January 2018 ISSUE 035
www.winchestertoday.co.uk
STUCK IN THE SIDINGS? Train operator faces fresh New Year strike action and anger over proposed timetable By KEVIN GOVER Editor FARE increases, possible strike action called by members of the RMT Union and anger over proposals for a new timetable are all stacking up against one of Winchester’s train operators. South Western Railway is facing all this into the New Year barely four months after taking over the franchise for the region. In the days leading up to the SWR timetable consultation deadline there was a flurry of protests by commuters who realised that stations near Winchester and Poole will be affected by SWR proposals from December 2018. Winchester MP Steve Brine has already told Winchester Today he’s ‘troubled’ by the consultation put out by South Western Railway on the new timetable it hopes to introduce in December 2018. He says he speaks regularly with SWR’s senior team and is meeting afresh with them and Winchester councillors in the New Year. You may well have taken part in the consultation yourselves, and here’s our take on the situation. As soon as the timetable was sent to us, this newspaper did some very basic studies and
Weren’t we promised earlier, later and faster and longer trains? immediately noticed things which didn’t quite fit. Weren’t we promised earlier, later, faster and longer trains in the new franchise? The new timetable shows the first train from Winchester will be at 0521. That’s LATER than the current service. The 0748. Remember that one? Well, it has gone. SWR has abandoned the 0748 in favour of the service at 0754 - which will not stop and which will ultimately save a whole three minutes. It’s not exactly trailblazing is it? The last train will be due in
at 0112... wow, that’s a whole 8 minutes later than currently. Again, hardly a trail blazer is it? The operator had also released plans on longer trains… just one train out of the many on the list would affect our part of the world - an evening service out of London Waterloo. Any of you who have tried to get out of Waterloo after 4pm in rammed trains will know this is just not acceptable. We contacted South Western Railway
WELCOME ABOARD! NEWLY-QUALIFIED nurses from The Open University who carried out their training at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust got the chance to celebrate their achievements at a special ceremony. The trust, which runs the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, among others, uses regular appraisals to identify potential nurses of the future from its pool of healthcare workers. They then get the chance to study for a nursing degree with The Open University, while also continuing to earn money and gain experience as a healthcare worker during the four-year programme. The Trust presented the latest graduates with a badge they will wear on their uniform for the rest of their career to show where they trained. Chief nurse, Donna Green, presented the nurses with their badges and
to question them on proposals v promises, so you can be sure that our own objections are already lodged. Here’s what SWR told Winchester Today: “We published the timetable consultation for the December 2018 services for customers to feedback their comments on what we have suggested in order to deliver on our capacity and journey time improvement plans. “All of the comments and pieces of
contined on page 2 ➜
certificates: “I am constantly inspired by and in awe of what our graduates achieve. Gaining a qualification whilst balancing everything else can be a real challenge, so they should be incredibly proud of themselves for gaining their qualification. “Our nurses and midwives who join us through this route offer something invaluable to the team. They bring with them a wealth of experience and skills gained from the time they have already spent working as healthcare workers. I am very proud of everything they have achieved and wish them every success as they continue their career.” One of the nurses celebrated at the ceremony was Bex Petchey: “It feels surreal to be qualified! It has been tough but definitely worth it. “The hardest part was trying to balance everything, but you just have to keep going because you know at the end it will all be worth it. Now that I am a registered nurse I don’t want to stop learning. I want to keep growing and improving.”
The man who cares for trees page 4
Local police aid disaster relief page 9
The panto season reviewed page 15
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