Bringing The North Together

A transport vision for the North of England •

BR INGING THE NORTH TOGETHER in association with

sponsored by

NORTH EAST

CUMBRIA

TEES VALLEY

YORK, NORTH YORKSHIRE & EAST RIDING

LANCASHIRE

GREATER MANCHESTER LIVERPOOL CITY REGION

LEEDS CITY REGION

HUMBER

SHEFFIELD CITY REGION

CHESHIRE & WARRINGTON

Contains Ordnance survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2010

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F OR E WOR D

FULFILLING OUR POTENTIAL he title of this supplement: ‘Bringing the North together’ rather neatly sums up the ambition of Transport for the North: providing the transport infrastructure that will facilitate the agglomeration of the North’s economic assets, enabling the North’s economy to become greater than the sum of its parts.

The North of England covers an area of 14,414 square miles and has a population of around 15 million people. It also has many distinct cities, towns and rural areas and we don’t want to change that.

What we do want to do is make it quicker and easier to move people and goods around the region.

We want to make it easy for a company based in Sheffield to recruit skilled staff who live in Manchester; to make it possible for someone travelling for a business meeting from Leeds to Newcastle to not have to lose the best part of a day travelling there and back; to enable imports and exports arriving for and leaving from the North to be brought into Teesport or Liverpool and efficiently distributed from there across the North and beyond.

The North has no one huge city that can compete on the world stage. But if we can provide the

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John Cridland: ‘Transport is a key part of building the Northern Powerhouse’

transport infrastructure that unites the North’s economic assets, like advanced manufacturing, energy production, health innovation and digital technology, the North as a region can follow the model of the Randstad in the Netherlands or the Rhine-Ruhr in Germany to provide transformational economic growth and rebalance the UK’s economy.

Transport is a key part of building the Northern Powerhouse.

Of course, planning and delivering the infrastructure projects which will enable transformational economic growth takes time and considerable resources, but that doesn’t mean that we can stand still in the

meantime. We need to look at improvements that are urgent in the short-term alongside important long-term plans.

The new Northern and TransPennine Express franchises which are highlighted in this supplement are an important first step, both in devolving control of transport to the North and in providing the investment that our railways need to step into the 21st Century. The investment in new trains and station facilities

by First TransPennine Express and Arriva Northern are coupled with Network Rail’s ongoing work to speed up journeys through electrification and improvements

such as the Todmorden Curve and the Ordsall Chord.

We know that the key to building the Northern Powerhouse is not just improving connections between the North’s great cities, it is also ensuring that passengers can travel into and around those cities quickly and smoothly from surrounding areas. Transport for the North is working closely with local transport bodies and their key partners, like Transdev, RATP and First Bus, to ensure that our plans for pan-regional links dovetail with local connections and to develop Smart North, our panregional smart ticketing solution.

In 2017 Transport for the North will become England’s first subnational transport body. We will also have a prioritised multi-modal Northern Transport Strategy to drive development for the next thirty years. Independent research has shown that the potential for Northern growth between now and 2050 is enormous. We intend to ensure that we can provide the transport infrastructure to enable the Northern Powerhouse to fulfil its potential. Q John Cridland cbe Chair, Transport for the North, and former Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry

C ON T E N T S

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DAVID BROWN Transport for the North’s chief executive outlines his vision

THE NORTH IN NUMBERS Key statistics relating to transport in the North of England

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TEES VALLEY UNLIMITED David Robinson, chair of the Tees Valley LEP, on better connectivity

CONNECTING THE NORTH FirstGroup’s role in delivering the Northern Powerhouse

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READY TO STEP UP Tim Jackson, CEO of RATP Dev UK, explains the role his group can play

TRANSDEV'S VISION Group is planning to bring new ideas on public transport

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FASTER RAIL LINKS Hugh Chaplain of Atkins on Northern Powerhouse Rail

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DAV I D B ROW N

A VISION FOR THE NORTH David Brown has spent most of his career crisscrossing the North and he wants to make it easier for future generations avid Brown doesn’t need to study the need for better connectivity across the North of England.

He has lived it.

Brown has spent the majority of his career working in transport in the North, covering a variety of locations. He started as a trainee in Carlisle and after a spell in the Midlands he returned to work in Lancashire and Cumbria, and then

D

Manchester.

In 2000, he started working for South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, commuting across the Pennines each day from his home in Manchester. And then, in 2013, he took charge of Merseytravel, and began a daily commute in the opposite direction.

Given this breadth of experience and his knowledge of the region, few were surprised last autumn when Brown was appointed chief executive of Transport for the North, the new transport coordinating body for the North of England – a role which sees him divide his time across the region.

TfN is about enabling people to live and work and have a career in the North. Although the distances are not vast, journeys such as those undertaken by Brown have not always been easy. But Brown hopes that a career across the North will be easier for the next generation.

“I’ve now got three children, two of whom are in different universities in the North, and one is in school in the North, and I guess the ambition is that those children can fulfil their career aspirations and their personal aspirations and not have to go down to London … or elsewhere,” he says.

“So I guess my personal career links very much into what I want Transport for the North to deliver for other people.”

He continues: “The evidence is that tens of thousands of people go to universities, world class universities, in the North

of England. There are a large number of world class educational establishments, that are now the basis of world renowned research, like research into tropical medicine in Liverpool, for instance, or graphene in Manchester. But we know that a lot of people go there, have a great time as a student, get great qualifications, but the only way that their professional ambitions can be matched is if they leave, and they don’t always come back.”

Brown’s ambition is to help create job opportunities in the North, by enabling people to move freely across the region. And this is a vision that is now shared at the highest level in government, with chancellor George Osborne, a North of England MP, championing the creation of a “Northern Powerhouse”.

Brown believes that three things have brought about this

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plans for these projects are set out in TfN's Northern Transport Strategy Update Report which was published in March this year, ahead of a fully prioritised strategy in 2017. “Having that clarity of ambition … and having a programme of schemes, is clearly the thing that then allows you to rebalance the economy,” he says.

All of this is encompassed in the new Northern and TransPennine Express franchises, which began in April. They were tendered through a process in which Rail North (TfN's sister organisation) helped to specify

what requirements, and they are hugely ambitious.

Brown says this ambition is completely justified. He points out that the previous Northern Rail franchise was awarded in 2004 with no expectation of growth, and throughout the economic downturn that followed there has

“I’m confident, and I know the bidders are confident, that growth is there to be had”

ABOVE LEFT: David Brown. ABOVE: A Quaylink bus by the Gateshead Millennium Bridge

change, and led to the formation of Transport for the North.

Firstly, there is a greater appreciation of the role of transport, and transport infrastructure, in connecting people and creating opportunity.

“It’s an economic tool, it’s about growing the economy,” he says. “It’s an enabler, and I think now people really understand that.”

Secondly, the transport agenda is linked closely to devolution.

“The North now understands, in a far clearer manner, that actually it could be in control of its own destiny around transport, making the case for a greater level of spend and then spending it on its priorities,” he explains.

And, finally, big strides have been made in pulling together an ambitious programme of enhancements that will serve the region, not just now but also in 20 or 30 years’ time. Initial

BET TER BUSES

• There’s not much about buses in Transport for the North’s plans. Brown explains that this is because TfN’s remit is about connecting the region’s towns and cities together. Connectivity within these urban areas is a matter for combined authorities.

“If I can achieve my bit of the vision of getting between Liverpool and Manchester in 20 minutes, the combined authorities will need to make sure the bus, tram and light rail networks are as efficient and well planned - because you don’t want to spend 40 minutes to get to your end destination.

“And I know that some of them are looking at [bus] franchising and that's a local decision.”

Does he have a view on franchising?

“I have a view but it’s not part of my remit, so I keep my views to myself,” he responds.

Brown’s record is one of fostering close partnerships with bus companies, first in South Yorkshire and then in Merseyside.

“Whatever model you use, it’s a partnership of one sort or another and I think partnerships are great if they work and deliver their objectives,” he says.

“It’s about whether they’re continued in the long term, and I think there’s some examples where it’s not quite as straightforward as that - but then delivering Quality Contracts under the current regime is really difficult, as has been proved in the North East.

“So if the Buses Bill makes franchising simpler and easier to introduce then I’m sure there will be people that pursue that.”

been patronage growth in every single year “despite nothing new happening”.

“Northern and TransPennine have been doing a great job but actually there’s no fundamental investment programme,” says Brown. “Through Rail North we made the case for reducing the subsidy by growing the service, by growing the number of people using it.

“I’ve heard Alex Hynes [managing director of Arriva Rail North] say that 44 months after his franchise is let every single train in service will be different in a positive way - it will either be new trains, refurbished trains, trains with Wi-Fi, new services, services to places that don’t have services at the moment, and that’s just a transformation.

“In transport terms, 44 months is a blink of an eye, isn’t it?”

Brown believes that this show of faith in the North’s railways be rewarded with a big increase in patronage.

“It’s not necessarily a shot in the dark because our analysis showed that if you invest in these services the growth will come.

The Department for Transport’s analysis shows the same,” he says.

“But, probably more importantly, Arriva and FirstGroup and their shareholders are putting their money and their reputations into the fact that they believe that growth will happen.

Those sorts of organisations don’t just do that because they think it’s a good idea. They do that because they’re confident that that growth will occur."

Some officials at the DfT, however, were not convinced that there was a business case for replacing Northern’s 100 veteran Pacer units, a vehicle that has come to symbolise the neglect of the North’s railways. Last year, before the general election, transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin was forced to issue an Accounting Office Instruction to compel his civil servants to override their concerns about value for money and include a requirement for ➢

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DAV I D B ROW N

the Pacers to be replaced with new trains in the new franchise.

On the basis of a “narrow” cost/ benefit ratio, Brown says that it’s unsurprising that it’s hard to make a business case for replacing “very, very cheap trains”, particularly when the North is competing for investment with the South East of England. However, he says that there is a “very strong strategic and economic case” and that’s the decision the secretary of state and the DfT took in the end.

He cites the example of the introduction of refurbished Class 319s, built 26 years ago, between Liverpool and Manchester. “[They’re] slightly better than what was there before and Northern are reporting double digit growth, just because it’s a slightly bigger train,” he says.

“So imagine when it’s brand new trains, running faster and more frequently. I think there will be an explosion of growth.”

So does Brown believe that there is a huge untapped demand for rail travel across the North, just waiting to be released?

“I think that’s absolutely right,” he says. “We know that people can’t travel into the city centres in the morning peaks, because there just isn’t the capacity.

“So if you were trying to get on a train from Bolton into Manchester, people are not able to get on those trains and that’s what these franchises are about - more capacity, bigger and better trains.

“I’m confident, and I know the bidders are confident, that growth is there to be had.”

Looking towards the longer term, Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) will further enhance the attractiveness of rail services in the North – providing fast connections between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle, Hull and beyond. The concept has been heralded by George Osborne, but what is it exactly? Is it a new railway, like HS2, or will it largely consist of enhancements to the existing network?

“We try to look at it slightly differently,” Brown responds.

“What we’re saying is ‘we want the journey times dramatically reduced between cities’. So Liverpool to Manchester in 20 minutes, Leeds to Manchester in 30 minutes, Newcastle to Leeds in 60 minutes, plus between four and six new express trains between those pairs. It’s saying ‘that’s the service required to grow that economy’.”

He continues: “Some of that you can achieve by adjusting and tweaking the existing system.

We’ll wait until all the work is done but it’s pretty clear to me that there needs to be substantial new railway or new track, because the lessons we’ve learnt elsewhere, are that if you constantly try to engineer more capacity out of existing lines you 6

Service frequency per hour

30

Journey time (minutes)

get to the point where you’re sometimes better off putting new track in or new lines.

“Take the railway between Leeds and Manchester, for example. It currently accommodates freight trains, stopping trains, semi-fast trains, fast trains. “It’s almost impossible to put six dedicated fast trains running in just 30 minutes between those cities on that existing route,” he says. “But we’re doing the work and I’m sure it will say we need a substantially new set of infrastructure.”

Once NPR and other enhancements are in place, the vision is that the North of England will function as one conurbation, with a population greater than London, New York or Tokyo.

“That’s the underpinning

Newcastle

Leeds

30 6

Manchester

6 Liverpool

20

30 2

10 HIGH

60 4

Hull 2 45

30

6

2

60

6 30 30

2

Sheffield

Manchester Airport

TfN's vision for frequencies/journey times on the Northern Powerhouse Rail network

TfN WILL BE THE FIRST OF MANY

• Transport for the North is the England’s first sub-national transport body. Reporting to a mix of combined authorities and local authorities, its geography is much more complicated than Transport Scotland’s or Transport for London’s, which reflect clearly defined political entities.

Brown doesn’t believe this is a problem. He says that the letting of the Northern and TransPennine franchises shows that the different authorities in the North can

work together and he points out that the Shaw Report recommended that Network Rail create a new route that matches TfN’s geography.

And he foresees the emergence of similar sub-national bodies across the country.

“I think, in about four or five years, the whole of England could be covered by sub national transport bodies ... We’re going to be the first.

Midlands Connect are aiming to be in place by 2018.”

He believes these bodies are vital if UK regions are to achieve their economic potential.

“I think it’s recognised

economic analysis around the Northern Powerhouse,” he says.

“It’s saying, you’ve got these big places, how do you connect them in such a way that that they’re one ecosystem?”

The journey between Leeds and Manchester, for example, can be “horrible” even through the cities are only around 30 miles apart. But what if there were trains every five or 10 minutes, and a journey time of 30 minutes?

It would be possible for someone in Leeds to have a meeting in Manchester and be back in the office by lunchtime. It would feel like one city.

“If we can make it easier I think there will be a real economic uplift,” says Brown.

Making it easier isn’t just about new services, new trains and new infrastructure – it’s about better integration. Smart, integrated ticketing has made London feel easier to navigate, and the ambition is to deliver the same benefits in the North.

Brown says the first step may be to move some rail season tickets and other products onto a smart system next year. Because of the number of different bus operators involved, he says that including buses will take a little longer - but the feedback he has had from the big groups is that they are keen to participate. globally that if you are to have a high performing economy, connectivity is absolutely essential,” he says. “That’s not a transport person arguing the case, that’s a bunch of economists saying so.

“There’s a lot of analysis that says ‘size matters’ and the cities in England, the North of England, are quite small on a global scale.

Even the biggest ones are only medium-sized, like Manchester.

But when it comes together as an economy of 15-16 million, globally that is significant. And if we can connect it as if it were one economy, then you’re in a different ball game.”

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Outlining TfN’s vision, he says: “I think what we want to do is move to something which is more person based, so it’s not about the ticket or the card or the phone, how you pay is irrelevant.

It’s about having an account that doesn’t charge you for all the bits together but gives you a fixed payment over time.

“Clearly we can learn lessons from London. Our geography is different and we have a deregulated market, but there are lessons we can learn.”

Brown says that TfN does not want to duplicate or take away what’s already happening in each conurbation, where smart products like Walrus (Merseyside) and Pop (Tyne & Wear) are developing. “My job is to try and have something that connects them together,” he says.

He recently travelled to Glasgow for a meeting with Bill Reeve, Transport Scotland’s commercial director, where he was impressed by the strides being taken to knit together smart ticketing systems in Scotland and build on them.

“Bill talked me through his model in about 30 seconds, which said: ‘ITSO is there. Why wouldn’t you use it? Why wouldn’t you do something on season tickets on rail? Why wouldn’t you then do the following building blocks?’,” says Brown.

ABOVE: A visualisation of a new Northern train. ABOVE RIGHT: David Brown

DAVID BROWN'S CV

“And I think this is the first time someone has made the roll out of smart just seem really logical and sensible. I think we’ve got a lot to learn from that.

Of course, each of those steps might be complicated, but it’s too easy to get bogged down in trying to communicate that.”

He adds: “The lesson we are trying to learn is that it’s not about the technology, it’s not about the back offices. It’s about what it looks like for the customer.

“If you can articulate that clearly then the technology will make that happen. But my view is that the smart ticketing world has been full of technical standards and equipment for far too long really.”

The Treasury has allocated

£150m to support the creation of a smart, integrated ticketing system across the North of England, covering all modes of public transport. TfN will soon submit a business case to the DfT, and once the green light has been received TfN will start to spend it.

Progress towards TfN’s vision of a better-connected North will come in stages, says Brown. The new Northern and TransPennine rail franchises will deliver a dramatic improvement in the services over the next four years.

By 2022, the outstanding northern hub electrification work will have been delivered, electrifying routes to Preston and various other places. And beyond that there’s Northern Powerhouse Rail. Q

• Q Chief Executive Transport for the North November 2015 – Present Q Chief Executive/ Director General Merseytravel, Liverpool May 2013 – November 2015 Q Director General South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, Sheffield April 2008 – May 2013 Q Passenger Services Director South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, Sheffield 2002 – 2008 Q Head of Transport Integration South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, Sheffield September 2000 – 2002

about that,” he says.

Do they have a lot to gain by doing so?

“They’ll make a lot of money, won’t they?” he fires back.

“It’s about growth. All this is about moving people around the North more efficiently and actually all the evidence says people want to travel around more for leisure purposes and for work purposes.

“The more people travel, the more money they pay, the less government subsidy needs to go into it. What’s the problem with that?”

He has been impressed by the introduction of payment

via contactless bankcards on London buses, and he expects there to be huge demand for this technology to be rolled out.

“It’s not a nice-to-have,” he explains. “It’s an expectation.

“My children don’t carry cash because they assume that they can pay on contactless.

They assume that they will be able to get Wi-Fi or 4G wherever they are. So if you’re a bus operator and you say we need a business case to put this ‘nice-to-have’ on, you’re in the wrong place because people expect to have it.

“People’s expectations are moving on so quickly.”

OPERATORS MUST EMBRACE TECHNOLO GY

• David Brown wants bus and train operators to start thinking innovatively about how they can co-operate at a northern level to be part of Transport for the North’s huge growth agenda.

He wants them to get ahead of the technology curve.

“It’s no good putting in place all this new infrastructure, all these new train services, and overarching smart ticketing, if you are saying to people you need a pink ticket to go on my bus, a yellow ticket to go on my

Merseytravel's Walrus is one of the region's existing smartcard systems

bus, and it’s still printed on a bit of card,” he says.

He believes that the next five years will see a complete transformation in how people travel. “The operators in particular need to be thinking

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IN NUMBERS

THE CHALLENGE The North of England:

7.4

15million+

million

population of over 15 million

provides 7.4 million jobs

£300bn generates around £300 billion Gross Value Added (GVA) per year

19% accounts for 19% of the United Kingdom’s total exports

The economic performance gap:

£20,000 a GVA per person of around £20,000 in 2014

£4,800

£22,500

£4,800 per person less than UK average

£22,500 per person less than London

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INVESTMENT

£13bn

The government has committed £13bn to transport in the North over this parliament

New rail franchises:

500

£1.2bn £1.2bn investment

+ 40,000 An additional 2,000 services per week and space for an extra 40,000 passengers at peak times

500 brand new carriages for the North of England as well as removal of the unpopular, outdated ‘Pacer’ trains by 2019

40% A 40% increase in capacity

Road investment:

-30 mins

£2.9bn

A new link could reduce today’s drive time between Greater Manchester and Sheffield City Region by 30 minutes from the current average of 85 minutes

The Road Investment Strategy has announced 42 schemes equating to £2.9 billion regional investment in the first Road Period to 2020

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Way Rail The region’s transport systems need to link more than the north with the south.

With our experience, we can help east meet west too.

Atkins. At the heart of the matter. atkinsglobal.com/northern-powerhouse #HeartOfTheMatter

KEEPING YOU INFORMED Passenger Transport keeps you informed about what's going on in your industry, in print and online. We are the leading magazine for those who are interested in the new ideas and initiatives that will shape the future of transport.

NEWS TfN on tr k to re ive statutory ac status ince 2017

Merseytrave l boss David Brown pan-Northernwill head body STRA

regarded by those who have worked with him.

In South Yorksh ire he played pivotal role in a the formation of the Sheffield Bus Partnership , winning admir ation from bus operators.

Brown will take a leading role in the develo establishment pment of the of Rail North future blueprint for .

Brown, who TfN as it builds has a TEGY towards statut Geography from degree in ory status, worki “His pragmatic Staffordshire The governmen ng alongside interi approach, University, held t will propose collaborative m chair Sir Richa a number of amendments leadership style Leese, leader rd manageme to the of Mancheste and above all nt positions Local Governme Cities and r else the value City with Council, until British Rail’s nt Devolution that he places an independen Regional Railw Bill to enabl on establishin t chair is appoi ays e Transport for North g nted before the West before and maintaining the North to end effective of this year. Brow SYPTE in 2000 joining become a statut relatio n’s nship appoi ory . He is well body in 2017. s at all levels ntment will also kick and in all off a full recru quarters will Once awarded, be invaluable itment programme in his statutory status for TfN. new role,” said will allow TfN Dave Alexander, Brown is a highly to accelerate regional mana experienced its far-reaching ging director and high profil programme, for FirstG e indivi settin roup’s dual g out transport bus operations in the public polici in transport and Scotland and investment priori es and northern Engla infrastructu ties in a long nd.

Work is curre term the North re sectors across transport strate ntly gy for of England. He developing TfN’s focused on The announcem the North. has headed Merse updated strate ent follows for Northern ytravel for the gy the news that connectivity, past two and TfN has appoi which a half years. Befor will be publis nted Merseytrave hed next spring that he fulfill e l boss David and ed the same which will outlin Brown as its new £200 role e the priorities at South Yorksh ,000 a year chief for ire transf Passe orming the North executive. Brow nger David Transport Execu n will leave his ern economy throu Brown tive (SYPTE).

Merseytrave gh He has repre significantly l role to take sented Liver enhanced conne charge at TfN in early pool ctivity betwe City Region November. en on the TfN execu the city region s. TfN and the tive board and he also led on the government will be publis hing a joint report to highlight progress to date later this autumn.

ELECTRIC DEPOT OPENIN G Allerton

opens to elect ric trains after makeover INFRASTRU CTURE

Allerton Train Maintenance Depot is ready to servic e Northern Rail’s fleet of Northern Electr ics trains after a £23m upgra de by Netwo rk Rail.

The fleet of 20 electric trains , which are due to be fully deploy ed by December 2015, will offer 6.7 million additional seats a year to routes between Liverp ool, Manchester, Wigan, Presto n and Warrin gton for Northern Rail’s customers.

Located near to Liverpool South Parkway, Netwo rk Rail acquir ed the depot in 2011, transforming it from its near derelic t state to a cuttin g edge maintenanc e facility. www.passen gertranspor t.co.uk PT_Issue120_p

03 3

FO E RTVE N RY IG H T

ROUND-UP

ISSUE 113 17 JULY 2015 NEWS, VIEW S AND

ANALYSIS FOR

Transport North is at for the of Osborne’s the heart Northern Powerhouse vision

A SECTOR

ON THE MOV E

NEWS EXTR A

Bus report considers cos of franchis t ing

18

TAS claims annu funding could al double

INSIDE TRAC K

Rivals battle for stake

in LRT marke Osborne t nleashes ne 26 transportusu w perpower Heathrow for a

Analysis of light rail sector’s big players

Transport for a new executivthe North will become a stat e team and a remit that incl utory body with funds of £30m, udes roll out Chancellor Geor of smart tick ge Osborne eting announced that TfN will be Trans

TRAVEL TEST

quid? It wa s easy decis an ion

to advance the port for the North will roll out of “Oyst be established A senior North er-style Roger Fren as of England a statutory body integrated ticket smart and ch tests transport execu in ing” new easyBus tive this week budget last week, his summer North. The chanc across the told route creating a new ellor highlighted Passenger Transport that he regional transp smart ticketing expects the TfN chief ort superpowe in his budget executive role r.

TfN was set speech and it to attract an establ COMMENT up by the is understood ished transport government that he boss is a strong believ last October, with er exper in ience in the North bringing city An interim chief its potential. region autho city regions, ’s executive and like Merseytrave rities together with execu l’s tive team will David Brown government be appointed and or Transport national transp by the autum for Greater Manc ort agencies. n to accelerate hester’s TfN will take TfN’s work programme Jon Lamonte, on statutory , and a chair if a sufficiently duties to set will join them by out its transp attractive packa the end of this ort George Muir ge is on the table. policies and year.

TfN will then investment priori predicts Osborne restat publish an updat outcome of ties ed his in a long-term e on comm the Northern review transport itmen Trans t to devolving port Strategy strategy for the ahead of the far reaching powe North. This March 2016 rs over transp will be underpinne budget. ort to the North’s mayo SPECIAL REPO d by r-led city region additional fundi £30m of RT He s. ng over three revealed he is working towar years to suppo devolution deals ds rt running costs. with the Sheffi One of the “top City Region, eld priorities” for Liverpool City Region, and Leeds, and partner autho West Yorkshire Northern Rail rities.

28

‘I see Netw ork Rail becomi the new SR ng A’

30

Alex Hynes, of Northern Rail, Strickland, ofand Terry Network Rail, at the refurb ished Allerton depot

COMMENT RAI L IN THE NO

RTH

JOHN NELS ON

the regions and nations of the UK. Our UK democracy canno t if the party that survive in its present form calls itself Union derisory repre ist has only senta the urban North tion in Scotland, Wales and .

So it was that I found mysel f applauding the remarks of George Osbo rne following his advocacy of HS3. Altho ugh headlined “a High Speed as Railway betwe en Mancheste and Leeds” in r a Today Progr amme interv was delighted iew I to hear him refer to the whole Trans-Pennine axis from Liver pool to Hull.

In so doing he point George Osb a dynamic econo ed to the need to create orne’s support mic power house in The neglect its own right. of a region Readers of my of our railways for ‘HS3’ is a welcome deve comment colum occasional in the North lopment. ns in Passenger is wrong and will that I have argue Transport it must end stronknow One of my curren d this point gly before. In very fact my oppos parts of the region t indulgences is to explore has been based ition to HS2 al rail network. never be recov on a belief that usually assoc Although ered. When South divide the North iated in the mind I move in will 1987 d to York be made worse we had a Tory s of many with the network (PT066).

My HS2 would MP. In 2010 in London and scraped a quart the Party be George Osbo the South East, I have in fact er of the vote.

Perhaps now rne’s HS3. spent most of that his HS2 I think it is troub my working with substantial to Birmingham seems ling life that to Tory regional respo be more or less representation nsibilities from the far West a done deal I is as sparse in pragmatically of England, to could Manchester Leeds as are float the idea, the North East, and Yorkshire and Labou following Osborne’s logic East Anglia.

Tonbridge Wells r voters in Maidstone or about provid I have lived less one third of . Yet Labour ing connections between the than more my 67 years in currently has Northern cities claims to be the South East. have by osmo , that the route a national party. from England’s I sis become an it still has signifi At least second city shoul English Provi not quite a Y cant representa not in the West d bifurcate ncial orkshireman, tion Midla in but all nds, but at Sheffi almost. As I this article I and use the Wood pen can see the helico eld head alignm pter overhead carrying the ent to gain Manchester. camera crew Thus with HS2 that will today track Le Tour and HS3 in place, all the de France throu major North gh God’s Own County on Stage ern Cities would interconnected 2 between York be as well as linked I feel a quasi and Sheffield. and London. to nationalistic It would be cheap Birmingham pride as Yorksh is depicted to er It ire to has build a worldwide been said that too. audie George Osbo architectura political chanc l and scenic splend nce in all its rne is a ellor our.

Although not words the intere of the exchequer. In other a northerner sts of his Party and in fact a very strong Lond uppermost in are always onphile, I do his mind. Certa feel an affinit with the Engli inly this could explain his advoc y sh regions. Like George Osborn acy of HS3. The many in the North I believ he too is a North advocated HS3e fact that e there is a deep ern MP (there divide in the North-South in a speech Neil Hamilton’s courtesy of way our count in Manchester brown envel ry is run. I think that it is unhea ope disgrace and Martin Bell’s last month lthy for our demo decision to serve that if positi cracy and term as the indep only one ve steps are not endent MP for taken to corre it, the separatist undoubtedly Tatton) is ct movement that also a factor seen in Scotla . Thank goodn we have is, because it nd will exten ess he has given him d to the North think it is divisi the perspective that is so despe .I ve and dama rately lackin ging that acros the entire Metro g in too much our political s politan areas of and economic public of South and West Yorksh The problem life. ire, Greater is that HS2 and Manchester Merseyside there and tomorrow. I are now fewer have a high opinio 3 represent jam Conservative than 10 and the team n of Alex Hyne MPs and on running North s current trend could lose their ern Rail. They do a great job s most seats next year. in trying circumstanc foothold, where Lose reality of much es but the once it was stron your of today’s railwa g, and it may of England is y in the North that many parts 24 | 11 July 2014 of it are secon rate. I have made d recent visits to a number routes in the of north. Antic ipating a good PT_Issue087_p 24-25 24 day’s

Neglected needs OsboNorth rne’s HS3

“I found myself applauding the George Osborn remarks of his advocacy ofe following HS3”

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L E Ps

LEP HAS A CLEAR TRANSPORT VISION FOR THE TEES VALLEY Tees Valley Unlimited is one of the 11 Local Enterprise Partnerships within the Transport for the North area. It has clear aspirations to improve connectivity in order to meet local economic growth aims n the aftermath of the Great Recession, the coalition government committed to create Local Enterprise Partnerships to replace the Regional Development Agencies in England. It sees businesses working with the public sector in partnerships where the geography properly reflects the natural economic areas of the country.

A total of 39 LEPs have been created covering England in almost its entirety and they are tasked with driving forward development of the areas that they represent. Many have also subsequently received City Deals, and more recently Devolution Deals, from the government that aim to help and support them in achieving their growth objective.

In the North East of England, the Tees Valley Unlimited LEP was one of the first of the new bodies to gain approval from the government, tasked with driving investment in the region and stimulating economic regeneration. A key part of that is improving local transport infrastructure, but isn’t that just about improving roads?

“It’s about wider infrastructure, not just roads,” explains David Robinson, chair of the LEP’s transport and infrastructure group. “We’re looking at things like broadband, water, utilities - that sort of thing. It’s a very broad church. It’s not just roads because we need solutions that will meet the scale of our ambition.

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ABOVE: Tees Valley Unlimited is aiming to improve connectivity (Picture: Chris Nelson).

BELOW: David Robinson, chair of the LEP's transport and infrastructure group

We want to create a platform for investment.”

Robinson is group chief executive of PD Ports, a major UK port operator that has a number of operations in the Tees Valley area.

A board member of the LEP for the last four years, he says that it was natural for him to take on the transport brief. As he says, it’s his “specialist subject”.

He argues that the LEP has a strong and coherent local vision that aims to plug the Tees Valley area into the wider ideals of the government’s Northern Powerhouse strategy. A key part of those goals are making improvements to transport infrastructure that will facilitate the swift movement of people and goods.

“As a region we are very progressive and we want to ensure that we can access new markets that will stimulate economic growth,” notes Robinson.

“Transport plays a big part of that and we have an engagement strategy to work with people like Transport for the North and Network Rail, plus the bus and rail operators.”

He describes the relationships with local transport operators and Network Rail as “very, very good” and they have been since the LEP’s formation. “They are just part of the vision for the region, but they play a very important part,” Robinson adds. “We have a good relationship,

indeed I’d say that we’re partners in delivering the vision, but the proof will be in the pudding over the next two or three years.”

He points to one key LEP project, the upgrade of Darlington station, which Robinson describes as key to everything that Tees Valley Unlimited is trying to achieve. It has seen the LEP work closely with a number of stakeholder partners on something that sits at the heart of the area.

As he notes, it’s the gateway to the Tees Valley region; the natural transport hub.

“It will take away the conflicts that constrain local rail services so much,” he says. “It will significantly improve east-west connectivity by allowing us to introduce a 20-minute clock face timetable.

This will increase capacity and accessibility significantly. It’s the sort of project that while not a mega project like HS2, 3 or even 4, 5 or 6, will make a real difference.

There are huge advantages from it happening. It opens up the region and that will be an economic driver.”

Meanwhile, another project aims to electrify the rail route between Middlesbrough and the East Coast Main Line. Robinson describes how that would transform the existing rail service to the town and also potentially facilitate the introduction of a regular direct service to London several times each day.

“On a day-to-day basis we [the LEP] are not a passenger transport organisation, but we know that we need to get people moving around the region more efficiently and quicker. Freight is also key and, although I would say it as I run it, we have the third largest port in the UK too. We need infrastructure and we need focus to drive the local economy. It’s essential that we make progress.” Q

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F I R S TG RO U P

CONNECTING THE NORTHERN POWERHOUSE FirstGroup explains how it is playing a key role in helping to deliver the Northern Powerhouse he government has made clear its determination to create the Northern Powerhouse.

At the heart of this project to rebalance our national economy is the fact that, if the North of England grew as fast as is forecast for the rest of the UK, £37bn could be added to the economy by the end of the next decade. Improving the transport links between the great cities of the North, is central to delivering this aspiration, bringing them closer together so they can create jobs, growth and prosperity for everyone in the region. FirstGroup is a key player in delivering that vision.

On 1 April, FirstGroup commenced operation of the new seven-year TransPennine Express (TPE) rail franchise. A huge investment of more than half a billion pounds into the network will see brand new state of the art trains, massive uplifts in intercity connectivity and a world class customer offering that will make TPE the first choice for intercity travel in the North - a fundamental part of the Northern Powerhouse.

TPE’s new managing director, Leo Goodwin, views an improved transport network as pivotal to delivering on the powerhouse’s vision: “Transport is a critical component of a more successful North - part of London’s success is its world class transport system, which has great inter-urban and intra-urban connectivity. The North of England needs a similarly integrated transport system,

T

First Bus worked in partnership to launch the North West's first guided busway scheme

to support better connections between people and businesses and create employment and prosperity.

“I’m confident FirstGroup’s investments, and the great work we’re doing with DfT, Transport for the North, Rail North and local authorities over the coming years will take a huge step towards delivering this.” a true intercity network The new TPE franchise will bring the North’s major towns and cities closer together with improved connectivity.

More than £500m will be invested in the franchise, including provision of more than 220 brand

new carriages. These new carriages will offer intercity style comfort whilst providing the North’s major towns and cities with 13 million more seats across the timetable each year by 2019. More than £20m will also be invested in upgrading the current Class 185 vehicles so that they also offer customers an outstanding intercity experience.

Critically, frequencies of direct services between Manchester and Leeds will be increased with six trains an hour from December 2017. Timetable improvements will also see the reintroduction of a direct service between Manchester Airport and Newcastle from December 2017, from December 2018 a new three times daily

service between Glasgow and Liverpool, and in 2019 Liverpool to Newcastle services extended to Edinburgh. Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh will eventually be connected by 32 direct services a day. local connectivity as important as intercity connectivity Improving connectivity between the North’s major cities is just part of the challenge. Keeping people moving within cities is also critical to the Northern Powerhouse strategy. As one of the main bus operators in the North, FirstGroup has also found itself in a leading role improving and integrating transport within city regions, in a bid to tackle the major issue of congestion within the region’s urban areas.

Dave Alexander, divisional director at First Bus, notes: “Our customers and local businesses agree that congestion is one of the major issues that holds back the region’s progress - the decrease in average traffic speeds in the region’s cities is well documented. Buses have a huge role to play in dealing with the problem - the more people that can be encouraged onto buses and away from cars in cities, the less the burden will be on urban roads, freeing up the system for easier movement of goods, services and business.

“Of course, this is good for the local environment, for air quality and public health too, as well as the economy. No wonder we share the goal of growing bus patronage with our partner local authorities.”

First Bus is working in collaboration with councils and combined authorities across the region, including those in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and York to help speed up services and make the bus the most convenient transport option for customers.

Investing in technology and new vehicles and developing improved networks with higher frequencies support efforts to

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attract more people out of their cars and to buses, helping to keep traffic moving.

First Bus is also working with local authorities to strengthen access to information and services for customers, and improve interchange opportunities, collaborating with other rail, bus and tram operators on a range of measures to better connect services.

First Bus has already invested more than £50m in new vehicles in the last three years across Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, introducing enhanced comfort and convenience to make buses a more attractive option, including leather seating, Wi-Fi and USB charging points. First Bus also launched their luxury Vantage service in April on Transport for Greater Manchester’s brand new guided busway - the first in the North West. This new service between Manchester City Centre and Leigh is bringing unprecedented levels of comfort and convenience to local bus travel. connectivity with the south Connectivity with London and the rest of the country remains a vital part of the Northern Powerhouse vision too, and FirstGroup is also uniquely positioned in the North

with its Hull Trains service, which provides an award-winning, direct service for travellers to the south from Yorkshire and the Humber.

Hull Trains is the UK’s leading rail operator for passenger satisfaction and has scored the highest customer satisfaction levels of any operator in the country for three consecutive years.

The operator recently welcomed the news that the Office of Rail and Road has approved a further ten years of track access for the service from 2019, giving its customers certainty of services until December 2029. The successful application also enables the company to purchase new bi-mode trains that can take full advantage of the benefits of the electrified East Coast Mainline. Hull Trains has also pledged an additional half a million pound investment to enhance its current fleet.

From 2021, FirstGroup will also offer another service which will offer more choice for passengers from the North to the capital. A new service on the East Coast Mainline will connect Edinburgh with London via Newcastle and Morpeth, with five services a day in each direction offering average fares of less than £25, free Wi-Fi and on-board catering, all in one high quality class of travel.

keeping people moving and communities prospering FirstGroup’s leaders are under no illusions about the scale of the challenge that lies ahead.

Its leading role in the region means the quality of the services it provides, and the solutions it delivers alongside government and local authority partners will be one of the measures of whether the Northern Powerhouse vision becomes a reality - but the company’s employees are excited about the role they have to play.

Tim O’Toole, chief executive of FirstGroup, said: “We are rightly proud of our key role in keeping people moving and communities prospering across the North.

Our investment in the region’s public transport will deliver modern, fast, efficient links that will bring people closer to the employment and economic growth opportunities that will help create the Northern Powerhouse.

“Through the new TransPennine Express franchise, First Bus and Hull Trains we will work together and in partnership with local communities and stakeholders along our routes, to deliver faster, higher capacity, more integrated, and better quality services across our extensive rail and bus networks in the region.” Q

More than £500m will be invested in the TransPennine Express rail franchise, including the introduction of over 220 new carriages

New technology is key to First's vision

A SMARTER NORTH

• With all of the pending investment into the North’s transport network, providing smarter, seamless travel is more important than ever – it needs to be easy for people to travel by value-formoney public transport instead of jumping into the car. Getting ticketing right - making it smooth, seamless and convenient - is key.

FirstGroup is also taking a leading role in making ticketing more joined up, seamless and integrated through different transport modes in the region, and is an active partner in multi-operator ticketing schemes across the North.

FirstGroup is delivering multi-operator smart ticketing to millions of bus customers across England. On board, First Bus customers can now upload new products onto MCard smartcards in West Yorkshire, ‘get me there’ smartcards in Greater Manchester, TravelMaster smartcards in South Yorkshire, and the York By Bus smart scheme. TPE will also enable smart ticketing in the North through integration with local smartcard schemes.

Indeed, FirstGroup led the way on smart ticketing in the region, with First Bus launching Mobile Ticketing (m-Tickets) across Yorkshire and Greater Manchester back in 2014. This system enables customers to use their mobile phones as bus tickets. It has improved convenience for customers, reducing the need for correct change, while also speeding up boarding times.

More than 100,000 individual customers now purchase tickets on a weekly basis across the North via the m-Ticket app.

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R AT P

DRIVING THE NORTHERN POWERHOUSE Tim Jackson, CEO of RATP Dev UK, explains how his company is ready to step up and make a contribution to the vision of the Northern Powerhouse hen it comes to infrastructure and transport, these are promising times for the North of England. New Combined Authorities devising policy for city regions and pledges of

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greater investment from central government hold out the prospect of integrated transport networks which can usher in a new era for the North. More jobs; more outside investment; more visitors: the potential benefits are clear.

However, delivering the vision of the Northern Powerhouse has prompted questions. Enthusiasm for a new settlement has moved on to practical discussion about how to make it a reality. Will funds from central government be forthcoming? Which particular projects will be prioritised, as

between inter-city and intracity links? Perhaps most of all, people want to know which bodies and companies will have responsibility for delivering this vision and whether they will have the competence and philosophy to work together to do so.

The model of devolution that has been proposed is something that my company, RATP Dev UK, is ideally placed to support.

Through our experience operating urban projects worldwide and in the epicentre of the Northern Powerhouse, in the form of the Manchester Metrolink, we know first-hand how private and public sectors working together can make devolved transport services work. Our collaboration over the past five years with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Transport for Greater Manchester has given us the experience and appetite to support the wider ambitions of Transport

for the North and the Northern Hub. Whilst participating actively in Manchester through our successful stewardship of the Metrolink tram, we also observe with interest the progress of the Bus Services Bill and how the great cities of the North of England will combine this opportunity with that of devolution.

Our role as a multi-modal transport operator in the Paris region also equips us for this challenge. As well as a century of experience in operating public transport, we have recent experience of ramping up our operations to meet the demands of a wider urban region and not just one city. Today RATP Group operates an integrated system in the Paris region, including driverless metro lines, regional express heavy rail lines, multiple tramway lines and an extensive bus network, not to mention on-demand transport, airport

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operations in Tuscany, Italy, where it already operates the Florence tramway.

Meanwhile back in the North West of England, we have been steadily increasing our staff and our commitment to the emerging region. We have raised the number of employees at Metrolink from approximately 400 to more than 680, including 150 additional drivers, as the network has spread into new corners of the Combined Authority. Across the North West as a whole, we currently employ around 1,000 people, thanks to our bus and coach operations, and as we develop our services in the region we expect that headcount to grow.

In running Metrolink, we have consistently maintained high levels of service as the network has expanded, opening new lines to treble the network, completing an extension to Manchester Airport a year ahead of schedule, rolling out a new tram fleet and LEFT: RATP Dev operates Manchester Metrolink light rail system.

BELOW LEFT: RATP Group operates a number of tramway lines in Paris

shuttle services and tourist buses.

This network has been expanded at an unprecedented rate to make suburb-to-suburb travel considerably easier as, working with the local authorities, RATP has adapted from serving the single city of Paris to the wider Ile-de-France region and soon the so-called Grand Paris.

We have brought this knowledge to bear in a range of different urban centres around the world.

Our engineers have been called upon for transport projects in Europe and Africa, North America and the Far East. A flagship example of this is the ongoing creation from scratch of a public bus network in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, drawing upon the experience of the Paris bus network and also our very large regulated bus operation in London, where we work with TfL. Another challenging contract will see RATP Dev take on all the bus

“We are committed to providing employment opportunities and skills training for all, particularly those in disadvantaged communities�

RATP Dev has a large regulated bus operation in London, where it works with TfL

a new signalling system and inaugurating a new depot and control centre. And despite the sustained disruption caused to operations by the relentless pace of network expansion and renewal, 85% of respondents in the Tram Passenger Survey said they were satisfied with their journey; this rate continues to rise.

However, technical know-how and project management skills are not by themselves enough to assure people that a company has the ability to deliver integrated transport networks across a city region. Delivering for an urban area like the Powerhouse will mean going beyond the services a company is contracted to supply; it is part of our ethos to enrich the communities we serve. We are committed to providing employment opportunities and skills training for all, particularly those in disadvantaged communities. In Manchester, we run a partnership with Wythenshawe Community Housing Group to fill customer service jobs with local talent. We’re genuinely proud that Metrolink has excellent relations with its workforce and the trade unions and so has become a part of the fabric of Manchester, not just a contract manager.

The decision-makers with whom we talk and the travelling public they represent also want to see top quality service delivery every day, long term dedication and a willingness to partner them. This corporate philosophy is something RATP Dev UK has shown in its solid relations with TfGM and TfL and we believe its relevance will only increase as the city regions, the Northern Powerhouse amongst them, find their new role. We believe that our model of aligning private savoirfaire and public policy objectives in a collaborative relationship is ideally suited for such an environment. Whether in trams, trains, buses or bicycles, RATP Dev is ready to step up and make a contribution to the vision of the Northern Powerhouse. Q

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T R A N SDE V

TRANSDEV'S VISION FOR THE NORTH Transdev is planning to bring new ideas on public transport, backed by its global scale and investment in technology, to create innovative solutions in the North of England. n the next two years, Transdev will be rolling out and planning a series of innovations in the UK market, drawing on its unique mix of bus, light rail and on-demand experience. The international group is clear on the innovation required in response to rising customer expectations and the regional authorities’ recognition, symbolised by the creation of Transport for the North, that transport connectivity is a catalyst to economic growth.

With a strong presence across the North of England and its ongoing bid for Manchester Metrolink, Transdev sees the opportunity to deliver new, customer-focused ideas that will increase connectivity and improve customer choice and experience.

As Nigel Stevens, CEO of Transdev in the UK and Ireland puts it “there is a fast emerging new paradigm in personal mobility that through technology and the embracing of the shared economy is transferring choice and power to the customer; the industry needs to look at things very differently if it is to meet the needs of this new environment”.

Transdev is uniquely positioned to deliver new ideas. It can draw on its group experience providing the full spectrum of mobility services for public and private sector clients, its recent €70m investment in a ‘digital factory’ to capitalise on new technologies, and its growing experience in developing integrated transport

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solutions for transport authorities across Europe. Transdev has also become the world’s first operator of driverless vehicles at EDF Energy’s site in Civaux, France, and is now looking for opportunities to deploy similar solutions in the UK. The group’s ultimate vision is to develop a ‘mobility as a service’ programme to combat congestion, promote economic growth and improve quality of life through offering a choice of on-demand and fixed route, integrated travel options which are available as and when people need them, at an attractive price.

In the UK, Transdev is seeking ways to extend the scope of its services, and believes that the appetite for a new approach

TRANSDEV WORLDWIDE

• Q 83,000 employees in 19 countries and five continents, operating in contracted and deregulated markets through wholly owned businesses and partnerships with public and private sector partners.

Turnover of €6.5bn.

Q It is the world’s largest light rail operator with 25 networks in 12 countries, with heavy rail businesses in France, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand and the USA and bus companies in the UK, Chile and Australia.

Q In addition, Transdev’s global operations include tram-trains, ferries, coach services, bus rapid transit, taxis, car sharing and cycle hire.

TOP: Transdev is piloting driverless shuttles in partnership with EDF Energy.

MIDDLE: New technologies are creating a vision for 'mobility as a service' BOTTOM: Transdev trams in Montpellier

to personal mobility has been increased by the devolution of strategic responsibilities from central government to regional authorities and local enterprise partnerships. Transdev has already started putting its ideas into action by broadening its portfolio to embrace the future importance of on-demand transport as part of integrated transport solutions. Its acquisition of greentomatocars, an environmentally focused London private hire company, in 2011 was complemented last year by the creation of a truly nationwide on-demand network, with the purchase of the LiverpoolRIGHT: Transdev's new Cityzap service uses sat-nav technology to provide the fastest route from York into Leeds

UK BUSINESSES

• Q Transdev Blazefield: Interurban and local bus services in West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Lancashire with 400 vehicles and hubs in Manchester, Leeds and York.

Q Nottingham City Transport: 18% shareholding in NCT, the largest municipal bus operator in England with 550 vehicles.

Q Cabfind: UK’s biggest supplier of taxis and private hire vehicles to businesses with a 24/7 booking service offering access to 2,300 taxi companies and over 140,000 vehicles.

Q greentomoatocars: London private hire/minicab operator with over 500 vehicles, mainly hybrid cars with some hydrogen powered vehicles.

Q Trident Niven: London executive private hire company with 100 cars.

Q CCH Aviation Logistics: Provider of aircrew transport at Heathrow.

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based Cabfind taxi platform.

This is backed by a significant investment in the technology needed to support these high-tech operations.

Specific to the North of England, the innovation is focused on taking its Blazefield bus business to new levels. The business has a clear agenda to deliver new and upgraded services on an interurban spine over the Pennines from Lancashire to the Yorkshire coast. The aim is to improve links between cities, improve bus services’ competitive position against car travel and pilot new forms of ticketing.

The first initiative came in January with the relaunch of the 36 between Ripon, Harrogate and Leeds, including a £3.3m investment in high specification buses featuring a spectacular interior of spacious leather seating and a glass roof alongside free 4G Wi-Fi and USB power points at every seat, services extended into the early hours at weekends and a dedicated driver team. It was

followed in March by the new Cityzap concept giving bus drivers freedom to use sat-nav technology to select the quickest way between Leeds and York according to traffic conditions.

The next tranche of investment sees a further £6.3m invested in 38 new buses, 18 of which will complement the Pennine Reach bus priority scheme in Lancashire and others to re-establish the well-known Coastliner product in Yorkshire. Meanwhile, development of the route network has recently seen the ManchesterBlackburn service repositioned as the Red Express, and the high-spec Witch Way between Manchester and Burnley now makes better use of the motorway network to speed up journey times and extend to towns such as Skipton which do not have a direct rail link to Manchester. Blazefield has also been working with train operators to plan connections that will provide attractive integrated journeys into Greater Manchester and beyond.

At the same time, Blazefield has formed partnerships with regional transport authorities to start developing steps towards Transport for the North’s long term vision of a smart ticketing system covering the north of England.

The company is working with TfN on plans for a pilot of next generation beacon ticketing technology, which detects when customers board and leave buses through a smartphone app, and charges fares direct to their account. A further partnership in West Yorkshire involves trialling smart carnet tickets on the region’s MCard, one of the most popular smartcard systems outside the capital. A commercial trial of contactless bankcard ticketing is also planned.

The next step for Transdev is to work with local authorities in the North to build out beyond the Blazefield bus business developing a blend of fixed and on-demand products that can create more flexible and efficient travel solutions. It believes it already has international experience that could be transferred to Northern cities including the Split micro-bus concept established in Washington DC and the Abel shared ride services just launched in the Netherlands. In both cases, passengers book seats in cars and small vans, with technology constantly adjusting routing to maximise sharing; the result is taxi like flexibility, at fixed-route bus prices.

Transdev is not turning its back on its place as one of the world’s leading light rail operators, with 25 light rail networks in 12 countries.

A key theme across those networks is second to none reliability and high levels of integration, ensuring their networks are an integral part of cities’ economic and urban regeneration plans.

In Montpellier, where Transdev’s engineering consultancy Transamo has worked with the transport authority to develop the network, half the light rail stations have been designed as transport hubs, 170km of cycle lanes integrate

with the network, and multimodal fares and information systems cover all modes of public transport, cycle parking and car parking at purpose built park and ride sites. The network provides access to nearly half the jobs in the city. Private car has a low 38% market share in districts served by the tram network compared to 59% elsewhere.

In Dublin, Transdev has been working with Transport Infrastructure Ireland and behavioural scientists from Influence at Work to develop new ways to tackle fare evasion. It has also implemented Transdev’s ‘Going for Care’ training scheme which encourages staff to see issues from a passenger’s perspective.

Both initiatives have delivered strong results, with fare evasion reduced and 16% improvement in perceptions of service quality.

In Barcelona, work with sections of the community that rarely used the tram or rarely bought tickets have led to increases in usage and significant falls in fare evasion.

It means Transdev Blazefield chief executive Alex Hornby views current plans to develop his existing bus networks as just a first step towards creating services which can cater for expected huge growth in demand in the North of England, complement rail service improvements, and meet the changing requirements of customers and local authorities.

“This a massively exciting time for anyone working in transport in the North and for us all at Blazefield in particular as we focus our business in line with the wider vision held by those around us.

To be involved in helping to shape the future for transport in the North and Transdev is a fantastic privilege.”

Transdev believes the strategy of putting transport at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse is key to the future of the region. For Transdev, the chance to bring its global expertise and technologyenabled thinking to this transport revolution is an opportunity not to be missed. Q

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AT K I N S

A Northern train in Manchester. It genuinely feels that when it comes to the North’s railways we are now at the dawn of a new day

LET ’S FO CUS ON WHAT WE CAN D O Northern Powerhouse Rail is the way forward, and it’s about more than a faster link between Leeds and Manchester, writes Hugh Chaplain, Technical Director at Atkins t’s no secret that the North has experienced a chronic underinvestment in its railways for many years. Of course there have been some improvements, particularly on north-south connections, and there are significant investments in the pipeline, such as electrification of the TransPennine route, but these are not sufficient alone, or soon enough in some cases to make the step change in connectivity that we need if the Northern Powerhouse is to deliver the productivity goals that have been set out.

But it genuinely feels that when it comes to the North’s railways we are now at the dawn of a new

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day. We have a transport body – in the form of Transport for the North – that will have the necessary statutory powers and has a pan-regional remit and plan, while the National Infrastructure Commission has made a series of recommendations for significant investment which have been accepted by the Treasury.

There has been some commentary that recommendations and funding doesn’t go far enough, and that the connectivity requirements for the North go beyond cutting the journey time between Manchester and Leeds to 30 minutes. I agree, but it’s a step in the right direction.

I think everybody would concur that what’s needed is a Northern Powerhouse Rail network which not only connects the six core cities in the region, but also the satellite towns and cities around them. But we have to remain practical as well about whether a brand new rail network could be delivered right now. The country

is still running a budget deficit so public funding is going to remain limited for a few years yet and the devolution deals don’t kick in until after the mayoral elections next year, and then you have to consider the sheer scale and complexity of delivering something so significant.

Therefore let’s focus on what we can do.

We need to ensure we are future proofing the network. The important starting point for this is having a vision. If we know where we are going we can make sure we consider the steps needed to get there. With HS2 due to start construction next year, it’s fair to assume that there will be at least two Network Rail control periods to come before we are able to see significant progress in building another major new railway. But if we know it’s coming we can make sure we future proof the work that will be delivered over the next decade.

Furthermore over the last year we have seen in sharp focus the importance of early planning. To

realise the vision of the Northern Powerhouse Rail network there will be huge volumes of work to prepare the business cases needed to secure the funding. This can only be done accurately if we have a sufficient understanding of current and future requirements and outcomes. The sooner this work starts the better we will be able to deliver the incremental improvements to the infrastructure in the coming years.

TfN is doing sterling work in gearing up to develop network options. Addressing the order in which schemes are designed and built will need to take full account of existing and future investment programmes across the UK rail network. The supply chain is finite, as identified very clearly in the Hendy Review. The rail industry is likely to approach major new investment programmes including the Northern Powerhouse Rail network with due caution. The supply chain can help enormously by engaging with TfN and identifying where and when constraints are likely to arise. This must be an integral part of the overall planning process.

There will inevitably come a point when tough decisions have to be taken on which schemes within the Northern Powerhouse Rail network are delivered first. TfN will need to consider a wide range of criteria and secure the support of its partners in national government, Network Rail and HS2 to put in place a robust approach to scheme appraisal that meets the economic transformation objectives of the Northern Powerhouse, while recognising and as far as possible, accommodating local needs and stakeholder requirements.

Following publication of the Northern Transport Strategy Spring report, the National Infrastructure Commission report and the budget, it is clear that there is cause for optimism.

Northern Powerhouse Rail is the way forward and it is about considerably more, considerably sooner, than a quicker link between Leeds and Manchester. Q

18 | TRANSPORT FOR THE NORTH | Delivering the Vision

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Arriving 7th December 2016

The Midland Hotel, Manchester

NORTH OF ENGLAND TRANSPORT AWARDS + SUMMIT The Northern Powerhouse will usher in a new era for the North of England, with infrastructure investment a crucial element in boosting productivity and economic output. The North of England Transport Awards and Summit will bring together the key players and recognise the vital contribution transport has to make to erasing the north-south divide.

I WELCOME TRANSPORT TIMES’ DECISION TO RUN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND TRANSPORT AWARDS AND SUMMIT. IT’S A CRUCIAL TIME AS THE NORTHERN POWERHOUSE TAKES SHAPE. THIS EVENT IS A WELCOME ADDITION TO THE CALENDAR. IT WILL HELP BRING INTO FOCUS THE CREATIVITY AND EXCELLENCE DRIVING FORWARD PROGRESS IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND. David Brown, Chief executive, Transport for the North

THE NORTH OF ENGLAND TRANSPORT AWARDS + SUMMIT 7TH DECEMBER 2016 Keep up to date with developments on www.transporttimes.co.uk

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