Photo credits – Greater Anglia Here’s this week’s update from Greater Anglia (GA), with information on performance, updates on industrial action and extreme weather-related issues, details of other recent developments and our latest Stakeholder News e-zine. Performance It’s generally been a very good week for performance across our network, with punctuality averaging 95.0%. There were a few issues during the hot weather on Sunday and Monday, but we were still averaging 90% punctuality on those days which, compared to where we would have been before the roll out of the new trains and recent infrastructure upgrades (e.g. the overhead line renewal on the Southend line), shows the positive progress of the last few years. Industrial action update – strikes currently called for 23 July, 27 July, 30 July, 18 August and 20 August Unfortunately, we now have five further strike days in prospect – with action called for drivers in the ASLEF union on Saturday 23 July and Saturday 30 July and for members of the RMT union on Wednesday 27 July, Thursday 18 August and Saturday 20 August. The action on Saturday 23 July is only on Greater Anglia. All the others affect multiple train operators (and in the case of the RMT ones, their members who work for Network Rail as well). Work is ongoing at an industry level to try to reach an agreement with the trades unions and to avert strike action. However, we strongly advise anyone planning journeys on the dates involved to plan on the assumption that the strikes will go ahead. We are currently working on the plans for the dates from 27 July onwards. We can confirm the position for Saturday 23 July, which is as follows : Our advice is to avoid travelling with Greater Anglia on 23 July if the strike action does go ahead. With drivers on strike, we are only able to run about 10 per cent of our services. There will be no services between Cambridge/Bishops Stortford and London Liverpool Street or on any regional or branch lines on Saturday 23 July. The following services will run:
- Norwich – London Liverpool Street Intercity service, one train an hour, with first and last trains from Norwich at 08.00 and 19.00, and from Liverpool Street at 10.30 and 21.30
- Colchester – London Liverpool Street, one train an hour, with first and last trains from Colchester at 08.13 and 20.13, and from Liverpool Street at 10.00 and 22.00
- Southend Victoria – London Liverpool Street, one train an hour, first and last trains from Southend Victoria at 08.13 and 22.00, and from Liverpool Street at 09.47 and 23.45
- Stansted Express between Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street, one train an hour with first and last trains from Stansted Airport at 05.30 and 00.30, and from Liverpool Street at 04.10 and 23.25
A reminder that the routes where there will be no services operating are as follows :
- Between London Liverpool Street and Cambridge North
- Between Norwich and Cambridge/Stansted Airport, Sheringham, Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth
- Between Ipswich and Cambridge, Peterborough, Felixstowe and Lowestoft
- Between Marks Tey and Sudbury
- Or on the other GA branch lines/connecting routes : Hertford East to Broxbourne, Braintree to Witham, Southminster to Wickford, Harwich Town to Manningtree, Clacton/Walton-on-the-Naze to Colchester, Colchester Town to Colchester, Meridian Water to Stratford.
Full timetables for services on 23/24 July will be available in the middle of next week. There will be no rail replacement bus service operating instead of any of the trains which are not running on Saturday 23 July because of the strike. Customers are advised to look at alternative options for journeys for that day. Other train operators are not affected by strike action and should be operating as normal, while details of bus services, which may be an alternative for some shorter trips, can be found at www.traveline.info. Passengers can use tickets bought for a strike day either the day before or the two days after the strike day, or they can change their ticket to a different date or get a refund. Please also note that trains will start later than normal on Sunday 24 July and that major engineering work is planned, affecting all Greater Anglia routes into London (both Great Eastern and West Anglia lines) on that Sunday, so please do check service options before you travel. We are very sorry for the disruption strikes are causing for customers and communities across our network. As previously mentioned, work will continue at a rail industry level to try to resolve the dispute as soon as possible and prevent any further disruption which adversely affects passengers’ journeys. We will continue to update you with information on any further developments. Extreme weather warning – only travel if necessary on Monday 18 July and Tuesday 19 July The Met Office have issued a Red Extreme Weather Warning for Monday/Tuesday 18/19 July due to the very high forecast temperatures. We are advising people to only travel if necessary, given the likelihood of widespread disruption to rail services across the region and the rest of the rail network. Network Rail is imposing speed restrictions across the whole of the Greater Anglia network to ensure the safe running of trains and in a bid to protect the rail infrastructure from damage and thereby prevent the line blockages and severe delays that could result from the adverse impact of the extreme temperatures. As a result of the speed restrictions, many journeys are expected to take longer, as trains will be travelling at slower speeds than usual, and service alterations will take place on many routes, plus there could be further problems and short-notice cancellations, especially from the middle of the day onwards when the hottest temperatures occur (potentially up to record high levels of up to 40 degrees Celsius). Other train operators will also be affected as the heatwave is forecast across the whole country. Although the full details are still being finalised, the core service position is expected to be as follows :
- A reduced service will operate on the Norwich-London Liverpool Street and Cambridge-London Liverpool Street main lines and on the Southend-London Liverpool Street route.
- A shuttle service will operate on the Harwich-Manningtree, Braintree-Witham, Southminster-Wickford and Clacton/Walton/Colchester Town-Colchester branch lines to a normal frequency, but without direct services to/from London.
- A normal timetable is currently planned for regional services between Norwich and Sheringham, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Cambridge/Stansted Airport; between Ipswich and Lowestoft, Felixstowe, Cambridge and Peterborough; and on the Marks Tey-Sudbury line.
- The Stansted Express service between Stansted Airport and London is likely to remain half-hourly but journeys will take longer.
We reiterate the advice to only travel if you really need to do so. Passengers who do choose to travel on Monday and Tuesday should wear cool clothing, have plenty of water and consider using hand-held fans. They should allow plenty of time for their journeys and expect cancellations and delays. More details of services will be available over the weekend as they are finalised. Anyone planning to travel should check details and the service status before they do so. Our website will be kept updated with relevant information. Other developments Back on more positive news, other recent developments have included :
- The continued roll out of our new trains means we are close to reaching another notable milestone – the withdrawal of the old Class 317 trains (picture attached) on our West Anglia route services. They are now only being used on a cover and contingency basis and, within a few weeks, they are all due to have finished operating on our services completely. To mark their impending withdrawal, we running them on a pre-planned basis for the last time tomorrow on services between London Liverpool Street and Hertford East, enabling rail enthusiasts to say their farewells. They will continue to appear on an ad hoc basis for a little time yet, but this was a nice way for those interested in saying “goodbye” to these trains, which have served West Anglia passengers well for over 30 years, to take a final trip on them.
- Some of our managers held a Careers Day for young asylum seekers at Southend Victoria station recently. The event was facilitated by the Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership, who are working with Southend Adult Community College to improve social inclusion and career prospects for young refugees and asylum seekers. Students aged 16-19 from the college’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) course met with members of our management team to discover the various job roles that are available on the railway. The college’s Head of Adult Learning, Patricia North, said, “We were really grateful to the Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership (ESSCRP) for facilitating this really beneficial link. Thanks to the Greater Anglia team at Southend, too, for their time and help outlining all the possible job opportunities as we prepare our students for the world of work. It was a real eye opener for our students – especially the girls from Afghanistan who met a female train driver, something that is almost unheard of in their country – and it was great for them to be able to practice their English-speaking skills as well.” Catherine Gaywood, from the ESSCRP, said, “We were delighted to help the college with an introduction to possible careers on the railway with the added benefit of helping young asylum seekers to feel more integrated and confident in using public transport.”
- The latest episode of our Life on Rails podcast, which casts a light on what goes on behind the scenes at Greater Anglia, is now available. This episode includes a powerful account of what it’s like for train drivers when people trespass on rail tracks from Glen Harwood, a driver trainer manager at Greater Anglia. There’s an interview with film liaison consultant Adrian Booth, who reveals why he sometimes is an extra on the many films and TV programmes shot on the Greater Anglia network and one of our area customer service managers Paula Wilson talks about what it’s like to manage the busy Southend Victoria line and Shenfield stations. Greater Anglia fares guru Ken Strong explains how to save money this summer and Juliette and Lucy talk about lost property, while the special guest this time is YouTuber, TV presenter and podcaster Robbie Knox. Robbie, co-host on popular comedy podcast Jaackmaate’s Happy Hour, reveals how a pandemic video about putting out the bins led to the setting up of a “virtual brewery” resulting in partnerships with breweries across the country. Juliette Maxam, our senior media and PR manager, said: “It’s another episode packed full of interviews with very interesting people – perfect listening for when you’re on a train journey. You can find the podcast on any of the usual podcast platforms, please subscribe and leave us a review.” Anyone who wants to suggest further features to include in the next episode, can Tweet @greaterangliapr. The podcast is available on all podcast platforms and at greateranglia.co.uk/podcast.
And finally….. Please find attached the latest edition of our Stakeholder News e-zine which provides a regular update on a range of recent developments and progress here at Greater Anglia. Thanks to everyone across Greater Anglia and colleagues at Network Rail, Stadler, Alstom and our other rail industry partners, working hard to deliver a good service across the region this week.
