Regulator agrees new services for the South West

9 May 1997
ORR/97/08

The Rail Regulator today announced his decision to uphold the appeal made to him by South Wales & West Railway Ltd enabling it to run new through rail services in the South West.

The appeal concerned a bid by South Wales & West to operate through services between Manchester and Penzance via Newport, Bristol and Plymouth; Liverpool and Portsmouth via Newport, Bristol and Southampton; and Manchester and London Waterloo via Newport, Bristol and Salisbury.

South Wales & West appealed to the Rail Regulator on 7 March 1997 against the decision by Railtrack, following an earlier ruling by the railway industry's Timetabling Committee, that it did not have the right to operate these services under the terms of its Track Access Agreement.

The Rail Regulator, John Swift QC, said: "I am very pleased to have been able to confirm South Wales & West's rights to operate new services which benefit passengers.

"My decision is a good example of the flexible application of the new arrangements in the railway to improve services to passengers. It is good news for the people of the South West, the Welsh borders and the North West who will now have access to better through rail services thus making their journeys easier.

"Most of these services are already due to operate over the summer period, starting on 2 June, and my decision will now allow South Wales & West to operate them."

Notes to Editors

1. The Railtrack "Track Access Conditions", which are incorporated into the track access agreements which all train operators have with Railtrack, allow train operators an ultimate right of appeal to the Rail Regulator where there are important disputes in the railway timetabling process. This is the first time the Regulator has adjudicated on an appeal under these Conditions.

2. The services subject to this appeal are:

Part 1

10.59	Saturdays Excepted	Manchester Piccadilly - Penzance
06.41	Saturdays Excepted	Penzance - Manchester Piccadilly
13.00	Saturdays Excepted	Liverpool - Portsmouth
06.00	Saturdays Excepted	Portsmouth - Liverpool
06.15	Saturdays Only	Penzance - Manchester Piccadilly
09.33	Saturdays Only	Manchester Piccadilly - Penzance

Part 2

07.58	Saturdays Excepted	Manchester Piccadilly - Waterloo
15.17	Saturdays Excepted	Waterloo - Manchester Piccadilly
06.59	Saturdays Only	Manchester Piccadilly - Waterloo
14.18	Saturdays Only	Waterloo - Manchester Piccadilly

3. Extension of these through services fully to London Waterloo (the Part 2 services above) will require South Wales & West to enter a separate agreement with Railtrack. This part of the South Wales and West package is not fully covered by the Regulator's decision and some elements of it will require separate approval.

4. The Rail Regulator has given Railtrack and others affected by this decision seven days to comment on some specific legal points in the proposed formal determination which will give effect to this decision. This will not affect the decision itself which has now been taken.

Copyright © 2002 Office of the Rail Regulator