Anyone Fancy a Day-trip... to Wandsworth Town?

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Ghost Bus route attracts attention and passengers

The Department for Transport (DfT) has agreed that a weekly bus service that is currently running between Ealing Broadway, Kensington Olympia and Wandsworth, passing through Acton on the way, will be replaced by a train service after pressure from London TravelWatch and Passenger Focus, the national rail watchdog.

The bus passes through, though does not appear to stop anywhere in Acton - according to Don Kennedy of the Acton History Group, "around 9.50-10.10am every Tuesday." The trip from Ealing Broadway to Wandsworth Road takes approximately 70 minutes. Once there, the bus waits for 2 hours and 15 mins before returning again.

In December, the Arriva Cross Country service between Birmingham and Brighton was withdrawn, and replaced by a weekly bus service. London TravelWatch argued that a proper closure procedure, with full consultation, should be implemented before a bus service could replace an existing rail service. The service, funding by the DfT, is not advertised on any timetables or departure screens and staff at the stations it serves are not even aware it exists.

The “ghost bus” runs simply to allow the Government to escape the embarrassment of admitting that it has closed several sections of railway in West London to passenger trains.

Sharon Grant, Chair, London TravelWatch, said: “We were always unhappy with the solution to run a weekly bus, and received complaints from passengers. After months of pressing the DfT, we are delighted that there is agreement that a bus service is not an adequate replacement for a train service, and that a full, legal closure process would have to be undertaken before this arrangement could be made permanent.”

However, the DfT has yet to confirm the details of any replacement service.

Sharon Grant continued: “The devil, of course, is in the detail, and we will be looking very closely at any solutions the DfT provide, to ensure that it provides passengers with a useful service, as well as being cost-effective.”

Quite a few people have been travelling on this bus recently to draw attention to the fact that the route existed, including journalists from the Daily Mirror and the Times and Jon Ball, Lib Dem Councillor representing Ealing Common ward, and parliamentary candidate for Ealing Central and Acton. Rail watchdogs said its existence meant the Department for Transport could claim the route was still operating without people realising that the Government had scrapped a twice-daily train service.

Critics insist it is "closure by stealth". A spokesman for Passenger Focus, said: "It is a waste of public money." They also worry that the Ealing "ghost bus" sets a dangerous precedent for more closures by stealth.

Don Kennedy, who took these photographs, said this was the first time he had seen a 100-seat double-decker bus used for this service. He counted three passengers on the bus on Tuesday.

Anyone wishing to take advantage of this service needs to purchase a ticket at Ealing Broadway Station (persistence is required as ticket inspectors have been denying the service exists) and make their way to stop "F" at 9.45am on a Tuesday.

 

 

 

January 30, 2009