Labour mobility will be the biggest challenge to rail over the next decade, according to new Rail Minister Paul Maynard.
Speaking at an East Anglian Rail Summit at Westminster on September 7, and then at an All-Party Parliamentary reception for Rail North the same day (also at Westminster), Maynard highlighted the plights of coastal towns.
The Conservative MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys cited Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft as examples at the East Anglian summit, and then Blackpool at the APPG event. He said: “The importance of links to coastal towns is vital. It is always said these links bring people to the towns, and they do, but they are to help people get out of the towns for work.”
- For more EXCLUSIVE content on the Anglian summit, read RAIL 810, published on September 28.
- For more on this story, read RAIL 810, published on September 28.
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Pikey - 21/09/2016 09:30
Down here in "The Forgotten Land", our first train,on a weekday, out of Newquay, is 10:13! Thank you Mr Maynard & your out of touch ministers! The only way to get to London early is by Fly.be. Also the local MP for Newquay, keeps promoting Newquay Airport, because he dosn't understand Railways!
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Pikey - 21/09/2016 09:32
Down here in "The Forgotten Land", our first train,on a weekday, out of Newquay, is 10:13! Thank you Mr Maynard & your out of touch ministers! The only way to get to London early is by Fly.be. Also the local MP for Newquay, keeps promoting Newquay Airport, because he dosn't understand Railways!
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Paul - 21/09/2016 14:18
Sheffield to Cleethorpes via Brigg is classed as one line, 72 miles long connecting communities but with a 1 day a week service since 1993.
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BigTone - 21/09/2016 17:46
Agreed Paul, I hope that they reinstate a peak time service during the week to start off with
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Philip Walker - 23/09/2016 11:31
Yes towns like Lowestoft and Yarmouth are very badly connected with no or very few direct trains. Yes, re above comment, Newquay must be about the worst case demonstrating the point! That important destination town should have at least a good connection with every intercity London and Cross Country trains and regular daily year round direct trains to London and elsewhere. Would it have helped if the branch was re-connected to St Austell? Even in southern England some resorts have poor and slow journeys. For example, compare Clacton and Bognor, both a similar size and distance from London. Bognor has two London trains an hour so has a reasonably frequent service, but it is painfully slow. Clacton on the other hand is slightly faster but only has one train an hour! And not even local service to Colchester! Frinton and Walton have no regular direct trains at all.
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Andrewjgwilt1989 - 24/09/2016 00:23
Thats why Sheringham, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Felixstowe will see more trains and better journeys including a new London-Lowestoft, London-Great Yarmouth and London-Sheringham services with new hybrid Bi-Mode trains that are to be built and to provide better services from London to the coastal towns in Norfolk and Suffolk.
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Gizzy - 29/09/2016 19:38
Where did you get this information from Andrew? I used to live in Bury St Edmunds which had a direct early morning service to London for a time using Class 170 units. I used it myself a couple of times. However it was withdrawn and you now have to change at Ipswich. I cannot see AGA using their bi mode units to run trains from Sheringham, Yarmouth or Lowestoft as it makes more commercial sense to run smaller 2-3 car trains into Norwich and then change for a 12 coach train to London.
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Andrewjgwilt1989 - 29/09/2016 19:43
Well because new Bi-Mode "Hybrid" trains are to be built and to be used on all regional routes in Norfolk & Suffolk and new services such as London-Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth and Sheringham instead of changing trains at Ipswich and Norwich which could save journey times and possibly London-Bury St Edmunds via Ipswich or via Cambridge could also happen with the Bi-Mode trains.
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Gizzy - 29/09/2016 20:02
Yes there will be new trains, but this does not imply that there are plans for direct services from those towns to London? This is what you appear to have posted....
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Andrewjgwilt1989 - 29/09/2016 21:34
Gizzy. It doesn't matter. Rant over.
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FrankH - 30/09/2016 20:49
20x12 car FLIRT 3's are to be used on Norwich - London, Stansted - London (inter city). The bi mode FLIRTS are planned to be used on regional services, 24x4car and 14x3 car. I can see some 4 car sets being deployed on the early Stowmarket - London services, and MAYBE a set coming from Bury St Edmonds to couple up at Stowmarket.
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Gizzy - 03/10/2016 08:56
I consider your comment to be very rude, and not appropriate behaviour. Perhaps the moderators of this site can censure you....
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Gizzy - 06/10/2016 12:07
Well it does seem that 4 direct Lowestoft to London direct trains have been promised as part of the new East Anglia Franchise, but nothing mentioned for trains from Sheringham, Yarmouth or Bury St Edmunds.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abellio_Greater_Anglia
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