London Midland - shortage of drivers

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I've tried to quantify the number of people at the very top who change when a new franchise starts, and as far as I can gather it's around a couple of dozen. But then those couple of dozen can make decisions which effect others at the more senior levels and at times going much further out on the tree too, potentially to operational level.  I think I recall an incoming operator somewhere to the south of FGW^▸ (First Great Western) land who decided that they had too many drivers - not sure if there were any compulsory redundancies or if it was all done by natural wastage and volunteers.

[swrural]

Thanks Graham.  If that is so, how on earth do they create an esprit de corps in their organisation?

If these 'cats' are the ones who become fat, why should anyone down the line (whoops) give a fig?  I am still reeling about the 170000 odd non-employees who petitioned for Beardy Rail to continue to be allowed to take their money off them.

Strange world this online one.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I've tried to quantify the number of people at the very top who change when a new franchise starts, and as far as I can gather it's around a couple of dozen.

I agree with grahame - from my similar research, it's surprisingly few (possibly even less than twenty or so) individuals who will be directly 'dispensed with' on any change of operator, at the start of a new franchise, for example.

However, many of the existing management team will probably be invited to reapply for their own jobs, on new terms and conditions, which is perhaps where rather more 'changes of faces' in particular roles may be seen as a result ... 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Telegraph:

Passengers angered by decision not to sack train operator

Passengers have attacked a Government decision to allow a train company to continue operating on one of the country^s busiest rail lines despite inflicting months of misery on passengers.

Industry experts expected London Midland, to be stripped of the franchise when its ^332 million contract came up for review late last year. But instead the company will be allowed to complete its term ending in September 2015. This is despite being condemned for waves of cancellations caused by driver shortages and plans for ticket office closures.

Critics included MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament) from all sides and Norman Baker, the rail minister.

^Passengers weren^t given any opportunity to have their say when the decision to extend London Midland^s franchise was made by the Government,^ said Anthony Smith, chief executive of Passenger Focus.

So-called break clauses are seen as a way of protecting passengers from companies which fail to deliver, especially with the Government moving towards longer franchises in the hope of stimulating investment.

Having been warned about their poor performance by Mr Baker in October, the industry expected that the company would have been told to surrender the franchise early. Instead, just before Christmas it was told it would be allowed to complete its term, albeit after agreeing to dish out 100,000 free tickets to its passengers

^The driver issue at London Midland has been one of the most embarrassing errors of recent years, and yet the government rewards the company with a longer franchise, and no penalty for failing to provide services for customers," said an industry insider ^It is actually very embarrassing for Government. London Midland only won the franchise by saying it could cope with reducing drivers, so the failure is shared by company and the Department for Transport, now wonder it has taken a soft line.^

Maria Eagle, Labour^s transport spokesman, added: ^Yet again the Government has put the interests of the private train companies over passengers."

Mr Baker defended the Government's approach. ^London Midland has a lot to do to restore the trust of its passengers and has agreed a remedial plan with the Department which includes specific passenger benefits as well as additional investment," he said. "Early removal of the franchise would put at risk the delivery of this plan and could generate months of ongoing problems for passengers, as well as jeopardising the successful delivery of several projects, such as the procurement of 80 new carriages that will enable much needed capacity increases."

[swrural]

'I agree with Norm'.  It was the best thing to do.

[eightf48544]

What are the 80 new carriages must be EMU^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit)'s not DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit)?

Have they got the drivers for them?

[Southern Stag]

They are the new Class 350/3s and /4s. 10 of each, although the 10 350/4s will be used by TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express) at first, it isn't really clear what will replace them on TPE or when.

[paul7575]

There's not necessarily a direct relationship between new units and the requirement for new drivers, as it is possibly the case that they'll be used to make some existing 4 or 8 car services longer.

I too keep reading about this supposed scheme whereby the 10 Transpennine units are only temporarily with that TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) and they will definitely go elsewhere once further electrification of TP routes takes place, but I've always had some doubts. There's never really been anything absolutely explicit about it in an RUS^▸ (Route Utilisation Strategy), or DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) statement that I can find, and I've looked all over the relevant websites.   In any case, they've recently discovered that 350s can run happily at 110 mph on suitable routes - and it seems to me that that also makes them more suitable for the northern parts of the WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line) (and ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line)) than hitherto.

As you say it isn't clear at all what may happen, but I'd add IF to what or when...

Paul

[Southern Stag]

They have been ordered by LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise), are sub-leased from LM and will have LM interiors I believe. But then FCC^▸ (First Capital Connect) has its 377/5s on a similar arrangement, and they are set to keep them for a while yet. When much of the Transpennine route is wired there will probably be a need for some new EMUs^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit) across the franchise, it would make sense to standardise the units on the Scotland runs with the rest of the fleet then and send the 350s back to LM.

[paul7575]

Unlike the 377/5s situation between SN and FCC^▸ (First Capital Connect), the TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express) 350s are not going to be subleased.  As LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) stated here:

...as a result of a request later in 2009 by the Department for Transport to include within the procurement requirements new electric rolling stock for use on the Manchester to Scotland route, approximately 40 of the new vehicles (probably in 10 x 4-car unit formation) are to be procured and subsequently transferred by London Midland to First TransPennine Express (FTPE^» (First TransPennine Express - website)). The transfer is intended to occur in early 2012 via a novation to FTPE of the relevant contracts between London Midland, Siemens and Angel Trains. FTPE and the successors to the TransPennine franchise will run these vehicles on routes between Manchester and Scotland following the electrification of routes in the North West of England in line with national rail strategy.

[Also]

Negotiations with the preferred supplier in respect of the units destined for the Manchester to Scotland service are likely to include certain interior design changes which reflect the longer distance journey patterns on this route.

http://www.londonmidland.com/about-us/latest-news/new-rolling-stock-for-london-midland-and-for-first-transpennine-express/

Unlike in a typical sublease as we are familiar with already, the contract term 'novation' means that the contract is transferred in its entirety, so this is a different procedure...

Paul

[Southern Stag]

I didn't realise that, thanks. LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) are just being used to order the 350s quickly then.

[Network SouthEast]

They have been ordered by LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise), are sub-leased from LM and will have LM interiors I believe.

This is not correct, the TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express) 350s will have a different internal layout. Notably a 2+1 layout in 1st Class as well as an additional toilet.

[paul7575]

I didn't realise that, thanks. LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) are just being used to order the 350s quickly then.

Yes, I remembered this being discussed in another forum back at the time, but I think the sublease idea had gained some traction beforehand - I'm sure some of the rail mags also blurred what was going on a bit.  The 'novation' aspect seemed to slip under the radar at the time.   I dare say they could be transferred back to LM in due course, but if so why not just sublease normally - that would be my basic question.

Paul

[Southern Stag]

It is a bit strange. If a new build of units are built for TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express) services once they are electrified it would make sense to have a common fleet with the Scottish units. That all depends on what units are used for TPE service in the future though, and nobody seems to know that yet. It could be a potential destination for Southern's latest 377 order.

[fanara]

When worked as train crew in the 1970s, wages were so low that we were desperate to work on Sundays.
The answer nowadays, basic wages being higher, is the introduction of the Continental Week, ie first week, Mon, Tu off: 2nd week, Wed Thur:, 3rd week Fr Sat Sun. No overtime payments. British Waterways lock-keepers worked this system in th 1960s.