Passenger Transport: June 30, 2023

FORTEVERYNIGHT

6,000 extra green buses needed to hit net zero

IPPR think-tank calls for £2.5bn investment in new zero emission buses and urges levelling-up to end ‘deep-rooted regional unfairness’ on buses

More than 5,800 extra green buses are needed by 2030 in English regions outside London to reach net zero and support the levelling up agenda, according to a new report from think-tank IPPR. The National Bus Strategy and Levelling Up White Paper committed the government to levelling up public transport across England to be “significantly closer to the standards of London”. The government has also committed to replacing existing diesel buses across the UK with 4,000 new green buses. However, as of May 2023, despite thousands of buses being nominally ordered or funded, only 87 of these zero emission buses were in use outside the capital.

New IPPR analysis shows how a genuine commitment to levelling up bus services across England would result in substantial benefits for regions and the environment. By 2030, this would result in an increase of 2.7 billion bus journeys, an equivalent of 900,000 cars taken off the road, and emission reductions from cars and buses of 18%.

The think-tank says “deeprooted regional unfairness means

Stagecoach makes GM franchise gains

04

Group wins contracts in North Manchester

London has at least twice as many bus trips per person as any other metropolitan area in England”. To address the disparity in bus services and level up transport connectivity across England, IPPR is calling for the government to: Phase-out the sale of new diesel bus sales by 2030 and “make clear that the default choice of technology for buses is electric, not hydrogen”;

Invest £2.5bn by extending the funding of Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) between 2023 and 2030; Set out a more ambitious transport decarbonisation plan “which delivers a world-leading, clean and affordable, local public transport system”.

Ticket office closures next for rail reform?

06

Plans drawn up to redeploy station staff

One day. Seven trains. 700 miles...

16

Norman Baker makes epic trip by rail

Looking back on my 30 years in transport

18

Alex Warner reflects on his career journey

COMMENT

Toothless tigers?

25

What’s the point of select committees?

“London has at least twice as many bus trips per person”

SCOTTISH SUCCESS Edinburgh Trams was named Public Transport Operator of the Year at last week’s Scottish Transport Awards in Glasgow. The next edition of PassengerTransport will include a souvenir brochure of the winners

Levelling Up with London? You’ll need to constrain cars

This week’s publication of a new report by IPPR calling on the government to increase its investment in zero emission buses and level up transport in England’s regions is further evidence that buses can’t be put back in the box. After decades of indifference, everyone agrees that buses are important these days in terms of meeting our economic, social and environmental goals. The only question is how committed are we to creating an environment in which they can flourish, helping us to boost productivity and reach net zero.

The IPPR isn’t really saying anything that the government hasn’t already said itself. The National Bus Strategy and Levelling Up White Paper committed the government to levelling up public transport across England to be “significantly closer to the standards of London”. And the government has also committed to replacing existing diesel buses across the UK with 4,000 new green buses. But where is that levelling up, and where are those 4,000 new buses? Change won’t happen overnight. Effective partnerships and expertise take time to build. Decline, which has been aggravated by post-Covid changes to travel patterns, is difficult to reverse.

The success of London’s buses - which other cities want to replicateshows that sustained investment and leadership can achieve significant growth. However, it should not be forgotten that measures that restricted car use were vital to this success.

IN THIS ISSUE 05

MAYOR ANNOUNCES

G M BUS FARES CHAN G E

Mayor of Greater Manchester

Andy Burnham has unveiled a range of new tickets that aim to make travel across the region more affordable and convenient as part of the move towards the integrated Bee Network.

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F IRST’S SCIENCE-BASED EMISSIONS TAR G ETS

FirstGroup has set an ambitious science-based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across its operations. The transport group will reduce scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 63% by 2035, from a 2020 base year.

14

GW R TRIALS REAL-TIME JOURNEY DASHBOARD

Great Western Railway has embarked on a revolutionary journey with the trial of new software that will allow customers to see real-time train service information. The four-month trial of the digital platform from developer Whoosh began in May.

22

A RCHITECTURE HAS AN INFLUENCE ON RAILWAYS

The railway has thousands of buildings and structures and their use continues to evolve - how do we strike the right balance? Nick Richardson believes properly maintained stations form a core component of places, particularly where there is community involvement.

Stagecoach snaps up Manchester contracts

Group will become the dominant operator in the north of Greater Manchester after picking up three contracts in second franchising round

FRANCHISING

Go-Ahead, the major victor in the first round of Greater Manchester bus franchising, has failed to pick up any contracts in the second tranche of franchising covering Rochdale, Oldham, Bury and parts of Manchester, Salford and Tameside.

Stagecoach has been awarded all three of the large franchise contracts and it will take those up from March 24, 2024, for an initial five-year period with the option to extend for a further year. The small franchise contracts in the second tranche have gone to Rotala-owned Diamond Bus North West and First Manchester. The Perth-based group has long been critical of the franchising concept and it had previously

launched legal challenges in a bid to try to derail the process in Greater Manchester.

However, after securing 17 school bus contracts from the first phase of franchising (PT287), it has pulled off a hat trick by securing all three of the large contracts in the second tranche, covering operations from Middleton, Queens Road, and Oldham depots. In total Stagecoach will operate 87

bus routes as part of the Bee Network in the north of Greater Manchester with a fleet of 349 buses. Stagecoach employees currently working at the operator’s Middleton depot will remain employed by Stagecoach Manchester whilst 947 employees will transfer under TUPE regulations from Go North West’s Queens Road depot and First Manchester’s Oldham depot.

Meanwhile, Diamond Bus’s small franchise contract for Oldham covers just six vehicles and these will be operated from its existing depot in Eccles.

First Manchester’s Rochdale contract is slightly larger - it covers a peak vehicle requirement of 32 buses. A spokesperson said “it’s early days but we are exploring

[depot] locations”.

Commenting on the contract award, Lee Wasnidge, managing director of Stagecoach Manchester, said: “We are extremely proud to have been chosen for these contracts and are looking forward to providing exceptional bus services to customers across North Manchester.

“We have a fantastic team who have a proud history of serving the communities in Greater Manchester, and we are honoured to be entrusted with the responsibility of delivering reliable and high-quality services whilst maintaining crucial transport links for the people in our region.”

Sources close to the competition for the second tranche of contracts have suggested that bidding was intense, provoked for the most part by the keen bids submitted by Go North West in the first round that saw the relative newcomer walk away with the two large franchise contracts.

It is likely that bidding for the third and final tranche of contracts, covering the south of the conurbation and where Stagecoach Manchester holds a dominant position, will be even keener. Contracts from that tranche will be awarded on March 24, 2024, and they will commence on January 5, 2025 - a date that will mark the end of bus deregulation in Greater Manchester.

The news of Stagecoach’s success provoked a wry response from bus franchising champion and Passenger Transport columnist Jonathan Bray. “Bus deregulation dinosaur Brian Souter said he would rather take poison than Stagecoach get involved in bus franchising so absolutely loving this,” the former director of the Urban Transport Group wrote on social media.

Andy Burnham (centre) with council leaders and representatives from the winning operators

“We are extremely proud to have been chosen for these contracts”

Lee Wasnidge

Burnham announces GM bus fares overhaul

Plans for ‘high volume, low fare’ ticketing structure announced

TICKETING

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has unveiled a range of new tickets that aim to make travel across the region more affordable and convenient as part of the move towards the integrated Bee Network.

The new Bee AnyBus + Tram tickets have been developed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) with support from Greater Manchester TravelCards Ltd (GMTL), which is owned by a consortium of Greater Manchester bus operators.

The new tickets will provide combined bus and tram travel at approximately 20% lower cost compared to purchasing individual tickets. The range will launch on September 24, the day on which the first phase of the franchised Bee Network will launch in

Bolton, Wigan and parts of Salford and Bury. Tickets will be available through the new Bee Network app and through a variety of retail channels.

Bee AnyBus + Tram tickets will offer unlimited journeys on any bus service and selected Metrolink zones, starting from £5.40. Off-peak travel across the entire bus network and the extensive Metrolink network will

be available for £7.80, while peak-time travel will cost £9.50.

TfGM highlighted parking in Manchester city centre costs an average of £7 for two hours and £10.27 for three hours, so the fares offer significant savings for motorists. It has also confirmed it has sufficient total funding available to continue the capped fare offer at the current price until March 2025. However, it plans to

review fares in summer 2024. The fares announcement follows the successful implementation of daily capped bus fares across Greater Manchester in September of last year to alleviate the cost of living crisis. That move capped fares set to £2 for single journeys (£1 for children) and £5 for an AnyBus allday travelcard (£2.50 for children).

TfGM said insight work suggested the fares caps had contributed to an estimated 12% increase in bus patronage. This growth had been led by those travelling five or more days a week, while 3% of those using the new capped fare offers had not previously travelled by bus.

“We are working to deliver a network for our millions of residents and visitors that is every bit as good as the one Londoners have,” said Burnham. “Cutting the cost of public transport benefits everyone and I want it to be a lasting and defining part of the Bee Network. That can only happen if more people use it, so my plea today is for everyone to get on board with us and help keep fares low. You’ll be better off with the Bee Network.”

Contactless rail pilot will facilitate simplification

TICKETING

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has announced that rail services between Stalybridge and Manchester Victoria and Glossop and Manchester Piccadilly will be pilot routes for the trial of contactless rail ticketing in the region.

First announced as part of the city-region’s trailblazer devolution deal - and subject to final business case approval and funding - TfGM has been working closely with Great

British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) and the Department for Transport (DfT) to develop the pilot on the two routes.

It will allow passengers to touch in and out at the start and end of their journey and, like Metrolink, have their fare automatically calculated for them. This will, for the first time, allow passengers to travel without buying a ticket in advance. TfGM said it would also provide a faster and more convenient way to travel.

TfGM, DfT and GBRTT will then work together to use the pilot to support the wider ambition of full multi-modal integration into the Bee Network across bus, Metrolink,

rail and cycle hire, including fares simplification and capping, by 2030. Burnham paid tribute to rail minister Huw Merriman for his commitment to work with the mayor on piloting contactless travel on rail, a move that will ultimately enable key rail routes in the region to be integrated into the Bee Network. Vernon Everitt, transport commissioner for Greater Manchester, added the contactless pilot signified “further significant progress towards delivering the transport network that our residents, businesses and visitors deserve for a rapidly growing and thriving city region”.

NORRIS: LACK OF TRAMS A MISTAKE

FRANCHISING

West of England metro mayor, Dan Norris, has said that bringing buses under public control would have been a smoother process if a light rail network had been built in the early 2000s. He claimed that profits from trams could have supported a local publicly-owned bus network. Norris also suggested franchising still required private operators to make a profit and that as a result “it’s not a silver bullet”.

‘MULTIMODAL CAPPING BY 2030’

‘West of England should have built light rail’

Vernon Everitt, transport commissioner for Greater Manchester and mayor Andy Burnham

Ticket office closures next for rail reform?

Plans drawn up to redeploy ticket office staff to other roles

MODERNISATION

Rail operators in England are reported to be considering the closure of most station ticket offices, a move that is expected to intensify the ongoing dispute between rail unions and the industry, as well as the UK Government.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the industry plans to initiate a public consultation process on the closures in the coming weeks, with the backing of ministers. It is anticipated that only busy hubs or major tourist stations will retain staffed ticket kiosks.

Official data reveals that only 12% of rail passengers currently utilise ticket offices, a trend that has prompted ministers and senior executives to emphasise the redeployment of staff as part of broader modernisation plans. However, this has led to clashes with unions and a significant wave of strikes.

Reports have suggested that

train operating companies were requested to prepare for the closure plans several weeks ago and that a public consultation would take place, likely in July.

The push to close ticket offices is driven by the increasing use of phone apps and vending machines for fare purchases. Ministers argue that some counters at the least busy train stations sell as few as one ticket per hour. The intention is to free up staff from ticket offices, allowing them to assist passengers on the concourse with ticket machine usage or provide support to individuals with access requirements.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, declined to confirm the plans

but acknowledged discussions with the RMT, the UK’s largest transport union, regarding reforms such as relocating staff from ticket offices.

“Sadly, those talks have stalled... the railway is too vital to those who depend on it for negotiations to continue to go round in circles,” the RDG said, adding that any changes would be subject to consultation.

The RMT expressed strong opposition to the closure of ticket offices and vowed to vigorously resist any such moves, highlighting the potential impact on jobs and the access of disabled and vulnerable passengers to rail services.

While industry leaders do not

anticipate immediate job cuts resulting from the closures, the RMT has scheduled three more strikes for the following month, extending the ongoing dispute over pay and changes to working practices.

Train companies have proposed pay increases of 5% for the previous year and 4% for the current year in exchange for the RMT’s acceptance of significant changes, including the redeployment of ticket office staff.

The decision to proceed with the closures, one of the most contentious reforms, was prompted by the RMT’s repeated refusal to present pay offers to its members, according to an industry source.

A government official accused RMT general secretary Mick Lynch of attempting to instill fear, asserting that no predetermined conclusions had been made and that the extensive consultation process would be respected. The official emphasised the need for railway reform.

Both the industry and the government argue that changes to the railway service are necessary due to the decline in ticket revenue resulting from the increase in remote working.

The Department for Transport has declined to provide a comment on the matter.

RAIL

FRANCHISING COMES TO AN END

Caledonian Sleeper service now in public ownership

OWNERSHIP

The Scottish Government has formally assumed control of the Caledonian Sleeper service, marking the end of rail franchising. The move follows the decision last year to nationalise the rail franchise and terminate Serco’s contract to

operate the service seven years ahead of schedule.

By bringing the Caledonian Sleeper under public ownership, the Scottish Government hopes to capitalise on the service’s recent growth in passenger numbers.

Under the previous agreement, Serco had been awarded the current sleeper franchise in a deal worth £800m, originally intended to run from 2015 to 2030. However, Serco’s attempt to renegotiate the deal

through a “rebase clause” in order to improve the financial viability of the service led to the decision to terminate their contract.

Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop said that the move to bring the Caledonian Sleeper into public ownership was prompted by the considerable uncertainty surrounding market conditions and rail reforms by the UK government.

“It is fitting that we recognise the successes of the staff and

management at the Caledonian Sleeper who have transformed this service, and who will remain as valued members of the team,” she said. “I give my reassurances that there is a continued role for them to play in the future success of the service.”

Hyslop added that in recent years the service had flourished, with increasing passenger numbers and the service played an important role in showcasing the best of Scotland.

M-ticketing growth has come at expense of ticket office purchases

TPE forced to issue ‘do no travel’ warning

Shortage of crew due to driver training backlog to blame

PERFORMANCE

TransPennine Express (TPE) was last week forced to request passengers using its services across the north of England and into Scotland only to do so if their travel was essential, as a result of “operational issues” that included a lack of staff.

Chris Jackson, the troubled train operator’s interim managing director, said TPE had inherited a number of challenges during its transition from private ownership to the Operator of Last Resort. These included a significant backlog in driver training with only 50% of drivers being currently equipped to drive the trains and routes in their roster.

UITP HIGHLIGHTS LIGHT RAIL STATS

Public transport reports on worldwide trends

LIGHT RAIL

New statistics collated by UITP, the international union for public transport, have found that light rail systems continue to expand around the world.

UITP has found there are currently an average of 6.7 new systems opening each year. As of 2021, there were 15,824km of LRT network in operation, mainly distributed between Europe (58%) and Eurasia (22%). At a global level, the length of infrastructure has been increasing by 1% per year on average since 2015. Between 2015-2021, mainland China opened 12 LRT systems,

Earlier this month a ban on overtime working by driving staff at TPE was called off by the Aslef union with overtime arrangements amongst staff resuming from June 24.

Jackson continued: “From next week, rest day working will be reinstated at TPE which, while not removing all the issues that TPE is facing, it will help us to increase driver training which in turn will contribute towards a more stable service for passengers.

“We are also working hard on operational plans to deliver a long-term improved service for our customers. We apologise again to all our passengers.”

Poor performance has plagued the train operator for months. TPE ranked highest of all train operators in terms of cancellations by some distance,

accounting for 21.6% of the total new infrastructure.

In 2019, light rail patronage was around 14.8 billion trips and, globally, this decreased by 37% on average in the following year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The regions most affected were Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and North America, where the decline in ridership exceeded 50%.

Africa and MENA were the two regions with the highest positive ridership variation between 2020 and 2021. They are the only two cases which had recovered at least 80% of their ridership in 2021 compared with 2019. In contrast, North America is the only region where 2021 ridership was even lower than in 2020, and only reached 42% of pre-Covid-19 levels.

according to official data from the Office of Rail and Road. The train operator cancelled almost a quarter of its services between earlier this year, an average of around 37 every day.

At least 1,048 services were cancelled using a controversial loophole known as P-coding, in which trains that are removed from the timetable by 10pm the evening before do not count towards official cancellation figures.

There has been some improvement, but the latest figures from the rail regulator for the period between April 30 and May 27 reveal TPE part pre-cancelled 434 trains due to a shortage of crew with 716 services fully P-coded. This was the highest figure of any train operator in the country.

The global number of light rail vehicles has remained stable in recent years at around 37,000. However, the fleet renovation process has not stopped, with the replacement of old vehicles with new cars offering better accessibility. The share of low-entry vehicles increased from 32% in 2015 to 45% in 2021.

IN BRIEF

SAFETY SCORECARD

London TravelWatch has ranked the capital’s transport providers according to their approach to improving personal security for passengers. The highest ranked transport providers were Network Rail, LNER and Transport for London. All three companies were awarded an overall five star ranking by London TravelWatch. Both Network Rail and TfL scored full marks in the ‘bystander intervention’ category. This area is really important, as it’s about the guidance that organisations give to passengers on how to intervene safely if they witness incidents of sexual harassment or hate crime.

OVERGROUND EXTENSION

Arriva Rail London has been granted a two-year extension as the delivery partner for the London Overground concession, which is operated with Transport for London. Arriva has operated the London Overground network since November 2016 and following the contract extension, is expected to do so up to May 2026.

ARRIVA CONTRACT GAINS

Arriva has been awarded a rail contract for the operation of trains in the South Moravian region of Czech Republic following a competitive tender process. Gaining the contract follows the recent 15-year rail contract awarded to operate services in the Pilsen region of Czech Republic, securing Arriva’s position as the second largest private rail operator in the country. Meanwhile, Arriva Slovakia has been awarded a new contract to operate suburban bus services in the region of Trnava, western Slovakia. The 10-year contract commences on January 1, 2024.

There are an average of 6.7 new light rail systems around the world each year

Government could intervene on buses

Socially necessary bus services could move to a statutory basis

NETWORKS

The government has said it will consider statutorily requiring the provision of socially and economically necessary bus services if planned new guidance fails to stem the loss of supported bus services in England.

The move is in response to the parliamentary transport select committee’s report Implementation of the National Bus Strategy which was published in March. Committee members were left with the impression that promises within the strategy for guidance for socially necessary services had not been fulfilled.

MPs also felt the government had suggested that it would consider introducing a statutory requirement on local authorities to provide services deemed socially or economically necessary

and look again at the ban on new municipal bus companies.

“Two years on, none of these things have happened and the long-term security of many bus routes that are vital for communities remains uncertain,” said MPs.

In its formal response, the government said it partially accepted the committee’s recommendations on socially and economically necessary services.

“We plan to publish new guidance on socially and economically necessary services during this parliament,” it said.

“As the National Bus Strategy states, the mechanism to deliver more comprehensive socially and economically necessary services will be through Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP).

“In time, if the objectives of the new guidance are not achieved by agreement we will consider statutorily requiring the provision of socially and economically

EP process ‘improving operator engagement’

Enhanced

Partnerships creating right ‘one-team approach’

The Department for Transport has claimed that feedback from Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) has suggested that the Enhanced Partnership (EP) elements of England’s National Bus Strategy are improving engagement with bus operators.

The DfT made the claim in its formal response to the parliamentary transport select

committee’s report Implementation of the National Bus Strategy

The DfT told the committee that EPs were “helping to build a successful and collaborative oneteam approach with the ability to deliver key innovations to improve local bus services”.

However, it added: “We recognise that not every LTA has yet achieved that level

necessary bus services, including those which improve people’s access to employment.”

On alternatives to partnershipbased bus improvements, the government said revised franchising guidance will be published as soon as possible and provide more detailed and clearer advice on producing a franchising business case and using franchising powers to deliver the bus strategy and BSIP outcomes.

It continued: “We will publish a call for evidence during this parliament, as the first part of a review into whether it remains right that local authorities cannot set up new municipal bus companies.”

Meanwhile, the government has also confirmed a consultation will be launched later this year with more details on proposals to reform the Bus Service Operator Grant. The government’s intention is to “modernise and future-proof the grant.”

ACQUISITIONS

Stagecoach is finalising a deal to acquire the 23-bus Liverpoolbased Peoplesbus business from its proprietor next month.

The deal will see Peoplesbus’s fleet pass to Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire ownership, along with 21 members of staff and a mixture of commercial and tendered local, football and schools services.

Matt Davies, managing director of Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire, described Peoplesbus as a quality independent operator.

“This acquisition is a good strategic fit for our business, as we expand our portfolio of Merseytravel tendered operations,” he added. “It also makes for an excellent bolt on for our Gillmoss depot in Liverpool. We are delighted to be welcoming new colleagues to our Stagecoach team and we will be doing our best to ensure they quickly feel at home”.

of engagement, but the Department has committed to providing the support, including through monthly online bus forum events and training resources to be delivered through the recently launched Bus Centre of Excellence.”

It said EPs are a “new and untested mechanism” and that “sufficient time must be allowed for these to be fully embedded”. The DfT added it had appointed a dedicated relationship manager to each LTA to offer support and advice.

Peoplesbus was established in June 2001 by Andrew Cawley with a single bus operating a number of weekend only services. In April 2002, the first Merseytravel school service was secured and the operation grew to a peak of 32 buses, with school contracts forming the core of the operation, supported in later years by tendered local bus services. The company had recently expanded after securing new tendered contracts in the St Helens area.

Cawley first became involved in bus operation in 1994 when at the age of 17 he started a fledgling Merseyside bus business which briefly secured involvement from Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson.

Commenting on the sale of Peoplesbus, Cawley said: “I’m looking forward to assisting Stagecoach with the smooth transition of our operation.”

STAGECOACH

TO BUY PEOPLESBUS

‘Fare rises inevitable to prevent network cuts’

National Express West Midlands makes first fare increase since 2017

FARES

National Express West Midlands (NXWM) has announced its first fares increase since 2017. The new arrangements will be introduced from July 3.

The price of a single fare will increase from £2.40 to £2.70 with an all day ticket rising by 50p to £4.50 from July 3. The operator said that despite the increase it will still offer the cheapest day bus ticket of any city region in England.

“Most fares have been frozen since 2017, the day ticket remains cheaper than in 2017 and some are even the same price as they were nearly 10 years ago,” said an NXWM spokesperson. “The

MORE UK ROUTES FOR FLIXBUS

New continental links as Plymouth route extended

NETWORKS

Express coach operator FlixBus has announced further expansion for its UK operations. Whippet Coaches will operate a new route linking Leeds with Amsterdam via Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Cambridge, Stratford, North Greenwich, Antwerp and Utrecht. Meanwhile, Turners Coaches will operate a new route between Bristol and Amsterdam via London, Bruges and Rotterdam.

The existing London to Plymouth service, operated by Tauntonbased Berrys Coaches, will also be extended to Newquay, Hayle and Penzance for the summer season.

reality is that some price rises are now needed to protect the bus network in the face of rising costs. Costs including fuel, electricity, parts and labour have increased by 25% in the past three years while the number of people using buses remains around 90% of what it was before the pandemic.”

Last month David Bradford, NXWM’s managing director, told members of the Young Bus Managers Network that he was proud the operator had the cheapest bus fares in England (PT290). “How long we can keep fares this low is a live debate, but

we still need to keep them below inflation,” he said.

Andy Street, the mayor of the West Midlands, described the decision to increase fares as disappointing but inevitable.

“The hard truth is that without National Express implementing increases in their fare prices, then nearly half of our network - particulalrly those serving schools - would be at risk of cuts. I cannot, and will not, allow our bus network to be decimated like this,” he said.

Street said that alongside NXWM’s decision to increase fares, he would look at all options for the future of buses in the region, including public ownership.

“This however would not have avoided today’s incredibly difficult decision after months of rising costs,” he added.

IN BRIEF

OPEN TOP IN THE PEAKS

Stagecoach Yorkshire has announced it will launch a new open top sightseeing service in the Peak District on July 1. The Peak Sightseer will connect Chatsworth, Bakewell and Hassop Station for the Monsal Trail and is part-funded by Derbyshire County Council as part of its Bus Service Improvement Plan. It will be the second open top bus service to launch in the area: Hulleys of Baslow launched a similar open top service last month.

CMAC ACQUISITION

CMAC Group, the managed ground transport specialists, has entered a strategic partnership with Coach Hire Comparison which sees CMAC acquire 51% of the business. This is the second acquisition that CMAC Group has made in recent months, following their purchase of Suntransfers, one of Europe’s largest airport transfer companies, in September 2022.

GREEN LINE IS OUT

Reading Buses has announced new buses are to enter service on its Green Line 702 and 703 routes. The municipal has also revealed the routes will be rebranded as The London Line 702 and Flight Line 703 and carry the tagline ‘Windsor Express’ on the side to reflect the common sections of the 702 and 703 routes between Legoland, Windsor and Slough.

“We are conscious that the Green Line name has had a long association with routes in this area,” said Reading Buses chief executive Robert Williams. “We have retained a green colour scheme and ‘line’ naming to make the switchover as seamless as possible in customers’ minds.”

“I cannot, and will not, allow our bus network to be decimated”

PRIDE IN WARRINGTON Pride Month drew to a close last weekend with Warrington’s Own Buses presenting a branded bus in support of Warrington pride 2023. The bus is a result of the partnership work between Warrington BID and local partners and stakeholders. “We wanted something bold and dynamic,” said Ben Wakerley, the council-owned operator’s managing director.

Compensation rates to TOCs for delays halved

ORR says changes reflect new evidence on passengers COMPENSATION

The rates of compensation which train operating companies receive from Network Rail for infrastructure disruption are set to drop by more than half, on the basis of new evidence of how passengers respond to rail disruption.

In the short term, the reduction in compensation rates is likely to have limited impact on TOC finances because of the way rail contracts have been structured since the pandemic. However, a large reduction in Network Rail compensation rates could be a material consideration should TOCs shoulder the revenue risk again in the future.

The Office of Rail and Road provides details of the recalibration of compensation rates in the draft determination on its 2023 periodic review (PR23). The draft sets out: the ORR’s review of Network Rail’s Strategic Business Plan for Control Period

TFW PREPARES TO CONVERT TRAINS

Newest additions to fleet will become hybrids

ROLLING STOCK

Transport for Wales is already making preparations to convert its newest fleet of diesel trains to hybrids. The Stadler Class 231 Flirt units were officially launched in March. Their modular design allows for easy reconfiguration of power sources, if required during their

7, 2024-29; the ORR’s decision on planned CP7 expenditure; changes to track and station access charges and incentives; and policies on managing change and the financial framework.

“We are now recalibrating the incentive regimes in readiness for CP7,” says the draft determination. “We are expecting Network Rail payment rates to be significantly lower in CP7 due to the adoption of new evidence on how passengers respond to disruption.”

Schedule 4 of track access contracts places financial incentives on Network Rail to plan possessions efficiently to minimise disruption. Schedule 8 incentivises Network Rail and TOCs to limit the disruption they cause and therefore improve network performance.

The draft determination says that the ORR is not making

significant policy changes to the Schedule 8 regime. “However, during the PR23 recalibration we have made important choices, in consideration of the impact of the pandemic and the availability of new evidence on how passengers respond to service disruption. These choices affect payment rates and performance benchmarks.”

The ORR is using data from October 2021 to October 2022 for the recalibration. It says that the pandemic has limited direct impacts on this data while “some of the post-pandemic changes to services, performance and passenger demand” are captured by the data. The reduction in TOC revenues since 2019 is likely to reduce Network Rail payment rates by around 15 percentage points.

A larger reduction is driven by new insights into how passengers

respond when their intended train journey is disrupted. The Rail Delivery Group commissioned a study this relationship in 2019, building on a 2017 study of flows in London and the South East. It commissioned further research last year.

“The estimates show that demand is less responsive to disruption than had previously been estimated. In draft results, this has resulted in a material fall in Network Rail payment rates of around 60 percentage points on average,” says the draft determination.

Although not a factor in the recalibration, reduced payments by Network Rail to TOCs could strengthen cost:benefit analyses for rail enhancement projects, which currently include Network Rail compensation payments to operators as a cost.

Such a change would also put rail project evaluations more on a par with road, where there is no mechanism of compensation payments for businesses affected by road construction. Roadworks can be particularly disruptive to bus operators and can cause loss of revenue, longer and less reliable journey times, additional resource requirement to maintain service frequencies and the costs of updating information.

operating lives. In response to a Freedom of Information request, TfW has revealed plans to add a pantograph to each of the 11 units.

“All that has been negotiated and authorised to date is an option to activate the hybrid conversion programme at any time before 30 April 2026,” said TfW.

The Class 231s are temporarily operating on part of the Core Valley Lines, which TfW is electrifying. They will be replaced in 2025 by tri-mode Flirt units, capable of operating with

diesel, battery or overhead electric power. The Class 231s will then operate services from Cardiff to Maesteg, Ebbw Vale and Cheltenham, primarily on infrastructure where no electrification is planned because it remains under DfT control. However, Cardiff to Severn Tunnel Junction received overhead wires in the Great Western electrification programme. Hybrid Class 231s would operate the Ebbw Vale and Cheltenham services with overhead electric power for part of the journey.

This would reduce diesel consumption and carbon emissions.

“The estimates show that demand is less responsive to disruption than had previously been estimated.”

The Office of Rail and Road

MSs ask for details of Welsh bus cuts process

Minister asked to elaborate on the decision-making that will determine which bus services will continue in light of Welsh bus funding shortfall

POLICY

The Welsh Government has acknowledged that bus services will be withdrawn this financial year because of a shortage of funding, but there is no clarity yet on how services will be selected for withdrawal. Senedd Members have also queried how the government will ensure the current funding challenges are not repeated when bus franchising begins across Wales.

The government had planned to end its Bus Emergency Support (BES) in July, despite increased operating costs and passenger numbers not having returned to pre-Covid levels. In May, deputy climate change minister Lee Waters announced £46m to continue bus support through this financial year (PT290). He said regional planning teams, led by Transport for Wales, would work with operators to establish which routes were priorities for the funding.

On June 16, he said the new Bus Transition Fund, replacing the BES on July 24, would keep the strategic TrawsCymru services running and ensure that the majority of the current services will be protected. “Some services may change to reflect different travel patterns following the pandemic,” he said. “This work will be done at pace so that any potential future network changes are communicated with as much notice as possible.”

On June 14, the Senedd’s climate change, environment and infrastructure committee

sent Waters a number of questions on bus policy, noting that Waters had said this year’s emergency funding is some £7m to £9m less than required to sustain current services. “You told the Senedd that decisions regarding the restructuring of services are expected soon due to tight deadlines relating to bus deregistration, employee consultations, and potential redundancies,” said the committee.

“We would be grateful for further information around the timelines for this work and the discussions that are taking place with trades union representatives about the potential impact on jobs. Could you please elaborate on the decision-making process for determining which bus services

will continue in light of the acknowledged funding shortfall?”

One of the most recent examples of government-led decision-making on bus services is the new contract, which started in April, for the T1C AberystwythCardiff TrawsCymru service. The government has never undertaken a value for money assessment of this service since the T1C started in 2016. It awarded the new contract without having evidence of the average passenger journey length on the long route. Last year, the T1C carried about 15.5 passenger journeys per vehicle journey on average, and subsidy per passenger was £14.91 (PT288).

Passenger Transport asked the government whether the T1C was now being considered for

Clayton Jones refused new licence

Veteran South Wales bus entrepreneur Clayton Jones has been blocked from establishing a new bus operation.

His previous venture involved 13 registered routes in the Pontypridd area. They operated from February to September 2022 but monitoring in the first three months, and from June to October, found that most services failed to operate. Following a public inquiry, Jones

was fined and given a formal warning but did not lose his good repute (PT284).

Jones recently applied for authorisation for a new company named The Wonky Bars Ltd to operate 25 vehicles from a base in Caerphilly. Last week the Office of the Traffic Commissioner said the application had been refused.

“Wonky Bar” is the nickname of a pub in Pontypridd.

withdrawal as a result of the funding shortfall, and whether decisions on withdrawing and retaining bus services would be based on evidence or follow the same kind of process which resulted in the latest T1C contract.

A government spokesperson replied: “We are reviewing a range of public transport services as part of our National Transport Delivery Plan, including the T1C Aberystwyth to Cardiff coach service. In the meantime, we will continue to work with Transport for Wales and local authorities to improve the effectiveness of the route.”

The committee reminded Waters that in his May statement he had “emphasised the importance of sufficient public funding for franchising”. It asked him when the Senedd Bill on franchising would be introduced, what are the plans for transitioning to franchising and how local authorities were being prepared for this shift.

“Given your intention that the Welsh Government will be the franchising authority and carry the revenue risk for all franchised bus services across Wales, can you outline how the planned arrangement will ensure this risk is managed and that the current funding challenges and uncertainty are not repeated and amplified by franchising?”

The committee also asked what modelling had been undertaken to assess the impact on the bus network of the default 20mph speed limit on restricted roads, which takes effect across Wales in September. Some bus operators are concerned that 20mph limits where buses now run for sustained periods at 25-30mph could extend journey times enough to affect service frequencies or the resources required to maintain frequencies.

“Some services may change to reflect different travel patterns following the pandemic”

The Wonky Bars Ltd sought to operate 25 vehicles

‘Rail competition can enhance green choices’

More high speed routes could boost rail market market across Europe

POLICY

Increasing the number of high speed rail routes and allowing more carriers to compete on these lines would have a significant impact in pushing passengers to make greener, more environmentallyfriendly travel choices.

This is according to new research from SilverRail, a company building the digital infrastructure for rail, which is today releasing the latest phase of its Train over Plane campaign - an initiative dedicated to helping the rail sector increase its market share.

Despite being a greener alternative, train travel remains the second choice for most of Europe’s passengers – with air often outcompeting rail in affordability, travel time and quality of experience. However, when analysing a selection of the region’s most prominent high speed rail routes, researchers found that those that welcomed competition to the line, increasing the number

SCOTRAIL DOUBTS HYDROGEN CASE

HS2 trials automotive design technology

HYDROGEN

The cost of operating hydrogen trains needs to be reduced before hydrogen becomes a viable option for subsidised passenger services, according to Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway. Hynes’s leadership role covers Network Rail as well as ScotRail.

of carriers, enjoyed a significant uplift in passenger numbers. It suggests that a combination of reduced journey times as well as the cost reductions and improved customer service that result from increased competition has proved popular with Europe’s travellers.

Data sourced from a presentation by Dr Andrea Giuricin at GBTA’s inaugural Sustainability Summit showed that when the Madrid to Barcelona route added high speed rail services, the number of passengers choosing rail over air jumped from 12% to nearly half (48%). And later, when new carriers were allowed to operate on the line, rail’s share of travellers rose to just under threequarters (73%).

Similar gains were also seen in Italy, where the addition of high speed rail to the route between Milan and Rome increased rail’s

passenger share from 36% to 58%, before reaching 80% when competition was introduced.

In the UK, the London to Edinburgh rail route was also cited as an example. It saw an increase in passenger share from 35% to 63% as a result of increased high speed rail competition.

Taking an average of the market share increases across these three routes and applying that to the other 28 European routes currently covered by high speed rail, SilverRail estimates that if competition was added to these lines the industry would see an average modal shift of 50%, which would net the rail sector an estimated ¤1bn in additional revenue. This would prevent up to 2.4 million tonnes of carbon emissions entering the earth’s atmosphere each year.

SilverRail’s survey of 10,000

travellers across Europe found that just over half (53%) said environmental sustainability was an important factor in their decision about which mode of transport to take. However, when asked about which features would differentiate train providers, travellers deemed sustainability initiatives, such as carbon tracking and carbon offsets, to be the least important in their decision making, behind pre-travel train information and the ability to make cost comparisons.

Cameron Jones, chief commercial officer at SilverRail, said: “Despite Europe rail’s heritage, the region’s passengers are drawn to air travel for its perceived ability to offer the lowest cost and quickest journeys. And while the aviation sector will always have a place in serving long distance travel needs, its sizeable carbon footprint means that, where possible, the world must find greener alternatives to get travellers from A to B.

“Trains, which on average produce 90% less carbon than planes, are the natural choice. However, if the rail sector is going to compete successfully it must do so by providing a comparable experience - finding a way to get people to their destination quickly and cost-effectively.”

He told a committee of MSPs that Scotland’s primary assumption for decarbonisation is to electrify more lines for passenger and freight trains.

“However, we would never electrify some parts of our network, because it is just not economic to do so, so other opportunities such as hydrogen trains and battery trains are under active consideration,” he said.

“We believe that the cost of operating a hydrogen train could be up to double the cost of operating a diesel train, which would clearly not

be good news for taxpayers. There is therefore some work for us to do with the hydrogen sector to drive down the costs so that it makes sense for us.”

Aberdeen is a European leader in hydrogen-fuelled transport. Its hydrogen hub fuels buses and other road vehicles. Hynes said

Scotland’s Railway was talking to the hydrogen sector in places such as Aberdeen, although not only there. “My understanding is that hydrogen economics work better when a number of industries club together in one space to drive down the cost and make it economic,” he said.

“If the rail sector is going to compete successfully it must do so by providing a comparable experience [to air travel]”

Cameron Jones, SilverRail

“The cost of operating a hydrogen train could be up to double the cost of operating a diesel train” Alex Hynes

First’s science-based emissions targets

In

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TARGETS

FirstGroup has set an ambitious science-based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The transport group will reduce scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 63% by 2035, from a 2020 base year.

In a first for UK bus and rail operators, the group also commits to reduce scope 3 emissions from fuel and energy related activities by 20% by 2028 from a 2020 base year, and that 75% of its suppliers by emissions, covering purchased goods and services and capital goods, will have science-based targets by 2028.

Scope 1 covers direct emissions from road and rail vehicle fuel, heating fuel, and refrigerant gas emissions. Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from the generation of electricity purchased for buildings and to power electric road or rail vehicles. Scope 3 comprises other indirect emissions inclusive of business travel, water use and

CONSUMER CHARGING HUB

A first-of-its-kind move for the bus industry

ZERO EMISSION VEHICLES

First Bus is investing in a new purpose-built consumer Electric Vehicle charging hub at its Summercourt depot in Cornwall. In a first-of-its-kind move for the bus industry, the new Summercourt hub will see one of the UK’s largest bus operators provide the local

waste treatment and disposal.

FirstGroup’s targets have been approved by global body the Science Based Targets initiative. Science-based targets provide a clearly defined path for companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, helping to prevent the worst impacts of climate change and ensuring sustainable business growth. Targets are considered ‘science-based’ if they are in line with what the latest climate science says is necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement

and limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

As the transport sector is the biggest contributor to UK greenhouse gas emissions, a shift to zero emission public transport and active travel - and away from cars and planes - will be vital to achieving the UK government’s goal of net zero by 2050.

The underlying cash FirstGroup generated in the 2022/23 financial year was deployed in investing more than £90m in capital expenditure, primarily to drive the

KEY ACTIONS BY FIRSTGROUP

Transitioning from diesel to electric or hydrogen buses, in order to achieve its goal of operating a 100% zero emission bus fleet by 2035. Introducing bi-mode and electric trains to support the transition to net zero and the UK government’s goal to remove all diesel-only trains by 2040. Training First Rail employees in energy efficient train driving. Installing more than 6,000 solar panels at 20 bus depots, which will generate more than two million kWh of renewable energy a year, equivalent to the amount of energy required to power 700 family homes.

community with direct access to rapid electric charging infrastructure for electric cars and vans. The new ‘turn up and charge’ hub will offer eight rapid charging facilities available on a pay-as-you-go basis. The hub will provide the local area with key electrical charging infrastructure, creating a charging site for the community to use for years to come, and the hope is it will also help more people make the switch to electric to improve local air quality.

decarbonisation of the First Bus fleet and infrastructure. In the current financial year, FirstGroup anticipates deploying a further investment of around £130m in First Bus, mainly focused on the electrification of buses and depots.

FirstGroup’s chief executive officer Graham Sutherland, said: “FirstGroup is playing its part in accelerating the transition to a zero-carbon world and we are pleased to have taken a further step forward today with the validation of our targets by the Science Based Targets initiative. A greater use of public transport will be critical to the UK achieving its net zero goals and we offer easy, convenient, and sustainable transport options that encourage people to leave their car at home and switch to buses and trains.”

FirstGroup‘s strategic framework for sustainability, Mobility Beyond Today, sets out the company’s ambition to be the partner of choice for innovative and sustainable transport for a zero-carbon future. The group’s leadership in this area has already been recognised through inclusion in the Clean200 list for the last four years, meaning that FirstGroup is one of the cleanest 200 companies worldwide; and as the only UK transport operator in S&P’s Sustainability Yearbook.

first for UK bus and rail operators, the group has committed to reduce scope 3 emissions from fuel and energy related activities by 20% by 2028

The new ‘turn up and charge’ hub will offer eight rapid charging facilities

“A greater use of public transport will be critical to the UK achieving its net zero goals”

Graham Sutherland

GWR trials real-time journey dashboard

Digital platform from Whoosh keeps passengers informed

INFORMATION

Great Western Railway has embarked on a revolutionary journey with the trial of new software that will allow customers to see real-time train service information.

The four-month trial of the digital platform from rail tech developer Whoosh began at the start of May and allows customers to see real-time journey information for the train they are on as well as real-time rail and travel information for every station in the country.

The digital platform, which is being trialled on board three trains, and also at Patchway and Newton Abbot stations, is accessed by scanning bespoke station and at-seat QR codes. Customers simply scan a

LIFTANGO POWERS

New on-demand bus service for Moray Council

APPS

Liftango has launched a new, dynamic on-demand passenger app to digitalise the new m.connect bus service in Moray, North East Scotland, with early passenger journey figures up 30% in the first month.

m.connect covers the entire Moray area, including five transport zones using 14 vehicles and is the enhanced iteration of the previous Dial M for Moray bus service. Liftango’s technology means that, alongside a booking phone line,

QR code to unlock a wealth of relevant travel information, featuring station info, onward journey planning and Welsh language options.

Whoosh’s recently patented ‘Tell Us’ functionality also enables contextualised fault reporting by passengers and staff onboard. Whoosh already operates

several successful journey information services for other UK transport operators. The tech company teamed up with Network Rail last year to provide personalised information across the UK’s largest stations.

Edmund Caldecott, founder and CEO, Whoosh, said: “We’re incredibly excited for our trial

with Great Western Railway, not least because it is our first multilingual version of the real-time journey platform. It allows us to demonstrate the cost-saving opportunities for TOCs while improving passenger communication - and therefore customer satisfaction - too.

“Stations without customer information screens (CIS) are typically unmanaged too, so now customers can simply scan the QR code and get all the CIS information they need, and more besides, at a fraction of the cost to the operator.”

GWR development manager, Mike Preece, said: “We are pleased to collaborate with Whoosh during this trial period and look forward to seeing how travel technology can enhance communication with passengers across our network, helping to keep them informed and engaged throughout their journey.

“We are also excited to see how this trial could lead to innovative revenue opportunities and, most importantly, improved services for our passengers.”

passengers can now use an easy-touse app for quick, flexible bookings and journey planning. This new digital service, alongside increased marketing spend and enhanced vehicle availability, has led to a significant increase in passenger journeys by 30% in the first month.

The change to m.connect is the first stage of the £4.3m Bus Revolution project, which is being funded through £4m of Scottish Government funding and £300,000 from Moray Council.

Based in a rural part of Scotland, the new m.connect service aims to reduce transport barriers in isolated areas and increase the number of people using public transport.

VIRTUAL REALITY TO TEACH KIDS Virtual reality headsets are to be used in West Midlands schools to teach children about railway safety to reduce the number of trespass incidents. Network Rail’s Central route has invested £15,000 in virtual reality headsets which will be taken into schools to teach classes about the risks the railway poses.

Metroline to use CitySwift in London

INTELLIGENT DATA

CitySwift’s Decision Intelligence platform will speed up data analysis and power accurate schedules that improve the passenger experience in London.

After a successful partnership with Metroline in Manchester, CitySwift and Metroline in London have announced a partnership to power the use of intelligent data across a select number of routes in London.

Metroline is one of London’s leading bus operators and is part of ComfortDelGro, one of the world’s largest transportation companies, with a global fleet of over 35,000 vehicles.

Metroline London will be using CitySwift’s Evolve module to analyse schedule and vehicle

TOWER TRANSIT SELECTS OMNIBUS CLOUD SOLUTION

Operator runs Channel Islands operations

SOFTWARE

Tower Transit, which operates bus services in the Channel Islands under the LibertyBus (Jersey) and buses.gg (Guernsey) brands, is migrating its Omnibus scheduling software to the cloud.

The cloud scheduling platform will enhance collaboration, remove local infrastructure costs and reduce the demand on the group’s IT team with managed software services. The solution, which includes timetabling,

location data to understand where there is excess time in the bus network. CitySwift Evolve will suggest new, optimised and efficient runtimes that will improve service performance.

Metroline CEO Sean O’Shea commented: “We are thrilled to extend the partnership with CitySwift to London. CitySwift Evolve will speed up data analysis and enable confident, fast, and data-driven decision making - ultimately leading to improved service performance and more competitive bidding opportunities. Metroline is committed to building strong relationships with partners that

can help to further enhance both the business and the service that we provide to our customers. We look forward to embarking on the next chapter of our partnership with CitySwift in London.”

Alan Farrelly, COO and co-founder of CitySwift, added: “We believe there is huge potential for Metroline in London using CitySwift’s Decision Intelligence platform. CitySwift will help Metroline to transform their internal processes through fast data analysis and high quality insights, deliver more accurate schedules, and achieve performance goals to ultimately grow their success in London.”

COACH SERVICES GOES LIVE WITH PASSENGER QR

System integrates with TransMach ticket machines

TICKETING

Following the launch of its own mobile ticketing QR schema in April, Passenger this month announced its first successful rollout with smart ticketing specialist, TransMach, for local bus operator Coach Services in Norfolk.

The new QR schema has made it possible for Passenger’s popular mobile app technology to interact securely with contactless ticket machines and validators, supplied by TransMach. Scanning a QR code on mobile app tickets makes it easy for the bus driver to know whether a ticket that’s scanned is valid or not. As such it is an important part of mobile ticketing apps, with the QR schema providing the necessary instructions for how ETM providers should validate app tickets.

mapping, vehicle scheduling, crew scheduling, rostering, timetable publicity and data sharing, will also allow Tower Transit to scale seamlessly to meet future growth needs.

Vincent Dalzell, operations director at Tower Transit, part of Australian based multi-modal transport and tourism operator Kelsian Group, said: “With the expansion of our scheduling team, who work from different locations, we needed a solution that allowed for greater collaboration to enable geographically dispersed teams to collaborate on tasks simultaneously. There was also a need to decommission the desktop Omnibus software to support our

cloud business strategy.

“Omnibus is a trusted partner, and we have every confidence that together our efficiency through streamlined work processes will deliver an optimised network and ultimately an improved customer experience.”

Peter Crichton, Founder of Omnibus, said: “Omnibus is delighted, and uniquely placed, to support Tower Transit through our 30-plus years’ expertise, deep understanding of passenger transport and ability to develop innovative technology. Our cloud scheduling solution will enable Tower Transit to work smarter from one central platform that improves accuracy, flexibility and efficiency.”

Rob Crawford, financial director at Thetford-based Coach Services said: “Introducing QR scanning to our buses will reduce the need for our drivers to check mobile tickets being shown to them on the myTrip app. With one thing less to think about, this means they’ll be able to concentrate on maintaining the firstclass experience our customers have come to expect from Coach Services.”

TransMach, a ticketing technology provider based in the UK has collaborated on the development with Passenger and implemented the schema within its TM920 handheld and TM500 on-bus ETMs. Coach Services uses TM500 ETMs across its 16-bus fleet. Dan Claydon, product manager at Passenger said: “The capability is now available as a turn-key solution for any bus operator using Passenger’s myTrip multi-operator mobile app with TransMach’s ETMs.”

“CitySwift Evolve will speed up data analysis and enable confident, fast, and data-driven decision making”

Sean O’Shea, Metroline

Intelligent data will be used across a select number of routes

NORMAN BAKER

One day. Seven trains. 700 miles...

From the south coast of England to the northern tip of Scotland. Together with a friend, I made an epic journey by rail on June 23

It’s Friday, June 23, and I am off on an epic train journey from the south coast to the north coast in a day, from Newhaven Harbour to Thurso. I am with my friend Peter, who is capturing the day on his phone.

I am not sure this trip has been attempted before in a day, at least not in a public waylive tweets are recording the journey as it happens. I will be relaxing, taking in the scenery, and getting some work done - none of which would be possible if I was travelling by car or air. I will also be responsible for a mere fraction of the carbon that I would be emitting if I were driving or flying.

06.01

Off to a good start. The sun is shining at Newhaven, the water is glistening behind me, and it is already pleasantly warm. The ferry from Dieppe has just docked and is unloading its passengers. The Southern train arrives and departs on time. For those who know their rolling stock, the clapped out 313s have been replaced on the line by the much more comfortable 377s.

06.22

We arrive in Lewes on time, which gives us five minutes to pick up a hot drink from the excellent independent café, the Runaway. The train to London arrives two minutes early and leaves on time. Another 377. The train is surprisingly only about a quarter full. Commuting on a Friday has clearly gone out

of fashion, even though Southern is offering a peak hour discount on Mondays and Fridays

07.36

In London on time and off to maybe the cheapest café in central London for a coffee and fried egg roll. Then it’s on to the Victoria line for the short hop to King’s Cross. Although the tube trains are running every 60 seconds, our train is still standing room only. But then the tube is much the easiest and quickest way to get round the capital. Why anyone drives in London is beyond me, and always has been. I even turned down a ministerial car when I was a minister, one of a select group of three ever to have done this. I can’t see the point of a car in central London.

We used the tube to cross London. Why anyone drives in the capital is beyond me

09.00

The refurbished King’s Cross station is impressive and confident. The recreated St Pancras next door was a turning point. The railway industry believes in itself today in a way it hadn’t since probably the 1950s.

I am surprised and impressed to see that there seems to be a half-hourly service to Edinburgh. Our train is a new LNER Azuma and leaves bang on time. Notwithstanding the frequency, our train is packed out with every seat taken, as far as I can see. This, and the earlier Southern journey, reinforces the fact that while commuter traffic is still well below pre-Covid levels, leisure travel is booming.

11.02

Our train is late into York, held outside for eight minutes while we wait for a platform. Let’s hope we can make up time.

We now experience a live demonstration of how crowded the network is. It seems we were stuck behind a late Grand Central train and have now missed our path. I suspect we are now following a local train that should have been behind us. Progress is painfully slow and we are gradually losing more time.

12.15

25 minutes late into Newcastle, and now we are stuck behind another local train. Estimated time into Edinburgh is now 13.53 rather than 13.20. We had a very tight 10-minute connection at Edinburgh which we will now miss, so we will have to resort to our Plan B, the only other option to get us to Thurso today. This is a train out of Edinburgh at 14.41 with then a five-minute connection at Perth and a five-minute connection at Inverness for the last train of the day to Thurso. It needs everything to go like clockwork for this to work. I wonder why Scotrail have such tight connections, for I presume they are meant to be connections.

In the meantime, we enjoy fantastic views out of the window of the Northumberland coast and indeed of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the last town in England and one which in the past was actually in Scotland. Indeed Berwick Rangers FC still plays in the Scottish football league.

13.10

We’re in Scotland!

13.55

We finally arrive in Edinburgh 35 minutes late but at least there is now time for a bite to eat and a pit stop before Plan B takes effect. This is the 14.41 to Perth.

14.41

Not an encouraging start. The train’s departure is delayed by eight minutes to allow a late running LNER train to Aberdeen to get ahead of us. This is sensible in the big scheme of things, but a pity the same priority was not given to our LNER train between York and Berwick!

We have now gone about 200 yards and stopped again. The train crew are being very friendly and said they will try to get the connection at Perth held, but no promises. The conductor James comes over for a word. He has rung the operations centre and persuaded them to hold both the Inverness and Thurso connections if necessary. Brilliant. He definitely gets my person of the day award. Meanwhile, the overhead information screen is stuck on advice that the next station is Haymarket, which thankfully we left some time ago.

And on this train, as all others today, we are constantly bombarded with “see it, say it, sorted” messages. Can’t anyone rid us of this plague?

16.24

We arrive in Perth, seven minutes after the Inverness train was due to depart, to find James has worked a miracle. The GlasgowInverness train is being held for us, and indeed the 40 or so other passengers who wanted to transfer. It is a long time to hold a train but absolutely the correct decision. If I miss a train in Lewes, there’s another one along soon. If I had missed this train, well that was it. What I really need now is a cup of tea, as there had been no trolley, let alone a buffet car, on the Edinburgh-Perth service. To my dismay, I find there is nothing either on this so-called Inter-City service.

18.26

To my surprise and relief, our train reaches Inverness precisely on time, which suggests a good deal of padding in the timetable, given we left about 11 minutes late. Not that I am complaining on this occasion.

18.31

The last leg, north to distant Thurso. The town is a long way north from Inverness, almost four hours away. To my dismay, there is no food and drink on this train either. Has ScotRail given up on catering?

The landscape, especially for the second half of the journey, presents a sort of impressive bleakness, enhanced by the sky which is becoming increasingly grey. Many of the stations are request stops with no sign of life anywhere near except the station building itself. When I later mention to the friend I am staying with that there is nothing at Altnabraec, he corrects me. “No, no, there’s a lodge a mile and a half away.”

22.06

We reach Georgemas Junction, where there really is nothing bar a railway junction, with one leg going to Wick and the other to Thurso. The driver changes ends and we set off for the 15 minute sprint to Thurso. At Thurso he will take the train to Wick, again via Georgemas Junction, where it will be stabled for the night.

22.20

We arrive in Thurso bang on time. It is 16 hours and 19 minutes since we left Newhaven Harbour bang on time. We have used seven trains, including one tube, to traverse the country from the south coast to the north coast. Not everything has been perfect in the journey, but these are small niggles. Most importantly, we have shown that even with a complicated journey, rail works.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Norman Baker served as transport minister from May 2010 until October 2013. He was Lib Dem MP for Lewes between 1997 and 2015.

“Not everything has been perfect in the journey, but these are small niggles ... We have shown that even with a complicated journey, rail works”

Impressive

scenery and space to workalthough a cup of tea would have been nice!

ALEX WARNER

Looking back on my 30 years in transport

This week marks my 30th work anniversary. It’s a time for me to reflect on my personal journey and look forward to the future

In these happy clappy times, forgive me if I jump on the bandwagon, with rah-rah selfindulgent nonsense. Running my own business, I don’t enjoy the trimmings of employment - long service awards or my boss putting some fawning ‘congratulatory’ post on LinkedIn about my achievements, or a bus wrap commemorating my service to the cause, such as that which my former wonderful boss Dave Kaye enjoyed, a few years ago. So, it’s left to me to say ‘Happy 30th Anniversary’. To myself. 30 years ago (28th June) my career of setbacks, frustrations, acrimony and a few modest high points across the years began as the sole person tasked with dealing with customer complaints on the Northern line, which back then was known as the ‘misery line’. In my office in a rancid building off Tottenham Court Road, which was condemned not long after, I was supported by a ‘word processor operator’ - a lovely lady called Anna. She’d type up the customer response letters that I would hand write, whilst I was placating furious customers phoning up to vent their spleen and listening avidly to the muffled sounds of the line information officer in the control room at Coburg Street announcing to staff the latest disruption. We also had the luxury of a television screen, showing Teletext travel updates. I loved using our revolutionary poster plotter machine to write and print out apology posters for display at stations!

‘Dreams can come true’, sung Gabrielle, as she topped the charts that week back in

late June 1993 and she was spot on! This was a dream for me as bad things had recently come in threes. Crystal Palace had just been relegated from the Premier League, courtesy of a goal from our ex hero Ian Wright, and then my lifelong aspiration of getting on the British Rail or London Underground graduate scheme ended in failure. Finally, I was controversially ‘awarded’ a third class honours degree at University College London. The filmmaker Christopher Nolan was on my course - I suspect he fared better than me in his exams! I wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer from London Underground and persuaded them to give me a real job instead of the graduate scheme. I never forget my fantastic first boss, Mike Stallard, tell me on day one that I wouldn’t hang around in what was the lowest

grade for long. That meant so much to me at a time when my confidence was at a subterranean level. I can’t thank him enough.

£11,900 as a starting salary was good, but burning ambition became all-consuming. Roles followed in the BTP Control Room and as a duty station manager on the Jubilee & East London lines - by far the most memorable and exciting period of my life. I was dealing with signal failures, trespassers on the track, crossing the third rail on a daily basis in horrendous weather conditions, with Metropolitan line trains passing perilously close. Meanwhile, an early-stage passion for trying to inflict my crazy style of customer service on militant union representatives was, quite frankly, life-changingly great.

Back in the day, London Underground spent so much time eulogising about British Airways and their brand of customer service. I thought I was so clever joining the airline, initially managing cabin crew teams across Europe, as the youngest management grade ‘MG’ manager in the company, before heading up its customer relations function. This is where I met ‘Er Indoors, who scandalously worked in my team.

British Airways was great, but trains were my passion, and I wrote a speculative letter to the late Shadow Strategic Rail Authority chair, Sir Alastair Morton. He sent me a lovely reply but a ‘Dear John’ from their HR department followed. I convinced them it must have been an administrative error and joined the organisation in 2000. Enjoyable spells followed at TOCs; Southern, WAGN/Stansted Express, South Eastern Trains and Midland Mainlineall bar Southern in executive director roles. So much love for South Eastern, who like London Underground, I’d walk backwards, blindfolded, wearing a Millwall shirt if I had to, from home in Shepperton, to end my career working for.

Looking back over my career, so much has changed and yet so little, in some respectscertainly the structure of the rail industry is more fragile and unclear than ever. I recall working for my hero first boss, straight-talking Stallard, on his Customer Information Strategy Team for London Underground in 1995. Almost 30 years later and the industry still hasn’t mastered communicating to staff and customers during disruption. Back then, the internet wasn’t part of our lives, let alone social media, which has proved to be a challenge but also solution in disruption. Pagers were the

Yes, it’s me. Fresh-faced and full of hope as a duty station manager at London Underground

height of technology during this era and the preserve of the privileged. The slow internal post was used to forward customer letters to managers to investigate, while urgent stuff was faxed. Having a laptop was unheard of and, without a PC at home, for my interview presentation for the District line role, I travelled from Kent to the duty manager office in Willesden Green one Saturday night to do my slides on the office computer and print them off on laminated plastic to display on the overhead projector in the interview!

The culture was very different. As late as 2002, I sat in a meeting at Victoria station and colleagues smoked cigarettes, cigars and pipes, whilst it wasn’t until the last decade that the concept of being concerned around diversity and inclusion felt moderately real. The culture in transport was one that thrived on banter, laddish behaviour and often ‘he who shouted loudest’ got their way. At London Underground, managers dined out on stories of the ‘glory days’, pre-Kings Cross fire, of night shift boozing and fraternising with female customers in ways that would today likely get you fired.

I tired of working for rail companies in the dying days of their franchise and joined the bus industry in 2008 - my best career decision ever.

I felt welcomed by the quirky, self-deprecating bus folk and they seemed more receptive to my passion for customer service than rail. I was (and still am) fascinated by the nuances of local markets and the ability of managers to be able to make a difference with commercial ingenuity. I was privileged to work at First Bus in the Nicola Shaw regime, as business director UK bus - a role I combined with dreaming up and running Greyhound UK.

I left to join Royal Mail in early 2011, overseeing its regulated business in Wales and then until 2019 as managing director, specialist services. During my eight years at Royal Mail, transport was my hobby, initially writing for this mag, then setting up (with my employer’s consent), Flash Forward Consulting with my delightful former boss at First, Douglas Downie, in which we worked with almost every UK TOC, many local authorities, most medium to large bus companies, in coach, ferry and taxi sectors, as well as extensively overseas. What had started as a hobby, just like the model railway in the attic, had become serious business and I left Royal Mail before flogging my business in 2021.

I’ve always believed vehemently about driving customer satisfaction, but it was at Royal Mail, operating in a B2B sector and then in consultancy where I realised just how life-changing it could be. Winning new customers took so much patience, tactics and energy, that I was under no illusions how vital it was not to lose them but to constantly innovate and delight. Every single employee at some stage in their career, should experience working in a commercial role. I spend every waking hour fretting about whether my customers are happy. It is a burning obsession.

Now not far short of 52, I’m as excited as ever. Last November, I started my own consultancy with the legendary Giles Fearnley, and we also created Great Scenic Journeys, a ‘one-stop-shop’ service to promote and accredit from a customer service perspective over 180 fascinating (mainly bus) routes. I did this with a dynamic young duo, Luke Bodin and Andrew Penn, from who I have learned so many new approaches, so too my 18-year-old son, Noah, who started working for us in May and who I’m helping navigate those triphazards I stumbled across early in my career.

Over three years ago, I became chair, West Midlands Grand Rail Collaboration (GRC) and head up a body comprising of top dogs responsible for the railway in the region. When I see these folk in action it’s a reminder that the industry is in good hands, as well as a salutary insight into the challenges and frustrations they face. In this role, another young talent in Lucy Wootton, who is head of the GRC, also keeps me continuously progressive in my thinking! And away from transport, I’m the chair of the Surrey F.A.

This isn’t a pious, text-book tale of a career of fulfilment. I’ve been an impetuous, featherruffling minx at times. Many have referred to me as “Del Boy” or “a south London barrow boy chav” and the Jubilee and East London lines RMT newsletter called me “a flea who leaps from one secondment to another”. I’ve had some great managers and some I’ve dissed, and no doubt annoyed the hell out of with my opinions, belligerence and cheek. I’ll have grated on colleagues and particularly the dullard, sycophantic corporate clones who I deliberately went out of my way to wind up. Age has mellowed me, though throughout my impulsive career I’ve stayed true to my obsession with customer service.

I’m now lucky to be able to choose to work with mates and avoid the show-boaters. I’m unashamed to hang around great entrepreneurs. My tale is so modest by comparison with my two business partners. I keep encouraging Giles Fearnley to write a book about his career founding and selling bus and rail companies, among other lofty achievements, which may never be repeated in the vastly different framework within which transport resides. My other sidekick is John McArthur and, like Fearnley, his story makes mine look tinpot. He founded Tracsis and at the age of 32 he IPO’ed the business and turned it into a hugely successful AIM-listed company. McArthur and I are together launching our new company this week. It’s called LOST Group and it aims to offer a very different approach to head-hunting in the transport sector. John, like me, hates to see things that are fundamentally ‘broken’ in the transport industry and recruitment is something that we both feel is long overdue an overhaul. We hope LOST will disrupt the current ‘search’ market (get it?) and make life much easier for candidates and companies to find each other and at a fraction of the cost. McArthur is so keen not to be associated with traditional recruitment he’s even banned us from calling ourselves anything recruitment related. Time will tell if we succeed but it should be rather fun.Check out www.lost.careers.

I reckon that after 30 years in the public transport madhouse, I’ve had enough Category C SPADs and my career progression has endured sufficient shunts into the sidings, for me to help folk on their own travels. Even if my own story hasn’t had a shiny, pictureperfect narrative, I’ve no regrets and I’m still wide-eyed enough to believe that ‘dreams can come true’. Crystal Palace have stayed in the Premier League for 11 successive seasons, and with such longevity, are stronger than ever!

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.

“I’ve no regrets and I’m still wide-eyed enough to believe that ‘dreams can come true’”

Still flying the flag of excellence

As the deadline for entries for the 2023 UK Bus Awards approaches, it’s timely to reflect on their purpose and importance

The entries for the 2023 competition for the UK Bus Awards close on July 28, so firing the starting gun on the process of registering, judging and in many cases mystery shopping the entries in the 27th annual competition. The winners will be announced on November 28 at Troxy, the East London venue that has been home to the awards since 2017.

After the traumatic events of the last three years, it is right for people to wonder whether celebration is appropriate, and whether as an industry we can afford the time and effort to organise such an event. Not surprisingly, as a co-founder of the scheme back in 1996, my answer would be an unequivocal “yes”.

Like now, the mid 1990s were a time of rapid evolution for the bus industry - including aspects that still have powerful echoes today. Then, a decade on from the upheaval of deregulation and privatisation, change was still in the air: ownership was evolving rapidly and there was much talk of new legislation. An exhausted Tory government was facing defeat in an upcoming general election, and there were promises of re-regulation and re-nationalisation led by Labour’s shadow transport secretary. Operators were increasing investment levels, and we stood at the dawn of the lowfloor bus revolution. Led by pioneers such as Trentbarton, interest was growing in the power of route branding, and in the transformation that could be achieved by focusing on improving customer service standards.

Locally, operators and local authorities were

recognising the need to work together - so giving birth to Quality Bus Partnerships.

In the mid-1990s, then, the industry was about developing partnerships, future regulatory change and revolutionising the way we delivered the product. Sound familiar?

Back then, all the team helping to launch the awards were agreed: there was a positive story to be told about efforts to improve bus services. That story could help to change perceptions of the industry, but it was not being told.

All these years later, we’re still fighting the same uphill battle to change public perceptions, something that is particularly difficult in the wake of the government’s messaging during Covid and continuing stories about bus cuts and staff shortages. The annual awards scheme can help.

It’s impartially judged and mystery travelled, and can introduce words and concepts not normally associated with buses to the public discussion. Words like quality, winning, excellence and getting gold. Being judged to be one of if not the best in the country offers a powerful boost to local brand reputations, to local morale amongst frontline staff and management and ultimately, to perceptions of local buses. I can think of no other way of achieving that so simply and effectively.

So the UK Bus Awards (known as the Bus Industry Awards until 2004) were born. In 1996, six awards were presented before an audience of 200 in the City of Londongrowing and evolving over the years since. In

2022, we presented over 20 awards before an audience of over 600.

The award scheme was set up as an industrywide initiative with three objectives - which we’ve stuck to ever since:

to provide an opportunity for positive coverage of bus transport in the media (to recognise);

to incentivise bus companies, local authorities and industry suppliers to adopt best practice (to reward);

and to provide a forum in which best practice would receive wider coverage within the industry (to inspire).

In that first year, we also laid down several key principles, which remain vital today: independent ownership by a not-for-profit organisation;

robust and independent judging by experts in their field;

mystery shopping visits where appropriate to check service delivery on the ground; wide and continuous consultation with industry stakeholders to ensure continued development and relevance;

and extensive PR activities to support and promote the award winners.

In 2023, the industry has an enormous agenda ahead of it - continued recovery from Covid, the transition to Zero Emission Buses, and - perhaps biggest of all - helping to meet the modal shift targets set by the Carbon Budgets to deliver Net Zero.

It’s not going to be easy - but then it never has been. And at the heart of it, the old challenges about changing public perception of buses remain. We believe that our inclusive business model and our proven track record of promoting victory, excellence and gold medal performance means that UK Bus Awards is still uniquely well placed to make a contribution to the battles that lie ahead.

In short, for all sorts of reasons, ‘Flying the Flag of Excellence in the UK Bus Industry’ is as important today as it ever has been.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Cheek has worked in the public transport industry for over 44 years, the last 19 as an analyst and consultant. He is Managing Director of Passenger Transport Intelligence Services, (formerly TAS Publications & Events)

COMMENT NICK RICHARDSON

Architecture has an influence on railways

The railway has thousands of buildings and structures and their use continues to evolve - how do we strike the right balance?

For nearly 200 years, railways have left their mark on the landscape. While most of the earliest structures are no longer with us, much of the railway’s built environment remains either in its original form or has been adapted as circumstances have changed. The most obvious examples are stations, but many other types of railway building have disappeared. These have included traditional goods sheds, once commonplace to deal with consignments of all shapes and sizes that needed to be moved by hand between trains, onto road vehicles or collected. Other long gone facilities included stables for the many hundreds of railway horses associated with this traffic. Today’s railway estate is a shadow of what it once was but a host of fine buildings remain.

Changing needs

Consolidation of activity has reduced the requirement not only for vast warehouses (such as the Great Northern Railway’s surviving edifice in Manchester) but also locomotive, carriage and wagon works, living accommodation for railway workers, signal boxes and stations of all sizes. Many large stations have been obliterated including Birmingham Snow Hill and Nottingham Victoria, the latter being replaced by a shopping centre and the former by a much smaller modern station tucked under office developments. However, we are now creating some new infrastructure of monumental scale including London’s Elizabeth Line and HS2.

New life is evident at many locations including Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street, Hull Paragon and York with cleaning, reglazing and general improvements. A few decades ago they were filthy, leaky and undesirable places to be. Inevitably there are opinions about what is good or dreadful regarding the aesthetics of particular structures, and afficionados of particular styles tend to be intolerant of others.

The railway continues to boast a vast array of architecture representing different eras and functions. Most buildings were built to last and have stayed in use for years well beyond their design life, although adaptation has been necessary over time with some alterations being better than others. There is universal acclaim for some such as the replacement of the temporary concourse at London King’s Cross which lasted for decades, now benefitting from an ambitious and successful new passenger area. Next door, the transformation of the old grimy St Pancras into its International form has been a triumph. It now includes not only Midland Main Line and Eurostar services but also Southeastern and Thameslink

services; the only difficulty is that transfer from Underground services usually involves a long walk which can be difficult if against the prevailing flow. Elsewhere, formerly shunned facilities have been reawakened such as at Leeds (City) with retail space in the former booking hall, showing how fashions change from dismissing the past to revitalising spaces for contemporary use.

Recognition of heritage assets

This decision to repair and refresh built assets is welcomed, especially as most were carefully designed and included artistic flourishes that were avoided in subsequent eras. Operational requirements mean that changes have been required but some are more successful than others. For example, the excavation to provide a sizable concourse at London Bridge has been a marvel to help sort out what was a confused and messy arrangement of platforms, all used by huge numbers of passengers. Recently, proposals for a further upgrade to London Liverpool Street have been met with horror by some on the basis of inappropriate scale and design. Liverpool Street before its current incarnation was a gloomy and impractical station with dreadful passenger space, now much improved. The previous round of alterations swept away some of the station’s unique features but were needed to make it fit for 21st Century use. The recent proposals offer more passenger space but as part of an enormous commercial redevelopment which would dominate the setting and obliterate some of the character of the current station. No doubt the debate will continue for some time but at least people now care about such things more than they did previously. Some of the attempts to realise developable space at major stations have been dramatic, but have diminished the passenger environment. At London Victoria, some of the platforms are beneath a large office block and retailing which replaced the airy roof. Stations need retail and commercial space but it shouldn’t be at the expense of a quality user experience. Even Euston, an object of hatred for many since it emerged in the 1960s, has mellowed over time, the biggest change being the addition of a mezzanine retail space which has destroyed the proportions of the original concept.

On a smaller scale, the removal of old station buildings has seen significant losses

“The railway continues to boast a vast array of architecture representing different eras”

with the indignity of ‘bus shelters’ where once substantial facilities stood. This needs to be seen in the context of a railway trying to move towards modernity and cost control rather than a wholesale rejection of the past. Many of the buildings were past economical repair, often a deliberate strategy to justify their removal; finding alternative uses may have helped but individuality and passenger ambiance were lost when they were demolished.

However, thinking about the station rebuilding programme of the 1960s needs to be set in context - many were over a century old and looked it. There was a need to contain maintenance costs and reaffirm rail as a progressive form of travel. Regrettably this fervour for modernisation swept away many of the good features from the past and now we find that the building stock of the 1960s and 1970s is of greater need of replacement than older buildings. There are exceptions of course, notably Coventry where the station rebuilding was seen as a catalyst for the resurrection of the city and for which there was apparently no defined budget; it still functions well today and retains a certain charm of its own.

Corporate ideology

The adoption of a corporate approach might have been more successful if it had involved a different style. On the Southern Region of British Rail, the CLASP modular building system had emerged from a post-war school reconstruction programme and was applied to signal boxes, stations and other buildings. In principle this may have been appropriate but pebbledash panels and concrete structures are now more obsolete than the buildings they replaced, partly because any sense of place had been eradicated in favour of corporate modernism. An example is Fleet on the Southampton main line where the original buildings were replaced in 1966 only to be rebuilt again a few years ago. Some of the 1930s rebuilds created a sense of style and presence of their own (Leamington Spa, for example) which we have been fortunate to retain and hopefully some of the more recent station designs will have similar durability. The idea is to attract people to the railway, stations being the gateways to the journey; the concept could evolve to include a wider role within communities to provide functions such as meeting rooms and retail space or parcel pick-ups. What experience over time shows is

that attempting to provide a universal solution, however modular, is less successful than putting effort into a durable design.

Essentially, stations of all sizes are important elements of the communities they serve and should project an image of a modern and attractive railway, even where they deploy variants of ‘bus shelter - better than no shelter at all’. The decay and vandalism afflicting some locations that reflected years of decline and depleted railway investment should be confined to history if stations are to be used and appreciated. Properly maintained stations often form a core component of places, particularly where there are staff or community groups to look after them so those with heritage interest should be retained and enhanced wherever possible.

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 rebuild of London Bridge has helped sort out what was a confused and messy arrangement of platforms

GREAT MINSTER GRUMBLES

Select Committees are toothless tigers

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

It’s a reality of life that governments - of any political persuasion - and individual ministers can’t readily acknowledge when policy aspiration has not been achieved, or indeed if the delivery of stated policy objectives has hit the buffers. You need no better example of this than our response to the Transport Select Committee’s report on its recent inquiry into England’s National Bus Strategy.

Actually, there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with our response. It addresses the select committee’s recommendations in a perfectly measured and reasonable way, and it would be hard to take issue with anything said in our response. But what it doesn’t acknowledge is that the aspirations clearly set out in the bus strategy have not been delivered - and by a country mile. The select committee’s report certainly highlighted that “despite lots of positive rhetoric and some welcome action, the promised transformation has not been achieved”. The committee recommended that the department should set out clearly how it plans to evaluate success for the bus strategy, with an indicative timetable for the publication of future interactions of the strategy.

In response, we merely noted the committee’s recommendations, referencing a number of monitoring and evaluation projects which are being carried out, and claiming that it’s premature to set a date for future revisions of the strategy. Fair enough, perhaps. But what this made me realise is that the select committee process is a pretty toothless one.

We are not under any obligation to accept any of the committee’s recommendations and we can effectively bat away reports without any consequence. Indeed, you only have to look at the Treasury’s response to the Transport Committee’s report on its inquiry into road pricing to see just how toothless these committee inquiries really are - the Treasury simply responded 13 months after the committee’s report was published with a dismissive one-page letter from the chancellor saying the government had no current plans to introduce road pricing.

Thank you and good night!

I took time out last week while working from home to watch our rail minister, Huw Merriman, and our director general for rail

strategy and services, Conrad Bailey, give evidence to the Transport Committee on its inquiry into rail infrastructure and services. Now, most observers would take the view that rail policy is in a bit of a mess right now. But if you listened to Huw Merriman and Conrad Bailey without any prior knowledge of the current state of rail policy you would think that everything was in a pretty good state - not perfect by any means, but certainly not in the state of flux that it currently is. Yet I thought the committee gave the two witnesses a pretty easy time of it. It was all really rather polite! Indeed, the only member of the committee that I’ve ever seen get close to losing his temper at inadequate, even misleading, answers from witnesses is Sir Ben Bradshaw, the Labour MP for Exeter.

The reality is that the Transport Committee is something of a toothless tiger. The same can be said of the other select committees too, I’m sure, and perhaps only the Public Accounts Committee is the one committee that has any real clout. According to Wikipedia, the current select committee system was set up in 1979, almost 45 years ago. It was designed to hold individual departments to account and scrutinise government policy. Clearly the committees “scrutinise” departmental policies, but to what effect? Do they really hold departments “to account”. Indeed, I would be hard pushed to think of a Transport Committee inquiry which actually resulted in any material change in policy. You have to wonder if the current committee system is actually fit for purpose and whether, after almost 45 years, it’s time for parliament to reassess the means by which departmental policies are scrutinised.

Perhaps I’m straying into difficult constitutional waters. After all, these committees aren’t part of the formally elected government, so should they really have the power to force changes to policies which are the prerogative of the government of the day and of government ministers? Probably not. But, equally, what’s the point of these committees if they have no real teeth? And I wonder how much the committee system actually costs.

It’s a tricky balance, and I’m not clever enough to come up with a remedy, but reading our response to the Transport Committee’s bus inquiry, and watching Huw Merriman and Conrad Bailey give evidence to the committee last week, surely it’s time for a re-set?

“What’s the point of these committees if they have no real teeth? ”

TPE showcases women in rail

Women engineers in the spotlight for International Women in Engineering Day

To mark International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), train operator TransPennine Express (TPE) showcased some of its female engineers who are helping to shape the future of rail.

The annual awareness campaign, from the Women’s Engineering Society, is a day dedicated to recognising and celebrating the amazing work that women engineers do around the world.

Rachael Stretton, head of fleet delivery at TPE, said: “We’re proud to have so many talented women engineers working with us, following their passions and keeping our trains safe and reliable. Women have been breaking barriers in engineering for decades and we’re proud to be a part of that legacy.”

Women represent 19.5% of the engineering and fleet team at TPE and 35% of the major projects team are female.

Stretton added: “It’s not just about the work that they do - it’s about the impact they have on our culture. They’re showing that engineering isn’t just a “man’s job” - it’s a career anyone can pursue if they’re passionate about it.”

To show their fellow women

that science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers are open to everyone, five of TPE’s engineers have opened up about their roles within the rail engineering field.

Leeanne Matuszczyk, a fleet maintenance planner, said she always wanted to be an engineer and prior to joining the rail industry, she was a technician in the Royal Air Force. Caitlin Gent, fleet commercial engineer, said her interest was sparked by her time in the sea cadets where she learnt about marine engineering.

Alice Callaghan, fleet support engineer, said she always preferred STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects at school. “I studied mechanical engineering at university and learnt about careers within the rail industry at a job fair,” she said. “Since joining rail I haven’t looked back.”

Fleet engineer Louise Woolliscroft also appreciated STEM subjects at school. “My dad got me into cars and motorsports from a young age, so I joined the two passions together and made engineering a career goal at around 15 years old,” she explained.

Fleet delivery manager Nadia Scott said it was good that more women were being encouraged into the rail industry. “There are more women in senior roles than when I first started nearly 17 years ago,” she said. “And the TPE Fleet Team has grown to eight women compared to 2016 when there were only two.”

APPOINTMENTS

STAGECOACH

Stagecoach has announced the appointment of Sam Greer as chief operating officer.

Greer (pictured) who is currently engineering director and regional director for Scotland, will take up the new role with effect from September 1. He has worked at the Perth-based group since 1992. The role will now see him responsible for the delivery of Stagecoach’s bus service operations.

GO-AHEAD GROUP

The Go-Ahead Group has appointed Carolyn Ferguson as the group’s chief people officer with oversight over all aspects of human resources. Ferguson (pictured) has worked for Go-Ahead since 2001 and is a highly experienced governance and management professional. She has been Go-Ahead’s company secretary since 2006 – a position she will retain in addition to her new role.

GO-AHEAD GROUP

The Go-Ahead Group has appointed Dr Nick Small as head of built environment and infrastructure at the Oxford Bus Group and Go South Coast.

Small (pictured) will help the two operating companies ensure enhanced bus-friendly street design and infrastructure is delivered as part of new build developments.

Small - who previously worked for Stagecoach - has an extensive track record in the planning, development and transport fields.

HS2 LTD

Keith Smithson and Joanna Davinson have been appointed as non-executive directors of the HS2 Ltd board by transport secretary Mark Harper. They will work alongside Sir Jonathan Thompson, HS2 Ltd’s chair, to provide oversight and accountability for the revolutionary project, ensuring costs are controlled and the project is delivered in the most effective way for taxpayers.

Davinson brings extensive knowledge to the role having previously served as the Executive Director of the Central Digital and Data Office at the Cabinet Office. Meanwhile, Smithson has already held several executive positions at global organisations such as HSBC, Paragon Banking Group and KPMG.

PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL

Portsmouth City Council has announced the appointment of Richard Gagg as project manager for Portsmouth’s Bus Service Improvement Plan. Gagg has joined the local authority from bus operator First Wessex, although during 10 years of operational management he has led delivery on numerous projects in the commercial bus sector.

WRIGHTBUS

Wrightbus has announced the appointment of Phil Owen as head of sales (key accounts).

The Balleymena-based bus manufacturer said Owen (pictured), who latterly worked at Volvo Bus UK & Ireland, brings with him a wealth of experience, having worked in the industry for the past 28 years.

“We’re proud to have so many talented women engineers”

Rachael Stretton

DIVERSIONS

Forget football, this is the real competition!

Which is the best open top bus service?

Long-standing Passenger Transport columnist and footie fan Alex Warner is combining his interests by launching the inaugural Open Top Bus UK Cup 2023 as part of his embryonic Great Scenic Journeys venture. This is being treated very seriously and there has been an actual draw for the first round of the cup. It will pit scenic bus services like the Scarborough Beachcomber against Great

A REAL TALKING POINT ABOUT RAIL

A community rail group is hoping to pique the interest of passengers with an innovative new machine designed to spark conversations about community rail.

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Yarmouth’s Clipper Cabriolet and the Falmouth Coaster against the Pevensey Explorer.

“Open to participants in Great Scenic Journeys, this knock-out competition will see customers vote

The Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership’s ‘Cyclo Knitter’ wowed passengers at Newcastle station earlier this month when it was unveiled by the community group and rail industry leaders. The machine has been funded by a £3,000 investment from CrossCountry’s community engagement fund.

The multi-functional bike was inspired by Dutch artist George Barret-Jones, who created a video in 2018 featuring his Cyclo Knitter at Eindhoven station.

The North Eastern version was

on their favourite, as open top bus routes go head-to-head,” writes Alex. “The final will be decided by advocacy from customers and one of our customer experience reviews from our dedicated team of accreditors.

“The winner will be presented with the prestigious trophy at the end of the open top bus season. Check out our social media channels and our website for further updates and the opportunity to vote as the competition unfolds.”

To keep up with the competition and to place your vote, keep an eye on the Great Scenic Journeys Twitter handle (@greatscenic) over the next few weeks!

constructed by Geoff Wallman of Hexham-based Northern Skunkworks, who designed and built a fully-accessible machine that can be transported by train.

Swapping attachments on the static cycle - which can be safely used on rail station platforms - enables riders to knit scarves, blend smoothies or even charge mobile phones.

“It is a wonderful tool to engage people - wherever we take it, people come to talk to us,” said community rail partnership director Julie Gibbon.

HORNBY’S BACK ON HOME GROUND

A long-lost commemorative plaque marking the birthplace of famous engineer and toy inventor Frank Hornby has been found and reinstated at Liverpool Lime Street station.

Hornby was born in 1863 at 77 Copperas Hill, which was later cleared for neighbouring Liverpool Lime Street station to be expanded. To mark where the site once stood, in 1994 a plaque was installed on the station concourse, but it was removed in 1999 during station renovations.

Thanks to detective work by Network Rail and the Railway Heritage Trust, the plaque is now back at Lime Street - hooray!

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