Project Wareham

A couple of thoughts on two visits to Wareham last week related to my wife's trip to Woking (bearing in mind the recent letter in Steam Railway about lack of info).
So SWR appear to have updated the old platform train indicators with new non working ones (other than having SWR on them) at least that was the case on Thursday. They have also updated the "TV" in the booking office.
So having dropped her off in the morning I then had to go over the bridge 3 times to find out and then go and tell her if her train was on time. A late running down service and a passing up RHTT working meant the infamous crossing was shut for about 15 minutes.
Thought they may be working by the evening as I knew her train was already well late when I left home, but no still just showing SWR up indicator at least had the correct time, down one was around 12 hours out implying it was early morning. Station signs say booking office open until 1830, sign on door said closed 1330. I assumed staff shortage. Possible to just read the TV at an angle through the door (of course if you happen to already know it was there), otherwise you would be totally in the dark for information unless you knew how to use something like RTT. At 1815 latest train shown was 1957 so with an two hourly DMU service not sure where the guy who wrote the letter expected the DMU service to be displayed if it was not due shortly?

Also read today, something I had missed when the Dorset Council magazine arrived about a month back, that the bus fare cap as been extended until November 2024 (increased to £2.50 from £2.00). So if the service is/was planned still major price competition from the bus for a similar or quicker journey time.

 

The staff shortage has been ongoing for a considerable period of time. I can not remember when the ticket office was open in the afternoon. Sadly it also means that the toilets are locked out of use and the waiting room on the up platform. I wonder just how much motivation there is on the part of SWR to fill the vacancies and get back to full opening hours.

In broken record mode the sooner PW is ceased the better. SRC can not afford any activity which both makes a loss and is not core to the business, DC hasnt the funds to spend on "new" non statutory activities such as supporting the SRC Wareham service.

 

I think you will find, that in line with all other small stations on SWR and possibly other TOC's Wareham station is only manned on the early shift.
I am afraid that it has been like that for years now, Certainly long before I retired as a Main line guard in 2014.

 

According to the sign displayed on the booking office door and on the Wareham (Dorset) Station | National Rail entry on the www.nationalrail.co.uk website

Ticket Office
Opening Hours

• Opening Hours Monday to Friday: 06:10 - 18:30
• Opening Hours Saturday: 07:15 - 13:50
• Opening Hours Sunday: 10:00 - 14:00

Regrettably the entry on the nationalrail.co.uk website does not reference / link toilet and waiting room opening hours to the booking office hours.

I consider that SWR are failing in their customer service obligations in this respect. Once again one has to question why this matter is not being addressed by PCRP if only to instruct SWR to advise National Rail of the core hours that the booking office etc are open.

 

Wareham was fully manned with 2 shifts on weekdays and 1 shift on Sat's and Sundays until February 2022 when one of the clerks retired.It then became mostly e/t only then on weekdays,the other clerk who was left doing the earlies retired this year.

 

Had reason to visit Wareham Station Wednesday afternoon to collect a ticket from the TVM and the TVM was out of order. The ticket office was closed but displaying the "correct" opening times.

I do wish both SWR and Network Rail would update their websites with the correct opening times. it seems so sloppy not to do so.

 

There were plans to wind down and shut all ticket offices in favour of apps (with barcodes) and smart cards in preparation for Great British Railways, but now dropped and ticket offices will remain open.
My local station with a part time ticket office now has a second TVM in case one goes faulty or runs out of ticket cards for it's printer, so could be Wareham will sometime get a second TVM?

From "Swanning Around"
"Wareham Service. An offer of assistance has been received from Stewart Palmer, who was previously a Managing Director at South West Trains. The Board agreed to support the compilation of data leading to a formal report containing options for the service in the future."
Hopefully the report will be published and lead to a sustainable Wareham to Swanage service?

 

Wareham used to have two TVMs but they took one away fairly recently.

I would be interested to know what Stewart Palmer can bring to the party given the fundamental issues are insufficient revenue and excessive cost?

 

Hopefully not, unless there is a subsidy forthcoming that not only fully offsets all costs, but adds something financially to the railway. I am very doubtful that will happen.

 

Anyone know what the "insufficient revenue and excessive cost(s)" were?

 

I also think it was removed before the ticket office closure proposal debacle. One on each platform may help, especially as it is currently on the opposite side to the bus stop. All very unintegrated.

 

I think the TOC Logic for Wareham was that people without a ticket would go to the ticket office and if they found it closed would go to the ticket machine which was "conveniently" just outside the ticket office. I do agree there should be one on the up platform.

 

Be interesting to find out about Wareham loading and if the peak 6 weeks made money. Didn't look like much depend during the week during non school holidays.

Perhaps next year if funding was there. Focus on main services Swanage to Norden with 1 steam and 2 in summer then run an hourly DMU to Wareham from Norden or Corfe during Easter, May half term and July/August.

 

Hardly the world's most unexpected news of 2024.


https://www.swanage.news/swanage-ra...np-iTiEJh4clCqe7HoANW280v0oYV-iKz-YWBlV1_PiPA

 

I realise that some will be disappointed that the service will not continue, but I think this is a sensible move that reflects the reality of the times. I feel relieved that the railway is able to take this decision and I hope that they are able now to focus on developing all the other aspects of the line that they want to. The important thing is that the railway is there and remains connected to the mainline. Both massive achievements.

 

With all the debate we have has about this service I thought I would share the results of a Dorset Council consultation that was linked in their weekly email yesterday.
I suspect if you asked any rural area in the country you would end up with similar "wants". However there is no idea of course if people would be prepared to pay more for them, or at the expense of some other council provided service.
Bearing in mind the parallel Swanage Wareham bus routes it provides little scope to revisit a funded rail link I suspect.
https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/ne...ack-will-shape-future-dorset-transport-plan-1

And as the Council seems to want to go down the path of merging into some sort of mayoral area, it may get even further kicked into the long weeds.

 

It's not necessarily that the council want to go down that path, it is the that the Government has mandated that it is going to happen.

Tom

 

Well the council seems to have embraced it. Which seems strange as I am sure most of the focus will end up on the BCP area, which is after all the greatest population and arguably urban.

 

They may have little choice and have decide to go gracefully rather than fight a lost battle.

 

Quite - in which case better to be an early adopter rather than a tardy one.

Tom