Friends of the Far North Line: Press Reports

UPDATE December 2006
Press release following 2006 AGM
FRIENDS URGED TO FIGHT FOR IMPROVED FREIGHT FIGURES

The Friends of the Far North Line received upbeat reports of progress made during the year from their President, John Thurso MP and Convener, Mike Lunan at their AGM held in Brora on Saturday.

The keynote address was from Bill Reeve, Director of Rail Delivery with Transport Scotland, who recently famously stated that “he buys railways!” Mr. Reeve, a former rolling stock engineer, stressed that he saw his role as managing the current unprecedented investment in Scotland’s railways, maintaining and developing services and adopting an integrated approach with other forms of public transport.

His presentation included statistics relating to the Far North Line such as the 23% increase in journeys over the past two years with another 6 to 8% increase expected this year. The new Invernet services had been very successful and he was delighted that the new fourth southbound train at 08.13 from Wick would be starting on 11 December, reaching Inverness in three and a half hours from Thurso. He was very interested in exploring methods to further reduce the journey times. Members had been able to see for themselves the new waiting shelters recently installed at Brora.

Mr Reeve was very appreciative of the work of the Highland Rail Partnership and its Development Officer, Frank Roach, for conceiving and progressing many schemes which had given good value for modest cost outlays. He was also very complimentary of FoFNL's Newsletter which he described as one of the best informed journals of this nature. His quality inspection staff were now inspecting trains and stations on the line every month and standards had shown a 200% improvement in the first few months.

He was delighted that Network Rail had now repaired almost all of the one hundred plus blockages caused by the big rainstorms at the end of October. There had been no question mark over whether or not these repairs should go ahead. The line was, and is, important to the network and had to be reopened as quickly as possible. Transport Scotland's responsibilities for both rail and road had been a great help in smoothing the way to close the A9 for a short period to allow a huge crane to lift out damaged track panels south of Helmsdale.

Mr Reeve hinted at major refurbishment plans for the rolling stock during 2007, a new departure board for Inverness and better signage for Wick. He would be interested to have feedback on the effectiveness of the Northlink connection at Scrabster. Questions from the audience covered restoring freight services, improving the signalling, incorporating the Room for Growth ideas into immediate forward planning, and how to make a strong case for the Dornoch Link proposals.

Frank Roach, Highland Rail Partnership Development Manager, saw the highlight of the year as the introduction on December 11th of the 4th train south. He thanked Network Rail for their tremendous effort in re-opening the line after the storm. He acknowledged that the freight situation on the line was disappointing but promised that efforts were always ongoing to rectify the situation. He was pursuing the introduction of a 4th train north in 2008 and confirmed that the 2008/9 timetable was likely to have an allowance built in for the possible new Conon Bridge station. He concluded with the observation that the Sunday services need improving.

Mike Lunan welcomed the news of the formation of a group to pursue the establishment of a direct link across the Dornoch Firth He reported on the responses made to various consultation documents and the work the committee had done to influence the overhaul of the current trains. Future efforts will be made to encourage an improvement in line speeds. The meeting voted for future AGMs to be held during summer months with the next in Thurso in 2007. ENDS.

Letters to the Editor

WHAT RAIL SERVICES DO YOU WANT?
The Friends of the Far North Line committee would like to urge all users and potential users of the railways to take part in the Scottish Executive's current consultation for their long term rail priorities strategy. This is the most important opportunity in years for the public voice to be heard.
Your views on how to encourage more people to use the train rather than the car, what new services should be provided and where, the level of fares, standards of passenger comfort, and how to increase freight carryings and benefit the environment are all of value.
In the Highlands, you might want quicker services, more frequent services, better integration with buses and ferries, and better connections at Inverness with routes to the south and east. You might feel that the provision of free Scotland-wide bus travel to pensioners, which is to be introduced in April, should be extended to the trains. It is important to let the Executive know.
Your comments should be sent by 28 December to Denise Manzor, Scottish Executive Rail Strategy 2-F (North), Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ. A consultation document may be obtained from her on 0131 244 0855 or on the internet at www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations.
Rail users keen to see a quicker service from/to Caithness due to the construction of a shorter line through Dornoch may be interested to know that Highland Council have just started to review their local plan for Sutherland. Members of the public may wish to look out for the consultation documents and meetings and make representations on the safeguarding of a route for such a scheme. Details can be had from Alan Ogilvie in the Highland Council Planning Department on 01463 702262 or on the internet at www.highland.go.uk/plintra/devplans/suth.

Yours etc
Roger Piercy

PRESS RELEASE NEW WICK TRAIN SERVICE

At the Friends of the Far North Line AGM in Beauly on Saturday 19 November 2005 members heard that the Scottish Executive was planning to introduce a fourth train from Wick to Inverness in December 2006. Leaving Wick after 0800 it will allow a connection at Thurso off the first inbound ferry from Orkney, arriving in Inverness after midday. The train will return north at the usual time of 1747 as a four car train.

Friends' President John Thurso MP commented: " I welcome this excellent news to add an extra service between Wick and Inverness. It will be of benefit to local residents and tourists, and in particular will assist travel from Orkney to Inverness and beyond. Perhaps the train could be named "The Orcadian" as in the past?"

Maureen MacMillan MSP, who also attended the meeting said:" The additional morning train from Wick to Inverness allowing the ferry connection is a great step forward and I am sure it will be welcomed in Caithness."

Roger Piercy, Friends' spokesman said :" This is a service that we have lobbied for over the years. We are delighted to learn of this. It keeps up the momentum of Invernet which comes in on 12 December this year."

On Saturday details of the new catering service on the Inverness to Central Belt route also emerged. From 12 December First ScotRail is to deploy trains with a fixed buffet selling hot food - the only service of this type on their network. Maureen MacMillan MSP further added:" The provision of meals
on Inverness-Edinburgh/Glasgow services will be of personal benefit as I often travel up and down on the evening train and will relish a hot meal."

At the meeting former Rail Passengers Committee (Scotland) Convener Mike Lunan, who is now a Thurso resident, was elected Convener of the Friends. He said;" The Friends of the Far North Line is one of only two or three first class rail user groups in Scotland. I look forward to continuing the excellent work of my predecessors."

For further info contact Mike Lunan, Convener, Friends of the Far North Line 01847 890911

PRESS RELEASE

INVERNET - the answer to beating the Kessock queues
The Friends of the Far North Line (FoFNL) are delighted to welcome the introduction on 12 December of the Invernet series of extra train services between Easter Ross and Inverness. There will be five extra trains each way and the morning commuter train will now start from Lairg.
Particularly welcome are the new 17.03 commuter train to Ardgay and the new 20.37 service to Tain that connects out of the GNER service from London and Edinburgh. The Friends will continue to lobby for this train to be extended through to Wick on Fridays to give a better weekend service to Caithness. Previous concerns about overcrowding will be lessened once the Invernet services commence. Hear about this and other topics at the Friends AGM in the Lovat Arms, Beauly at 11.30 am.
The Scottish Executive's willingness to fund these extra services has ensured that First ScotRail now have the new train crews in place to start operations. With a range of very good value fares on offer, the new services will help to reduce some of the congestion which is building up in Inverness both in road space and in parking spaces.
Orkney MSP, Jim Wallace said, "The developments at the south end of the line, offering extra services, are welcome as is anything which helps to make the line more viable. Of course, with the line acting as an important link to the Pentland Firth ferry services to Orkney, I am keen to see these improvements built upon with more services running the full length of the line to Thurso offering better connections with the ferries.
"The quality of the service also needs to be improved, with investment in the track and rolling stock needed to give a faster and more comfortable service. Given the importance of the line to tourists, I also want to see it made more cyclist and backpacker friendly, with better provision made for bicycles and bulky luggage.
"Recent developments on the line have been positive steps forward, but more is needed if we are to get the level of service Orkney and Caithness deserve."
The Friends are also delighted that Network Rail (NR) have recently completely relaid three miles of track near Altnabreac at a cost of around £3M. We are particularly keen that NR should act on the Office of Rail Regulation's recent injunction to "maintain routes to the published capability level at April 2001". This should mean endeavouring to rescind some of the extra minutes added to train schedules last June. This would be a welcome way to speed up journeys by about 15 minutes between Wick and Inverness.
We would like to see the Scottish Executive sanction a move to make the FNL trains "fit for purpose" by following the example of GNER who have added two inches of extra legroom on trains used on the four and a half hour journey from Edinburgh to London. Our trains were reconfigured to squeeze in the maximum number of passengers for Fife Circle commuter journeys and not surprisingly they are far too cramped for our four hour journeys as well as being short on luggage and bicycle space.
FoFNL has concerns that the new scheme to permit pensioners free travel on buses anywhere in Scotland will adversely affect the use of trains, and the scheme should be extended to trains as soon as possible. The Executive propose to pay the bus companies 73.6% of the full fare for every pensioner carried free. Extending the same terms and privileges to the Far North Line would enhance the earnings of the trains as well as giving pensioners a welcome choice. Our requested fourth train from Wick at 08.30, returning from Inverness at 14.00 would make this choice even better.



UPDATE July 2005

THE FUTURE VISION FOR RAIL SERVICES

The dream was fulfilled a 150 years ago when a group of businessmen in Inverness and the Highlands witnessed the opening of the first part of the Highland Railway from Inverness to Nairn.

Do we still have that sort of vision today?

How can we build on what has been bequeathed to us and transform the railways from Inverness into the really useful carriers of passenger and freight traffic required for the 21st century for such a dynamically expanding area?

Road congestion is with us already, oil prices are rising alarmingly and oil is a finite resource that needs to be carefully husbanded. Truck drivers' hours are being made more humane and road pricing is being talked about within ten years. With railways, in general, being kinder to the environment than road or air, it is highly desirable that the railways are significantly upgraded to play a greater part in the future transport equation.

Let's envisage an exciting future for the Inverness to Nairn line. A modest target could be a half hourly service for much of the day with new stations opened at Inverness Airport and at Seafield of Raigmore for the expanding Inverness Business and Retail Park. Here the line might share its alignment with an imaginative new frequent metro tram service which would start in the retail park and run to Inverness railway station and then possibly through the streets to Eden Court Theatre or any number of locations.

With Inverness fast developing two city centres, the most efficient way to connect the two would be by a tram system. It could perform the additional useful function of connecting the park and ride car parks which are becoming necessary in the retail park area; adjacent to the Kessock Bridge/Longman Roundabout; and on the west and south sides of the city. What is certain is that with the Inverness road system like a bicycle wheel, the spokes cannot feed ever more vehicle traffic in to the hub as the city mushrooms out in all directions.

Residents of the new town proposed for Tornagrain/Mid Coul would have the options of Dalcross Airport station park and ride. For the new town proposed on the McDermott's site at Carse of Ardersier/Delnies, another park and ride station could be built at Gollanfield on the extensive old junction site. To get this level of service will mean redoubling the tracks from Inverness out to Dalcross and maybe on to Gollanfield.

Inverness is the only city in Scotland totally dependent on single track railway lines and this is the biggest problem for the future. The present single track lines to Aberdeen, Perth and Dingwall are all near capacity during the daytime. Increased passenger and freight traffics are both in the offing as the region continues to expand.

Many years ago the strategic single track roads in the Highlands were doubled under the Crofting Counties Roads Programme. The time has now come for the same major programme of work to be carried out on the railways creating sections of double track and an increased number of passing loops.

Way back in 1994, ScotRail proposed that the capacity of the Inverness-Nairn-Aberdeen line should be greatly improved to allow a journey time of under two hours end to end (much quicker than by road) with a frequency at least hourly. This involved track and station improvements at Forres and Keith and the construction of a long "dynamic" passing loop at Orton half way between Elgin and Keith. Associated double tracking and new stations between Inverurie and Aberdeen is now moving forward on its own as the Aberdeen "Crossrail" Project. The danger is that this could reduce the prospect of extra trains through to Inverness. It does not stop us developing our own proposals for a half hourly Inverness-Nairn service with many of the trains continuing through to Elgin.

Given the dangerous state of the A96, it is a tragedy that the 1994 scheme has not progressed. There has been plenty of talk, but the Orton scheme needs recosting to produce a more realistic figure. With the advent of the A96 Corridor Study and the Moray Task Force, there is currently a golden opportunity to get workable Inverness-Nairn-Elgin-Aberdeen rail improvements on to the agenda for implementation in the not too distant future. The plans for the A96 corridor surely present one of those cases where transport infrastructure is needed at an early stage in the development. This means that the existing financial assessment models (known as STAG Appraisals) may not be the most appropriate. A degree of vision is needed here just as it was in 1855.

The rapid population growth in the Inner Moray Firth area suggests that the hourly/half hourly service on the line to Nairn and beyond should be matched with an hourly frequency of trains south from Inverness alternating to Edinburgh and Glasgow as main destination. Again, with more loops and stretches of double track, it would be quite reasonable for some of these expresses to take less than three hours to both destinations and be as quick as the car. The first step is to put back two loops to break up the remaining long single sections.

North from Inverness, the successful commuter train from Tain will be made more attractive from December with the long awaited introduction of the Invernet project. This will provide a service every two hours throughout the day between Inverness and Tain or Invergordon. Further passing loops or double track will then be needed to provide line capacity for further expansion such as a freight service to the proposed timber developments at Invergordon.

Parcels, groceries, fuel, timber and other traffic are likely to expand considerably as the region grows. Road congestion, health and safety and fuel costs are all likely to require a switch of freight from road to rail in the next decades.

The vision which connected Inverness to the railway network in 1855 needs to be mirrored in our own time to build on the assets we have and create a sustainable, economic and environmentally friendly rail system which will benefit the area and its people.

Richard Ardern, passenger representative Highland Rail Partnership and former Chairman of FoFNL prepared this article as a letter to the Editor of the Inverness Courier, who instaed used it as a main article in a special edition celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Inverness to Nairn Railway.



UPDATE June 2005
THE SLOW TRAIN

Friends of the Far North Line (FoFNL) today expressed surprise that First ScotRail (FSR) are to decelerate the trains from Wick to Inverness by so much as twenty to twenty five minutes end to end when the new timetable comes into force on 12 June. The original suggestion was that it would be less than ten minutes.

The slow down has been brought about by new safety procedures introduced over the last year. FoFNL concedes that safety is vitally important but considers that Network Rail should have introduced the "over-speed sensors" which have helped to alleviate a similar situation in Wales. So much extra time is being added here that three and three quarter hours from Thurso and four and one quarter hours from Wick to Inverness are not attractive journey times to encourage passengers.

The morning trains will leave from Wick at 06.23 and from Inverness at 07.14 which is too early for many passengers. Maybe FSR should now provide a sleeping car available from 10pm for Wickers (They will already be providing a connection from Thurso to Wick at 9.30pm) so that passengers can get a good night's sleep and wake up well on their way to Inverness!

The new 10.39 gives a more useful departure time from Inverness than 11.27 but this now leaves a gap of over SEVEN HOURS until the next train which is not an acceptable level of service. This strongly reinforces FoFNL's case for reintroducing a fourth train leaving Wick at around 08.30 and returning from Inverness at 14.00 to provide civilised starting times and good boat connections.

The retimed 17.43 from Inverness will miss by five minutes an incoming service from the Aberdeen line making passengers catch the previous service and wait nearly 2.5 hours. Again this underlines that the provision of an hourly interval service on the Aberdeen line is long overdue having first been promised in 1994.

FoFNL welcomes the new status of Alness and Fearn as mandatory stops and calls for a good bus connection to be provided from the Seaboard villages to Fearn to connect with the welcome new Invernet services to be introduced in December.

Together with the poor standard of rolling stock currently used, these timetable changes underline the need for major investment on the line. FoFNL would suggest that this could start with the construction of the Georgemas curve direct to Thurso and with the ordering of new rolling stock fit for the needs of the line. That includes much greater passenger comfort, increased luggage space and bicycle space which recognises the popularity of cycling in the area and the unique John o Groats-Lands End cycling factor.

FoFNL believes Network Rail should also be required to improve the points and signalling so that the slow crawl into each loop can be speeded up. They should also examine intermediate speed limits to see where quick win improvements to line speed could be made.

FoFNL considers that this slow new timetable should be seen as a short temporary measure and that strenuous efforts should be made by the rail companies to speed the trains up again. This serious situation reinforces the case for an Executive sponsored overall survey of how infrastructure and services on the line could best be improved to adequately serve the various markets of local people, tourists and travellers to Orkney. In conclusion, FoFNL has suggested to First ScotRail that they should offer some compensation to their regular loyal customers for this major inconvenience.

Ends.
15 May 05