Inside this issue:

• SENRUG’s response to the McNulty recommendation on closing ticket offices at stations such as Morpeth
• SENRUG’s Simpler Fares Campaign
• The North Face of The Eiger – by train from Morpeth!
• How Swiss style integrated transport could work in Northumberland
• SENRUG on full alert as Alcan closure looks certain
• The Beautiful North – the case for a regular local train service north of Morpeth, along the beautiful Northumbrian coast

Download your copy of the Autumn newsletter here

Keo Films have asked us to circulate the following note to our members and other train users:

Keo Films is making a programme for BBC1 to be broadcast in January to coincide with the fare increases. We are very keen to make contact with as many rail passengers as possible so we can record their experiences, monitor rail performance by both the train operators and Network Rail.

We are looking for people who are willing to take part in our nation wide experience. If you are interested please email emily.wallis@keofilms.com and we will be in touch.

SENRUG adds:

Often, documentaries such as this have an unduly negative slant because only those with negative experiences of rail travel volunteer to participate. It is important therefore that those who have a positive experience with no particular difficulties also volunteer so the programme makers have opportunity to give a balanced position and rail travel is not always seen in a poor light.

SENRUG, the group that campaigns for better rail transport in South East Northumberland, claims the McNulty Report that recommends ticket offices at Morpeth train station should be closed, has been read too fast, both by people in the rail industry, and by journalists.

SENRUG Chair Dennis Fancett points out that whilst it’s true that McNulty recommends closure of all Category E station ticket offices (including Morpeth, Alnmouth and Berwick), McNulty also states a pre-requisite for this is “the installation of sufficient modern and easy-to-use TVMs (Ticket Vending Machines) and provision of adequate information for passengers”¹

“And there’s the problem. Inter-city operators such as the government owned East Coast tell us they can not install a Fastticket machine at Morpeth because … the station is unstaffed part of the day! There would be no member of staff on hand to assist if the machine failed to print a pre-purchased ticket.”

So McNulty is imposing a condition that can not be met, as far as inter-city travellers are concerned, claims SENRUG. “I suppose they could introduce the simpler machines that only sell tickets to local stations such as Newcastle, but these tickets can be bought on the train anyway”, argues Dennis.

“It’s mainly the inter-city tickets that people need to buy at the station. At other locations such as Newcastle, the train companies are spending thousands of pounds installing barrier gates to ensure you can only get on or off the train if you have a ticket.”

“What’s the point of that, if you could simply get on or off at Morpeth instead? It’s a licence to fare-dodgers coupled with a withdrawal of service to those who actually want to buy a ticket, but need a bit of help to do so.”

“Our conclusion is that a station with 15 inter-city services per day such as Morpeth should not in fact be classed as Category E in the first place. When was the station categorisation last reviewed? Has it taken into account the significant increase in inter-city services here that SENRUG has successfully campaigned for?” he continued.

“Another pre-condition stated by McNulty is “provision of adequate information for passengers“1. At Morpeth, we are now expecting Northern Rail to introduce Customer Information Screens at the station towards the back
end of the year. At present, there is no passenger information whatsoever available once the ticket office is closed. But our Ticket Office also provides access to the toilet and a customer waiting area. We believe it is essential an alternative method of access to these facilities be provided, if the ticket office is closed. We believe there should be waiting facilities and toilets at all stations served by inter-city long distance trains.”

“A further pre-requisite condition stated by McNulty is that before closure, the rail companies should develop “additional retail outlets, such as newsagents and convenience stores, to sell a limited range of tickets”¹. What serious consideration has there been to leasing the premises at Morpeth’s grade 1 listed building to a coffee shop or convenience store, a children’s nursery or a laundry or ironing drop-off point, which would also sell travel tickets and be able to provide up to the minute train running information, through the standard national rail systems? Not only could that reduce costs for the station operator, it would enhance the facilities available to passengers waiting at the station. Whereas if the station buildings at Morpeth were just boarded up, the rail industry would still have to pay for its upkeep as it is Grade 1 listed.

“Finally, McNulty states in his report that the reasons why regional rail services cost more per mile than inter-city and suburban trains is that less people use them². We entirely agree”, says Dennis. “That is why this group actively campaigns to get more people using our train services. If we increase passengers, then cost per passenger mile goes down. But who wants to turn up at an empty station with no facilities? Applying the recommendations of this report to stations with significant inter-city services would be like driving a train down a single track line in the wrong direction – precisely the opposite to what we need to do to secure a long term rail future.”

“It just doesn’t make sense to make a lot of railway staff redundant then pay them to be on the dole instead” says Dennis. “Is there a realistic chance they could find other jobs? This has echoes of the Bombardier decision all over again!”

“There are many valid points within the McNulty Report and we agree costs need to be taken out of the rail industry. But the real savings come from re-vamping the franchising regime and addressing the key infrastructure problems within the industry, not simply the quick fix of withdrawing further services to passengers.”

¹ Section 12.1.6 Sub-section Retail (Page 244 in online MS-Word version),

² Section 19.1.1. (Page 318 in online MS-Word version)