Don't put it off any more! Deadline is Wednesday (11th)

As we go past 8,000 signatures, NOW is the time to send in proper consultation responses. The deadline is Wednesday (11th). You don't have a weekend left to put it off to! In your response, please use your own experience and your own words. Guidance can be found at www.facebook.com/groups/EastMidlandsPassengers/470963946620795/ Consultation responses can be given by emailing EastMidlandsFranchise2017@dft.gsi.gov.uk (perhaps using their PDF - www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/consultation_response_form_data/file/611/east-midlands-consultation-response-form.pdf). Key points: - Oppose the “proposed approach” (question 4). Making a split of services between the Corby-London “high capacity electric commuter service” and Intercity services that will not stop between London and Kettering is wrong and doesn't match people’s travel needs, or existing travel patterns with commuters coming from further north than Northants into London, and commuting _to_ places other than London. All of Luton, Bedford, Wellingborough, Corby, Oakham and Melton Mowbray should keep InterCity trains. (Questions 4&5) As well as to/from London, additional seats are needed into Leicester from Luton/Bedford/Wellingborough/Kettering in the morning, and back in the evenings.(Question 6) Wheelchair spaces are a legally required facility that cannot be de-prioritised. After them, next most important is the ability to reserve seats remotely, including for season ticket holders to be able to reserve one seat in each direction every day online/by telephone. (questions 7 & 8). It would be wrong for all extra carriages to be on the “electric commuter services” to/from Corby). There should be more frequent trains between Luton/Bedford/Wellingborough/ Kettering and Leicester/East Midlands Parkway/Derby and more carriages on Liverpool/Norwich trains leaving Sheffield in the late afternoon/early evening. (questions 9 and 10) For airports (question 14) - to East Midlands Parkway: there should be hourly through trains from Luton (or Luton Airport Pwy)/Bedford/W'boro. Through trains hourly from Nottingham/Beeston/Loughborough/Leicester/Market Harborough/Kettering/W'boro/Bedford direct to Luton Airport Parkway should be retained. Liverpool-Norwich services should NOT be split, either at Nottingham or Sheffield (questions 15 &17). Regular through trains are vital for passengers. The franchisee should be required, in times of disruption (if any train movements on the route are possible) to run at least one train per hour in each direction that calls at ALL stations on the on the mainline. (question 20) Improving access for disabled people requires minimising the need for passengers to change trains. Luton and Market Harborough stations need full accessibility, and Beeston needs improvement. Reliability of station lifts needs improving. Wheelchair users frequently have an hour added to their journey when a lift fails. Lift maintenance contracts should include a service level agreement that the number of call-backs or outages due to equipment failure should not exceed three call-backs per year, per lift. Lift contractors should be required to maintain an inventory of relevant parts to deal with 90% of failures at locations within 150 miles of the relevant lift. Where station lifts have failed, the default method of enabling access, if there is no alternative level access to the same platform, should be by re-platforming of trains (regardless of whether the station is operated by another operator or by the franchisee), with taxis only being used where crossovers to enable re-platforming are not in place (question 21). Where disabled passengers are provided with taxis, those should be taken from the station taxi rank (where a suitable taxi is available), rather than requiring a passenger whose journey has already been disrupted to wait for a taxi to come from a different district. As for Question 30: An acceptable service on the mainline would have each hour at least two trains making the journey Bedford-London (and vice versa) in less than 40 minutes, at least two Wellingborough-London (and vice versa) in less than 55 minutes, at least two Kettering-London (and vice versa) in less than 65 minutes, at least two Market Harborough-London (and vice versa) in less than 75 minutes, at least two Leicester-London in less than 70 minutes, at least two doing Loughborough-London in 100 minutes or less, at least two doing East Midlands Parkway-London in less than 110 minutes, at least one doing Beeston-London in less than 115 minutes, at least one doing Nottingham-London 100 minutes or less, at least one doing Long Eaton-London in less than 120 minutes, at least two doing Derby-London in less than 130 minutes, at least one doing Chesterfield-London in less than 115 minutes and at least one doing Sheffield-London in less than 125 minutes. The franchisee should be required to work with other stakeholders towards providing a second fast line platform at Bedford, in addition to the existing northbound platform. There should be electrification for the whole route London-Nottingham and London-Sheffield via Derby. Finally - I have kept this campaign non party-political, but I hope I can be forgiven for sharing my joy at winning the award in the picture last night. I wasn't there to pick it up in person, partly because I was busy campaigning to #SaveOurTrains in Bedford yesterday!