RAIL
THE OPERATOR’S VIEWPOINT
SUSIE PALMER, BUSINESS ACCOUNT MANAGER, TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS
Transpennine Express (TPE) is investing £500 million over the next two years in new trains and services across northern England and Scotland
Q: What’s the timetable for introduction of the new fleet? A: The first of our new trains, the Nova 3 fleet, is already operating from Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds to Middlesbrough and Scarborough. Nova 2 trains will start in spring 2019 on Manchester Airport- Scotland services, and Nova 1 trains will start in summer 2019 between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh, and from Manchester Airport- Newcastle. In 2019 we are adding a new route, Liverpool-Glasgow.
Q: Are you confident changes can be introduced without disruption? A: Our planners are working very hard on the launch, and new trains are already being tested and drivers trained.
Q: How will you transform the business travel by rail experience? A: The 44 new trains will have 100 more seats than the present trains, including first class, with free wifi and plug sockets at every pair of seats, as on our existing refurbished trains. Trains will travel at up to 125mph, so there will be some reduction in journey times, such as
MANY
BUSINESSES ARE LOOKING FOR A SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE TO CAR TRAVEL
Liverpool-Manchester in 35 minutes. Barcode tickets will be introduced on 70 per cent of journeys.
Q: What is the reaction of businesses who don’t use much rail at present? A: We are showing businesses that there is another option, and many are looking for a sustainable alternative to car travel. We are looking at incentives such as advance tickets to buy on the day of travel, and other inducements through preferred TMCs. We are also working closely with GTMC and chambers of commerce.
Q: First Group lost £100 million over the course of this franchise. Are you confident you can deliver all that’s been promised? A: We remain absolutely committed to delivering £500 million-worth of investment. We have obligations as part of our business plan, and are pleased to see customer satisfaction already increasing.
“While we appreciate that the rail industry has some ambitious plans that will require significant investment, there are areas where efficiency gains can be made as we move towards a more cashless, mobile ticketing environment, which requires less human intervention. “It seems that these opportunities are not being taken into account, when they are central to future reform. Progress towards a truly smart ticketing environment is something that TMCs and their corporate clients using Evolvi wish to see happening sooner rather than later.”
While the price of some fares may fall, increases are likely in peak travel times. The review could also restrict good value advance fares. Meanwhile, regulated rail fares will rise by an average of 3.2 per cent from January.
PEAK PRACTICE Chris Vince, Click Travel’s director of operations, says: “This review of fares is absolutely needed, as although we do offer split ticketing to our customers, it isn’t ideal. If one train is delayed and you miss a connection on which your ticket is only valid, you could be in trouble. You may have to change seats during the journey, but the flip side is you can save up to £100 on some fares. “There are so many permutations
Transpennine Express has begun operating its services using its new Nova fleet of trains
that people get confused and end up buying the most expensive ticket.” Jon Bolger, who runs the Equilibrium consultancy, says he winces when he sees queues of business people at his local station buying the most expensive
118 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
buyingbusinesstravel.com
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