IAN BEVAN
Re-investing back into the business Since 2004, Northern has invested £130 million for its passengers, a sizeable amount considering the confines of its franchise agreement only allowed for £250,000 a year of disabled access improvements. Its shareholders Serco-Abellio helped drive £30 million of this, which was re-invested back into the business with the other £100
Allerton is just one example of where the partnership, or alliance, with Network Rail has resulted in value for money and efficiency improvement and is a text book case for the argument that Toc's could have a stronger role to play in developing and implementing major projects. 'The alliance with Network Rail began in 2010, and moves in sync to deliver a better value railway than when operating separately,' says Bevan. 'Several initiatives were identified but it was the evolution of Allerton ahead of the formal alliance, which helped prove the real value of a fully- functioning alliance.'
million coming from the partnerships and relationships Northern made and maintained with local stakeholders, PTE's, regional development agencies and councils. 'It is this investment that has allowed Northern to bring in additional rolling stock, station improvements and roll-out train refurbishments under the shadow of a ‘steady-state’ franchise and to turn it all into considerable customer benefit,' explains Bevan. No one could have foreseen the growth in passenger
numbers on the Northern network. Its fleet is carrying 42 per cent more customers than in 2004 and demand continues to grow. Symptoms were clear to see at Northern’s five major inter-city hubs: Leeds, Liverpool,
Exciting time for the rail industry 'It’s an incredibly vibrant and exciting time for the rail industry' according to Bevan. 'Significant growth has already been witnessed and more is forecast. Major investments are being announced; everyone is turning their focus on the UK’s railways and now is the time to shine. We have always seen ourselves as custodians of this railway and have a vision for the future of rail in the north which stands alongside the enhanced infrastructure works which are already well underway. 'With full funding now confirmed, the Northern Hub will deliver significant capacity enhancements. Allowing an extra 700 trains every day it will enable better journey times, frequency and connectivity. Coupled with 300 km of track
Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield, as well as on some rural routes. Northern secured 60 additional carriages as part of the government’s High Level Output Specification (HLOS) which increased the fleet by 10 per cent, adding 2.2 million much needed additional peak seats for passengers every year.
'The introduction of these additional units in 2011 also
saw the re-opening of Allerton Depot in Merseyside,' says Bevan. 'Allerton was a triumph for us and the response we had to the project with our partners, Network Rail, was superb. The depot was taken from derelict to fully- operational in six months, requiring 10,000 tonnes of spoil to be replaced with 10,000 tonnes of ballast. Considering the first estimate for completion was three years, it serves to show what can be done if you want to do it. The depot employed an additional 46 people from the Merseyside community and brought the disused site back into use as a sustainable, modern facility.'
between Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Blackpool and Leeds being electrified, it’s clear to see the progress already made. These are just some of the schemes delivering capacity enhancements to cater for an expected 23 per cent national growth in passenger and freight demand over the next five years.
'We’re thrilled to see the electrification work underway,' says Bevan. 'We believe the successful delivery of the first stage of the project, along with the proposed fifth path across the Pennines, to be the most efficient use of capacity on the route to help deliver an enhanced rail service for more passengers in the north of England. This year also heralds the start of major refurbishment work in the north west, namely at Manchester Victoria, one of the the busiest stations we manage.'
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