Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

Dear Graham,

February

8 th ,

2018. I was able to attend the meeting of Travelwatch North West in Lancaster today and placed before the meeting the statistics concerning the Colne to Skipton line in comparison with those of the Elizabeth Line. There was as you might imagine an overwhelming consensus that the disparity in what is invested in the South compared to the North is unfair, and the apparent lack of initiative by the so-called Northern Powerhouse to make a case for more investment in our transport infrastructure. However, the Travelwatch organisation is nothing more than a talking shop, which neither puts forward motions to vote upon, or resolutions to take forward and not much else seems to come of it. But the real reason for my attending was to hear a presentation from Craig Harrop, the Community & Sustainability Manager for Arriva-Rail North. He was there to report upon the developments on their franchise, and it was a pretty mixed bag as far as the East Lancs Line was concerned. The new trains currently in build at the CAF factory in Zaragoza, Spain, will have extra leg room, 2 + 2 seating, so be more comfortable. They will also be capable of running at 100mph where the track permits it. They will have CCTV cameras covering the interiors and even the exteriors, be fully air conditioned and have digital information screens. It would also be possible to book a seat reservation up to 15 minutes before travelling, but this it was admitted could be a source of much aggravation to passengers, who take an unreserved seat and then part-way through the journey are expected to move because someone has reserved it later. However, they will be introduced from a proposed date of December 10 th , this year, and all the 198, 2, 3 and 4 car sets will be in service by 2020. This means the Pacers will all be withdrawn from service. But here is the downside. They will only be operating on services through Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the North East and Scotland, between Chester and Scarborough, and from Manchester to Carlisle via the Cumbrian Coast. With a new maintenance depot recently constructed and ready to maintain up to 30 diesel multiple units in what was the old coal concentration depot in Blackburn, I asked if this meant some of these new units would be operating on the Colne to Blackpool South services? But it appears the answer to this is no. This is what we can expect. We will be treated to refurbished class 158 units, which themselves are over twenty-five years old, some strengthened to four carriages. There will be a programme of improvements to the stations with short platforms, to accommodate these longer trains. Another positive move was a proposal to install a passing loop on the single line section between Kirkham and Blackpool South, to allow trains to pass. This could result in a doubling of the frequency from every hour to every 30 minutes on this section of line. Providing a suitable arrangement can be made at the Colne to Gannow Junction end, this could see a more frequent service throughout the line.

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