SWT and Network Rail discuss ‘deep alliance’ for joint working
by Paul Clifton
Network Rail is in talks with Stagecoach to form a joint management team for the South West Trains franchise and Wessex Region. It is seen as the biggest step towards a single
organisation running track and trains since British Rail was privatised and the two roles separated. Network Rail calls it a ‘deep alliance’. It could
see a single team in place by the summer. Any agreement would have to be approved by both the Department for Transport and the rail regulator. In theory, it could see SWT boss Tim Shoveller
having overall responsibility for maintenance and operational work currently carried out by Network Rail’s Wessex Region. But both Network Rail and SWT stress that no decisions about individual roles have yet been taken. It would require the agreement of other train operators that use the routes from Weymouth,
£500m of money returned to Treasury after DfT underspend
The Department for Transport underspent by £500m in its 2010-11 budget, a report by the Transport Select Committee has revealed. The report points out that this is more than the estimated cost of the entire Northern Hub project. ‘We were surprised to
learn that the DfT has ended up in a position where it was required to return over £500m to the Treasury,’ says the report, Counting the Cost: Financial Scrutiny of the Department for Transport 2011-12. ‘Put another way, the DfT accepted a cut to its in-year budget of £683m and then underspent on its revised budget by over £1bn.’ Louise Ellman MP, chair of
the Transport Select Committee, added: ‘Although we welcome the additional investment in road and rail infrastructure projects announced in the Autumn Statement, there is still concern that the regions are not as well provided for as London and the south east.’
Exeter, Reading and Portsmouth to Waterloo. These include FGW, Southern, CrossCountry, Freightliner and DB Schenker. Each would need to be convinced that the new management would not show favouritism to SWT. Network Rail and South West Trains staff
would remain with their present employers, with the same terms and conditions. Network Rail is currently planning to build a ‘campus’ regional headquarters near Basingstoke station, from where 3,000 staff across Wessex would be managed. A South West Trains spokesman said: ‘Our joint proposals have the potential to deliver faster and more customer-focused decisions, give better value for money to taxpayers and create a more efficient railway for the long term. We are also in contact with a range of industry stakeholders, including other operators, about how any potential alliance may operate.’
Network Rail plans alliances with at least five other train operators, although these would be less close than with SWT. Framework agreements are being made with Abellio Greater Anglia, C2C, First ScotRail, Northern and Southeastern. Network Rail anticipates further alliances as part of refranchising. The Office of Rail Regulation has ordered
Network Rail to work with train operators to recover long distance passenger and freight train performance. Northern Rail and Network Rail have already signed a framework agreement for an alliance, but little detail of how this will work is available yet. Ian Bevan, MD of Northern Rail, said: ‘We operate 2,500 services every day with a network spanning three Network Rail routes and interfacing with 11 other train operators. This presents its own unique challenges when considering the context in which an alliance will work.’
Campaigners press for new stations by Arthur Allan
Scottish rail chiefs seeking comments on a major project in the central belt have been taken aback by a rash of calls for new stations. Network Rail extended its consultation on the £1bn Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) by two months because of ‘huge levels of interest’. The scheme aims to improve
journey times and increase capacity on key routes, through electrification and other infrastructure improvements. But among the 450 submissions
were calls from campaigners to open or reopen stations in the area. The EGIP plan foresees opening
just one new station, a rail/tram interchange at Edinburgh Gateway on the city’s outskirts. ‘The response was more
extensive than we expected,’ said Network Rail spokesman Owen Campbell. ‘In particular, we had around 20 suggestions for new stations. We understood there were community aspirations for stations, but we didn’t expect quite as many to come through.’
He said many people were
taking the opportunity to state their case both via EGIP and through
MARCH 2012 PAGE 5
Transport Scotland’s concurrent Rail 2014 exercise, which is consulting on the future of the whole network. Proposed stations include Robroyston and Abronhill on the Cumbernauld line, and Winchburgh, Bonnybridge and Westerhill between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Another is Abbeyhill in
Edinburgh, closed in 1964, which campaigner Lawrence Marshall said could be reopened as ‘a very modest
add-on’ to EGIP. ‘This represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enhance rail facilities in this densely- populated part of Edinburgh,’ he said.
Meanwhile, fears of suburban station closures have caused alarm around Glasgow. Transport Scotland says no closures are planned, but its consultation mentions reconfiguration. n
arthur.allan@
railpro.co.uk
Edinburgh Waverley station
Shutterstock/Brendan Howard
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