Detailed plans have been published for ‘Mini Switzerland’, a national transport demonstrator for the Hope Valley at the heart of the Peak District National Park.
The new report sets out a fully worked-up blueprint for creating a Swiss-style integrated public transport network in the Peak District, where hourly buses and trains are carefully timed to connect, tickets work across all modes, and the whole system operates as one joined-up network.
The project represents an opportunity for the East Midlands to demonstrate national leadership in rural mobility by hosting the UK’s first real-world demonstrator of fully integrated bus and rail services outside of a major city.
Unlike many transport schemes, Mini Switzerland does not depend on new railways or large-scale construction. Instead, it focuses on better coordination of enhanced services, supported by modest infrastructure improvements, clear information and simple, integrated ticketing.
The proposals for the Hope Valley set out by the report include:
- Regular, easy-to-remember hourly bus services
- Guaranteed connections between buses and trains
- Simpler tickets that work across operators
- Better access to jobs, education and healthcare
- A realistic alternative to driving for visitors to the Peak District
If successful, the demonstrator will provide real-world evidence on how integrated networks grow ridership, improve value for money and reduce car dependency in rural areas.
Thomas Ableman, founder of ‘Freewheeling’ and creator of the Mini Switzerland concept, said: “For years we’ve been stuck in a cycle where rural public transport costs more and delivers less. Mini Switzerland shows there’s another way. By properly integrating buses and trains, we can unlock far more value from the networks we already fund.
“Transport integration is one of the most powerful, and most cost-effective, tools we have to widen access to opportunity and drive economic growth. At a time when budgets are tight, it’s never been more important to make the system work as a joined-up whole.”
Roger Clarke, Trustee of Hope Valley Climate Action, said: “For people in the Hope Valley, this is about being able to get to work, to school, to shops and to healthcare without always needing a car. It’s also about managing visitor traffic in a way that protects our villages and landscape.
“We’re proud that our community can help lead a project that could shape the future of rural transport across the country.”
Alex Robertson, Chief Executive of Transport Focus, the statutory passenger watchdog, said: “Passengers consistently tell us they want public transport that is reliable, easy to understand and good value for money. The principles behind Mini Switzerland – clear timetables, joined-up connections and simple tickets – are exactly the kinds of improvements that can make a real difference to people’s experience. Demonstrating how this can work in a rural area is an important step forward.”
Train and bus operators have also expressed support for the principles behind the project.
Alex Hornby, Commercial and Customer Director at Northern, said: “We’re already working hard to make our services more reliable and more customer-focused, and we’re keen to play our part in making better connections between rail and bus.
“Mini Switzerland shows how closer coordination can help more people see public transport as a practical choice for everyday and leisure journeys. We’re excited about playing our part in taking transport integration to a new level and showing the whole country just what is possible.”
Julian Peddle, Managing Director of High Peak Buses, said: “Local bus services are often seen as a last resort, but with the right network design they can be a central part of how people move around. We welcome the focus on coordination and simplicity, which can help buses reach a much wider market.”
The full Mini Switzerland report is available to download here.
Thomas Ableman
Switzerland in the Peak District – Report & Briefing
Tuesday 17th February | Time 7.30 PM | Online
Roger Clarke, HVCA Trustee will be hosting an online briefing to discuss the project and the report. Also contributing will be Thomas Ableman, transport expert, who is leading the national dimension of the project. Click here to register for the online briefing.
8 responses
I
As a longterm resident I am amazed that there is NO direct public transport to our nearest large towns i.e. Chesterfield and Matlock.
Also I note from your plans that the only bus service to receive NO improvement at all is the 65 , the only bus available from The Maynard , Grindleford.
A better Friday/Saturday evening service would be good too. Sheffield/Castleton and vice versa used to have a great weekend service, but the last bus now leaves Castleton at 10.30pm, meaning fewer people using the pubs and restaurants and locals can’t visit other villages without a car.
No bus to Buxton either or Chapel
I have not read this yet but here are some issues which I will be looking out for, does the plan address these adequately?
Firstly, any plan to have seamless connections between modes such as rail and bus depends on complete reliability. The entire system breaks down as soon as one element fails. This implies that the buses are all maintained correctly and do not drop out of service every now and again because they are old, because they are neglected , because they are not good enough. To rectify this will require proper funding of maintenance and probably of new rolling stock. New buses should of course be electric partly because electric is easier to service and turn around and partly for climate reasons. For the same reason our trains should be electrified as soon as possible.
Secondly it is not possible to have good connections at certain specific times of day,, ideally as you say hourly or half hourly or whatever, at every node in the network.
So for example if buses and trains converge on Bamford turnaround at shall we say on the hour, they cannot also converge on the hour at Hope. So choices have to be made which would be based on the geography, and the potential for the node to allow journeys in all directions.
If we were to, for the sake of argument, choose Bamford as a node, then the current layout dictates perhaps a five minute window for people to leave the train and reach the bus stop and vice versa in both directions of each route served. This is a tall order, as that 5 minute window will have a knock on effect on journey times.
The alternative would be to convert the car parking area at Bamford station into an interchange so all the buses would actually go into that car park and connect with rail but then you would need better access from the southern platform to the car park.
As this example makes clear, his is not an investment- free solution – money will be required and therefore political will at the highest level.
Sorting out transport, getting people to use public transport , ditching the private car for all but journeys where it cannot be avoided, is absolutely necessary if we are to avoid even more catastrophic climate change than what is already facing us. We do have to get on with this, but it is not a free lunch. However, what it is, is an absolutely essential investment in the security and quality of our lives in the short medium and long-term. So the political commitment required is an inescapable pre-condition of this entire project. And this requirement we must build into our thinking and into the presentation of this plan.
Thirdly I trust that the issue of comfort has been adequately addressed. We need comfortable buses, not rattle bangers where you cannot have a conversation, and where people with certain medical problems are seriously at risk. We need waiting places which are comfortable, warm, weatherproof, nice places to be so that the odd minute spent waiting is not a physical and mental ordeal but an opportunity to have a chat in pleasant surroundings.
I look forward to reading this document, which could indeed be a game changer if we succeed in a) getting it right and then b) in getting it implemented!!
I do hope this is possible. The connections here in Stoney Middleton are limited and have become more so since I moved (no night bus any more) The train station is a long walk away etc. I combine bike (folding one) and bus as a workaround which has been good. If there was a provision for bikes on public transport (do I remember correctly that Nottingham had some buses with racks at one point!), that might get visitors onto the network too. I remember using such a provision in America back in the 1990’s in a visit and it was very good (in Denver).
There’s some big gaps in the plan here but the biggest and most obvious is the lack of connection between Glossop and Bamford. Buses timed up with Glossop station and Bamford station would solve the north south connectivity gap for us in North Derbyshire travelling south into the central peak district without a car. It’s also a very picturesque route full of walking and cycling stops along the way. Very little Switzerland. Leaving Glossop and the snake out of this would be a disaster.
The Hope Valley is the perfect testing ground for this sort of project. Thousands of visitors every month, constrained by congestion, and green spaces that statute expects to be made available to all. A winner.
It would be cuckoo not to run with this.
good luck
Neil B.