I saw the excellent news that the Lake District National Park had been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the big screen at Glasgow Central Station while awaiting the last train south.

The Lakes Line Rail User Group (LLRUG) would like to place on record its congratulations to all organisations and individuals who had any part to play in the successful application.

LLRUG makes the following observations as to the current and medium-term future train service levels on offer to Oxenholme and Windermere passengers.

Windermere is the only railhead public transport hub In the Lake District and, as such, deserves a much better train service than the present one train per hour. The present situation is not an option for the future.

The current combination of Oxenholme and Windermere train service deficiencies are:

• Virgin Trains (VTWC) 3-hour frequency until 13:30 from Euston to Oxenholme

• Virgin Trains 3-hour gaps in service south until 15:45 to Crewe and Birmingham to access much of the rest of the national rail network

• From May 2018, a proposed 3-hourly through Arriva Rail North (ARN) service between Windermere and Manchester (it used to be a 2-hourly frequency)

• From May 2018, no other one-change connections to/from Windermere with First TransPennine Express (FTPE) Manchester to Scotland service in between the above bullet point services

• Continuing significant engineering work closures of WCML at peak holiday periods - including bank holiday weekends - by Network Rail (NwR) throughout the year

• Further in the future, little possibility of through HS2 trains serving Oxenholme; with the possibility of reduction in the remaining ‘classic’ services on routes to destinations such as Oxenholme

LLRUG therefore asks as a matter of urgency:

1.VTWC to improve its morning service level frequency from London to Oxenholme and from Oxenholme to Crewe and Birmingham, taking note of its own recently issued statistics that Oxenholme generates more Euston traffic than Carlisle and Penrith combined

2. FTPE and ARN should liaise to provide a better Manchester/Windermere service. Manchester is our regional capital; its International Airport plays an increasingly important role linking us to the world

3 NwR to consider seriously closing WCML at times other than peak holidays which, contrary to its repeated statements, are the busiest times north of Lancaster

4 The railway industry to provide increased capacity on the 10-mile single line from Oxenholme to Windermere, both in terms of infrastructure (ie. a passing loop) and train length

We hope that the wider British railway industry collectively can make positive contributions to this new-found status for the Lake District; play a leading role in the transport of visitors and provide a level of rail service commensurate with the needs and expectations of both local residents and visitors alike. The current number of visitors to the Lake District is 18 million per annum, and the value to the Cumbrian economy is £1.2bn pa. Clearly this will rise – three million additional visitors are predicted.

The road network will struggle to cater for this projected increase; increased rail capacity is the obvious answer.

Robert Talbot

Chairman LLRUG