RAIL
£1 billion, and you can see why rail is a highly emotive subject. But let’s look at the good news first. Many
routes, especially in northern England and Scotland, will see much improved services over the next couple of years, with free wifi becoming standard. Transpennine Express is introducing new trains on routes between the north-west and north-east of England and Scotland offering comfort and a working environment comparable with any larger operator, while Greater Anglia and Northern also have major fleets of new trains on order.
MAJOR RAIL PROJECTS Adding in other major projects, such as the Elizabeth Line (Crossrail) – the new east- west route through central London starting operation in December – and we have plenty of jam coming. The disappointment is that few of these projects (Elizabeth Line excepted) will lead to worthwhile reduc- tions in journey time, as that would require massive investment in infrastructure by taxpayer-funded Network Rail. Great Western is a case in point, and evidence of a disconnect between public and private sectors. Electrification of its London-Bristol/South Wales routes is badly behind schedule and over budget, with the wires not yet reaching beyond Didcot in Oxfordshire and no dates announced for them to reach Oxford, Bristol and Swansea. Great Western says its new bimodal (elec-
tric/diesel) Intercity Express Trains will cut London-Bristol journey times by 17 minutes and London-Swansea by 14 minutes from next January, but under diesel power they are not as fast as the 40-year-old trains they replace. But at least there will be more ca- pacity: these new trains and the all-electric trains operating stopping services in the Thames Valley will deliver 9,000 extra seats per day into London Paddington. Intercity 125 trains released by Great
Western will be operating on main routes within Scotland from May, offering more seats and much greater comfort. Scot Rail
96 BBT March/April 2018
is also introducing new electric trains on key routes, including Glasgow-Edinburgh. Meanwhile, Caledonian Sleeper will phase in new trains from October with en suite cabins for the first time on overnight ser- vices to London. Overall perceptions of the rail network
are important according to Jon Bolger, whose Travel Equilibrium consultancy looks at how rail fits into a company’s entire travel spend. The key, he says, is to deliver “win win” benefits to the train operator, the traveller and the corporate. “Commuters’ view of rail is obviously
very different to that of business users who don’t travel every day,” he says. “People often can’t see where all the investment is going, but as with the foundations of a house, it’s something essential but not seen. “Train operators want to fill off-peak ser-
vices, and it would bring down companies’ costs if meetings were scheduled between 11am and 3pm to use off-peak trains. The major train operators take an increasingly commercial approach, and if you have a considerable spend on rail, it’s worth sitting down with them to explore the options.” Businesses can sometimes negotiate upgrades to first class, or deals to include station car parking, and lounge access or free wifi for standard class passengers. “It’s got to be a two-way thing,” says Bolger. “Don’t treat rail in isolation but look at total journey time and costs compared to flying or driving. Getting people on to off-peak trains gives them a better experience.” Will Hasler, chairman of the ITM’s Industry Affairs Group, says that the slow development of mobile ticketing is one of the main frustrations of business travellers. “Fares remain overly complicated, and
although operators, including Crosscountry and Virgin, are now making advance fares available on the day of travel, they are not usually cheap,” he adds. “There are still too many first class carriages, although the availability of advance first class tickets is generally good.
“People often can’t see where all the investment is going, but as with the foundations of a house, it’s something essential but not seen”
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