Rail Professional interview: IAN BEVAN We’re looking to the future


now. An announcement is just around the corner and we are poised and ready to act to help accelerate growth in the north


Northern is looking at almost 95 million passenger journeys by the end of 2013, and while the scale and complexity of its network might put a mere mortal off his dinner, here, MD Ian Bevan talks about why he’s hungry for more


N


orthern Rail stands today as one of the country’s largest train operators. Accounting for 13 per cent of national PPM, it runs 2,500 services per day, more than any other Toc in the country,


and calls at 20 per cent of stations in the UK. 'In the beginning, back in December 2004', starts Ian,


'when Abellio and Serco took over the Northern Rail franchise as a joint venture, the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) announced that it was to be a ‘steady-state’ setup. This is a phrase that some could have seen as a burden, but we saw it as a challenge, a red flag to a bull. The SRA saw no reason for more passengers to travel on our network and as such no need to develop additional services or facilities. The Northern Rail franchise you see today is a very different story.' When the franchise was awarded, the SRA appointed


Steer Davies Gleave (SDG) to review all aspects of it and look at how savings could be made. Many held their breath when the findings were announced, rumours of line closures and ‘trains carrying empty air’ had been circulating so it was to everyone’s delight to discover that Northern had continued to develop and improve the overall efficiency and value for money of the franchise through well developed and focused initiatives.


It is these well-developed and focused initiatives that


have driven Northern into 2013. Says Bevan: 'The praise we received from the SDG report helped us set the bar for the rest of the franchise. We had much to prove, not only to our industry partners but also to our passengers - we were very aware that as a heavily subsidised Toc delivering good value for money was something on the tip of everyone’s tongue. 'Independent research estimates that each year our


services generate at least £690 million of economic and other benefits for the UK economy, providing a 2:1 return to the north of England on the subsidy we receive.' Partnerships with local Passenger Transport Executives


(PTE's) as co-signatories on the franchise agreement allowed Northern to work locally within area teams across the varied network. Delving into the surrounding communities focused these area teams at the heart of the community rail concept. 'Working with local user groups and building


relationships from within the community has helped us reach another level of passenger engagement and tapping into the lifeblood of these communities has helped keep many of our smaller stations at an award–winning level,' says Bevan. 'Our Community Ambassador Scheme reaches out to minority groups and helps break down the barriers to local rail travel across the north west including East Lancashire, West Pennines and the Calder Valley.'


April 2013 Page 113


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