5,000!

Thank you, so much, to every one of the 5,000 of you! Together we are making an effective campaign. No backing from big campaign groups. No big financial interests. Just ordinary rail travellers and their friends, neighbours, relatives and local communities. But A LOT of us! To win this campaign, unfortunately, signing the petition is never going to be enough on its own. For the next step, can I ask please for you all to write to your MP and your local councillors. http://writetothem.com/ provides a simple tool to do this online. Letters are important, but they should be personal and in your own words to be most effective. To make them more personal, you can send the letter directly to your MP at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA (please include your own address, so they know they are your MP). Please tell them how the proposed changes might affect you, your family, friends, employees, customers and/or visitors. Please ask them to support the “SaveOurTrains.co.uk” petition, and ask for them to lobby the Department for Transport for the key things we are asking for: 1) A minimum of two trains per hour from St Pancras serving Luton/Luton Airport Parkway, Bedford, Wellingborough, Kettering and Leicester and onwards to Nottingham or Derby. These trains should also provide a regular service to stations further up the line, including Market Harborough, Loughborough and East Midlands Parkway (each of which should also still have two trains per hour, one way or another). 2) At least one train to London in the morning peak from/via Melton Mowbray and Oakham, and returning in the evening peak. 3) A reversal of the cancellation of the electrification from Kettering to Sheffield (see www.facebook.com/events/172485223296311/ for an event on Saturday). 4) Since the next operator is to "come forward with plans for modern, fast, efficient and comfortable trains...including...Intercity trains" (p6), those Intercity trains should be specified with doors suitable to enable quick entry and exit, reducing the temptation to cut out stops, and the same comfort and facilities should be specified for _all_ trains to/from London St Pancras on the Midland mainline, regardless of whether they are running London-Corby, London-Nottingham or London-Sheffield. They should also be specified for more efficient use of space so any typical five carriages would have more seats than a current five car ‘Meridian’ train, with less space proportionately taken by first class and catering. 5) An acceptable service would have at least two trains each hour making the journey Bedford-London (and vice versa) in less than 40 minutes, at least two trains each hour Wellingborough-London (and vice versa) in less than 55 minutes, at least two trains each hour Kettering-London (and vice versa) in less than 65 minutes, at least two trains each hour Market Harborough-London (and vice versa) in less than 75 minutes, and at least two Leicester-London in less than 70 minutes. Our full consultation response will say more, but this is about as much as we can ask MPs and local councillors to lobby for just at the moment. Look out for the email in a couple of weeks with a draft full response! If you would like to get more involved in organising things and can make it to Leicester on Friday lunchtime, I hope to see you at the Parcel Yard (right next to Midland Station) 1-2pm. Together we are strong!