Rail campaigners call for improvements to train coverage in Calderdale ahead of their annual meeting
Rail campaigners in Calderdale say improvements to the network can and should be made for present-day passengers, including that every train going through Sowerby Bridge should stop there.
Ahead of their annual general meeting in Sowerby Bridge, the Halifax and District Rail Action Group (HADRAG) has called for a better Calder Valley rail service in the town, as well as more trains and more stops along the Calder Valley line.
Guest speaker invited to the meeting, at St Paul’s Methodist Church in Tower Hill, will be Richard Crabtree who works for the “shadow” Great British Railways (GBR) organisation. Hadrag members will have chance to get a briefing on what is known so far about how the re-nationalised railway may work.
There will also be discussion about Hadrag campaigning and how it can become even more effective.
Hadrag’s Chair Stephen Waring said: “We hope for some hints of how the new railway might shape up and deliver improvements for passengers. There is some way to go but it is not too early to be embarking on that discussion.
“We want delivery for present day passengers, not just commuters and business users but those travelling for study, leisure or pleasure. Our trains are crowded not just at going commuting times, but also when optional travel is main objective, including Sundays. We need an alternative to congested roads.
“Too often, however service reliability fails. Both regular and occasional passengers need certainty about whether the train will arrive on time.
“In places like Sowerby Bridge – a big town with massive potential – the need is for more trains to stop. Too many run through fast, missing out the big communities in the valley.
“Hadrag says that every train going through Sowerby Bridge should call there.
“Along at Brighouse work on the TransPennine route upgrade has sometimes more, sometimes fewer trains. Long-term need is for more, also serving the new station at Elland.
“We need objectives for our line that are achievable in present travellers’ lifetimes. Focus planning on the next ten years, not vague objectives for grand schemes that may never happen and may not benefit our Calder Valley line.”
Stephen added: “Some time back we encountered people who had moved to Elland 30 years ago expecting a station to open. It would help them get to work avoiding clogged-up roads. Now that station is expected happen in the next two or three years. But those people have retired! We have to speed up the planning process.
“If GBR can make that happen, it will be a success.”