Wind disrupts Thameslink on Monday 8 February

Note from Thameslink

Due to the severe weather conditions forecast for today and  Monday February 8th, speed restrictions will be in operation on some routes from 21:00 today until 03:00, and from 11:00am on Monday 8 February as a safety precaution.

We plan to run our Monday morning service as advertised, however passengers are advised that disruption is highly likely and to check their journey before travelling.

Passengers are being advised to expect delays and disruption as forecasters are predicting winds in excess of 70mph across the South Coast on Monday.

With the strength of the winds expected, railway infrastructure could be damaged as severe winds can blow debris and trees onto tracks and damage equipment and signals.

For more information on how high winds affect the railway please visit: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/timetables-and-travel/delays-explained/high-winds/.

 

Lib Dems launch Thameslink petition

Local Liberal Democrats have responded to an increasing level of complaints about Thameslink by launching their own petition.

Local councillor Chris White, who is also Leader of St Albans Liberal Democrats, said: ‘This issue – after the state of the roads – is one of the commonest grumbles from local residents across the district.

‘Around Christmas time it got a lot worse, as train after train was cancelled due to driver shortages – a situation Govia knew about when it took over the contract.

‘We hope that by giving local people the ability to protest we may be able to force the Government into action so that this company starts to respond to passenger needs.’

Anthony Rowlands, who chairs the District Council’s Local Services Scrutiny Committee, added: ‘We have received endless assurances that train performance would be improved. Anyone who has used Thameslink regularly since the Autumn will know that a punctual service without the risk of cancellations remains a pipe-dream. Given the cost of using the train, we deserve better from Govia.’

The petition can be found here: http://www.stalbanslibdems.org.uk/thameslink_petition

More train disruption ahead

From Govia:

Engineering work on Sunday 10th and Sunday 31st January means no Gatwick Express and revised Southern and Thameslink services.

Passengers are being urged to check before travelling this Sunday 10 and Sunday 31 January as engineering work by Network Rail between East Croydon and Redhill means that there will be no Gatwick Express service and revised and Thameslink and Southern services on both days.

Travel by train between London and Gatwick and London and the coast will still be possible, but journeys will be diverted, will take longer and trains may be busier. Replacement bus services will also be in place to help passengers complete their journeys.

Travelling to Gatwick Airport from London via Southern and Thameslink

Although the Gatwick Express service will not run, travel by train to Gatwick Airport will be possible on Southern services from London Victoria via Dorking, but this will take considerably longer (approximately 90 minutes instead of 30). Passengers are advised to leave more time for their journey.

Alternatively, passengers can travel by train to East Grinstead where replacement bus services will allow them to complete the journey to Gatwick Airport. (This will take approximately 90 minutes.)

There will be fewer Thameslink trains to and from Bedford and these will start and terminate at East Croydon from where southbound passengers (and vice versa) can travel by train to East Grinstead for replacement bus services to Gatwick Airport and onward journeys to Brighton. Passengers should allow at least 60 minutes longer to complete this journey.

Lib Dems condemn continuing Thameslink cancellations

 Local Liberal Democrats have strongly condemned the continuing train disruption caused by ‘driver shortages’.Lib Dem Leader and local councillor Chris White said: ‘I have been getting complaints about the deteriorating service for some days – a problem sometimes made worse by the inappropriate deployment of short trains.

‘Local people pay a fortune for season tickets and travel cards but at the moment can no longer rely upon this railway to get that them to their destinations.

‘Thameslink have been making excuses about their lack of drivers ever since they got the franchise. But we now need the truth. Why is the problem so acute at this time of year? Is there a bug going round? Or is management failing to do what it supposed to do and manage the rosters properly?’

St Albans City revamp news

The long-awaited revamp of St Albans City Rail Station hinges on a crucial funding decision that will be made next month .

Station operator Govia Thameslink Railways (GTR) has applied for £5 million from a special Department for Transport (DfT) fund.

The money would provide more than two-thirds of the finance required to carry out the planned improvements. The DfT is due to announce its decision on the application in mid-December.

GTR Executives gave an update on the project to a meeting of the Local Services Scrutiny Committee of St Albans City and District Council on Thursday 5 November.

Govia has also applied for £1 million from the Government’s Growth Deal Fund which is administered by the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership and is  intended to boost local economies.

That decision is due by the end of January 2016.

Andrew Sidgwick, GTR’s Local Development Manager, gave councillors an outline on the planned changes to the station.

He said: “We want to make sure that we create a sense of community pride in the station building. We want a sensitive design.”

The Ridgmont Road entrance, which he said currently resembled “a greenhouse,” will be pulled down and replaced with a larger building.

There will be more ticket gates to reduce the rush-hour exit queues and more ticket machines.

A  new cycle hub with a repair shop and shower facilities  will be built beside it and there will also be a sit-down café. Toilet facilities will be constructed on the adjoining platform 4.

Parking bays will be removed to lay down a wider, safe footpath to the entrance and create  “a gateway to St Albans City Centre”.

Other alterations include expanding the main entrance’s concourse with more ticket machines and  converting a staff area into a shop.

Canopies will be extended to shelter the full length of the platforms and a new waiting room created on the central platform

GTR has so far secured £350,000 made up of £200,000 from the Network Rail’s National Stations Improvement Programme and £150,000 from the company’s own  Improving Station Facilities budget.

If all the finance is obtained , then – after station users have been consulted – it is planned to begin work in December 2016 and complete in May 2018. The landlord, Network Rail, will have to agree to the changes

The station currently copes with more than seven million passenger entries and exits a year – the highest in Hertfordshire.

GTR was awarded the Thameslink franchise last year by the Department of Transport for seven years. It promised to seccure funds to significantly improve stations on the route.

Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Chair of the Local Services Scrutiny Committee of St Albans City and District Council, said: “As a regular user of St Albans City Rail Station, I am well aware that conditions have been unsatisfactory for many years. This work can’t come soon enough.

“The improvements, particularly the enlargement of the Ridgmont Road entrance, are long overdue.

“Govia got the franchise partly on the promise of improvements to stations and we will be watching to make sure they see this through. St Albans needs a first class rail station.”

GTR Stakehholder Manager Katherine Cox also briefed Councillors on services on the Thameslink route over the festive season.

She said a Saturday service would run from Tuesday 29 December  to Thursday 31  December on trains from Bedford into London. There are no trains on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

However, people travelling south of London to Gatwick and beyond faced extra journey times of around an hour due to Network Rail works.

GTR Local Development Manager Larry Heyman said the issue of driver shortages had improved and should be resolved by next summer.

He said any cancellations caused by the problem over the Christmas period “will be few and far between with a relatively minimal impact on daily journeys.”

Emergency engineering work on Thameslink

Due to emergency engineering work by Network Rail to carry out essential repairs to overhead power lines between City Thameslink and St Pancras International, there will be no services between London St Pancras and London Blackfriars for the rest of the day and cancellations and delays on the rest of the Thameslink route.

Please use alternative routes where possible; Thameslink tickets will be accepted on London Bus services and London Underground via any reasonable route and East Midlands Trains.

We would like to apologise for the delays our passengers will experience this evening. If passengers are delayed by 30 minutes or more, they are entitled to compensation. Please visit www.thameslinkrailway.com/delayrepay for more information.

 

Thameslink improvements: still a long way to go

Performance of the Thameslink rail service has improved since the end of last year, St Albans City and District Council’s Local Services Scrutiny Committee has heard.

At its last meeting, Councillors questioned senior management from Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Network Rail on the performance of the service.

They heard that, while the service had improved since the end of 2014, almost 15% of trains were more than 5 minutes late in May and June. Govia has a long-term internal target of reducing this to 8%.

Councillors were updated on Govia’s plans to improve the service by rolling out new trains with more carriages and introducing additional late night services. These improvements will help increase passenger capacity by 60% by May 2018.

Councillors also heard that Govia had embarked on its biggest ever recruitment and training programme to ensure sufficient drivers to deliver its current time-tabled services.

In addition, Govia outlined to the Committee plans to develop the Ridgmont Road entrance to St Albans Station. The plans include more ticket machines, wider ticket gate lines, a cycle hub, and improved retail and toilet facilities. The Committee asked for a full presentation of current plans to be given to one of its Autumn meetings. Longer term, Govia is looking to install an additional footbridge in 2019, subject to funding being forthcoming from Network Rail.

At Harpenden Station, Govia is developing plans to extend the car park to provide additional places, subject to funding being approved by the Department for Transport.

Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Chair of the Local Services Scrutiny Committee for St Albans City and District Council, said: “Committee members noted that the performance of the Thameslink service had improved a little. However, performance targets are still not being reached. With many commuters forking out over £4,000 per year, it is not acceptable that one in six trains is over 5 minutes late.

“We were pleased to hear that Govia is recruiting and training extra drivers to help ensure that services run to schedule. However, these won’t all be in place until the end of 2016. And only a day after the meeting, trains were still being cancelled because of driver non availability.

“We have asked representatives from Govia to present the proposals to improve St Albans Station to the Committee. Our meetings are open to the public and webcast. It’s important that these proposals get a full airing. To all intents and purposes the station is a public building and local people are entitled to have their say.”

Hertfordshire County Council rail strategy consultation

Note from the county council

This is to let you know that the public consultation on the draft Rail Strategy starts today and runs until the 4th August. It can be found, together with the questionnaire online at  http://www.hertsdirect.org/railconsultation.

This consultation provides an opportunity for the public, rail users and other stakeholders to comment on the strategic priorities that have been proposed in the Strategy.

Rail is an integral part of Hertfordshire’s transport network and is fundamental to supporting the Hertfordshire economy and aspirations for the future.  A new rail strategy is required to maximise the county council’s ability to influence future investment in and development of the rail network.  The  Strategy 2015 aims to ensure that the railway in Hertfordshire can support sustainable economic development by identifying investment priorities for the next 15 to 20 years and beyond, which the county council will work to secure.

If endorsed and adopted, the Hertfordshire Rail Strategy 2015 will become part of our Local Transport Plan.

 

Your chance to quiz Thameslink

Rail users are invited to give their views on the performance of the Thameslink service to St Albans City and District Council’s Local Services Scrutiny Committee.

The Committee will be questioning senior management from Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Network Rail about the service at its next meeting on Thursday 4 June.

The Committee registered concern in December last year about a deterioration in service performance since Govia took over the franchise in September 2014.

Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Chair of the Local Services Scrutiny Committee, who is a daily commuter to London, said: “At our next meeting, Committee members will want to know if the service performance indicators are improving now that Govia has been in charge for more than eight months. We have also asked for information about the plans to improve St Albans Station. If anyone has any questions they want to raise, please let us know and we will do our best to put them to the rail company representatives.”

Please send us any questions by Wednesday 3 June. They can be emailed to scrutiny@stalbans.gov.uk or posted to the Scrutiny Officer, St Albans City and District Council, Civic Centre, St Peter’s Street, St Albans AL1 3JE.