rural rail

How local communities could run rural railway lines

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I begin, this week, with a break from coronavirus. This fascinating article argues for a new community enterprise approach to the provision of a number of rural rail lines. It tells us:

The Rail Reform Group – an independent think-tank of railway professionals – recently published a series of papers called The Enterprising Railway, looking at opportunities to develop a railway based on ‘the common good’.

What could work is a combination of greater local management, empowered to do much more than just run trains, with the security of being part of a much bigger network.

In its submission to the Williams Review, the Rail Reform Group argued for converting franchises – using ‘Northern’ as a pilot – into socially-owned businesses controlled by the community. It’s about applying a more co-operative approach. Government support would continue, but profits would go back into the railways, not to shareholders.

If ‘Northern Trains’ became a social enterprise with representation on its board from passengers, employees, local government and the business community, we’d be on the way to getting a railway that operates ‘for the common good’.

Government ‘considering taking direct control of Southern Railway franchise’

The challenges of relying on this line blight many rural commuters in the South of England. I for one think there would be some real merit in a return to public ownership. The East Coast Mainline was a pleasure to use when we owned it and it made money for the tax payer. I have recently been musing on the potential of a rural national wealth fund, harnessing the capacity of public sector assets to address some of the worst impacts of the rural premium, but that’s another story….This one tells us:

The Government is considering taking direct control of the rail franchise which includes Southern Railway, it has been claimed.

Rail Business Intelligence magazine said the Department for Transport was preparing a number of options, ranging from splitting off Southern from Govia Thameslink Railway, to a complete “managed exit” to take direct control of the entire franchise until a new contract could be let.

The plan has its own codename and a potential interim managing director has been identified, said the magazine.

The news came as talks continued between Aslef and Southern to try to resolve a row over driver only trains, one of the disputes which has affected services for several months, as well as staff shortages and other problems.

The talks started a week ago, but neither side has commented on whether any progress is being made.

A small number of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union at Southern went on strike on Wednesday and will walk out again on Friday.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “Instead of dragging this farce out any longer the Government should now do the decent thing, pull the plug on the GTR contract, take the lines under public control and draw a line under this shambles that shames Britain’s railways.

“As part of that process they should get round the table with the union and reach a genuine and lasting negotiated settlement to the ongoing guards safety dispute.

“Transport Secretary Chris Grayling should stop pussy-footing about, get his act together and get Southern/GTR off the tracks before more damage is done.”

Southern trains facing disruption after 24-hour strike

Rail is still the lifeline of many rural small towns up and down the country from Kemble to Morpeth. This latest post Bob Crowe industrial action shows that the RMT is still fully capable of disrupting this aspect of their functionality. This story tells us:

Rail passengers are still facing disruption on some Southern services following a 24-hour strike which saw nearly 900 trains cancelled.

The company said train crew shortages and trains out of normal positions were causing delays and cancellations.

RMT union members walked out over the introduction of driver-only trains and a change in the role of conductors.

More than 10,000 people have signed a petition calling for Southern’s owner Govia to be stripped of the contract.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) took over the franchise in July 2015.

Southern said it was running a normal timetable on Wednesday, but some services would have fewer carriages.

However, passengers still frustrated by the ongoing disruption took to social media to complain.

Who, what, why: What’s happening to wi-fi on trains?

This piece tells us how Ministers via Network Rail are going to deliver a £90m upgrade across England and Wales to stop Wi-Fi “constantly disrupted by poor signal”. It will be part-funded by a £53.1m fine levied on Network Rail for failing to ensure enough trains run on time. It is expected that a universal service, offering broadband speeds up to 10 times the current level, free to all train users, will be in place within a few years. Network Rail is setting up its own transmitters along lines in England and Wales to ensure blanket coverage with operators are updating receivers and Wi-Fi hubs on board trains. Currently trains receive 3G signal from ordinary mobile phone masts, which is “forwarded” to passengers through an onboard Wi-Fi system. Provision can be patchy, particularly in rural areas or when passing through tunnels or by embankments. Operating companies often charge for connections while on board, while several do not offer any Wi-Fi at all. While the announcement is welcome, Trevor Tupper, treasurer of the West Sussex Rail Users Association advises how “we shall have to see.”