7am to wherever.


“A more positive idea could be sub-franchising, such as Tees Valley, or at the very least for management sectors within the franchise, of which CRPs are part – so they can have an input into train diagrams and timetables and marketing, but won’t actually be running the service. I think that’s probably the most useful place we could be.”


Neil Buxton FOR MORE INFORMATION


www.acorp.uk.com The RUS is at tinyurl.com/RTM-Alternative-Solutions


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84