Passenger Transport: June 16, 2023

FORTEVERYNIGHT

Go-Ahead London to run Kent’s Fastrack

Group sees 15-year deal to operate Bus Rapid Transit system as springboard for further expansion into Kent, and plans to build a new all-electric depot

Go-Ahead Group has plans to develop a network in Kent following its capture of the fast-growing Fastrack Bus Rapid Transit system from Arriva. The group’s Go-Ahead London subsidiary has been awarded a 15-year contract worth £110m to operate Fastrack services between Dartford, Gravesend, Bluewater and Ebbsfleet International, from November 2024. Fastrack consists of three ‘turn up and go’ routes, currently operated by Arriva.

Backed by ZEBRA funding secured by Kent County Council, Go-Ahead is in talks to deploy a fleet of 28 brand new Irizar ie Trams on the network, powered

UITP ELECTS FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT

Renée Amilcar leads

Ottawa’s OC Transpo

Renée Amilcar, general manager of OC Transpo in Ottawa, Canada, was officially been voted into office as the first female president in UITP’s association’s 138-year history at the 2023 UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona last week. “I cannot wait to get started!,” said Amilcar, who will hold the post for the next two years.

UITP SUMMIT: PAGES 4-9

by inverted electric pantograph technology. Similar vehicles are already used on Go-Ahead London routes in south-east London.

At a meeting of Dartford Borough Council’s Joint Transportation Board on Tuesday last week, Shane Hymers, public transport network developer for KCC told members: “Initially they [Go-Ahead London] are going to run it from their

Bexleyheath depot for the first year, and then they’re going to build a new depot in Kent on the Fastrack route, and it will be a purpose-built electric depot for Fastrack, so we’re absolutely delighted about that.”

He added: “A new major operator is coming to town, they’ve made no secret of the fact that they do see Fastrack as the thin end of the wedge and have plans to develop a network in Kent. I’m sure if gaps do emerge, if they’re commercially viable they will be picked up.”

Hymers told councillors that the Fastrack network in Kent is “far exceeding pre-Covid forecasts for patronage growth”.

Can public transport get to the moon?

04 Intercity TOCs lead post-Covid recovery

We report on last week’s UITP Summit

But other operators are lagging behind 12

Transdev switches to biodiesel

20

Revolutionary high blend biodiesel fuel

Rail legislation delay feels like

UITP 2023 NEWS COMMENT

‘CBA’

22 The role of immigrants

Alex Warner is frustrated by inertia

24

Nafisa Nathani on a sensitive subject

“A new major operator is coming to town”

Shane Hymers, KCC

Could your partnership get to moon?the

It seems fanciful for public transport professionals to talk about getting to the moon when their customers are trying to get to Morrisons.

IN THIS ISSUE

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BUSES B OLSTER

FIRSTG ROUP PRO F ITS

FirstGroup has exceeded City expectations with its financial results for the 2022/23 fiscal year. Chief executive Graham Sutherland said the group was establishing itself as a leader in the decarbonisation of the UK bus industry.

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Robert Jack Managing Editor

However, Professor Mariana Mazzucato urged those attending last week’s UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona to emulate that ambition in her keynote speech (see pages 4-6). She cited President Kennedy remark on reaching the moon: “We’re doing it because it’s hard, not because it’s easy.” This is the kind of determination and self-belief you need to get a new bus lane installed. Getting to the moon was inspirational and gave the USA bragging rights in the Cold War, but it’s public transport that makes the world go round. And, with no hint of exaggeration, it’s public transport that can - and must- help to save the world from climate catastrophe. So I think Mazzucato was right when she urged those working in the sector not to plod lazily along, looking out only for their own patch and their own vested interests. We need a clear, ambitious and shared vision, and everything else should fall then behind that.

Are we getting it right in the UK? Greater Manchester certainly has a vision for transport that wasn’t there before, for a variety of reasons. The West Midlands is seeing radical actions by both the public and private sectors, with the region’s dominant operator cutting fares because it is mindful of the region’s social goals as well as its own. Partnership working is the key but, as ever, it must be meaningful.

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HARPER CON FORMS £18M FOR MANC H ESTER

Transport secretary Mark Harper has announced an extraordinary funding settlement of £18m for local transport in Greater Manchester in a move that aims to ensure the stability of the network, but mayor Andy Burnham has warned it is not enough.

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M ARSTON VALE FACES A B RIG H TER F UTURE

The Marston Vale railway is a quiet line that has had mixed fortunes but it is set to become a vital link as part of the East West Rail project. Nick Richardson believes the route is something of a Cinderella that may finally find its place in the network.

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CH ALLENGING T H E CON V ENIENCE O F CARS

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Great Minster Grumbles: Our Whitehall insider imagines what’s going on inside the minds of the mandarins at Great Minster House, home of the DfT. The DfT has published the results of insight into how bus operators can boost patronage - will it work though?

REGULARS

Are we aiming for the moon?

UITP Global Public Transport Summit hears challenge to adopt mission-orientated approach

is

It’s the solution for cities in the 21st century.” That was the message from Ada Colau Ballano, the mayor of Barcelona when she welcomed delegates to UITP’s Global Public Transport Summit last week.

This belief in the role of public transport was a recurring theme of the summit, which was attended by 15,000 international visitors. But the event also examined the many challenges faced by those who want public transport to play a bigger role in our futuresuch as funding, car dependency, the elusive first/last mile, staff shortages, the transition to net zero, diversity, accessibility and an ageing workforce.

These are of course familiar challenges to UK public transport professionals - but they are global ones too, shared by their colleagues around the world. And the Global Public Transport Summit provides an opportunity to come together, share experiences and identify solutions.

This knowledge exchange has been going on since 1885 when British transport chiefs were among those involved in the creation of UITP, the international association of public transport. The association initially brought together tramway operators and their first gathering

in Berlin saw them discuss what to feed horses in order to get the most out of them. Today, the efficiency of vehicle propulsion systems still remains very much on the agenda!

The Global Public Transport Summit usually takes place every two years, but this month’s event in Barcelona was the first to take place since 2019 because Covid forced UITP to abandon its planned gathering in Melbourne in 2021. This was the tenth one that I have attended and it seemed to be among the largest.

The congress programme featured 300 speakers in 85 sessions. And the accompanying exhibition held 335 exhibitors in a space of 40,000 square metres (about five and a half football pitches). One of the exhibitors shrewdly rewarded visitors with a container of ‘tired feet’ spray.

You would have had very sore feet indeed if you’d paced the two exhibition halls searching for a UK presence. Rochdalebased Mellor exhibited one of its Sigma electric bus models, built in partnership with a Chinese company, but aside from that there was little to see from these shores.

However, the UK was represented in the congress programme and among the thousands who attended.

Go-Ahead Group boss Christian Schreyer was among the speakers (see page 9) and was spotted in a huddle with members of his team. Arriva Group CEO Mike Cooper was also among the visitors, with the Deutsche Bahn-owned group being among a number of global public transport groups to have a stand at the event.

Andy Lord, Transport for London’s commissioner, and Laura Shoaf, chief executive of

the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), were also present.

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, a former TfL commissioner (and president of UITP), addressed the congress in his recently renewed role as chair of Network Rail. I bumped into him and his former TfL sidekick Leon Daniels, and a posse from Network Rail, as I boarded a crowded bendy bus. Hendy wryly remarked that these vehicles could do a job in London, and it certainly did a great job of carrying delegates to the beautiful gardens of the Palace of Albéniz to the welcome reception.

“Public transport is not just another option. It’s the solution for cities”

Ada Colau Ballano

“Public transport

not just another option.

The summit’s keynote speech was given by Professor Mariana Mazzucato of University College London

Robert Jack Managing Editor

Leon Daniels retired as TfL’s managing director of surface transport in 2017 but he certainly isn’t putting his feet up. His current roles include being chair of RATP Dev UK and Thames Clippers, and a director of Ola Cabs UK and one.network, a platform to plan, monitor, communicate and analyse traffic disruptions. He also chairs the Highways Sector Council and the important new Bus Centre of Excellence for the Department for Transport, and sits on its Net Zero Transport Board. And he’s on the board of CoMoUK, the national organisation for shared

transport. Let me know if I missed anything!

Mission-orientated

The summit’s keynote speech was given by Professor Mariana Mazzucato of University College London, an Italian who grew up in the USA. She is internationally recognised for her work on the dynamics of technological change, and the role of the public sector in innovation, and she has advised the UK Government, the Scottish Government and many others.

Mazzucato warned that if public transport was to help communities get to net zero we

would have to change the way that we currently work. We need to abandon “very lazy partnerships” and instead adopt a missionorientated approach that puts the goal at the centre and then works backwards.

She argued that there should not be separate conversations on each side of a room, with one side talking about social goals and the other talking about wealth creation and economic growth. There needs to be a shared vision.

“That’s actually how we got to the moon,” Mazzucato said. “No one would have got to the moon 52 years ago now had they just said ‘oh public private partnership’ - put in money ... and hope for the best.

“What they did was designed the system from the beginning to work in a ... mission-orientated way.”

She continued: “Kennedy said, ‘We’re doing it because it’s hard, not because it’s easy’. That means you don’t just facilitate, you don’t just enable, you don’t just de-riskthese boring words we’ve bought into in terms of the policy process - you actually have to welcome uncertainty.”

“You have to actually make some mistakes, trial and error - and error. You need to experiment and sandbox but especially get as many different people involved.

“To get to the moon there were 400,000 people. There were many different sectors, it was not just aerospace. It was nutrition, material, electronics and software.

“So any climate change battle today, a sustainability challenge today, equally requires so many different sectors and public transport is surely one of the very, very important ones.

“We need to eat differently, move differently, construct differently. And what I’m very interested in is how the public transport world can move out of its silo of thinking of itself as a sector to actually

thinking about itself as a dynamic input into a new world.”

She urged those engaged in partnerships to work in a way that is “truly symbiotic and mutualistic” and not “parasitic or predator-prey”.

Mazzucato left it to the delegates to apply this thinking to the public transport world, but I suspect it is a message that will resonate with many in the UK public transport sector - sitting on either side of the partnership table.

I asked Kaan Yildizgoz, UITP’s senior director of membership and global operations, which cities were closest to achieving the purpose-led approach that Mazzucato advocated. He cited Singapore as an example of a city with a clear mission for sustainable mobility, and one where public institutions are willing and able to exhibit entrepreneurial flair. In Europe, he identified to Vienna, Helsinki and Amsterdam as being among the best.

Offering a UK perspective on whether large entities can lead innovation within public transport in a subsequent discussion was Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill. He argued that Britain’s rail reform plans would act as a catalyst for innovation, providing a single guiding mind capable of taking a long-term perspective. Let’s hope someone from the government is listening.

Posing a question in one of the conference sessions, Tom Page, head of strategy at Transport for London, and also general manager for the Docklands Light Railway, picked up on the theme of innovation and risk-taking.

“There is so much we’ve done in the past that’s innovative but we get stuck so much with the fear of failure and dislike of having multiple solutions underway for the same problem in the same

There were 15,000 international visitors

Mohamed Mezghani, secretary general of UITP

“You have to actually make some mistakes, trial and error - and error”Professor Mariana Mazzucato

organisation,” he said.

“We think that’s inefficient, or not being effective. But one of the best ways of finding solutions to problems is trying lots of things and then quickly eliminating those which aren’t working. How do we build up the institutional behaviour to allow us to fail and to allow us to try lots of different things?”

Dubai’s RTA (Road and Transport Authority) is keen to sell itself as a global leader with a mission-orientated vision, and one which is willing to take risks. It has its own unique vision for sustainable mobility. Public transport usage in Dubai is now ahead of pre-Covid levels at two million trips a day, but autonomous vehicles are also being touted as the antidote to traffic congestion and pollution. By 2030, RTA seeks to deploy 4,000 autonomous vehicles and for 25% of trips to be smart and driverless. Driverless air taxis are also planned.

Dávid Vitézy, an independent transport consultant who previously headed Budapest’s pubic transport and road authority, asked whether this focus on autonomous vehicles and air taxis would create the same problems that car-centric planning did in previous decades.

Responding to this point, Ahmed Bahrozyan, CEO of RTA, said these autonomous vehicles and air taxis could complement public transport rather than compete with it: “It’s a learning experience. I don’t think we have all the answers today but nobody does. We just want to be brave and be one of the early adopters because we feel that as we make mistakes, and as we learn from those mistakes, we will be a step ahead of others. And hopefully, others will learn from the experiences that we have.”

Redefining public transport Mohamed Mezghani, secretary general of UITP, explained how the definition of public transport is changing. For UITP, it now goes way beyond the group’s mass transit origins - effectively covering any mobility solution that is not the private car. The challenge is to use the appropriate mode to meet the appropriate need, and enable seamless connections between them to combat car dependency. Public transport is also changing

because travel patterns are different to the 1.3 billion public transport journeys a day that were made worldwide before Covid. Kaan Yildizgoz confirmed that the global trends are similar to those found in the UK. More people are working from home. There is a flattening of the traditional weekday peaks and buoyant demand at weekends. Bus is doing better than rail. And traffic congestion is increasing - causing lost revenues that now equate to

around 1% of GDP in Europe. The different requirements of younger generations - both as customers and employees - is also driving changing, creating a challenge that the sector must respond to if it is to remain relevant in the decades to come.

Yildizgoz set out three pillars for positive change - better integration of transport and land use planning; policies to reduce cars (such as the congestion charging plans that New York City is pursuing); and the development of public transport and shared mobility modes.

A further change in the world of public transport is the appointment of Renée Amilcar as UITP’s president - the first woman to hold this role in the association’s 138-year history. Amilcar, who is general manager of OC Transpo in Ottawa, Canada, was elected by fellow members and will hold the post for two years.

What next for UITP?

UITP is also changing. This long-established organisation is also one that is growing fast, with a 12% growth in members this year alone. The growth has been particularly fast in North America and Australasia, but also in Africa and Asia. The association will soon open an office in Beijing.

Reflecting the growth in membership from outside of Europe, the UITP Global Transport Summit is also changing. It will become an annual event in 2025. A deal has been agreed with the German city of Hamburg to host the summit in 2025 and 2027 (and possibly 2029), retaining a presence in Europe, where nine of this century’s eleven summits have been hosted. The intermediate years will see summits hosted outside of Europe, beginning with Dubai in 2026 (which last hosted the summit in 2011).

See you in Hamburg.

The German city of Hamburg to host the next summit

The congress programme featured 300 speakers

“I don’t think we have all the answers today ... We just want to be brave and be one of the early adopters”

Ahmed Bahrozyan, RTA

Cyber security in the spotlight at summit

UITP shared research and recommendations from

the USA

CYBER SECURITY

Cyber security was in the spotlight like never before at the UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona last week.

The exhibition featured a number of companies specialising in cyber security, including Cervello. Israel Baron, the company’s VP customer relations, told Passenger Transport: “Between the significant rise of cyber attacks over the past two years, like last week in India, and regulations, railways can’t and aren’t ignoring the imperative need to protect critical infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, UITP, the international association of public transport shared the finding of a report which urged US public transit agencies to appoint a chief security officer and use procurement processes to raise

STATIONS OF THE FUTURE

UITP and KONE complete project’s final study

STATIONS

UITP used its Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona last week to publicise its Stations of the Future project, which was launched last year in collaboration with KONE, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry. The project’s final study is now complete. Joining forces with KONE, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, the Stations of the Future report investigates how stations are

cyber security standards.

The research from Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University, titled Aligning the Transit Industry and Their Vendors in the Face of Increasing Cyber Risk, warns that the hardware and software lifecycles in public transit are “out of sync,” creating a situation where vehicles and other hardware designed to last for 15 years or more are being supported by software that has stopped receiving security updates, leading to “serious vulnerabilities.”

Transit agencies are also urged to better understand their own risks and ensure they have the ability to communicate them in technical terms, particularly as

vendors often provide connected services such as passenger counting, video surveillance, fare management, vehicle location tracking, data storage, and credit card processing. The growing use of first and last-mile services and connected and automated vehicles also increases digital interactions.

“There are several steps that transit agencies and their stakeholders can take to strengthen their collective cyber security posture,” said Scott Belcher, a professor at San Jose State University and one of the authors of the report. “For example, vendors for critical systems should make available a security lead to assist the agency in the management of

the agency’s risk. Meanwhile, transit agencies should integrate their cyber risk management programme with their existing physical security risk management organisation and infrastructure, creating a holistic Enterprise Risk Management programme. They should also elevate security within the organisation by appointing a Chief Security Officer (CSO).”

Some big agencies have created such a role but many still rely on their IT departments and penetration testing.

“It is increasingly difficult to name a transit provider that has not faced a data breach or other disruptive cyber incident,” the report says. “In some cases, transit agencies report clean cyber bills of health only because they are unaware of system breaches.”

The researchers also found that most agencies do not have many of the basic procedures in place to respond in the event of a cyber breach - with 42% lacking an incident response plan. Similarly, 36% have no disaster recovery plan and 53% don’t have a continuity in operations plan. Two-thirds have no documented crisis communications strategy.

changing and can be designed or adapted to best foster their central place in our society. The joint study focuses on how stations can be made future-proof considering the many purposes that they serve.

The report looks at how stations should evolve in the short and mid-term future, while analysing current trends that influence stations’ development. UITP and KONE have offered guidelines on how the sector should conceive a Station of the Future in different contexts and city dimensions, and at worldwide level.

Daria Kuzmina, rail manager at UITP commented: “Stations are vital

places to attract more users towards public transport - they quite literally can be the starting point to more sustainable mobility.

“With Stations of the Future, UITP and KONE will provide important recommendations how stations can get ready for the future on multiple aspects such as accessibility, sustainability and urban planning and design, and why it is important to pay special attention to its design and governance.

Cãlin Hera, global business development manager, major projects at KONE, added: “Improving the flow of urban life is our mission at KONE, and safe, efficient and

accessible public transport stations are crucial elements of the smart and sustainable cities the world needs. We believe close collaboration between all stakeholders is the only way to improve the increasingly complex ecosystems public transport networks are becoming.

“Partnering with UITP for this project aims to identify the latest trends and surface the needs of PTOs and PTAs to develop even further their operations and services.”

READ MORE www.uitp.org/projects/ stations-of-the-future/

“It is increasingly difficult to name a transit provider that has not faced a data breach or other cyber incident”

Mineta Transportation Institute

‘Culture change crucial to tackling equality’

Operators reveal efforts to boost participation and tackle sexism

EQUALITY

Transport operators at the UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona shared their efforts to make public transport systems safer and more inclusive to women.

Özgür Soy, the chief executive of Metro Istanbul in Turkey, highlighted the need for internal transformation within the operator to address the issue.

Metro Istanbul, which is the largest urban rail operator in Turkey, has set a goal of achieving a 50% female workforce and encouraging women to take up positions traditionally considered unsuitable for them.

To achieve this the operator has launched major publicity campaigns and utilised social media platforms. A photography series featuring strong women

working at Metro Istanbul was exhibited at a prominent station. Meanwhile, another series showcased men and women working together in the same roles, to promote equality.

In addition to communication campaigns, the operator has established an equality committee and introduced governance initiatives such as a gender equality manifesto and women’s employment principles. The company has also developed a

gender equality training program. These efforts have yielded positive results; the proportion of female employees in Metro Istanbul has doubled from 5.8% to 13%, and the number of female train drivers has increased significantly from just eight to 231.

The operator has also observed a rise in female employees being promoted and applying for jobs, along with an increase in women in management positions.

Meanwhile, STIB, the Brussels public transport operator, has expanded a campaign to address sexism and harassment experienced by passengers to its workforce.

The move followed reports in 2021 of allegations of sexism amongst a minority of employees. However, Tamara Eelsing, diversity manager at STIB, emphasised that sexism is not unique to her company but rather a systemic problem in many public spaces.

UITP calls time on conference ‘manels’

Diverse Panels Charter to eliminate all-male panels

UITP, the international association for public transport, has introduced the Diverse Panels Charter, calling for an end to all-male panels - so-called ‘manels’ - at transport events.

Lindsey Mancini, senior director of events and academy services at UITP, emphasised the need for visibility. “You cannot be what you cannot see,” she said. “There are more and

more women in the sector, but we need to see them and we need to make them more visible because when they’re visible, other women feel that this is a sector that could be for them.”

The charter aligns with UITP’s commitment to diversity and inclusion and aims to address the underrepresentation of women.

At last week’s UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona,

44% of speakers and panellists were women, up from 42% at the Stockholm event in 2019.

Promoting diversity requires a different approach, but it is a worthwhile endeavour, according to Mancini. Although men often volunteer for speaking slots more readily, women sometimes need to be actively sought out.

However, such efforts have yielded results for UITP. Mancini noted: “When we do this, we’ve noticed that at the next event, the rate of women that respond to the call for papers has gone through the roof.”

To address this, STIB targeted the so-called ‘silent middle’, treating them as witnesses and a solution to sexism, rather than assigning blame.

Eelsing highlighted the crucial role witnesses play in the fight against sexism and the necessity for managers to intervene early.

“Witnesses have a very important role to play in the fight against sexism and actually in any kind of diversity fight that we have,” she said. “It’s far easier for a witness to say ‘Stop’ than it is for victims.”

The campaign included videos and interactive e-learning modules demonstrating various forms of sexism and strategies to address them, using both male and female perspectives. On this Eelsing was at pains to point out that men can be victims of sexism too.

STIB encouraged open dialogue with the slogan ‘Talk about it’. “There’s no quick fix,” concluded Eelsing. “Sexism is not a one-off campaign; you have to be consistent, you have to have multiple actions on the same subject. It’s about creating a culture change.”

CITIES URGED TO TACKLE

POLLUTION

WHO doctors challenges cities to work on policies

PUBLIC HEALTH

During the final day of last week’s UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona, Doctor Maria Neira of the World Health Organisation said public transport played a critical role in public health by helping to reduce air pollution. She called on city leaders globally to ensure they have a current measurement of the air quality in their city on their desks. “Start by looking at that every day, and make policies that will help improve that number,” she added.

Eelsing: ‘Sexism a systemic issue in public spaces’

Industry urged to focus on young people

Operators should seek to retain the interest of young new recruits

RECRUITMENT

There was a rallying call for transport operators around the world to focus their efforts on recruiting and retaining the next generation of staff at last week’s UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona.

During a congress session exploring how public transport can become a more attractive employer, Alexandra Reinagl, chief executive of Wiener Linien, Vienna’s public transport operator, explained that her company was looking at collaborating with educational institutions in a bid to make a career in public transport a tempting prospect.

RATP OFFERS HOMES TO STAFF

Parisian operator manages over 8,000 apartments

HOUSING

Transport operators should look at options for building highquality, affordable housing for their staff above transport depots and infrastructure according to RATP Dev chief executive Hiba Fares.

Speaking at a congress session exploring how public transport can become a more attractive employer at last week’s UITP Global Public Transport Summit, Fares explained that the Parisian operator manages over 8,000 apartments in Paris through its RATP Habitat social housing operation.

A large minority of these homes

She said very young children seem to be always interested in buses and trams but this interest lessens as children get older. Wiener Linien was therefore looking at ways in which it could foster and retain that interest so a career in public transport was a tempting choice for young people.

This was a theme taken up by Dorval Carter, chair of the American Public Transportation Association and president of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). He revealed CTA was working with a small number of schools in Chicago in a bid to educate students about the opportunities in the public transport world.

“There are some agencies in our country that are working very closely with their schools and are actually helping create technical schools in the transportation

are rented to RATP employees with the remainder reserved for key workers such as nurses, teachers and members of the police force. RATP Habitat has also created affordable co-living residences for students studying at Parisian universities.

She said that the French operator was exploring how it could expand this operation as a means of tackling increasingly unaffordable rents in the French capital.

“Frontline workers have major difficulties in finding housing near their place of work,” she said. “This is a big reason, but not the only reason, why many leave operators in cities.”

Fares said that the move to electrify bus operations therefore offered an opportunity to expand RATP Habitat. She continued: “When we electrify a bus depot, which

field,” revealed Carter. “So that when students graduate from those schools they have pretty much a guaranteed job. Every year at school they are also guaranteed a summer job working in an internship. We see that as a really good way to develop potential future talent.”

Closer to home, Go-Ahead chief executive Christian Schreyer said operators should work harder to explain to young people how the sector was at the forefront of tackling the climate emergency.

“We are the biggest contributor to carbon emission reduction in transportation,” he said. “Our industry is not this oldfashioned industry with a lot of grease, oil and diesel. No, we are a modern industry, very digital, a lot of technology and we must communicate this better.”

means less noise etc, we will build on top of the bus depot housing for our employees... Then you can offer good work conditions, and a good work:life balance and allow frontline workers to live somewhere that is affordable.

“This is something we should all explore. There are real opportunities to do something in this field.”

SCHREYER

ADMITS

BREXIT IMPACT

Post-Covid recruitment hindered by EU exit

RECRUITMENT

Go-Ahead Group chief executive Christian Schreyer emphasised the effect Brexit had had on the group’s operations in the UK at last week’s UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona.

He said transport operators faced similar post-Covid challenges around the world and chief among them were staffing shortages. However, he said the UK’s challenges were more pronounced as a result of the decision to leave the European Union. He described this as the “very toxic combination of Brexit and Covid”.

“Many of our drivers used to come from central or eastern European countries and many of them returned home during the pandemic,” Schreyer said. “Then they were not allowed back into the UK anymore.”

The Go-Ahead chief executive explained that bus drivers were not on the list of skilled workers that qualified for a work permit post-Brexit and this needed to change.

“Engineers, they are on the list, so we can bring people from all over Europe [to fill those vacancies], but not the bus drivers,” Schreyer noted. “It’s a huge challenge. In London, we are missing something like 9% of our drivers, so we are missing 600 people for our London bus business.”

Schreyer also criticised the move by many in the industry to offer lucrative sign-on bonuses to recruits who already have a bus driving licence. He was particularly critical of the use of the practice by driver agencies who then hire drivers back to the very companies they were recruited from.

“We need to attract more talent and then retain that talent,” he added. “So let’s get rid of sign-on bonuses. That’s really what I would like you to see the industry do.”

“Sexism is not a one-off campaign; you have to be consistent”

RATP builds homes for employees

Buses and open access bolster First’s profits

Profits double as a result of growth at group’s two divisions

FINANCIALS

FirstGroup has exceeded City expectations with its financial results for the 2022/23 fiscal year, driven by strong growth at its UK bus and open access rail operations and despite the loss of a key rail contract.

The Aberdeen-based group’s adjusted attributable profit for continued operations, excluding central costs, cash interest, and tax, more than doubled to £82.1m in the 52 weeks to March 25, 2023, compared to £36.2m during the previous year.

The main discontinued operation was the company’s US bus business, including the Greyhound intercity coach

GO-AHEAD SNAPS UP PULHAMS

ACQUISITIONS

The Go-Ahead Group has expanded into Gloucestershire with the purchase of Pulhams Coaches, a long-established familyrun bus and coach operator.

The business has 90 buses and coaches and 126 staff. It operates 22 predominantly rural and interurban bus routes in the Cotswolds alongside coaching activities. Based in Bourton-on-the-Water, Pulhams has won multiple awards for delivering high standards and currently holds both DVSA Earned Recognition and Guild of British Coach Operators accreditation.

operation, whose sale was announced in October 2021. Revenue from continuing operations was up 3.6% at £4.76bn.

Much of the success was driven by First Bus (see table below) where the group is now moving 1.1 million passengers each day. Passenger volumes increased 20% when compared with 2022 levels, with commercial and concessionary volumes up 21% and 19% respectively.

Total passenger revenue increased to £660.0m (FY 2022: £570.0m), more than offsetting

the reduction in government funding, which decreased by £42.8m to £86.5m. The group said the margin was 7.9%, an improvement despite ongoing inflationary pressures.

The year had seen the acquisition of Essex bus operator EnsignBus, Airporter in Northern Ireland and the expansion of the Metrobus operation in Bristol following the collapse of HCT Group. This expansion had counteracted the sale of the First Scotland East business to McGill’s and the closure of the Southampton bus operations. Meanwhile, First Bus is investing heavily in the electrification of the fleet and infrastructure.

At First Rail performance at the Lumo and Hull Trains open access operations is ahead of expectations and underpinned by

strong leisure volumes. Revenues grew 43% to reach £190.8m (2022: £119.2m). Meanwhile, financial performance from managementfee-based contracts is broadly in line with expectations, despite the subsequent loss of the TransPennine Express contract last month. Overall First Rail reported adjusted revenues of £3.89bn (2022: £3.76bn) with operating profits up 42% to £124.8m (2022: £87.8m).

“We have delivered a strong financial performance in FY 2023,” said chief executive Graham Sutherland. “In First Rail, our teams have worked extremely hard on our service objectives, and the notable success of our open access operations is further recognition of the considerable expertise and ambition of our team.

“In First Bus, we are seeing the benefits of actions we have taken to transform the business, and we are establishing ourselves as leaders in decarbonisation as we accelerate the electrification of our bus fleet.”

The company is one of the oldest established operators in Britain, having been founded in 1880 to carry passengers into Cheltenham from nearby villages by horse and cart.

Go-Ahead plans to maintain Pulhams as an independent entity under its Oxford Bus Company subsidiary, following the same approach it employed with previous acquisitions like Thames Travel and Carousel Buses. The Pulhams brand will also be retained and there are no immediate plans to make any changes to the staff.

“The business links nicely with our existing services in Oxfordshire and surrounding counties, and helps us to diversify our business further into new market segments,” said Luke Marion, managing director of the Oxford Bus Company. “We’ll be

investing in developing the Pulhams business further, for the benefit of both customers and colleagues.”

Pulhams managing director Andrew Pulham added: “I am excited to work with Luke and the wider Go-Ahead team in developing new business opportunities and enhancing those that we already have in place.”

WRIGHTBUS WINS EXPORT BACKING

£50m financing boost for global expansion plans

FINANCE

Bus manufacturer Wrightbus has received a £50m financing boost from UK Export Finance to support its ambitious export drive.

The Export Development Guarantee provided by the UK’s export credit agency ensures 80% of the loan from Barclays Bank. This funding complements previous government support and enables Wrightbus to enhance its working capital and deploy funds flexibly to meet its business needs.

The financing will facilitate the entry into new markets, including Germany and North America.

“We are seeing the benefits of actions we have taken to transform the business”

Intercity TOCs lead post-Covid recovery

East Coast intercity operator LNER was among four TOCs to exceed 2019 patronage levels in the first quarter of 2023, but others are lagging behind

PATRONAGE

East Coast intercity operators continue to lead the way when it comes to welcoming people back to rail. Between January and March 2023, passenger journeys exceeded pre-Covid numbers at four train operating companies.

LNER, which has topped the table for franchised operators for two years running, carried 111% of the passenger numbers it did during the same period of 2019. Transport UK Group-owned East Midlands Railway also managed to exceed the 2019 figure, carrying 101% of the passengers it did four years ago.

LNER and East Midlands were joined by two non-franchised East Coast operators in exceeding pre-Covid patronage - Hull Trains (122%) and Grand Central (111%).

LNER recorded 6.0 million passenger journeys, an increase of 22% on the same period in 2022. Fridays and Sundays are still proving to be the most popular days for people to travel on its services as demand for leisure journeys continues to

thrive. As a result of changing travel trends, LNER is looking to increase capacity on Sundays, with proposals for additional Sunday services on its London King’s Cross and Leeds route. The wider industry is also trialling carrying out essential engineering works during the week to keep customers on the move during the popular weekend period.

David Horne, managing director at LNER, commented: “We’ve seen a huge demand in leisure travel, with business travel continuing to grow. In the 2022-23 financial year, we carried one million more passengers than we than we did in 2018-19.”

While LNER and others are bouncing back, some operators continue to lag. 13 of the 20 franchised operators are still missing more than a fifth of their pre-Covid passengers and four train operators are missing more than a third.

TransPennine Express is at the bottom of the table with only 60% of its pre-Covid patronage, although this has been aggravated by widespread service cancellations that saw it taken over by the Department for Transport’s operator of last resort ( OLR ) on May 28. South London commuter TOCs Southeastern and South Western Railway didn’t do much better, carrying 62% and 63% of their pre-Covid patronage respectively.

SUMMER OF PRIDE

LNER has revealed a new named and full liveried Azuma train as Pride celebrations get underway across the UK this summer. Named ‘Together’, it celebrates LNER’s support of Pride activities on its 956-mile route as well its commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives for colleagues, customers and communities throughout the year.

Railway legislation delay feels like ‘CBA’.

Page 22

Aslef members reject ScotRail pay proposal

Train drivers vote to reject operator’s ‘below inflation’ deal

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

Members of the train drivers’ union Aslef have voted against a pay offer put forward by ScotRail despite members of the RMT, which represents conductors, ticket examiners and station staff, voting to approve a similar deal which includes a 5% pay rise.

ScotRail expressed disappointment over Aslef’s rejection but affirmed its commitment to resolving the issue. The ballot saw the participation of 1,058 Aslef members. The union has called for talks to resume after 51.6% of its members voted to decline the offer.

Aslef’s Scotland organiser Kevin Lindsay said ScotRail had made a

READING GREEN PARK OPENS

New station opens up connectivity in Reading

INVESTMENT

Reading mayor Tony Page officially opened Reading Green Park station last month.

It is the first of three new stations opening this year on the Great Western Railway network, along with Portway Park & Ride in Bristol and Marsh Barton in Exeter.

Reading Green Park is located on the Reading to Basingstoke line and it will improve connectivity for local residents and businesses in the Green Park area, as well as football fans attending events at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, home of Reading Football Club.

“below-inflation offer”.

“Like other workers, our members are experiencing the impact of rocketing food, fuel and energy costs,” he said.

“But we also know the important service Scotland’s train drivers provide and that’s why we are calling for pay talks with ScotRail to begin again immediately so we can take forward meaningful discussion on fair pay.”

David Simpson, ScotRail’s service delivery director, said:

“It is incredibly disappointing

that Aslef members have voted against this offer. The offer was a strong one, which gives drivers a well deserved pay rise while also delivering good value for the taxpayer. We remain committed to working with Aslef to agree a pay deal for our drivers.”

Meanwhile, the RMT said negotiations were tough, but its members had voted to accept what RMT general secretary Mick Lynch described as a “modest” deal.

“We have managed to negotiate this deal like many others on the railways including in Wales, the English regions and now Scotland,” he said.

“Where the Department for Transport has the controlling mandate for 14 train operators, RMT has had a year-long dispute with multiple strikes.”

IN BRIEF

NO TICKETS TO RYDE (PIER)

South Western Railway and Network Rail have admitted that the reopening of Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight has been pushed back until July 10, missing a key deadline to ensure heavy maintenance work on the 143-year-old pier would be completed in time for the Isle of Wight Festival this month. The delay is a result of engineers having to revise designs for components to secure new rails and sleepers on the pier.

TUBE PATRONAGE GAIN

Patronage on London

Underground is back to 90% of pre-pandemic levels, according to new figures from Transport for London. A total of 91 million journeys were made on the system in April, compared with 101 million in April 2019. Travel on the Docklands Light Railway, London Overground, trams and buses has also increased.

CAMBRIDGE SOUTH APPROVAL

The government has confirmed funding for Cambridge South station. The four-platform station is intended to be completed by 2025 and it will be convenient for the city’s Biomedical Campus, which is the largest centre of medical research and health science in Europe. Trains calling at Cambridge South will include those on East West Rail from Bedford.

NUNEHAM REOPENS

Network Rail has reopened Nuneham Viaduct in Oxfordshire, following an intensive 10-week programme of work to repair structural issues with the south bank abutment. Engineers will remain at the site for another 12 weeks to finish the work.

“The offer was a strong one, which gives drivers a well deserved pay rise”

Reading mayor Tony Page opened the station

Rotala confirms sale of Bolton assets to TfGM

AIM-listed group secures £30m in local bus assets sale

FRANCHISING

AIM-listed bus group Rotala has announced it has exchanged contracts with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) for the sale of its bus depot in Bolton and the majority of the locally-based bus fleet.

The group announced in December it had agreed in principle to dispose of its Bolton depot and the majority of the bus fleet to the GMCA following the results of the first tranche of franchise contracts (PT280).

That will see Go-Ahead take on the management of the Bolton depot after its Go North West subsidiary won the two large bus franchise contracts for the Bolton and Wigan areas.

The sale by Rotala includes the

BEE NETWORK BUS DELIVERIES

Burnham accepts first five of 100 new electric buses

VEHICLES

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, visited Larbert in Scotland earlier this month to accept delivery of the first five of at least 100 new electric double decker buses from Alexander Dennis for the region’s franchised Bee Network.

The 100 new buses are funded from the government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), with around 250 more to be delivered up to 2027.

depot along with all associated fixtures, fittings, plant, and machinery. Additionally, 134 vehicles, which constitute the majority of Rotala’s buses based at the Bolton depot, will be placed into TfGM’s notional asset pool, known as the Residual Value Mechanism (RVM).

Under the Bee Network franchising arrangements for Greater Manchester, TfGM allocates buses from the asset pool to the incoming franchise operators, who are then obligated to acquire the allocated vehicles at a value determined by TfGM under the RVM.

Rotala has confirmed the cash consideration for the assets involved in the transaction amounting to approximately £30m. The unaudited net book value of these assets is estimated to be around £23m. The proceeds from the disposals will be allocated to mortgage repayment, hire purchase debt and repaying

the group’s overdraft facility.

A decision on GMCA’s plans for a depot facility in Wigan are awaited. No announcement has yet been made about the future of Stagecoach’s depot in the town after the Perth-based group failed to secure any passenger contracts in that first franchising round. However, Stagecoach has subsequently secured contracts for 17 school bus services covering Wigan, Bolton and parts of Salford and Bury (PT287).

The group is also understood to be competing hard in the second tranche of franchise contracts covering Bury, Rochdale and Oldham and parts of Manchester, Salford and Tameside, the results of which are due within weeks.

As a safety net, TfGM has an outstanding planning application for a new 121-bus depot at Martland Park in Wigan if depot negotiations fail, but with Bee Network services due to start on September 24, time is tight.

TfGM CONFIRMS BUS PERMIT PLANS

REGULATION

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has released the results of two consultations on a proposed Londonstyle service permit regime for nonBee Network bus services. Feedback came from eight bus operators, three Greater Manchester districts, four neighbouring authorities, 33 local residents, and two trade bodies. Of the participating operators, seven run services into Greater Manchester.

TfGM confirmed plans for a 28-day decision-making period and 70-day implementation period for changes, aligning with traffic commissioner requirements. It also confirmed cross-border services require registrations to be lodged with both TfGM and the traffic commissioner.

Operators supported the proposed registration form, but rail replacement providers found vehicle specifications burdensome. TfGM agreed to develop a simplified form for short-notice registrations while maintaining quality standards.

TfGM decided on service permits of up to five years, with options for shorter durations. Operator suggestions ranged from 12 months to permanent permits. Neighbouring councils running subsidised services will be able to obtain cross-border permits of up to eight years.

Most operators agreed with TfGM’s plans for ticket acceptance, while some sought further details. TfGM clarified its capped fares must be accepted but operators can also offer their own fare structures.

On performance monitoring, some operators wanted limitations on TfGM monitoring, while neighbouring authorities sought automatic breach notifications. TfGM emphasised a willingness to discuss poorly performing service permit operations with neighbouring councils.

Burnham (centre) with representatives from TfGM and Alexander Dennis at the handover

Clarification of rules after two consultation exercises

Harper confirms £18m for Greater Manchester

Extraordinary funding settlement will enable pandemic recovery and allow local transport network to move towards financial sustainability

FUNDING

Transport secretary Mark Harper has announced an extraordinary funding settlement of £18m for local transport in Greater Manchester in a move that aims to ensure the stability and reliability of the network.

The £18m is intended to last until the end of March 2024 and the government said it followed over £400m allocated to local transport in Greater Manchester since March 2020. The funding also complements previous investments, including £1.07bn through City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS), £39.7m for active travel schemes, and £19.9m through Levelling-Up Funds for transport.

It added that these funding streams demonstrated the government’s commitment to supporting the network despite financial constraints caused by declining bus and tram usage levels, inflation costs, historic debts, and revenue risks from the launch of the region’s franchised bus network.

“Since the start of the pandemic, the government has repeatedly stepped up to support Greater Manchester and the Bee Network, providing over £400m to protect and improve services,” said Harper.

“We’re determined to see a thriving local transport network in this great city and, while our support package must be fair to taxpayers, I am confident this additional extraordinary

settlement will help operators to recover from the pandemic while Transport for Greater Manchester follows through on its promise to reach financial sustainability.”

The funding is contingent upon TfGM presenting a pathway to financial sustainability. This would take into account the funding structure of the Metrolink light rail network and the Greater Manchester Transport Fund.

However, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has claimed the funding amounts to less than half of the shortfall the region’s transport network faces and suggested that the settlement offered is far less generous than that received by London.

“Any extra support for our public transport system as it recovers from the pandemic is, of course, welcome and we appreciate the secretary of state’s efforts in securing this,” he said.

“This said, the total funding offered, which includes the extra £18m, represents less than half of the shortfall we face and is far less generous in percentage terms than the settlement offered to London. If the government is to deliver on its commitment of London-style public transport outside of London, it has to put

funding behind it and ensure all parts of the country receive fair and equal treatment.”

Burnham added that he has asked Harper for “more funding flexibility to deal with the challenges we face”.

Perhaps pre-empting Burnham, the government also provided a breakdown of the funding the region and Transport for Greater Manchester has received since the start of the pandemic when it announced the extra funds.

This includes a fixed sum of £13m of Bus Service Operators Grant Plus (BSOG+) funding, which will be allocated based on mileage and BSOG claims for operators in the region in 2022/23. Additionally, over £13m of funding for the BSOG has been provided each year. A total of £95m has been allocated for the Bus Service Improvement Plan, and £260m has been granted since the pandemic’s onset to support the region’s bus and tram networks. Greater Manchester has also received £35.7m through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme.

The government has also allocated £8.8bn for a second round of CRSTS. This will run for the five years from 2027.

WEST YORKS OPTS FOR FRANCHISING

Brabin claims move would end ‘second class service’

REGULATION

West Yorkshire Combined Authority has become the latest North of England mayoral combined authority to conclude that franchising is its preferred option for bus reform. Its assessment states franchising would offer “clear strategic benefits” by helping the combined authority to achieve its ambitions for an integrated transport system.

“The evidence shows that franchising offers clear benefits and would give the greater opportunity to achieve our objectives,” said West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin. She added that a franchised bus network was an opportunity to improve the “second-class service” Brabin claimed many were receiving.

Independent auditors will review the assessment before a public consultation in autumn 2023. Brabin will then make a final decision on whether to press ahead with franchising in spring 2024.

Meanwhile, the combined authority will continue with its Bus Service Improvement Plan programme. It will invest £7.3m in enhancements, including new routes, increased frequency, and cheaper fares.

Improvements in Bradford, Leeds, Calderdale, and Kirklees have been announced, with plans for Wakefield improvements in September.

Brabin plans to take control

“If the government is to deliver on its commitment of London-style public transport outside of London, it has to put funding behind it ”Andy Burnham

Stagecoach makes cuts to Kent bus network

Operator to close Folkstone operation in bid to cut costs

NETWORKS

Stagecoach South East has announced plans to reorganise its bus operations in the Folkestone area, which will result in the closure of its depot site at Kent Road in Cheriton in early September. Operations will be transferred to Stagecoach South East’s depots in Dover and Ashford.

While the majority of employees and bus services are expected to be retained during the reorganisation, the Canterburybased bus operator has acknowledged that discussions will be held with Kent County Council regarding the future of certain local bus routes that fail to

SIX SEGMENTS TO TEMPT TO BUSES

PATRONAGE

The Department for Transport has revealed the findings of research by Yonder Consulting that aims to determine ways of encouraging greater bus use in England. The objective of the study was to develop strategies and policies that would drive behaviour change and increase bus patronage.

The study revealed that infrequent or non-users of buses were unlikely to use buses in the future, with six out of 10 infrequent users and nine out of 10 non-users expressing this sentiment. Consequently, interventions would be necessary to

cover their running costs.

The decision to restructure the Folkestone operations stems from the declining viability of the company’s activities in the area, a trend further exacerbated by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The operator added that rising costs, a decrease in passenger numbers, and the burden of traffic congestion have collectively compelled Stagecoach to make changes to its operations in the area.

Stagecoach is currently engaging with employees and trade unions to explore options for the affected staff. The majority of the approximately 160 employees at the Folkestone base will have the opportunity to relocate to another depot.

Stagecoach South East managing director Joel Mitchell

change the opinions and behaviours of these individuals and expand the pool of bus users.

The key findings of the research were that to compete against car in the long term, the bus would need to deliver on the fundamental and universal transport needs of reliability, ease of completing journeys, safety, journey time and offer flexibility.

The bus was also perceived in the research to underperform in all of these areas. Therefore improvement would be necessary to stimulate modal shift and future patronage growth.

To facilitate this sort of growth Yonder identified six segments or audiences within the general population that differed based on their attitudes towards bus use and

said the company had been forced to consider some difficult decisions.

He continued: “Before and during the pandemic, we did everything we could to protect jobs and bus services, but the impact of such a challenging environment over a number of years means we have reached the point where we have no alternative but to make changes.”

Mitchell emphasised the importance of finding alternatives to fare increases and building a strong foundation for the future. The company aims to minimise the impact on services and support affected colleagues during this transition.

Stagecoach confirmed that the proposed closure of the depot would not affect the operation of Folkstone’s bus station.

general transport needs.

By defining these six segments, Yonder said that it would give stakeholders the tools necessary to tailor policies and marketing messages towards individual segments based on what is more likely to motivate them to use the bus.

For all segments, like the general population, the consultants determined that reliability, journey time and flexibility were key areas that needed improvement. However, other areas were important factors to improve on for each of the segments. They are:

Sustainable Urbanites: Younger, urban dwellers under 55 who use buses and prioritise cost, environment, and convenience;

Pragmatic Professionals: Younger professionals under 55 who value

KENT’S

FREE BUS TRAVEL WEEKEND

Move aims to complement Kentish tourism drive

NETWORKS

I n an effort to encourage bus patronage and support local tourism, free bus travel will be available on most bus services operating in Kent and Medway on June 24 and 25.

This initiative is part of the region’s Bus Service Improvement Plan and has been made possible through UK government funding provided by Kent’s Enhanced Partnership schemes.

The move aims to complement the Kent Big Weekend, a campaign promoting local tourist attractions that offer free or reduced-cost entry to their attractions.

Several bus companies are participating in this initiative, including Arriva, ASD, Autocar, Brighton & Hove Buses, Chalkwell, Compass, EnsignBus, Go-Coach, Hams, Metrobus, Nu-Venture, Red Route, Regent, Southdown, and Stagecoach South East.

bus reliability for commuting;

Anxious Vulnerables: Older, low-income individuals with health concerns who use buses in line with the average, focusing on safety;

Open-minded Potentials: Older, rural residents over 55 with slightly below-average bus usage. Improved reliability would attract them;

Apprehensive Avoiders: Lower socio-economic individuals in towns/ villages over 35 with minimal bus usage, emphasising interconnectivity and simplicity; and

Car-loving Critics: Older men in rural areas who rarely use buses. They prioritise reliability and flexibility, but the bus performs poorly in their mind. They would be difficult to engage.

To read the study and its findings, visit bit.ly/3P4dMSs

DfT probes ‘audience strategy’ for bus growth

Challenging the convenience of cars.

Page 29

Knowledge hub aims to empower professionals

Bus Centre of Excellence launches knowledge hub in a bid to empower the bus sector with enhanced skills to meet the vision of National Bus Strategy

SKILLS

The Bus Centre of Excellence (BCOE) has introduced its knowledge hub service, which aims to be a valuable resource for bus sector professions.

Designed to bring together professionals from various backgrounds, including local authorities, operators, and consultancies, the BCOE aims to facilitate the sharing of best practices and the development of skills to enhance bus services throughout England. The knowledge hub aims to serve as a one-stop shop, offering resources, guidance, and support for England’s National Bus Strategy.

The inception of the BCOE was initially announced in 2021 and aims to complement the vision of England’s National Bus Strategy. It aims to bring together sector knowledge and expertise, deliver training programs, and promote the sharing of best practices.

Managed and sponsored by the Department for Transport, the BCOE will offer a

IN BRIEF

BSOG PLUS DETAILS

ACCESSIBILITY

The government has launched a review of the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) in a bid to address gaps in its understanding by gathering information on the current

comprehensive program of activities and support. Experts from the bus sector will oversee and deliver the training, focusing on critical areas such as public transport service planning and network design, performance oversight, contract procurement and competitive tendering, development of bus priority measures, and broader traffic management strategies to enhance local bus performance.

The knowledge hub, accessible through the BCOE website, provides a wealth of valuable resources, case studies, and practical information about the bus sector. Over time, the hub will evolve into a one-stop shop for resources in the industry, offering users easy access to pertinent information. The website also features the latest news from the BCOE, details of relevant events, contact information, and an option for users to register their interest in receiving updates.

Future phases of the initiative will witness the launch of

effectiveness and potential evolution of the regulations.

The review aims to gather evidence that will allow the government to understand the efficacy of the PSVAR; understand how the regulations might evolve to better meet the changing needs of disabled people; identify where further policy development might be needed; and understand the perspectives of disabled users, commissioners of

discussion forums, tailored events, thought leadership contributions from industry experts, and the ability for individuals to register as members of the BCOE.

Leon Daniels, chair of the BCOE strategy board, emphasised the significance of this development. “This is the first of a variety of services that we will be providing to the bus sector,” he said. “The BCOE website aims to empower users by offering access to up-to-date resources, facilitating discussions, and providing relevant training that meets the sector’s needs.”

Daniels highlighted the BCOE’s commitment to collaboration and the delivery of improved services throughout the sector. In the coming months, the BCOE will unveil broader strategies supporting its vision, encouraging interested parties to contribute.

“By raising the skills and knowledge of those working in and around the sector, we will help spread the word that bus services are improving,” said Daniels.

transport services, manufacturers and operators of buses and coaches; and the public’s views.

“This is a significant opportunity to inform the government’s understanding of the accessibility of our public service vehicles, and your insight is crucial,” said transport minister Richard Holden. “I strongly encourage you to respond.”

More details can be found online at bit.ly/42D9W5X

The Department for Transport has announced the BSOG Plus scheme for commercial bus services in England will use a baseline pence per kilometre payment from July 1 that is coupled to a pence per litre sum for fuel in the case of conventionally-powered pence per kilometre payment for zeroemission vehicles; or a pence per kilogram remittance for gas buses. Above the basic 5.5p per kilometre for all power sources, diesel and those other liquid fuels will attract a further 13.83p per litre consumed. Gas will lead to an additional 7.55p per kilogram used, while zero-emission buses will gain a further 8.8p per kilometre. All of the above can be claimed in addition to the established BSOG rates.

XPLORE DUNDEE STRIKE

200 employees who are members of the Unite union at Xplore Dundee commenced 12 weeks of strike action this week. The decision comes after unsuccessful talks mediated by ACAS on June 9 to resolve an on-going pay dispute. The operator said it had tabled a “plus 7% pay rise” for drivers, which had been accepted by staff elsewhere at the wider McGill’s Bus Group in Scotland and by Xplore Dundee engineering staff.

MIGRATION LIST CALL

The Confederation of Passenger Transport has written to the Migration Advisory Committee calling for bus and coach drivers to be added to the Shortage Occupation List. CPT said many operators are still experiencing driver shortages - the rate amongst bus operators is currently 6.8%.

New review aims to check legislation still appropriate

GOVERNMENT PROBES PSVAR

‘Better buses should be priority in North Wales’

North Wales Transport Commission is urging improvements to existing services instead of new railways and stations. Rhodri Clark reports

STRATEGY

Improving bus services and existing train services should take precedence over building new railways and stations, the North Wales Transport Commission said in its interim report last week.

The commission’s advice may resonate in other areas of Britain where bus managers argue that rail is taking a disproportionate share of resources and leaving too little funding to support and improve bus services, which carry more passengers and serve more communities.

This imbalance in resources has been noticeable in Wales, where Transport for Wales Rail and the Core Valley Lines modernisation account for a large share of the Welsh Government’s transport funding.

In 2020, the government published a map of its vision for transport in North Wales. This showed new services, at two trains per hour frequency, between Amlwch and Bangor, between Bangor and Porthmadog and between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Trawsfynydd, all of which would require rebuilding former railways. The map also featured new stations at Broughton, Deeside Parkway and Holywell on existing railways.

“Whilst the commission acknowledges that new railway lines in these locations could be attractive to residents, the commission is not persuaded that these interventions are the most effective use of public funds

at this time,” said the interim report of the commission, which is chaired by former Treasury permanent secretary Lord Burns. “More urgent improvements to existing lines and services should take a higher priority.”

However, the commission does support a new station at Deeside Industrial Park, where 9,000 people work. The Department for Transport has previously awarded funding for development of the station project.

The commission said it had heard the case for rebuilding railways in North Wales. “The commission is persuaded, however, that in the short term

these corridors should form part of a proposed core bus network, which would enhance the potential for travel that is quick, reliable, and high quality. In combination with multimodal ticketing, this may achieve some modal shift from car to public transport cost effectively. Alignments of disused lines should be safeguarded for future use.”

It also cautioned that new stations on existing railways would increase rail journey times, which could deter some people from making journeys by rail along the route. “These communities should have access to a bus service which connects to the nearest station

and comprehensive, comfortable and attractive active travel routes separated from motor traffic.

“Therefore, the current view of the commission is that service frequency enhancements should be prioritised first. Whilst there could be the prospect of a case for introducing stations in the future, it is considered that the main priority should be providing an improved frequency of service that would enable journey times that would be competitive with the private car.”

A concern highlighted in the report is that existing public transport services in North Wales typically operate at relatively low frequencies, in urban and rural areas, and have limited hours of operation. Only 29% of the population live within walking distance of hourly public transport after 19.00.

“The existing bus network in the region is poor, with limited frequency and operational hours, as well as often having poor journey times in comparison with the car,” said the commission. “There are several reasons for this, including historic underfunding, car-based development planning, and car-centric attitudes. The existing, deregulated bus network does not work well in the region.”

The commission supports legislative changes to introduce bus franchising. “Without the legislation, it may not be possible to construct a new bus network that improves services across the region.”

The commission will make its final recommendations in the autumn. The commissioners include former Campaign for Better Transport CEO Stephen Joseph, former Nottingham City Council transport and planning director Sue Flack, and Professor John Parkin of the University of the West of England.

“The existing bus network in the region is poor, with limited frequency and operational hours” North Wales Transport Commission

The three-hourly train from Llandudno to Blaenau Ffestiniog, pictured, would continue on a rebuilt track to Trawsfynydd and operate twice per hour under Welsh Government proposals

in Wales”

NR defends plans to cut Wales & West renewals

Region already saw its performance worsen the most last year

RENEWALS

Network Rail has defended its plans to focus the biggest increase in asset failures on Wales & Western region, which was identified last year as the region where performance had worsened the most.

In its Strategic Business Plan (SBP) for England and Wales in Control Period 7 (2024-29), Network Rail admits that it expects asset reliability to decrease by 2.0% (PT290). However, Wales & Western asset reliability is expected to worsen by 8.0%, which is four times the average and 80 times more than the worsening expected in the North West & Central region. The SBP is subject to further potential refinements, and the ORR is due this week to issue its Draft Determination of what Network Rail should deliver in CP7.

The SBP says that for passenger train operators in Wales & Western, the increase in Network Rail’s Service Affecting Failures (SAFs) is expected to result in a cancellation rate of 2.8% to 3.8% by the end of CP7. “We expect to exit CP7 with performance between 63.2% [and] 64.7%,” says the Wales & Western region’s SBP. “Should risks materialise and contingent expenditure is not able to be deployed to asset activities, we forecast that asset reliability will worsen by a further 0.5% to 8.5% worse than CP6, train service performance will decline, with outturn more likely at the bottom of the forecast range.”

Last July, the ORR’s annual assessment of Network Rail’s performance singled out Wales & Western for criticism. “Train performance in the Wales and Western region declined more quickly than in other regions and its asset management needs to improve to support better performance for passengers and freight users.”

Wales & Western missed its scorecard target for delay minutes attributed to Network Rail by 83% in 2021-22. The ORR said that within Wales & Western, train performance on the Wales & Borders route was “of greater concern”.

Welsh rail infrastructure is not devolved, apart from the Core Valley Lines, and the Welsh Government is frustrated with Network Rail’s performance. Lee Waters, deputy minister for climate change, told Passenger Transport: “The UK Government is presiding over a managed decline of the railways

in Wales. Not only have they failed to invest in improving our network, they are now planning to worsen the performance of it with the programme for Network Rail’s Control Period 7, risking an increase in infrastructure failures and deteriorating assets.”

The reduction in expenditure on core asset renewals in CP7 across England and Wales (excluding input prices to allow comparison with CP6) is 0.7%. The reduction in Wales & Western is 5.5%. The reduction in the Southern and Eastern regions will be even greater, at 12.4% and 6.6% respectively, while North West & Central will receive a 24.8% increase.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “The overall SBP includes additional investment in the northern section of the West Coast Main Line (in support of HS2 readiness) which drives improvements in NW&C’s service affecting failures.”

The Wales & Western reduction partly reflected the cost of South Wales resignalling work during CP6 and the Core Valley Lines’ transfer to the Welsh Government. “The volume of asset renewals we are carrying out in Wales and Western in CP7 is still hugely significant,” she said. These will include Severn Tunnel pumps renewal and making tracks more reliable at Paddington station throat, Ladbroke Grove, Dolphin, Slough, Westbury, Cowley Bridge, Cardiff West and Cogan.

“Improving performance has already been a huge focus for Wales & Western over the last 12 months, with the creation of numerous, proactive performance

initiatives which are delivering results,” she said. The target for delays attributed to Network Rail had been met more often than not in 2023.

She also said that SAFs were not the only factors affecting performance. “For example, the total impact to performance from one SAF outside a major station could be the equivalent of multiple SAFs on a more rural line. SAF measures the numbers of infrastructure failures, but it does not recognise the location of the failure, or the impact it causes, and therefore is not the most appropriate measure of a risk based approach to the plan.”

Network Rail values the ORR’s input, she said. “We also have to understand wider priorities for the network, such as investment in support of HS2 readiness, digital signalling and environmental sustainability, as well as the overall level of funding available to provide the best railway possible for our passengers and freight partners.

“Since the publication of the SBP, we have had further dialogue with the ORR, and have been completing further analysis on aspects of our maintenance and renewals plans, in support of the ORR’s Draft Determination.”

Wales & Western is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, being exposed to storms from the Atlantic and high rainfall. Many of its railways are coastal, including the main line through Dawlish in Devon, or prone to flooding. Network Rail said it was more than doubling its investment, to £73m, for Wales & Western region to tackle climate change and make the railways more resilient and sustainable. This includes investment in earthworks and drainage renewals, and improvements to Network Rail’s capability.

“The UK Government is presiding over a managed decline of the railways

Lee Waters

Many of the Wales & Western railways are coastal, including the main line through Dawlish

Transdev completes switch to biodiesel

Bus operator’s move to reduce carbon emissions equals taking 1,745 cars off the road every year - with more all-electric vehicles on the way

FUELS

A switch to a revolutionary highblend biodiesel fuel is helping North of England bus operator Transdev to cut carbon dioxide emissions by thousands of tonnes - the equivalent of taking 1,745 cars off the region’s roads every year.

Transdev is already a pioneer in the transition to electric bus technology. In the meantime, and to deliver environmental benefits more quickly, Transdev has partnered with fuel provider Argent Fuels to switch its entire fleet across 10 operating centres in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester to high-blend biodiesel fuel.

Transdev operations director Vitto Pizzuti said: “The biodiesel

fuel we’re now using across our fleet is a high-blend B15 formation, produced as a solution of 15% biodiesel and 85% low sulphur diesel. In summer, the biodiesel content will rise to 25%, delivering even lower emissions in the communities we serve.

“Completing our switch to this lower emission fuel is helping us to achieve environmental benefits now, and on a commercially viable basis. Biodiesel is 100% biodegradable, less toxic than table salt and is derived from

renewable sources.

“At 15% concentration, biodiesel is significantly reducing emissions compared with regular diesel fuel - and without damaging engine components. And the benefits are happening right here and now across all 10 of our operating centres, as we prepare for the keenly-anticipated replacement of our entire Harrogate bus fleet with 71 new fully-electric buses.”

Fuel producer and supplier Argent Fuels predicts that, based on annual fuel consumption of

8.1 million litres and a blend rate prepared to the 15% biodiesel and 85% low sulphur diesel specification, Transdev can expect to cut its emissions by around 3,612 tonnes of CO2 per annum –the equivalent of taking 1,745 cars off the North’s roads every year.

Colin Duke, head of sales at Argent Fuels, said: “We are excited to embark on this partnership with Transdev to help them accomplish significant carbon reductions across their fleet. Transdev were looking for an immediate solution for their existing diesel fleet whilst they are on the road to electrification, and High Blend Fuel provides exactly that.

“By blending Argent’s sustainable, second-generation biodiesel with regular diesel, we can create a ‘drop in’ replacement fuel that requires no engine modifications, while delivering significant reductions in CO2 emissions. As a renewable fuel producer and supplier, our vision is to help reduce the world’s carbon footprint, and so we are thrilled to collaborate with Transdev on this journey.”

In May 2022, Transdev’s bid to the Department for Transport’s Zero Emissions Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) fund, supported by a new partnership between its parent Transdev Group and North Yorkshire Council, was approved. Together with Transdev’s own £12m commercial investment, the funding will enable full electrification of its entire Harrogate service bus fleet, plus supporting infrastructure at its Starbeck headquarters, where its diesel fuel tank will be removed and replaced with electric charging points, using power generated cleanly from sustainable sources offshore.

A total of 71 new electric buses will be introduced under the joint funding agreement.

“Biodiesel is 100% biodegradable, less toxic than table salt and is derived from renewable sources”

Vitto Pizzuti, Transdev

Hydrogen bus wins fans on hilly Welsh route

South Wales Transport tested Toyota Caetano H2 City Gold

ZERO-EMISSION

A hydrogen bus has shown impressive fuel efficiency during trial operation on a hilly route in South Wales, but a lack of funding currently prevents permanent use of the technology.

Swansea-based South Wales Transport operated a Toyota Caetano H2 City Gold vehicle on its Neath to Pontardawe route, connecting the Neath and Swansea valleys. Fuel was provided by the University of South Wales Hydrogen Centre at Baglan Energy Park. The vehicle was fuelled at the South Wales Transport depot using a

REPEAT METROLINE ORDER FOR VOLVO

New order brings Volvo BZL total to 76 buses

ZERO-EMISSION

Metroline is set to deploy a further 28 Volvo BZL fully electric single deck buses on two routes in London.

This marks the ComfortDelGro subsidiary’s second electric order with Volvo Buses, having signed an initial agreement for 48 Volvo BZL Electric single decks last year, with the first due this summer.

Adrian Jones, ComfortDelGro UK group engineering director, said: “We continue to make significant investments to introduce more electric buses into our operation, and this latest order demonstrates the confidence we have in Volvo Buses and the aftersales support it provides.

“Metroline has been pioneering

temporary refueller.

The bus was also deployed on a Swansea city route which students were using to attend venues for their final exams.

“We put it on some pretty arduous work,” said Bev Fowles, managing director of South Wales Transport. “There are two steep drags, out of Neath and out of Pontardawe. I’ve got to say it did very well. We’re informed the fuel consumption was equivalent to 19.5mph to 21 miles per gallon [of diesel]. That’s pretty useful.

“Passenger feedback was brilliant. The trial was an excellent experience for our company and our customers.”

Passengers in Neath Port Talbot county borough are mostly unfamiliar with zero-emission buses. Although Port Talbot has some of the UK’s worst air pollution, many local services are operated by diesel buses which even pre-date the Euro VI diesel emissions standard. The Welsh Government has bought some electric buses, but opted to

use them on rural TrawsCymru services.

Fowles said that funding was the barrier for small operators like South Wales Transport to adopt hydrogen fleets. The depot infrastructure required for a fleet of 10 hydrogen buses would be cheaper than installing overnight charging points for 10 vehicles, including upgrading the electricity supply, he said. A permanent refueller would give a hydrogen bus enough fuel for the following day’s service in about 10 to 12 minutes, which would enable one refueller to service 10 vehicles. It would work from the three-phase power supply, said Fowles.

He foresaw hydrogen technology being particularly useful for long-distance work for companies like his, and said that when hydrogen coaches became available the experience of the recent trial would help his company to decide whether to take up the option.

the roll-out of fully electric routes in London for some time, and with an excellent track record. We are excited to be extending the benefits of riding on some of the cleanest, quietest, and most sustainable buses in the capital, to more of our customers.”

Each of the new 10.8m buses will be bodied by Egyptian manufacturer MCV to Transport for London specifications. They will feature two doors and seat 29 passengers.

They will operate on two routesRoute 316 from Cricklewood to White City, and Route 228 between Central Middlesex Hospital and Maida Hill, with Metroline taking responsibility for the latter route early next year.

“With the new Volvo BZL Electric we have a fantastic single and double-deck product which is quickly finding favour with major fleets,” said Richard Mann, Volvo Bus UK & Ireland sales director - south.

ZERO-EMISSION

Council-owned operator Newport Transport has expanded its zeroemission fleet with the acquisition of four fully electric Yutong coaches.

The vehicles are fully PSVAR compliant and will be used on the operator’s growing coach operation. With a 281Kwh battery, Newport expects a range of over 200 miles on a single charge.

Fleet will enter service next year

“With the introduction of electric coaches to our fleet, we continue to show our commitment to providing innovative, environmentally sustainable transport solutions for South Wales,” commented Scott Pearson, Newport Transport’s managing director.

Passenger feedback was brilliant. The trial was an excellent experience for our company and our customers”

Bev Fowles, South Wales Transport

EXPANSION

FOR NEWPORT FLEET

ALEX WARNER

Railway legislation delay feels like ‘CBA’

The railway is trapped in limbo as planned reforms are held up. Meanwhile, turning around TransPennine Express is a huge task

Doom and gloom, I know and yes, I’ve documented the ills of the current set-up in UK rail at length for some time now - but the suggestion, which has gathered credence, that the creation of Great Britain’s Railway (GBR) might not get an airing in the fourth and final parliamentary session before the general election feels like the last straw. For those of us, such as I, who aren’t immersed in the detail of how something gets parliamentary airtime, it looks like one of those lazy situations, like an executive meeting where an item gets shunted off the agenda because there’s too much to discuss. It feels like one of those ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way’ scenarios.

‘CBA’ is teenage lingo in our house for ‘can’t be arsed’. This behavioural trait could on the one hand be applied to the government in the case of GBR, though more likely it’s a deliberate ploy to keep the railway out of the public eye in the year before a general election, and not to embark on something that could implode if handled badly, even though enacting GBR would probably command more respect among voters than damage. There’s an element of CBA, though, like someone who knows they are in their notice period in their job and doesn’t embark on new initiatives because they won’t reap the rewards and they’d rather wind down.

So, we have this ridiculous situation where the GBR team - not unreasonably, I might add (we’d all do the same) - publicly is acting, almost in denial, that it is ‘business as usual’.

Anit Chandarana, its smooth-operator spokesperson, is still nobly doing the conference rounds, with his very well-scripted and uncontroversial speeches about the bright future ahead. GBR continues to produce high-profile recruitment campaigns that seek to keep an increasingly disbelieving audience excited about being part of an unprecedented, legacy-lasting change. Meanwhile, we have Rail Partners, a new organisation that will represent the TOCs, articulating its views as though the new future has already arrived, whilst the RDG, which has been on a life-support machine for at least five years, is refusing to just die. And who can blame them?

LinkedIn posts from bright-eyed, uncynical, stars of the future, celebrate their

appointment or secondment to GBR, to be part of a game-changing new world, leaving behind, in some cases, a mix of envious colleagues at the TOCs from whence they came. I’d have succumbed to it in my youthin fact, as recent as a couple of years ago when the prospect of joining GBR when the future felt more real and very compelling - if they’d opened their doors to a reprobate such as I.

Pick away at the veneer, though and even the optimists at GBR are getting frustrated as the dream feels further away than ever. At times, the only hope left is the deeply impressive duo leading the crusade, in Lord (Peter) Hendy of Richmond Hill and Andrew Haines - the best leadership Network Rail and its predecessor has had, by a distance. Will the reality of change on the railway come even in their career lifespan, though and is it fair to pin all our hopes and the burden of responsibility on them alone? If they jacked it in, it would be like the ravens taking flight from the Tower of London. Thankfully Hendy has just had his term extended by two years.

Whilst Hendy and Haines will be battling hard to do what they can without legislation to enact positive change, the challenge is that the key forces affecting the industry are as unaligned as possible. We’re not talking about the old days when the TOCs and Network Rail were on different planes, or the owning groups were sparring with the Department for Transport/Strategic Rail Authority. Those spats could be quashed and controlled, whereas today, the Treasury, DfT, GBRTT and trade unions seem to be as far apart as ever. Stuck in the middle are the beleaguered customers and

The TPE franchise has been a poisoned chalice since Day 1

employees.

Customer service protagonists like us and particularly those, such as I, who struggle with complexity, cannot fathom why simple things such as just knocking current franchise agreements on the head and rolling out Passenger Service Contracts can’t be achieved. I don’t care whether it’s the DfT or GBRTT who procure them, just get on with it. Legend has it (somewhat exaggerated, no doubt) that the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising’s Chris Stokes and John O’Brien planned on a flip chart in their small office in London Bridge the entire franchising programme in one afternoon - and it was delivered in barely a year.

Within this mess, it’s impossible not to be cynical about most things these days. Remember the eulogies for Keith Williams, the genial bloke who must have been customer-centric because he rose up the ranks at British Airways in its pomp and at John Lewis, where the customer is king. He made his report sound amazing, even if it rather stated the obvious, just because of his reputation. He was an outsider looking in with a fresh perspective, coming to rescue us lot who just couldn’t see the wood from the trees. Then there were whisperings that he filled his team with aviation folk and missed out talking to some wise sages in rail and of course, five years on, with the report not having found the light of day and it is conveniently traduced in some quarters, Williams’ reputation isn’t so glowing. He’s been on the board of Royal Mail since 2018, moving from deputy chair to chair a year later, a national institution that a few weeks ago posted a £1bn loss and is at the lowest ebb in its 500-plus year history in terms of customer service delivery, financial disrepair and dreadful industrial relations. Williams must feel as frazzled as his hairstyle right now, not just with Royal Mail but the fact that his rail review hasn’t left the station.

What now for TransPennine?

Cynicism and sub-plots abound - just look at the reaction to the decision last month to strip First Group of its TransPennine (TPE) franchise last month. It doesn’t take Einstein to work out that the government bowed to stakeholder pressure which felt exacerbated by what looked like a deliberate and concerted effort by the trade unions to work to rule to bring about nationalised ownership. Reports suggest that

Avanti is next on their hit list.

Under First’s stewardship, TPE was on the slightest of upward trajectories before they got the bullet. A bit more patience and trust in First’s ability to recover situations might have yielded results - it did at troubled GWR, and more recently at Avanti and SWR. Whereas the Directly Operated Holdings Limited (DOHL) were probably welcoming the opportunity to get their paws on East Coast, Northern and South Eastern, feeling that their problems were solvable, I bet they don’t, deep down, feel they have a winning formula at TPE, a franchise with historical working conditions that no one has cracked and in which the government, in the current cost-cutting regime, will not want to budge an inch on.

DOHL’s ownership of TPE has not been universally welcomed. As I suggested before, a perception of ‘have’s versus have nots’ exists in the train operator fraternity and this does cause quite a lot of exacerbation among some quarters in the private TOCs and elsewhere. Before anyone gets hot under the collar, I say ‘perception’ here, which can, of course, sometimes be different to reality. Whilst there doesn’t appear to be a commonly accepted understanding as to whether DOHL is saving or increasing costs for the industry with its stewardship of TOCs, this propagates those who think it has it easier, both in terms of finances and scrutiny, by comparison to the private operators. Shorn of the ultimate sanction of not being able to lose its franchise, it must be harder for the DOHL team to feel the same pressures experienced by those in the private transport-owning groups and their subsidiaries. There’s been no countdown either in terms of when they might hand the franchises back, just an intent that this will, most likely, happen at some point.

From a resource perspective, the DOHL, despite their impressive stewardship to date, must be also under pressure to be able to have the bandwidth to take on any more franchises. Despite the stability their largely unchanged team has created since taking over East Coast in 2018, they also won’t be immune from the need to keep continuously fresh, contemporary, reinvigorated and aligned to current and future market needs. Apart from leaving franchises in good shape, which so far they look very much on track to do, DOHL needs to gradually transition each TOCs management team

back so they can work effectively back in a private sector regime and deliver a new type of contract, under the PSRs.

Whatever the perceptions, DOHL has done a good job, blessed by inheriting three highly capable MDs in Messrs Horne, White and Donovan. The customer service experience at their TOCs appears to be at the upper and innovative end, although, since Covid, we haven’t had a decent, consistent barometer of customer satisfaction across all the operators in the way that Transport Focus used to achieve well over two decades with its National Passenger Satisfaction Survey. That there is nothing new on a comparable, consistently applied national, regional or TOC-specific basis is, disappointing.

Back to TPE and this franchise has been a poisoned chalice since Day 1. Superimposing an inter-urban operation on a capacity-constrained and under-invested, complex railway, where there was also a predominant train company, in Northern, was never going to be easy. Throw in the complex rolling stock issues that emerged, exacerbated by a fleet profile more mixed in composition than many and much larger TOCs, as well as the botched timetabling exercise in May 2018, and it’s little wonder that history books will, despite passenger growth and high levels of customer satisfaction in its early years, tell a tale of more misery than joy. My own experiences from travelling have been, though, of a product trying to provide snippets of the best of inter-city but undermined by overcrowding.

Any owning group will have struggled with TPE. The trade unions claim that a leadership failure and inability to engage was, though, First’s nemesis. Its longstanding operations director, Paul Watson, who has worked for me in the past, was a first class communicator with the highest integrity (up until his recent retirement), and its customer service director, Kathryn O’Brien is hugely regarded. Where TPE may have struggled is not having had for a sustained period someone at the helm at the very cutting edge of experience and with a hugely visible and charismatic style, well respected from the frontline upwards - a Tom Joyner, Mark Hopwood, Patrick Verwer type from the current cadre of MDs, for instance.

I feel for First, just as I do all the current private transport groups, who display resolve and blunted commercial flair. I believe that

“At times, the only hope left is the deeply impressive duo leading the crusade”

all of them are striving to do the best for customers and managing to deliver, in their way, improvements that are sometimes underestimated. Meanwhile, from my own tiny, micro-interaction with TPE, it felt like they were trying to function in an environment where there was too much stakeholder influence or control. I remember hatching a plan with Transport Focus and the TPE customer experience management team to spend around £20k which was already committed for them to invest in customer service, on a very detailed customer insight programme. All parties were up for it, but it had to be signed off by Transport for North and nothing happened.

Whether TPE will in the foreseeable future become masters of their destiny, is anyone’s guess. Will they be trusted with freedom now they are in the public sector? I’ve always been sanguine about the benefits of nationalisation versus privatisation. However, what I do object to is this situation where state ownership of TOCs has in recent times been allowed to creep in and then morph towards a position of such increased dominance, without a proper transparent debate or stated strategic plan being unleashed into the public domain. Having been fine about one or two TOCs being under DOHL control, it now feels weird that large swathes of the railway, if you also include Scotland, are overseen by a ‘safe pair of hands’ team of senior rail professionals parachuted in because the private operators - who delivered record growth, I might addcan’t be trusted to do the right thing. It’s not exactly a glowing endorsement of UK rail. Little wonder that for this reason, among others, including the derisory low, single-digit margins on offer for all this hassle, bad press and distrust, new companies that I try and entice to join the market, are distinctly underwhelmed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex Warner has over 29 years’ experience in the transport sector, having held senior roles on a multi-modal basis across the sector. He is co-founder of recruitment business Lost Group and transport consultancy AJW Experience Group (which includes Great Scenic Journeys). He is also chair of West Midlands Grand Rail Collaboration and chair of Surrey FA.

Understanding the role of immigrants

With any discussion around diversity, we continually hear the phrase about how we need to ‘reflect the communities we serve.’ It is impossible to think about or even talk about diversifying our industry without broaching the very sensitive subject of immigration.

The Brexit vote demonstrates how deeply divided we are as a nation, about this very topic. Depending on who you ask immigration is either thought about as an unmitigated boon or an absolute disaster. Either a disastrous act of misguided generosity that the United Kingdom can ill afford, or an apologetic hand extended to the occupants of countries destroyed by the legacy of British colonialism.

For many immigrant families, their journey into the UK was a direct consequence of their parents or grandparents coming here because of their great love of this country. It’s easy to forget how influential Great Britain is and the strength of its intellectual leadership across the world. We forget that British language, laws and liberties are the bedrock of the modern world. Philosophers like John Locke, David Hume, Adam Smith and John Stuart Mill shaped the cultures and constitutions of countless countries. This intellectualism is absolutely revered across the globe.

My mum always tells stories about how my grandfather always wanted to come to the UK and took great pride in the fact that as an Indian, he chose to have a British passport believing it would offer him and his family opportunities. Then, when Indians were expelled from East Africa, he took that as a sign to move his whole family over to the UK and build a life here. My British identity is very much baked into who I am.

You called, we came

We cannot talk about immigration or quite frankly the railway without acknowledging the Windrush generation. Next week June 22 will mark Windrush Day - 75 years since HMT Windrush docked into British soil. Following the destruction of the Second World War, British colonies were told that they would be welcomed with open arms into Britaintheir mother country and the home of peace, justice and prosperity. This time has now been mythologised as a turning point, when Britain first became a multi-ethnic country and a cautionary tale about how one’s citizenship can so easily be withdrawn - something British Muslims are incredibly fearful of.

The story of the Windrush generation to Britain is one of incredible sacrifice and service. It is impossible to discuss this generation and their incredible fortitude and resilience without acknowledging the impact of race and the power of faith in this journey.

This generation came to the UK and were met with hostility, xenophobia and racialised violence. For many of the Windrush generation, they broke their backs rebuilding this country and dedicated their lives working tirelessly in quintessentially British institutions like the NHS and the railway. It is a tale of the normal everyday decency of ordinary people like Siggy Cramwell, who kept the peace in the face of enormous challenges.

Shared values

The Windrush generation to me is a story about creating hope and telling the positive story of humanity, by highlighting a generation that have a generous capacity for compassion and cooperation despite the inhumane treatment they encountered. This generation demonstrates how individuals may not be able to overcome systemic barriers, but they can embody hope through their sacrifice, faith and service around our shared values and

It is impossible to think about or even talk about diversifying our industry without broaching the sensitive subject of immigration

Nafisa Nathani

institutions. It also shows the powerful role faith can play in building internal resilience in the face of a sea of hostility

Creating a community and sense of identity around our shared values, underlies much of what it means to be human. It feels like we have lost a sense of belonging and connection, in an increasing globalised and digitised world. In this age of identity politics we have become even more divided.

Traditional pillars of community and sources of identity have begun to erode and can help to explain this atomisation. We have now descended into a form of tribalism of exclusive identities (defined by ethnicity, gender or ideology) rather than broader inclusive identities such as faith in our common institutions, shared values and collective endeavour. I am not denying there isn’t a reason for this. There is incredible pain felt in discrimination, bias, hostility, racism, violence, misogyny, harassment, abuses of power. When this happens, it’s entirely natural for groups of people to bond over these very identities under attack. We withdraw. Become insular.

Locked in a battle to just survive. This however is not sustainable. It leads to geographical segregation, social isolation and ideological polarisation.

To avoid this, we desperately need to build on areas of agreement to form meaningful relationships and dialogue. We need to focus more on the values we already share rather than focus on those that separate us. This is why employee networks like the Multi-Faith group are essential. They bring together individuals from different faiths together under one umbrella to listen, learn and bond over the importance of faith, religion and spirituality in dealing with the modern world.

Polarising times

In this 24-hour news cycle, we have fractured into individualism. Algorithms and personalised newsfeeds confirm, amplify and artificially inflate our own views. This leads to us becoming entrenched in our opinions. We have lost both connection and the time for the reflection and mindfulness we need to bond. These local socially constructed echo

chambers not only lead to group thinking, reinforce societal stereotypes and reaffirms personal prejudices.

These prejudices which we all have, albeit in different forms become complicated and spill into the workplace. Getting a straight answer about a subject as complicated and personal as prejudice is difficult and often distorted by another form of bias known as social desirability bias: a desire to provide an answer that is imagined to be the correct one. If we are unable to talk about such things openly and honestly, it becomes difficult then to challenge.

Unconscious bias training should be as much a part of workplace life as health and safety. At the same time, we need to provide a framework that allows people to understand why and how such biases exist. A good place to start would be teaching history in such a way that it both more accurately reflects the role immigrants played in Britain’s past and considers the background to the social and racial divisions that exist in our world today: colonialism, legacy of empire and the effects of Windrush. But at the same time space must be left for the people on the other side to grow, learn, get things wrong, be tactless, ask obvious questions. Debate, conversation, community are essential ways to convey what life is like for you and they are stifled if bad faith is always assumed on the path of others

Knowing our history better, understanding the forces it unleashed and seeing oneself as part of a larger story is one of the ways as a society, we can move forward together. The history of empire and Windrush is an essential part of our national story. There is no British history without the history of the Empire and Windrush is a part of this story. As late Stuart Hall put it, “I am the sugar at the bottom of the English cup of tea.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nafisa Nathani is Intersectionality Lead for Multi-Faith Network, Network Rail’s faith and belief network, as well as Southern region lead for Cultural Fusion, Network Rail’s race network. Both networks are available to everyone who works in the transport sector, regardless of race or faith. To join, email multi-faithnetwork@networkrail.co.uk

“Unconscious bias training should be as much a part of workplace life as health and safety”

The Prince of Wales and Siggy Cragwell, pictured together last year. Siggy, 83, has worked on the railway for 61 years after coming to the UK as part of the Windrush generation in 1962

COMMENT NICK RICHARDSON

Marston Vale faces a brighter future

The Marston Vale line between Bedford and Bletchley is a curiosity with an unusual history but has recently experienced another setback in which buses substitute for trains. It is something of an anomaly in that is not electrified and is a small corner of a much wider operation, London Northwestern Railway, which concentrates on much more lucrative services elsewhere. The Marston Vale line has a Community Rail Partnership and links predominantly small communities but was previously hosted a major industry in the form of brickworks.

Pre-upgrade

One of my early tasks when working for the now-abolished Bedfordshire County Council was to review the prospects of the line given the congested road routes in the corridor. At that time it represented a bygone era with semaphore signalling and manned level crossings which required at least twenty staff to get a train from one end to the other. The signalling was controlled by outside ground frames at the stations and crossing keepers waited in a hut until their services were required; London Brick provided its own staff for the crossing within the expansive brick pits complex. One crossing keeper told me how he was looking forward to his promotion to one of the stations, a significant step up. London Brick employed large numbers of people in Industrial Revolution-era jobs digging out clay then taking it to the works to make the bricks

then fire them in huge kilns and stack them. Sometimes I had driven the evening bus to take some of them there from Bedford - they were easy to spot because they were always covered in dust and the yard where all the works buses lined up was a sea of mud. Others had lived in nearby Stewartby village which had been built for them by their employer.

Into the 21st Century

The demise of the brickworks has been balanced by other activities, notably an Amazon distribution facility at Ridgmont and Centre Parcs Woburn Forest. Unimagined at the time of the line’s opening, Milton Keynes was created just to the north of Bletchley which requires a change of train for Milton Keynes Central station, the sign announcing its impending construction having been there for years before it appeared, annoyingly distant from the main retail offer for which coachloads of visitors arrived. Along the line, Fenny Stratford has been termed the best example of the cottage orne style in the country and much of the Bedford to Bletchley line continues to exhibit similar pleasant rural appeal.

The problem was that running trains was something of a challenge and it was not unusual

for buses to substitute given an absence of rolling stock and related problems. Even when trains were operating, it wasn’t the most reliable service and the regular users got used to non-appearances. The line had become problematic due to its non-standard circumstances. There was even a situation in which the then operator couldn’t muster sufficient resources to provide a train service at all so provided buses instead, something of an acknowledgement of failure. The locals were not impressed and pressure was placed on the operator to bring back a decent level of service but it exposed the line’s problems. Despite the efforts of communities around the little stations, the line continued to be plagued by unreliability and limited demand. A support group had been in place for years, then morphing into the Community Rail Partnership which continues to promote use of the line.

Then came transformation. At the then huge cost of £20 million, the line was reequipped with new signalling, automatically controlled level crossings and an improved line speed although at the cost of the staff who were no longer needed. The route linked with the Thameslink services at Bedford and the Midland Main Line to northern destinations. However, it still suffered from its status as a diesel service in an otherwise electrified operation, vulnerable to deficient rolling stock and crew availability.

New hope

The next change was even more transformational - the prospect of East West Rail which would incorporate the route into an Oxford to Cambridge route similar to that which it had been part of previously. Suddenly this backwater had the potential to become a main route once again. The lengthy viaduct carrying the line beyond Bletchley had been built for freight traffic that never materialised and for decades it symbolised the mismatch between rail infrastructure and demand, standing unused over the West Coast Main Line. To the west, the route was relatively straightforward to reinstate even if it required much of the Bletchley viaduct to be reconstructed. Beyond Bedford though, much of the former rail alignment had been acquired for other uses, necessitating a long process of deciding if or when that part of the route could

The Marston Vale railway is a quiet line that has had mixed fortunes but it is set to become a vital link as part of East West Rail

“The line had become problematic due to its nonstandard circumstances”

be completed. With various changes along the original route including a school, housing and other development and even a row of large satellite dishes, recreating it is beyond practical scope. The recent announcement about the Bedford to Cambridge alignment has helped the line’s prospects although it will take time and a lot of funding to create a new railway to link with the established network at both ends. It will however address new demands at the eastern end as new settlements appear on the map and Cambridge South station is created and major development sites elsewhere on the new East West Rail route. Thus the little Marston Vale line is set to become far more significant and upgraded further to meet modern needs.

More recently, the acquisition of new rolling stock offered further betterment. However, it has not turned out as planned with Vivarail’s fall into administration; the Class 230 trains (converted from London Underground D78 stock) were no longer available because their maintenance contract was left unsupported. They were a good fit for the line but are now unavailable so once again and frustratingly a

bus service substitutes for the rail service. This situation is expected to last until the autumn of this year at least. The D78 trains in their District Line life were the only Underground stock with single-leaf doors which restricted loading ability. However, through their reinvention, Vivarail trains are suitable for the Island Line, shortly to resume their unique role as the only place where Underground stock works above the sea along Ryde Pier, plus Wrexham to Bidston services for which Transport for Wales has put contingencies in place to ensure effective use of its new trains. The Marston Vale rolling stock needed refreshing and hopefully the new units will reappear soon, allowing the shadow bus service to be put to one side rather more permanently than on various occasions in the past.

What this potted history tells us highlights some key points: don’t dispose of rail infrastructure prematurely, upgrade infrastructure to avoid incurring excessive operating costs, develop community involvement and perhaps identify how best to develop non-standard services. Marston Vale illustrates how the presence and function of a

railway change over time, here shrinking and then expanding. It also demonstrates that an isolated operation can be difficult to sustain, especially if it is part of a much wider business with its focus elsewhere. Over the years there has been talk of ‘micro-franchising’ or in some way giving routes such as this greater autonomy; given the failure of larger-scale franchising, the emergence of a new (actually reinstated) cross-country route looks very promising. From being part of a cross-country route with limited activity, it has found itself with massive development pressures close by, incorporating it into a revitalised east-west corridor with the prospect of it becoming a major asset.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nick Richardson is Technical Principal at transport consultancy Mott MacDonald, chair of CILT’s Bus and Coach Policy Group and a former chair of the Transport Planning Society. In addition, he has held a PCV licence for over 30 years.

The collapse of Vivarail saw Class 230 trains converted from London Underground stock withdrawn from Marston Vale services

Alamy

GREAT MINSTER GRUMBLES

Challenging the convenience of cars

Last week we published the results of a survey we commissioned to establish what would encourage greater use of the bus. A very useful survey, one would imagine, and the survey report made quite interesting reading in many respects. But I wonder what it told us that we don’t all already instinctively know. More particularly, I wonder what changes in policy might be proposed to address the findings of the survey.

The report told us that overcoming peoples’ preference for the car was the “number one challenge” in increasing bus patronage. I don’t think that’s especially surprising. What the report also told us is that to compete against the car the bus would need to deliver on the fundamentals of reliability, ease of completing journeys, safety, journey time and flexibility. I think we could have all worked that out!

What was interesting was the survey’s findings on how the bus was perceived to perform across 11 criteria from reliability, journey time, cost, flexibility of travel and a few other factors besides. The percentage of people surveyed did not exceed 40% on any of the performance criteria. In fact the highest percentage was 38% on flexibility of travel and comfort. To be fair, on a range of other factors, such as ease of journey, safety, availability of nearby bus stops, accessibility and so on, the bus performed a great deal better - although never better than the car, which outperformed the bus by some margin on every criteria bar one. Clearly, the bus industry has a

long way to go before its performance is seen as anything close to satisfactory. The survey also went into some detail about what segments of society used the bus, or might consider using the bus. The findings made quite interesting reading but are too complex to set out in any detail here. The survey concluded that those segments of society which had a high current use of the bus also had a high future intended use of the bus, while those with lower current usage had a low likelihood to use the bus in future. This led the report to conclude that in the absence of some form of intervention current usage patterns

would remain the same. Well, blow me down. I think it’s safe to say that you don’t need to have a PhD is bus policy to have worked that out!

To be fair, there is quite a lot of interesting data from this survey. But my question is this: in the light of the report’s findings, and in the light of the data in the report, what actions are transport authorities and bus operators going to take to encourage more people to travel by bus? Indeed, what policy interventions might this department make to make the bus a more popular form of transport? Actually, perhaps that’s the wrong question. The real issue is how politicians and policy-makers at both national and local level make travel by car considerably less attractive. But therein lies a political dilemma, one might even say “political suicide note”. Politicians in both the Conservative and Labour parties have shown themselves to be scared to death of doing anything to upset the motorist, and I can’t see that changing anytime soon, as I have said more than once in this column.

The reality is that this survey also highlighted just how popular travel by car really is. It showed that 80% of people use their cars “frequently” and in that context it’s going to be a very brave government, or a very brave local authority, that seeks to take on that community of car users. For all journey purposes - shopping, visiting friends, travelling on personal or company business, commuting - the car beats the alternatives of bus and train by a massive margin. Faced with this reality, politicians are always going to shy away from taking measures which are designed to make people think twice about using their cars. I might be a big fan of road pricing, which, as I’ve said before, I see as a very fair and progressive form of taxation, but faced with the data in this survey one has to accept that in the real world introducing such measures is always going to be a huge “ask” of any government, at least for the foreseeable future, even if personally I still believe that road pricing will, one day, become inevitable.

Meanwhile, I see Sir Peter Hendy has been reappointed as chair of Network Rail. I admire his staying power! Given the delays to the rail legislation to set up Great British Railways I had half expected him to finally walk away from it all. It seems I mis-judged him! That day will come, but for now Sir Peter remains as a steady hand on the tiller!

Our Whitehall insider imagines what’s going on inside the minds of the mandarins at Great Minster House, home of the DfT

“Politicians have shown themselves to be scared to death of doing anything to upset the motorist”

Diamond’s accreditation

Bus operator appointed as a member of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter

Diamond Bus North West has announced it has become the first bus operator to join Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter.

The charter aims to enhance employment standards across the region by promoting criteria such as secure and flexible work, fair pay, employee engagement, recruitment practices, people management, and health and wellbeing.

Emma Woods, group head of HR, led the application process for Diamond Bus North West and expressed her delight at the company’s recognition.

“Becoming a member of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter is a real achievement and builds on a fantastic year for the company,” she said. “I am delighted that we have been recognised for all our efforts to create/provide an exceptional environment for our team of employees.”

APPOINTMENTS

TRANSPORT FOR LONDON

NETWORK RAIL

operator member

Matthew Rawlinson, Diamond Bus North West managing director, highlighted the operator’s growth since 2015, including its recent capture of Bee Network bus franchise contracts,

“In the last year alone, we’ve been named as Best City Bus Operator of the Year along with being named the runner-up as UK Bus Operator of the Year at the UK Bus Awards 2022,” he said.

“Being the first bus operator in Greater Manchester to be appointed a member of the Good Employment Charter, we have shown our commitment to our staff and the community from which we recruit, ensuring our team are happy, feel valued, and confident at work.”

Bob Dunn, executive director for Diamond Bus North West, added: “It is an honour that we are now a member of the Good Employment Charter, this highlights the dedication that all our team has put in to provide the high level of service that we do for the Greater Manchester region.

“These awards are testament to the work ethic and culture we have strived so hard to achieve in the company. Being the first transport operator to become a member of the Good Employment Charter shows the dedication that the company has to the Greater Manchester Region. We have strived to support the community and with this accreditation we will continue to support the community.”

London mayor Sadiq Khan, and the board of Transport for London have announced that Andy Lord has been appointed as London’s transport commissioner following what has been described as “a rigorous international search and selection process”.

Lord (pictured) joined TfL in November 2019 as managing director of London Underground and became chief operating officer for all of TfL’s operations in 2022. He took on the role of commissioner of TfL on an interim basis in October 2022 following the departure of the former commissioner Andy Byford.

Before TfL, Lord spent nearly 30 years in the commercial aviation sector, including 26 years at British Airways that culminated as director of operations for just over seven years. Lord is also a non-executive director for the UK MoD’s Defence Equipment and Support Agency.

WEST MIDLANDS RAIL EXECUTIVE

Mal Drury-Rose has been appointed to the twin role of director of rail at Transport for West Midlands and executive director of the West Midlands Rail Executive.

Drury-Rose (pictured) brings more than 30 years’ experience to the WMRE and TfWM having held senior roles with Virgin Trains, First Great Western, National Express, the Rail Delivery Group and having spent more than 10 years as head of rail with the Welsh Government.

His most recent role was as assistant director for rail at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

Network Rail’s Southern region has announced the appointment of David Davidson as route director for its operations in Kent.

Davidson (pictured) took on the new role this week and succeeds Fiona Taylor and Adrian Hanstock, who were the first in the infrastructure controller’s history to share the directorship.

Davidson joins from Network Rail’s Western route where he has been interim route director since October 2022, overseeing efforts to improve train performance and prepare for the introduction of two timetable changes. Prior to this, Davidson was operations director for the Anglia route, leading the team through Covid-19, industrial action and recently Operation London Bridge.

RAIL NORTH

The Rail North Committee has elected Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham as chair and Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe as vice chair of the majority group.

The Rail North Committee advises the Transport for the North Board on rail services and infrastructure improvements and all matters relating to rail franchise and contract management. As chair, Burnham will oversee the strategic direction of the committee, with the support of vice chairs from the majority and minority groups on the board. The minority group chair has not been decided yet.

Burnham succeeds Liverpool City Council leader and former Merseytravel chair Liam Robinson in the role.

Diamond Bus North West is first bus

The history of buses... on roller skates!

Bus Regulation: The Musical reaches final stop

Next month sees the final performance of Bus Regulation: The Musical (Merseyside), the final part of the Bus Regulation: The Musical Trilogy that has been inspired by the 1980s hit musical Starlight Express. The Merseyside production builds on previous shows, which covered the history of buses in the Greater Manchester and Strathclyde regions.

Created by Ellie Harrison, the musical uses performers on roller skates to re-enact the history of public transport provision in the Merseyside region from the post-

war period to the present day.

“Beginning with the municipal ownership of buses in the 1960s, through the 1968 Transport Act which created the Merseyside PTE, Bus Regulation: The Musical takes you into the chaos caused by bus deregulation in 1986, the numerous mergers and takeovers that followed, right up to the fragmented and expensive system we’re left with,” said Harrison.

As a clearly excited Jonathan Bray, former head honcho at the Urban Transport Group, noted on Twitter: “Shame I can’t be there as I feel like my whole life has been building to this point!”

HOP ON BOARD WITH EUROSTAR

Hot on the heels of Lumo launching its own beer for thirsty rail travellers (PT290), Eurostar has announced it has teamed up with London brewery Two Tribes to launch NOMAD, a pale ale that will be available exclusively onboard Eurostar services from this week.

The international train operator’s press release noted the beer “uses the finest British and European ingredients, along with sustainable brewing methods to create a bright and easy-going beer reminiscent of sunny European summers”. Lovely!

FIVE GO BY IET

The Famous Five are back on the rails with a new TV advert for Great Western Railway. The latest campaign pits Uncle Quentin and Aunt Fanny in their gas-guzzling car against the Famous Five travelling in ‘comfort’ by IET train - just don’t mention the seats...

LUMO LIGHTS UP THE FRINGE

Open access rail operator Lumo last week hosted a one-off event that brought a taste of the Edinburgh Fringe to Newcastle travellers’ doorsteps while demonstrating how easy it is to get there by train.

The Culture Train Live provided a night to remember, with local North East acts including drag queen Mutha Tucka and comedian Gavin Edwards included in the talented line up. The event, which marked a new collaboration with Edinburgh Festival Fringe, included magicians, musicians, and some on-board participation, with a musical sing-a-long dubbed as ‘carriage-oke’.

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Buses on skates

Five Manage to Secure an Unobstructed Window Seat