George Eustice Moving forward with travel plans
MAKING public transport work effectively in Cornwall has always had its challenges, due to the fact that we are a peninsula and there are rural areas that make maintaining the right frequency of buses difficult to achieve.
However, some positive changes have been made in recent years. We have seen the introduction of the new fleet of Tinner buses, which has marked a major step forward in the quality of our bus network, the introduction of more frequent train services every 30 minutes and a renewed attempt to get better integration between the bus and train timetables so that people can take the train for part of the journey and then connect to a bus.
Costs of fares are also an issue and a barrier to people using buses more, so this month there was a new pilot announced which makes bus travel more affordable.
The Government has also decided to make some fundamental changes to the way our railways operate. Over 25 years ago the railways were privatised, with a system of competitive franchises introduced and a body to manage the railway infrastructure.
Private investment has led to some important improvements, with the number of passengers travelling by rail increasing by about a third, but the model of privatisation also had many drawbacks. Railtrack, which was supposed to operate the network, was not a success and had to be replaced by Network Rail. Some of the franchises ran into financial difficulties and were returned – so last year the Government announced that it would bring the railways back together to end fragmentation and bring to an end John Major’s franchise model. There will be a new organisation called Great British Railways which will plan timetables and services and ensure that tickets can be used on any route.
Rather than long-term franchises, in the future Great British Railways will commission private organisations to run services on its behalf on shorter-term ‘passenger contracts’. This will enable them to plan a holistic service but make use of private companies which can bring innovation and efficiency to aspects of running the national railway network.
As part of the Levelling Up agenda the Government has also launched a competitive process to decide the location for the headquarters of Great British Railways.
Cornwall formally submitted a bid this month. This bid is being led by Camborne, given its important role in the Industrial Revolution and the development of the steam engine and, most notably, the groundbreaking work of Richard Trevithick, the inventor of the first steam locomotive.
The proposal includes several sites near Treswithian or Tuckingmill, with potential for a visitors’ centre inside the town centre. There are 42 applicants across the country, with the winner being announced in the summer after a public vote.
‘The Government has decided to make some fundamental changes to the way our railways operate’