Cross Country direct award until October 2019

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

VERY little in the way of any service/capacity improvements from the 'just do enough' franchise that is Cross Country.  Slight improvements in journey times through Staffordshire as a result of the Norton Bridge improvements, an extra 39000 seats a year along the Edinburgh to Plymouth route (which, according to maths from another forum equates to somewhere between 100-150 or so a day.  Wow!  Add in free wifi, a small amount of money (£20m) to tart up the trains a little and a couple of other minor bits and bobs, and that's yer lot!

Probably not surprising, but passengers will still no doubt be disappointed that their journeys will continue to get worse and worse for another three years before any extra trains and/or carriages are provided to relieve the overcrowding that occurs on such a high percentage of their trains.

More details:  https://www.gov.uk/government/news/better-journeys-for-passengers-on-the-cross-country-network

[simonw]

So, from this we get

• Worcester Parkway - No commitment, so are the government ignoring it, or assuming it will be late
• Overcrowding - No commitment to seriously address this, 39K extra seats per year on the hourly service of Plymouth<->Edinburgh is a joke
• Overcrowding - Extra trains/routes to better connect parts of the country

Not every long distance journey in this country has to centre on London (multi node) or Birmingham (single node). For example why not add in a Plymouth to Norwich?

[JayMac]

The extra seats will be for the Mon-Fri peak across the core of XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise))'s network between Leeds and Bristol. So it's not really a fair analysis to say there are only 100-150 extra seats a day. Those extra seats are to be targeted where they are most needed.

The extra capacity will come from more intensive use of XC's five HST^▸ (High Speed Train) sets and from creating 3x four car Voyagers from 2x five car, utilising two spare Class 22x driving cars. Those driving cars were put into store by Virgin when they converted all their West Coast Voyagers to five car.

The XC HST's are also to have power doors fitted. Presumably to the same design as the Chiltern Mk3 fleet.

WiFi will be free to all once the system is upgraded.

CrossCountry are also scrapping the £10 fee for making changes to Advance Purchase bookings.

This regular XC user is not disappointed by this direct award. There is no extra long distance rolling stock immediately available, so XC and the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) have come up with, I think, the best short term solution. Capacity will, I suspect, be addressed in the next ITT^▸ (Invitation to Tender). Of course it could have been addressed sooner by not giving a direct award, but that's a political decision most probably taken at the very top of the DfT. A decision for which CrossCountry aren't to blame.

Source: https://vimeo.com/184808769/cd57418360

[John R]

Thanks for the detail, which I was struggling to find elsewhere.

I'm pleased to hear there will be more intensive use of the HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s and the creation of the extra set makes sense. Though I do feel that a commitment to take on a few more HST's as they are released by other operators could have been a relatively easy way to increase capacity further, without tying any future operator into a long term commitment.

[LiskeardRich]

an extra 39000 seats a year along the Edinburgh to Plymouth route (which, according to maths from another forum equates to somewhere between 100-150 or so a day.  Wow! 

So that pretty much means one of the 4 carriage services is becoming 5 carriage

[paul7575]

an extra 39000 seats a year along the Edinburgh to Plymouth route (which, according to maths from another forum equates to somewhere between 100-150 or so a day.  Wow! 

So that pretty much means one of the 4 carriage services is becoming 5 carriage

They end up with 3 x 4 cars in stead of 2 x 5 cars, is what I understand is happening; using the two spare driving cars from when VWC disbanded a four car set.

Paul

[johnneyw]

This from the Bristol Evening Post online today.

http://m.bristolpost.co.uk/arriva-wins-contract-for-cross-country-train-route-through-bristol-and-promises-big-improvements/story-29766017-detail/story.html

[IndustryInsider]

This regular XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) user is not disappointed by this direct award. There is no extra long distance rolling stock immediately available, so XC and the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) have come up with, I think, the best short term solution. Capacity will, I suspect, be addressed in the next ITT^▸ (Invitation to Tender). Of course it could have been addressed sooner by not giving a direct award, but that's a political decision most probably taken at the very top of the DfT. A decision for which CrossCountry aren't to blame.

I certainly hope capacity will be addressed in the next ITT.  If that means a new order of trains, then it could be well over five years until the situation improved.

A shame that other avenues appear not to have been explored to get a bit of a headstart in that respect.  AIUI^▸ (as I understand it) there are 5 HST^▸ (High Speed Train) sets that will be retired by Grand Central (also operated by Arriva) next year when the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) 180s replace them.  Is there any reason (other than a bit of cash that the DfT wouldn't have otherwise received) why they could not have been taken and converted at the same time as their current fleet?  Those five sets could have released 5-car 221s to cover some 4-car 220s and in turn mean a couple more diagrams could have been operated by 8-car 220s.

Towards the end of the Direct Award there should also be the possibility of acquiring some of the modern, but surplus to requirements, 100mph Class 185 fleet that TransPennine Express will be offloading.  Weight permitting they could bolster the Cardiff-Nottingham or Birmingham-Stansted services allowing their 13 2-class 170s to run in multiple so that it would be the end of packed 2-car trains on those routes (and more 6-car services on their busiest trains).

[ChrisB]

Not every long distance journey in this country has to centre on London (multi node) or Birmingham (single node). For example why not add in a Plymouth to Norwich?

Bad example - single change in Birmingham or better with just two changes. For the number of pax making that journey, I reckon its sufficient. Alternatively via London with 1 change & likely not to be quicker on your 'direct' route.....

[ChrisB]

Thanks for the detail, which I was struggling to find elsewhere.

I'm pleased to hear there will be more intensive use of the HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s and the creation of the extra set makes sense. Though I do feel that a commitment to take on a few more HST's as they are released by other operators could have been a relatively easy way to increase capacity further, without tying any future operator into a long term commitment.

I strongly suspect that there was too much possibility of something failing (delayed supply of IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) stock on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) as an example, which could delay release of HSTs and/or 180s to GCR^» (Gloucester - next trains)) to definitively give XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) any HSTs from either GWR or GCR before this award completes in early 2019(?)

[IndustryInsider]

Pretty sure the 180s will definitely be going from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to Grand Central next year.  The GWR HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) are more likely to deviate a little from the original planned cascade.

https://www.grandcentralrail.com/about-us/news-press/%C2%A378m-investments-are-just-the-ticket/

[ChrisB]

Yes, you likely to be right, as the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) has little effect on an open-access operator. I also suspect that GCR^» (Gloucester - next trains) will hang on to its HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) too

[paul7575]

Yes, you likely to be right, as the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) has little effect on an open-access operator. I also suspect that GCR^» (Gloucester - next trains) will hang on to its HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) too

I'm rather less sure of that.   A track access application that they made a while ago definitely said that the addition of the 5 ex GW^▸ (Great Western) 180s would allow for "a uniform fleet", and avoid nugatory costs of fitting ERTMS^▸ (European Rail Traffic Management System.) to the HSTs, e.g:

The move to a uniform fleet allowing will allow more flexible deployment
o Improved SRTs from Class 180s, coupled with the flexibility on Access Rights afforded to Network Rail, will allow the development of more robust timetables
o A uniform fleet of Class 180s with better SRTs will fit better into a recast ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line) timetable - particularly post IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.).
o This also reduces overall industry costs because the HSTs will not need to be fitted with ERTMS. 

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/track%20access/2%20completed%20consultations/2013/2013.08.05%20grand%20central%20tac%20application%20-%20closed%202%20september%202013/gcformps17.pdf

They haven't had much success with new open access applications, they were turned down for Edinburgh Kings Cross (the service that First group had approved) so they then withdrew their application for services to various Lincolnshire coast destinations, as they didn't have a decent business case as an independent application.

I suspect they'd have too much rolling stock with the HSTs.

Paul

[JayMac]

CrossCountry aren't hanging about. Two of their Mk3s have today gone to Wabtec Rail in Doncaster for fitting of plug doors and controlled emission toilets.

[ChrisB]

Aren't they already controlled-emission toilets?