Dft seeks views proposed approach for securing next Great Western franchise

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Open consultation
Great Western: specification for the the future franchise

Through this consultation, we are:

* explaining our planned approach for securing Great Western franchised services when the current direct award franchise ends
* seeking views on a proposed franchise specification with a focus on changes planned during the 5 year period from September 2015
Our consultation document provides information about current services and the impact of major projects on the franchise. It explains what our objectives are for the franchise and the options being considered.

We want to hear from passengers and other stakeholders with an interest in the franchise. We also encourage potential rail scheme promoters, including local authorities, to comment on the proposals and notify us of extra services they may wish to purchase.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/great-western-specification-for-the-future-franchise

[ChrisB]

Blimey - I'd been told about this by Passenger Focus yesterday - I didn't realise that they meant *that* imminent!

[grahame]

A response will shortly be submitted to the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) on behalf of the Melksham Chamber of Commerce. Read it at:
http://www.melkshamchamber.org.uk/coc_to_dft_may2014.pdf

It calls for:
1. currently running service levels on the TransWilts to be maintained as a minimum
2. the TransWilts CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) to be recognised and used to help promote the service in the same way as other CRPs
3. improvements (can be done under existing stock levels) to be made when IEPs^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) arrive
4. reliability and all stations calls to take priority over speeding up TransWilts services

Backup documentation is as follows (includes some threads here!)
http://atrebatia.info/may2014_stakeholder.pdf
http://melksh.am/4278
http://twcrp.info/m154931
http://twcrp.info/m152974

The Chamber is particularly concerned to emphasise item (1), as the consultation document could be read to only specify 75% of the current service. Dropping two of the busier round trips would cut the heart out of the service.

[Plymboi]

So IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) will go to Exeter on some occasions add some will carry on to Paignton. Yet plymouth is stuck with the old rusty HST^▸ (High Speed Train). Sigh.

Nice to see here Alston to tavistock additional services on this.

[ChrisB]

The bi-modes I guess you mean?

[grahame]

They appear to have relaunched ...

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/have-your-say-on-the-great-western-rail-franchise?

Have your say on the Great Western rail franchise

Organisation:
Department for Transport
Page history:Published 27 May 2014
Policy:Expanding and improving the rail network
Topics:Transport and UK^▸ (United Kingdom) economy
Minister:Stephen Hammond MP^▸ (Member of Parliament)

The network is set to be transformed over the next 5 years through a multi-billion pound programme of investment.

Passengers in the south-west are being asked for their views on the future of rail services across the region as the government considers how the Great Western franchise can best support the massive investment planned for the network.

Train services between London, Wales and many of the towns and cities of the south-west are set to be transformed through a multi-billion pound programme of investment, which will see extensive electrification of the Great Western route and the roll out of new state-of-the-art electric trains.

To ensure the franchise best meets the needs of passengers, a consultation has been launched to help decide how rail services will be managed over the next 5 years.

Rail Minister Stephen Hammond said:

These are exciting times for the Great Western franchise. Extensive electrification, new state-of-the-art trains and the introduction of Crossrail services will deliver a world-class railway that improves services for passengers and drives economic growth.

To make sure we make the most of this massive investment we want to hear from anyone who has an interest in these vital routes. This is further proof of our commitment to put passengers at the heart of our franchising system.

The Great Western network is set for a series of major works over the next 5 years, including:

electrification of the Great Western Main Line from London to Wales and the Thames Valley lines as part of a ^7.5 billion upgrade of the network
the delivery of 369 new state-of-the-art carriages as part of the government^s ^5.7 billion Intercity Express Programme as well as an electric fleet for the Thames Valley lines
the introduction of new trains as part of the multi-billion pound Crossrail project
The Great Western franchise delivers 97 million passenger journeys annually and caters to commuters, business and leisure customers. High-speed trains service London, south Wales, the Cotswolds and the West Country as well as semi-fast services throughout the Thames and Kent

[ChrisB]

The Chamber is particularly concerned to emphasise item (1), as the consultation document could be read to only specify 75% of the current service. Dropping two of the busier round trips would cut the heart out of the service.

Aren't your services a 'buy-in' from Wilts CC/Swindon Unitary? In which case, they need to respond confirming/guaranteeing their continued buy-in? Make sure they do?....

[John R]

I suspect the concern is over the 2 original services which were effectively positioning movements to enable a unit to run the Swindon to Cheltenham service (but which now form useful second commuter services). They continue to run but are probably not part of the funding agreement. Once IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) is in, these may not be required, so could be withdrawn.

[grahame]

I suspect the concern is over the 2 original services which were effectively positioning movements to enable a unit to run the Swindon to Cheltenham service (but which now form useful second commuter services). They continue to run but are probably not part of the funding agreement. Once IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) is in, these may not be required, so could be withdrawn.

That is my concern, John ... especially as the consultation document says current level is now "2 hourly" rather than "hourly in peak, 2 hourly off peak" which is the effect of the extras.

If the early train in to Swindon and the later train out were withdrawn, "9 to 5" office staff would only be able to use the service if they could get to their place of work within a few minutes of Swindon Station ... here's a diagram with the yellow area being "9 to 5" capable now, and the green area being "9 to 5" capable if the 07:48 arrival and 18:52 departure no longer ran.



Further, onward commuting to Didcot / Reading / Oxford / Filton Abbey Wood / Bristol would be ruled out of these trains were lost, as would Swindon commutes for employees who work slightly different hours, or who need a fallback train if they have to stay late beyond the 17:36 some times.  See http://melksh.am/4278 for longer technical item

The Melksham Chamber of Commerce has written in already to ask for the level of service actually running at present to be the minimum.  And proposing that the train used runs back to / up from Westbury to form the service.  That answers most of the other flows that were originally identified, but could not be handled by a single train on the line. See full response at http://www.melkshamchamber.org.uk/coc_to_dft_may2014.pdf and please write in / add this to YOUR response if you agree!

There's also logic in sorting out the miss-mash of services south from Westbury to Salisbury at the same time; probably a net saving of a unit ... and a far FAR better service for Dilton Marsh and Warminster too, better links from Salisbury to Chippenham ....

Microsite about this - http://www.railcustomer.info

Edit to add extra links

[eightf48544]

My sympathy Graham, DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) seem very good at encouraging train users by gradually buiding up the service then they pull the rug from under it. Why?

The've done it once before with Melksham.  Now they've agreed to a more reasonable service and it seems to be being used why are they thinking of destroying it? What's the logic?

There was an interesting thread on here some years back about people chosing where to live and commute by the train service. I believe Willington was mentioned as another place where there was build up of commuters in both directions which then had the rug pulled from under it! I was looking up Willington to check my facts. If you want to go to Birmingham at this time of day you have a 10:25 and 12:25 change at Derby! A 1:02 journey as opposed to 0:37 direct. Admitedly the fares the same. But you do get a ride in both directions on a Vomiter.

Oh yes the 10:25 is 31 late today!

[ChrisB]

But are they?

The consultation makes it clear that they want you a) to include these additional trains in your submission so that they're added to the franchise, and b) asking you to justify it - which you've pretty much done above & elsewhere on this forum.

You have to remember that the bods at the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) don't get out much, and all they do is to look at the current franchise and include any high-level political campaigning - they never get out to see the whole picture.

In the past, they thought that they knew better - these days, they give US the chance to influence THEM.....so get your bid in pronto....send it to me too if you want the Customer Panel to include it in their submission....

[grahame]

My sympathy Graham, DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) seem very good at encouraging train users by gradually buiding up the service then they pull the rug from under it. Why?

The've done it once before with Melksham.  Now they've agreed to a more reasonable service and it seems to be being used why are they thinking of destroying it? What's the logic?

But are they?

The consultation makes it clear that they want you a) to include these additional trains in your submission so that they're added to the franchise, and b) asking you to justify it - which you've pretty much done above & elsewhere on this forum.

You have to remember that the bods at the DfT don't get out much, and all they do is to look at the current franchise and include any high-level political campaigning - they never get out to see the whole picture.

In the past, they thought that they knew better - these days, they give US the chance to influence THEM.....so get your bid in pronto....send it to me too if you want the Customer Panel to include it in their submission....

The service was two round trips in 2013.  Six extra round trips were added for 2014, characterised as being "every two hours" making a nicely integrate service of 8 round trips on Mondays to Fridays.

However, the consultation document says it is consulting on:
"Westbury^Swindon (twice daily); now increased to a two-hourly service".
when we would have much preferred it so say for clarity
"Westbury^Swindon (twice daily); now increased by a two-hourly service".

"once bitten, twice shy" ... if we go along with the suggestion, we're going along with service excluding the two old round trips ... and the 07:04 from Westbury is now the 2nd busiest train of the day, forming a good commuter opposite to the new 17:36 home.  Similarly, the 18:52 from Swindon has got much busier, forming a good return-home commute for people who go up to Swindon on later new trains, and so on ... the 06:12 off Swindon picks up significant traffic before Trowbridge, and the picture of Westbury that I've used to illustrate other articles on this shows the 19:40 ex Westbury with people waiting at all the doors to get on!!

Yes, we do have the chance to influence them - which is why we're writing in to do so ... Chris, you would be very welcome to include in your input a request to set the current TransWilts service level (which can be characterised as hourly peak / two hourly rest of day) as an absolute minimum.



Who says the 19:40 off Westbury is going to be quiet? ... and remember that it will get many more people joining it than leaving at Trowbridge, and also at Melksham.  Net drop in passenger numbers probably only at Chippenham; almost all change at Swindon before it goes on to Cheltenham Spa.

[ChrisB]

Inded - my email is in my profile - send it over once you've got it agreed....

[grahame]

http://www.northdevonjournal.co.uk/Westcountry-railway-risk-treading-water/story-21169590-detail/story.html?

Westcountry rail services risk "treading water" as the Government confirmed it will offer a shorter contract to train companies to run the railways - and may not open it up to competition. ...

[ChrisB]

The days of improvements for simply improvements sake are long gone.

Evidence for the *need* is now the case to show value foe money.