Arriva


has
published
a
series
of
proposals
which
it
says
are
designed
to
improve
the
railways
in
the
shorter
term.

Its
report
‘Accelerating
the
Government’s
Ambition
to
Fix
Britain’s
Railways’
includes
recommendations
such
as
making
more
effective
use
of
the
existing
network,
rolling
stock
and
other
assets,
making
timetabling
more
flexible
and
responsive,
and
also
allowing
train
operating
companies
to
make
decisions
about
timetables.

The
report
urges
more
Pay-As-You-Go
ticketing
and
the
introduction
of
a
Friday
peak
saver
ticket.
It
also
calls
for
improving
the
skills
of
staff,
so
as
‘to
break
down
barriers
to
opportunity’’

Arriva
has
already
applied
for
an
extension
of
its
open
access
operator
Grand
Central’s
track
access
rights
to
2038
and
is
also
proposing
to
acquire
a
new
bi-mode
fleet,
but
is
set
to
lose
its
train
operator
contracts
with
the
Department
for
Transport
in
the
near
future,
as
part
of
Labour’s
renationalisation
of
the
remaining
former
passenger
franchises.

Arriva’s
Chiltern
Railways
contract
could
end
when
its
core
expiry
date
is
reached
on
1
April
next
year,
while
CrossCountry
is
also
set
to
be
transferred
to
public
ownership
in
October
2027.
Apart
from
Grand
Central,
Arriva
also
runs
Transport
for
London’s
Overground
concession.
This
is
not
affected
by
the
government’s
railway
reforms,
because
TfL
concessions
are
controlled
by
the
Mayor
of
London.

Arriva
UK
Trains
managing
director
David
Brown
said:
‘The
last
few
years
have
been
a
challenging
time
for
the
British
railway,
but
now
is
the
time
for
optimistic,
forward-looking
change
under
a
new
Government.
There
is
a
real
opportunity
to
marry
long-term
structural
reform,
which
Labour
has
set
out,
with
further
short-term
improvements
for
passengers
and
the
taxpayer.
Our
proposals
set
out
a
series
of
crucial
steps
for
the
Government
to
help
deliver
on
that
promise,
accelerate
their
ambition
to
fix
Britain’s
railways,
deliver
tangible
change
for
passengers,
and
realise
the
railway’s
potential
as
an
engine
of
economic
growth.’