Integration Frustration (1)

Birmingham to Bewdley

Easy peasy innit?

You get a train to Kidderminster (map upper right) and change there for a train to Bewdley.

Once upon a time there was a good (?) train service as seen in this extract from a 1930s working timetable.

Don't try to understand it; such a table included paths for goods trains, gave timings at places which weren't stations (e.g Kidderminster Junction) and was not for public use. Basically, Bewdley was an 8 minute ride from Kidderminster.

Trains also ran via Bewdley to Bridgnorth.

Trains to Bewdley, once the haunt of the Great Western Railway ...

... finally ended in 1970.

The former rail routes are now served by Diamond Bus, with the 292 ... 

... taking the Ludlow route ...

... and the 125 ...

... replacing trains to Bridgnorth.

It would be nice to think that the two routes gave an integrated 30 minute headway between Kidderminster and Bewdley, thus encouraging easy-to-remember local travel. But the 292 offers a sort-of potty 45 minute headway!

Hey ho!

But one of the rail routes via Bewdley is now the home of the Severn Valley Railway; a typical summer timetable is given below.

But, leaving the SVR (expensive!) to the tourists and enthusiasts, how might you get from Birmingham to Bewdley today?

You have a train every 30 minutes from Birmingham Moor Street and Snow Hill ...

... operated by West Midlands Railway.

But to get to the Bewdley bus is less than easy. Kidderminster bus station (big bus icon below far left) ...

... is a good trot from the railway (above bottom right). Traveline suggests a 13 minute walk which fbb thinks is optimistic - it would be VERY optimistic for an arthritic octogenarian.

So it is a walk to the bus, therefore a lengthy effort from railway station to Bewdley!

That is roughly half an hour for what was once an eight minute train ride!

You wouldn't want to make the effort regularly!

But someone has had a jackpot idea!

Why not run trains from Kidderminster to Bewdley?

So they are going to have a go!

Beginning on 1 September 2026, the trial will see heritage steam and diesel trains operating over the three-and-a-half-mile section of the Severn Valley Railway between Kidderminster and Bewdley, connecting with West Midlands Railway services to and from Birmingham. Passengers will change trains at Kidderminster to complete their journey.

The arrangement is believed to be one of the first of its kind in the UK, with main line rail ticket holders travelling over part of their journey on a heritage railway, hauled by heritage locomotives and operated by heritage railway staff.

Yahoo! Integrated ticketng!

The trial forms part of a longer-term project to assess the potential for introducing regular passenger rail services between Bewdley and the wider West Midlands rail network. If demand is demonstrated, it could pave the way for selected services that currently terminate at Kidderminster to be extended to Bewdley in future.

So the ultimate wheeze would be for West Midlands DMUs to run through to Bewdley.

The weekday commuter service will operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the trial, with two morning departures from Bewdley at 6.40am and 7.40am. After connecting at Kidderminster, passengers will arrive at Birmingham Snow Hill at 7.46am and 8.46am respectively, with a total journey time of just over an hour.

Evening return services will leave Birmingham Snow Hill at 4.46pm and 5.46pm, arriving back in Bewdley at 5.57pm and 7.02pm following a change at Kidderminster.

The change at Kidderminster is far from ideal.

Above is the relatively new West Midlands Railway station. A Bewdley commuter will need to trek via car parks and in to the splendid SVR building ...

... hardly a slick operation.

The SVR has its long standing DMU available in regular use on heritage journeys ...

... and more recently they have bought a spare!

But one on-line account of the plan reveals ...

... The SVR expects its resident Class 108 DMU to be used for the morning trains, with two inbound workings arriving back in Bewdley at 17.57 and 19.02. These are to be steam hauled when possible, SVR says ...

... presumably integtrated with the Heritage timetable on full operating days.

And in a final fbb ramble; didn't the Keighley and Worth Valley try diesel "commuter" trains way back? Maybe not with through tickets however?

The idea does reappear every so often.

And didn't the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch run a train for local schoolchildren?

The kiddies are commuters, after all.

This is from an on-line item from 2012.

As a former Southlands Student who used the school train service, I remember when it used to be 15-16 coaches in length and not a spare seat to be had! Remember the days when if no's 12 or 14 were unavailable then there was 2 steam locos at the front and one more banking!

Anyway, today I was stopped at Jefferstone Lane level crossing for the service to pass and it had 4 coaches, of which the first and third coaches were completely empty and the second coach had 5 people in it and the last just one person. My question being is this cost effective to the railway to run?

Indeed, it is the same question we might also ask of the Severn Valley Railway.

 Next Herefotd Happenung blog : Thur 6 Aug 

Tuesday Variety

Maybe A State Secret?

... announced by South Yorkshire's mayor, Oliver Copoard.

It has been reported by press release in advance in Social Media and even revealed by the BBC.

Yesterday (apparently) the transport authority has introduced a demand responsive bus scheme, called, imaginatively, "On Demand".

But details were few!

As ever interested in his former home territory, fbb rushed to the Travel South Yorkshire web site to find out more.

Nothing in 'service updates".

There was mention in the on-line news items of Doncaster, so ...

... to the Doncaster changes list.

Again no mention.

There are meetings in the Doncaster area ...

...  one scheduled cleverly for today, after the service has started! As usual, there are plenty of on-line 'sound bites'.

... but no detail of areas served.

fbb could "download the App" and may have to do so to find out exactly what is happening.

In the meantime, he has asked his Sheffield contacts what they know.

Did "IT" actually happen yesterday?

Did anyone "Demand".

Did anyone know exactly where IT goes?

And a more salient question.

Does Olly Coppard know that, with very few exceptions, Demand Responsive services have been a 'disaster darling' all over the country. Generally they have cost the public purse oodles more than running a normal bus to a published timetable; and they have carried far fewer passengers.

Never mind, eh? King Andy intends to give Olly a share of Income Tax revenue, so he will be able to introduce lots more expensive schemes to use up the cash.

But Something IS Happening ...

... or maybe isn't. A secret "On Demand" minibus is pictured at Sheffield Interchange - where the service WILL NOT be operating! 

Thanks to correspondent Roy for the picture.

More mystery!

This poster offers the launch meeting as above at Askern and a similar event at Dinnington ...

.... which has already happened. Actually in the list of "meetings" item way above, Askern's launch was 31st July and 4th August (just 4th August in the orange panel). Did they really have TWO launch events at Askern.

The Dinnington lauch has not been revealed in the earlier piece.

What an omnishambles, typical of Malcolm Tucker in "The Thick Of It".

fbb never watched it - too much gratuitous foul language.

"Learn more at the   sypn  web site"?

Yer what ... ?

Of course, how silly of fbb to forget!

It is the new "orange" brand for South Yorkshire's ...

... upcoming franchised bus network.

The   sypn  website says nothing about the "On Demand" services!

Blast The Ballast

There is some hope of recovery.

fbb will need to borrow Mrs fbb's hand-held Dyson to suck up the debris. Having toned down the grey ballast with too much white, he will need to tone it back up again with some grey paint and some more grey granules.

No Swizz It's Swizzels!

Do you remember Love Hearts? Do you (did you?) enjoy Love Hearts? 

You can now get Emoji 'Love Heart' Swizzels!

And railway modellers can buy a Swizzles tank wagon in OO ...

... and OO narrow guage.

fbb already has sample fake tank wagons in his world famous collection and will NOT be lured into collecting the dozens of fake livery models - despite his enjoyment of an occasional roll of Love Hearts.

Bauer Bus Shelter Bonus Bits

fbb is indebted to correspondent Andrew for the following note concerning the company that has supplied Portsmouth's not particularly super "Super Stops":-

Andrew writes:-

I'm not sure if Bauer Media supplies the shelters here in Cardiff, but they maintain them and do an excellent job. Broken glass is replaced with 24/36 hours, and the stops are regularly cleaned - I often go swimming very early on the morning (6am) and see a man from Bauer washing down the glass and changing the advertisements.

Obviously the deal is (part?) financed by advertising; Bauer Media used to be known as 'Adshel'; but here are samples of their products together with the lavish description blurb which amuses Andrew.

The company offers a shelter in wood, as at Bournemouth ...

The Milestone range

For over half a century, our bus shelters have been integral to towns and cities across the UK, with local communities using them for everyday journeys. This legacy continues with the introduction of our low‑carbon Milestone shelter range, crafted using timber from sustainably managed forests in Scotland with Grown in Britain certification.

Together, they stand as a testament to our commitment to quality, innovation, and sustainability, embodying our heritage and expertise in urban infrastructure and bus shelter advertising.

Then something that looks like Portsmouth's Super ordinary shelter.

The Universal range

Our Universal shelter has been reimagined from the ground up by our forward-thinking Product Development Team to tackle both current and future urban challenges. Drawing on over fifty years of expertise, this shelter has been successfully implemented in more than 400 UK towns and cities, honouring our heritage while making sure we meet the needs of modern life.

What’s more, our talented team are able to construct our universal shelter in just one day, causing minimal disruption to the daily lives of residents. With a recycled aluminium structure and customisable features such as seating and roof options, it can be tailored to meet the unique needs of each city.

Universal? Says it all, doesn't it?

There is also the Landmark Range ...

... with the lawn/wild flowers on the roof. In Seaton, the roof planting now looks very dead!

Whatever? If the deal with Bauer includes a good maintenance contract, then passengers can ignore the advertising - they usually do - and get better shelter in a cared-for shelter.

Bonus?

Tomorrow fbb investigates interesting happenings in the West Midlands.

  Cunning Commuter Co-operation : Weds 5th Aug 

Monday Variety

 Where Does The 22 Go 2?

After leaving its town centre terminus, the bus passes the front of Reading Station ...

... before diving under the railway ...

... and calling at the newer interchange north of the station.

Caversham Bridge crosses the Thames ...

... and takes the 22 to Caversham, an old community just north of the river.

We enter the Caversham Heights development passing housing which generally dates from the 1930s.

The long straight stretch of Albert Road and Caversham Avenue come next and we note plenty of front gardens turned into car parking.

After a right turn into Uplands Road our particular trip 'enjoys' a tight squeeze between two parked cars.

At the left hander ahead, we see more front garden parking for multiple cars ...

... before joining Kidmore Road with housing which probably dates from post WW2.

One thing is clear. There are plenty of cars in Caversham Heights!

There is a pleasant oasis of greenery ...

... before our pink gas bus trundles via Woodcote Way nack towards Reading and joins the A4074 ...

... where the Thames Travel X40 sticks with the 22 ...

.

... all the way back to the town centre, sharing the stops ...

... now equipped with posh 'flags' ...

... and whence the X40 fare is cheaper.

The route of the 22 is clearly not "good bus territory" and, were fbb to be consulted (for a substantial fee, of course), he would be recommending that a deal be struck with GoAhead Thames Travel to divert the X40 via the Caversham Heights estate, thus giving the people a better service and removing a loss-making route from Reading Buses' catalogue.

Seemples!

As a bonus, the revellers of the estate would get a proper evening service and late late buses on Friday and Saturday nights.

Party Time!

Portsmouth And Bournemouth

There's a bit of a craze going on. The two authorities are "working tirelessly" to improve, nay to enhance bus travel for their respective communities.

Cheaper fares? More frequent services? A printed timetable book? An up-to-date route map?

None of these!

Both councils are seeking to improve their bus stops. You would have thought that this was the desire if the bus operator! Of course, when the operator was the council, it was a policy of civic pride that passengers were well looked after as they waited.

They certainly were in the centre of Brighton ...

... and Sheffield ...

... in some cases with toilets attached!

Portsmouth has gone for 27 "Super Stops" in the busiest locations.

The enhanced stops will be installed in key locations including  Cosham, Southsea, Fratton, Hilsea, Copnor, and the city centre, helping to create a more connected and accessible transport network. 

And the enhancements?

Sounds impressive. Let's hope all this luxury is vandal proof!

And there's more!

The only pictures of Super Stops suggest that they are very ordinary bus shelters with a repaint and a few extra bits. The highlight seems to be yellow arms to the seats ...

... and bright pink edges to the roof. Oddly most articles show a snap of the supplier of this luxury.

Pictures do not show the promised electronics but they may be grouped on screens in the end wall of the shelter.

Meanwhile in Bournemouth we are told that bus stops have gone "green".

fbb is tempted to say "they are not green, they are orange" but he will resist the temptation.

Such infrastructure is not new nationally! When fbb was touring Cornwall a few years ago he saw lots of 'green' wooden bus shelters.

But back in his teenage years he waited for the United Counties bus from Billing Turn to take trips into Northampton. The shelter was, of course, 'green' but blackened in an "ungreen" way by today's standards ...

... with coats of creosote - now banned! The trouble with 'green' timber is the problem of 'ungreen' damage to forests. The other problem is that wood rots eventually!

The above is in Bulgaria!

So how green is green?

Blast The Ballasting?

Is "blast" blasphemous? fbb does not use expletives, deleted or undeleted, but occasionally loses control and utters something akin to "poo bags" for which asperity he does repent.

His track ballasting did not go well.

And it got worse! The white poster paint designed to reduce the natural grey of the ballast grains ...

... made it too pale. It was a right mess. 

So fbb cut out most if the mess, glued in a new edge ...

... waited for the weighted join to set ...

... and began to tidy the mess and recover the failed bodge.

Well it's a start! More in due course.

 Next Variety blog : Tuesday 4th August