Tag: HADRAG Governance

HADRAG Annual General Meeting: Saturday 28 June 2025

HADRAG Annual General Meeting

Saturday 28 June 2025

Conference Suite (far end of Community Hall) at

St John the Divine, St John Street, Rastrick HD6 1HN (5 min walk from Brighouse station).

Doors open 09.30, light refreshments; start around 09.50 (not before); finish  before 12.30.

Agenda

  1. Welcome, apols. (any other urgent business to add)
  2. Chair’s report/opening remarks
  3. Minutes of 2023 AGM; matters arising
  4. Matters arising if any
  5. Financial report – to agree accounts
  6. Membership and any other reports
  7. Election of officers etc 2024-5: Chair, vice ch, sec, treasurer, plus committee. And auditor.
  8. Guest speaker (at around 11.00)
    David Hoggarth, Strategic Rail Director, Transport for the North
  9. Way forward for HADRAG (+ AOUB notified at start)

Easy to find! Head south from Brighouse town centre past Sainsburys. At train station (by lights) turn right and go south-west along Gooder Lane. St Johns is on right, so turn into St John Street and head past the community room to conference suite at far end. Buses X63 etc pass rail station and the 563 comes hourly from Halifax via Copley, West Vale, Elland and Rastrick. 548/9 and 571 serve Brighouse bus stn. Short walk from rail station and we expect train service to be normal. Car parking at back of hall/church.

Staying power – Hadrag hits 40 in 2025!

If memory serves, in the early 1980s we had a basic hourly train service Leeds-Halifax-Manchester. A threat to cut the line to single track Bradford to Sowerby Bridge would have killed development. We needed an organisation to welcome improvements and demand more. So in 1985 we called Hadrag’s inaugural meeting.

Now, Mondays to Saturdays, Halifax has two trains/hour to Manchester, four to Leeds. The “Roses Rail Link” had begun in 1984 (so another 40th!) and is now scheduled hourly every day York-Halifax-Blackpool. We need this service to call at Sowerby Bridge, hourly, 7 days a week. Trains also run via Brighouse, reopened in in 2000. The hourly stopper Manchester- Todmorden-Brighouse-Dewsbury-Leeds was transformative when added to the (Leeds-)Bradford-Huddersfield trains in 2008. We say this direct service should also run on Sundays; West Yorkshire Combined Authority wants that too. Brighouse needs more trains, faster journeys to Leeds, all week. Brighouse, along with Bradford, Low Moor and Halifax is also served by Grand Central trains to London King’s Cross. Brighouse station usage grew percentage-wise faster than any other local station over more than 10 years before Covid. Why does Brighouse have effectively only one train an hour on its two essentially separate routes? And why does this big town have to put up with substitute buses when the line through Dewsbury is blocked for upgrade work? Can they not divert the trains as TransPennine do?

Elland station? The hope now is 2027.

In 2015 an all-party task force launched “Electric Sparks”, a well-considered proposal for electrification across the North. The full Calder Valley line was given top ranking linking West Yorkshire not just with Manchester but through East Lancs to Preston. Electric trains should by now be running on our lines through Bradford, Halifax and Brighouse. The Huddersfield line upgrade is underway – originally planned to be finished in 2019 – with a commitment to full wiring, as our line also needs. Hadrag with other cross-Pennine groups launched the Electric Railway Charter in Halifax. Big name supporters of CV line wiring include Calderdale Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority. What, we wonder, about Transport for the North? We have some way to go.

ORR station footfall figures just out show continuing post-pandemic recovery. Full report in next Rail Views.

Meanwhile, we are engaging with train operators about performance. We used to say on good days it’s an excellent service, but recently some days have been dire. All taxpayers support the railway. All – young, old, able-bodied, or less mobile – should feel confident to use our trains. We all deserve better.

– JSW, 29 Nov’2024

“File:A class 101 approaches Copy Pit.jpg” by David Ingham from Bury, Lancashire, England is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

HADRAG Diary

The 2023 Annual General Meeting of Halifax & District Rail Action Group will be on Saturday 17 June starting at 14.15 (doors open 13.45) in the Oddfellows room, Coleridge St, Halifax HX1 2JY. Discussion will include review of HADRAG’s year and strategy. Topical issues include stations, and fares retailing. We hope the latest WY Combined Authority rail plan will be published by then. A speaker will be invited. More details to follow. Please accept this as advance notification – and see you there!

Come to our meeting in Brighouse!

HADRAG annual meeting will be in Brighouse at the end of June open to all rail users – actual and would-be – at our first in-person meeting since lockdown. Focus will be on community rail, with a new partnership now spanning the Pennines across Rochdale and Calderdale districts.

We look forward to welcoming as speaker Karen Hornby, former rail professional and newly appointed community rail partnership (CRP) officer for the Calder Valley Line. The CRP wants to work alongside station “friends” groups such as those at Brighouse, Sowerby Bridge and Mytholmroyd. They have transformed their stations and continue to work magnificently.

Saturday 25 June
Doors Open 12.30 for 12.40 Start
St John’s Community Hall, St. John Street, Gooder Lane, Rastrick, Brighouse, HD6 1HN

(We’ll finish for 2.30pm)

Community rail will be main theme at HADRAG’s annual general meeting, on Sat 25 June. The Calder Valley Line now has a community rail partnership (CRP) with the backing of Calderdale and Rochdale councils. Our speaker Karen Hornby is the partnership’s officer. Karen has a history of working in rail, having recently stood down as Network Rail head of performance and customer relationship based in Manchester. Karen was responsible for budgets at four of Network Rail’s managed stations.

As rail recovers after the pandemic, the CRP will have a vital role in raising the profile of our line, from Brighouse and Halifax to Rochdale and beyond. This builds on – but does not replace or compete with – the success of station “friends” and partnership groups. Those groups have done such a fantastic job at Brighouse, Sowerby Bridge,  Mytholmroyd and elsewhere. The CV Line CRP must build on that success as it raises the profile of the whole line involving businesses, and wider community groups and building a whole-line profile. CRPs already co-exist to mutual benefit with station groups on other lines – Bentham, Mid-Cheshire, Lancashire and elsewhere. For example http://thebenthamline.co.uk/about_us/ .

Venue

This year’s venue is the community hall behind St John’s church just off Gooder Lane. It is less than 5 min walk from Brighouse train station. Bus 563 from Halifax and Elland goes past, and routes 548/549 Halifax-Rastrick & 363 Bradford-Huddersfield are close by. And of course there is the train, accessing up and down the valley, plus Bradford, Halifax and Huddersfield

POSTPONED: HADRAG update June 2021 Zoom AGM coming up

With apologies to those planning to attend, the Group has had to postpone it’s Annual General Meeting. A revised date will appear here once agreed.

Thanks to everyone who attended our on-line meeting back in January. We agreed to continue to for press for action on electrification and improving the Calder Valley line and its links, making that a priority ahead of long-term ambitions such as high-speed rail.

And we have been busy since then responding to consultations on Halifax stations plans, Manchester timetable options, and West Yorkshire’s connectivity plans and rail vision – see our post HADRAG responds on Halifax station, Manchester timetables, and West Yorkshire connectivity strategy – Halifax and District Rail Action Group below where you will find links to the consultations and our comments.

We are holding an on-line annual general meeting on Saturday 26th June at 10.30am. Members will have received full details including Zoom link by emailed newsletter. Like everyone else we hope to get back to normal later this year, but for now it’s clear caution is still required. If you are not a HADRAG member but would like to attend then please get in touch!

Covid 19 and HADRAG Meetings

In normal times we’d have our annual general meeting (AGM) with a speaker in late May or June. That of course is prevented by the need for continuing social distancing, which equally obviously means cancellation of committee meetings for the time being. We had hoped to have our 2020 AGM in Brighouse, just 20 years since the town’s station opened. We’ll hold that meeting as soon as we can – though it may have to be a 21st rather than 20th anniversary. Focus will remain the need to improve services on the arm of the Calder Valley line that serves not just Brighouse but the proposed new station at Elland and potentially improves links between upper Calderdale and Huddersfield, Wakefield, Dewsbury and Leeds.

Some groups have been meeting on-line (formally or informally) using facilities such as Zoom. We are conscious this would not suit all of our members. But should we consider holding one or two informal Zoom meetings for members who would like to be in involved in an on-line discussion?

In the meantime essential AGM business will be conducted by HADRAG’s committee and members by correspondence to be ratified or amended by a conventional meeting later. Just when that can be remains unclear. Let’s all stay safe.

Annual General Meeting

All welcome at HADRAG’s Annual Meeting Saturday morning 1 June 2019, in the Carlton Centre, Carlton Terrace/Harrison Rd, Halifax HX1 2AD (lower ground floor, level access available).  10.15 start (light refreshments from 09.45)

Speaker: Prof. Paul Salveson MBE: “Reforming Rail in the North”

Paul is visiting professor in the Department of Transport and Logistics at Huddersfield University, well known advocate of community rail, and Chair of the Rail Reform Group promoting new approaches including a new “Lancashire & Yorkshire” integrated rail and train operating company.

Formal Agenda

From J Stephen Waring, Chair and Acting Secretary, 6 May 2019

Dear HADRAG members, friends and rail users,

The Annual General Meeting of the Halifax & District Rail Ac on Group will be held on Saturday morning, 1st June, 2019 at The Carlton Centre on Harrison Rd, Halifax HX1 2AD starting at 10.15. Doors open 0945 for light refreshments. Location on details below.

—Stephen
1 (a) Welcome, notice of any urgent business to be added,
AGENDA apologies and Chair’s opening remarks
(b) Speaker ( med business 10.30) Prof Paul Salveson MBE followed by open Q&A

2  Minutes of 2016 AGM ( med business 11.50 approx) NOTE: minutes circulated to members with this newsletter.

3  Matters arising/discussion points from items 1 and 2

4  Reports including (a) Treasurer (b) Membership

5  Election of Officers (Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer) and Auditor for 2018-19

6  Election of Committee Members (8, including membership secretary) for 2018-19

7  Next year’s AGM — ideas, and when’s best?

8  Announcements/other urgent business of which no ce given at start.

9  Close of meeting by 12.45.

Header Image: “Carlton United Reformed Church” flickr photo by Tim Green aka atoach https://flickr.com/photos/atoach/12160303493 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license

Annual General Meeting: 02 June

With a shortage of trains due to delayed electrification, Northern has been forced to postpone some improvements including Calder Valley services to Manchester Airport and Chester. Some aspects of the new — but temporary — timetable are better than we feared. “Clockface patterns” are not ideal, there are issues about journey times and evening patterns, but Sowerby Bridge and Mytholmroyd will be served by Preston/Blackpool trains, and keep their present Manchester frequency. For the future the concern is that when the promised new services eventually come in, existing local users could still lose out.

We’ve been given to understand that, as a “Northern Connect” station, Sowerby Bridge could be served by all (?) trains with the new express brand. We are keen for this to be confirmed. Brighouse, and in the future Elland, cry out for better services on a line with obvious suppressed demand.

Meanwhile, Calder Valley Line passengers tell us that overcrowding and delays have got worse under the new franchise.

All rail users are welcome at HADRAG’s annual meeting On Saturday morning, 2 June 2018 at St Paul’s Church, Tower Hill, Sowerby Bridge, HX6 2EQ (10 min walk from station). Doors open 10.00; speeches and discussion 10.20 till 11.45 (all
business done by 12.30)

SPEAKER: Adam Timewell, Commercial Franchise Manager, Rail North Partnership — responsible for overseeing Arriva on the Northern train operating franchise. As always, come along and have your say!

Join us!

HADRAG is centred on Halifax, Brighouse, Elland and Sowerby Bridge. For 32 years we have supported positive development by the train companies, and encouraged greater use of the railway, seeking extensions to services and a better deal for everyday travellers. We believe that through a reasonable, realistic approach as friendly critics who put forward creative ideas, we have gained the respect of railway professionals and transport planners more widely. Over the last year we have held meetings with local MPs and have continued to develop a working relationship with the local council as well as officers at West Yorkshire Combined Authority, business representatives and other local groups. HADRAG’s Chair is a co-opted member of Calderdale council’s transport working group. We want to build on this engagement.

Overcrowding on local trains is a massive problem. We want to get more commuters and other rail users, as well as people who might use the train if the service were a lot better, to join us and get involved. See our contact details below.

It’s good to note that the latest ambitious plans for Elland station reflect very much ideas that HADRAG put forward four years ago. The £20M scheme is moving ahead driven by Calderdale and WYCA. The train operator’s timetable plans contain good news but also sound alarms. We keep pressing for a better service along the Brighouse Line making sure Elland gets full benefit. We have serious concerns over the Calder Valley timetable for 2018, 2019 and beyond, about service patterns and not least for stations that miss out on the new express services. We still want to meet with Arriva as train company to talk about this. Meanwhile, with other train user groups along the line we shall be launching our Electric Charter to press the case for a zero-emissions railway along the Calder Valley Line and across the North.

Rail development is good for the environment and good for local business. The work of HADRAG has been praised by Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce. We have recently been presented with a significant grant from Calderdale Business Trust to help us continue and develop this work. We are most grateful to receive this support and we record our thanks here.

HADRAG Annual General Meeting

Domestics and Venue

Saturday 13th May: tea and coffee from 1300 (1pm) for a 1320 start

Orange Box Centre, Halifax, HX1 1AF

 

To venue from Halifax train station — straight up Horton St; turn right by small car park into Thomas St; continue to end and turn right.

From bus station go south along main street past Tesco; turn left at Westgate pub.

Meeting room upstairs — level access by lift.

Guest speakers

Paul Barnfield, Regional Director (East), Arriva Rail North (Northern)
on Northern’s service development vison

Chris Hoesli, transport fund programme manager, Calderdale
on the Halifax station gateway scheme

Come and have your say!

More Details

This page and next are members’ calling notice and agenda for HADRAG’s 2017 Annual General Meeting along with last year’s draft minutes for adoption. The AGM is HADRAG’s main open event. Formal business will be in the latter part of the meeting, after speakers and discussion. Tea and coffee will be available before the meeting which will open with a short Chair’s report followed by the main item, our guest speakers.

Back in Halifax this year, we shall be pleased to welcome two speakers. Paul Barnfield is the regional director for the train company we know as Northern under the Arriva franchise. Paul will talk about the transformation of services that will benefit Halifax and the Calder Valley Line between now and 2020. And with decisions due in the next few months on plans to transform Halifax station using resources from the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund, Calderdale programme manager Chris Hoesli will be bringing us up to speed on what could be planned. So this this is an opportunity to hear about positive developments in the offing and also for members to ask questions and raise concerns.