Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2015-07-12 20:44:36 - Graham Ellis
When looking at aims and objectives for the TransWilts train service, I've always personally looked to compare us to other services with a view to setting some sort of "Control". And looking at lines (a) in the same sector of the uk, (b) operated by the same train operator and (c) run with a single train on the line, at less than hourly frequency, I've come up with three comparisons. They're Par to Newquay, Liseard to Looe, and Plymouth to Gunnislake. In terms of the line's other characsteristics they are very different indeed to us, but they provide a control and benchamark point in terms of how many journeys you can realisically get on a single train.
This weekend was the Royal Albert Bridge walk - a unique opportunity to walk over the Royal Albert Bridge built under Brunel's guidance that strides the Cornish main line over the Tamar, and I took advantage of having a Freedon of the South West Rover ticket to visit the three branches for a completely unscientific look - qualitative rather than quantitative. And I return impressed with much that I saw, relieve that my gut feels we're in the same ballpark, and relieved at some of the line metrics that make the TransWilts a much different and in many ways easier (and in some more difficult, but we know those!) line to promote.
No blow-by-blow account here - just pretty pictures. Happy to chat with our good friends at the Devon and Cornwall Partneship and indeed I'm likely to 'bug' them with a couple of "why"s and "how does this work"s - but obviously we're very much the learners!
