Project Wareham

If you do the non passenger service search in RTT it shows the Swanage services as part of them. Guess it is how they are set up in the NR system.

 

Thanks. I just wonder how much potential patronage is being lost by the lack of marketing (in all its forms) of the Wareham service.

 

I am led to believe that, because WCRC is recognised only as a charter operator, SWR ticket vending machines [and on-line page(s)] cannot be re-programmed. However, SWR ticket offices can do. This is a bit confusing to me.
Whether I have been mislead on this point I don't know but it is more than somewhat frustrating - whatever the reason.

 

I find this whole situation very odd especially given that (a) in 2017 the Information Screens said Corfe Castle and Swanage (b) the statements made by The Chairman of the Swanage Railway Trust that tickets would be available through SWR (c) the involvement of the Purbeck Community Rail Partnership which surely is meant to facilitate collaborative working on issues such as this.

 

Also does not help that when booking office is closed so are the toilets, despite the best endeavours of SR and Friends of Wareham Station, whose lead (I believe) is the Mayor, to be given a key, so that they can open up the toilets.

 

Was closed at 1330 today due to a shortage of staff....and by the sign on the door wont be the last either

 

Disappointing I agree, especially as SWR were advertising such in the press release. But hardly a surprise with the modern railways ticketing situation.

 

Information screens have no connection with ticket availability so far as I'm aware either in 2017 or now.
Both the Swanage Railway and SWR did agree to issuing tickets I believe but, since then, this seemingly has proved impossible to carry out in practice. So far as I'm aware the Swanage Railway had no input into the principles of main line ticketing (including joint tickets). I think this was purely down to SWR to negotiate with ? [National Rail I suppose].
I'm not aware that PCRP has much (if any?) 'powers' to facilitate such joint ticketing arrangements with a charter company [WCRC]. They can suggest it - but that is all I think.
Frustrating - but we are where we are - and there's not a lot in practice that can be done about it.

 

SWR have an ambition to promote leisure travel.
https://www.southwesternrailway.com/destinations-and-offers/heritage-railways/swanage-railway
SWR have a page to promote Corfe and Swanage.
Although the SWR ticket offices systems have been updated to sell tickets to Corfe and Swanage, they seem to have problems updating ticket machines and website systems.
Hopefully will be sorted by SWR, along with the Wareham destination board display system.
Used to travel by SWR a lot and it's communications left a bit to be desired.

 

Yes but we are very nearly half way through the Wareham running season (but admittedly not the peak dates). Issues such as this just make it more challenging to ascertain the true demand for the Wareham service. We know that the demand to be tested is not local demand but from tourists from further afield such the BCP conurbation, New Forest and Southampton area. SRC can not afford to promote it in these areas so the efforts of SWR are crucial.

 

I haven't seen much external marketing at all and have assumed the budget for marketing was therefor essentially zero?

What are the costs of marketing in those areas you mentioned, I have no idea. Thousands, tens of thousands?

 

Whilst waiting for the 40 tour lunchtime I noticed some SR leaflets on the service in the rack in the booking hall. No idea if SWR have put these in other stations along the line or not.I would imagine the cost of other media advertising, local papers (low readership these days?) or radio (far too many stations these days to pick the right one or ones) may be prohibitively expensive for an HR.
Difficult to see what would be targeted really to get to a vast number of people for a low cost.

 

That's a very odd statement. If you can't afford to market your own service, one wonders whether you should be taking the much larger financial risk of even running it! Can you imagine the railway going to all the expense of running trains on the main section of line but then saying "sorry, the budget doesn't extend to actually telling anyone about it"? If you wouldn't put on a core, long-established product without promotion, then there is even less reason to put on a new service that people wouldn't necessarily know about without doing so.

Tom

 

The cost of running a suitable campaign would simply be unviable given the limited scope of the trial service. However that is not to say that SRC should not have "reverse engineered" a campaign where they say they can afford £x per passenger and multiply by the anticipated passenger carryings to produce a budget to market the service even if it only just was a toe in the water exercise. Given how successful the saturdays only round the houses service SWR ran to Corfe Castle then similar advertising could have been employed for the SRC service. There is a lot of opportunity for zero / low cost / guerilla advertising but it takes time and effort rather than cash. Would SRT SRC have the volunteer resource for such a task?

 

Personally I think the resource is there. It would be ideal if the whole railway family wanted this to work and fully got behind it.

 

Trying to find SWR's take on the trial, where they have an ambition to promote leisure travel. they have made tickets available from ticket offices and updated the website with some info, but not yet enabled website ticket sales.
There is no SWR press release. From
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-64902426
SWR said the deal was a "historic moment" for Swanage Railway's efforts to reconnect with the main network."
But
"Regional development manager Andrew Ardley from SWR said: "We look forward to seeing the results of this highly anticipated trial.""
which indicates SWR may wait to see how 2023 goes and if it is renewed as a service for 2024 before any further joint promotion?

 

It is hardly easy to find on the SWR website though, buried at the end of about three none to logical drop down menus.
Even when I went to see if it been updated earlier in the week it took me three goes to find the right menu to search in, and I have looked before. Many may not bother.
I have a friend (former railtour steward with me) who is popping down on the service on Saturday, but he did not know it was running again this year until I mentioned it to him.
Even a few on train adverts by SWR themselves may help.

 

One thing I'd bet the farm on, it won't be running again next year.

 

Really hoping this is a success. I do feel though if they want it more of a regular commuting service they really need to advertise their railcard and £100 travel card.

You then can get the tourists that are happy to pay £25 for a one off travel then more locals using the 'cheaper' railcards. A £15 railcard for 50% off travel for example could work out very well (instead of the 1/3 off at £30). Swanage to Wareham for £12.50 is alot more appealing than £25 and I would expect alot more people would use it to get away from all the summer traffic

 

Unfortunately there is no way a 25mph heritage railway can ever provide a useable commuting service and I suspect the railway, council etc reached that conclusion a while ago. For some reason though, possibly compliance, all parties have decided to have another go at running the trial again this year and whilst it may appeal to a small number of enthusiasts, those numbers won't be enough to make the trial a success.