Silverlink Trains

Letter to customers
_______________________________________________________________

date 22 March 2001
source Silverlink Trains
type Press release

Dear Customer,

Since January this year we have gradually increased the number of commuter services on our County route as speed restrictions have been lifted and lines re-opened. We are continuing the steady progress towards the restoration of the full timetable and from Monday 26 March there will be further changes to the timetable which runs from Monday to Friday. These include:

o some additional trains
o alterations to the stopping pattern of some services
o resumption of fast peak trains calling at Bushey and Harrow

This means that at some stations the weekday level of service will virtually be restored to normal while the additional services will help to relieve pressure on the most heavily loaded trains.

There have been reports in the media that much of the network has returned to normal and indeed all the lines used by Silverlink are back in use for most of the time. So why are Silverlink County services still not fully restored? Many of the severe speed restrictions have been lifted on the fast lines which now carry most long distance trains. This has relieved pressure on the slow lines, on which most of our services run, and as a result we have been able to make improvements to our service. Work, however, is still being carried out, principally on the slow lines where associated speed restrictions continue to be applied. It is for this reason that journey times continue to be longer than should be the case, and the timetable, which comes into effect on 26 March, reflects this.

The series of speed restrictions imposed by Railtrack mean that the journey time of individual trains has had to be extended by typically 15 minutes. At the same time we have tried to ensure that additional delays to Silverlink trains arising from congestion resulting from late running long distance freight and passenger services is kept to a minimum. It has therefore been necessary to increase by 15 minutes the time between when a train arrives at its final destination and when it departs on its next journey. The combination of these two factors means that it is not possible to operate the same level of service with our existing level of resource, hence the arrangements which have been in force for some months.

Now that we have timetables which last for more than a few weeks, which was not the case until February, we are measuring the punctuality of services against the (currently) realistic times shown in the revised timetable. We expect these arrangements to last until the start of the summer timetable on 20 May, although any improvement in journey times will be implemented as soon as it is practicable to do so. I am only too well aware, however, that there is a long way to go before things are completely satisfactory.

Please do not forget, therefore, to claim your full entitlement to compensation. Since 16 October last year there have been 71 void days - days on which you are entitled to a pro rata refund if you held a season ticket valid for travel on Silverlink's County route on the days in question. The staff at your local booking office will be able to clarify any outstanding compensation owing to you.

I do apologise for the inconvenience you may have experienced in recent months and for the extended journey times resulting from the continuing work on the track, and very much appreciate your patience and support during this difficult time. I hope, however, that the enhancements to the timetable will make journeys, particularly during the peak periods, more comfortable for all passengers. Details of all services running on the County route from 26 March are contained in the new timetable leaflet now available at stations.

Yours sincerely

Charles Belcher
Managing Director

Railhub Archive ::: 2001-03-22 SIL-001