FirstGroup has published two more documents claiming that open access passenger services are value for money and boost economic growth. First, along with Virgin, is facing a setback to its plans to launch new services after the government sent two letters sounding discouraging notes, although it is still Department for Transport policy to allow open access services where they provide ‘improved connectivity and choice for passengers’. The first letter was from transport secretary Heidi Alexander, who wrote to the Office of Rail and Road on 6 January this year voicing some reservations about the recent boom in open access applications, saying: ‘There is a balance to be struck to ensure the benefits provided by open access operators outweigh the impacts they have on taxpayers and the ability to operate the network efficiently. We need to be mindful of the impacts of open access such as the level of revenue they can abstract from contracted services and the associated implications for passengers.’ She said her letter did not amount to any change to her formal guidance, but that changes to that guidance were being ‘considered’. FirstGroup then hosted an event on 20 January at which it highlighted the merits of open access, and also produced a report, but the Department for Transport then wrote to the Office of Rail and Road on 4 February, saying that the Department did not support eight out of the nine applications which have been lodged with the ORR. The only route to get qualified official approval was London to Wrexham, which is being proposed by Alstom. The DfT is particularly doubtful about a set of proposals from Virgin, which would mean as many as five open access routes from Virgin’s old home at London Euston to places such as Manchester, Rochdale (or Preston), Liverpool, Birmingham and Glasgow. The DfT told the ORR: ‘We do not believe that the quantum of paths sought is feasible or realistic and note that the WCML already operates at close to capacity, particularly into/out of London Euston.’ First, which like other operators is set to lose all its remaining National Rail Contracts under renationalisation plans, points out that open access operators do not receive any financial support from the government, typically operate to places which are not already well-served, and are loyal to their communities and customers. The latest two studies have been published in the wake of the consultation into the government’s plans for railway reform, which was launched on 18 February. First has also said that it would buy 14 new Hitachi trains, costing around £500 million, for new open access routes, and that another £460 million could follow. The first new study is ‘The impact of open access operators on industry revenue and journeys’, compiled by consultants Winder Phillips. Shorter journey times, direct journeys, increased services and fare competition are all cited as key benefits. The second was compiled by Arup, and is entitled ‘Open access operations paying their way’. It says First’s Lumo will be paying about 10 per cent more in track access charges per train kilometre than LNER, and about 35 per cent more than Avanti West Coast. ‘FirstGroup’s open access managing director Martijn Gilbert said: ‘These studies clearly demonstrate how open access operators are paying their way, generating passenger journeys and revenue. They do it while supporting economic growth for the UK as a whole and the regions they serve. ‘We have a proven track record of finding and reliably operating in gaps in existing timetables, efficiently using spare capacity in the network between services including peak time commuter and freight trains, and which doesn’t increase the fixed costs of the railway or place any additional burden on taxpayers. ‘As the Railways Bill Consultation is issued, it is important that this well-loved part of the railway can continue to operate and grow alongside Great British Railways. With our applications to expand, Lumo and Hull Trains are able to deliver further economic growth quickly, playing an important part in a successful railway for the benefit of all rail users and the communities we serve.’ Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here  to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.

Eurotunnel has signed a memorandum of understanding with the owners of the concession to operate HS1, which has just been renamed London St Pancras Highspeed. The agreement, which is being described as a ‘landmark partnership’, is intended to increase the growth of cross-Channel traffic through the tunnel and also lead to the introduction of new routes and destinations. There is to be closer collaboration on innovation and engineering initiatives, which include exploring opportunities to run more services, shorten journey times and improve timetable coordination. The MoU follows the announcement of a new study by London St Pancras Highspeed which says current international passenger capacity in St. Pancras could go up by almost 5,000 an hour. London St Pancras Highspeed CEO Robert Sinclair said: ‘Joining forces with Eurotunnel is another exciting step on our journey to realise a future where high-speed rail is the preferred option for travelling to Europe.  ‘As we see demand for international rail travel grow, London St Pancras Highspeed and Eurotunnel have an important role to play as key infrastructure managers to actively work together to encourage new and existing train operators to expand capacity and launch new destinations unlocking the potential of a fully connected Europe.’ Yann Leriche, who is CEO of Eurotunnel’s owner Getlink, added: ‘As an open access infrastructure, Eurotunnel is the pioneer in enabling growth of high-speed rail between the UK and Continental Europe. We are keen to drive forward attractive opportunities for low-carbon mobility with a range of new destinations in Germany, Switzerland and France. This partnership with London St. Pancras Highspeed is an essential catalyst for accelerating this growth momentum.’ Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here  to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.

The future ‘directing mind’ Great British Railways has been described in more detail than before as part of a consultation launched today by the Department for Transport. Key points include that ‘passengers will travel on GBR trains, running on GBR tracks, and arrive at GBR stations – all run by the expert leadership of a single organisation in line with a clear strategic direction set by the Secretary of State’. Some existing railway industry organisations will no longer be needed, or have new duties. GBR will decide track access charges for the remaining third-party operators, and it will be possible for them to appeal to the Office of Rail and Road. GBR will also work ‘in close partnership’ with the private sector, while the Department for Transport will ‘step back from day-to-day involvement in the railway’. The Office of Rail and Road will concentrate on safety and efficiency. The ORR will no longer approve access or direct the sale of access rights for the GBR railway and will not set standard access terms for GBR. Third party operators will  have ‘fair access’ to the network, and GBR will have a statutory duty to promote rail freight. Third party ticket retailing will continue, but the industry functions currently managed by the Rail Delivery Group, including retailing, will be taken over by GBR as part of its ‘simplified sector structure’.  There will be the promised ‘new voice for passengers’ in the shape of a new passenger watchdog which will able to hold both GBR and non-GBR operators to account. This body would moderate unresolved passenger complaints and resolve disputes, which at the moment is the responsibility of the Rail Ombudsman. The Ombudsman could cease to do this, or alternatively it could be sponsored by the new watchdog instead of the ORR. The DfT also says there is ‘potential for the new watchdog to be built from the existing passenger watchdog Transport Focus’. The proposed new funding process will ‘take the best of e current periodic review and control period system’, and core settlements will still last for five years. The ORR will continue to monitor business plans and the practicality of settlements. The system of train driver training will be modernised, with ‘outdated criteria’ being modernised ‘to reflect new innovations, technology and scientific developments’. The consultation runs until 23.59 on 15 April. Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here  to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.

The future ‘directing mind’ Great British Railways has been described in more detail than before as part of a consultation launched today by the Department for Transport. Key points include that ‘passengers will travel on GBR trains, running on GBR tracks, and arrive at GBR stations – all run by the expert leadership of a single organisation in line with a clear strategic direction set by the Secretary of State’. Some existing railway industry organisations will no longer be needed, or have new duties. GBR will decide track access charges for the remaining third-party operators, and it will be possible for them to appeal to the Office of Rail and Road. GBR will also work ‘in close partnership’ with the private sector, while the Department for Transport will ‘step back from day-to-day involvement in the railway’. The Office of Rail and Road will concentrate on safety and efficiency. The ORR will no longer approve access or direct the sale of access rights for the GBR railway and will not set standard access terms for GBR. Third party operators will  have ‘fair access’ to the network, and GBR will have a statutory duty to promote rail freight. Third party ticket retailing will continue, but the industry functions currently managed by the Rail Delivery Group, including retailing, will be taken over by GBR as part of its ‘simplified sector structure’.  There will be the promised ‘new voice for passengers’ in the shape of a new passenger watchdog which will able to hold both GBR and non-GBR operators to account. This body would moderate unresolved passenger complaints and resolve disputes, which at the moment is the responsibility of the Rail Ombudsman. The Ombudsman could cease to do this, or alternatively it could be sponsored by the new watchdog instead of the ORR. The DfT also says there is ‘potential for the new watchdog to be built from the existing passenger watchdog Transport Focus’. The proposed new funding process will ‘take the best of e current periodic review and control period system’, and core settlements will still last for five years. The ORR will continue to monitor business plans and the practicality of settlements. The system of train driver training will be modernised, with ‘outdated criteria’ being modernised ‘to reflect new innovations, technology and scientific developments’. The consultation runs until 23.59 on 15 April. Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here  to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.

The launch of a consultation into the shape of the future ‘directing mind’ Great British Railways is promised today by the Department for Transport. GBR will need a change in the law to take over from Network Rail and take charge of most passenger train services. Renationalisation of the last ten former franchises starts in May, when the South Western Railway contract will be terminated, and that will be followed by c2c in July and Greater Anglia this autumn. The others are set to end in 2026 and 2027. A brief law making public ownership of passenger operators the default rather than the last resort was passed in November, and this is being used to terminate the existing contracts until Great British Railways can take over from its future headquarters in Derby. The DfT says it will be unveiling plans today for the rail reform bill which will set up GBR. The reforms also include the creation of a ‘powerful passenger watchdog’. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: ‘Passengers have put up with broken railways for far too long. This landmark reform will sweep away decades of failure, creating a Great British Railways passengers can rely on. ‘We’re giving passengers a powerful voice with a new watchdog dedicated to addressing their biggest concerns, building railways people can trust, improving our services and boosting the economy in the process – the priority in our Plan for Change.’ Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here  to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.

The Office of Rail and Road has published a letter it has sent to Network Rail, in which it warns that the condition of infrastructure like bridges and tunnels is not being monitored properly, to the point where Network Rail is now being told to take ‘specific actions’ to comply with health and safety law. The letter, from HM chief inspector of railways Richard Hines, is addressed to Network Rail’s group safety and engineering director Martin Frobisher. It is a follow-up to the ORR’s review of submissions made by Network Rail in November, and ‘confirms the regulatory action that we are taking as a result. In summary, we are not satisfied with the progress being made.’ The ORR first expressed concern about the monitoring of structures almost two years ago, in May 2023. Its letter continues: ‘In July 2024, we reported mixed progress at the end of CP6. While regions such as Eastern were on track with their recovery trajectories, others, such as North-West & Central and Southern, did not show significant improvement.’ Mr Hines says: ‘A lack of up-to-date structural assessments means that you lack essential information about your assets. This could affect your ability to make appropriate decisions about the management of your infrastructure. This could lead to unaddressed risks to train performance and public safety. Additionally, the failure to conduct risk assessments for all assets that are non-compliant with your own standards means that you cannot demonstrate that any resultant safety risks are being identified and managed.’ Although Network Rail had made proposals about recovering the backlog, Mr Hines continues: ‘ These proposals lack sufficient detail to give confidence that they will be delivered, and recovery periods are unacceptably long.’ A further letter is expected which will set out the actions that Network Rail must take in order to comply with health and safety law. Mr Hines concludes: ‘Failure to take these actions will likely result in enforcement action being taken without further recourse.’ The ORR said: ‘We are not satisfied that Network Rail is doing all that it should to meet its own standards of recording and monitoring all of its assets. That is why we have taken action, which Network Rail is taking seriously.’ Martin Frobisher responded: ‘We have a comprehensive plan in place for the delivery of our structures inspections and assessments. Progress has been made but there is still much more to do, and we are working closely with the ORR and our regional engineers to prioritise this activity and move forward with our plans.’ Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here  to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.

Talks between the RMT and Avanti West Coast over the terms of rest day working have reached an ‘intensive’ stage, according to the union, which has called off walkouts by train managers which had been planned for the next three Sundays, but ASLEF has announced strikes by its members on the Elizabeth Line in London after 95 per cent voted in favour on a turnout of 88 per cent. In the West Coast dispute, the RMT said ‘following sustained industrial action, pressure from RMT members has brought Avanti management to the table for meaningful discussions on resolving the row’. The RMT’s general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘This breakthrough has been achieved through the strength and determination of our members, whose industrial action has forced Avanti to engage seriously with this dispute. ‘As a result, strike action has been suspended to allow space for constructive talks. We are fully committed to using the next three weeks productively to secure a negotiated settlement in good faith.  ‘However, Avanti must demonstrate a real willingness to compromise if it wants to avoid an escalation of this dispute in the coming weeks and months.’ Avanti West Coast said: ‘We are pleased the RMT has suspended strike action for the next three weekends. We remain open to working with the RMT to resolve this dispute and will continue to work together to find a resolution. ‘This means that tickets will be back on sale for the dates concerned and we will be able to operate our normal Sunday timetable.’ Meanwhile, the drivers’ union ASLEF has announced strikes by its Elizabeth Line members on 27 February, followed by 1, 8 and 10 March. They are employed by the operator MTR, which is being replaced by Transport for London with a consortium of Go Ahead Group, Tokyo Metro and Sumitomo Corporation in May. ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan said: ‘Our members have been instrumental in the success of the Elizabeth Line – it’s a partnership, in practice, between the company and its employees – but, despite our best efforts, MTR has decided not to recognise the input, the importance, and the value of train drivers in this success. ‘I suspect that the company’s intransigence is because it has lost the contract with TfL to run the Elizabeth Line; if that is indeed the case, it is very disappointing to see the company behave this way.’ Nigel Gibson, one of ASLEF’s full-time district organisers, and the lead officer with MTR, said: ‘Taking action is always a last resort, because we do not want to inconvenience passengers and our members do not want to lose money, and I hope that the company, seeing the strength of feeling amongst our members, their drivers, will do the right thing and return to the negotiating table.’ Transport for London said: ‘We encourage Aslef and MTR Elizabeth line to continue working towards resolving this dispute.’ Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here  to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.

The owners of the HS1 concession have unveiled a new name for their enterprise. From now on, the HS1 concession will be branded London St. Pancras Highspeed. The concession to operate the high speed line between London and the Channel Tunnel was awarded in November 2010 and lasts for 30 years. The complete line had opened three years earlier, when Eurostar moved from London Waterloo to St Pancras International, but the name HS1 had been coined by Eurostar chief executive Richard Brown in November 2006, when he told an audience at St Pancras that the original title of Channel Tunnel Rail Link was being retired. The concession was sold in 2010 by the government for £2.1 billion to the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan.  They sold it on in turn for £3 billion to HICL Infrastructure (35 per cent), Equitix (35 per cent) and South Korea's National Pension Service (30 per cent), in 2017. The concession includes the four stations at St Pancras, Stratford International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International, although a controversy has flared about the lack of Eurostar services at Ebbsfleet and Ashford since the Covid pandemic. In spite of its name, no cross-channel trains have ever called at Stratford International, which is served only by domestic Southeastern high speed trains and the Docklands Light Railway. London St. Pancras Highspeed CEO Robert Sinclair said: ‘This is not simply a change of brand or a new logo. Instead, it signifies an important shift and a desire to play a much more active and supportive role in driving the growth of sustainable travel by high-speed rail. ‘Who we are and what we do as a business has not changed, but our ambition has. It’s evident that a modal shift is taking place for travel and our new brand reflects this. ‘We believe that growth on our line will have a significant benefit for the UK, opening up more business and tourism opportunities, while bringing Europe closer with fast, city centre to city centre journeys. ‘We have an incredible opportunity and an important responsibility to help maximise the take-up of sustainable rail travel. Together with our partners in the industry, all of us at London St. Pancras Highspeed are excited about the journey ahead.’ Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here  to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.

The RMT has criticised closures of Southeastern ticket offices, which it says were closed for about 70,000 hours or 2900 days more than they should have been between June last year and last month. The union obtained its figures from the state-owned operator through a Freedom of Information request. At five stations, ticket offices were open for only 1 per cent or fewer of their advertised hours, and 17 offices were closed for at least 50 per cent of their advertised hours. The RMT is claiming that the closures are ‘part of a deliberate attempt to reduce reliance on ticket offices, despite the unprecedented opposition to proposed closures during a 2023 consultation’. Proposals to close virtually all National Rail ticket offices attracted 750,000 responses which were nearly all opposed to the plan, and the government abandoned the closure programme at the end of October 2023. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘Our findings show a shocking picture of Southeastern’s failure to open ticket offices as advertised which is a clear breach of their obligations. ‘Passengers, particularly those who are elderly, disabled, or less able to navigate unstaffed stations, are being left without the support they need and will potentially be put off from using the railway altogether. ’Rail operators once again are trying to undermine essential services and erode public trust in our railways. ’The government must step in now to protect ticket offices and ensure Southeastern is held to account.’ The Southeastern contract had been owned by Govia, but it was renationalised in October 2021 after financial irregularities were revealed. Railnews has invited Southeastern to comment.   Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here  to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.    

Plans to reopen the railway to Portishead near Bristol are going ahead. The scheme had been included in the Restoring Your Railway programme, but this was scrapped by the government in July 2024 on economic grounds. West of England Combined Authority Mayor Dan Norris held new talks wtih rail minister Lord Hendy before the weekend, and the minister has now confirmed that the scheme has been revived.  It is hoped that construction can begin this summer, and passengers could be travelling on the line again by the end of 2027. The service was recommended for withdrawal in the 1963 Beeching report, and the last passenger trains ran to Portishead in September 1964, although the line continued to be used for freight until 1981. A spur to Royal Portbury Dock was built for freight in 2002, while the abandoned line to Portishead town still exists, although it has been blocked by at least one new road. The council said bringing back the Portishead trains will mean that the travelling time into Bristol when compared with road will be cut by half. It has also estimated that car commuting will be reduced by 5.5 per cent, and that the line will help to achieve an estimated £43 million in economic growth each year. Mayor Dan Norris said: ‘This is a massive moment for the West of England: one that generations have eagerly waited to see. This is great news for residents, businesses, and our environment, and a truly red-letter day for our fantastic region. The Bristol and Portishead line was a victim of historic rail cuts, but today, with a Labour government and a Labour mayor, we’re delivering the latest stage of my “reverse Beeching” plan. I’m delighted to confirm that this project is now finally steaming ahead.’ A further £30 million is needed, and this is set to be confirmed next month by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority Committee. This includes a contribution from North Somerset Council. What do you think? Please click here  to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.