Rail owners end heritage run and aim up-market
a major overhaul of Dartmoor Railways service programme is being carried out by the company that owns the line.
British American Rail Services (BARS), which became the owner of Dartmoor Railway CIC in 2008, is to redesign the services it offers it involves the suspension of heritage services and the creation of a new up-market dining train service run throughout the weekend.
BARS general manager Stephen Goodwin has confirmed plans to run the summer rover to Exeter are still underway.
The service, which runs five trains to and from Exeter each Sunday through summer, is operated by First Great Western. But the definitive weekend timetable with the rover and dining services has yet to be fully confirmed.
Having taken the decision not to operate a company-sponsored heritage rail service, BARS is in talks with the Dartmoor Railway Supporters Association (DRSA) regarding the possibility of running the heritage service self-sufficiently.
Ed Ellis, president of British American Rail Services, said: Dartmoor has operated a heritage service in every year that it has been owned by BARS. Revenue has been disappointing every year, so despite the much appreciated efforts of the volunteers as well as paid staff, the railway has remained in a loss-making position.
He said the success of the Polar Express operation, which ran last November and December, demonstrated that if a service is offered that has an entertainment feature, it can appeal to a much wider segment of the population, such as people looking for an entertaining experience, regardless of whether it involves a train ride or not.
Further, we can charge a relatively premium price for this service, with the improved margins that implies.
That is why we have chosen to redesign our 2013 service offerings to be variations on a dining-by-rail theme: tea trains, dinner trains, and Sunday lunch trains, frequently with a specific entertainment theme.
We are optimistic that, with a successful service execution and effective marketing, these services will have a much broader appeal and be more remunerative than what we have done in recent years.
The operating plan was still being finalised, but he expected the company to be operating up to 100 tea, lunch and dinner trains during the spring, summer and winter season, not including the Polar Express trains that will operate in November and December.
Overall, I think Dartmoor will see a very significant number of trains and, most importantly, more passengers than it has seen in many years.
We do place a very high value on the contribution of the volunteers, and I regret that we are not always effective at communicating that message.
We earnestly hope that the volunteers will share our enthusiasm for the new service model, and the potential that it represents for making the railroad self-supporting.
Should the DRSA wish to operate Dartmoor heritage services in 2013, we will be happy to co-operate on the understanding that all the financial liabilities will accrue to the DRSA, and that the service will be entirely staffed by volunteers.
The DRSA is holding a meeting specifically for its members to discuss the railway and its future.
Dick Henrywood, chairman of the DRSA, said: The object of running heritage trains on the railway needs to be resolved. There are lots of meetings and discussions going on to do that.
I would encourage all our members to come along to the meeting on April 6 to discuss the railways future and the current situation, as it is rather serious.
Dartmoor Railway general manager Roger Webster has stepped down from that post but will continue in the role of operations and duty manager. He said: We are really trying as hard as we can to get the decision to suspend the heritage trains reversed. The heritage trains are profitable, despite the income being small, because they are run by volunteers and our wonderful team.
Now we have no schedule and no trains. We are expecting a lot of pressure on British American Rail to ensure the Sunday service stays. If we are not allowed the heritage services, it will be a big blow for the railway and the locality.
Town councillor and railway enthusiast Dr Michael Ireland wants to see a daily commuter service return to the town.
He said: All of this does nothing to get Okehampton any closer to what we need a full train service serving the community. My view as a councillor is that the railway should benefit employment, tourism and visitors. It is essential, as the bus services through Okehampton are just not adequate.
The American owners dont seem to be acting with the community interest in mind which they should, as it is a community interest group. I also think the Dartmoor Railway Supporters Association seems too heavily focused on the heritage side of things.
It seems both organisations are pushing for different things without the interest of the Okehampton community in mind. Both need to engage with the community and each other, not see each other as a threat, and work to get a railway link to Exeter.
Regular rail services would serve both the community and benefit the heritage side of things too. It is time to show that the community wants a rail link to Exeter and beyond.
A special Dartmoor Explorer train service on Friday, April 12, organised by the Dartmoor Society, will go ahead as planned.
