Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 18:55 24 Apr 2024
- Further delays to repairs on main Arran ferry
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

No 'On This Day' events reported for 24th Apr

Train RunningCancelled
20:30 Cardiff Central to Bristol Temple Meads
Short Run
15:28 Weymouth to Gloucester
16:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
18:29 Warminster to Bristol Temple Meads
19:47 Bristol Temple Meads to Frome
Delayed
18:08 London Paddington to Frome
An additional train service has been planned to operate as shown 18:10 Bristol Temple Meads to Gloucester
PollsThere are no open or recent polls
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
April 24, 2024, 19:05:13 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[125] Lack of rolling stock due to attacks on shipping in the Red Se...
[119] Theft from Severn Valley Railway
[67] Where have I been?
[66] 2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury...
[56] Death of another bus station?
[49] Penalty fares on Severn Beach Line
 
News: the Great Western Coffee Shop ... keeping you up to date with travel around the South West
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: East Coast - Early Termination of Franchise (29/11/2017)  (Read 3414 times)
SandTEngineer
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 3485


View Profile
« on: November 29, 2017, 16:46:04 »

Oh dear:
https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/nov/29/east-coast-rail-franchise-terminated-three-years-early-virgin-trains
Logged
Tim
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 2738


View Profile
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2017, 16:48:11 »

Opps.  That is three franchises so far on the ECML (East Coast Main Line) which have failed to last the distance. 
Logged
SandTEngineer
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 3485


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: November 29, 2017, 17:05:52 »

Having had time to digest the article it seems to me that the new franchise will now be the test case for the franchise running the whole railway and NR» (Network Rail - home page) just being a maintenance/renewal (but not enhancement) Contractor Roll Eyes Tongue  Cue split up and sell off of NR.... Wink

Quote
The rail strategy laid out by Grayling said the East Coast Partnership (ECP) would be “the first of the new generation of long-term regional partnerships bringing together the operation of track and train under a single leader and unified brand”. The partnership models will see private train companies invited to bid for contracts where they can take more control over tracks run by Network Rail.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2017, 17:28:59 by SandTEngineer » Logged
caliwag
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 342


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: November 29, 2017, 18:50:51 »

Ha...won't be long before Corbyn and crew get their way of course...If indeed you remember the previous incumbent
Logged
LiskeardRich
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 3462

richardwarwicker@hotmail.co.uk
View Profile
« Reply #4 on: November 29, 2017, 19:09:44 »

Branson is behind today’s idea, he claims he’s been suggesting it for years. I imagine it wouldn’t take much for him to agree early termination for track/toc thing
Logged

All posts are my own personal believes, opinions and understandings!
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18920



View Profile
« Reply #5 on: November 29, 2017, 19:21:04 »

How precisely will competition be regulated once the East Coast franchisee is infrastructure owner too?

There's direct passenger competition from Hull Trains and Grand Central, as well as track access agreements for numerous other TOCs (Train Operating Company) an FOCs (Freight Operating Company).

A huge amount of new rules, regulations, legal documents and the bureaucracy that goes with them, will be needed to ensure the owning TOC is playing fair and not favouring its own services.

A fundamentally stupid idea from Chris Grayling. Tinkering for tinkering's sake.
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
Electric train
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4362


The future is 25000 Volts AC 750V DC has its place


View Profile
« Reply #6 on: November 29, 2017, 19:58:20 »


A fundamentally stupid idea from Chris Grayling. Tinkering for tinkering's sake.

Since when has he been known to have a good idea  Huh and tinkering is his middle name  Grin
Logged

Starship just experienced what we call a rapid unscheduled disassembly, or a RUD, during ascent,”
LiskeardRich
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 3462

richardwarwicker@hotmail.co.uk
View Profile
« Reply #7 on: November 29, 2017, 20:15:03 »


A fundamentally stupid idea from Chris Grayling. Tinkering for tinkering's sake.

Since when has he been known to have a good idea  Huh and tinkering is his middle name  Grin

Branson was taking credit in an interview I saw earlier today
Logged

All posts are my own personal believes, opinions and understandings!
caliwag
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 342


View Profile
« Reply #8 on: November 29, 2017, 22:32:46 »

Aye...How many peeps were employed by the railway clearing house in days of yore? or indeed now.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40820



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2017, 04:41:15 »

Not to the east but the west ... I can recall a ten year franchise which had premiums loaded towards the end, with a seven year release option.  Although the common perception / view at the time was that the franchise operator would choose to see out the franchise rather than risk its loss, the operator chose to hand the keys back at the end of the seven years, to be handed them again on a series of management agreements / franchises / extensions that carry on to this day - and at least until 2020, with a possibility or probability of 2022.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12363


View Profile Email
« Reply #10 on: November 30, 2017, 14:42:31 »

yep, same again here too....Stagecoach's share price rose 1`5% on the news of not paying the last three years worth of franchise payments *and* compensation on the remaining 3 years for enforced early termination!
Logged
Tim
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 2738


View Profile
« Reply #11 on: November 30, 2017, 15:42:08 »

How precisely will competition be regulated once the East Coast franchisee is infrastructure owner too?

There's direct passenger competition from Hull Trains and Grand Central, as well as track access agreements for numerous other TOCs (Train Operating Company) an FOCs (Freight Operating Company).

A huge amount of new rules, regulations, legal documents and the bureaucracy that goes with them, will be needed to ensure the owning TOC is playing fair and not favouring its own services.

A fundamentally stupid idea from Chris Grayling. Tinkering for tinkering's sake.

I am not sure I completely agree with your conclusion (although there is some truth in what you say).  The reason is that I tend to think that from a passenger's perspective it is better to have the track managed in the interests of the dominant operator than in the interests of no operator.  If the change ends up benefiting the 95% of total passengers who travel with "east Coast" then that is good overall even if passengers of other operator's suffer a bit. 

The devil is in the detail of course (who sets the signals for example is an important question) but a system that improves the track availability for "east coast" (for example by incentivising better maintenance practices) also improves the track for Hull Trains.

The main problem of course is that the current ToCs are "thinly capitalised spivs" and not in a position to make infrastructure investment.  Will future bids be by joint ventures of operators and construction companies?  Will an integrated ToC want to invest in infrastructure which when the franchise ends they do not own? 
Logged
eightf48544
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4574


View Profile Email
« Reply #12 on: December 01, 2017, 09:07:39 »

My problem is why do trains have to compete with trains.

Surely there is more than enough competition with the private car, long distance coaches and over longer distances airlines.

Logged
TonyK
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 6438


The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!


View Profile
« Reply #13 on: December 08, 2017, 13:34:31 »

I prefer the views of the analysts, who have no axe to grind, to those of the politicians. You are more likely to find the truth by following the money.

Grayling has given in. Or he thinks he has had a fantastic brand new idea. In about 7 years' time, we'll know which.
Logged

Now, please!
Timmer
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 6298


View Profile
« Reply #14 on: December 08, 2017, 16:47:58 »

I prefer the views of the analysts, who have no axe to grind, to those of the politicians. You are more likely to find the truth by following the money.

Grayling has given in. Or he thinks he has had a fantastic brand new idea. In about 7 years' time, we'll know which.
He had no choice and by doing so let Stagecoach off the hook. The franchise was in trouble. There was only so much you can cut back on coupled with a decrease in the number of passengers. Another thing to note was their share price went up as soon as the announcement was made.
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page