Friday 30 December 2011

Abellio "The Most Cost Effective Bid"

The Radio 4 programme 'You And Yours' today did a feature on the railways which included mention of the recent award of the Greater Anglia franchise to Abellio.  The programme explained that as part of the bidding process the losing bidders - in this case Stagecoach and Go Ahead - are told why they lost out.  Both companies were effectively told that their emphasis was on customer service rather than giving the government value for money.  Abellio therefore apparently came top for putting the emphasis on value for money for the tax payer rather than the customer.  Interesting times ahead possibly...

Wednesday 28 December 2011

Late Evening Timetable Changes - A Reminder

Passengers are reminded that on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9th January to 21st March the last train to Colchester and beyond from Liverpool Street leaves London at 22:30.

Passengers leaving on the 23:30 from Liverpool Street will find themselves in Billericay from where a coach will take them to Witham.  A train will leave Witham at 00:50 calling at Colchester at 01:04 and Manningtree at 01:14.  Passengers to Clacton and Walton are advised to check timetables.

Sadly NXEA have not yet widely publicised these changes which will no doubt cause inconvenience to theatre and concert goers alike.

Tuesday 27 December 2011

Train Punctuality Just Below National Average

Trains last month were more punctual than last year.

However, National Express East Anglia was just below the national average, with 88.3% of trains arriving on time between November 13 and December 10.  The national average was 88.4%.  Last year National Express East Anglia had 84.4% punctuality for the same period.

Friday 23 December 2011

Tell NXEA What You Think

National Express East Anglia are asking customers, staff and stakeholders for feedback on their service. Take part in the survey here.

Tuesday 20 December 2011

ERUF Attends Meeting With Abellio

Members of the ERUF Committee attended a meeting with senior managers from Abellio today to discuss their plans for the new Greater Anglia franchise.

Abellio took the opportunity to explain again that the short nature of this franchise - only 29 months - means that the emphasis will be on improving customer service rather than major projects such as acquiring new trains.  A Customer Training programme will be provided to all operational staff and 1,650 PDAs will be distributed amongst customer facing staff to enable them to provide timely information to passengers.  Regular customer surveys will be carried out to monitor service quality. A texting service will be reintroduced, as well as advising passengers via email of service issues.

Abellio will be launching a mobile phone application from which tickets can be bought and new, easier to use, ticket machines will be introduced by May 2012.  A new website will be introduced from which tickets can be bought together with a 'print at home' service.

As has been widely publicised the Oyster Pay-As-You-Go service will be extended to Shenfield.

Abellio assures passengers that the reduction to the fleet of 8 carriages will not increase crowding as existing stock will be better utilised.  This may mean that certain trains appear fuller than before i.e. trains previously 40% full may now be 80% full but this is due to better utilisation of existing carriages.  Also timetables will be colour coded to identify crowded services to allow passengers to make better choices about those they use.  Platform zoning will also be introduced to identify where the busy carriages are and also first class.

Abellio will also be taking steps to ensure services run smoothly during the Olympics.

Overall the impression given was promising but of course the proof will be in how they perform once they take over on 5th February.

Monday 19 December 2011

Disruption Over Christmas - A Reminder

A reminder that services will be disrupted on certain days over the Christmas break.  Overhead lines are being replaced between Ilford and Liverpool Street and as such there will be no services between Ingatestone and Liverpool Street on 24th, 27th and 31st December and the 1st and 2nd January.

As usual there will be no service on 25th and 26th December.

Friday 16 December 2011

ERUF Attends Rail Summit

Members of ERUF attended the much publicised Rail Summit at Portcullis House yesterday.  The summit was arranged by East Anglian MPs to emphasise the need the major improvements to rail services in the region.

Network Rail came in for much criticism and indeed the start of the meeting was delayed due to attendees being held up by timely signalling problems at Stratford.  Network Rail admitted that it is disappointed with its own performance and failure to properly maintain the infrastructure in the region.  However they stated that the London - Norwich line had received relatively little new funding compared to other lines in the country.

It was agreed by all that investment in the Essex infrastructure would be of benefit to all along the Norwich line.  It was also agreed that the train fleet had to be radically overhauled and / or replaced.


Mark Leslie (ERUF Secretary) Priti Patel (MP for Witham) and Derek Monnery (ERUF Chairman)

Wednesday 14 December 2011

Abellio - Don't Expect Miracles

Abellio has warned passengers not to expect miracles when they take over the Greater Anglia franchise in February.  The short term of the franchise - only 29 months - means that there is a limit to what can be achieved.  However Abellio are looking to establish themselves with a view to successfully winning the longer, 15 year franchise due to start in 2014 when large projects such as the possibility of new trains between London and Norwich can be investigated.

During the shorter franchise Abellio hope to improve customer service by issuing all customer facing staff with smartphones to keep them up to date with service issues.  Abellio has also promised to deep clean every carriage before the Olympics.


Various new ticketing initiatives will be introduced to encourage passengers onto off-peak services with discounts being offered in the same way the company has successfully done on the other two franchises it runs in partnership with Serco - Merseyrail and Northern Rail.


Abellio has also confirmed that the new franchise will be known as "Greater Anglia".

Friday 9 December 2011

New Timetable Starts on 11th December

A quick reminder that the new timetable starts on Sunday (11th December).  Check the NXEA website for details.

Thursday 8 December 2011

ERUF Meets With Transport Minister

Members of the Essex Rail Users Federation today met with the Transport Minister Theresa Villiers.  Items discussed included the shocking state of our trains, infrastructure investment and the need for improved information Systems.  Also discussed was the recent fare increase announcement and unregulated charges such as car parking which have soared in recent years.  Also in attendance at the meeting was Bob Russell MP.


Representing ERUF Left to Right:  Tony Baxter (Clacton / Walton branch), Derek Monnery (ERUF Chairman), Roger North (Chelmsford), Neil Skinner (Manningtree) and Peter Radford (Chelmsford)

Wednesday 7 December 2011

Theresa Villiers Confirms No Reduction In Train Numbers

In response to a question raised by Bernard Jenkin MP, the Rail Minister Theresa Villiers has confirmed that there will not be a reduction in the number trains on the Great Eastern line when Abellio takes over.  The Hansard entry reads as follows:

    "Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains are in service on the National Express East Anglia Great Eastern Line. [83711]

     Mrs Villiers: The fleet deployment plan provided by National Express East Anglia for the timetable running from May to December 2011 shows an allocation of 11 locomotive-hauled sets, and 147 electric multiple units to Great Eastern services each day (Monday to Friday).
 

     Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of how many trains will be in service on the Great Eastern Line under the new franchise holders. [83712]

     Mrs Villiers: The successful bid for the Greater Anglia franchise by Abellio Greater Anglia Ltd includes a fleet deployment plan that allocates 11 locomotive-hauled sets and 147 electric multiple units to Great Eastern services each day (Monday to Friday)."

Thursday 1 December 2011

Service Disruption Over Christmas And New Year

Details of engineering works on the NXEA network over the Christmas and New year Period can be found here.  Due to the replacement of overhead wires between Ilford and Stratford, services are severely restricted on certain days over the holiday period.

Extra Colchester Town trains for Christmas shoppers

National Express East Anglia (NXEA) is running additional train services for Christmas shoppers visiting Colchester on busy Sundays in December.

On Sundays 4, 11 and 18 December an additional hourly train service will provide passengers from Walton-on-the-Naze, Frinton-on-Sea, Kirby Cross, Thorpe-le-Soken, Weeley, Great Bentley, Alresford, Wivenhoe and Hythe with a service into Colchester Town.

Customers travelling to Colchester Town from these locations on Sundays in December can take advantage of NXEA’s 2FOR1 travel offer.  Special vouchers are available online together with details of the timetable here.

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Fare Increases Reduced

In his Autumn Statement the Chancellor has announced that rail fare increases in January will be capped at 1% above inflation, down from 3%.  This still means an horrendous increase of 6.2% but is better than the 8.2% previously planned.

Friday 25 November 2011

December Timetable Changes - Extra Services

December 11th sees the introduction of the winter timetable with the following amendments affecting our region:
  • An additional 06.47 service from Colchester Town to London, calling at Colchester, Marks Tey, Witham, Chelmsford and Stratford. 
  • The 07.05 Clacton-on-Sea to London service will call additionally at Kelvedon.
  • The 07.29 Witham to Liverpool Street service will call additionally at Stratford.
  • The 07.18 and 08.17 Liverpool Street to Clacton services will call additionally at Marks Tey
  • There will be additional 09.09 Marks Tey to Sudbury and 09.29 Sudbury to Marks Tey services.
  • An additional 08.06 service from Liverpool Street to Ipswich, calling at Stratford, Shenfield, Ingatestone, Chelmsford, Hatfield Peverel, Witham, Colchester and Manningtree
  • An additional 09.30 service from Ipswich to London, calling at Manningtree, Colchester, Marks Tey, Witham and Chelmsford.
  • The 16.44 Liverpool Street to Clacton-on-Sea/Harwich Town service will call additionally at Stratford 
  • An additional 19.32 service from Liverpool Street to Harwich International, calling at Stratford, Chelmsford, Witham, Colchester and Manningtree.
  • An additional 21.05 service from Harwich Town to Colchester, calling at Dovercourt, Harwich International, Wrabness, Mistley and Manningtree.
There are also a number of minor changes to train times in the December timetable and passengers are advised to check their travel details in advance.

Thursday 24 November 2011

Greater Anglia

Confirmation possibly that the new franchise will be called Greater Anglia and the new corporate colour is red.  Click here.

Wednesday 9 November 2011

MP Wants New Rail Franchise To Be Blocked

Colchester MP Bob Russell has urged the government not to proceed with the new Greater Anglia rail franchise until claims that the winning bidder, Abellio, may be reducing the size of the train fleet are fully investigated.

Full story here.

Tuesday 8 November 2011

Cable Theft - Government Petition

If your journey has been made a misery this morning following the cable theft in Suffolk you may wish to sign this government e-petition in support of a Private Members Bill being put before Parliament next Monday by Graham Jones MP, which aims to reform the outdated Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964

Wednesday 2 November 2011

No Response Yet From Abellio Re Train Reduction Plan

Pressure is mounting on Abellio to make public their plans to reduce the size of the train fleet they will be inheriting when they take over the East Anglian rail franchise from NXEA next year.  Reports suggest that up to 15 class 317 trains will be sent back next year resulting in the loss of 4,700 seats.

Official statistics show train use is increasing year on year across the region so reducing the number of available trains to reduce costs to the operator seems peverse in the extreme.

Thursday 27 October 2011

Recent Delays Caused By Faulty Component

The delays experienced on the 18th October due to overhead line failure in the Bethnal Green area, were caused by a manufacturing defect in a particular component.  Network Rail have checked the same component elsewhere and not found the same fault.  Hopefully therefore this is a one off.

Monday 24 October 2011

Abellio To Reduce The Number Of Trains?

Reports in the media are suggesting that Abellio - announced last week as the company to take over the Greater Anglia franchise from National Express East Anglia - may reduce the number of trains in the fleet by 15 units.  That equates to 4,770 seats.  Trains are expensive to lease and this may be a contributory factor in Abellio being able to deliver a service for less.  However such a move would be a complete reversal of steps taken by NXEA to introduce more seats in an attempt to reduce overcrowding.

A sign of things to come?

Thursday 20 October 2011

Abellio Announced As The Replacement For NXEA

The Department for Transport has today issued the following announcement:

"Abellio Greater Anglia Limited has been chosen as the new operator for the 'Greater Anglia' franchise which is currently operated by National Express East Anglia and stretches across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. It will be part of the transport provision for the London 2012 Games, serving the Olympic Park area. Under the terms of the deal, the new operator will carry out a range of improvements during the 29 month contract. These will include improvements to stations, new ticket facilities and better passenger information. In addition, the majority of the train fleet will be 'deep-cleaned', some will be refurbished and more carriages will be fitted with CCTV.
Theresa Villiers said:
“This new franchise will start delivering important improvements for passengers, with more to come in the longer contract that will follow it. The franchise will also play a significant role in transport for the London 2012 Games providing crucial services to the Olympic Park area.”
“We want to make it easier for passengers to use the railways so the new operator will extend Oyster pay-as-you-go services to ten stations on the Shenfield and Hertford East lines and introduce mobile phone and print-at-home ticketing facilities. Passengers will also get better access to information as the new operator is introducing a text messaging service to keep passengers informed if disruption occurs and new information desks at major stations including Liverpool Street, Cambridge, Norwich, Ipswich and Stansted Airport.”
Other improvements to be delivered by the new franchise include:
· A new cycle hire scheme at Norwich station and cycle storage points at 15 stations, including space for 500 bicycles at Chelmsford.
· Up to 300 new car parking spaces, plus a further 300 at Shenfield and Wickford stations, subject to planning approval.
· Cleaning and painting of 141 stations across the franchise."

Talk To NXEA Managers On Twitter

North Area station managers (stations north of Shenfield) will be on Twitter between 13:00 and 15:00 on Friday (21st) to answer your questions.  Follow @NXEastAnglia or hashtag #nxeanorth

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Cable Thefts

Cable theft coming an increasing problem for Network Rail and train operators across the UK. Incidents of cable theft cause huge disruption and inconvenience.  In addition, they can result in a significant loss of productivity, with thousands of people late for work and meetings. So it is not just passengers and the rail industry that are disadvantaged – businesses and the economy suffer too.  Train operators including NXEA, and Network Rail are working together and in coordination with the British Transport Police to try and both prevent such problems and mitigate their effects.

Furthermore, all players in the rail industry are collaborating to try and secure a change to legislation to increase the penalties on criminals found guilty of stealing the cables and make it more difficult for scrap metal merchants to trade in stolen metal.  Measures being called for include:

        a new licensing scheme with rigorous requirements relating to identification and quarantine of metals received;
        restrictions to cash transactions;
        significant penalties for non compliance with direct links to proceeds of crime legislation; and
        powers for the police to close premises that breach conditions and seize assets.
 
  The ERUF supports this initiative and will be campaigning for the law to be changed.

Monday 10 October 2011

Your Thoughts On Fare Increases Wanted

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

They are looking for people who are willing to take part in this nationwide experience. If you are interested please email emily.wallis@keofilms.com and they will be in touch.

Wednesday 5 October 2011

NXEA Successor To Be Dutch?

There are reports in the media that the successor to NXEA will be the Dutch company, Abellio. The Department for Transport has declined to comment but an announcement is due this month.  A short 29 month franchise running from next February is being bid for the Greater Anglian area and a permanent 15 year contract could follow if the line is well managed.  As well as Abellio, Stagecoach and Go-Ahead are bidding for the franchise.

Monday 3 October 2011

Leaf Fall Timetable Commences

Today sees the commencement of the Leaf Fall Timetable.  Certain train times will be altered to take into account the possible effect of fallen leaves on the line. Passengers are advised to check train times before traveling

Wednesday 7 September 2011

Increase In The Number Of "SPADS" By NXEA

It is being reported that NXEA has brought in industry experts to review safety measures after an increase in the number of trains that passed red signals.  The number of Signals Passed At Danger (SPADS) had been running at about one per million train miles in 2005 - 2009 but this number dropped to only nine in 2010.  However the number is creeping up again this year prompting the safety review.

The vast majority of incidents happened as trains passed the signals by only a few feet, often because of slippery rail conditions.  However, every incident is logged and investigated fully.

The Halcrow Group, commissioned by NXEA to carry out a review of procedures, found that "NXEA is implementing a number of initiatives and Halcrow considers these to be setting the benchmark against which industry good practice is measured."

Monday 5 September 2011

Ticket Office Closures

It is being reported that one in four tickets offices in England and Wales are facing closure.  The TSSA union said the list appears in a report drawn up by Sir Roy McNulty on how to achieve savings in the railway industry but is 'buried' in the small print and does not appear in the Executive Summary.  The stations in Essex that face losing their ticket offices are as follows:

  • Alresford
  • Chafford Hundred
  • Dovercourt
  • East Tilbury
  • Elsenham
  • Frinton-on-Sea
  • Great Bentley
  • Harlow Mill
  • Harwich International
  • Newport (Essex)
  • Ockendon
  • Prittlewell
  • Roydon
  • Rye House
  • Sawbridgeworth
  • Shoeburyness
  • St Margarets (Hertfordshire)
  • Stansted Mountfitchet
  • Thorpe-Le-Soken
  • Waltham Cross
  • Walton-On-Naze
  • West Horndon
  • Wivenhoe

ERUF is of the opinion that such a strategy would probably cost the railways more in fare evasion and people not being able to find the information/ticket they need and therefore making alternative travel arrangements, than this measure would save


Tuesday 30 August 2011

NXEA Now On Twitter

National Express East Anglia now has official Twitter account.  Follow them at @NXEastAnglia

Monday 22 August 2011

Season Ticket Prices - How Much?

The Essex Rail Users Federation has compiled a table that shows the percentage of gross salary the new season ticket prices in north Essex will be.  If you would like a copy please email us at info@eruf.org

Tuesday 16 August 2011

Season Ticket Prices to Go Up by 8%

The government today confirmed the July RPI figure of 5%.  Season ticket prices are set to go up by RPI + 3 which means an increase of 8% in January.

Friday 29 July 2011

National Express Profits Increase

National Express has seen profits from its regional rail operations rise by £11m this year.  The group which runs trains on the C2C franchise out of Fenchurch Street as well as the NXEA operation said operating profits from its UK rail division rose from £16.1m in the first half of 2010 to £27.1m in the first six months of this year.

The group credited the tight control of costs, the “relatively stronger economies of London and the South East”, and increasing rail revenues - up by 8pc to £335.1m - for the rise in profits.

Monday 25 July 2011

NXEA Launch iPhone App

National Express East Anglia NXEA has launched an iPhone App to enable passengers to check for up to date information whilst on the move.  The application shows the same 'rainbow board' that is on the NXEA website and users can drill down for further information.

The App is available free of charge via iTunes.

Monday 18 July 2011

Southend Airport Station Opens

Today at last sees the opening of a new station serving Southend Airport.  Although the station has been ready for sometime, red tape has delayed the official opening.  Interestingly, despite the station opening today there is no mention of it on the NXEA website and it appears that you cannot buy tickets online that serve the station.

Tuesday 12 July 2011

ERUF Committee Meet With Essex MPs

Members of the ERUF committee met up with four Essex MPs last night at Westminster to discuss the letting of the new Greater Anglia franchise.  These were Priti Patel, Sir Alan Haselhurst, Bob Russell and Brooks Newmark.

The ERUF committee were anxious to convey a message to the government that we did not want a repeat of the underfunded National Express franchise which has resulted in some of the lowest passenger satisfaction levels in the country.   Essex rail services are some of the most profitable in the country so rail users deserve a much better service than they are currently getting.

ERUF committee members have already met with representatives of the three companies bidding for the franchise to replace National Express East Anglia, to highlight the areas where passengers expect to see improvements.

Wednesday 29 June 2011

Passengers Dissatisfied With Train Punctuality And Value For Money

The number of passengers in the UK satisfied with train punctuality and reliability has gone down with National Express East Anglia (NXEA) second from bottom out of all UK train companies.  Satisfaction overall has dropped from 82% to 80% with NXEA scoring 78%. Hull Trains came top with an overall satisfaction level of 95%.

The survey was carried out by Passenger Focus and involved more than 32,000 passengers across the country.

Monday 27 June 2011

Services Disrupted By Heat

Network Rail and National Express East Anglia are warning of cancellations and disruption due to the hot weather affecting the overhead wires.  Passengers are advised to check the National Express website for updates before travelling.

Friday 20 May 2011

'Rip-Off' Fares

A special investigation carried out by the East Anglian Daily Times (EADT) has found that fares on National Express East Anglia are considerably higher than comparable journeys in other parts of the UK.  The EADT has worked out that NXEA customers pay pay 50p-per-mile at peak times on the Ipswich to Liverpool Street service, against South Eastern (33p), South West Trains (43p) and Chiltern Railways (45p) for comparable journeys into London.

For full details go to the EADT website.

Thursday 19 May 2011

ERUF Meets With Franchise Bidders

Members of the ERUF Committee are meeting with each of the three bidders for the new Greater Anglia franchise to discuss requirements for the rail service in Essex.  The three bidders are Abellio, Go Ahead and Stagecoach and the winner will replace National Express East Anglia as provider of rail services for the region.

Tuesday 10 May 2011

Tube Strikes Cancelled

The RMT has announced that the tube strikes planned for the coming weeks have been cancelled.

Whilst again the cancellation of these strikes is to be welcomed this appears to be a tactic much used by the RMT now.  Cause disruption by threatening strikes only to call them off at the last moment, so the history books will show that no strike took place.

Thursday 5 May 2011

Tube Strikes Announced

The RMT has announced dates for intended stikes on the tube as follows:
  • 16 to 17 May: 2101 - 1159
  • 18 to 19 May: 1200 - 115
  • 20 May: 1200 - 2100
  • 13 to 14 June: 2101 - 1159
  • 15 to 16 June: 1200 - 1159
  • 17 June: 1200 - 2100 
The strikes are in reponse to two driver being sacked although the reasons for the sackings are unclear at the moment.


As is often the case with RMT industrial action, the decision to strike has been taken based on a majority of the 29% of tube drivers who actually voted.  It must be hoped therefore that as the vast majority of drivers didn't even bother to vote there may be a service of sorts running.

Thursday 24 March 2011

National Express Lose Franchise

The following is an extract from an announcement by the Department for Transport:

"SHORTLISTED BIDDERS FOR GREATER ANGLIA FRANCHISE

The Department for Transport has today announced the names of the companies shortlisted to bid for the new Greater Anglia franchise.

They are:

Abellio Greater Anglia Limited (NV Nederlandse Spoorwegen)
Eastern Railway Limited (Go-Ahead Group PLC)
Stagecoach Anglia Trains Limited (Stagecoach Group plc) 

Today's short listing comes after the Government published requirements for franchise, seeking expressions of interest.

The Invitation to Tender for the Greater Anglia franchise will be issued in April.

The Government has set out the following objectives for the franchise:

Delivering a quality of service for passengers for the entire rail journey.
Working with the Department and other stakeholders to ensure value for money.
Managing and delivering changes required to accommodate Crossrail.
Implementing the station responsibilities if required.
Working effectively with Network Rail to maintain performance.
Delivering the plans around the Olympics.
Managing the introduction of the Class 379 HLOS vehicles.
Controlling operational costs and maximising revenue."

The current National Express East Anglia (NXEA) franchise will run until 5th February 2012.

New Franchise Shortlist To Be Announced

Today will see the announcement by the DfT detailing who is on the shortlist to run the next east Anglian rail franchise currently run by National Express East Anglia (NXEA) and due to expire in February 2012.

As the government are still reviewing the whole franchise process the next franchise will be very short - 18 months to 2 years - so it will be interesting to see who will be going to the considerable expense of bidding.  It is expected that the following franchise will be 15 years so some may apply for the shorter franchise in the hope of getting their foot in the door for the real prize of the 15 year franchise.

Monday 21 March 2011

Channel 4 Dispatches

A few weeks later than originally advertised but tonight's Dispatches programme (Channel 4 at 8pm) is about the state of Britain's railways. Previews suggest it will be worth watching....

Monday 7 March 2011

"National Express will continue to deliver superior customer service and performance"

An interesting quote attributed to John Devaney, Chairman of National Express: "National Express will continue to deliver superior customer service and performance.....while we are leading the industry's investment to reduce commuter overcrowding, in partnership with the Dft"


Perhaps not a feeling shared on the ground....

Wednesday 16 February 2011

NXEA & BTP Crackdown On Anti-Social Behaviour

British Transport Police (BTP) and National Express East Anglia (NXEA) have relaunched their joint initiative known as Safer Travel to combat anti-social behaviour on trains and stations in the Colchester, Clacton and Ipswich areas.

Staff have been enforcing railway bylaws to crackdown on unacceptable behaviour such as: Abuse or harassment of staff; illegal smoking; feet on seats; playing loud music; being drunk or under the influence of drugs and not having a valid ticket.

The campaign by BTP and NXEA is designed to send out a clear message that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

Monday 14 February 2011

CPRE Leads Legal Efforts Over Railway Litter At Clacton

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) headed up by the author Bill Bryson is planning legal action against Network Rail in an attempt to get litter removed from certain railway sites, including Clacton-on-Sea.  The CPRE plans to use Litter Abatement Orders (LAO) to make Network Rail clean up certain specific sites.

Mr Bryson said: "Network Rail has a legal obligation to clean litter and, in most places, as far as I can see, it's not just they don't do it often enough - they don't do it at all."

Network Rail responded in a statement saying "As one of Britain's biggest landowners we remove thousands of tonnes of litter every year. If reported by the public, we aim to remove litter within 20 days.

"Our dedicated maintenance teams regularly remove litter as part of their day-to-day responsibilities and we work closely with our contractors and projects to keep the areas in which they are working free of litter."

Many would probably disagree with the assertion that litter is regularly cleared and although the CPRE has targeted Clacton specifically the problem exists all over the region.

Thursday 10 February 2011

Unreliable Wi-Fi?

A quick reminder to those experiencing problems with the Wi-Fi connectivity on London - Norwich services.  The Wi-Fi is specifically designed not to work in the Quiet Carriage(s) for obvious reasons.

Wednesday 9 February 2011

'Meet The Manager'

A note for the diary.  There will be 'Meet The Manager' sessions at stations throughout the year.  This is an opportunity for passengers to meet with senior managers from National Express East Anglia.  Dates as follows:

05/03/11 Harold Wood
12/04/11 Rayleigh
19/04/11 Witham
02/05/11 Shenfield
10/05/11 Stratford
17/05/11 Manningtree
03/06/11 Liverpool Street
21/06/11 Marks Tey
10/07/11 Wickford
19/07/11 Clacton
02/08/11 Colchester
04/08/11 Stratford
07/08/11 South Woodham Ferrers
16/08/11 Chelmsford
30/08/11 Ingatestone
05/09/11 Billericay
19/09/11 Liverpool Street
27/09/11 Ipswich
04/10/11 Braintree
18/10/11 Wivenhoe
20/10/11 Romford
06/11/11 Rochford
10/11/11 Stratford
05/12/11 Ilford
06/12/11 Liverpool Street
08/02/12 Stratford
15/02/12 Brentwood
07/03/12 Liverpool Street

Exact times will be advertised locally.

Tuesday 8 February 2011

Reports of Unreliable Wi-Fi on NXEA Inter City Services

Some passengers are reporting that the much publicised Wi-Fi service introduced by National Express East Anglia on its Inter City services last week is proving to be at best unreliable with it occasionally not working at all.  What is your experience of the service? Let us know at info@eruf.org

Monday 7 February 2011

'Bread and Buffers' Closes For The Last Time

Bread and Buffers, the station buffet at Billericay, has closed it's doors for the last time.  As part of the £1.4 million redevelopment of the station by National Express East Anglia, agreement could not be reached on accommodating the business which has been serving Billerciay customers for eighteen years.

Owners Hugh and Nadia McMahon had taken a 3,000 signature petition to Downing Street alongside local MP John Baron last October in the hope of saving the shop.  However lawyers were brought in and sadly the business has had to close.

Thursday 3 February 2011

Trains 'On Time' Record Challenged

Passenger Focus, the rail passengers' watchdog, has called on train companies to review the way they report punctuality after a study found that passengers' experience of delays was different to official records.  As has been pointed out by many passengers on the Great Eastern mainline, trains may be late at stations along a route but make up sufficient time to arrive at the end of the journey according to the timetable - the train is therefore reported as having been 'on time'.  Most passengers commuting home in the evening leave the train before it reaches its final destination and can be late although the train goes on to reach its final destination on time.

Passenger Focus said the findings of a study it conducted among passengers on National Express East Anglia (along with Northern Rail and CrossCountry) had prompted it to call on the rail industry as a whole to review how it records train times, including punctuality along the route.


This is particularly relevant to NXEA passengers, some of whom have been in dispute with the company when making Delay Repay claims only to be told that the train arrived at its final destination on time and was therefore not delayed.  A train can be delayed only ten minutes along its route to ensure a connection is missed leading to far longer overall delays to passengers' journeys.

Wednesday 2 February 2011

WiFi Facilities Now Available On NXEA Inter City Services

WiFi is now available on National Express East Anglia Services between Norwich and London. Jointly funded by the East Of England Development Agency and Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils to the tune of £346,000 the service will be free to first class passengers.  There will be a charge of £2.95 per session for Standard Class passengers with monthly and annual discounts available.

Tuesday 1 February 2011

Channel 4 Dispatches - Update

Further to the earlier post about the Channel 4 programme Dispatches looking for contributions from passengers highlighting the much publicised complaints about late or cancelled services, overcrowding, filthy trains etc.  more information can be found at http://www.channel4.com/trains

6:22pm Liv St To Clacton - The UK's Most Crowded Train

Department for Transport data shows that the 6:22pm service from Liverpool Street to Clacton was the most over capacity service in the UK in the evening rush hour.  The snapshot reveals that 262 people had to stand on the service.

The figures are taken from the autumn of 2009, before recent increases in the number of carriages by NXEA, as more recent data is considered commercially sensitive. However it is still quite a shocking statistic.

Monday 31 January 2011

Rail Travel At Highest Peacetime Level Since 1928

A report form the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) says that rail travel is now at its highest peacetime level since 1928.  The number of train journeys reached 1.3bn in 2010.  ATOC claims this is down to the rising cost of motoring and perhaps surprisingly good service and attractive pricing!

Overall the proportion of the population using the train has actually decreased with the amount of usable track having more than halved since the heyday of the 1920s.

Friday 28 January 2011

Channel 4 Dispatches - Looking For Feedback On Rail Services

Channel Four's Dispatches are making a documentary about Britain’s train services. They are investigating the reasons behind highly publicised complaints including delayed and cancelled services, confusing pricing, poor public information, over-crowding, dirty trains and above-inflation increases in fares.

Over the next four weeks they are asking people from all over the country to send them their phone footage and videos. They would like to see clips showing what train services are like, telling them your stories and sharing your views.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in participating in then please keep an eye on their website for more detail on how to take part.

Wednesday 26 January 2011

Customer Satisfaction With NXEA Still Low

In a report out today overall customer satisfaction with the service provided by National Express East Anglia is shown to be the second worst in the country.  The survey by Passenger Focus shows that 79% of passengers were satisfied with the service.  Only First Capital Connect scored lower with 76%.  Despite this poor showing there is actually a 2% improvement on the previous set of figures.

Tuesday 25 January 2011

Franchise Update

The National Express East Anglia franchise has been further extended to February 2012.  The government has made it clear it wishes to review the whole franchising system and it is likely that any future franchises will be for a longer period than currently awarded - a length of 15 years is being mentioned.  This is to encourage the train operating companies to invest properly in the railway they are responsible for.  Current franchises typically run for 7 years or so which is not long enough for companies to necessarily see the benefits of their investment, so they don't do it to the extent that perhaps they should.

So, in a rather bizarre move it seems that the government will be going out to tender for the new Greater Anglia franchise which will run from February 2012 to the summer of 2013.  Such a short franchise is being considered to give the Department for Transport sufficient time to define the future of franchising so that a longer such arrangement can be tendered to run beyond 2013.

It is unlikely of course that there will be many bidders - other than National Express - for the franchise to summer 2013.  There is significant expense in putting together a bid and most companies are likely to wait until the 'main' franchise to run from summer 2013 goes out to tender rather than bid for such a short franchise which will only run for just over a year.

Sunday 23 January 2011

Amendments To Timetable

The NXEA website is saying there will be minor changes to the Norwich and Colchester line timetables by the end of January to correct 'teething problems' following the introduction of the new timetable in December.

Thursday 13 January 2011

NX Profits From Rail Highlighted In Private Eye

An article in Private Eye highlights the bizarre thinking behind the rail franchising system - a system that supposedly ensures that the profits of train companies are not ring fenced.  You may remember that National Express Group (NX) won the East Coast mainline franchise in 2007 by making unrealistic assumptions about growth.  Instead of suffering the financial consequences of its recklessness NX dumped the business on tax payers in November 2009.  Labour ministers at the time had said that any firm handing back a franchise would lose its other franchises by "cross default".  This sounded good but proved to be, in the words of Private Eye, piffle.  NX was not stripped of its two remaining franchises - C2C and National Express East Anglia (NXEA) - both of which are profitable.  In the case of NXEA, the profits are enhanced by 'revenue support' i.e millions in tax payers' money.

Following on from the handing back of the East Coast franchise, NX UK rail profits rose by 544 percent in the first six months of 2010 and now the government has extended both C2C and NXEA franchises.

As Private Eye says, the lesson for future franchise bidders is clear: bid recklessly to win because franchising guarantees big, risk free rewards.

So, a 544% increase in profits? Something to bear in mind next time you purchase a ticket to travel on your filthy, overcrowded and more than likely, late train.

Thursday 6 January 2011

Season Ticket Prices

Does anybody have details of season ticket prices over the past ten years or so?  Interested to see how fares have increased over that period.  Please email us at info@eruf.org

Tuesday 4 January 2011

Overrunning Engineering Works Again

Once again the return to work following the Christmas and New Year break is disrupted by overrunning engineering works and once again the communications in this regard by NXEA leave a lot to be desired.