Wait also wants to see more ‘open access’
operators competing with franchised com- panies, and says lobbying by the GTMC has identified many Conservative MPs who would support this. Only two open access operators are cur-
rently in service: Hull Trains and Grand Central, both along the East Coast route. But regulatory body the Office of Rail and Road has now cleared the Arriva-owned Great North Western Railway (GNWR) to operate off-peak services between Blackpool and London from 2018, along the route currently served by Virgin. “First Group is now proposing an open
access service competing with Virgin between London and Edinburgh, and the government needs to take notice of this,” says Wait. “The problem is that on most routes, there is no competition.” The go-ahead for GNWR has been welcomed by Tony Lodge, research fellow of think-tank the Centre for Policy Studies. “This is a very welcome develop- ment and shows that a desire to see more rail competition is now being taken seri- ously in government, over 20 years since the Conservatives privatised the railways,” he says. The new electric and bimodal (electric/ diesel) trains due to be introduced on the East Coast and Great Western routes by 2018 offer a once-in-a-generation oppor- tunity to add new features to the onboard experience, with the GTMC among travel industry organisations calling for a busi- ness or premium economy class pitched between the current standard and first class carriages. At the right price, they say, this could attract corporates whose travel policy does not allow first class travel.
CONNECTIVITY IS KEY The largest TMC booker of rail travel, Capita Travel and Events, feels that connectivity is key and this is not limited to wifi. Raj Sachdave is head of auxiliary partnerships and innovation, and thinks the booking process needs to see more innovation. “Journeys must be seamless, as com- panies are calculating not just the cost of the total trip, but the productivity im- plications of someone making a journey and whether it is actually necessary,” he says. “The ability to make savings on rail fares has become saturated, so they are looking at what return on investment travel actually delivers. “We would like to see more creativity in tickets, such as including the station
92 BBT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015
“Companies are calculating not just the cost of the total trip, but the
productivity implications”
car park or allowing you to have breakfast included when not travelling first class. Meeting space at major stations is also in demand.” Sachdave argues that if the working
environment is right, then standard class travel is acceptable. Despite the recovery in the economy, Capita’s first class bookings remain “pretty flat”, with indications that many organisations’ ban on premium travel will be permanent. “It’s interesting to see First Great Western and Virgin reducing
the number of first class seats on many trains, and increasing standard class ca- pacity,” he says. “The new express trains being introduced will be more up-to-date. But with mobile devices such as tablets getting smaller, do you really need a table to work?” PWC travel manager Will Hasler
agrees that reducing first class provision is the right thing for Virgin Trains and First Great Western. But he adds: “Wifi con- nectivity and the strength of mobile signals remain a problem. We need more tables in standard class, but there’s no value in a business or premium economy class on trains, when first class advance fares offer good value. “Travellers understand that to upgrade
the rail network, there has to be some pain as with the remodelling of London Bridge station. The government is prepared to put money into HS2 and upgrade projects as we need to build a decent rail system for our children and grandchildren.”
TRAIN OPERATOR NEWS
FIRST GREAT WESTERN: The electrification of the London Paddington to Bristol and South Wales routes has fallen behind schedule, and new Super Express Trains may not be fully deployed by 2017 as planned. They will replace 40-year-old diesel high-speed trains, providing an extra three million seats a year with modest improvements in journey times, such as 20 minutes less to Swansea and up to 17 minutes less to Bristol.
Virgin Trains East Coast: The same type of electric or bimodal trains as for Great Western, produced by Hitachi of Japan but built at a new factory in County Durham, are due to be introduced on this route by 2018. The route is already electrified from London to Leeds and Edinburgh.
Virgin Trains: Converting one carriage from first to standard class on some of its Pendolino trains has created a net increase of 2,100 standard class seats. Passenger numbers rose to 34.5 million in the 12 months to July.
Chiltern Railways: A new route from London Marylebone to Oxford is due to start operating on October 26, claimed to be the first new link between London and a major city for more than a century. Journey time to the new Oxford Parkway station is about one hour, with services to be extended to the main Oxford station at some point in the future.
Govia Thameslink: A new ‘super-franchise’ was created in July when the former Southern franchise, including Gatwick Express, was rolled into Govia
Thameslink, which started running the Bedford to Brighton, and London to Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn services last September. More than 100 new trains will be delivered for Thameslink routes between 2016 and 2018.
Transpennine Express and Northern: Both franchises are due to be re-let from April 2016 with a bidding process now under way for the routes, currently run by First Group, and a partnership between Serco and Abellio respectively.
East Anglia: First Group, National Express and an Abellio/Stagecoach partnership are the bidders for the new Greater Anglia franchise from October 2016. The Department for Transport wants to see the London-Norwich journey time reduced to one hour 30 minutes.
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
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