Who are FoDS?

FoDS are a group of people whose aim is to get more services on more days from Dronfield railway station by promoting it and lobbying central government (the Department for Transport) and the train operating companies. Our members include representatives of North East Derbyshire District Council, Dronfield Town Council and the Civic Society. We are actively supported by Derbyshire County Council. It also has the full support of our local MP Natascha Engel; indeed it was she who brought us together by calling a public meeting.

FoDS was formed in 2007 and now boasts over 200 members including a good many local business sponsors. FoDS wish to ensure that the station is a great place to arrive at and depart from.

Dronfield is one the largest towns in Derbyshire outside Derby with 25,000 inhabitants. We estimate that a further 25,000 live within 3 miles of the station. We believe that FoDS has helped bring about the change in services that happened in December '08. Now the station has a long term future and a group to go with it.

We've changed

From this…

Empty Platform - Sigh!

…to this!

Very crowded platform with
Virgin Voyager - Hurrah!

Please take the time to look around our web site which we think has many useful pages, links and extras.

These are listed below:

Current Issues

Under reporting of usage due to uncollected fares because:
    Can’t get tickets at station
    Often can’t get tickets on the train
    Overcrowding
    Apathy of some collectors

Fares to more distant places are often very much higher from Dronfield than from Chesterfield or Sheffield below is an example:

"Last week I went to St Pancras return.I booked in advance via East Midlands trains. On the website an off-peak return from Chesterfield was Ł17 each way.If you then tried for the same jouney from Dronfield the fare to be paid was Ł60 each way!"

Station car park is open access full by 8.30 weekdays and is used by non-station users

No official advice is given anywhere on the station re alternative transport arrangements if services cancelled

Why are there these issues?

Lack of co-ordination between service (bus and train) suppliers

Close to but outside large influential Passenger Transport Executives with their city centred plans

No (apparent) liaison between operators (e.g. in times of disruption or delay)

History of the station

Opened    1870 by the North Midland Railway
Closed     1967 by British Railways (the Beeching Cuts)
Buildings demolished     Circa 1971
Temporarily re-opened    1979 Due to demand caused by Road Gritters Strike
Officially re-opened     1981 by British Rail
DSAG formed     2006
FoDS formed     2007
Best ever service    December 2008

Advantages of using the train

Quick – 11-12 minutes to Sheffield, 5-6 minutes to Chesterfield
Less stressful with maybe a short healthy walk
Free car-parking
Environmentally Friendly
Eases congestion in Sheffield and Chesterfield and on the M1 to Nottingham and Leeds
Cheaper (if take into account fuel, wear-and-tear and parking charges)
Largely weather proof
Access to regional and national networks for longer journeys

Who owns Dronfield Station?

National Rail own Dronfield Station and it is leased to Northern Rail

Who supplies the train service?

Franchised Train Operating Companies (TOCs) supply the service. These currently are:-

    EastMidland Trains
    Northern Trains

How could a better service be provided?

Could stop more trains - They wouldn't block following services in most cases as there is sufficient leeway
Could provide a better ticket service

FoDS’s goals

Enhance current peak hour service in both directions
Improved station facilities, ticketing, car-park, general appearence
Improved exposure
Local marketing by TOC and FoDS to potential users - More press exposure - Better signage
More frequent stops
Better spread throughout the day - later services too and a midday Saturday Northbound
Reduce overcrowding (strengthened sets of coaches)
Some long distant services could stop
Better integration to local buses - Combined tickets
Better value for money
A real-time electronic display

We plan to achieve this by influencing the train operating companies and by lobbying the Minister and Dept for Transport through Natascha Engel – our MP.

Statistics, facts and observations

25,000 local residents
25,000 hinterland residents within 3 miles of the station
Main commuter flow to Sheffield and significant usage to Leeds, Manchester, York etc.

Links

Station Owner - http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/contact/

Station Lessee and Train Operator – Northern Rail http://www.northernrail.org/

Train Operator – East Midland Trains– http://www.eastmidlandtrains.co.uk/

Timetables and engineering work delays – National Rail http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Regulator http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/

Dronfield Online http://www.dronfieldonline.co.uk/

Web Editor – Michael Muntus – email – Michael.muntus@virgin.net

How we started

Peter Hayward wrote to the Dronfield Eye in a response to an article therein. A further article appeared and then Natascha Engel (our local MP) took up the cause and set up a public meeting to which over 100 people attended. From this Dronfield Station Action Group (DSAG) was set up and enterered into the technical activities need to cause change. Eventually a more public group to improve the station, Friends of Dronfield Station (FoDS), was set up in June 2007 from DSAG and new members.

Report a problem

With this site – email:michael.muntus@virgin.net
With the station –
Tel Northern Rail: 0845 000 0125
Text Northern Rail: 0845 604 5608
Email: customer.relations@northernrail.org
Visit: http://www.northernrail.org/northern/contact_us
Write to: Northern Rail, Customer Relations, PO Box 208, Leeds. LS1 2BU

Places in this web-site (click on a line)