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Planes, trains and (driverless) automobiles Special report on the revolutions that are set to transform transport in Britain

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January 2016

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Opening shots

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NE OF THE longest-running debates over transport in the UK is perhaps also the most important: where should we build an extra airport runway to increase capacity?

When the Airports Commission’s report concluded last July that a new runway at Heathrow Airport was the best option, it looked like we were close to a resolution. But the discussion – particularly over the environmental impact of the decision – rages on, and now a decision on which airport will get the go-ahead is not expected until after the summer.

Heathrow has the support of many business leaders, more than 270 of whom signed a letter to prime minister David Cameron urging him to choose the west London airport for expansion.

They argue the move could open up commercial opportunities in the surrounding area, and leave Heathrow better connected to emerging markets such as China.

Expansion would also help Heathrow fend off increasing competition as a hub airport from European rivals, with Amsterdam’s Schiphol and Paris’s Charles de Gaulle among the alternatives for travellers

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The UK risks being left behind if the debate on airport expansion continues to drag on Matt Smith’s view

catching connecting flights on the continent.

But residents of nearby areas Longford, Harmondsworth and Sipson oppose a decision that could see their homes purchased for land to build the new Heathrow runway on, and there are worries about noise over other local areas.

Meanwhile, those arguing for expansion at Gatwick say fewer people would be affected, since it is further from central London.

There are also concerns over the level of pollution that could be generated if the project goes ahead. Conservative mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith even said the extra runway will not

be built at Heathrow unless emissions tests are “rigged”. He insisted the expansion of the west London hub is “off the agenda” for this reason.

But some see the latest delay as a ploy by the Conservative Party to boost Goldsmith’s chances in the upcoming election, and businesses are growing impatient. Willie Walsh, CEO of British Airways owner International Airlines Group, said in December that he would take his business elsewhere if David Cameron did not stop “dithering” over the decision.

The CBI warned in 2014 that it was critical to the UK’s long-term growth that work on a new runway starts by 2020, and time is running out.

More recently, its director general, Carolyn

Fairbairn, said the latest delay could cost the economy £5billion.

Meanwhile, economic rivals are pushing ahead with much larger expansions. China, for example, has built more than 30 airports – let alone runways – in the last few years. It plans to increase the number of airports within its borders from around 200 to 240 by 2020, and last year it worked on expanding more than 60 existing facilities.

Where the tarmac will eventually be laid remains anybody’s guess, but one thing is certain: in the face of mounting pressure, the government needs to make a decision and push ahead with the construction of a new runway or the UK risks being left behind.

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By Matt Smith BUSINESSES OPERATING in east London have welcomed changes to the Tube map that have brought several Underground and DLR stations from Zone 3 into Zone 2.

Transport for London (TfL) has moved stations, including Stratford, West Ham and Canning Town, into a new Zone 2/3, joined by others that used to sit on the border between the two zones.

The move makes travel to and from these east London stations cheaper for residents and workers, and developers believe it will boost the area’s business hub credentials.

“Things like the zones for TfL shifting are really, really important because it helps tell that story,” said Kevin Chapman, head of offices at L end lea se, one of t he f i r m s behind The International Quarter, a £2billion residential, retail and office development in Stratford.

“It is putting Stratford where it should be geographically in London in people’s minds,” Chapman continued. “Its Zone 2 allocation helps people to appreciate that, actually, it is no further out than Canary Wharf or places like that.”

The Financial Conduct Authority and TfL itself are already set to move their headquarters to the area, and Chapman said the transport zone changes will make east London a more attractive option for other businesses looking to relocate from offices in the city centre.

“Any large business that is going to move there is probably going to come from a Zone 1 or 2 location already,” he said. “It will help us because we have to convince the HR teams that their staff are not moving to the back of beyond.”

This, he said, is reflective of a larger trend of movement towards east London.

“It is a largely still undeveloped part of London with good transport and it is still very affordable,” Chapman said.

“I think it is still part of this general shift eastwards in London, which has been coming for a long time, but it is finally materialising now. It is just another brick in the wall of telling the Stratford story.”

The inner geek

Moz & Bradders

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Stratford’s star rises in the east

Moving Stratford station into Zone 2 is expected to boost business and retail in the area

It is also hoped that the move to Zone 2 could help to attract more visitors to shops, restaurants and other attractions in east London, including the Westfield shopping centre.

“Westfield Stratford City sits at a centre of unrivalled connectivity, and with over 42 million visitors to the

centre each year, Stratford station is a major hub for our customers,” said Westfield head of development John Burton. “The move to Zone 2 is not just great news for Westfield customers, but for local residents, office and retail workers at Stratford and all commuters travelling through.

“With 200 trains at peak hours from central London, as well as local and national rail links, we know that this move by TfL will benefit our customers and retailers hugely and we very much welcome the change.”

Sir Robin Wales, the mayor of Newham, said: “We have been campaigning for this for some time.

The truth is, London’s moving eastwards and it’s sensible to reduce the cost of travel.

“It’s going to encourage people to come to Stratford, West Ham and Canning Town, which will be great.”

Meanwhile, London boroughs have been given their own boost after the mayor of London and Transport for London announced £148million in funding to transform transport and public spaces. The annual funding, marked for 2016/17, will go towards projects set out in the boroughs’ Local Implementation Plans, including cycle route, junction and pavement improvements.

Mayor Boris Johnson (left) said: “This latest round of funding will help to transform scores of locations in all four corners of our great city.

“It is specifically targeted to help make our roads, town centres and open spaces more attractive places with better facilities for walking and safer cycling.

“By helping the boroughs deliver on important local transport schemes, we can help to spur jobs and growth across London.”

New taxi app set to ease London’s congestion LONDON TAXIS have been fitted with signs that show motorists and pedestrians which areas of the city are congested in a new Transport for London (TfL) trial.

The GPS-connected signage, which will be fitted on 200 vehicles, shows information on delays in up to 50 areas of the capital as part of an initiative that began in December.

It is hoped the technology, from BrightMove Media, will help Londoners avoid congested streets and improve traffic efficiency, making it easier to get around the city. In future, it could even provide real-time updates on incidents across London’s road network, and the scheme could be extended to other congested cities.

“This trial is an innovative way to reach road users in London and keep them informed of traffic conditions,” said Garrett Emmerson, TfL’s COO for surface transport. “Using the capital’s fleet of taxis to get real-time traffic information out will inform other drivers of any disruption on the network, helping them to avoid the most congested routes. It is one of many ways we are focusing our attention on keeping London moving, particularly during the current success-driven boom in construction.”

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Business Reporter Crossrail and HS2

CON N EC T I NG 4 0 stations along 100 kilometres of rail – 42 kilometres of which will sit in new tunnels – Crossrail’s full route will run from Reading to Shenfield from 2019, with routes in the east beginning from as early as May 2017. Designs for the new trains were recently unveiled and signs are already appearing in the newly-opened areas of Tottenham Court Road. Once complete the project will increase central London’s rail capacity by 10 per cent.

Meanwhile, the government’s controversial HS2 project continues.

The first phase, which will run between London and the West Midlands, will reportedly cost nearly £30billion and is set to open to passengers in 2026, travelling at speeds of up to 250mph.

Together with the second phase, which extends the route up to Leeds and Manchester, the entire project is currently expected to cost £55.7billion.

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solutions for a more mobile Britain Matt Smith on the revolutions that could transform UK transport set to double by 2020, TfL has promised a network of “direct, high-capacity, joined-up cycle tracks” and more Dutch-style lanes, fully segregated from other road traffic. “Substantial improvements” to some of the worst junctions for cyclists have also been promised with the aim of making the capital safer.

Airport expansion decision

THE GOVERNMENT looked set to push ahead when the Airports Commission recommended building a third runway at Heathrow Airport last July, but last month transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has hinted that the final decision might not be made until after the summer as proposals for an expansion at Gatwick are reconsidered.

Critics have suggested the delay is a ploy by the government to boost Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith’s London mayoral election campaign, while Willie Walsh, boss of British Airways owner International Airlines Group, has said he will move his business elsewhere if t he government “continues to dither” over the runway decision.

Tube upgrades

WHEN Londoners will see a Night Tube

Mobile apps

Plans for a third runway at Heathrow are still pending

is still anybody’s guess, but Transport for London (TfL) has a few other tricks up its sleeve. As well as new trains, more Wi-Fi and line extensions, TfL also recently showed off its blueprint for the “station designs of the future”.

The “Station Design Idiom” is based on nine key principles and incorporates more focused lighting that helps to guide passengers in the right direction with cleverly placed focal points. The design won a gold award for Proposed Architecture at the 2015 London Design Awards, and there is a shortlist of 56 stations that could be modernised using the new palette.

Improvements to cycling facilities

TfL’s Night Tube could still be on the cards in 2016

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TFL SAYS IT is working to make cycling an “integral part” of London’s transport network, and steps have already been taken towards this vision with the opening of five Cycle Superhighways – continuous cycle lanes aimed at making it easier and safer for cyclists to get from the outer zones to the city centre. With cycling

APPS FOR smartphones and tablets have made many aspects of our lives easier, and getting around London is no exception. Car-sharing services such as Uber enable Londoners to connect to drivers close to them to arrange a lift to their next destination.

A lt hou g h t h e y h a v e p r ov e n controversial among black cab drivers, the apps have driven innovation in the form of rivals like cab:app, which allows passengers to hail licensed taxis.

Even commuters’ lives could be made a little easier by the app revolution. Cubic Transportation Systems, the firm that developed the Oyster card, says its NextCity project could lead to an app that wakes travellers earlier if there are problems on their routes – bad news for those who use the Central line to get to work.

London by 2031. Eight possible entrances and exits were suggested.

It would not be first project aimed at burying major roads. The Boston Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T), known as the Big Dig, moved the city’s main highway into a tunnel along with further underground routes, creating 300 acres of new space. Although originally estimated to come in at around $2.4billion, officials announced in 2012 that with interest the true cost reached $24.3billion. It was also a lengthy build: work began on the project in 1982, but it was not officially completed until 2006.

Driverless cars

PERHAPS driverless cars are slightly further away t han ot her projects on this list, but they could still have a huge impact when they arrive.

While Google’s work on intelligent vehicles in California and Texas may dominate the headlines, UK firms are also exploring the possibilities and the government recently published a report, The Pathway To Driverless Cars,

Underground roads

IN 2014, Mayor Boris Johnson unveiled a proposal for a £30billion ring road tunnel to move cars away from London’s surface streets. The 22-mile Inner Orbital Tunnel would also free up land for projects like parks and new buildings. The tunnel would provide two new river crossings and could help to combat the predicted 60 per cent increase in congestion in central

Nissan’s new IDS self-driving concept car, unveiled at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show

Uber could just be the start of smart app-based transport

which suggested how they could be introduced to our roads.

As well as offering increased mobility to those who cannot drive, smart AI could reduce congestion and make it quicker to get from A to B. The need for parking could also be reduced if the cars form part of the sharing economy, with vehicles responding to passengers’ requests as a service, rather than being owned by individuals.

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SABEL DEDRING, London’s deputy mayor for transport, is under no illusion that making the capital the ultra-low emission vehicle capital of Europe will be anything but easy.

“This work is brutal,” she says. “These are politically difficult decisions to make. The upside is, however, that a politician prepared to take difficult decisions and an effective campaign can be transformative.

In London we have an effective lobby on air quality and a mayor prepared to do unpopular things.”

Current proposals include improving the congestion charge discount for ultra-low emission vehicles, increasing the number of electric vehicle charging points, and the provision of decommissioning grants to taxis that are more than 10 years old in a bid to encourage them to switch to electric cars.

London currently complies with eight of the nine regulated pollutants and, since Boris Johnson was elected in 2008, the number of Londoners living in areas exceeding the EU legal limits for nitrogen dioxide has been halved. Even so, the city still faces a considerable nitrogen dioxide challenge, but last September’s introduction of the new ultralow emission zone for all vehicles in central London is expected to further halve emissions and particulate matter from vehicle exhausts. “It is the first time we have set an emissions standard for everyone,” says Dedring. “London already has a low emissions zone which covers lorries, coaches, buses and vans, but people are probably not that aware of it. What we are trying to do now is to adopt a much more comprehensive approach.

“I have heard people say we should have done it faster or to a higher standard, but you have to find a balance. The reality is that there have not

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Eleri Evans talks to Isabel Dedring about the challenges in developing a greener transport policy for the capital

GETTING IN THE ZONE

been enough low-emission vehicles available on the market. That has changed now. These are no longer concept-type cars in a showroom – they are being made commercially.”

London has experienced a mood shift over the past 10 to 15 years, says Dedring, that has seen a 9 per cent shift out of cars and a 30 per cent reduction in traffic in central London. “It is a significant and continuing trend. It is partly because of the Congestion Charge and partly because we have adopted a range of policies such as bus lanes, cycle

lanes and pedestrianisation schemes. What the London experience shows is that if you provide affordable, attractive alternatives to cars that are actually faster and easier, people are prepared to do without cars. The ways you encourage people out of their cars is not by telling them they can’t drive but by providing them with better ways to get around.

“We have already passed the point where 50 per cent of the world’s population live in cities. In about 50 to 100 years, I imagine lots of people will

still be living in cities. The idea that they are going to be living in cities with more traffic, with more, or the same, polluting vehicles, is not realistic.

“People want to move the city forward in a way that creates a more attractive environment and a good quality of life. The upside for politicians if they are prepared to do stuff like the ultra-low emissions zone is that they are seen as being at the cutting edge, the forefront. That counteracts the fear of not wanting to take decisions that are unpopular.”

Optimising travel management for today’s web-savvy corporate travellers

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hat keeps CFOs awake at night? According to a recent Deloitte survey of UK chief financial officers, a big focus is on cost reduction and how to achieve it. With travel and expense often cited as a top three company expense line item, T&E is often in the firing line.

That’s why Amadeus, the largest provider of solutions to the global travel industry, has commissioned research to help companies see how they measure up and identify unrealised savings in T&E.

Benchmarking performance This useful benchmark appears in the 2015 European business travel and expense analysis report. It reveals that 59 per cent of online booking tool users have saved more than 10 per cent on their travel budget. Depending on a company’s scope of activity, that could equate to significant savings. However, corporations believe that direct cost-saving optimisation has reached a plateau. So where should CFOs be looking to generate further savings?

The report provides an invaluable short-cut to insights on current practices and needs, following research among finance and procurement directors, as well as travel managers, from 590 companies in ten countries.

It reveals a clear thirst for innovation that optimises cost and travel management without sacrificing user experience for today’s web-savvy corporate travellers. Whether it’s planning a business trip, making changes while on the road, reporting expenses, or managing the whole landscape back at mission

control: the research indicates a need to integrate corporate guidelines that are transparent to the user in order to boost compliance, while letting people get on with their jobs. Why not download a free copy of the report at http://bit.ly/AmadeusE2E.

Cost control with seamless end-to-end integration Amadeus has listened to the needs of corporations, and is pleased to introduce Amadeus cytric Travel & Expense, a fully integrated platform delivering average savings of 12 per cent and 55 per cent on direct travel and indirect travel costs respectively.

Amadeus cytric Travel & Expense enables corporations to control costs using a blend of (1) efficient policy compliance, (2) optimised travel purchase, (3) increased online adoption and (4) seamless end-to-end integration for bottom-line savings.

This flexible and customisable solution brings simplicity to what has often been seen as an intractable headache.

It simplifies expense payment processes, supports cost reduction goals and drives corporate travel policy compliance.

It also guides corporate travellers and travel arrangers to the best purchase decisions.

Moreover, this unique tool covers the entire travel management process – everything from planning and booking, trip approval, as well as automating expense claims. It seamlessly integrates with any ERP system while simultaneously enhancing the pre-trip, in-trip and post-trip experience for your business travellers. The option to speedbook recurring flights and hotels in less than 30 seconds – even while on the road using the handy mobile app – also enables road warriors to capture receipts and submit trip expenses directly from their mobile device.

Discover what Amadeus cytric Travel & Expense could do for your business by calling 0843 590 0000 or sending an email to sales@uk.amadeus.com

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HS2

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Designing a that’s fit for

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S2 is not just another railway. It is being developed by going back to first principles on what a railway is for.

It will be the backbone of travel between many of our biggest cities for this century and the next. Much has been talked about economic effect, capacity and so forth, but fundamentally it is about people travelling – we want to create a railway people look forward to using, whether for work, study, to meet friends and relations or visit places. We want it to be their first choice, and for that it has to be attractive. So in designing HS2, our starting point is our future passengers.

We expect more than a quarter of a million journeys a day on HS2 by the late 2030s. These are individual journeys by individual people with differing needs, wants and values, so HS2 has to be for everyone. We are designing around the passenger by imagining what they will want and then engineering around them. To help us, we’ve been working with a panel of real passengers brought together independently

by Transport Focus (formerly Passenger Focus).

They come from diverse backgrounds – people who travel for all manner of reasons and with different mobility needs. We have asked them what bugs them about current travel, and to think what they would like the next generation to experience when they choose HS2.

Whatever the journey and price paid for it, we have taken on some basics. Alongside bringing people closer together and saving them time, the essence of high-speed rail, we have already taken on the dependability and reliability of every journey. Firstly, this means punctuality every time, all year round – as in, you’ll be able to set your watch by an HS2 train’s arrival. It means designing systems that not only guarantee you a seat but that also enable you to choose where you sit, even if you decide to travel at the last moment. This technology will also guide you to that seat through an HS2 station via the most direct route at the right time – reducing stress. No crowding round departure boards followed by the trolley-dash to the train when your platform is announced.

Absolute reliability, every time In designing HS2, we focused on softer words like “easy” and “convenient”, and our passenger panel is helping us translate these into the design – such as in level access, for example. Of course, this is an issue for disabled people, but it’s also one for anyone carrying heavy bags, or families with small children. Easy, step-free access works for everyone and, because people board trains quicker without steps, it saves time and aids train punctuality.

When on the train we know people want their luggage close by for peace of mind. So we will design the train accordingly. This too helps

Building skills and expertise in the UK A system which transports people safely and reliably at 225mph, where the contact point between wheels and rails is the size of your fingernail, requires engineering which is similar to Formula 1 and the aerospace industry. Our universities have fabulous young people, and the advanced engineering of high-speed rail attracts them to make their careers in HS2 in a way that perhaps the old railway does not. So we work with leading universities both

to develop the science of high-speed rail and to show that people who join us can make a difference with early responsibility.

The precision skills for building then operating and maintaining HS2 offer opportunities for a new generation of people. But these skills being made ready and available is not being left to chance. We are supporting the development of high-speed rail colleges in Birmingham and Doncaster with connections across the further education

punctuality, as we cut out the queue to stack luggage by the doorways.

A personalised experience We also realise that once seated, different people want different things depending on their journey. At the start of the day you might want a quiet place to work or prepare for the day ahead.

Another time you might want a more convivial

sector. Both are designed to provide high-level vocational education and training. It will be a one-stop shop for training the next generation with the skills and expertise we will need, and to be a beacon of excellence for the rail industry as a whole.

This is important because too many people still see rail as being a difficult, dirty and relatively crude industry. HS2 will be the project that changes those perceptions and helps to inspire the next generation of rail engineers.

atmosphere to talk to friends or colleagues. And when you have a young family, you don’t want to be next to people wanting library-like quietness! Our panel also reinforced that a clean train with clean facilities, including toilets, and high speed Wi-Fi were basic human rights in the 21st century railway. So we are asking ourselves how to design trains that are flexible – and because HS2 is being built from scratch,

we are free to design without the constraints of our essentially Victorian railway.

A high-frequency railway We are designing for up to 18 trains an hour to and from London at peak times – one every three or four minutes. Each with the capacity of up to 1,100 passengers – equivalent to more than two jumbo jets – which reinforces this as a railway for everyone. Think of HS2 as a metro – a high-speed inter-city metro with every journey a personalised one. It’s a vision which excites my diverse design team, which is a blend of seasoned engineers fired up by making something that will last many generations, and exciting young designers challenging them.

It’s not only those who travel on HS2 who will benefit. The new line will have enormous capacity – the equivalent of two motorways’ worth of passengers on just two tracks. It will carry much of the north-south inter-city rail

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modern railway the 21st century Japan launched the world’s first high speed rail service in 1964

Building on the international experience of high-speed rail

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An artist’s impression of the redesigned concourse at London Euston traffic, releasing space on the existing mainlines for more commuter services into our major cities, and more freight by rail too.

Over the last 20 years, passenger numbers have doubled and continue to grow at more than 5 per cent a year.

People are social beings – we travel to meet each other. Connectivity matters because Britain’s future is as a knowledge-based economy. Despite living in a hi-tech age, face-to-face meetings matter. Creative industries, finance or the law all value easy access to clients, competitors, talent and skills. It’s why they have clustered in London. But the capital is one of the world’s most expensive cities in one of the West’s most open and dynamic economies.

Bridging the north-south divide HS2 will open up alternatives

to being based in London through its complete reliability, capacity and reduced journey times.

Indeed, some people said the banks would never move their operations out of London. Yet last March HSBC announced it was relocating its retail headquarters – along with 1,000 jobs – to Birmingham, citing HS2 as a key factor. It just shows how attractive regional cities could be if we can dramatically improve connectivity.

Alternative schemes, such as revamping existing rail links, introducing doubledecker trains or lengthening platforms can only provide a limited amount of extra capacity, often at great expense.

By contrast, HS2 will triple the number of seats out of London Euston. No combination of existing rail upgrades could possibly deliver that amount of new capacity.

We need to crack on and get HS2 built and operating

as soon as we can. New transport modes come along about once a century. Development of canals in the 18th century helped trigger the Industrial Revolution. The 19th century brought the railways, making possible mass passenger and goods transport and the growth of cities.

The last century brought the car, enabling personal freedom of movement.

High-speed rail can be for our century – efficient and utterly reliable, providing safe travel between the major cities on which much of our economic wealth is based. And using our new approach to design and technology, we can personalise travel so you, the passenger, are in charge of your own journey. We want you to choose HS2 because it works for you, not because you have to.

Professor Andrew McNaughton (left) is HS2’s chief engineer www.gov.uk/hs2

ritain was the first industrial society.

Much of the infrastructure associated with it was pioneered here, including the railways. But when other countries followed our lead, improving on what we did first, over time we fell behind.

In 1964, when Japan launched the world’s first high-speed rail service with its famous bullet train, steam trains were still puffing out of St Pancras station in London. But today, we are part of the international community of high-speed railways across 20 countries, and they have been generous in their advice – lessons learned on what has worked well and what to avoid.

Now we are returning the favour in some areas. One of these is the key issue of where to locate stations, and how to use them to drive city regeneration and create jobs way beyond the railway itself. Our two Birmingham stations – Birmingham Curzon Street in the city centre, and Birmingham Interchange on the outskirts, which links to the airport and the motorway network – are being studied by other countries to see how to make high-speed rail easy to get to for as many people as possible.

London, the only mega-city in Europe, will also be served by two HS2 stations: Old Oak Common in west London, and its terminus at Euston. Both stations will bring HS2 closer to where people want to travel from and to. They will create smooth onward connections via local, regional and national transport.

These HS2 stations will trigger economic opportunities and growth, along with the employment they bring. How the arrival of high-speed rail is exploited is very much for each city to take forward, with HS2 Ltd contributing its knowledge alongside the much wider social and economic priorities which cities lead on.