RAIL
WORDS DAVE RICHARDSON
J
OURNALISTS SOMETIMES LOOK BACK at past work in search of inspiration, and an article published here exactly 12 months ago compared the rail industry with the White Queen in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking- Glass, who tells Alice: “The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday
– but never jam today.”
One year on, nothing much has changed for many passengers, with numerous delays not only to trains but to major infrastructure projects, including Crossrail, and plans for new trains. As Josh Collier, head of proposition – rail and ground transportation, Capita Travel and Events, puts it: “We seem unable to keep on schedule with projects, and it’s the same excuse year after year that fares must increase to deliver improvements that don’t seem to come.” Nobody outside the boardrooms of the privatised
train operators would deny that Britain’s railways are in a mess. Even the Department for Transport (DfT) finally got the message last year, ordering a major independent review of the rail industry (see panel, p109). All well and good, but neither the GTMC nor the ITM had been approached by the review team. Raj Sachdave of Black Box Partnerships, a consultant
and experienced commentator on rail, says: “This worries me, as it will be yet another consultation in the dark. When will the rail industry learn to engage with experts who understand the future demands of rail? “I hope the Williams Review will unpick legacy thinking, systems and processes with clear recommendations that are time-bound; offering value for money in both service and price. The whole franchising model needs to evolve, but the rail industry seems to exist in a distant bubble. It needs to innovate in line with how people travel globally.” Capita’s Collier agrees saying: “The Williams Review appears focused on going back to basics and what passengers are calling out as needing improvement, such as reliability, clear accountability, and good value fares that they can access easily. More competition would help drive down prices.”
buyingbusinesstravel.com
7,000 £14
to be introduced by 2021
new carriages billion
operators will spend on bigger and better trains
SOURCE: RAIL DELIVERY GROUP 2019 MARCH/APRIL 105 the amount train
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136
