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Local Rail Service Developments In
Mid Devon
Presentation to Mid Devon Mid Devon
District CouncilDistrict Council
Andrew GriffithsBusiness ManagerDevon & Cornwall
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Local Rail Services - Overview
• Franchise• Performance - Reliability, Punctuality• Journeys - Seasonal trend, Historic trend,
Branchline context• Usage of stations• Trains• Stations• Marketing • Timetable developments
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Wessex Trains Franchise
• Train Operating Company• Geography• Operations• Future
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Performance - Devon
• Reliability (trains run)– Passengers Charter target - 99.5%– 2003 average - 99.9%
• Punctuality (arriving less than 5 mins late)– Passengers Charter target - 92.0%– 2003 average - 92.9%
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Journeys - Branchline contextNo. of Journeys by route - 2003
0
125
250
375
500
625
750
875
1000
1125
1250
Exeter
- Paig
nton/P
lymou
th
Exeter
- Exm
outh
Plymou
th - P
enza
nce
Penza
nce -
St. I
ves
Exeter
- Barn
staple
Truro -
Falmou
th
Plymou
th - G
unnis
lake
Liske
ard - L
ooe
Par - N
ewqu
ay
Route
No.
of j
ourn
eys
(k)
6
Journeys - Tarka Line Exeter - Barnstaple
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
P e r i o d
2001
2002
2003
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Tarka Line Journeys - Historic trend• Floods /
Foot & Mouth
• 2001 -198k
• 2002 -217k(+9.6%)
• 2003 -224k(+3.5%)
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Timetable (from Barnstaple)Weekdays Winter 1980 Winter 1992 Winter 2003Services 8
6 St.Davids0 Central
2 Exmouth26258511482
9 11Destinations 1 St.Davids
4 Central4 Exmouth
1 St.Davids 5 Central
5 ExmouthChapelton
UmberleighPortsmouth ArmsKings Nympton
EggesfordLapford
Morchard RoadCopplestone
YeofordCrediton
Newton St.Cyres
2936964169 + 42 + 3
81129
111177
11117
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Usage of stations
• 71% of journeys internal (Exeter-Barnstaple) 2003
FY 2002 % of usage Uses / week Uses / trainBarnstapleChapelton
UmberleighPortsmouth ArmsKings Nympton
EggesfordLapford
Morchard RoadCopplestone
YeofordCrediton
Newton St.Cyres
72.80.33.30.31.74.72.01.80.53.38.90.5
3,39414
1531277
220948524
154416
22
24.60.21.10.40.71.60.71.00.31.13.10.3
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Usage of stations
0
5
10
15
20
25N
um
ber
of
peo
ple
bo
ard
ing
+ a
ligh
tin
g
Bar
nsta
ple
Cre
dito
n
Egg
esfo
rd
Um
berl
eigh
Yeo
ford
Mor
char
d R
oad
King
s N
ympt
on
Lapf
ord
Port
smou
th A
rms
Cop
ples
tone
New
ton
St.
Cyr
es
Cha
plet
on
Uses of station calls in FY 2002, by rank order - Exeter to Barnstaple
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Trains• ‘Class 150’ fleet
refurbished
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• ‘The Tarka Belle’
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Other Tarka developments• Barnstaple opening hours, station cleaner• Grant-aided upgrades to intermediate stations• Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership• ‘Days Out’ and ‘Line Guides’• Rail Ale Trail, Jazz Trains etc
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The Avocet Line
2003 ExeRail station scheme• New shelter at Exmouth and
Topsham• Repainting of other shelters,
plus all railings and lamp columns
• Disabled access at Topsham• New benches, litter bins, station
signs, Exe Estuary posters• Cleaning and vegetation
clearance.
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New shelters for old
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More to be done!
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Branding / Link with RSPB
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Aspirations 2004-2006
Infrastructure• Barnstaple station house; Avocet line ‘phase 2’
- special focus on Digby.• Faster Tarka journey times - Eggesford and
Salmon Pool crossingsTrains• Extra capacity on peak services• Interior refurbishment of ‘Class 153’s and
‘158s’
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Aspirations 2004-2006
Marketing• Residents - ‘Devon Railcard’ door-drop,
Loyalty marketing• Tourists - ‘Great Scenic Railways of Devon &
Cornwall’, Destination posters• Tickets - ‘Freedom Pass’, Simplified fares• Events - ‘Barnstaple 150’, County Show.Timetable• Opportunity for a step-change in service!
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Summer 2004 Tarka Line Timetable• 12 services daily• Approximately ‘clockface’ departures• One-hour journey time to Exeter Central• Through running to Exmouth• Better timing of commuter services• Better connections with Paddington services
(Winter 2004)• Better reliability (self-contained operation and
off-peak ‘thunderbird’)• All services two carriages• Dozens fewer closure of Red Cow barriers
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Summer 2004 Tarka Line Timetable
And…• Cost neutral - no extra resources requiredWhat’s the secret?Understanding the current timetable• Irregular times, Erratic calling pattern• Difficulty of achieving consistent connections• Inefficient (lots of empty stock moves) due to
terminating at St.Davids or Central• Not integratedintegrated with other services
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Summer 2004 Tarka Line Timetable
Understanding the new timetable• Regular timings• Locked-in pathways through busy mainline
section• Regular mainline connections• Efficient (43 empty stock moves eliminated)
due to few terminations at St.Davids / Central• Fully integratedintegrated with Exmouth and Paignton
services• Enhanced ‘robustness’ of operation
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• A vision for integrated local services on the Exeter hub
Summer 2004 Tarka Line Timetable
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Summer 2004 Tarka Line Timetable
What’s the catch?• Paddington service connections poorer until
Winter 2004 clockfacing by FGW.• Need to reduce journey times between the
crossing points at Topsham and Eggesford:1. Higher line speeds / faster trains - unlikely.2. Speeding up access over Eggesford Crossing /
closing Salmon Pool Crossing - preferable.3. Reducing the number of calls at intermediate
stations - the only short-term option
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Weekdays Winter 2003 Summer 2004Services from Bar 11
0709, 0900 C, 1014, 1221 C, 1322 C, 1418, 1605 D, 1814 C, 1924,
2045 C, 21488
1129
111177
11117
12Departures
to Exmouth except C - Central D - St.Davids
0642, 0747, 0855 C, 0951, 1152, 1352,
1555, 1658, 1800 C, 1929, 2048, 2145
ChapeltonUmberleigh
Portsmouth ArmsKings Nympton
EggesfordLapford
Morchard RoadCopplestone
YeofordCrediton
Newton St.Cyres
310
28
127528
124
Summer 2004 Tarka Line Timetable
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Summer 2004 TimetableThe risk• If we do not take the
Summer 2004 opportunity to ‘lock in’ the North Devon line to a regular-interval service integrated with the other local services, the Exeter hub time-table die will be cast leaving the North Devon line with an irregular and isolated service for years to come.
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Outlook - promising