Read Barbara Keeley’s speech on Walkden and the TIF

The full text of Worsley MP Barbara Keeley’s recent speech, which opened the parliamentary debate on Manchester’s TIF bid, can be read online here.

Ms Keeley eloquently describes the problems at Walkden station in detail, as well as other problems with the inaccessibility and poor provision of public transport in our area.

As Ms Keeley quite rightly says “There is only limited use of rail networks through Atherton and Walkden for commuting into Manchester, because the services are overcrowded and subject to other problems, too. Express trains from Atherton do not stop at Walkden, because of the limited length of the platform. The two-carriage trains that do stop there tend to be full, and 30, 40 or more people are regularly left there in the morning peak hour, because they cannot get on the overcrowded trains.”

“Access to Walkden station is poor. There are two flights of stairs and no lift. The facilities are outdated and the station infrastructure is in urgent need of renewal. There are no car-parking facilities at the station apart from parking in nearby residential streets.”

Ms Keeley’s speech is well worth reading for anyone who has an interest in the TIF bid – which should mean all users of Walkden station ! - and FOWS are very grateful for her continuing fight to secure improvements at Walkden.

Transport Committee slams “too modest” government’s railway plans

The House of Common’s Transport Select Committee, a group of MPs including ex-leader of Manchester City Council Graham Stringer, has issued a critical review of the government’s “Delivering a Sustainable Railway”  strategy for the railways

Whilst welcoming the government’s willingness to plan for the long-term future (“we congratulate Ministers on the development of the first structured plan to develop our railways in many decades”) the committee concluded the government’s vision was far too modest when factors such as rising passenger numbers, oil prices, and environment concerns are taken into account.

The committee regrets that the government refused to commit to building high-speed railways to offer a better alternative to domestic flights and warns that “Hesitation now will mean years of avoidable misery and overcrowding on the network.”

On electrification the committee approves of the government’s very recent change of heart after previously dismissing it “too lightly”. The committee said “We are pleased the Government appears finally to have seen sense on electrification”.

The committee expressed serious concerns about the performance and governance of Network Rail, saying the director’s recent bonuses “added insult to injury for the long-suffering passengers who have had to struggle with the consequences of the company’s failings”. They also find the structure of Network Rail inadequate and recommends the government finds an alternate structure that provides greater accountability.

On increasing network capacity the committee says the government is again “over-cautious” and call for “significant expansion of the network sooner rather than later”.

The 1,300 new carriages that the government have pledged to order are welcomed but the committee also warns “it is clear that, due to the growth in rail patronage, the new stock is unlikely to relieve overcrowding significantly”.

In conclusion the review says that “The White Paper is very light on vision and strategic thinking, and rather represents a missed opportunity … The Government should now seek to develop a genuine 30-year strategy.”

The full review can be downloaded from the government web site here.

Barbara speaks up for Walkden

Barbara Keeley MP, a staunch supporter of FOWS, has raised the plight of Walkden station in Westminster while speaking in a debate on proposed congestion charge. Barbara drew attention to the fact that rail services from Walkden are over-crowded during the peak hours, and that very little of the £3bn investment the TIF fund will generate is ear-marked for projects that will benefit the residents of Walkden or Worsley.

See Barbara’s press release for more details.

Passenger numbers keep on rising

Recently published figures from GMPTE’s latest passenger numbers survey confirm what every Walkden commuter knows - the number of passengers is continuing to rocket.

GMPTE conduct a survey every year and this year’s figures show a 14.4% increase in morning peak numbers and a more modest 1% increase off-peak. However, as the figures below show, the numbers are substantially reduced by the decline in the number of passengers alighting at Walkden - the number of passengers boarding trains here has increased by even more than 14%.

The rising popularity of the station is confirmed by Office of Rail Regulation figures which estimate the annual number of passengers at Walkden to be 156,000 in 2007 - a 5% increase on the previous year.

Walkden in line for TIF Improvements

This week’s approval of Greater Manchester’s bid for up to £3 billion of investment by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly could signal significant improvements for Walkden station and trains along the Atherton line.

Walkden is highlighted on GMPTE’s TIF Map for TIF Funded Improvements which FOWS understand to include CCTV, real-time passenger information and improved signage at the station. The Atherton line – along with the Eccles line – is also singled out for additional carriages to ease congestion, although these might quickly be filled by additional passengers using the new proposed Park & Ride facility at Atherton.

Although there is some way to go before the TIF project becomes a reality and the improvements will not be seen for a few years yet, we are pleased that GMPTE have recognised Walkden’s particular need for modernisation in their plans.

Barbara Keeley MP takes Walkden station issues to the top of Northern Rail

Worsley MP Barbara Keeley met with Northern Rail’s MD Heidi Mottram last week to discuss various problems faced by rail users at Walkden including over-crowding, poor connections and the lack of Sunday services. Barbara’s press release about the meeting is on her website here. Barbara is in regular contact with FOWS and takes an active interest in the problems besetting station users. FOWS are grateful for Barbara’s continued support and assistance towards improving Walkden station services.

More commuter misery

There have been severe over-crowding problems on Walkden’s busiest train - the 0804 to Manchester - every day this week as the service has been operated by low capacity 2-carriage “Pacer” units. Dozens of Manchester-bound passengers have been forced to travel out to Atherton only to board a train back to Manchester  - through Walkden ! - as their only means of getting to work on time.

Things went from bad to worse this morning as the train ran non-stop from Daisy Hill leaving around 70 passengers stranded at Walkden.

This situation is simply dreadful and actively driving passengers away from the railways. FOWS have raised the problem with Northern Rail and continue to press for the lengthening of Walkden’s platform so that longer trains can stop there in the rush hour.

Rush hour commuters stranded again

On Thursday morning approximately 30 passengers were unable to board the 08.04 to Manchester due to severe over-crowding on the 2-carriage train.

Oddly, FOWS understands that 4-carriage trains have recently been sent out to Wigan to work on the 08.04 but only 2-carriages have come back … what’s happening to our carriages at Wigan ?

Rush-hour chaos … on the 22.34 !

Evening services from Manchester to Walkden have steadily become busier over the last couple of years as more and more people discover the convenience of travelling back by train from nights out in Manchester, particularly from the big shows at the MEN Arena. Unfortunately some of these services are “victims of their own success” as the over-crowding problems that blight rush-hour services are being seen more and more frequently on the last two evening trains.

Last night mayhem erupted on the 22.34 waiting to leave Victoria when the guard announced that two of the crowded four carriages would not be making the journey due to technical failure. This triggered a rush onto the two operating carriages: the train was delayed 15 minutes, not all passengers were able to board, and those that did were terribly over-crowded - a dismal experience unlikely to encourage people to rely on the service in future.

Longer, more frequent, more reliable trains will be needed if the welcome growth in evening passenger numbers is to be sustained.

FOWS Survey Walkden Passenger Numbers

On Thursday this week FOWS volunteers conducted a count of passenger numbers from the first train at 06.29 through to 13.30, with the objective of collecting up-to-date figures to compare with historic data provided by GMPTE.

A Thursday was chosen for the survey as it is usually a fairly “average” day of the week for passenger numbers, although the day turned out to be quieter than usual (with the lowest booking office takings of the week), possibly in reaction to the extensive delays suffered the previous day when a train failed at Salford Crescent.

The total number of passengers boarding or alighting was found to have fallen from 418 last year to 388, but dividing the day into Peak (07.30 - 09.30) and Off-Peak (09.30 - 13.30) revealed that people travelling toward Manchester during Peak hours had risen by 10% from 157 to 172, whereas Off-Peak numbers had dropped from 91 to 75.

The rise in Peak travel numbers will surely come as no surprise to regular users of the station, but the drop in Off-Peak numbers is puzzling considering that free Off-Peak travel has been introduced since last year’s survey.

During the survey:

• all 27 services ran and departed within  4 minutes of schedule
• almost half of all services were operated with the unpopular “Pacer” (class 142) type of train
• 25 out of the 27 trains had only 2 carriages, two trains had 4 carriages
• the busiest train was the 08.01 to Manchester which was boarded by 72 passengers
• considering that the 08.01 was a 2-carriage train and already carrying standing passengers when it arrived, it is remarkable that all passengers were able to board and the train was (obviously) extremely crowded.

Full details of the survey will be published on the FOWS website shortly.