Relating to Provision of Inter-City type Rail Services at Morpeth Station
Based on draft published at http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/Documents/PDFs/Eureka/Draft%20EurekaTT%20(2).pdf (although no longer available) on 2nd February 2010.
Author: Dennis Fancett, Chair, SENRUG: The South East Northumberland Rail User Group
Tel No: 01670 825500
Email: dennis.fancett@btopenworld.com
Date of Comments: 8th February 2010
1.1 General
1.1 Weekends: The draft timetable still does not include weekend services. Thus we are unable to comment on proposed Saturday and Sunday services, but expect these to be at least as good, if not better, than what we have now.
1.2 Local Services: The draft timetable still does not include the local services between Newcastle, Morpeth and Chathill. We assume this is not because it is intended these services will be withdrawn. We believe that some retimings of these services are inevitable due to changes in times of inter-city services on the line, but we can not comment on the impact for local commuters, nor indeed for those seeking to use these services to connect with inter-city services at Newcastle, Morpeth or Alnmouth.
1.3 Frequency of Services Calling at Morpeth: We are disappointed opportunity has not been taken to provide more Morpeth calls on off-peak services during the day (both East Coast Main Line and Cross Country). The new timetable does not bring us nearer to our aspiration for an inter-city service from Morpeth, (a regional market town and seat of Northumberland County Council) in each direction every 2 hours throughout the day.
2. Specific Comments on Monday-Friday Northbound Services
2.1 Late Evening Service: The 22.21 Friday only (19.00 from Kings Cross) service is shown as no longer stopping at Morpeth. This is a major deterioration for Morpeth customers. The timetable implies this service will now run (north of Newcastle and on to Edinburgh) every weekday (ie Monday to Thursdays as well). This is most welcome, but unless the train continues to call at Morpeth as the current Friday only service does, the plan is deterioration and not an improvement. The need to have the ability to return to Morpeth on a departure of around this time (in addition to the existing 17.30 from Kings Cross) must be considered in association with the fact it is not possible to arrive in London from Morpeth until 10.40. This gives Morpeth business people a very limited time window for business meetings in London.
2.2 New morning service at 07.43: We note this new early morning Cross Country service from Newcastle to Edinburgh which is welcome, and will be useful for northbound commuters seeking to get to Edinburgh for a 10.00 meeting
2.3 Other Services: We note the 06.38 (EC), 08.55 (EC), 09.42 (XC), 15.48 (XC), 20.44 (XC) and 21.13 (EC) are all retained. Additional services between 09.42 and 15.48 would be welcome (see 1.3)
3. Specific Comments on Monday-Friday Southbound Services
3.1 Morning Service to London: The current 07.19 now leaves Morpeth 11 mins earlier at 07.08 – but gets to London a minute later at 10.41 (currently 10.40). If the new timetable is about speeding up services, then it is not delivering for us. It is not acceptable that Morpeth passengers now need to get up quarter of an hour earlier to reach London at the same time. We had of course been campaigning for an earlier departure from Morpeth to give a pre 10.00 am arrival in London. We therefore request the morning Morpeth call is switched to the 05.20 departure from Edinburgh which arrives London 09.40, or a suitable alternative arrangement made such as a train currently scheduled to start from Newcastle be extended on exit from Heaton depot to start its southbound run from Morpeth.
3.2 Evening Service from Aberdeen & Glasgow: The service at 22.05 (replacing the 22.24) now runs direct from Aberdeen, leaving Aberdeen at the earlier time of 17.55 (previously it was an 18.16 departure from Aberdeen with a 10-minute change at Edinburgh.) However as the train no longer comes from Glasgow, the ability to get to Morpeth on an 19.50 departure from Glasgow is lost. We understand passengers from Glasgow will need to leave Queen Street 20 minutes earlier at 19.30 to connect with this service. However, the new timetable now includes a later southbound service from Edinburgh (see 3.5).
3.3 Morning CrossCountry Service – Impact on Local Service: The current XC service at 08.01 is moved earlier to 07.48. What is the impact of this on the local Chathill – Newcastle service that currently leaves Morpeth at 07.49? Will this service return to an 08.00 departure from Morpeth, a slot it held until the new XC timetable was introduced?
3.4 New Evening Service to London: The service at 19.54 (replacing the 19.59 to Newcastle only) now runs through to London arriving at 23.20. This will be useful for those wishing to go down to London the night before (given the lack of early morning service) and thus represents a welcome improvement for Morpeth. It is essential that East Coast trains provide a dining facility on this service.
3.5 Late Evening Service: The 23.03 is a new service, leaving Edinburgh at 21.40, and running to Newcastle only. This is welcome, though it is a pity Morpeth does not enjoy a similarly timed northbound arrival from Newcastle
3.6 Other Services: We note the 11.20 (XC), 17.24 (XC) are retained. Additional services between 11.20 and 17.24 would be welcome (see 1.3)
4 Conclusion
4.1 Little (if any) Real Improvement: Certainly not Eureka as far as Morpeth is concerned. We loose our Friday night train from London, have an extended morning journey down in to London, but do get an evening service to London. But the opportunity has not been taken to give us increased frequency during the day, or to provide an earlier morning train to London. In short, the old timetable is just as good.
4.2 Preference to Scotland over Northumberland: It seems a pity the DfT and ORR neglect the needs of Northumberland in developing the timetable, in their rush to provide an improved service for through passengers to Scotland. It is rather ironic that Transport Scotland (an agency of the Scottish Executive) is currently studying the possibility of introducing new services from Edinburgh to Dunbar, and then possibly extended them firstly to Berwick and then possibly further south via Alnmouth & Morpeth to Newcastle. Thus it seems the greater opportunity to improve rail services at Morpeth is coming from the Scottish Executive, whilst the Westminster government ignores South East Northumberland in order to deliver benefits to Scotland!
4.3 Potential For Other Open Access Operators: We understand there are no capacity constraints north of Newcastle. In view of the reluctance to provide additional franchised inter-city services at key Northumberland stations, we presume there would be no objection if another operator subsequently wishes to provide such services on an Open Access basis.
