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Trainofthought N
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editor@railpro.co.uk or post to The Editor, Rail Professional, Hallmark House, Downham Road, Ramsden Heath, Essex CM11 1PU. Letters may be edited for length.
early a couple of centuries ago, George Stevenson is reputed to have said it was a good idea to have all railways the same track gauge, as one day 'they might all be joined together'! Good advice.
Surely the same concept must be applied to the new generation of railways, the high speed lines. We have the opportunity to do this. Most of them are already to the standard rail track gauge. They need to have a compatible loading gauge as far as possible.
And Euston Cross (Rail Professional, June 2013) seems to make sense in that it will literally join two lines in the same country. The French lines originally radiated from Paris and vast expense has seen the junction line gradually extending around the capital. There are now trains from one part of the country to another, avoiding changes in Paris.
We need to join HS1 and 2. Many rail passengers are 'disabled' physically or by luggage and/or children. Many times, a more able person wants to put a less able relative on a train at A in the sure knowledge that they will be met at B, without any change/s along the way. Likewise the traveller. Often, an extended journey time would be acceptable to achieve that through journey, especially if there is the worry of 'making the connection' somewhere en route. So PLEASE do not have these experts(?) foisting such things as 'they can walk down the Euston Road' on us. BR sadly withdrew many through coach workings, destroying that facility in the past. We must not make that mistake again with the new generation. Sincerely,
Eric Stuart CMILT MIRO
The Office of Rail Regulation has identified more than £2 billion savings for Britain’s
While it has welcomed the ORR’s draft proposals on freight track access charges for 2014-19, the Freight Transport Association has asked for ‘better communication’ on the issue to help avoid confusion before the final decision, which is expected towards the end of the year. Under the ORR’s draft
determination, total freight charges will increase by 21 per cent over the control period, or four per cent per year. The ORR intends to go ahead with new freight specific charges covering commodities such as coal, nuclear fuel and iron ore, but is to delay introduction and at a reduced level. Following strong representations from the industry, the ORR has dropped plans to introduce a new freight specific charge for biomass. Chris Welsh, FTA general manager of Global & European Policy said: ‘ORR has, to its credit, clearly listened to the warnings made by FTA and the wider rail freight industry in deciding to cap the proposed increases below that originally intended. However, the process has caused huge uncertainty and we remain concerned about the longer-term effects of the new charging regime with existing and potential new customers. We believe much of the confusion caused by the process could have been avoided through better communication and consultation on the proposed changes.’
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railway after an ‘extensive’ assessment of Network Rail’s Strategic Plan for 2014-2019, published earlier this year.
Over the next five years, the ORR finds the day-to-day cost of running the network should be £21.4 billion - nearly £2 billion less than proposed by NR. Saving’s will be achieved it says, through the implementation of new technologies, better management of the railways and more efficient ways of working. By the end of 2019, ORR will require Network Rail to achieve:
• improved performance for passengers: an average of 92.5 per cent of trains must arrive on time
• delivery of projects to increase capacity and levels of service on the network: the ORR is proposing that rail users and Toc’s are given a bigger role in shaping the specification and delivery of NR’s projects. This will help put passengers it says, ‘at the heart of decisions on how the railway is improved.’
• better management of infrastructure: NR will have better and more up-to-date data on the condition of its tracks, bridges and other assets so that problems can be identified and fixed before they occur. NR will also improve the network’s resilience in terms of climate change.
• improved safety for rail passengers and workers: ORR has approved £67 million of funding to upgrade and close level crossings in England and Wales. NR must reduce the risk of train accidents and work towards eliminating fatalities and major injuries.
• greater efficiencies and value for money: ORR is encouraging Toc’s, NR and the supply chain to work together to create further opportunities to save money
ORR chief executive, Richard Price, said the
determinations are ‘stretching but achievable’. Michael Roberts, chief executive of ATOC, said the report is an ‘important opportunity to incentivise Network Rail and operators to work more effectively together.’ ‘There is much to welcome in this document,’
said Passenger Focus’s chief executive, Anthony Smith, ‘However, passengers will be baffled that after five more years of investment, the overall target for punctuality at the end of 2019 will differ only marginally from now. We will probe the detail to see if the fine balance between investment levels and cost reduction appears to have been struck. Transparency is key to this. Passengers have a right to see what their money is buying.’
Richard Hebditch, Campaigns director for the Campaign for Better Transport warned that passengers also needed action on fares: ‘There is a clear implication in the report that it’s time for government to use these savings to end above-inflation fare rises. Ministers have promised to end such rises when cost savings are identified - the ORR has provided the evidence, now ministers must act.’ The RMT said that the ‘cuts’ will ‘drag us back to the grim days of Railtrack’ and general secretary Bob Crow warned that any threat of compulsory job losses at Network Rail will lead to preparations for a national strike ballot.
The TSSA’s Manuel Cortes said: ‘We have seen 1400 maintenance jobs cut in the last year and over 15 per cent over the past five years. Now thousands more will go if the ORR gets its way.’ The union, which is calling for an inquiry into level crossing safety at Network Rail said that ORR is ‘simply wrong in calling for improved safety while demanding budget cuts at the same time.’ Network Rail said it ‘welcomed’ the ORR’s draft determination and will give a formal response in September.
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