Great Western Coffee Shop

Consultation Question 4

a) What do you think are the main challenges that might be addressed through greater co-ordination and integration between the train operator and Network Rail?
b) What do you think should be the future priorities for strengthened partnership working between the franchise operator and Network Rail?

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Explanatory text

Close collaboration between Network Rail and franchise operators is critical in providing a safe and reliable service for passengers. Effective collaboration requires strong leadership to encourage and demonstrate the right behaviours, and a focus on passengers’ needs throughout each organisation, with an overall aim of achieving clear accountability, aligned objectives and collaborative working. The current franchisee and Network Rail’s Western Route have already made significant efforts in this direction, including through their Alliance Framework Agreement and setting up the Western Route Supervisory Board, comprised of Network Rail and representatives from the train operators on the route and a representative from Transport Focus.

Important aspects of collaboration between Network Rail and franchise operators include:
●● Day-to-day operations, where collaboration helps smooth operation of the railway. This is particularly important during disruptions, in order to provide clear and accurate information to passengers and to restore services as quickly as possible to minimise disruption;
●● Alignment of objectives and targets between the operator and Network Rail, e.g. on punctuality targets;
●● Maintaining and improving the network: Network Rail needs access to the network to carry out maintenance and improvement work, meaning that there are times when passenger services cannot operate or are reduced in frequency. Current industry mechanisms for agreeing this access can result in opposing incentives for Network Rail and passenger operators. Collaboration can allow better ‘whole industry’ decisions to be made in the best interests of passengers, e.g. cutting back last services on some days of the week when demand is low to allow later services to operate on other days when demand for late-evening services is higher.
●● Planning and delivery of major enhancement schemes: Many more complex rail upgrade schemes require a combination of changes to the infrastructure, usually planned and carried out by Network Rail, and changes to the train service, which are the responsibility of the franchisee. Successful delivery depends on integrating these aspects throughout the enhancement scheme. Managing these interfaces in major enhancements can be challenging, especially where multiple organisations are involved, and any changes to one aspect of the project can have significant consequences for others. Successful delivery is aided by having a single party with overall accountability for achieving the intended outcomes of such schemes.

We will expect the next Great Western franchise to build further on the existing collaboration with Network Rail, which could include a stronger joint partnership approach to developing and designing future train service and infrastructure enhancement schemes.

See http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=19037 for the background to this topic

discussion

There is certainly a need for Network Rail and Train Operators to work well together, and evidence that the current relationship fails to be perfect at times.   To a very great extent, Network Rail hide from passengers behind the train operators, who are required to take service responsibility and indeed carry the can for a broken service, even where the breakage could be traced to Network Rail.

At a somewhat deeper level (once you get involved in campaigning / as a community partner) you find the uneasy feeling that the interface between Network Rail and train operators is a convenient way of both sides reducing their activities when it comes to day to day operational incidents / issues to their contactual limits, with a convenient implicit (or unofficially explicit) suggestion that it's down to the other side.    Smoke and Mirrors!.  And it's very hard to know what the actual truth is - certainly there's a suspicion that more could be done where something's not quite right, but that it's in the TOC and NR's interests to do little extra across their interface, which seems to have zero passenger representation on it, and at times zero interest in the plight of passengers.

I note that Network Rail used to have some people - just a handful of them - who's role it was to interface to the community.   That group has now gone.   I note that getting a meeting with Network Rail, even with official DfT / ACoRP designated service "authority", and / or with local authority (local PTA level) is "difficult".  I'm minded this week of a meeting that's been sought for several months - since the SWR consolation on timetables was launched in September.   It did eventually take place on 21st December after numerous dates had been suggested, held, postponed.   The meeting lead was utterly frustrated, and it was well nigh impossible to make use of the outcome of the meeting in the consultation response which was due in ... by close of business on 22nd December.

I'm documenting issues here; for sure an area that needs attention, but I don't feel I know how that attention should be given.   It's so hidden from the public that I doubt (m)any passengers can come up with realistic inputs  to the GW franchise consultation on this one - unless you know better?

The only real way of achieving good integration between the TOCS and Network Rail is to rejoin the Wheel and Rail.

Unfortunately this  means one organisation will have day to day control of a complete geographic area., which goes against current economic dictats that Rail must compete with Rail.

Simple solution............... It used to be called British Rail (now where is that tin hat?)  ;D

Near in mind that SWTs tie-in with NR failed owing to them losing any & all delay compensation from NR. A lot of money that no one was willing to compensate them for losing. So that needs solving in other TOC/NR tie-ups

Simple give the TOC full control of the network it operates, with control of the budget and allow companies to bid for each contract, or use network rail as a service provider.

You have - err - one day to write in with that / include it in your response.  I rather thought that Network Rail is already a service provider to the TOCs - though one that has a monopoly.