New line for Cornwall

RMT SAFETY rep Barry West recently attended an event to celebrate the redoubling of the main line between Burngullow and Probus in Cornwall. The eight mile stretch of track between Truro and St.Austell, which has some sharp curves and a high radius, was singled in 1986 to save money as traffic on the Cornish section was considered to be in decline. However, the railway has become busier during recent years and the £14.3m redoubling project will remove the bottleneck on the main line between Plymouth and Penzance, which has impacted on both timetable flexibility and punctuality. The Probus-Burngullow redoubling scheme, which will service Wessex Trains, First Great Western, Virgin CrossCountry and Arriva Trains Wales, has the potential to generate 8.6 million additional passenger miles over a 30-year period, and 283,000 additional passenger journeys. Barry points out that track access for maintenance should be increased as there will be a reduction in frequency of services as there will now be two lines to run trains over. He said that with the re- commissioning of the up line, there will no longer be the need for Positions of Safety on viaducts at Coombe and Fal. “A permanent cess is being constructed and this is yet another trackworker safety benefit. “The test will be to make sure this is maintained and the standard is kept up and I will be watching,” he said. The work was managed by Network Rail and 30,000 tonnes of spoil were removed, 50,000 tonnes of ballast were used, 22,000 metres of new track was laid and 10,000 hours of work were undertaken, all on time and within budget. Network Rail chief executive John Armitt said: “The dedication of the Network Rail teams involved in this project has meant that we have been able to provide long term benefits for the people of Cornwall as well as the millions who visit the region each year”. RMT news – Essential reading for today ’s transport worker New double line for Cornwall boost for locals and tourists LESS than two months after rail privateers took over train services across the north of England, plans are being drawn up to cut services. The Strategic Rail Authority review of the Northern Rail Franchise could result in further service cuts, replacement of trains with buses and above inflation fares increases. The franchise was created in December when a consortium comprising of Serco and Dutch railways began a nine-year deal worth £2.5 billion to replace operators, Arriva Trains Northern and First North Western. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said commuters and rail workers across the north of England had already suffered more than enough cuts in rail services, and there was no appetite for yet more cuts, ‘bustitution’ or massive fare increases. “The problem with Britain’s railways is not so much the amount of money going in but the amount being drained out by the private sector in profits. “That is the hole that needs plugging, yet only recently MPs voted down an opportunity to do just that. “The government can allow the privatised nightmare to continue and give us Beeching all over again, or it can recognise that a modern railway system must be joined up and publicly owned,” he said. The latest plans come barely three months after the SRA said that the new Northern franchise would ‘deliver better service to passengers, and greater value’, and would ‘bring to an end any remaining uncertainty over the future shape of rail services in the North of England’. Labour MP George Stevenson, who sits on the transport select committee, slammed the threatened closures. He warned that it was part of the erosion of local services and set a precedent for future cutbacks. RMT and Network Rail have agreed to set up a joint steering group with represen- tatives from both organi- sations to look at the role and responsibility of Controller Of Site Safety (COSS). The remit of the steering group, which is expected to meet four times a year, will be to identify issues relating to the safe performance of the COSS role and the safety of track workers for whom the COSS is responsible. The group will also monitor and comment on progress with initiatives relating to or impacting on the COSS. It will have the power to propose further action where felt necessary and to communicate progress to the workforce. The following have been appointed to the steering group by the union: Mick Cash (Senior Assistant General Secretary) Peter Trend (GGC Officer) Barry West (Network Rail) Dennis McPake (EWS) Bill Rawcliffe (Jarvis Rail) Frank Cochrane (First Projects) Martin Butt (Balfour Beaty Rail Projects Ltd) Garry Hassell (Amec Spie Rail) Role of COSS examined 6 OLD MEETS THE NEW: The City of Truro steam train passes a Mancunian Voyager SAFETY: RMT safety rep Barry West cele- brates with Network Rail chief John Armitt Northern Rail plan to cut services