Frequently Asked Questions - Project Wareham

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1 Frequently sked uestions - Project Wareham Project Wareham is now at a critical stage of the planning and implementation process. This uestions and nswers document is intended to be a consultation paper aimed at all levels of the Swanage Railway and the Purbeck Community Rail Partnership (PCRP) partners. Its objectives are: 1) Firstly to provide an understanding to all concerned of the Project s current position. 2) To forward ideas on how a Swanage Wareham Community Rail Service can be achieved at the earliest practicable date upon completion of NR's resignalling scheme in pril 2014, assuming the Swanage Railway take on being the Wareham service train operating company (TOC). 3) To identify key funding issues and potential risks that need to be resolved by the PCRP to progress the project. 4) To form the basis of developing the Project Plan in association with a New Business Plan. It must be stressed that the Swanage Railway is not committing itself at this stage to being the TOC as it needs to satisfy itself about a number of issues before making any formal commitment. Written comments and questions will be welcomed and should be sent either by to mark.woolley@swanagerailway.co.uk or in writing to Mark Woolley, c\o Station House, Swanage, BH19 1HB. It is proposed to issue a further and document as the project develops. uestions - General issues The Swanage Railway currently operates a very intensive train operation between Swanage and Norden. Why do we want to consider introducing train services to and from Wareham when there clearly is no pot of gold there, and which might jeopardise the successful current operation? Reinstating passenger services between Swanage and Wareham was one of the founding objectives of the preserved Swanage Railway in the 1970s and which has been reaffirmed many times over the years. It is this commitment which has resulted in us gaining widespread support from the Isle of Purbeck community and from the local authorities. Unlike many other heritage lines the Swanage Railway is a heritage railway with a distinct community based purpose. The Purbeck Community Rail Partnership (PCRP) was established in the late 1990s to seek the reinstatement of an amenity or community passenger train service between Wareham and Swanage. It is made up of representatives of Purbeck District Council, Dorset County Council, Network Rail, Perenco (formerly BP), South West Trains as well as the Swanage Railway. Extensive funding (see below) and support is being provided by our partners to 1

2 make a Swanage Wareham train service a reality. This should be viewed as a strong vote of confidence in the Swanage Railway. The Swanage Railway has issued a seven point Statement of Principles which has been accepted by the PCRP and which will serve to protect our existing heritage operations. The other point to make is that the Swanage Railway's cost base is a key factor in the PCRP's desire to see a community service happen. Put simply, without the Swanage Railway's volunteer support, the PCRP's Business Plan is not viable. Thus, the continued success of the Heritage Railway is essential to the Partnership's future plans. Who will pay for the work required, in particular the upgrade of the line between Motala and Worgret Junction? Dorset County Council and Purbeck District Council have agreed to underwrite the cost of resignalling the junction of the Swanage branch at Worgret and Wareham to the tune of 3.2m using developer transport contributions collected for enhancements to the transport infrastructure in Purbeck, which the proposed rail connection would help to address. This funding also includes the Swanage Railway element of the signalling scheme (NST) between Wareham and Corfe Castle station. The Swanage Railway gave a formal commitment in July 2010 to be responsible for all other capital works between Norden and Worgret, subject to available funding and once operational control of the branch has been transferred from Network Rail. The only exception to this is the upgrade of the Norden level crossing which is being funded by a 500,000 grant from BP. In February 2013 we received confirmation that we had been awarded a grant of 1.47m from the Coastal Communities Fund (CCF), administered by the Big Fund on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government, to fund the introduction of a trial service between Swanage and Wareham. Part of this will be used to fund the upgrade of the track and structures between Motala and our proposed new lease boundary near Worgret Junction. Meanwhile we continue to press Network Rail to undertake essential maintenance on the branch. Its continued use by charter and other through trains is helpful here. What else will the Coastal Communities Fund grant be used to pay for? In addition to track and infrastructure improvements the CCF grant will be used to fund: a) The overhaul and refurbishment of four Swanage Railway based Diesel Multiple Units (three Class 117 vehicles and the Class 121 bubble car) that need to be certificated to run on the mainline to Wareham. In addition to a thorough mechanical overhaul, refurbishment will include the fitting of central door locking, train protection and warning equipment (TPWS), data recording (OTMR) and cab radio (GSM-R). Whilst the use of other rolling stock may be possible in the longer term it is considered that the DMU s multi-engine configuration (two engines per power car) will ensure a high degree of resilience which should prevent a total breakdown. This is something we desperately need to avoid particularly between Worgret and Wareham. In addition, these vehicles are lightweight 2

3 when compared to locomotives, and their regular use would reduce infrastructure maintenance costs between Norden and Worgret. b) train maintenance workshop improvements at Swanage. c) Legal and professional costs to complete the transfer of ownership of the line between Worgret Junction and Motala from Network Rail to Dorset County Council with a simultaneous 99 year lease to Swanage Railway, which would cover the whole Northbrook Road to Worgret section. d) Legal and professional costs to gain the necessary regulatory approvals for the Swanage Railway to become the Infrastructure Operator of the Motala-Worgret section, and to operate on the mainline into Wareham. This will include a Transport and Works ct Order the modern equivalent of a Light Railway Order which we need to obtain prior to the completion of the new lease. train operating company (TOC) will also be needed. The Swanage Railway is not currently a mainline licensed TOC, and we are considering whether we should form a TOC to operate the community service. The alternative is to contract services utilising an existing TOC. So when could a regular community train service to Wareham start operating? Network Rail plan to commission the resignalling of Worgret Junction in pril The CCF grant has to be spent within a two year window so we hope that the trial service can start in late summer 2015 with the installation of the new level crossing at Norden (to be fully funded by BP) also being completed by then. However, a daily community service will only be possible following the provision of additional rolling stock and new servicing facilities (unless the trains to be used were serviced away from the Branch). Neither of these is currently funded and there is therefore no date set for this. Who is likely to want to operate the community service? ren t there serious risks with an external train operating company (TOC) running trains to Swanage and poaching our customers? The Statement of Principles specifically states that the Swanage Railway must be financially no worse off following commencement of community train services, and thus our Partners at PCRP cannot insist on any action which might reasonably be expected to lead to such a situation developing, neither legally nor morally. However, there are serious concerns regarding fare abstraction (siphoning from our premium steam fares). new year round service would be unprofitable on day one and the existing heritage operation must not be exposed to any risk. It is considered reasonable that a trial summer season service during SR s normal operating hours only could be operated to test the water. If successful, the service would be expanded gradually, in line with demand, just as the existing steam service has been over the years. The Board and Council of Management s preference, if feasible, would be for the Swanage Railway to launch its own new TOC to operate the service. In this scenario all revenue would 3

4 remain within the Railway. The feasibility of us forming a TOC is currently being investigated. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway has its own TOC and has operated trains over Network Rail metals to Whitby for a number of years. Their Whitby services have growing passenger numbers and a fact-finding trip to learn from their experience has taken place. To date no other TOCs have expressed a wish to operate the community service so there is potentially a golden opportunity for us to make the new service happen on our own terms. Is there currently a sound business case for a Swanage Wareham service? The CCF grant will enable a service trial to be implemented for two seasons (probably during 2015 and 2016) and therefore business case testing with little financial risk to the SR, as the funds pay for infrastructure upgrade, legal transfer to the SRT and refurbishment of compatible rolling stock, operating staff as well as paying some management costs during the CCF period. From the Swanage Railway s perspective we have concerns over the business case for an all year round service which is less certain. We need to maintain a close eye on this aspect and carefully develop the business if possible ensuring that we do not overreach ourselves in the process. In any event, if Partners on the PCRP want additional services beyond those which the SR is willing to offer, they would be invited to take all or at least most of the financial risk. re-assessment of the original 1998 demand forecast was carried out by the Halcrow Group in Halcrow estimated that eventually up to 200,000 additional journeys could be generated by a full year round Wareham-Swanage community train service. This was calculated in 2008 to equate to an additional 1m of fare revenue, so there is the potential demand for the Swanage Railway to grow its business even with a more limited, i.e. two hourly, Wareham service. We will continue to look at the operating costs and projected income of both trial and extended services. The Swanage branch was not included in the infamous Beeching report of 1963 but was closed in dubious circumstances in Rail travel in the UK has grown by a third during the past decade and passenger journeys are currently at their highest level since the 1920s. With petrol prices being so high, we are confident that the reconnected railway will be viable and will bring in new rail-borne customers. Is there a risk that the CCF will ask us to repay the grant if a daily community service between Swanage and Wareham does not prove viable? No. Under the terms of the CCF grant we are obliged to upgrade the Motala Worgret section and run a trial service over two years 50 days in year one and 90 days in year two. s long as we fulfil that commitment there is no risk of the grant either being withheld or having to be repaid. There is an expectation from our partners that some form of community service will continue but we consider that the worst case scenario will be that future long-term mainline to Swanage train services will be seasonal only. We hope that a daily service will be viable though, in the longer term. 4

5 How will the Swanage Railway stop all our passengers deserting us for a cheaper diesel service? side from the fact that customer surveys consistently tell us that most of our passengers want to ride behind a steam locomotive, we have made it clear to our local authority partners that our participation is on the basis that the commercial structure of the new service will compensate the SR for what is known as revenue abstraction. Very simply, we will not permit an amenity service to jeopardise the viability of the existing operation. Ways of achieving this could potentially include ensuring that future Wareham Swanage DMU fares were no cheaper than Norden Swanage fares or by not permitting through services to stop at Norden during steam operating hours. The signs are that the community rail service will generate additional passengers and revenue and not displace existing heritage railway customers. This is our objective. It is interesting to note that some PCRP Partners take the view that many, if not most, of the potential passengers would arrive at Wareham by rail, rather than by car. Indeed, parking capacity at Wareham station is very limited. Won t it be extremely difficult to integrate a community train service into our high season (yellow) timetable during the day when two steam trains are in operation? We are in the process of looking at various timetable options. n initial study has shown that when two steam trains are in operation (i.e. the SR yellow timetable) the community service trains will terminate at either Norden or Corfe Castle. Network Rail currently own and operate the section of track between Worgret Junction and Motala. What is going to happen to that section going forward? Network Rail has agreed to transfer the freehold of this section to Dorset County Council (DCC) who will simultaneously lease it to the Swanage Railway Company for a 99 year period at a peppercorn rent. Heads of Terms are currently being agreed via the Railway s solicitors, and it is hoped that the lease can be finalised in early The successful outcome of the Transport and Works ct Order is crucial for this target to be met though. Under what powers will the Swanage Railway be able to operate over the line between Motala and Worgret Junction? Is our Light Railway Order being extended? s part of the agreement to transfer this section from Network Rail to DCC\Swanage Railway we will need to obtain a Transport and Works ct Order (TWO). Our volunteer consultant has indicated that, as this only involves the transfer of running powers and no construction, the process should not be problematic. We will also need to obtain a Licence Exemption from the ORR. Our existing Light Railway Orders will remain in place between Motala and Swanage they cannot be extended as such. Does this mean that full railway safety regulations and safety standards will apply and that expensive safety equipment will have to be fitted to all our Mk1 rolling stock before we can operate over the newly leased section between Motala and Worgret Junction? There are two separate issues: 5

6 a) Firstly, for the Swanage Railway to operate a community service into Wareham, irrespective of linespeed, we will need to obtain from The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) an Operator's Licence and a Safety Certificate to operate over Network Rail Infrastructure between Worgret and Wareham. Licence Condition is that the operation of the service between Worgret and Wareham will need to comply with Railway Group Standards. b) The section between Motala and Worgret Junction currently has a maximum linespeed of 20 mph. Following completion of our lease the ORR s requirements for minor and heritage operations will apply on the Worgret Motala section as they currently do between Motala and Swanage. This will mean a maximum linespeed of 25 mph. Following signing of the new lease Railway Group Standards will not be applied to any section of the Swanage Railway branch line between Worgret and Swanage. What about linespeed? I read somewhere that Wareham trains will run at 40 mph or even 50mph. The maximum linespeed in BR days prior to closure was 50 mph. Whilst the PCRP collectively has aspirations to eventually run community service trains at a higher linespeed, there may be regulatory implications for the heritage railway which, for the foreseeable future, do not make this possible. lso our research has shown that a linespeed of 40 mph as opposed to 25 mph between Motala and Worgret would only result in a timesaving of less than five minutes. Therefore, as things stand, there would seem to be little gain from a higher linespeed over this limited stretch of line, and the far greater ORR requirements that would apply. The subject of linespeed and the associated ORR regulation is something that we will continue to study closely. Hopefully in the fullness of time it will be possible to carry out a risk assessment and establish a safe method of working which allows for higher line speeds whilst safeguarding the heritage railway. Will the mainline train and freight operating companies continue to have automatic rights of open access to the Swanage branch following transfer from Network Rail? Legal Track ccess rights will need to be agreed with Network Rail and the ORR and included in the Network Transfer greement. We will be looking to ensure that only access rights we are happy with are included. In practice we do not consider this to be a significant risk due to the fact that a) Perenco have confirmed they have no further need for Furzebrook sidings, b) the Imerys Clay siding at Furzebrook is no longer subject to a formal connection agreement, c) open access legislation only covers the branch between Worgret Junction and Motala and d) for much of the year there are insufficient spare train paths between Norden and Swanage. s indicated earlier, DCC and PDC have contributed 3.2m towards the resignalling work of the main line connection. We therefore consider it very likely that our new lease will contain points of principle regarding the provision of some form of a future Wareham Swanage service, subject to suitable safeguards and economic constraints. 6

7 side from achieving our original goal of getting to Wareham, what is in it for the Swanage Railway? The Swanage Railway stands to earn additional revenue from the Community Service, as well as track-access fees from charter trains that run to Swanage. We will also have the opportunity to provide other back-up facilities, such as rolling stock stabling, locomotive servicing and turning and National Rail ticket sales. Will Trust members get free tickets for travel to Wareham? It is our policy to procure or provide unlimited free tickets for travel for members who bought Premier Life Membership (PLM) prior to December PLM as a membership category has now been withdrawn as we need to avoid the possibility of this being purchased by intending daily users of the new community service which would fundamentally undermine the economics of the new service. We believe that those who have already bought PLMs (at whatever time in its history) have done so primarily to support the Swanage Railway and as such the impact of their occasional use of the service will not significantly affect amenity service revenues. nnual and ordinary life members will continue to receive travel concessions on services provided by the Swanage Railway Company between Swanage and Norden. We will also consider options for concessions for Trust members using Swanage Wareham community services. In addition it is intended that the Swanage Railway s Residents Discount Card will be applicable on future Swanage Wareham trains. This is available to anyone living in the Purbeck District Council area and the card holder is entitled to 50% off the standard train fare. Will we operate steam services to Wareham? We do not envisage running steam to Wareham in the short to medium term, given the very significant complexities and costs involved with operating our locomotives and rolling stock on the national network. However, the up bay platform land at Wareham station is being protected against development and in the longer term it may prove possible to use properly certificated locomotives and rolling stock on summer services between Swanage and Wareham and potentially beyond. However, the operation of some Dining Train and other services to Wareham, say on Sundays, using steam could be considered once the resignalling at Worgret and Wareham is completed and, of course, once we have main line certificated locomotives and coaches. Will heritage steam services operate north of Norden, perhaps to Furzebrook/Blue Pool? This is a possibility and we will also need access to Furzebrook depot (see below). We also hope to one day install a passing loop and block-post at Furzebrook to enable charter trains to pass here. Diesel Multiple Unit Issues How much work needs to be done to the SR s Diesel Multiple Units before they could be used to operate a community service and how much would this cost? 7

8 We consider the only real option we have is to operate the service using our DMUs.Those vehicles selected will need to be mainline certificated, including the fitment of OTMR and TPWS, as well as secondary door locking. Work will also need to be carried out to ensure they will be reliable. We are in the process of getting a technical evaluation done that will then need to be costed. Have you looked at obtaining any surplus DMUs from elsewhere to operate the community rail service? We have made extensive enquiries about the availability of other Mainline Certificated DMUs but currently none are available, with apparently little prospect over the next few years. The possible future use of a Class 33/1 diesel locomotive and 4TC set is something else that is being looked into. Infrastructure issues Won t the track and permanent way on the Worgret Junction to Motala section require a great deal of work to improve it before a community rail service can possibly start? Who will fund this work? s indicated above the linespeed is currently 20 mph and theoretically a limited number of trains could start operating immediately after completion of the signalling work at Worgret. However, it would clearly be in everyone s interest for the track to be properly upgraded to an agreed minimum standard at the earliest opportunity in order to avoid the need for extensive possessions and thus disruption to services at a later date. The CCF grant will fund the initial upgrade work. What about the condition of the bridges between Worgret Junction and Motala section? Some of them, in particular the one over Grange Road, appear to be in a poor state. full in-house infrastructure survey has recently been done on this section by a suitably qualified person and a maintenance schedule costed accordingly. The report has not highlighted any major structural issues. The abutments on the Grange Road under-bridge have not shown any sign of movement in recent years and it is possible that the distinctive lean of the abutments occurred during settlement shortly after construction of the original railway in the 19 th Century. However, Network Rail have agreed to be responsible for monitoring this bridge for 10 years after transfer to DCC\SR. They will carry out any required works should trigger limit be exceeded. Our insurance cover will also be re-assessed and extended before taking on the lease. re we going to gain access to the sidings at Furzebrook? If so what activities will we be able to carry out there? Perenco, who have recently purchased the Wytch Farm oil field from BP, have confirmed that they have no use for Furzebrook sidings. DCC is negotiating a lease and, as in the case of the Worgret Jct. Motala section, this would be sub-leased to the Swanage Railway. We have indicated to our local authority partners at the PCRP that we cannot consider 8

9 introducing an extensive new service to Wareham unless we have additional space to accommodate and maintain existing and new rolling stock. It is our view that Furzebrook is the best option given that the Purbeck rea of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and other designations make development elsewhere difficult. DCC accept our need to have access to Furzebrook or, failing that, another as yet unknown site. Servicing DMUs at Swanage, even for the relatively short period of the trial service, is problematic and developing alternative rolling stock maintenance facilities on the Railway is now an even greater priority for us. Who will pay for installing the full level crossing on the Wytch Farm road at Norden? In January 2012 BP announced that they would be making a 500,000 grant to fund the installation of a level crossing at Norden. We are currently working in partnership with DCC on how to release the funding. full barrier crossing will be installed, initially controlled locally and in due course remotely from Corfe Castle signal box. We are currently reviewing the design options and associated installation programme with our internal signalling department and we are also taking advice from other heritage railways. The road-rail interchange at Norden will have to be relocated to accommodate the new level crossing. Where can it be moved to? The road-rail interchange will be moved diagonally opposite its current location to the north side of Norden crossing. planning application is being drawn up and it is hoped that the required work will be carried out during early The relocation work will be funded by the 500k BP grant. Mark Woolley Director, Swanage Railway Company V7.0 11/11/13 9