Full steam ahead for Go-op rail service in the South West
The UK's first co-operatively managed rail service is on-track to launch in 2023
The UK's first co-operatively owned rail service is rolling at a pace - with the ambitious project on-track to launch in 2023, connecting local communities in Somerset, Swindon and the South West with the rest of the rail network.
Following a consultation with the industry, Wiltshire Council, Somerset Council, Cross Country Trains and the DfT, the 'Go-op' applied to the Office for Rail and Road to be allowed to run their trains between Taunton and Westbury - with up to ten departures a day.
The plans have been nearly a decade in the works, though, thanks to local demands and a lack of services connecting communities together across our region.
Alex Lawrie, Vice Chair and acting Operations Director for Go-op, said: "You can probably imagine it - people standing on windswept platforms in Somerset thinking, 'It can't possibly be three hours until the next train!', and, 'Why are there no connections at my local station?' - well, that's exactly where the origins of the Go-op came from.
"That sense of the needs of this parts of the country have been overlooked and that the rail network wasn't delivering for local people here in Somerset made us think that something had to be done for communities to take control of their own transport systems, and now plans are in motion to do just that.
"When this project got off the ground, we were inspired by the example of Hull Trains who were one of the first high profile operators to make use of 'open access' rail, which is very different to the franchise system. In open access, if it fits into the network, fits into the network, and you can prove there's a need for the service, then you have the perfect right to run trains on the network.
"I've made it sound much simpler than it is - and we've spent the best part of a decade to get to where we are now - but if the Office for Rail and Road give our latest proposals the green light, then we could be operating trains this time next year."
According to the Go-op, independent experts reckon as many as 40% of passengers would be new to the rail network.
That's equivalent to 17.5 million seats, and helping to boost productivity for the connected towns by up to ÂŁ37.5 million.
As a co-operative, members of the public and employees of the Go-op all get the chance to own and manage the organisation. However, like any other train business, train operation and day-to-day running would be professionally run.
All remaining profits - after expenses - would be devoted to improving further their public transport offering.
Alex said: "The key to our funding is 'community shares' - we're inviting local people and social investors to take up the share capital that isn't ownership, rather the idea is to create a stable form of investment that is a balance between social impact and solid financial returns.
"We've seen recently a shortage of train drivers - it's a big problem in the industry. So, regarding social impact, one of the key things we're really looking to do is increase the level of diversity in the workforce with apprenticeships. We are very aware that train drivers tend to come from mainly narrow sections of society and we think there are lots of under-represented communities that have a great deal to offer.
"These are really good jobs - and we think everyone should have a crack at them."
With community involvement in mind, they are set to launch a round of funding focusing on what they say are 'ethically minded investors who would like to see a sustainable community-owned railway' - and see potentially healthy returns on their investment.
Alongside this ethical stance on raising funds, they also are taking environmental considerations into the forefront of plans for rolling stock and daily train running, thanks to taking on-board the thoughts of their members.
Alex added: "As a co-operative we're responsive to the priorities of our membership, and one of the messages that's come through very consistently was for us to be at the cutting-edge of decarbonising the transport network.
"This is quite a challenging thing to do, because at the moment, very little of the UK network has overhead electric lines - and there are almost none in Somerset.
"What we're now looking at are solutions like battery powered trains, e-diesel... these are all experimental, and tricky to get right, but we're absolutely determined that whenever there's an opportunity to cut carbon emissions, we do want to take it."
He said: "The route that's the core of our service is Taunton to Swindon - and some of our services do go between some of those points to make good use of the rolling stock when the service does finally launch.
"The number of times we've had to postpone our plans, though, has been a little frustrating - there have been so many things that have gone wrong.
"The availability of rolling stock, the pandemic, the changes in regulations... this time, though, everything has come together, so we're striking while the iron's hot.
"But what fascinates me about this whole project is the level of connectivity that this brings - there'll be all sorts of journeys that weren't possible before, and I look forward for 2023!"
You can find out more about the Go-op here.
You can learn more about their funding round here.