Review 2004
Station of the Year
Winner
Edinburgh Waverley station
Edinburgh Waverley station has developed good cycle parking, signage and passenger information for cyclists. It also houses the ‘Bike Station’ - a charity that collects donated bicycles and puts them back in use. ‘Bike Station’ is supported by Network Rail helping make this scheme a winner.
Edinburgh Waverley is an excellent example of a successful scheme, the judges felt, not least because of the strength of support and positive feedback from local users and cycle lobby groups. The scope of the project is impressive and judges were pleased that Network Rail has made this commitment at a major station.
Station of the Year
Highly commended
Surbiton station
Cycle facilities at South West Trains’ Surbiton station have undergone major improvements over the past year, with new and covered parking and double-decker cycle racks.
Judges applauded the train company’s decision to improve cycle facilities, especially as the scheme has kept the best of what has gone before. Local user feedback was very positive and the introduction of the high capacity cycle racks are among the first of that type in the country.
Best on-train experience
Winner
Merseyrail
Merseyrail, the network operator of Liverpool and Merseyside, has substantially enhanced its provision for cyclists by lifting peak time restrictions and noticeably improving staff awareness of cyclists’ needs. The changes have helped develop the highly popular rail supported local ‘bike time’ rides.
Merseyrail’s improvements have been warmly welcomed by local people and cyclist groups and have encouraged the greater use of bike and train. Judges were very impressed by the depth of positive local feeling for the improvements.
Outstanding Individual Service
Joint winner
James Tinnion, Christopher Harrison (First North Western);
Andy Wall, David Craig (Arriva Trains Northern)
When Martin Gibson of the Houghton Cycling Club set out in July to travel from Newcastle to Whitehaven to ride the Coast to Coast cycle route he and up to nine other cyclists faced possible exclusion from rail services because there were too many bikes for the Arriva Trains Northern and First North Western trains. Each service was obliged to take just two each but, with few other passengers on board, common sense prevailed. Train crew James Tinnion and Christopher Harrison of FNW and Andy Wall and David Craig of ATN helped accommodate all cyclists.
The judges were very impressed by the quick thinking crews, who clearly knew all about good customer service. This, they felt, was clearly not a ‘one-off’ and praised the train operators for encouraging this flexible approach to their cycling customers.
Outstanding Individual Service
Joint winner
Jonathan Denby (‘one’)
Jonathan Denby has acted as an ambassador for cycle-rail integration for many years, working with local and national government, train operators and the SRA to develop policies that encourage the greater use of cycles and trains. His work for this cause has greatly improved cycle facilities and increased the number of people travelling by train and bike.
Jonathan is, the judges agreed, one of the best advocates for cycle-rail integration within Britain’s railway at the moment. His tireless efforts, once for Anglia and now for ‘one’, have been hugely successful and make him a worthy winner of this award.
Most Innovative Approach to Cycle/Rail Integration
Winner
Lancaster Station and the ‘Budgie Bike’ scheme
Nominations were received for the station, the bike scheme and overall access improvements to the area. These included significant improvements for combined cycle, rail, bus and boat journeys throughout the Lancaster area.
The overall impact of the nominations impressed the judges, especially the scope and number of people and organisations involved with and supporting the schemes. These include the Lancashire County and Lancaster City councils, British Waterways and Lancaster University as well as private enterprise. There was genuine innovation in the flexibility of its short-term cycle hire, where bikes could be dropped off at a number of local ‘Budgie Bike’ outlets and its links to the Lancaster canal through ‘Budgie Boats’.
Most Innovative Approach to Cycle-Rail Integration
Highly commended
Ed Wigzell, Environment & Travel Officer Oxford University
Ed Wigzell identified which of the university’s 6,000 staff lived within two miles of a railway station and usually commuted by car. A leaflet was sent to those people encouraging them to use bike and train instead by highlighting health and cost benefits - and by including an offer of a £300 discount on a folding bike.
The judges said this was a genuinely innovative and very successful scheme that was worthy of a highly commended award. Although small in scale, the judges felt that if every employer in the country did something similar, integrated bike and rail transport would receive a huge boost.
Most Innovative Approach to Cycle-Rail Integration
Highly commended
Bittern and Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership
The Bittern and Wherry Community Rail Partnership’s ‘CycleRail’ scheme involves Norfolk County Council and ‘one’ railway. All stations are fitted with cycle racks and many have free- of-charge cycle lockers. The Partnership has set up a discounted cycle hire scheme for train ticket holders and publicises its offers through websites and leaflets.
This was, the judges felt, an excellent example of a successful community project, linking bike, train and bus. Judges were impressed by the way the scheme tackled a whole region as an integrated project and felt this was an approach that could be highly commended to other train operators and local authorities.
Customer Service sponsored by ATOC
Highly commended
‘one’
The tunnel linking Ipswich to London services underwent a major programme of refurbishment during the summer of 2004. The two-month closure of the railway saw the introduction of buses between Ipswich and Manningtree. Bus replacement services often have no facilities for cyclists, but train operator ‘one’ made sure people with bikes were able to continue their journey.
The judges recognised that cycle carriage is often disrupted when bus replacement services are required. They said it was refreshing to see an operator going out of its way to try and maintain a continuous service. This is an example that all operators should consider.
Customer Service sponsored by ATOC
Winner
GNER
GNER offers free cycle carriage on all its trains and has nearly 1,000 cycle spaces at the stations it operates. Capacity at one station has increased recently by 8%. The operator publishes information and advice on its services for cyclists in a variety of ways, including leaflets and booklets and the Internet. There is cycle hire at York station, with maps and cycle routes sponsored by GNER, Europcar and the City of York Council.
Free carriage of cycles on all trains, excellent passenger information and a substantial upgrade in cycle parking have made GNER a worthy winner of this category. The judges welcomed the all-round package of benefits and improvements from the operator.
