'Lobby your MP' says rail pressure Group
Bedwyn Train Passengers Group fears rural service will be downgraded
A RAIL passengers' pressure group has appealed to service users to lobby their MP over threats to the Bedwyn to Paddington service.
This week Karina Nicholson, a spokeswoman for the Bedwyn Train Passengers Group (BTGP) said she was not satisfied with a response from transport minister Theresa Villiers.
BTPG warns that by 2016 the railway line from Paddington to Newbury will be electrified and that diesel trains that currently run between Paddington and Reading will be phased out.
The group fears this will increase the risk of Bedwyn station being downgraded.
Ms Nicholson said: “As diesel trains will not be allowed to run between Paddington and Reading, Bedwyn, Hungerford and Kintbury will be put on a diesel shuttle service to and from either Reading or Newbury.
“This will mean longer journey times, especially with the possible addition of smaller stations such as Newbury Racecourse, Midgham and Aldermaston onto this ‘shuttle' service.”
In the minister's written reply to the group, she said: “The Government is committed to taking a more flexible approach to rail franchising which sees more decisions devolved to professionals running train services, and moved away from Whitehall. Accordingly we do not intend to give bidders precise instructions about how they should serve individual stations or routes and we are actively considering what guidance we will give to bidders for the replacement Great Western franchise.
“However, I hope I can give some reassurance to BTPG. The new Train Operating Company will have to retain a small Reading-based diesel fleet to operate the branch line services and for the other non-electrified routes to Gatwick and Basingstoke as well as to Bedwyn. It will also have to continue to provide serv'ices not only at Kintbury, Hungerford and Bedwyn but also at the other intermediate stations between Bedwyn and Reading.”
She added: “It would seem logical, therefore, to continue to operate regular diesel operated services between Bedwyn and Reading. However, I am inclined to agree that through trains to London are less likely because the diesel trains are too slow to run between Reading and Paddington in between the fast IEP trains that will provide the core Main Line services from 2016 onwards.”
Ms Nicholson retorted this week: “The letter puts into doubt the future of direct London services from Bedwyn, Hungerford and Kintbury. It's therefore important that our ideas of getting stops on the Exeter semi-fast services are heard by the government before the consultation stage so that we are hopefully not put into clawing back or defending our service at the consultation stage.
“This is why passenger response to their MPs and to our email petition is so important right now.”
Further information can be found on BTPG website www.bedwyntrains.org.uk