1 November 2022
Dear MLAG Member,
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Committee gives Notice that the Annual General Meeting of the MarshLink Action Group is called for:
Friday 18th November 2022 at 6.45pm in Rye Town Hall, Market Street, Rye, East Sussex
The Agenda of the Annual General Meeting is as follows:
- Welcome and introductions
- Apologies for absence
- Chairman’s report
- Treasurer’s report
- Nominations received for the Committee
- Election of the Committee
- Any other business and conclusion of formal AGM
Guest presentations (starting at 7pm):
Following the formal Annual General Meeting there will be presentations and a Q&A session with Sally-Ann Hart, MP; Phil Hutchinson (Head of Strategic Planning, GTR) and James Harris (Service Development Manager, Southern & Gatwick Express); and Dave Bonner (Infrastructure Maintenance Deliver Manager, Network Rail).
Please cut and return to: The Treasurer, MLAG, 3 Faraday House, The Mint, Rye, TN31 7EW
| MLAG MEMBERSHIP FORM NAME(S): (1) ……………………………………………….. (2) ……………………………………………….. ADDRESS: EMAIL ADDRESS: TELEPHONE NO: | Payment: Amount paid Annual membership fee (from 1 January Member (1) £ 3.00 Member (2) £ 3.00 (delete if not appropriate) Donation £ ________ TOTAL £ ________ Cash/ Cheque enclosed |
NOTES TO AGENDA
Only members of MLAG are entitled to attend and vote at the Annual General Meeting.
Item 4 – The Income and Expenditure Account for the calendar/ financial year 2021 and the Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2021 will be available at the meeting
Item 5 – Please advise the Chairman seven days in advance of the Annual General Meeting if you wish to stand for election to the Committee
Item 6 – With regard to the Committee, the Members who acted in 2021/22 are shown below. Subject to the re-election of the current Committee (who all submit themselves for re-election), there are vacancies for:
– Secretary
– Commuter Representative (to try to tap into the knowledge of daily users of the line)
– Deputy Chairman
– Committee member with an interest in the future of the MarshLink.
Committee meetings are held at 6pm on the second Tuesday of every other month apart from July (i.e. January, March, May, September, November) and on other occasions, as required.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS during 2022
| Stuart Harland (Chairman) David Bookless (Treasurer/ Membership Secretary) David Carver John Spencer John Stedman Richard Williams |
We would like to acknowledge that Martyn Brown (representing Three Oaks) was an active member of the MarshLink Action Group Committee until his sad death in November 2021. Belatedly, we thank him for his contribution to our efforts.
MARSHLINK ACTION GROUP AGM – CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
It has been a long time since we last formally updated you on the work being done on your behalf by your MLAG Committee. The Committee’s role is to represent the interests of its members, to improve our rail service, where appropriate, working with other rail user groups, in particular Hastings and Rother Rail User Alliance (“HRRUA”) of which MLAG is a member. But it has to be acknowledged upfront (as with everything else over the last two years or so) railways and their customers have had a tough time dealing with the consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic (a sentiment that is built into much of what is said in this report) – we are all, now, being affected by remote issues, national and worldwide. So, what has changed recently that has had an impact on the MarshLink services (in MLAG’s opinion) ?
Change in the rail economy and operational environment
With the downturn in the economy following Covid, train operating companies (“TOCs”), including Southern Railways, are now more limited than they were on the decisions they can make unilaterally. TOCs used to be appointed under a competitive tender system (a franchise for which there was a payment in one direction or the other) but, with the dramatic downturn of the rail economy, the Department for Transport/ Government imposed a “National Rail Contract” / “Passenger Service Contract” under which the TOCs were protected from much of the financial downturn and the Department for Transport (“ DfT”) took over more operational control. More recently, Southern’s contract was renewed through to April 2025 with an option to extend for three years.
These contractual changes were necessary because travel patterns changed out of all recognition to those existing pre-Covid when the franchise was entered into and TOCs, as commercial companies, could not reasonably be expected to continue to be responsible for the terms previously agreed. Rail passenger numbers (business and leisure) plummeted during the pandemic: it is only recently that it feels that leisure usage has almost recovered on the MarshLink but the pattern of commuting has not yet, fully.
MarshLink train services and changes to rolling stock capacity
Firstly, one thing that has not changed is that MLAG and HRRUA continue to work cooperatively with Southern Railways.
You will be very aware that, over the last few years, there have been changes to the formation of our rolling stock. Over many years we had become used to 2-car trains with, occasionally, 4-cars to provide additional capacity to service specific events. But early into the pandemic we benefited from a significant increase in capacity with 4-car trains operating the Marshlink services. Increased capacity is something we have long campaigned for but, perversely, this gain was achieved when the additional capacity, from one perspective, was not needed – it provided space for social distancing not passenger capacity, as such. We have been aware that, as business use of trains increased, there would be a time when the 4-car formation rolling stock assigned to the MarshLink would have to be re-evaluated and that is what is happening now with a transition to 3-car trains taking place (with the, perhaps odd, short-term need for some trains to be 2-cars as the reformations are taking place).
From the very start of the Covid-impacted changes to the timetable we lost the peak hours Rye Shuttle services between Rye and Ashford which MLAG fought for over several years: this had become embedded in Rye’s infrastructure but it took a pandemic to loosen that grip. With service changes now being made for the post-Covid future (but with reduced passenger numbers compared with pre-Covid) MLAG continues to argue for the return of the Rye Shuttle: in this new environment we have to convince Southern of the need (and then Southern has to convince the Government). But, with traveller numbers increasing again, from our point of view it is somewhat unreasonable that, again, we have to show demand for this long-established service before the Rye Shuttle can be re-instated, especially when passenger numbers have, arguably, reduced specifically because of service inadequacies – the absence of the Rye Shuttle, the reduced reliability of all services and some passengers choosing to drive to Ashford rather than endure the disruption caused by delayed services. It is one of those chicken and egg issues.
Reliability of trains
It has to be emphasised that for train services to operate and be attractive to customers, the service has to be reliable (that is both when travelling east to connect to HS1 and other services at Ashford and west, travelling through Ashford to connect to an hourly MarshLink service). The reliability of rolling stock has been a major concern recently and, together with HRRUA, we discuss this with Southern. It should also be noted that a recent phenomenon causing service cancellations has been crew shortages on trains. Members may wish to raise this with Southern at our meeting.
Direct services between London St. Pancras and Eastbourne
MLAG, HRRUA, local MPs along the line and many rail users (but not all) have been keen to see progress in the project to extend the rail service between London St. Pancras and Eastbourne along the MarshLink. This project has been high on MLAG’s agenda for many years with Network Rail (“NR”) regularly attending our AGMs to update progress. As Covid arrived, NR produced their definitive Strategic Outline Business Case for the Kent/ Sussex Connect project (yes, it even had a formal name) which was submitted to the DfT for evaluation – but the reality proved to be that there was a competitive component in the evaluation of feasibility. We still await a formal decision on that proposal but, with the current economic situation (and with us not being in “the North” and, perversely, this area’s economy apparently not needing “levelling up”) the prognosis is not good. The project would have given the MarshLink a direct corridor into the HS1 line at Ashford, improved line speeds on the MarshLink and given us two trains per hour (a slow local and a fast London service). We wait to hear the fate of this project and members may wish to ask Network Rail and our local MP how the Kent/ Sussex Connect project now stands.
MarshLink track issues
The Kent/ Sussex Connect project included many track improvements to increase the MarshLink line speed which would also be beneficial for our existing rolling stock making timetables more resilient. It may also contribute to us achieving a long-held ambition to restoring dual track operations along the MarshLink (see our logo). This may be able to be considered as a separate issue from the Kent/ Sussex Connect project.
Future rolling stock issues
There have been many suggestions over recent years that it is time for an upgrade to our rolling stock. But we always seem to be stuck in a maelstrom of options that confuse decision making. We have heard of retrofitting Electrostar trains with batteries; remodelled underground trains; electrifying the line (overhead or third rail); and hydrogen powered trains. But the options seem to confuse a decision being made. Perhaps our guest speakers from NR, Southern and our MP may have opinions on this matter.
Direct services from Ashford to the Continent
Another casualty of Covid has been the Eurostar service from London St. Pancras to the Continent stopping at Ebbsfleet and Ashford. Covid substantially closed Eurostar services overnight. UK TOCs had access to UK funding enabling services to continue but Eurostar did not qualify for this funding so they limited their services to the more profitable ones, those between capitals. As the Covid situation has improved the capital-to-capital service has slowly crept back but Eurostar has been clear throughout they were not immediately re-establishing their stopping services at Ashford and, recently, they have extended that moratorium to 2025 at the earliest (by implication, arguably, if there was no funding made available by the UK Government).
Improvements to Rye Station
It should be added that we have promoted some improvements to our station, in particular the bicycle racks (do make use of them), the pathway through the car park, signage and the screen by the side entrance showing train movements (though this was, and still is, intended to also show bus services when the screen can be connected to the bus control room). We tried to get a feasibility study financed for a lift between platforms but it seems that will have to be left to another day. Finally, I would like to say we are very appreciative of our Booking Office and the wonderful staff who work there – an asset of great value to Rye.
Stuart Harland
Chairman, MLAG