Severnside Community Rail Partnership

Zone 1/20 Temple Quay House

2 The Square

Bristol BS1 6EB

Chairman - Keith Walton 077 400 47812

keith@keithwalton.co.uk

Andrew Griffiths

Regional Manager

First Great Western

17 January 2007

Dear Andrew

December 2007 Timetable for the Greater Bristol area

I thought it would be helpful to follow up the Partnership’s recent discussions with you on the December 2007 timetable, by setting out what amendments we think are necessary and why. I have also discussed these alterations with other key stakeholders and there is unanimous support for their implementation.

Route pattern

The December 2006 route pattern and timings have a considerable number of problems – in particular bunching of trains, loss of connections, non-clock-face frequencies, large gaps in frequency, and loss of traditional linkages. It is therefore the view of all key stakeholders that all local trains should operate to a clock-face service with standard calling patterns, and that the pattern of service should be revised along the following lines, or something similar:-

• Cardiff - Bristol TM - Portsmouth: hourly as now
• Cardiff - Bristol TM - Weston-super-Mare (or Taunton): local service hourly as operated until December 2006
• Cheltenham - Gloucester - Bristol TM - Weston-super-Mare (or Taunton): as now
• (Weymouth/Southampton)- Westbury - Bristol TM - Filton Abbey Wood- Bristol Parkway (to replace the Weston - Filton shuttle)

This pattern of service would:-

• better reflect the travelling needs of passengers;
• restore traditional linkages (in particular between Weston-super-Mare and South Wales);
• reduce the need for passengers to change trains at Temple Meads
• provide a new direct facility from Bath and West Wilts to Bristol Parkway in particular to serve the new employment growth in this area;
• be more robust operationally, and therefore more reliable.

Cardiff - Bristol Temple Meads

• All peak period services should stop at Severn Tunnel Junction
• In the evenings, when the half-hourly frequency no longer operates, all trains should stop at Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction, Patchway and Filton Abbey Wood
• The late train service from Cardiff to Bristol TM (at around 23.00) should be restored – to enable rail travel to be used to attend evening functions in Cardiff. Similarly, the 22.54 last train from Bristol TM to Cardiff should be retimed to depart after 23.00
• The morning 2-hour gap at Patchway should be filled
• The 7.15 from Bristol TM to Swansea, should revert to its former route and serve Bristol Parkway

Gloucester - Bristol Temple Meads

• An earlier first arrival in Gloucester (now 8.35) is needed
• The 22.06 from Temple Meads should be retarded until after 23.00 to allow rail travel to be used to attend functions in Bristol. The resultant gap could be filled if the 21.59 Virgin service to Birmingham called at local stations

Bristol Temple Meads - Weston-super-Mare - Taunton

• The timings of local trains from Bristol TM need to be revised to restore half-hourly

clock-face departures, and connections with trains arriving from London

• In the morning and evening peak all local trains should call at all stations
• High speed trains on the London service should call additionally at Worle, but this should not result in reduced calls at other North Somerset stations
• The evening departures from Temple Meads should be revised to avoid the current bunching and give a better spread of service

Bristol Temple Meads - Bath - Westbury

• The current departure pattern needs to be revised to avoid bunching and provide a more even spread of trains (this would avoid the current half-hour gaps on the Bristol TM – Bath corridor and 47 minute gaps on West Wilts services).
• HSTs need to call at Oldfield Park and Keynsham in the peak to increase capacity
• The current 2 hour mid-day gaps at Oldfield Park and Keynsham should be filled.

Bristol Temple Meads - Filton Abbey Wood - Bristol Parkway

• The hourly local train service (currently Weston-Filton, but recommended to be Westbury-Bristol Parkway) should call at Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road throughout the day. This would increase access to the jobs market from this socially deprived area. It would also provide connections to the new showcase bus route at Lawrence Hill.

This letter has been co-ordinated by the Severnside Community Rail Partnership, but is endorsed by all the key stakeholders in the Greater Bristol area:-

Bath and North East Somerset Council Bristol City Council

North Somerset Council South Gloucestershire Council

Somerset County Council West of England Partnership

Business West Passenger Focus

Travel Watch South West Transport 2000

All the key stakeholders consider that these changes to the pattern of service would be beneficial to the whole area and that implementation should broadly be cost-neutral. We see real benefits for First Great Western in that a combination of regular interval clock-face services on the pattern proposed would:-

• increase revenue (as has happened elsewhere);
• be easier for FGW and Network Rail train regulators;
• be simpler for platform staff to understand and to convey information to passengers;
• improve punctuality and operational robustness;
• encourage optional traffic by providing a greater range of through services;
• lead to a fall in complaints because it better matches the timetable to the needs of passengers;
• demonstrate that FGW is being responsive to the needs of customers.

The stakeholders hope FGW will consider and implement these suggestions. Stakeholders would be prepared to make any necessary representations to the Department for Transport for any changes to the Franchise needed to facilitate the service amendments.

A copy of this letter goes to all the stakeholders and to Alison Forster, Tom Stables, Kevin Gale and Glenda Lamont at FGW, and to Peter West at the DfT.

Yours sincerely

Keith Walton

Chairman Severnside Community Rail Partnership

On behalf of all the stakeholders listed above.