R797 Rail In The North Supplement by Graham Copestake

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Contents 62

44 46 50 56 62 66 70

All change in the North

A 21st century railway will emerge from the developments in the North. STEVE BROADBENT elaborates.

The change starts here

Rail North Director DAVID HOGGARTH explains how devolution will be a cornerstone of the North

Taking the North further

TransPennine Express Managing Director LEO GOODWIN explains what the new franchise will achieve, as soon as day one.

Focusing on growth

Arriva’s RICHARD McCLEAN describes how the new Arriva Rail North franchise will drive the region’s economy.

Boosting rural lines

STEVE BROADBENT champions the need for rural areas to be boosted by rail development as well as cities.

Transforming travel

Transport for the North’s DAVID BROWN talks about the plans for radical improvements to the North’s transport.

Connectivity is key

STEFANIE BROWNE explains how HS2 and the proposed HS3 will transform connectivity in the North

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EDITORIAL Managing Editor: Nigel Harris Contributing Writers: Steve Broadbent, Stefanie Browne Sub-Editor: Richard Hampson Art Editor: Graham Copestake Production Manager: Mandy Brett Managing Director: Tim Lucas

ADVERTISING Commercial Director: Sarah Crown Account Director: Julie Howard

pril 1 2016 marks a moment of major change for the railway in the North. As well as the start of two new growth led franchises, through Northern and TransPennine Express, the date also is when responsibility for managing these franchises devolves from the Department for Transport in London to Rail North in Leeds. Two local franchises for the North now managed locally by those who represent those who use these services and know what’s needed. The problems of the past and central control is gone, as the railway and the Rail North Partnership start to work with the new operators on the future as you will read in this supplement Both Arriva Rail North (ARN, the new Northern franchise operator), and TransPennine Express (TPE), have ordered significant numbers of new trains - a total of 501 all-new carriages will be in service across the North in the next few years. The new trains will offer more seats, greater comfort, shorter journey times, and more services. There will be improvements on most of the routes operated by the two companies as all the existing rolling stock that is being retained will be refurbished. The potential to grow passenger numbers is highlighted by TPE’s new managing director, Leo Goodwin, he says: “About one in three people use trains for inter-city journeys. But there are examples across the UK where that figure is two in three. There is considerable potential for growth if the offer is right.” There will also be considerable investment in stations, and a far greater focus on maximising the usefulness of many stations to their local communities. These changes will also see dramatic reductions in the subsidy paid to the two franchises: TPE will shortly start paying the Government an annual premium for operating its services, and by the time its franchise ends in 2025 ARN will be very close to being subsidy-free. Until very

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recently, the proposition that the North could have new fleets of trains without the subsidy increasing significantly, let alone disappearing, was derided as being impossible in many quarters, but not, it must be said, in the North. These developments grew first from the Government’s ‘Northern Powerhouse’ agenda, to re-balance the UK’s economy by investing in the North. That was swiftly followed by the realisation that making provision for the rising demand in rail travel would bring many other benefits, such as improved social inclusion (including the ability to get to jobs, education and healthcare), better environmental conditions, and even a reduction in road congestion. In parallel, the Government also moved towards devolving powers over the operation of the railway to Rail North, whose work is described in our first article. Rail North’s Long Term Rail Strategy has been fundamental in showing what needs to be achieved and demonstrating the benefits. This devolution is widely welcomed. Goodwin says that it is “a really exciting opportunity for railways in the North. We’re excited to be working in the new arrangement and we hope it will allow the franchises to develop over the coming years.” The transformation of the North’s railways is not simply about new trains. Improved services and better stations are now in the pipeline, because both franchise contracts are very dynamic and allow for further improvements to be made in the coming years. In addition, Network Rail, which owns the nation’s railway infrastructure, has an ambitious programme of works under way, which will open up new travel opportunities and deliver the benefits of electrification. The railway’s potential to grow the North’s economy is huge or, as Arriva’s Mobilisation Director Richard McClean says: “the new franchises will utterly transform people’s lives, the opportunities for communities, and the potential for economic growth in the

Leeds city centre. ALAMY.

All change in the North

region.” Nor will this exciting journey end when the new TPE and ARN franchises finish in the mid 2020s. Firstly, Rail North very much hopes that it will be in full control of the subsequent franchise or franchises, with all these services “being managed in the North by people who live in the North for people living in the North”, as Rail North Director David Hoggarth puts it. Looking further ahead, Transport for the North is developing plans for what is now known as Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR, previously dubbed ‘HS3’), a proposed series of new lines or significant upgrades of existing ones. These will, if all goes to plan, improve the connectivity between the North’s major cities - particularly Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Hull and Newcastle - with the potential for trains to operate at up to 140 mph. And then, in a similar timeframe, the London-Birmingham High Speed 2 line is set to be extended northwards to serve

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Sheffield, Manchester and Leeds by 2033 with through running possible northwards to Preston, Newcastle and Scotland, for example. HS2 will offer a step change in journey times from Northern cities to Birmingham, London, and other cities in the Midlands and the South, but HS2 will also require significant changes to local rail services in the North so as to optimise connectivity. Together, HS2 and NPR make a very powerful combination in the transformation of the North’s economy. This whole series of investments will in itself create many jobs across the region including in the wider rail industry. It will also allow easy access to such jobs for people who live away from the urban centres. But it is also well recognised that the North’s extensive rural rail network has significant potential in promoting travel between the cities and the rural and seaside towns, and indeed to and from the many small stations located in the region’s incredible scenery and countryside. The ARN franchise includes a

significant sum to aid the development of the 19 highly-successful Community Rail Partnerships across the franchise network. Even though TPE does not operate over any CRP line, the company will be helping fund the partnerships as they are the ‘twigs on the branches’ CRP services feed into and out of, on the longer-distance routes. As noted in the final article in this supplement, the Rail User Groups and CRPs still have many ambitions to see even more improvements on their lines. These groups will be important factors for the path that lies ahead. This journey started as a thought a few years ago and becomes a reality on April 1 2016. The ink is dry on the new franchise and the new train contracts. Rail North is in formal partnership with the Department for Transport in the management of the two new franchises, and Transport for the North - soon to be a statutory body - is planning a network for the 2030s. Yet there are still those who suggest that

it is all an April Fool’s joke - that the ambition, and indeed the promises, will rapidly crumble. But the course is set fair: the new trains are coming and the old Pacers are going. Electrification is happening in the North West and will move to Yorkshire in the 2020s, and lines are being upgraded or built anew. It will take time for these contracts to produce meaningful things such as carriages, bridges, new platforms or wiring, but they are on their way and there is surely no turning back now - the transformation is under way. A 21st century railway will emerge, and before too long rail travel, and the North’s economy, will be unlike anything that has gone before.

STEVE BROADBENT Contributing Writer, RAIL

The change starts

here

Aerial view of Leeds city centre, looking south, on August 7 2015. ALAMY

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Rail in the

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Rail North Director DAVID HOGGARTH explains to STEVE BROADBENT how the devolution of railway management powers to the North will be a cornerstone of the ‘Northern Powerhouse’.

‘T

ransformational’ is not a word often associated with the railways, especially in the North of England. Yet, on April 1 2016, not only will two new and ambitious rail franchises begin services across the North, but the day-today management and future development of those train operators will be devolved to the region, too. On the same day, a formal partnership between Rail North and the Department for Transport will begin, with the joint franchise management team being based in Leeds, introducing local knowledge and accountability. To describe it as ‘transformational’ is not an over-statement. The two new train operators Arriva Rail North and TransPennine Express - their plans, challenges and aspirations, are detailed in the following articles, but here we examine Rail North’s work and ambitions (see panel, page 48). Rail North is a partnership of the 29 Local Transport Authorities (‘the Members’) across the North of England, an approach which gives formal input into, and involvement with, the local train services. While rail operations in Scotland, London and Merseyside are devolved to the authorities there, this is the first time that rail devolution has extended to such a wide area in England, and the first time this particular model has been adopted. The establishment of the Leeds-based Rail North/DfT team means that the two franchises are now, as Rail North’s Director David Hoggarth explains: “managed from the North by people who live and commute in the

David Hoggarth, Rail North Director. PAUL BIGLAND/RAIL

North… it’s a devolution milestone. It’s more than just a physical location issue, it’s a mindset. You are going to see a much stronger partnership between Rail North and the train operators, and with Network Rail. We have very ambitious plans and aspirations which can now begin to be delivered.” And it is these plans, as will be explained, which will transform the North’s long-neglected local and interurban rail services. Not since the days when the Class 14x Pacers and Class 15x Sprinters were introduced around 25 years ago has the region seen such a step change as is, as from April 1, in hand. But what exactly does ‘management of those train operators’ mean? The small team of Rail North and DfT staff, working together in Leeds, will continually monitor ARN’s and TPE’s performance in such areas as train punctuality, station cleanliness, the number of seats on each service, financial health, and the progress of any contracted enhancements - and a vast array of other parameters known as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). They will raise with the operators any shortfalls that arise, especially if any aspect of performance falls below the level specified in the franchise contract. That is in sharp contrast to the more usual situation, where such management is carried out by the DfT in London, far removed from where the problems are. Hoggarth stresses that the information gathered by this management team will be disseminated among the Rail North Members - a far wider audience than previously - who will be able to see if there are issues in their particular area. Where appropriate, they will be able to advise Rail North of local solutions, and even put them into action. Of course, a strong and committed train operator should not fall short, and should not need to be brought to account. While in the past communication between a train operator and the relevant local authority has tended to be more one of reporting historic performance issues, Hoggarth wants the new way to focus on looking to

the future and to developing strong communication with the 29 LTAs - indeed, this is central to his role. The Members are encouraged to come forward with new schemes, such as better ways of using a station, and also ideas for how the railway in general could be improved.

INVESTMENT PLAN Back to Rail North’s plans, which, Hoggarth says: “we now start putting into action. This is another step change from how it used to be done, which took a much shorter term strategy. That’s still very important delivering on the new contracts - but we can now also look forward to the next step, and the step after that - that’s where Rail North really comes into its own.” A significant early stage will be the production of a Rail North Investment Plan, which will bring together the train operators’ commitments, Network Rail’s infrastructure projects and the Members’ developing plans, perhaps calling for new or enhanced stations, or lines to be re-opened. “For the first time, there will be a single infrastructure plan covering the North of England’s railways,” Hoggarth says. Having such a plan will

make things far more likely to happen. “If a scheme is funded and has a business case, the assumption will be that it will happen, not that it might,” stresses Hoggarth. This process flows from Rail North’s Long Term Rail Strategy (LTRS), which is to be updated annually in line with Rail North’s constitution, and forms a cornerstone of the longer term and more revolutionary programme being developed by Transport for the North. The relationship between Rail North and TfN is an interesting one, because while Rail North is primarily focused on delivering a better railway over the next ten years or so backed by the dynamic Investment Plan with a horizon which will steadily advance - TfN is responsible for developing a far wider, longer term vision (see Pages 66-69). While the two bodies have different focus, Hoggarth wants this to be perceived as “seamless, so what we’re doing through the franchises is the early stages of the Transport for the North transformation. We’re moving away from the more traditional three or fiveyear plan - that’s just not long enough in the rail industry. We have ten years with the new franchises to complete the groundwork. The Investment Plan will be updated at least once

WHAT IS RAIL NORTH?

Rail North, which grew out of the original ‘Rail in the North Executive’ proposals of 2012 and is based in Leeds, is working with the Department for Transport, Local Transport Authorities, Network Rail and other bodies to specify and deliver high-quality rail services across the North of England. Rail North brings together 29 local transport authorities (LTAs), and each LTA has one councillor representing it on the Association of Rail North Partner Authorities. Eleven of these representatives are directors of Rail North Limited, and in this capacity report to the 29 LTAs. While the way of working is not yet refined, this should also promote communications from the 29 members, via the 11 directors, into the Rail North organisation. Rail North’s Long Term Rail Strategy, last updated in September 2015 and due to be refreshed annually, sets out how rail can support the growth of the North of England’s economy over the next 20 years by improving connectivity across the region, while at the same time providing a better customer experience and a more efficient railway. The Rail North/Department for Transport Partnership Agreement was signed on March 20 2015, and as of April 1 2016, the new Arriva Rail North and First TransPennine

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a year, and there is always the opportunity for schemes to be added without having to wait for the next Five Year Plan.”

FUNDING INFRASTRUCTURE Many people will have been amazed that not only is the TransPennine Express franchise going to start paying the Government a premium for operating services, but also that Arriva Rail North will radically reduce its subsidy requirement to the point where it will be virtually eliminated by the end of the contract - and all this while 501 new carriages are introduced into service. Similarly, while timescales may have slipped slightly, Network Rail has a massive programme of Government-funded infrastructure schemes across the North to be undertaken before 2024. The challenge that arises if further infrastructure projects are to be implemented, especially those brought forward by the 29 LTAs, is how these can be funded, once a political consensus as to each plan’s merits has been achieved, alongside developing a sound business case. The City Regions have secured devolutionrelated funding streams, such as Growth Deals and Earn Back arrangements for such

RAIL NORTH PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR (Fergus Robertson)

HEAD OF INVESTMENT PLANNING

Managing the processes and programmes involved in developing and delivering investment programmes

NORTHERN COMMERCIAL MANAGER

Responsible for the management of the provisions of the Northern Franchise Agreement

CONTRACT MANAGERS (NORTHERN AND TPE)

PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT TEAM

Responsible for day-today contact with both Franchisees where provisions of the Franchise Agreements

Express franchises are being jointly managed through this partnership. Rail North Partnership Management Team One of the main innovations through Rail North is the creation a new devolved management team for the new franchises. For the first time, this is management in the North, by the North, for the North. Headed by Rail North Partnership Director Fergus Robertson and based in Leeds, the management team will incorporate all the key functions that DfT would have for managing the outputs of the franchises. The team will have delegated local management

TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS COMMERCIAL MANAGER

Responsible for the management of the provisions of the TransPennine Express Franchise Agreement

CHANGE MANAGER

Delivery of a change programme outside committed obligations

of new Northern and TransPennine franchises, to maximise revenue and benefit to the taxpayer while protecting the longterm value of the franchise. It will own, manage and develop relationships with the franchisees, monitor and enforce compliance with the contract conditions, monitor the franchisees’ commercial performance and monitor and report operational and financial risks. It will also have a key role in investment planning, including developing proposals for the Government’s High Level Output Statement for each Control Period, as well proposals to be wholly funded by Rail North Members.

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AMBITIONS FOR STATION DEVOLUTION Nearly all of the 2,500-plus stations on the British network are owned by Network Rail, and the vast majority of these are let to the dominant train operator known as the Station Facility Operator, on a fully repairing, franchise-long lease specific to each station. Such a system has obvious drawbacks: the train operator has no incentive whatsoever to improve the station. Even if a business case could be developed for improvements, by the time the case has been proven and funding agreed, the relevant franchise would have only a short time to run and the train operator would have little interest in taking the idea forward. The Combined Authorities can bring together Government funds, such as the National Stations Improvement Programme, the Station Commercial

projects. And while these could be brought to bear on infrastructure, innovative ways of raising money for capital expenditure will be needed. “In the future we hope that our plans will attract more funding, and while some of this may come through TfN or Rail North sources, this wouldn’t replace the local funding: one of the challenges will be to clearly articulate our priorities.” Given that the old ways of a five-year plan are gone, there should be, unless government policy changes radically, a continuous stream of investment so that schemes with a good business case and a link to the LTRS can progress. To facilitate this, new methods of appraising projects are being developed, with a greater emphasis on the somewhat esoteric evaluation of Gross Value Added per Pound of Investment, rather than on a pure cost:benefit ratio analysis. “We’re moving away from the old, quite narrow criteria to assessing what is right for the economy, and for social development,” says Hoggarth.

SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS Not only are both ARN and TPE introducing all-new trains, but there will be service improvements on many of the lines right across the North to trains, track, stations and depot/stabling capacity. But what happens when this contracted tranche of improvements has all been successfully delivered? Can we expect further improvements later on? “That’s the intention,” says Hoggarth, “the contracts have been won on the basis of what First and Arriva have said they will deliver, but Rail North has the ability to make further changes and enhancements during the course

Project Facility, and Access for All, along with their own funds and those of several others, pooling resources which might well be beyond the means of a train operator. Having secured powers to take over stations in this way as part of their own devolution agreements with the Government, Greater Manchester anticipates taking over the leases on some 97 stations in the near future. The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) is on the same course, saying that the Devolution Deal presents the opportunity to manage the local rail network in alternative ways, such as the transfer of Merseyrail station assets to the Combined Authority), subject to the approval of business cases. “Bringing them into local ownership could make it easier for us to deliver improvements, provide consistency of service and generate an

income stream from new commercial uses,” the LCRCA says. West Yorkshire is hoping to take the same steps on more than 60 stations when its devolution powers are in place. Rail North is involved in this process, and Hoggarth says: “Stations are very much a neglected part of the network, and we have already seen some tremendous examples of what can be done, such as at Accrington in Lancashire. Transport for London and Merseytravel have shown the way and the standard that can be achieved. It makes sense that for stations - which operate at a community level - there is local involvement and that the powers are devolved down to the CA, rather than being handled by Rail North. We very much want local authorities to feel that the railway is something they own, something they can shape and influence and enhance.”

One of the challenges will be to articulate our priorities. David Hoggarth, Rail North Director of the franchises.” One of the many core themes in the LTRS is connectivity between the major urban centres, and Hoggarth notes how this is reflected in the plans for the main TransPennine route and the introduction of the ‘Northern Connect’ higher quality services on 12 of ARN’s routes. “But there’s a lot more in the LTRS, and we’ll soon be identifying the next batch of improvements to be made.” Hoggarth wants such changes to be determined collaboratively through the 29 LTAs, as well as local Rail User Groups and Community Rail Partnerships, whose support will be needed to maximise the potential of any change. But such enhancements are “more than a wish list. We are collectively making the case for what the next batch will be. In many cases, the reason why a particular enhancement has not yet been written into the contract is that its business case is not as strong as other options, but as the market grows and revenue grows then the case for these ‘second phase’ schemes becomes stronger.” While Rail North is, of course, primarily and predominantly occupied with managing and developing the new TPE and ARN franchises, other train operators run services into and through the North, in particular Arriva CrossCountry, Virgin’s East and West

Coast operations, and, to a lesser extent, Stagecoach East Midlands Trains not forgetting the two open access operators, Arriva-owned Grand Central and First Hull Trains. There are always ambitions for such operators to serve the North better, and there are some particularly obvious gaps in service provision. When these franchises come up for re-letting “we will be able to contribute to the consultation,” says Hoggarth. “And we intend to do that, as the LTRS covers all franchises in the North, as well as its freight. We don’t have quite the same partnership roles we have for ARN and TPE, but hopefully our reputation will mean we will have more of a say in future developments.” In the longer term, Rail North’s expertise, abilities and reputation will grow, and the ambition is that when the two new franchises expire in 2025 (ARN) and 2023 (TPE), Rail North will take over the specification and management of the subsequent contracts entirely, thus achieving full devolution. “We have broken the downward spiral - the mistaken belief that everything to do with rail in the North is just a big addition to the subsidy bill. That misapprehension held us back for so long. We now know that the direction of travel is actually the opposite way, and it’s so much easier to make a good case when you start from a positive foundation,“ Hoggarth says.

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o look forward and put the future into context you first need to look back to recognise why such a transformation is required. From the early days of the Industrial Revolution, the emerging cities in the North of England were rivals, rather than partners. Each had its own speciality - Leeds for wool, Manchester for cotton and Sheffield made forged steel. Hull traded seafood, Newcastle was a centre for heavy engineering and Liverpool had its huge world-serving docks. After pioneering work from the late 1700s, the world’s first true railway was closely followed by the first inter-city passenger line, from Liverpool to Manchester, in 1830. The race was on and many more railways were being built across the North. But these were predominately used for export rather than the cities of the North trading with each other. Fast forward to 2016 and the North is very different. - a vibrant economy whose future depends on its cities having greater collaboration and integration, requiring the new services TransPennine Express will provide as part of a world-class transport network. Supporting the economic output of the North so that it gathers true momentum, enabling it to catch up with other parts of the UK, with enjoyable and productive journeys. Connecting people and cities for employment and for leisure, as well as connecting TPE services with other trains as well as buses, trams and planes for genuine door-to-door connected journeys across the North. TPE’s Managing Director Leo Goodwin is confident in his plans: “This is the future. This is TransPennine Express. Are you ready for the journey?”

CONNECTING THE NORTH “I think a successful North is going to require the collaboration of a number of organisations, local authorities and politicians, with a will to achieve the vision,” says Goodwin.

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TransPennine Express Managing Director LEO GOODWIN tells Steve Broadbent what the new franchise will achieve and how the plans are a reality that will begin to emerge as soon as day one.

“Transport is a critical component of it but equally skills and learning are an important part, and the business community has its own vital role to play. “I think the rail network requires investment and that is exactly what our proposition for the new franchise is going to deliver. It’s going to put the trains on the tracks and deliver the capacity and deliver the connectivity that is required for a better, more integrated, North of England.” Over the next seven years, the new Transpennine Express will deliver an investment of more than £500 million, procuring 220 brand new state-of-the-art carriages. These new carriages will be fully connected and offer intercity style comfort while also providing an 80% increase in capacity at the busiest times of the day. The North’s major towns and cities will benefit from an additional 10,000 seats a day, a much-needed capacity improvement. £27m will also be invested in upgrading the current Class 185s (introduced in 2006), so that they also offer customers an outstanding intercity experience. By 2020 every TPE service will operate with a minimum of five carriages, over 70% of the fleet will be new, and every train will have free fast 4G WiFi and free media streaming on board, allowing customers to work and relax in high-speed comfort. Connectivity across the region is seen as key to the North’s economic prosperity and the new franchise will improve connectivity rates by 55%, bringing the major towns and cities closer together. A phased timetable will be introduced that will ultimately lead to a fully standardised product seven days a week, meaning customers can expect the same level of service and frequency on a Saturday and a Sunday as they would through the rest of the week. Service frequency will be increased between Manchester and Leeds with six trains per hour operating in both directions from December 2017. This timetable change will also allow for the reintroduction of the much-requested direct service between Manchester Airport and Newcastle.

The new franchise is not just about refreshing the current proposition but offering more customer choice through the introduction of brand new routes and services. In December 2018 a new service between Glasgow and Liverpool will operate three times a day on the West Coast Main Line, whereas in 2019 the Liverpool to Newcastle service will be extended up the East Coast Main Line to Edinburgh. Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh will be connected by 32 direct services a day. Leo Goodwin is extremely positive about the world-class customer proposition that will also be delivered: “The most exciting thing is we are going to reimagine the customer offer at every stage of the journey. So right from the decision to plan and book the trip, your travel into the station, your travel experience on-board, every stage of that journey is going to be completely transformed under this new franchise and it is going to be exciting for us to put that out there and deliver that to customers on a daily basis.” In reality that means step change improvements in on-board catering sourced from local suppliers and providing a ‘decent’ cup of coffee. It is a commitment to invest in mobile and smart ticketing to remove the stress from purchasing tickets, and it means the implementation of innovative customer information and journey planning to allow customers to have the information they need at their fingertips. TPE stations will receive an £18m investment plan that will enable installation of automated ticket machines, free WiFi, the introduction

The rail network requires investment and that is exactly what our proposition for the new franchise is going to deliver Leo Goodwin, Managing Director, TransPennine Express

of a number of First Class lounges, increases in cycle and car parking provision, and a more integrated transport network. The product range will also be improved with new group travel offers, half price travel for jobseekers and 16-18-year-olds, and extended advance booking periods of up to half a year. An automated delay repay scheme will also be introduced making it easier for customers to be compensated in the unfortunate event that something goes wrong. With the new franchise, its Hull Trains operation and being the largest bus provider in the region, FirstGroup is uniquely positioned in the North. It has a vital role to play in making ticketing more joined up, seamless and integrated through bus, tram and rail. Everyone is committed to improving interchange opportunities and FirstGroup will be collaborating with bus and tram operators on a range of measures to better connect services. Can the ambitious plans for the North address the need to create an economic balance with the South? Goodwin responds: “Part of London’s success is underpinned by a world-class transport system and I think the North of England should have an integrated worldclass transport system, which will help support better connections between people and businesses and create employment and prosperity. “I am excited and confident that our plans for the new TransPennine Express and through the 13 million extra seats we will be introducing ,that we will support those aspirations and we will become the outstanding intercity operator the North needs and deserves.”

70% OF THE FLEET IS NEW TPE will hit the ground running on April 1 with new tickets for customers, introduction of delay repay, a new identity, and enhanced catering. And that is only the beginning of a £500m investment programme. The largest slice of that investment comes in the shape of new trains. Deliveries will start in late 2017 and will continue through to 2019. At the time of the interview with Goodwin at the end of February, First was still in a live procurement exercise and was only able to say that it would involve more than one type of train being built by more than one company. The final result is promised to be “transformational” and “exciting” when it is announced. Clearly there are three distinct needs for rolling stock. The first is the need to serve the fully electrified route from the North West to Scotland. The second is the need for trains to cater for the electrification of the main trans-Pennine ManchesterHuddersfield-Leeds-York/Selby line by the end of 2022: the lines from Liverpool to Manchester and from York northwards are already electrified. The third element of the TPE franchise is the south trans-Pennine route from Manchester to Sheffield and Cleethorpes, where, as the line is unlikely to be electrified until at least the late 2020s, the existing ten-year-old Class 185 three-car DMUs are to be retained, enabling the fast acceleration of these trains to be retained on that route, but with trains operating in six-car formation. In a £20m-plus programme which starts later this year and continues into 2017, 29 of the current 51-strong fleet are to be

IN SUMMARY TPE fleet and service plans, four years from April 1 2016. WEST COAST ROUTES ■■ Services between Manchester and Blackpool, Barrow and Windermere transfer to Arriva Rail North. ■■ New service introduced with three return journeys each day between Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central. Additional services introduced between Manchester Airport and Glasgow Central/Edinburgh Waverley. ■■ Ten four-car, 100mph Class 350 EMUs replaced by five-car, 125mph electric trains. EAST COAST AND SOUTH TRANS‑PENNINE ROUTES ■■ One service per hour extended from York to Newcastle, and hourly Liverpool

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to Newcastle service extended to Morpeth and Edinburgh. ■■ Earlier, later and more trains on Saturdays and Sundays on all routes providing a seven day railway. ■■ Fleet of new 125mph trains introduced for North West to North East services, to bring to 44 the total number of new trains being ordered. ■■ 29 four-car Class 185s, refurbished and retained, primarily for South Trans‑Pennine route (Manchester‑Sheffield-Cleethorpes) and hourly Leeds-Huddersfield Manchester stopping service transferred from Arriva Rail North. ■■ 22 Class 185s leave the franchise.

refurbished to bring them up to a comparable specification to the all-new trains. New loweremission engines are to be fitted, and the remaining 22 units will be released. And unlike previous franchises, the contract First has signed is flexible enough to allow for the acquisition of more carriages as and when the business case can be proven. Orders for additional carriages can therefore be made in advance of a desperate need rather than after a period of overcrowding that users of the railway of Britain have historically seen. By 2020 TPE will have a fleet comprising 55 new trains, and 29 refurbished Class 185s – 70% of the fleet will be new. This considerable increase in the size of the fleet means that TPE will be able to offer over 13 million extra seats each year, perhaps better expressed as a quarter of a million a week, which should more than address the present over-crowding on many services, with capacity to meet the pent-up demand. The number of seat-miles (seats available multiplied by the miles they travel) increases by 110% in the next four years, Goodwin says. And as the new trains will accelerate quicker and cruise faster, “journey times between many of the towns and cities will come down over the next few years”. This will be particularly felt on the East and West Coast Main Lines enabling better timetabling with existing intercity services.

NEW SERVICES TO SCOTLAND The sharper focus of the new franchise includes considerably improved services between the North of England and Scotland,

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creating a seven-day railway. As well as more services, there will be extra trains in the morning and the evening and a lot more on Saturdays and Sundays. New rolling stock will be introduced in December 2017, allowing the present hourly service from Manchester Airport to York to be extended to Newcastle, giving a half-hourly TPE service from Manchester, Huddersfield and Leeds to the North East. At the same time, the five TPE services each weekday hour between Leeds and Manchester via Huddersfield, will increase to six from December 2017 when the stopping service along that route transfers from the Northern franchise to TPE. TPE’s refurbished Class 185s will replace the present diet of Pacers, bringing a massive increase in capacity, customer experience and quality along this heavily used corridor.

Also in December 2017, the Ordsall Chord in central Manchester will open, allowing trains to run between Manchester Victoria and the corridor through Deansgate to Manchester Piccadilly and beyond. From that date, some of the TPE trains that currently reverse at Manchester Piccadilly to access the airport line will instead be routed via Manchester Victoria, the Chord and Piccadilly’s through platforms. Further changes in this area will occur in December 2019 when two new through platforms at Piccadilly will help provide more capacity along the Deansgate corridor.

RECONNECTING LIVERPOOLGLASGOW Perhaps the most significant new development will take place in December 2018, when the first of the all-new five-car electric trains enters service on a new TPE route from

STRONG GROWTH, IMPROVED SERVICES

TYPICAL JOURNEY TIMES The Train Service Requirement specified in the franchise agreement gives these maximum city-to-city journey times as from December 2019, when the new fleet of 125mph trains will be in service. Some journeys are specified to be faster than the times shown here. MANCHESTER TO: Edinburgh via Preston Edinburgh via York Glasgow Sheffield

3hrs 15mins 3hrs 55mins 3hrs 12mins 50mins

Liverpool to Glasgow via Preston. Initially, just three trains each way will operate per day. But Goodwin points to the success TPE has had with the Manchester-Glasgow/ Edinburgh service, where frequency has been increased, and three-car Class 185 diesels have been replaced by new four-car electric units. By December 2019 there will be 16 additional TPE trains a day from Glasgow and Edinburgh via Preston. “When we took over this service in 2007,” Goodwin notes, “there were three services a day, but we successfully developed the market and more services have been added. It’s one of the fastest growing parts of the UK rail network. That is clearly our aspiration for the new service from Liverpool - as passengers are attracted to what we offer, we’d like to do more.” All these new and changed services are subject to normal regulatory approvals, and Goodwin states that the Liverpool-Glasgow services will operate distinctly from the ManchesterScotland services, and not join/divide en route. In December 2019, TPE plans to extend the Liverpool to Newcastle service via Morpeth to Edinburgh. This puts Morpeth on the TPE network, and improves connectivity between the Northumberland town and other places on the route including Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Manchester and Liverpool. Says Goodwin: “By introducing that link we greatly improve connectivity from several towns and cities in the North of England through to Scotland. The new 125mph trains will give very attractive journey times.” The move also meets Transport Scotland’s aspirations for better services between Edinburgh and Newcastle, and beyond.

Cleethorpes Hull Scarborough Middlesbrough Newcastle Leeds

2hrs 40min 2hrs 15mins 2hrs 7mins 2hrs 25mins 2hrs 25mins 61 out of 100 daily services will be less than 50mins

LIVERPOOL TO: Glasgow Manchester

3hrs 20mins 38mins

The new, faster, longer trains will also offer a much better quality travel experience, “with very significant improvements,” Goodwin says. There will be free WiFi on all trains and, having been successfully trialled by sister company Hull Trains, passengers will be able to view TV broadcasts and movies on their laptops, tablets or smartphones, streamed throughout each train through media servers. These days all kinds of people use mobile devices extensively while

travelling by train, but the provision of such an on-board entertainment facility is symptomatic of a major shift in rail travel patterns in very recent years. Today leisure travel accounts for around 70% of TPE’s business. Equally, young people of today travel extensively to colleges or to meet friends. Often they cannot access the jobs that are available without either moving home, or a lengthy journey for which running a car would be prohibitively expensive. New ticketing offers will be introduced from the start of the franchise, including a better deal for group travel. For some time, half-price travel has been available to students, on presentation of the correct form of identification, and this is to be extended to all 16 to 18-year-olds and job-seekers. It is also TPE’s aim to introduce more through tickets - which can be held on mobile phones - between trains and other modes of transport, particularly buses and systems like the Manchester Metrolink and the Sheffield Supertram. As is being introduced gradually over the whole railway, there will also be a concerted move towards mobile ticketing, easier purchase of season tickets, improved advance ticket availability, and better delay repay compensation. New ticket vending machines and better ticket barriers will be introduced across TPE’s network. Beginning early in the new franchise, on-board catering will provide better quality refreshments on more trains for longer periods, with the trolley seen seven days a week. In one move, catering on TPE will become certain for regular and occasional customers. It was once the case that the railway was used primarily for commuting to work, and travel on Sundays was very limited. Now Sunday is a major shopping day, there is always a host of leisure activities to attract visitors, and it is also a day for returning home, or heading back to

college after a weekend away. Trains are often as crowded on Sundays as they are on weekdays, yet the timetable has barely changed to reflect this. So another significant TPE plan is to operate the same services on Saturdays and Sundays as during off-peak hours on weekdays. Capacity on Sundays will be more than double that of present levels, while earlier and later trains on weekdays are also to be offered. The improvements don’t stop at services though - for the 19 stations where TPE is the Station Facility Operator, £18m is to be invested to improve waiting rooms and provide better passenger information. In relation to the move by Combined Authorities (in particular Transport for Greater Manchester) to take over the freehold of stations from Network Rail, TPE operates just two stations in the TfGM area and Goodwin says that the company is talking to TfGM about their aspirations. £1.4m is also to be spent on redeveloping retail facilities at Hull station in time for Hull UK City of Culture 2017.

INFRASTRUCTURE OPPORTUNITIES As mentioned above, Network Rail has two major Northern Hub infrastructure projects in progress in the Manchester area - the Ordsall Chord and the extra capacity through Piccadilly - which are expected to be completed in December 2017 and December 2019, respectively. In addition, the hub will also bring improvements along the Hope Valley line, used by TPE’s south trans-Pennine route services, again due for completion by the end of 2019. And by the end of 2020, the Stalybridge-Manchester-Bolton-Preston electrification will be operational, allowing, if TPE wishes, the electric services from Manchester to Scotland, which presently run via Wigan, to be returned to their former route via Bolton. Implementing these and several other

FRANCHISE FACTS The new TransPennine Express franchise starts on April 1 2016 and is planned to run until March 31 2023, with the option for a two-year extension at the discretion of the Department for Transport. Under the contract, FirstGroup will deliver £303m (Net Present Value) in premium payments to the Government over the core period, with 2017/18 marking the transition of this franchise from being a subsidised railway to one which delivers a premium.

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Franchise passenger revenues, which were £213m in 2014/15, are expected to increase significantly as the additional capacity is created. The full revenue risk franchise includes a profit-sharing arrangement, whereby a proportion of profit will be payable to the DfT. Unlike earlier franchise contracts, the DfT will not reimburse FirstGroup if losses occur: under previous franchise contracts the DfT used to cover as much as 80%

infrastructure projects - notably at Leeds will cause disruption to passenger services. However, a closer partnership arrangement, or alliance, between the new TPE franchise and Network Rail has been signed to ensure this is minimised. However, the really big project, which will necessitate a huge amount of planning, is the TransPennine upgrade. This will primarily enable TPE’s main artery (the line from Stalybridge to west of Leeds station, and from Neville Hill east of Leeds through to Colton Junction south of York) to be electrified by the end of 2022. In addition to the wiring, there will be discrete engineering projects to upgrade the line’s capability and capacity. “Of course we very much welcome investment in the railway,” Goodwin says, “and the trans-Pennine upgrade will bring some very significant benefits in the long term. We are already working closely with Network Rail, Rail North, Transport for the North and

Rail in the Arriva Rail North to plan the investment so as to minimise disruption to passengers’ journeys and then to realise the benefits of the investment as soon as possible.” Moving on to an all-important subject for passengers – punctuality (more often referred to as performance within the industry), Goodwin says “the franchise agreement includes some stretching new targets on performance. “Passengers expect to board when stated and arrive on time. The new trains will enable us to deliver some very significant improvements, and we have entered into an alliance agreement with Network Rail which will address performance issues.” There are also targets to be met covering a wide area of operations, including the passenger on-board experience and engagement with stakeholders and the workforce. In such areas there will be investment in training and development to ensure the high standards are met. TPE has “committed to taking on 36 apprentices over the next few years,” Goodwin adds, “and we’re expanding our graduate programme to support our growth plans.” New partnerships with colleges and universities will support this programme. Goodwin also says that the company will take advantage of those parts of the network which are already electrified so as to minimise carbon emissions, which in any case will be reduced by more energy efficient practices and the use of modern technology on the trains. On a like-for-like basis, carbon emissions per train will reduce by around 30%. None of the 19 Community Rail Partnerships across the North of England is directly related to the TPE network, but CRP lines usually feed the wider network, and

TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS PREMIUM PAYMENTS The amount to be paid by or to the franchise in each financial year, a figure in brackets is paid TO government, without brackets is subsidy from government. Source: Department for Transport

YEAR NOMINAL

REAL - 2015/16 PRICES

Year 1 2016/17

£4.9m

£4.8m

Year 2 2017/18

£6.8m

£6.4m

Year 3 2018/19

£20.3m

Year 4 2019/20

£51.7m

£18.6m £46.1m

Year 5 2020/21

£98.7m

£85.3m

Year 6 2021/22

£111.3m

£93.2m

Year 7 2022/23

£143.5m

£116.5m

Year 8 2023/24

£157.1m

£123.4m

Year 9 2024/25

£178.9m

£136.0m

North

so TPE is looking at ways of helping to fund the relevant CRPs in the North, as “in many cases passengers will start their journeys on a Community line, before changing to a TPE service”. The extra trains and services and the commitment to high-quality customer service will significantly increase the number of staff both on the trains and behind the scenes in TPE, and also within the wider supply chain. More importantly, the greatly improved connectivity being provided is set to create many jobs in the North’s towns and cities which help considerably in the drive to boost economic growth. Goodwin also confirms that TPE has no intention to reduce on-board staffing, nor to introduce Driver Control Operation of train doors as “we know passengers value having staff on-board their trains and we have no plans to change that”.

AMBITIOUS AND DELIVERABLE In closing the discussion, Goodwin returns to the potential for growth in the North, and on the TPE franchise in particular. “Considering longer intercity journeys across the North, about one in three people use trains for such journeys. But there are examples across the UK where that figure is two in three. So there is considerable potential for growth if we get the offer right - and that is the basis of our plan.” What has been described covers TPE’s development plan for the first four years of its contract: by early 2020 the timetable will reflect the arrival of all 55 new trains, and Network Rail’s delivery of infrastructure projects, especially the Northern Hub. But strong growth is expected, and following the trans-Pennine upgrade’s completion by the end of 2022, further developments and investment can be expected across the remainder of the franchise. The new franchise does not simply continue on as the old one did. TPE has a vast canvas on which to develop its services to the North’s communities. “It’s a great moment to be coming into the business,” Goodwin concludes. “We’ve got very clear plans for what we want to achieve over the next few years. They’re ambitious, but they are very deliverable. We think they set the right priorities for improving the service and helping economic growth in the North.”

Focusing on

growth Arriva’s Mobilisation Director RICHARD McCLEAN talks about the way the new Arriva Rail North franchise will dramatically raise the quality of rail travel to help drive growth in the region’s economy.

ince the first franchises for local train services in the North of England started 19 years ago, in March 1997, operations have remained largely unchanged, with very little evidence of significant investment in either trains, track or buildings. As a result, many of the Northern franchises’ ageing trains (even the newest are over 15 years old) are often over-crowded. Timetables fail to reflect 21st century living styles, and in places Victorian station buildings stand neglected. In recent years, some extra trains have been drafted in, but by and large the North’s urban and rural services - as reflected in the Northern franchise - do not drive economic growth. But that all changes on April 1, when the new Northern franchise starts. Operated by Arriva Rail North (ARN) and jointly managed in formal partnership by Rail North and the Department for Transport, the new franchise

brings rail devolution, so successful in slightly different formats in Scotland and London, to the North. “The importance of devolution cannot be underestimated. Nor should we undervalue its potential,” McClean says at the opening of the discussion. The issues go back many years but “bringing the seat of power to the point of action (the North, rather than London), will make a bigger difference than people can imagine. April 1 sees two great franchises starting; each with transformational business plans. But the thing that will make the real difference is the Rail North devolution, with Transport for the North hard on its heels.” (The other franchise is TransPennine Express (TPE), see pages 50-55.) With the media and general public continuing to insist that train operating companies (TOCs) should introduce more trains, open new stations or increase service frequencies, McClean stresses a very basic point - that TOCs can only do what is stipulated in the franchise specification. “But what is special about the Northern franchise this time around is that the various stakeholders, the politicians and the local transport authorities got together and spoke loudly with one voice, giving a consistent

The approach to Ribblehead Viaduct on the Settle-Carlisle Line on December 16 2012. ALAMY.

message as to what is needed.” The outcome was a franchise specification which allowed Arriva, in its winning bid, “to play to its strengths” and make improvements many believed would never be seen in the region. But McClean says the new franchise will “utterly transform people’s lives, create new opportunities and enhance the potential for economic growth in the region.” Or, as Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said on December 9 in announcing Arriva’s selection: “We promised passengers a high quality rail service, and I’m delighted that we have found an operator that will deliver exactly that. Arriva Rail North went far beyond our requirements with exciting, ambitious plans that will make a real difference to customers, and will help the region realise its full economic potential, ensuring it has a modern transport system.”

If the basics, such as capacity, connectivity and cost-effectiveness are addressed, then the pent-up demand is bigger than anybody can imagine Richard McClean, Mobilisation Director, Arriva

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Rail in the

North

McClean thinks that the new franchise is only the beginning, “because if the basics, such as capacity, connectivity and cost-effectiveness are addressed, then the pent-up demand is bigger than anybody can imagine.” A parallel is drawn with the London Overground operation, which is overseen by Transport for London (TfL), where the introduction of a totally new fleet, new services and higher frequencies has led to the transformation of the economic wellbeing of the urban areas that it serves. “Who would have thought it possible… but a Local Transport Authority (TfL) saw the potential and was willing to back it.” The same is happening in the North.

THE TRAIN FLEET The Northern franchise currently has 333 trains, and while some of these will be leaving the fleet and new ones will be joining, right from Day One of the new franchise a programme of deep cleaning of all the remaining trains will start. All the train toilets will be dealt with, too. The cleaning is the first stage in a three-year programme of constant improvement, and will be followed by a complete refurbishment of all the trains in, or cascading into, the ARN fleet.

In the three years to December 2019, the Class 142 and 144 Pacer trains will be replaced, and Network Rail’s £1 billion-plus infrastructure projects across the North will be completed, which will add much more capacity. The fleet-wide refurbishment will include the refinishing of all internal surfaces, plus modern Customer Information Systems (CIS) and free WiFi fitted to every train. There will be an on-board real-time interactive system, which will allow passengers to monitor such things as onward connections, or the arrival time at their destination. “This will change the level of information passengers can access while travelling,” McClean says. Some vehicles will be reconfigured to make them more appropriate to their use. In particular, the 16 Class 333 electric units will have increased capacity to cater for peak time loadings. Arriva announced on January 21 2016 that after a global search - which included the three companies with UK train-building capability - it was acquiring 31 three-car and 12 four-carriage electric trains and 55 diesel units (281 carriages in all), from Spanish company CAF, with deliveries running from October 2018 to the end of 2019. The capital cost for the 98 trains, of over £400m, will be financed by Eversholt Rail Group.

To the passengers, the diesel and electric trains, with aluminium body shells, 23m carriages, a common interior design, 100mph capability, and 1/3 2/3 door spacing will look very similar. Each new train will offer air conditioning, audio and visual on-board CIS, power sockets and tables, cycle racks, toilets, digital CCTV, and free WiFi. But these 98 trains are to replace 102 Class 142 and 144 Pacers, so with so many extra services, new routes and longer trains being promised, what else is being done to improve the services? Firstly, all the 102 Pacers will cease operating well before the December 2019 deadline set by new disability regulations. The last of the 23 Class 144s is due to be withdrawn from the ARN fleet in March 2019, with the 79 ‘142s’ following by October 2019. But in addition, ARN’s complement of 18 single-car Class 153s will also leave the fleet in November 2018, meaning that those lines where these trains operate solo at the moment will benefit from a doubling of seating capacity. Of ARN’s electric units, all 17 three-car Class 323s will go by

December 2018, and the eight Class 321/322s are to leave by October 2020. So, as well as the 102 Pacer trains, 43 other sets will leave the ARN fleet by December 2019. But to provide the extra capacity, along with the 98 CAF trains, 23 two-car Class 150 diesel trains will arrive from Great Western Railway and London Midland, and five Class 156s, eight Class 158s, and 16 three-car Class 170s will come from ScotRail: that’s 52 diesel sets in all, and there will be 12 extra four-car Class 319 electric trains arriving from the Thameslink franchise. In summary, 145 trains will leave, and 162 will arrive by the end of 2020, with the fleet increasing from 771 to 885 carriages, a rise of some 15%.

NORTHERN CONNECT While the changes to the ARN fleet will mean that overall train quality and capacity will rise considerably, ARN’s 98 all-new trains will be largely allocated to the new Northern Connect services. It’s a grouping of 12 inter-regional lines which will see a very much improved quality of service, generally with faster journeys, improved frequency and more seats (see panel). The Northern Connect network links all of the main cities, says McClean, as well as offering new travel opportunities. For example, there will be through trains between Leeds and Chester, and Leeds and Lincoln. A new service from Leeds to Nottingham via Wakefield Westgate will be 20% faster than the current service, while a 12% reduction in journey times will be seen on the Sheffield to Lincoln, and Carlisle to Newcastle lines. Buxton to Manchester will be 10% quicker. McClean notes that this initial launch

FRANCHISE FACTS At privatisation, on March 2 1997, the former British Rail North West Regional Railways and Regional Railways North East operations were run as franchises by First Group, under the trading name First North Western, and by MTL (Merseyside Transport Limited) trading as Northern Spirit. In February 2000, MTL was bought by Arriva and the franchise became Arriva Trains Northern. The FNW and ATN franchises were re-mapped, with the faster inter-urban services becoming the TransPennine Express franchise. The new Northern franchise, comprising the remaining services, was awarded to the Abellio/

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of 12 routes with all-new trains is “the key in the lock. Once we have turned the key, these trains will get busier and they’ll get bigger, and the business case for adding even more capacity will be irresistible.” McClean also notes how the new trains on the London Overground network have twice been lengthened as usage has grown. The additional trains in the franchise bring significant increases in peak time capacity into the major cities; for example a 68% rise in Sheffield, 40% in Leeds, 30% in Manchester, and 27% in Newcastle.

IMPROVED, EASIER TICKETING A big focus of the new franchise, McClean says, “will be to introduce ticket types which reflect the way that people use the trains today.” People used to travel to work five days a week, setting off early in the morning and returning home at 1700. In recent years that pattern has changed radically. Off-peak travel is increasing in popularity, particularly on Sundays, and people generally have much more flexible work patterns, perhaps, for example working part-time, or from home for one or two days each week. The first major change that ARN will

introduce is carnets, where a block of tickets can be bought at a discount, held on the purchaser’s mobile phone and used at any time. McClean notes that a trial of this system, carried out by sister company Arriva Trains Wales, has proved very successful. Off-peak tickets, which are not available on some routes, will be available across the network, although the recently introduced evening peak tickets will remain. Advancepurchase tickets will also be available for the first time on the Northern franchise. While tickets can be bought in several ways (at the station ticket window, from a machine or online), to make it even easier 45 currently unstaffed ARN stations will be staffed, and 54 stations will have ticket office opening hours

Small improvements can unlock potential and get the line going Richard McClean, Mobilisation Director, Arriva

Serco partnership, operating as Northern Rail, as from December 2004. The Northern franchise which starts on April 1 2016 was awarded to Arriva on December 9 2015. It will operate for nine years, that is to March 31 2025, with the possibility of a one-year extension at the discretion of the Transport Secretary. The new train operator, Arriva Rail North Ltd, starts the franchise with a fleet of 333 trains. 526 stations are served, 464 of which are managed by ARN. More than 2,500 services are run every day, and 100 million passenger journeys are made each year. ARN has about 5,500 staff, of which 2,300 are drivers and conductors.

Looking across Accrington (lancashire) on April 22 2015. ALAMY.

Rail in the THE 12 NORTHERN CONNECT ROUTES ELECTRIC-POWERED Manchester Airport-Manchester-BoltonPreston-Blackpool. Manchester Airport-Manchester-WiganPreston-Windermere. DIESEL-POWERED FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE Manchester Airport-Manchester-WiganPreston-Barrow. Manchester Airport-ManchesterRochdale-Halifax-Bradford. Manchester Airport-Manchester-

Warrington-Liverpool. Liverpool-Manchester-Rochdale-HalifaxBradford-Leeds. Chester-Warrington-ManchesterRochdale-Halifax-Bradford-Leeds. Blackpool-Preston-Blackburn-HalifaxBradford-Leeds-York. Sheffield-Doncaster-Hull. Nottingham-Sheffield-Wakefield Westgate-Leeds-Bradford. Lincoln-Sheffield-Barnsley-WakefieldLeeds. Middlesbrough-Newcastle-Carlisle.

North

extended. There will be ticket-selling facilities at 243 more stations than before. Tickets will also be available at retail outlets, such as convenience stores, which operate on the Payzone or similar networks. Sceptics will surely insist that such measures as outlined here can only be made by either increasing subsidy or raising fares. ARN’s rapidly declining subsidy profile is shown in the panel, so it must be ‘rip-off fare hikes?’ No, says McClean, fares will only rise by whatever is government policy. Currently, fares are linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI+0) - and indeed with more off-peak and advance fares available, the cost of travel for many ARN passengers will actually fall. The £1bn investment in trains, stations and all the rest will come from increasing patronage, not by raising fares themselves, McClean stresses. “This will all come together as we unlock highquality markets, high-capacity commuter markets and smaller community markets for rail travel.” An ARN smartphone app will aid passengers through this process, giving them interactive ways of finding out about journeys and of feeding back information about problems such as broken machines, litter or vandalism. There will even be an instant way to complain - and the system includes ARN’s feedback as the issue raised is progressed. “It will be much simpler for people to help us maintain the environment,” says McClean. “It will be a major change to how the condition of stations will be monitored and improved.”

COMMUNITY RAIL Such initiatives dovetail into the way ARN will be working with Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) and Rail User Groups, with the funding to the 19 CRPs across the franchise being doubled. A new Community Rail Executive Group has been formed to help focus on the way these important volunteer-led efforts work. An ARN director will have specific responsibility for the interaction with CRPs, and will have funds available for these groups, as well as skilled resources to bring to bear on plans and projects. The railway is a very complicated business and volunteers such as those in CRPs need real help in discovering how to get things done in the best

manner - or even at all. “What Arriva has seen in the past is that what blocks getting a community rail initiative off the ground is access to railway skills. So, for example, if someone asks ‘how can we have a better train service on our line?’, then how does a CRP get that particular ball rolling?” asks McClean. “So, ARN is committed to providing a train timing resource, advice on revenue potential, and marketing effort to help build the case for local improvements. Help will also be provided so that proposals for improvements are presented in the way that the industry decision-makers are expecting them. Who knows what that investment will unlock?” McClean agrees that for relatively little cost the benefits for market or seaside towns can be considerable. “Small improvements can unlock potential and get the line going,” he remarks. ”If we organise it properly, then as we unlock the cities the potential to do something elsewhere is going to be there.” Improving the lot of Community Rail and other lines outside of the cities is “a core part of what we do,” says McClean. “When you look at the numbers, it’s miraculous how many people use some of the rural stations, given the nature of the service. Just imagine - if the service were only half decent, what could the numbers be then?”

These trains will get busier and they’ll get bigger, and the business case for adding even more capacity will be irresistible Richard McClean, Mobilisation Director, Arriva

TIMETABLE CHANGES

NORTHERN SUBSIDY

The Northern franchise’s revenue covers its operating costs, whereas the ‘subsidy’ is needed to fund the infrastructure over the huge geographic area. So much of any increase in revenue can be balanced against reducing the subsidy. With ARN chasing growth in the ways described here, the subsidy in the last year of the franchise will be £190m less in real terms than it is in Year 1. The annual subsidy to be paid to the new Northern rail franchise, which starts on April 1 2016, are:

YEAR NOMINAL

REAL - 2015/16 PRICES

Year 1 2016/17

£281m

£275m

Year 2 2017/18

£276m

£262m

Year 3 2018/19

£282m

£260m

Year 4 2019/20

£247m

£221m

Year 5 2020/21

£204m

£177m

Year 6 2021/22

£158m

£134

Year 7 2022/23

£136m

£113m

Year 8 2023/24

£114m

£92m

Year 9 2024/25

£92m

£73m

Year 10 2025/26

£53m

£39m

Years 1 to 9 are the payments for the core Franchise Term. Year 10 is an optional extension period of up to one year, which can be added at the discretion of the Secretary of State. Source: Hansard, Written Reply, January 11 2016.

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The new franchise contract calls for significant improvements to rail services on many of ARN’s routes, particularly on Sundays when the current services fail to reflect the changing pattern of British life. “There is a real deficit in service provision,” agrees McClean, noting that, for example, on Sundays it is not possible to arrive in York, an internationally-renowned shopping and tourist city, from the Harrogate line until nearly lunchtime. But there are two landmark dates in the early days of the franchise which will bring about major timetable changes. In December 2017, the Ordsall Chord in central Manchester will open, linking for the first time in railway history Manchester Victoria with Deansgate, Oxford Road, Piccadilly, and thence Manchester Airport station. This event will particularly benefit the LeedsHalifax-Rochdale-Manchester ‘Calder Valley’ line, which will see an hourly service via the ‘Chord’ to the airport. In December 2019 two new through platforms at Manchester Piccadilly are due to open, coinciding with an increase in capacity on the Deansgate-Piccadilly corridor, which will allow the introduction of increased services. Also by that date, Network Rail should have completed the first five phases of the North West Electrification Programme, so that ARN’s electric trains will be able to run from Stalybridge via Manchester Victoria to

Rail in the

North

WHAT IS MOBILISATION? After developing and submitting its bid for the new Northern franchise to the Department for Transport, Arriva was named the winner on December 9 2015. The new contract is set to start on April 1 2016. What happens in the intervening months, perhaps a mysterious process to many, is known as mobilisation, and it’s a very busy time for those concerned. By the time the franchise goes ‘live’, Richard McClean’s mobilisation team will have been working in the background for almost five months. The first task is to create the environment in which operations can begin under the new corporate structure at the set hour. Support structures will also need to be in place, so that the team under Arriva Rail North’s new managing director, Alex Hynes, can succeed in meeting the conditions of the franchise. “If we do our job well, nobody will notice anything when the franchise changes hands on April 1. Trains will still run, tickets will be sold, staff will have their

Blackpool, for example. Later, in the early 2020s, electrification will link York and Selby with Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester. While this project will mainly benefit TransPennine Express operations, it will bring changes to ARN’s services, as will the subsequent project which will allow electric trains to operate from Sheffield via Wakefield Westgate to Leeds, and to Doncaster.

ARRIVA’S TWO BIG CHALLENGES While operating any rail franchise presents huge challenges on a daily basis, two aspects of ARN’s business will require particular attention if the planned revenue and passenger number goals are to be achieved. The staff will need to be fully on-side, and the infrastructure projects which will bring extra capacity will need to coincide with the arrival of the additional trains. Concerns have already been raised that in order to achieve its aims the new franchise will have to reduce staff numbers and reduce ticket office opening hours. There are also fears that safety will be compromised. The franchise commitment to introduce ‘Driver Controlled Operation’ of train doors on certain routes seems to be a particularly hot potato, even though it is used widely elsewhere in the UK. Yet the additional trains will require a significant number of extra on-train staff, and there will be new jobs at newly staffed stations

jobs, the thousands of suppliers will still be paid. But the logistics are phenomenal - for example 5,500 people will change employer, and there can’t be any hiccups in pay or pensions,” explains McClean. Train lease contracts have to be signed with the various leasing companies - for existing trains, the fleet of new ones, and for those being brought in from other TOCs - and contracts drawn up and agreed for the massive programme of train refurbishment. “It all has to be done if we are to succeed, but it’s frenetic and relentless.” McClean’s team includes people who worked on the bid, mobilisation specialists, and Arriva staff with particular skills. While the transfer on April 1 has to be seamless, there will be new things apparent right from Day One, such as the website, and the availability of new types of ticket - things that will need publicising to the travelling public, staff and the wider industry.

or those with longer opening hours. There will need to be more back-office staff to handle the new-technology communications with passengers, and McClean says that a number of contracted-out jobs will be brought in-house. And, of course, at the heart of the new philosophy is the tenet that the huge investment will bring many new jobs to the North’s towns and cities: better train services help create more jobs, and enable people to get to them more easily. McClean says that ARN will be recruiting for these roles from April 1, and the ways that staff work and the roles they do will change, in order to best meet the needs of passengers. But beyond that it is very much a matter of the company talking openly and constructively with its staff, so the way ahead is fully appreciated by everyone. We have already consulted with the trades unions on what will change day one and have begun the dialogue on how major change will be consulted and negotiated. The aim, McClean stresses, is that staff should have “long-term, stable, high-quality, rewarding employment.” As for infrastructure, following the publication of the Hendy report last September and Network Rail’s revised Enhanced Delivery Plan in January 2016, the delivery of the main projects is now on a much more certain footing and ARN can plan with greater confidence, knowing when, for example, the electrification projects will

actually be ready for passenger services. But there are other projects which are also vital to ARN’s plans, most notably the provision of extra capacity at Leeds station and the lengthening of platforms on other stations, which need timely implementation. Many such challenges are the same for TPE as they are for ARN, and the two train operators have a formal ‘concordat’ arrangement, under which they will work together so that both firms’ franchise objectives are best achieved. There will also be a formal alliance with Network Rail, so that infrastructure delivery does not delay the introduction of the new trains. Here, Network Rail’s present route structure is something of a hindrance, given that there are London North Western and London North Eastern Routes splitting the ARN franchise area. It may be that a distinct route covering the ARN and TPE area emerges before too long. It would certainly help the train operators’ objectives. ARN will also have a programmes director, McClean says, who will work with Network Rail directly “to coordinate our activities with theirs, so that Network Rail does the right things at the right time to deliver the outputs for passengers.” ARN was already reviewing Network Rail’s plans in February, making sure they align with a rolling stock strategy. “It’s incredibly complicated. It’s still an emerging picture and there’s still a lot more for both of us to learn,” McClean says. “We have to make sure that everything is synchronized.” With the days of rail closures and timetable cutbacks well behind us and the ‘no growth’ philosophy dipping below the horizon, at long last the North’s urban and rural railways are set for exciting expansion. It will be a huge challenge for a great many people to deliver what has been contracted, but what a fascinating and thrilling challenge the journey is going to be.

FURTHER READING ■■ Hendy report, RAIL 789. ■■ Northern franchise

announcement, ■■ RAIL 790. ■■ ARN new train order, RAIL 793 ■■ Network Rail Enhanced Delivery Plan, RAIL 793, 794.

Rural lines need O

f course, it is only right that the initial focus of the two new North of England franchises - Arriva Rail North and TransPennine Express - and the future rail projects being brought forward by Transport for the North and High Speed 2, should be on investing in the North’s principal cities. The North’s rail network has been largely ignored since well before privatisation in the 1990s, and there is a lot of catching up to do. Under the Government’s Northern Powerhouse agenda, the remedy needs to be applied to the city areas first. The gains are greatest, the need is highest, but the costs will also be considerable. There is more to the North than the big cities and their urban networks. Those lines which principally serve market towns, seaside towns and tourist areas (after all, most of the North is a tourist area) would see their economies boosted considerably in return for relatively small investment if the right priority was given and a concerted effort made. And that effort is already being made. Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) and

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RAIL’s contributing writer STEVE BROADBENT champions the need for rural economies to be boosted by rail development - at least as much as the cities. Rail User Groups (RUGs) are doing much to promote their local lines. Local marketing initiatives, volunteer groups improving stations with gardening and art projects, and engaging with local communities are typical of the work being done on rural and local routes. CRPs are typically partnerships of the train operator, local authorities, RUGs and other local bodies and nineteen of them are working to develop their lines across the North. Many more RUGs lobby for train service and station improvements and promote the services on offer. The new Arriva Rail North franchise places considerable importance on Community Rail, with a doubling of direct financial support for CRPs, and further funding available for specific projects. TransPennine Express will also be supporting CRPs. Even though they will not be operating on any CRP lines, they

recognise the importance of passengers originating from these routes. The focus on managing the new franchises from the North by Rail North also will increase the attention paid to developing secondary lines in rural, coastal and tourist areas. Until now, perhaps the most overlooked railway service on the Northern network is the one that runs from Sheffield to Cleethorpes via Gainsborough and Brigg just three times a day - but only on Saturdays. Yes, that’s right, there is no weekday service, so people cannot commute by rail even if they want to. Nevertheless, of the 40+ Rail User Groups (RUGs) across the North, one of the most active is the Friends of The Brigg & Lincoln Lines Rail Group (FoBLL), founded by Paul Johnson. FoBLL’s pragmatic aspiration is to work in partnership “to educate in a pro-active way that this 72-mile long former main line

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a boost, too! needs a better train service to connect the oft-neglected communities of South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. This would boost passenger numbers and increase economic growth, social well-being and tourism on the line,” says Johnson. FoBBL’s first aim is a morning and evening peak service Mondays to Fridays to/from Sheffield, and an early Cleethorpes to Sheffield service on Saturdays. In the medium term, a weekday service which arrives in Sheffield before 0900, and leaves after 1700, with a two or three-hourly service in between, is sought. Hardly a big ask. Brigg and Gainsborough are lovely places to live in and visit. And it’s a financial ‘no brainer’. The Penistone line is unusual in having a big city - Sheffield - at one end, and thriving Huddersfield at the other with frequent connections through to Leeds and Manchester, and thus the 15 intermediate Penistone line communities have potential for new housing, improved commuting and in many cases short-stay tourism. Peter Marshall, chairman of the Huddersfield, Penistone and Sheffield Rail Users’ Association (HPSRUA),

notes that ridership over the past 30 years has grown five-fold to around 1.3 million passengers a year. But services are constrained by the long sections of single track and patronage is deterred by the general use of totally unsuitable Class 14x Pacers, the very slow journey times (all trains stop at all stations), and very limited facilities at most of the stations. Honley, for example, has no waiting or seating facilities and Marshall says it needs complete rebuilding with improved access: there is even a potential site for park-and-ride at Honley, but the yard is currently occupied by an Arriva bus company. HPSRUA would like to see clockface timetabling throughout the day, and earlier trains to help shift workers and those travelling outside Yorkshire, and later services to boost the late-evening economies. The line does need capital investment in the form of double track and even electrification. With many trains over-crowded, not only are better quality trains needed but longer ones are, too. This would require platform lengthening in many places.

Improvements have been slow in coming, despite HPSRUA’s energies, but hopefully Transport for the North/Rail North will be able to address some of the thorny issues on this beautiful and very useful railway during the life of the new Northern franchises. The Mid-Cheshire line from Chester via Knutsford to Manchester also links two cities and has 14 intermediate stations, but the towns and cities are larger and attract more rail travellers than those of the Penistone line. For this and other reasons the line is far busier, so the aspirations and thus the potential benefits are greater. The service warrants a radical shake-up: the line ranked third in the top tier in last March’s ‘Northern Sparks’ report compiled by the Northern Electrification Task Force, and should be a strong candidate for electrification in the 2020s (see RAIL 769, 770). (The Penistone line was near the top of the second tier.) The line has a particularly strong RUG, and in October last year the Community

Growth of rail use on 11 Community Rail Partnership lines - 2006/07 to 2012/13

1.8

1.6

1.4

Conwy Valley line Derwent Valley line Heart of Wessex line East Suffolk line (excluding Ipswich and Lowestoft) Gainsborough line Marston Vale line

2012/13

2011/12

2010/11

2009/10

2008/09

2007/08

1.2

2006/07

INDEX OF PASSENGER JOURNEYS

2.2

East Lancashire line Mid-Cheshire line North Staffs (excluding Derby, Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe) Tyne Valley line Avocet line

Source: Value of CRPs report 2015, ACoRP.

ABOUT COMMUNITY RAIL PARTNERSHIPS The concept of Community Rail Partnerships was introduced in the mid1990s. Today there are 19 CRPs across the North, each promoting one specific line. Neil Buxton, general manager of the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP) says: “The line closures and service cuts of the 1960s hit the North particularly hard and the rapid rise in CRPs was a way of ensuring it could never happen again, with a focus on drawing communities and the rail industry together to make rural and local lines more effective. The outstanding success of this approach is underlined by the 118% increase in passenger numbers since 2007‑08 on the Northern franchise. “CRPs are all about engaging with the public and working proactively with the rail industry to achieve benefits for everyone. Obviously, one of the key aims of any

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train operator is to increase passenger numbers, which in turn, leads to more ticket revenue: but a CRP has a much broader remit. Local and rural railway services enable people to get to work, education and health services. They help keep communities together, they deliver environmental benefits in areas which are often environmentally sensitive, like national parks. And they bring in money from visitors, which contributes to regeneration and helps create sustainable communities a major government objective. “Despite official predictions to the contrary, the just-ended Northern franchise, which started in 2004, has recorded huge increases in passenger numbers across the North, leading to the specification of many more ambitious outcomes for the new franchise. ACoRP was proud to be involved with developing

some of this ambition and, with a very strong focus on community sustainability and regeneration, it will represent a major step-change for the region’s CRPs, enabling them to deliver real improvements during the new franchise. “A community rail line can be seen as a tool which not only provides access but also acts as a link between many dispersed communities. Young people need to get to school or college, workers need to get to a place of employment, everyone needs to get to health facilities - all of these are often centred in more urban areas, well away from the rural communities they serve. Surprisingly, CRPs will often argue that all they need is a service which is fit-forpurpose, which means trains running when people need them, rather than wall-to-wall trains all day. Links with local businesses

Rail in the Rail Partnership (CRP) was Overall Winner at the Association of Community Rail Partnerships’ 2015 National Community Rail Awards. It also won an award for its work at Delamere station. “A decent rail system, as part of the wider transport network, underpins economic growth,“ says John Oates, chairman of both the Mid-Cheshire CRP and the Rail Users’ Association. The groups’ aspirations could boost the Northern Powerhouse and with “imagination and investment” the Manchester Airport Western Link could be built, from Manchester Airport to the Mid-Cheshire Line just north of Mobberley “encouraging modal shift from road to rail for airport travellers and workers.” The link would connect the airport with Cheshire, Liverpool and North Wales, and would reduce journey times from places such as Knutsford into central Manchester. A re-opening of the line between Crewe and Northwich via Middlewich is also in the groups’ sights. Currently it’s freight-only, but it could accommodate passenger services from Cardiff via Crewe, Middlewich and Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadilly, for example. Oates also notes that these Mid-Cheshire lines would link with HS2 at Crewe and at Manchester Airport, and that if the lines

North

numbers and visitor experience.” The S&C support groups (the Friends is a very well-supported RUG) have historically done well by promoting group travel, but success is constrained by the capacity of the trains. “We need more carriages, more space for luggage and bicycles, and an interior design more appropriate for a long rural line than the commuter-orientated trains currently deployed,” says Morris. Through traffic, particularly from Leeds and further south to north of Carlisle has been growing rapidly, and here journey times and good connections are important since the S&C competes with the East and West Coast main lines. Even without the much-needed increase in the line speeds, improved journey times are possible, as are better connections at Carlisle. The Friends has put serious professional effort into developing an excellent business case for a Carlisle to Manchester via Clitheroe direct service, which will doubtless be the subject of renewed lobbying. Morris stresses that the S&C support groups “look forward to working with Arriva to build on our track record in

We have now reached a ‘glass ceiling’ which precludes much further development of passenger numbers and visitor experience Richard Morris, chairman, Friends of the Settle & Carlisle Line

are also important and can help provide visitors with accommodation, information or refreshment, which in turn keeps local services thriving. “A key element of the new Northern franchise is the provision of secure investment for the CRPs, enabling them to develop a more businessled approach to marketing and regeneration. Similarly, ACoRP will be funded to help Arriva deliver its commitments to tourism, social inclusion and diversity, as well as expanding the existing ‘Community Stations’ remit. “This is an exciting time for community rail and it highlights government commitment to supporting rural and local railways as a way of delivering their wider aspirations.”

via both Altrincham and the airport were electrified, journey times would be reduced. The groups believe that four trains an hour stopping at Knutsford - two running via Altrincham and two via Manchester Airport and extending beyond their present termini would be a realistic goal for the next decade. The Leeds-Settle-Carlisle line does have some similarities to the Mid-Cheshire and the Penistone lines. It is longer, and its stunning scenery and heritage attracts many visitors. As chairman of the Friends of the Settle & Carlisle Line Richard Morris says: “the line has immense potential for further development of tourism, through traffic and local traffic in the next franchise. The line has a unique partnership of voluntary and commercial organisations which, over the years, has put a great deal of its own money into heritage buildings and retail operations for the benefit of passengers and the local economy. We have now reached a ‘glass ceiling’ which precludes much further development of passenger

promoting and publicising the Settle & Carlisle Line, putting our heritage buildings to good commercial use and benefiting the local economy. And we hope our model of co-operation will be viewed as a pilot project to be replicated in other parts of the country.” The Settle-Carlisle Line Association is the umbrella organisation for the Friends, Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company Ltd, Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust, and Settle and Carlisle Railway Properties Ltd (which can be regarded as the charitable Trust’s operating subsidiary). The North’s many Rail User Groups and Community Rail Partnerships vary in size and capability, but all have a great deal to offer the new franchises. They are bubbling with ideas and commitment to see rail services, and the stations, on their lines improved, and they are key resources eager to be utilised.

On track for trans rail travel across DAVID BROWN, Chief Executive of Transport for the North, talks to STEVE BROADBENT about the plans being made for radical improvements to the North’s transport networks in the 2020s and beyond.

he new TransPennine Express and Arriva Rail North franchises, which started on April 1, 2016, are founded on the need for a step change in service provision and in the quality of the trains, and related infrastructure improvements to give more capacity and shorter journey times. These radical improvements, coming after over 20 years of neglect of the Northern rail network going back to pre-privatisation days, are based on solid evidence of economic and other benefits produced in research undertaken for Rail North (see pages 6-9). “Rail North’s Long Term Rail Strategy set some clear priorities: these then fed into the franchise Invitations to Tender and then the franchise contracts themselves,” David Brown notes as we start our discussion towards the end of January. The coming together in Rail North of the 29 Local Transport Authorities across the North and the conveyance of this evidence through to the franchise contracts “were the first steps in Transport for the North’s evolution, which is continuing”. Naturally emerging from that process was the realisation that there was both a need, and an economic case to be made, for a radical vision of future transport infrastructure. At the same time came the Government’s Northern Powerhouse agenda, aimed at strongly developing the economy across the North,

and “Transport for the North became the first embodiment of that policy,” says Brown. “TfN is founded on the Rail North work, and also on the fact that growing economies need good transport infrastructure to connect towns and cities with each other and with their markets and labour forces, for example.” That need encompasses rail and road modes, and passenger and freight carriage, which is reflected in TfN’s role: “We are really about creating that vision for transport infrastructure.” The development of improved rail services across the North comes in three phases: firstly, those being delivered by the two new franchises over the next eight years or so; secondly, TfN should have a greater influence on the rail industry processes, such as the Northern Hub, future electrification and the upgrade to the main Leeds-HuddersfieldManchester trans-Pennine route, which are in Network Rail’s plans through to 2024 and beyond. TfN will be able to help drive such projects forward so as to meet the demands of the franchise contracts, and for follow-on improvements. A case in point here is the extra platform capacity needed across the North, and at Leeds station in particular, to cater for the longer and more frequent services the two new train operators will be running. These

TfN could move to commissioning Network Rail to deliver the infrastructure the North has identified that it needs. David Brown, Chief Executive of Transport for the North

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Transport for the North’s Chairman John Cridland (left) and Chief Executive David Brown; both were appointed in Autumn 2015. TfN.

sformed the North

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projects have been delayed for some years pending the arrival of additional rolling stock, but now new trains are on their way, and the need for extra capacity is becoming urgent. TfN will be a key player in making sure such schemes happen - even where the beneficiary might be franchises other than TPE and ARN. Network Rail’s postHendy report Enhancements Delivery Plan was published shortly before this interview and Brown notes how TfN will have a role in ensuring timely delivery of the Northern projects, most of which evolved from the Rail North strategy document. The third phase is the long-term vision “which people are beginning to get excited about” - what is now known as Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), is colloquially dubbed ‘High Speed 3’ (HS3) and was previously known as the TransNorth network. “How do we really transform the connectivity between our big cities, potentially with a new high-capacity, high-speed railway?” asks Brown. While the core of such a network would link east and west, from Hull to Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool, it does also embrace high-quality routes northwards to Newcastle and the North East, and south to Sheffield and beyond, via the HS2 line. “That’s one big picture,” Brown stresses, “with connected short, medium and long-term elements. And the momentum will build.” The new services provided by the first phase will soon be full to capacity, and will require the second phase. This in turn will lead to the Northern Powerhouse Rail network - whether new lines or developments of existing ones - to maximise economic growth. The potential journey time reductions which could be delivered by such a NPR/’HS3’ network are shown in the map.

GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF TfN Originally launched in August 2014 under the ‘One North’ banner, Transport for the North began life as a voluntary partnership involving North of England City Regions (Greater Manchester, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, the North East and Sheffield), the Department for Transport, Network Rail, HS2 Ltd, and Highways England. These bodies were joined in October 2015 by the North’s other local transport

authorities, and along with the Local Enterprise Partnerships across the region all these bodies are now represented on the TfN Partnership Board. Thus, TfN has very similar boundaries and constituent membership as Rail North. TfN is funded through this Parliament, and once the Parliamentary process is completed within the next year TfN will become a Statutory Body, giving it not only obligations - particularly with regard to governance, accounts, transparency and reporting - but also powers and roles, agreed with the Secretary of State. For example the ability to raise infrastructure development funds and to specify and drive projects forward. TfN will collaborate with Network Rail in defining the required outputs from a proposed scheme and then the scope and delivery. Eventually, “TfN could move to commissioning Network Rail (and Highways England for road schemes) to deliver the infrastructure the North has identified that it needs,” Brown says. “We are taking a bigger role, hopefully a substantial role, in shaping the North’s transport infrastructure. For example, we can say ‘this is what we need in terms of rail infrastructure so that

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the rail system can develop the North’s economy,’ and then help achieve that target.” The contrast is that in the past the individual LTAs would have been merely consulted on plans for the North’s railways as appropriate. Now though they are acting as one through TfN and Rail North. They will have a collective voice in shaping such proposals and delivering them. Looking ahead, Brown continues, Rail North will be incorporated into TfN, an arrangement which will help streamline the governance structure to avoid duplication. TFN’s staff will be based across the North, with core offices in Manchester and Leeds.

THE VISION Due to be published just before these words appear, TfN’s key task recently has

We are taking a bigger role, hopefully a substantial role, in shaping the North’s transport infrastructure. David Brown, Chief Executive of Transport for the North

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been to develop an updated Northern Transport Strategy which will include consideration of the NPR/’HS3’ network. This report will inform Network Rail’s Initial Industry Plan for Control Period 6 (2019-2024) to be published in September 2016, and the DfT’s High Level Output Specification, due in July 2017. This approach will give the Government and investors the confidence that the project is well grounded so that CP6 funds can be allocated to cover ever more detailed development work. The updated strategy will be reviewed in RAIL’s news pages, but Brown says that TfN is “hoping to have optimised a set of ideas by November 2016, closely followed by the firm set of preferred options, which will show the bestperforming broad alignments”. The preferred options may be either an all-new set of railway lines, or upgrades of existing ones, or a mixture of both. But the strategy’s announcement will bring the whole concept much more into the public consciousness. It has not yet been determined whether NPR will be delivered in parallel with, or following the arrival of High Speed 2 into Leeds and Manchester, (presently planned for 2033), but clearly they have to be planned in very close collaboration as it could transpire that NPR services use elements of HS2’s infrastructure. In conclusion, Brown notes how TfN is starting to look strategically across modes on the main transport corridors between the cities. For example, it is looking at both the trans-Pennine rail upgrade and the largely parallel M62 motorway, since both are needed to transport goods and people between conurbations. By the very nature of such massive projects, some places in the North will benefit before others, but the whole foundation of Northern Powerhouse Rail is to create a network where trains can operate at high speed and capacity, and also on conventional track at lower speeds where necessary, maximising the journey quality and capacity while minimising journey times. To the average Northern rail commuter who has for years suffered with uncomfortable, jolting rides and the screeching noise in the much-maligned and overcrowded Pacer trains, this might seem like pie in the sky, but at it is basically only what South Eastern Trains has been doing in Kent with its Hitachi Class 395 electric units since 2009. Transport for the North’s journey over the next ten or 20 years will be a very exciting challenge to follow.

FURTHER READING ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

Rail North Long Term Rail Strategy, published July 2013, RAIL 740. Transport for the North launched, RAIL 755. Transport for the North, initial strategy document for the TransNorth network, RAIL 771. Transport for the North explained, RAIL 783. Network Rail’s Enhancements Delivery Plan, RAIL 793.

HS2 connectivity in the North C

onnections between city regions form the cornerstone of a growing economy. Without transport links that enable people to move efficiently and reliably between places, businesses just cannot function at their best. But, truisms aside, our rail and road networks are under immense pressure, and capacity constraints are becoming increasingly more difficult to ease, making the provision of efficient and reliable travel an ever-greater challenge. Greater investment in Britain’s infrastructure is the only way to resolve the issue, and High Speed 2 is a key part of that. It is not, however, the whole solution. Connectivity between the new railway and its peripheral areas is essential for the project to realise its full potential and provide the most significant benefits to local communities. Transport for the North (TfN) has set out its vision for “an integrated network of

HS2 must play its part in the wider Northern Powerhouse Rail strategy, writes STEFANIE BROWNE rail services that will provide fast, frequent, comfortable and convenient connectivity between the main centres and growth points in the North”. HS2 and other new sections of railway will play an important role in this, as well as improvements to the existing network. The recognition that the key to transforming the North’s connectivity is high-speed has just been confirmed with the Chancellor’s commitment to HS3 in the recent Budget (see panel). HS3 (linking Hull-LeedsManchester-Liverpool) is a major part of what is now known as the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) network. In its Spring Northern Transport Strategy report, TfN also included HS2 Phase 2 in the NPR network. The

HS2’S ROLE IN TRANSFORMING CONNECTIVITY Transport for the North’s Northern Transport Strategy sets out the key findings of its research so far in identifying what needs to be done to realise its vision for connectivity: “Between Liverpool and Manchester, there may be the potential to use the proposed HS2 infrastructure to cover approximately half the distance between the two cities. Our initial work indicates such an option would also require a new line from Liverpool to the proposed HS2 route, as we have found little or no scope to achieve our vision for journey times and frequencies through incremental upgrades to the existing rail routes. Such a new line could also permit faster HS2 services between Liverpool and London. “On routes between Manchester and Leeds and Manchester and Sheffield, our work so far suggests that very significant

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sections of new line would be needed to achieve the vision for journey times and service frequencies. However, if provided, these could free up capacity for additional local passenger services, better serving key intermediate centres and rail freight. “The proposed HS2 route offers significant potential to provide a fast link between Leeds and Sheffield. “For Newcastle and Hull, packages of upgrades to existing lines, electrification, and faster trains could improve journey times and service frequencies between the North East and Humber areas and the rest of the North. We are exploring the potential to make more intensive use of the HS2 eastern leg connection to the East Coast Main Line to address the key constraint of line capacity east of Leeds, as well as options on the East Coast Main Line to Newcastle and routes to Hull.”

intention is to further expand upgrades that have been already given the go-ahead, such as electrification, the Northern Hub programme, the TransPennine Route upgrade and the improvements that will be delivered by the new Northern and TransPennine Express franchises. But realising the grand vision to link all these cities together needs careful planning and, as such, a partnership between TfN, DfT, Network Rail and HS2 Ltd has been created. Defining that vision was the first major step and TfN commissioned Network Rail and HS2 Ltd to identify the best ways to make it happen. Studies are now under way to work out what investment would be required for each different option, including making use of HS2 where possible, upgrading existing lines, or building new ones. This has to be more than simply creating a number of journey options between cities though TfN is adamant that the result should be a coherent transport network, with appropriate stations and connections, and not just a series of A to B lines. What TfN’s research has revealed so far is that further new lines would be needed to provide the desired connectivity, with HS2 playing a central role in delivering it (see panel). TfN will narrow down the options that are identified by the ongoing research so that energies can be channelled into those with the highest potential. This will also be affected by the Government’s announcement of the final route decision for the rest of HS2 Phase 2 beyond Crewe (expected in the autumn), to ensure linkages to the NPR work as part of a cohesive network. HS2 Ltd is committed to maximising connectivity and recognises that building a new railway north-south is only part of the story. At a Northern Powerhouse conference in Manchester on February 25, HS2 Ltd

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HS3 GIVEN GO-AHEAD TO TRANSFORM NORTHERN CONNECTIVITY On the day of the Budget (March 16), Chancellor George Osborne announced the Government’s support of the High Speed 3 proposals and committed a total of £300 million to: n Give the green light to HS3 between Leeds and Manchester, committing to reduce journey times to around 30 minutes, in line with the recommendation by the National Infrastructure Commission. n £60m will be provided to develop plans for both the Leeds-Manchester route by 2017 and to improve transport connections between Northern cities.

The commitment followed the release of the NIC’s High Speed North report just days earlier, in which Chairman Lord Andrew Adonis said: “Our recommendation is to combine strategic early interventions with a long‑term plan. Connectivity between the northern cities should be improved in stages, starting now, not waiting for the 2030s before making transformational changes.” The report identified three priorities for constructing High Speed 3: n Kick-start HS3: Between Manchester and Leeds, the two largest

Leeds Manchester Liverpool

Chairman Sir David Higgins told delegates: “People are much more aware of the need to rebalance the economy between North and South, and how the increased capacity and connectivity that HS2 will deliver will help achieve that objective.” He explained that recognition of the economic potential for local areas is attracting outside investment to the North already: “Burberry is a global brand. It could go anywhere but it is rooted in the North and, by choosing Leeds as its new headquarters, it is making a global statement about its confidence in the future of the area. HS2 was part of that decision, even though it is, currently, not due to open in the city until 2033. “That is

Hull

economies of the North. Phase one should reduce journey times from 49 to 40 minutes and increase capacity by 2022. Phase two could cut times to just 30 minutes. HS3 should make use of key northern sections of HS2 – for example between Leeds and Sheffield where journey times could be reduced to just 30 minutes - upgraded lines, and sections of new track where necessary. n Harness HS2: Route decisions on the northern sections of HS2 to be announced later this year should support enhanced high-speed connections within the North, including between Leeds-Sheffield, LiverpoolManchester, and Sheffield-Newcastle. n Redevelop Manchester Piccadilly: A long-term transformation of the station, combined with shorter-term delivery of additional east-west platforms, would unlock this hub and stimulate significant regeneration.

strategic thinking. But it is not just private business - or local authorities - that are thinking more strategically. It is central government as well.” Devolution is clearly having a major effect on the potential, as Higgins explained: “In Leeds, we have seen the city, the region and the Chamber of Commerce come together and agree the location of HS2 services and how they will link with the existing station to form the Yorkshire hub. “In this city [Manchester], just as it was the first to embrace and visualise the potential for HS2, it was the first to sign up to a devolution deal. “Taking local powers over transport and planning will be critical to maximising the benefits of HS2 to the city and, in turn, realising the ambition for growth in new sectors like life sciences and high-tech materials - maybe graphene from

Manchester can transform the next generation of high-speed trains? “Down the road, Crewe and Stoke on Trent have come together with Staffordshire and Cheshire to form the Northern Gateway: a strategic approach to maximising the new connectivity that HS2 will bring to the North West to attract investment in new homes and new jobs. And Rachel Bailey, the Leader in waiting in East Cheshire, says that approach is already being felt in Crewe with pupils now motivated to acquire new skills for the future.” Connectivity is not just about making it easier to move people and goods - it is a catalyst for investment, regeneration and growth. HS2’s role in the North’s future prosperity is clear. The key task now is to create an environment for those outputs to flourish before HS2 even reaches the North.

It is not just private business and local authorities - that are thinking more strategically. It is central government as well. Sir David Higgins, Chairman, HS2 Ltd.

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