Train timetable needs re-think

Andrew seconded a motion calling on Greater Anglia to review recent timetable changes

Andrew and colleagues have seen for themselves overcrowding on the platform at Billericay

 

Last month, I and my colleagues started receiving complaints from numerous residents about problems at Billericay Rail Station caused by timetable changes introduced by Greater Anglia.

One morning, I and two of my colleagues, Cllr. Anthony Hedey and Mayor David Dadds, went down to the Station early one morning, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, to see for ourselves. The sight that greeted us was worrying.

Cllrs. Schrader and Hedley at Billericay Rail Station

The platform was horribly overcrowded and there was a terrific scrum to get onto the train when it arrived. We had the opportunity to speak to residents, as well as staff, outside the station and down on the platform and the message from them was pretty clear – not enough trains, not enough space.

It is appreciated, of course, that less people are now commuting. I myself haven't been into my London office in months and I had previously only been going in one day a week before the Government introduced the Plan B restrictions. Clearly, the pandemic has changed a lot of things but the scenes we saw at Billericay that morning were, sadly, all to familiar and they are not acceptable. We are back to the bad old days of crammed carriages, too full for everyone to board (including children trying to get to school - and two of those children were Councillor Hedley's grandchildren!), and utterly impossible to social distance.

There is not much point in wearing a face mask, if your face is buried in somebody’s armpit.

Consequently, at the meeting of Full Council held on January 27th, I was pleased to second a motion moved by Councillor Hedley. The motion said:

This Council notes recent timetable changes introduced by Greater Anglia, affecting both Billericay and Wickford.

 

Recognises the challenges caused by pandemic-related staff shortages and fall in passenger numbers and that pragmatic adjustments may be needed to improve reliability and avoid cancellations at short notice. 

Nevertheless stresses that rail providers still need to cater to those who must travel, especially key workers and school children.

Asks the Leader of the Council to write to Greater Anglia and request that they:  

• review the timetable;
• engage constructively with service users and act upon their feedback;
• ensure they are providing sufficient capacity to enable passengers to maintain proper social distancing;
• provide a new timetable that is reliable and accurate for travellers.

 

We recognise that there is a legitimate need by the train company to reduce the timetable to make it more reliable and to avoid last-minute cancellations, but they still need to provide a useable service for our residents. I am pleased to say that the motion was passed unanimously by Full Council and the Leader of Basildon Council will be writing to both Greater Anglia and c2c Rail to ask them to listen to their customers and respond to their needs.

As Plan B has now been lifted, hopefully we will start to see changes to the timetable in any event but, as it seems unlikely that services will go back immediately to how they were before, I hope that we can open a constructive dialogue with the train companies so that when they next review their services, we can ensure that passengers who need to travel are well-informed of any changes and that services remain responsive to their needs.
 

***UPDATE***

Councillor Baggott has since written to Greater Anglia, in line with the motion.