Correspondence with South Gloucestershire Council
30 January 2020 Dear Chairman and members of Pilning Station Group Thank you for your email correspondence of 24 January 2020. WECA and the West of England Authorities have embarked upon an ambitious plan to invest in connectivity to support growth and sustainability with public transport including rail as an integral of the plan. Based on a vision which supports business, communities and sustainable growth the West of England Joint local transport plan (JLTP) sets out the priorities to guide investment . For rail which has the potential to expand and carry more people reducing car use and adding to the resilience of our local network the focus is on the new stations and routes to be delivered as part of the MetroWest project. The project includes 5 new stations and a new link to Portishead as well as more services on the Severn Beach line to Bath and to…
GWR Rebuffs Yet Another Request for an Improved Service from Pilning Station
Despite South Gloucestershire Council declaring Climate Emergency, Jack Lopresti MP urging station improvements in the House of Commons, and local residents and commercial organisations crying for more public transport links, GWR have rebuffed yet another request for some extra services to stop at Pilning station, which could be used to create better connections to Bristol, Swindon, Gloucester, Newport and Cardiff for thousands of residents and commuters to Severnside. In the message sent on behalf of GWR MD Matthew Golton, they write – We don’t have any plans to add more station calls at Pilning. I know that this is disappointing but unless the Service Level Commitment is altered by the Department for Transport Pilning will continue to have two station calls a week, provided by our West fleet and not on our high speed InterCity Express Trains. We have the easement in place that allows travel to and from Severn Beach station on…
Message to Luke Hall MP from a Thornbury Resident
*** Pilning Station Group were forwarded this message, which we publish unedited. This message highlights the importance of Pilning station, which would facilitate Thornbury residents’ commute to Bristol, Newport and Cardiff *** Dear Luke I trust you are well. I am writing with regard to the WECA JLTP4 Consultation draft, picking up on previous correspondence that we’ve had regarding provision for rail returning to Thornbury, acting as both a Thornbury resident and member of FOSBR (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways). When we last spoke back in 2018 regarding this, you had written to Network Rail to ask them their intentions about the Tytherington line. Did they ever come back to you with a response? I know they have been working on relaying track in the headshunt at Grovesend recently, which suggests freight activity recommencing. Recent changes to the JLTP4 Consultation draft added in a new phrase about “new links to…
Pilning Station Improvements Urged in House of Commons
The campaign to improve Pilning station and its current skeleton service received a major boost on 13th February, when MP Jack Lopresti highlighted the issue in a speech about developing Severnside. … there are some issues that need addressing. First, a regular service must be restored to Pilning railway station. We are lucky enough in my constituency to have the Wave, the first inland surfing lake of its kind in England, on the edge of Pilning and Easter Compton. That amazing facility opened recently and will attract thousands of tourists. If we do not want people to drive there, which would put pressure on rural road networks with limited capacity, it would be sensible to ensure that they have a reliable rail service, especially because there is a railway station already on the door step” Full text can be viewed here The quote is also available to view on YouTube How many stations get their case for…
Message to Jack Lopresti MP:Pilning Station – Plans for Future Investment
Dear Jack, We were greatly encouraged by the commitment to rail demonstrated by the Government’s announcement yesterday that HS2 is to go ahead. The Prime Minister was absolutely right to say that this country is being held back by its inadequate infrastructure and that the transport revolution is local, because it must be local. He added that the government will unite and level up the country with local improvements. This is so relevant to Pilning! He also said that the government is embarking on a massive programme of investment in local transport, and that there will be more details in the Budget. In view of this, we are anxious to ensure that when the additional funding to support the Government’s ‘transport revolution’ is announced in the coming weeks (including the Budget in March), Pilning station will be included, especially taking into consideration the recent successes of the campaign to improve…
Message to GWR – awaiting response!
When questioned by they would not stop IETs at Pilning, GWR came up with the following excuse: – Giving a station clearance for IETs to set down / pick up at a station requires a significant amount of work and is particularly in-depth for this type of rolling stock – it includes a variety of safety checks, measurements, calculations, upgrading of systems and software, and physical testing. We can fulfil our service level commitment by stopping an alternative service at Pilning formed of stock that already has the necessary clearance in place. Is this enough to put us off demanding a better service? NOPE! Here’s what we wrote back: – Thank you – but this is far too vague to be an acceptable reply, and I cannot believe that it can be so difficult to stop a new-design train at a station which already meets the stringent present-day requirements for…
No Trains on Saturday 28 December 2019
If you can’t wait to get to Bristol on Saturday 28th to spend your Christmas money, gift tokens etc, don’t expect to get the train from Pilning – they’re suspended due to engineering works. Rail replacement taxis will run from Pilning station to Bristol Parkway (change for Temple Meads) at 08:00 and 15:15 (!!) In the other direction, taxis leave Bristol Parkway for Pilning at 07:30 and 14:45 – train connections leave Temple Meads at 07:00 and 14:28 respectively. So at least that day we have a service in both directions! NB – the taxi may not come right up to the station to pick up – we suggest you wait at the bottom of the station approach road and flag it down if it goes past you! Luckily, we’ve been told that there is Zero Chance for Pilning to be served by Bloodhound LSR, so at least taxis will definitely stop there!
The Darkest Day in Pilning’s History
21 December 2019 marked Pilning’s Darkest Day in its recent history as station users had another hour of their Saturday excursion time shaved off. The 15:34 service was replaced with the 14:33 afternoon stop. Why, you ask. All because GWR refused to add the Pilning stop to their shiny new electric trains’ onboard computer system. We asked the authorities to intervene, but to no avail. Pilning Challenges will be adjusted accordingly – watch out for the announcements! Here is your new pocket timetable, valid from Saturday 21/12/19.
Pilning Station Group Opposes Plan to Cut Bus Link to Chepstow and Newport
Pilning Station Group has joined the call to reprieve the bus link between Cribbs Causeway, Aust and Chepstow, which connects with buses to Newport. With no prior consultation and just one month’s notice, bus operator Stagecoach is rerouting the Severn Express service from 5 January 2020 to cut out stops at Cribbs Causeway and Aust, depriving people of a vital link for work, college and leisure trips. Olga Taylor, Chair of Pilning Station Group said: We have already lost our direct rail service through the Severn Tunnel to Wales, with the closure of Pilning Station’s westbound platform. Now this area is losing its only other public transport alternative, which will create real difficulties for those who rely on it and will put more cars onto already-congested roads. We urge people to sign the petition at http://chng.it/JDNtxRcqF5 calling on Stagecoach to think again”. Update 9 December 2019. It was brought to…
Railway Data Stats
We love the latest Pilning station stats published by the Railway Data Centre! So we are currently the 1011st busiest station, even though we only have 2 services per week. That’s 4.6 passengers per service, compared with Patchway’s 9.13! The increase in passenger numbers at Pilning since 1997 is…. 895.83%! Woohoo!!!!!