Agenda item

Charles Margetts asked the Deputy Executive Member for Highways and Transport the following question:

Question

I travel regularly between Wokingham and Waterloo and the train service seems to be inordinately slow.  Can the Deputy Executive Member please tell me what representations Wokingham Borough Council has made to seek shorter journey times?

 

Minutes:

I travel regularly between Wokingham and Waterloo and the train service seems to be inordinately slow.  Can the Deputy Executive Member please tell me what representations Wokingham Borough Council has made to seek shorter journey times?

 

Answer

Our Public Transport Plan adopted in January 2012 has an aspirational journey time of no more than 59 minutes representing a 15% reduction on the current 68 minute timing.  We have consistently lobbied for this improvement and played a full part in the various stakeholder meetings held by Network Rail to develop the Wessex Route Study.  It is Network Rail that is responsible for strategic planning to estimate demand and then prepare plans to cope with that demand and does this through the Long Term Planning Process that looks forward to 2043.  The Wessex Route Study was published as a draft for consultation, to which we responded, with the final report being issued in August last year.  Although it recommended doubling the frequency of the services to Wokingham with 2 trains per hour termed as fasts, they only offered a 4 minute reduction on current times with the same stopping pattern which seemed to confirm the degree of padding in the current timetable.  The route study also contained a table of average journey times with Wokingham being rock bottom on 32 mph, the next slowest being Portsmouth with 44 mph, an average speed about which we can only dream.

 

Following a decision by the Department for Transport not to proceed with a Direct Award Franchise to South West Trains, the Department issued a consultation on a replacement South Western Franchise and all 54 then Councillors were invited to comment and a number did including Prue and the Deputy Mayor.  We then submitted an 8 page response to the consultation with our principal target being our 59 minute timing.  There are 2 bidders for the new franchise, the incumbent Stagecoach Group and a joint bid led by First Group, the owning company of GWR.  Members of both bid teams have visited Shute End for briefings.  The Invitation to Tender, which calls for ambitious and innovative bids, was issued in June with bids to be returned in early September with the new franchise due to start on 25th June next year.  The bidders have a train service specification to meet and the ITT indicates that we will get major timetable changes in December 2018, when the frequency will be increased to 4 trains per hour with some likely journey time reductions, and again in December 2020 when further reductions should be achieved.  Therefore I am hopeful that we will finally get the journey time improvements that we seek.

 

Supplementary Question

The train from Waterloo seems to slow down some distance from Wokingham and crawls the last mile or so. Any idea why?

 

Answer

The answer is that Network Rail has imposed a Temporary Speed Restriction of 30 mph from about the Star Lane Level Crossing to Wokingham Junction, a distance of about one mile. That is bad news in view of our wish to see journey time reductions.  A Temporary Speed Restriction is simply one that is not permanent so it could be with us for some time. The reason for the speed restriction is the user worked crossing that gives access to the Knoll Farm, also known as Smith’s Farm, which is just inside Julian’s Westcott Ward.  The farm is on the south side of the railway and the crossing provides the access from Gypsy Lane. While the crossing has presumably existed for over 100 years, the speed restriction was imposed recently following an accident elsewhere at a user worked crossing where a car was hit by a train.  The Rail Accident Investigation Branch report made recommendations on sighting distances for such crossings, and the Knoll Farm crossing is on a double track 3rd rail electrified railway on a curve with restricted sighting distances for both car and train drivers. Hence the 30 mph restriction being imposed.

 

Network Rail is actively seeking a solution for this crossing.  I am dealing with Network Rail on this and will have meetings with them in the next few weeks with the aim of getting this restriction removed.