Once again, we will be the only line on the North-East Region of the Northern Network running trains on New Year’s Day. As last year, we will have 2 return services stopping at several of the stations along the line. However, this year, both services will run with passengers from Darlington starting at 09.24 and 14.20. So, please make a date in your diary to join us on the New Year’s Day 2025 Specials!
Esk Valley train service found to be ‘worst in the country’
The Whitby to Middlesbrough train service is the worst in the country, according to a report published today.
Yet despite this, ridership has grown by 49%, more than the national average. Each of the just five services a day along the Esk Valley line carry significantly more passengers than many other lines across the country with much better services.
And ridership is still growing. Latest official figures show that use of Great Ayton station grew by 23% in just the last year, emphasising the increasing role of the line as part of the Tees Valley rail network, although Whitby itself remains by far the busiest station on the line.
A major mistake
‘A new beginning’ , the report from specialist transport consultants Stantec, says that the decision to slash the service by half just before rail privatisation as an economy measure was ‘a major mistake’ and as a result the limited service does not now meet the needs of any of the several markets it is intended to serve.
It endorses the view of both the Commons Transport Committee and the Lords Committee on Coastal Deprivation that the poor train service to and from Whitby is ‘An impediment to the further growth of tourism and social and industrial regeneration’.
Immediate priorities
Immediate priorities must be to provide additional morning and midday services, more trains on Sundays – now one of the busiest days on the line – and reducing line occupation by the heritage North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Without these, the report says, services will remain highly constrained and will not meet the needs of the communities it strives to serve.
Early improvements to provide up to four more services each day would be possible if the £7 million of ring-fenced private sector funding specifically awarded by the then York Potash for infrastructure improvements, now eight years ago but still unspent, were to be employed.
Major concern
In an introduction to the report, Community Rail Partnership Chairman Alan Williams says that ‘It is a major concern that this funding remains unspent with still no apparent agreement between North Yorkshire Council and Network Rail,’ and urges ‘early implementation of the already funded ‘quick wins’ identified in the report ‘which our communities are so keen to see progressed’.
The train is the ‘local bus’
The Report notes that for many of the Esk Valley villages, where there is no other public transport, the train also acts as the ‘local bus’ and recommends development and use of new ‘request stop’ technology to speed up services while maintaining calls at lesser-used stations.
In the longer term, the proposed construction of a new curve at Battersby should be explored further, avoiding the need for all trains to reverse there, thus reducing overall journey times by up to ten minutes.
Seeking support
Given their recent calls for better public transport links to the coast, the Community Rail Partnership is now seeking support for early action from both North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith and new Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume.
Download a pdf copy of the report here:
A New Beginning Esk Valley Railway
The journey, which travels through some of the prettiest scenery in the country, follows the route of the River Esk for much of its length, passing through verdant farmland, rolling moors and picturesque villages.
As I get on the train I’m met by a chatty group of ladies from Nunthorpe and Marton Knitters who have been travelling on the dementia train since it began. The group became involved with the Esk Valley Railway after they began yarn bombing Nunthorpe Station and were eventually asked to adopt the station alongside Nunthorpe in Bloom. “They do a grand job too,” said chair of Esk Valley Railway Company, Alan Williams.
I asked the ladies what they like about the train and found myself bombarded with answers. “It’s beautiful scenery for a start off and a safe environment,” said Anne, who was engaged in creating one of the attractive Forget-me-Not brooches given to all who ride the train.
Alan said the dementia train was the brainchild of wife Lisa, who runs Community Rail Partnership: “We started the Forget-me-Not train because we realised that more and more people are stuck in the house all day. So, we encourage them to bring a picnic and provide music. The Dementia Association told us that music helps people and I think you can actually watch it bring people alive.”
February’s train saw passengers joined by a more unusual traveller, a Pets As Therapy (PAT) dog, also thought to be beneficial for people with dementia.
The project has proved so successful that the group has received enquiries from across the country: Alan said: “We’re lucky that the line is self contained, although we do currently have to change trains in Middlesbrough as this one continues to Hexham.”
One of the things which makes the journey so special is that passengers can choose how much time to spend on the train. They may join at any station en-route, so if you feel the full return journey is too long, you can adjust your plans accordingly.
Lisa, who was also offering relaxing hand massages to those on the service, said: “I’m so thrilled, I’ve just had a card to say thank you for what we do, it’s such a positive thing.”
Train guard Jon said: “It’s a fantastic atmosphere, I wish that all my journeys were like this.”
There is a fabulous air of happiness and enthusiasm on the train, but perhaps the best way to explain what the Forget-me-Not train really means is to let those travelling tell you. Graham and Paul travelled from Scarborough to join the train and have been on every service so far. Paul, 51, was diagnosed with dementia at the age of just 47. The former RAF man is beaming as he tells me how he travelled the world. Graham, his support worker (a title he takes reluctantly, prefering to stress that Paul is his friend), said: “It’s a great idea, just so beneficial. It’s great to get out and it helps others. It’s been just like a breath of fresh air.”
We are delighted to announce that we have successfully achieved accreditation for 2024-25 from the Department For Transport (DFT)
Accreditation is formal recognition by the DfT that a community rail partnership (CRP)
operates to a high standard and that its objectives and activities are supported by
Government.
Accreditation should provide assurance to others, including potential funders and
partners, that the CRP operates to high standards of governance and financial propriety;
adopts a collaborative approach; is worthy of trust by others; and is a suitable entity for
receiving public funds. Further Government considers it a good representative of the local
community.
We are very much looking forward to another successful year in Community Rail, working alongside our team of Station Adopters and all of our colleagues in the rail industry.
TV baking star and author David Atherton is fronting a series of new ‘travelogue’ films showcasing how visitors can take the slow travel option to reach those tearooms and bakeries that epitomize the character and culture of the North York Moors National Park.
David, who won Channel 4’s Great British Bake Off series in 2019, originally hails from Ruswarp near Whitby. This summer he returned to his roots and ‘slow travelled’ the length and breadth of the North York Moors by boat, bus, train, foot and bicycle to explore why the National Park merits its Capital of Cake status.
In this episode David starts the day in Great Ayton and jumps aboard the Esk Valley Railway. The scenic service travels through picture-perfect villages, home to tea rooms and bakeries serving up tasty delights. Hopping off at Glaisdale, David discovers a hidden gem known as Bev and Bob’s Brew- an organic tea garden set amongst two acres. Setting out on foot on the Esk Valley Walk, he uncovers more treasures of the Esk Valley before heading back to his home village of Ruswarp.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icEblga1RNU
Glaisdale Station
In September 2021 we held a station tidy up day in the picturesque village of Glaisdale . The weather was beautiful, the team on the day was made of our Station Adopters, Board Members, colleagues from Northern Rail and a team from Young Rail Professionals.
Planters were stained, plants planted, fencing painted and maintained, and by the end of the day the station was looking fantastic!
Danby Station
Following the success of the Glaisdale volunteer day we then held a similar day at Danby Station on 22nd April. The station is looked after by a group of people from nearby Botton Village and they joined us on the day along with a huge team from Network Rail, Northern Rail, Young Rail Professionals and other Station Adopters.
Once again the weather was glorious and everyone worked so hard together. Bushes were pruned, plants planted, new planters painted and the inside of the waiting room was given a fresh coat of paint. Danby village hall was used to provide coffees teas and a delicious lunch.
