Welcome to ONTRACK - TENDRING TRANSPORT USERS
The new name for "ONTRACK Walton on the Naze, Frinton on Sea, Kirby Cross & Thorpe le Soken Rail Users' Association" reflecting the expanded mandate granted at the May 2022 AGM covering a wider area and broader remit
Serving the Tendring District for over 30 years – Putting Tendring District’s Transport First
Page last updated: 16 March 2026
NEW ANNOUNCEMENT: ONTRACK TENDRING TRANSPORT USERS AGM & TRANSPORT QUESTIONTIME EVENT - 16 MAY 2026
We’re pleased to announce ONTRACK TENDRING TRANSPORT USERS are again sponsoring a local TRANSPORT QUESTIONTIME event, planned for SATURDAY 16th MAY 2026 10.30-12 noon, and to be hosted by the FRINTON GOSPEL CHAPEL (TBC),
It is FREE to attend for members of the public, stakeholders, local councillors (Town, District and County) and MPs as well as ONTRACK Members
For ONTRACK Members stuck at home we hope to offer a ZOOM option. FYI only the top table and front row should be in view
SO – Fire up your questions and tell ONTRACK in advance if you can’t attend or prefer us to ask the awkward or “silly” question. There is no harm sometimes in asking the obvious.
Housing targets and Local Plans has intensified the focus on the provision and state of local Transport and related infrastructure: roads, buses, rail, stations, interchange, park & ride etc
FYI Alan Neville, of Greater Anglia and Charlie Poulter of Transport Made Simple Group (Konectbus) have promised to come speak and answer questions.
This will be about ten days after the local elections so which Councillors there are available are in the gift of the electorate but existing councillors have shown support
This meeting is valued as the Transport bosses get feed back from not only ONTRACK members, but the greater public and elected representatives and is an opportunity for informal sharing
This year it seems the Frinton Residents Association have scheduled their AGM/ Spring Meeting for the last weekend in May – hopefully avoiding a clash
John Smock
Hon Chair
ONTRACK Introduction
ONTRACK Tendring Transport Users, together with its associated Alresford Rail User Group, is a non-political organisation that represents the interests of passengers using the lines between Colchester, Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze in North Essex – the “Sunshine Coast Line”.
To further these interests, ONTRACK meets regularly with:
- the local train operating company management
- Network Rail
- local authority public transport officials, and
- Passenger Focus
In addition, ONTRACK is a stakeholder in the Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership and a corporate member of Railfuture.
Enhancements ONTRACK is keen to see
ONTRACK is keen to see the following service enhancements:
- Sunday services between Walton-on-the-Naze and Colchester Town (with connections at Thorpe-le-Soken to/from Clacton-on-Sea)
- improved late evening services, particularly to/from Walton-on-the-Naze
- increased train service frequency, ideally half-hourly at all stations
- a general reduction in journey times
- re-instatement of regular fast direct train services to/from London through to both Walton and Clacton, and
- enhanced facilities on train and on station in respect of toilets, catering and disabled access
ONTRACK Activities
Our key activities are listed here. ONTRACK:
- is an active member of the Essex Rail Users’ Federation (ERUF)
- lobbies appropriate bodies for enhancements to rail and other forms of public transport
- promotes the use of rail services
PRESS NOTICE FOR ONTRACK TENDRING TRANSPORT USERS - NEW IMPROVED BUS SERVICES WEF FEBRUARY 2026
John Smock, Chair of “ONTRACK TENDRING TRANSPORT USERS” is pleased that the campaigning, in conjunction with the representations made by the Tendring District’s Transport Liaison Board chaired by Cllr Mark Platt and also by Essex County Council, working collaboratively together, that there are now extra and improved local bus services with new routes, and some Saturday and Sunday services for the first time on certain routes. This is a step in the right direction – central government expectations on housing targets need to be matched by more funding for improved transport infrastructure and services, and also improved access to educational and medical facilities.
For local timetable details look at the Konectbus Essex website. A KONECTBUS Summary of the Route Changes is included in the PDF below.
NOTE A New Route 78 bus links Clacton and Brightlingsea Monday–Saturday, every 2 hours, with rail connections at Great Bentley and some routes now have for first time a Saturday and/ or a Sunday service.
https://www.konectbuses.co.uk/service-changes-feb-26
KONECTBUS statement << Essex County Council has been working in partnership with konectbuses following the allocation of Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding. This funding is being used to enhance existing routes and introduce new and improved bus services across the Tendring district, giving customers better evening, weekend, and early-morning travel options. >>
FOR YOUR INFORMATION THE ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL (ECC) PRESS NOTICE SUMMARY OF OTHER BUS SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS ESSEX IS ALSO REPRODUCED below and is included in the PDF below along with the ECC County wide summary of improvements
ECC PRESS RELEASE STATES << Residents across Essex will soon benefit from 18 new bus services launching in 2026.
The new routes across Harlow and Tendring will improving access to town centres, healthcare, education and employment hubs. These services have been introduced through Essex County Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). This is funded through the Department for Transport to promote greener, more accessible public transport.
They have been designed with local transport providers to help meet the needs of local communities. The routes include better weekend and evening travel options, improved coverage for some rural areas, and better links to employment and education hubs, rail stations, hospitals and town centres. The new services will cover the Harlow and Tendring districts on weekdays, weekends and evenings to suit a range of travel needs……
Councillor Mark Platt, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport, said: “These new and improved services represent a major step forward for public transport in Essex. By expanding coverage, improving frequency and strengthening connections to key destinations, we are making it easier for residents to choose the bus for everyday journeys. This investment will support our growing communities, reduce congestion, and help create a greener, more accessible transport network for everyone.”…….. Councillor Laureen Shaw, Deputy Cabinet Members for Highways, Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport, said: “These new services mark an important investment in the future of our communities…….. >>
Autumn 2025 ONTRACK Newsletter
Spring/Summer 2025 ONTRACK Newsletter
2022 AGM feature publication: 'Front Four Coaches for Walton-on-the-Naze'
by Tony Baxter
Marking the 40th anniversary of the loss of regular hourly through services between Liverpool Street and Walton – and the aftermath.
PDF: Front 4 Coaches for Walton-on-the-Naze (9.7Mb)
Local Transport Questiontime 2025:
Making Tendring District's transport the priority
Despite the Frinton Residents Association AGM and other meetings happening on the same day around twenty or more public and members attended ONTRACK TENDRING TRANSPORT USERS “QUESTIONTIME” event Saturday 17th May 2025 at the Frinton Gospel Chapel. More came after the main business part of the Frinton Residents Association meeting.
There were representatives from Holland Residents and Kirby Residents. All listened intently to both Shane Buffham of Hedingham-Chambers and Alan Neville from Greater Anglia.
Shane Buffham Operations Manager Hedingham Chambers spoke via a broadcast Zoom link about the planned bus service route changes, and Alan Neville in person explained the overall good performance, recognised by the various industry awards and what might lay in the future with “renationalisation” scheduled to take place 12th October 2025
Documents can be read online from the dedicated 2025 AGM Documents page >>
Public documents are listed here and downloadable in PDF format:
| 2025 AGM and Question Time Agenda | 365 Kb (PDF) |
| 2024 AGM & Question Time Minutes | 272 Kb (PDF) |
| Annual report Year Ending 2024 | 419 Kb (PDF) |
| Treasurer’s Membership report Year Ending 2024 | 426 Kb (PDF) |
| Accounts report Year Ending 2024 (Public version) | 127 Kb (PDF) |
ECC Route 9 Bus Route Alteration Consultation - 24 April to 8 May 2025
Local Transport Questiontime 2024:
Connectivity is the key to better public transport
The LOCAL TRANSPORT QUESTION TIME & AGM of Ontrack Tendring Transport Users was held in The Gospel Chapel, Frinton-on-Sea on 11th May. After the formal business of the very short AGM, the meeting, was addressed by various guest speakers.
This Local Transport Question-time, including the very short AGM (circa10 minutes), was one of the most successful meetings with much higher attendance and active participation The feedback from County and District Councillors, Community Stakeholders and Guest speakers and other attendees has been overall been very positive. One leading Councillor said it was an excellent and well run meeting. A ZOOM link was also be provided for those less mobile or subjected to restrictive circumstances – and we promise next year it will work seamlessly. We thank the Frinton Gospel Chapel for their hosting and support.
- Local councillors urged the meeting to campaign for half-hourly rail services to improve connectivity, and get people out of their cars.
- Alan Neville from Greater Anglia Railways spoke about a present paralysis in decision making that has prevented urgently needed improvement schemes from moving forward. We were urged to lobby MPs to get things moving. The all-new train fleet should make train travel in Essex much easier Community Rail Partnerships have encouraged more people to use trains, especially younger people who may not have travelled by train before. The rail network is achieving very high levels of punctuality due to the new trains. 2025 is the 200th anniversary of the opening of the first modern railway in the world.
- Charles Baker from Network Rail told the meeting that the Company had reduced its carbon emissions by 25% with savings fed back into the system. Accidents have been reduced by 70%. Greater Anglia has the most reliable infrastructure in the country. New stations are being provided at Beaulieu Park (Chelmsford) and Cambridge South. Works planned at Liverpool Street include roof repairs and improving the gate line by removing food kiosks that are there.
- Gavin Smith from the Hedingham and Chambers Bus Company (GO-AHEAD EAST ANGLIA) spoke about the challenges that they faced, in particular potholes and overhanging trees that are damaging buses and putting them out of service and the patchy 5G coverage affecting the working of their APP. Newer buses are being introduced as parts for the current fleet are becoming difficult to obtain. Roadworks with 4-way traffic lights are playing havoc with keeping bus schedules to time.
The speakers were then asked to respond to a range of questions from the audience.
FYI The ONTRACK team attended the Tendring Business and Transport Summit chaired by our MP for Clacton Giles Watling, last Friday 5th April (see the press release on our web site), then in mid April the forum at Gtr. Anglia’s offices in Stratford, east London and also on Saturday 18th the Frinton Residents Association AGM with the Tendring District Council Director the guest speaker.
SEE the complete set of the ONTRACK meeting documents, which were circulated several weeks in advance. Since there were only one set of nominations the committee returned un-apposed and consist of
HON. CHAIR; John Smock
Hon. Secretary; Derek Monnery
Vice Secretary; David J Bolton Snr.,
Hon. Treasurer; Anthony C Baxter,
Co-opted Vice Treasurer; David Bryant
Photo from the Local Transport Question Time
Documents can be read online from the dedicated 2024 AGM Documents page >>
Public documents are listed here and downloaded in PDF format:
ONTRACK PRESS NOTICE 6 April 2024 - Tendring Transport Users team take part in the Tendring Business & Levelling Up Summit sponsored by GILES WATLING MP hosted by the Lifehouse Spa & Hotel Thorpe Le Soken
JOHN SMOCK (Hon Chair) speaking for the ONTRACK Tendring Transport Users team who attended and took part said:
“It was fantastic to be able to attend MP Giles Watling’s Tendring Business & Levelling Up Summit today at the at The Lifehouse Spa in Thorpe-le-Soken – it was a great opportunity to discuss ways we can uplift local business, transport, and the regional economy. We must thank you our MP Giles Watling and the wonderful hosts at the Lifehouse Spa for having us yesterday Friday 5th April at the Tendring Business & Levelling Up Summit. It was great to look at the real opportunities that exist in the Tendring area and discuss how we can make the best use of them – and from our perspective transport has a key role in all of this.”
ONTRACK Autumn 2023 Newsletter
Summer 2023 Newsletter and Ticket Office Closure Consultation
ONTRACK Summer 2023 Newsletter; PDF format and Microsoft Word DOCX format.
TRAIN OPERATOR TICKET OFFICE CLOSURE PUBLIC CONSULATION: ONTRACK TENDRING TRANSPORT USERS ASKS YOU TO ACT NOW!
ONTRACK Ticket Office Closure Consultation Supplement with Template Letter to Object to Closures; PDF format and Microsoft Word DOCX format.
The e-petition (link below) to stop ticket offices closing currently has over 70,000 signatures
and will hopefully reach 100,000 by 1st September when the consultation closes.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/636542 (external link)
TSSA TEMPLATE LETTER TO MPs;
PDF format and Microsoft DOCX format
ONTRACK – TENDRING TRANSPORT USERS RESPONSE TO THE DfT/ RDG/ GREATER ANGLIA RAILWAYS TICKET OFFICE CLOSURE CONSULTATION;
PDF format and Microsoft DOCX format
2023 AGM and Question Time News
The ONTRACK May 2023 QUESTIONTIME & AGM was successful in engaging members, District and County Councillors with the senior management from GO AHEAD (Hedingham & Chambers), Greater Anglia Railways and Network Rail with very positive feedback.
We now all need your help and support to build a outstanding business case for speedier, more frequent and direct rail services, improving the bus network and interconnectivity, in collaboration with local, district, county, parliamentary and national authorities, in such a way, along with the creation of the FREE PORT, that this area is economically supercharged with employment and business opportunities that flow along down fine good fast roads, fine good fast rail lines and fine transport links overall.
The challenge is to Lobby! Lobby, Lobby! for investment in this Tendring District. See AGM documents links below.
N.B., Included are an agreed Health & Safety Policy, and Code of Conduct.
Documents can be read online from the dedicated 2023 AGM Documents page >>
Public documents are listed here and downloaded in PDF format:
Older News - ONTRACK RUA welcomes the appointment of Abellio
ONTRACK RUA welcomes the appointment of Abellio (a subsidiary of Dutch Railways) which was one of three strong contenders for the short term interim Greater Anglia Franchise; this franchise was previously operated by National Express East Anglia (NXEA) and stretches across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.
However, the process for the new longer term Greater Anglia franchise had to be stopped until the whole rail franchise process had been rejigged to address the short comings raised by aborted West Coast Main Line Franchise exercise. The short term Greater Anglia Franchise therefore has had to be extended for a further interim period as a result. This had the unplanned consequence of delaying rolling stock upgrades, overhaul, refurbishment, and replacement.
To this end ONTRACK has been working with local County and District Councillors to ensure the Dept. for Transport new Bid Specification for the new long term franchise for which an Invitation to Tender will be issued early 2015 reflects the changes needed to improve local services. Part of this process has been the undertaking of a Rail Passenger Headcount Census at the various stations. The exercise carried out at Frinton at the end of November 2013 showed that actual usage greatly exceed the ORR “estimates” by circa 25%. Another headcount census has just been undertaken in June in respect of Thorpe le Soken Station one of the busiest interchange points in East Anglia (see ONTRACK report on this website).
The ANNUAL AGM in MAY 2014 was turned into a surgery/ debate with positive feedback from our MP and all who attended.
For more Ontrack news and local rail information, check out our interactive blog.
