Details of the new timetable for Route 6 are now available. From what I have seen, most of the stations which were omitted from some trains have now been reinstated. Whether the lifting of the temporary speed restrictions between Bootle and Silecroft since the recent track renewal has helped with this I don’t know.
Network Rail is working on a drainage scheme for the single line between Harrington and Parton. If this is successful, we must press for reinstatement of double track at this point as this would reduce the likelihood of delays significantly.
At the request of Community Rail Officer Warren Birch, Terry and I carried out passenger surveys on trains between Barrow and Carlisle with a view to establishing how well-known was the short-term offer of a 25% discount on cheap day returns. Terry went out on 27 March, and I went out on 25 and 30 March. The completed questionnaires were handed in to Bransty booking office and we are awaiting the results. From what I could tell, very few people were aware of it.
Members may have noticed that some of the Class 156 units which have been cascaded to Arriva Rail North from Scotrail have been running locally.
On 28 March I attended a meeting of the West Cumbria Mining Liaison Committee which was shortly after the granting of planning permission. There has been the usual response from those opposed to it and who have sent a petition with 15,000 signatures to Whitehall about it. The Mayor of Copeland, Mike Starkie, has launched a counter petition and is asking local people to sign it.
The Furness Line Action Group AGM is on 27 April at Carnforth and I intend to go and report back.

This last year has been one of the most eventful for some time insofar as our local train service is concerned. The introduction of the May 2018 timetable, although giving us a long-awaited Sunday service south of Whitehaven, caused so many problems that the subsequent cancellations, although not as many here as elsewhere, led some people wanting to go back the old timetable!
No sooner had we obtained a seven-day timetable when, the RMT Saturday strikes over the removal of guards meant an effective return to a six-day timetable. Fortunately, the matter has been resolved for now, pending more talks, but I am sure the numbers of passengers have fallen and will take some time to recover.
The use of locomotive-hauled trains hired from Direct Rail Services ended in December, as a result of more diesel units becoming available. The completion of the Manchester-Bolton
Preston electrification scheme in February meant the release of more units, so we shouldn’t be short of rolling stock.
More positive news came from the £3 million track renewal scheme between Silecroft and Bootle which will remove a temporary speed restriction there thus reducing delays. The installation of Ticket Vending Machines at most stations has had a mixed reception, especially when they are out of action.
In addition, at a Cumbria Better Connected meeting at Ulverston on 1st March new trains were promised for services from Barrow to Manchester this summer. We are likely to receive refurbished trains, as I understand that ARN has passed the half-way mark in the refurbishment programme.
Some of the above matters have caused BBC Radio Cumbria to interview me on them several times this year, with the publishers of in-Cumbria, a business magazine, asking for a brief article.
Meetings have been held with the Community Rail Team and Northern, mostly in Whitehaven but one at Preston.
As we are currently without a Secretary, now that David has moved to Fife, we are in urgent need of volunteers to come forward to take his place and also produce our newsletter. David did a tremendous amount of work for CRUG, so is sadly missed. I would like to register our thanks on behalf of everyone.
A group like ours cannot function without the assistance of those volunteers who give their time freely to assist with matters. We still need more, so please do not hesitate to come forward.

Our arrival back from Glasgow on 8 February was delayed as all trains were cancelled due to a landslide between Whitehaven and Workington. Virgin Trains staff at Carlisle contacted ARN’s Control who authorized a taxi to take five passengers on to Workington.

The suspension of the RMT strike action now that Arriva Trains Northern (ARN) has agreed to have a second person on all their trains did not mean that a full service was resumed on 9 February, as the suspension came too late to arrange this. It seems that no trains at all were to run between Barrow and Carlisle that day. Normal Saturday service is due to be resumed on 16 February.

At our meeting with the community rail partnership on 5 February I asked for ARN to assure that guards would be retained on our local trains, as we have always understood and am awaiting a reply.

At the time of writing I had not seen the February edition of in Cumbria, to which I had given an article about the train service.

May timetable is now available at https://d2cf7kiw5xizhy.cloudfront.net/images/timetables/2019-04/May-December/Northern_6_booklet_0319_32pp-2.pdf

Engineering work on 26 May means there will be no trains north of Maryport and buses between Carlisle and Workington. For timetable see file:///C:/Users/david/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/7BFNMV8M/Alteration notice Week 09 (25 - 31 May).pdf

It only operates until 29 June when there are expected to be further changes. Generally most of the missed stops are reinstated and some of the gaps in the December 2018 timetable are filled. Many journeys are speeded up slightly to reflect the withdrawal of the slower loco-hauled trains. There are some changes to which trains operate through Barrow.

Club 55 is available again on TransPennine Express for journeys from 23 April to 4 June for £22 return in England and £32 to Scotland at tpexpress.co.uk/club55.

Lowca Network Rail is spending £4m to move 50,000 of tons of soil and protect the coast line.

Fares 26-30 railcards are now available to be downloaded to a smartphone. From September there will also be a 16-17 railcard which will give a 50% discount rather than the usual 34%.

Delay repay has been extended on Northern to 15 minutes at the rate of 25% of the fare for delays of 15-29 minutes (12.5% for one delay on a return journey).

A happy New Year to all our members.

Things have been busy since our December meeting. The continued RMT strikes and the annual fares increase have sparked local media interest to the point of my being interviewed twice by BBC Radio Cumbria, having a request for a statement from the News and Star and from in-Cumbria for a brief article on how to make commuting more attractive. 

One interview on Radio Cumbria was jointly with Craig Johnson of the RMT, who said that he agreed with most of what I said. We have been led to believe that guards will still be kept on our local trains, as stated by Trudy Harrison in Prime Minister’s Questions, yet It is reported that when Mr Johnson was addressing a trades council in Lancashire he said that only the Whitby line would keep its guards.  

We need clarification on this, so should raise it at our next Cumbria Community Rail Partnership meeting in February. 

After learning that the Class 37 loco-hauled trains were to be withdrawn after 28 December, I decided not to risk cancellations on that day and travel on the day before from Whitehaven to Barrow-in-Furness and back. The outward journey was quiet, but the return train was remarkable in that the passengers were nearly all enthusiasts who were taking the same opportunity as I. 

I have been told about a group in Greater Manchester called Northern Resist. Its 3900 members send in reports of how poor Northern’s services are, and who would like British Rail to be brought back. 

Northern ran a farewell to the Class 37 trains on 11 January. This was run from Carlisle to Carnforth and back for £37 and used one of the trains top ‘n’ tailed with two Class 37s.  I saw this train at Whitehaven, meeting Iain Aldred and Jane Murray who alighted during the token stop.

As usual the alternative for stations between Whitehaven and Carlisle is the 300 and 301 bus service for all stations except Dalston and just for Whitehaven and Carlisle the 600. https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/Timetables/Cumbria/West Cumbria/300_301_Jan17.pdf

Engineering work

On 3 February buses replace trains between Carlisle and Haltwhistle.

Class 37 locomotives have now been withdrawn and nearly all services are run by class 156 Sprinters. Peak services should normally have four coaches and off peak two, with all having four carriages by the end of 2019.

Footbridges The Wigton bridge is closed for safety reasons and repair work should start in late February with access in the meantime by the road. At the same time Millom footbridge will be closed for similar repairs, followed by Arnside next financial year.

TransPennine Express sale 1/3rd off advance tickets bought by 31 January for travel until 5 April at
https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/special-offers/january-sale

Michael Portillo is speaking and signing his new book Sympathetic developments at the Carnegie in Workington on 22 January at 1930. Tickets are £17.50.

Footbridges The Wigton footbridge is closed with access between platforms by the road. Work should start in late February on refurbishing it. At the same time Millom footbridge will be closed for similar work with Arnside to follow in the next financial year,

Fares rise by an average 3.1% on 2 January 2019. 26-30 railcards are now available to be downloaded to a smartphone. From September there will also be a 16-17 railcard which will give a 50% discount rather than the usual 34%.

Delay repay was being extended on Northern to 15 minutes from 15  December at the rate of 25% of the fare for delays of 15-29 minutes (12.5% for one delay on a return journey).

Northern are spending £285,000 on a publicity campaign with Cumbria Tourism.

The Office of Rail and Road Glaister report into the May 2018 timetable change puts the main blame on Network Rail for not recognising the risks of the delay to electrification projects and largely absolves Northern except in so far as it failed to provide sufficient information during disruption. (The press release links to the report itself). A second part of the report is due in December to recommend changes to future practices.

Although talks between Arriva Rail North and the RMT were taking place this week, there is still no sign of the strike action being lifted. Our MP, Trudy Harrison, raised the matter at Prime Minister’s Questions on 7 December, asking the Prime Minister to condemn the RMT action after our local line had suffered 42 days of strikes. These had left vulnerable people with no public transport, even though she had been assured by the Transport Secretary that guards would still be used on the Cumbrian coastal line. The Prime Minister did condemn the RMT action but didn’t make any further comment.

I have been asked by a Millom member about the strike situation, as just as we were given a seven-day railway, we have now reverted to a six-day one! An elderly couple in Whitehaven asked me about the situation, saying that they wouldn’t feel safe about travelling by train without a guard being present.

On 27 November I saw on Border News that an exhibition was being shown at Carlisle about the HS2 line. I went there that afternoon and spoke to the two people in charge (it comprised two banners showing the route map), who told me that they are consulting people about the possibility of stopping HS2 trains at Carlisle while they attach or detach 250m sections. They are also looking at having a maintenance depot there. We need members’ views on this.

On 30 November I was asked by Kris Tatum, a News and Star reporter, for a comment on the fare rises in January. I replied saying that any problems on our local line should be laid at the door of the Department for Transport for lack of investment in the north-west. However it was announced this week that Network Rail is to renew track between Bootle and Silecroft in the new year, which will mean bustitution between Whitehaven and Millom on six Sundays.

I had been asked by Richard Greene, a student, to give a filmed interview about our local line to help with his studies. We met at Barrow station on 16 November for this, and he promised to let me have details of his studies sometime this month.

On 15 November I was interviewed by Radio Cumbria on our local railway. Subsequently I was interviewed again on 7 December jointly with the RMT’s Craig Johnston and a representative of local small businesses on the effect the strikes are having locally. I mentioned that to resolve the situation, ARN could approach the Department for Transport for derogation to have a guard on the train, for which they would need extra funding.

The new timetable comes into effect on 9 December.

One member has mentioned to me the lack of heating on both loco-hauled and DMU trains.  I had felt this myself, so I would like all members to report any instances of poor heating on our local trains.

As usual the alternative for stations between Whitehaven and Carlisle is the 300 and 301 bus service for all stations except Dalston and just for Whitehaven and Carlisle the 600.

Engineering work

On 1 January buses replace trains between Carlisle and Glasgow and Carlisle-Edinburgh services are retimed.

Class 37 locomotives are still operating on some services (listed in the timetable) but should be withdrawn by January 2019.

West Cumbria Mining has an open update event on 13 December 1200-1900 at Haig Pit.

Michael Portillo is speaking and signing his new book Sympathetic developments at the Carnegie in Workington on 22 January at 1930. Tickets are £17.50.

Fares rise by an average 3.1% on 2 January 2019.

Delay repay is being extended on Northern to 15 minutes from 15  December at the rate of 25% of the fare for delays of 15-29 minutes (12.5% for one delay on a return journey).

Northern are spending £285,000 on a publicity campaign with Cumbria Tourism.

The Office of Rail and Road Glaister report into the May 2018 timetable change puts the main blame on Network Rail for not recognising the risks of the delay to electrification projects and largely absolves Northern except in so far as it failed to provide sufficient information during disruption. (The press release links to the report itself). A second part of the report is due in December to recommend changes to future practices.

As usual the alternative for stations between Whitehaven and Carlisle is the 300 and 301 bus service for all stations except Dalston and just for Whitehaven and Carlisle the 600.

Engineering work

Trains from Preston via Bolton replaced by buses on Saturday and Sunday 3- 4 November.

On 1 January buses replace trains between Carlisle and Glasgow and Carlisle-Edinburgh services are retimed.

Class 37 locomotives are still operating on some services (listed in the timetable) but should be withdrawn by January 2019.

West Cumbria Mining has an open update event on 13 December 1200-1900 at Haig Pit.

Michael Portillo is speaking and signing his new book Sympathetic developments at the Carnegie in Workington on 22 January at 1930. Tickets are £17.50.

Fares  rise by an average 3.1% on 2 January 2019.

Delay repay is being extended on Northern to 15 minutes from December.

Northern are spending £285,000 on a publicity campaign with Cumbria Tourism.

The Office of Rail and Road Glaister report into the May 2018 timetable change puts the main blame on Network Rail for not recognising the risks of the delay to electrification projects and largely absolves Northern except in so far as it failed to provide sufficient information during disruption. (The press release links to the report itself). A second part of the report is due in December to recommend changes to future practices.

Workington Model Railway Exhibition is on 17 November 1000-1700 and 18 November 1000-1600 at Energus at Lillyhall. Admission £5.

There have been several disturbing matters recently. The news that the planned Moorside Nugen nuclear plant is unlikely to proceed will obviously mean that much of the associated railway infrastructure (eg a new station at Mirehouse, a longer passing loop at St Bees and a line into the site) will not be installed.  If and when this is confirmed, we should then be able to press for other improvements for which we have been waiting.

The fact that the RMT dispute shows no sign of being resolved is also a cause for concern.  I have been asked by Richard Green, a student, to be interviewed for his work on the effect of this on passenger numbers on our line.

Although Northern promised that the introduction of ticket vending machines (TVM) at local stations would be properly announced, it appears that this has not happened.  Consequently, several Seascale passengers have been unaware of the TVM and have been charged the full fare on the train, not the day return fare they were expecting, and no railcard discounts being given.

All this is a deterrent to rail travel, instead of encouraging it. In my experience, the vast majority of people in this area find rail travel irrelevant to them. The two matters mentioned above are likely to make the railway even more irrelevant, especially if passengers miss their train at Seascale due to the time taken to walk through the archway, queue to buy their ticket then walk back through the archway to the platform. We must make strong representations to Northern about this.