Franchising is fundamentally sound says Brown
by Lorna Slade
The long-awaited Brown review has concluded that franchising is a fundamentally sound approach and should be restarted urgently. Chairman of Eurostar, Richard Brown,
said: ‘Franchising is not broken. It’s an important part of the architecture of the industry – and the industry is incredibly successful so it would be foolish to throw the baby out with the bathwater. ‘Passenger numbers have grown by 92 per cent since privatisation...punctuality and passenger satisfaction are running at much improved
levels...it is highly unlikely that these successes could have been delivered if franchising was fundamentally flawed.’ The Secretary of State for Transport,
Patrick McLoughlin, in laying out the report before the House, said that the report’s detailed recommendations will be given careful consideration. These include: • the franchise term should be determined by the circumstances and size of the individual franchise but that most franchises should be far shorter than the current 15 year standard, with extensions awarded on performance and passenger satisfaction
• the Department for Transport (DfT) needs senior ‘heavy hitters’ on board to provide quality assurance
• procurement be carried out by a discrete unit, either within the department, by an agency, or by an independent body
• plans be put in place to devolve more English franchises to the relevant authorities.
Brown also recommends that the bidding and evaluation process for each franchise be strengthened and simplified, including removing the onus from operators to forecast or shoulder risks related to wider economic performance - a central issue in the West Coast dispute. The review proposes that the quality and deliverability of bids be more explicitly assessed and factored in, and that the requirement for anonymity be dropped in the later stages of bidding.
Options to restart the three franchise competitions that were ‘paused’ in the autumn – Great Western, Essex Thameside and Thameslink – were redacted from the report as commercially sensitive, and the government is set to announce the results of these three competitions this month. Said Brown: ‘Passengers cannot wait while theoretical discussions are held about the structure of railways. It is essential to get on with the franchising
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programme in order to maintain the momentum of investment in increasing capacity and improving services.’ The review calls for a clear programme for future franchise competitions, which the Secretary of State has promised for the spring, alongside a further statement on the government’s franchising policy, in light of the Brown review, and the Transport Select Committee’s ‘Rail 2020’ report examining government proposals to reform the railways.
Michael Roberts, ATOC chief executive,
said: ‘This report recognises the successes of Britain’s railways since privatisation, and an improved approach to franchising will build on these achievements. Train companies will now carefully consider the recommendations made.
‘It is important that the bidding programme is restarted and clarity from the Department for Transport on its next steps remains a priority.’
Rail campaigners gave a ‘lukewarm’ reception to the review. ‘To be honest, we’re rather underwhelmed,’ said Bruce Williamson from campaign group Railfuture. ‘While we welcome the suggestion that moves should be made to improve local devolution of services, and put passenger needs above those of the Treasury, we feel this is only the start of the debate.’ Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA rail union, said the report is ‘simply the green light for train operators to carry on printing money at the passenger’s expense. The current system is broken but both he [Brown] and the Secretary of State want to carry on regardless.’ Has the Brown review delivered? See page 47
2013 FTA everywoman in Transport and Logistics awards
Entries are invited for the UK’s leading awards programme for women working in transport and logistics. Categories encompass drivers, managers and stars of the future. One in 12 people working in the UK is employed in logistics - a sector worth more than £93 billion to the economy. Research by everywoman at a previous event showed 94 per cent of attendees - all women in middle management logistics roles - felt their career aspirations could be fulfilled within the sector. However, women represent only 25 per cent of employees. ‘Lack of role models’ and ‘access to influential mentors’ are cited as key issues.
Maxine Benson MBE, co-founder of everywoman, said: ‘We want to encourage women to abandon their misconceptions and learn more about the diverse range of opportunities offered in transport and logistics. I urge women already leading the way to enter.’ The Freight Transport Association (FTA) is co-sponsor for 2013. Theo de Pencier, chief executive, said: ‘Industry cannot be passive in attracting women.’ For more information visit www.everywoman. com/tlawards
Stansted has a vision
Stansted Airport’s rail vision is for new, faster and more reliable rail links
that could attract at least an extra 1.4 million passengers a year. The vision includes a 30 minute rail journey time from London to the airport, extending Crossrail to Stansted, and the realisation of a long-term ambition for Stansted to be the best connected air-rail hub in the UK.
Stansted Airport managing director, Nick Barton, said: ‘We have the spare capacity and infrastructure to support 35 million passengers a year, and with faster rail links we can attract the airlines whose passengers value quick and reliable links to London. The East of England has suffered for too long from the effects of under-investment in the rail network and these improvements would have a significant impact on the local economy.’
As part of its new Strategic Plan, Richard Brown
Network Rail has committed to exploring journey time and reliability improvements on the line between London and Stansted. An airport spokesman welcomed the development saying: ‘Plans for a third track on parts of the line and the speed study are the first steps to reducing journey times.’
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