Why has Styal only one train a day?

[aidanorourke]

I've been contacted by Rob Sawyer, founder of the Styal railway station website. He tells me that there is currently only one train per day in each direction from Styal, with no Sunday service.

I wasn't aware that Styal had also been given a minimum timetable, like certain other stations including Reddish South.

It seems madness to me that Styal should have service as basic as this, especially as it's only one station from Manchester Airport, which is served by frequent trains to destinations all over northern England.

Take a look at Styal Railway Station Website - Home - Promoting Styal Station to find out more.

One train a day? Why?!?

[Phil Blinkhorn]

There could be many reasons, not least of which would be lack of use.

In addition the pathways of trains to/from the airport could be blocked or significantly slowed by a stop at Styal for more services and this may not be acceptable if passenger numbers using the station have been analysed and found to be insignificant

Unfortunately the economics of a privatised/franchised system, as opposed to a social service network, dictate that only services and stations that are patronised to a profitable level, or are socially necessary so they attract a subsidy, will survive and, whatever the environmental arguments for trains, it looks like the main culprit here is apathy to rail travel amongst the public living in or visiting Styal.

[Henry Mantell]

Presumably visitors to HMP Styal use bus service from the airport or drive. As I recall over previous years of visits in a professional capacity to the prison, there was a "hay ride" from Crewe, I don't think the station has ever provided trains that matched visiting times but may be wrong.
Another example of privatised rail service not meeting community or regional needs. HMP Styal is a large establishment serving a wide part of the North of England.

[rivelino]

Styal prison has 460 inmates but this may rise to 700 in the future as part of expansion plans.

Official visiting hours are in the afternoon.

The "Styal Stuttle 200" bus service runs hourly to from Wilmslow/Manchester Airport but does not run in the evening. It has been supported by Cheshire County Council and Manchester Airport but I think the latter is withdrawing financial backing. Having to interchange at the airport or Wilmslow and wait for a bus connection to Styal can't encourage use of public transport.

National Trust Styal has over 300,000 visitors per year. With decent train frequencies (inc. Sundays!) and promotion (eg. an "all-in" train and admission ticket for Quarry Bank Mill) I'm sure that there is potential for the station.

Please visit Styal Railway Station Website - Home - Promoting Styal Station and support the course in the ways explained on the site.

Thanks.

[Phil Blinkhorn]

This is a typical "chicken and egg" situation. The railway operating companies are only interested in providing a service to meet a proven demand.

I would assume that the vast majority of individual visitors (i.e. those not members of organised parties) arrive at Quarry Bank Mill by car so the incentive to provide a rail/site entry ticket - and the necessary bus connection - isn't really there for either the train operators or the NT.

Unfortunately what is desirable - from both a service and an environmental point of view - isn't always commercially viable or even worthy of subsidy. If the Airport is withdrawing its involvement with the current shuttle bus this is presumably on the basis of lack of use. There have been dozens of instances in the years since Beeching where stations have been closed or reduced to a skeleton service and a shuttle bus has been provided only to run empty or almost empty on most of its schedules.

The British public voted for car use a long time ago and, unlike their neighbours in Europe, are loath to use public transport unless absolutely necessary.

How this can be changed by providing a service to both tempt people to change their habits and cater for those who don't have car access has defeated many transport experts, entrepreneurs and social behaviour specialists over many decades - and pointing to successes elsewhere in the world only seems to stir up ire in the columns of the Daily Mail, Express and Telegraph.

[rivelino]

Phil - I understand I concur with much of what you say.

I suspect that Manchester Airport is carrying out a belt tightening excercise (as passenger levels have levelled off recently) hence the withdrawl of the bus subsidy. Ridership on the Styal Shuttle bys always seemed low (from my observarions) although they did promote a Styal Estate entrance/bus combi ticket.

The pressure could/should be on NT to promote greener transport to their sites as they publicly aspire to do.

I have made contact with NT locally and they are supportive in principal but the question is how to turn this into action.

I wrote to HMP Styal 3 weeks ago - no repsonse received. If they do expand as proposed I suppose they may be required to have a travel plan - this could be an opportunity to make them more involved.

I think it is worth a go to get Styal back on the rail map though the road might be a long one.!

[Phil Blinkhorn]

It's certainly worth a go, I wish you the best of luck but I hope you have a good mix of persistence, determination and energy.

From experience I can tell you the way to persuade monolithic institutions to change a level of service is to have a truly local groundswell of pressure.

I think you have the best chance of success with a door to door collection of signatures demanding an increase in service.

I say this for two reasons:

1. People from outside the area will be, at best, infrequent users - at worst will never use the service.

2. Local people who are prepared to sign up to a demand for service are stating that they have a genuine interest in seeing an improvement which they could be tempted to use.

If you get a poor reaction on the doorstep you have no chance.

Anything above 35% of residents expressing an interest is likely to persuade the train operators into at least talking seriously.

As for Styal Mill and the rest of the National Trust facilities, from the point of view of someone who knows the facilities very well and has has run venues, I can say they are sitting pretty and have no real incentive to participate. 300,000 visitors for what is basically an historic/educational/nature site works out at 826 visitors a day on a 363 working day year. As many of these will visit between Easter and the end of October and as they say to allow between 90 and 150 minutes for a visit, they look to be working at an optimum throughput for at least 4 - 5 months of the year and are probably happy to use the slacker periods for school visits alongside maintenance.

The environmental argument should be a strong one with NT but I suspect that with that rate of throughput, putting effort into changing peoples' mode of arrival won't be a priority as they don't seem to have suffered from the withdrawal of train services - though were the train companies in a position to increase service, NT would want to capitalise!

As for the prison, I can't see too many people being overly concerned if visitors have a tough time accessing the inmates.

Not trying to pour cold water on a good idea - I fully believe in a socially and environmentally accessible transport system - but forty years of being involved in campaigns has left me realistic and not a little cynical.

[rivelino]

Hi

The campaigning has paid off and as of 14/12/08 there will be 3 trains per day in each direction at Styal. This is MON-Sat as there will be no Sunday services.

There will, once more, be a direct morning commuter service to Manchester.
Trains will also tie in with HMP Styal visiting hours in the afternoon.

We will press for Sunday and additional weekday services for Summer 2009. National Trust have been supportive of this.

Rob

[Phil Blinkhorn]

Congratulations. I hope the trains get the support your hard work deserves.