A REVISED franchise timetable announced by the transport secretary has been welcomed by the Association of Train Operating Companies, but the largest rail union has condemned the new plans as a ‘rip-off’.Philip Hammond has reduced the length of the First Capital Connect franchise, and extended others. He has also accepted that East Coast cannot now return to private sector operation before the end of 2013.
The transport secretary said the changes were being made to provide ‘clarity to the market’.
He explained: “In producing this timetable, I have had regard to the impact on bidders and their sub-contractors of trying to compete for too many franchises at once, and the likely reduction in value for money to the taxpayer that would result. “
The present FCC franchise will now end in September 2013, almost three years early
Mr Hammond’s new timetable means that Great Western and Thameslink (currently First Capital Connect) have been brought forward (by 35 months and 18 months respectively), the next Northern and TransPennine Express can now have a simultaneous start date of April 2014, while two other franchises (East Coast and Greater Anglia) have been extended.
In at least one case, Mr Hammond’s hand has been forced: FirstGroup has already announced that it will surrender the Great Western franchise in 2013. The group therefore avoids paying more than £800 million in premiums which would have been due in the last three years of the original contract.
Three franchise replacements – West Coast, South Eastern and Essex Thameside (currently c2c) – remain unchanged. However, talks are continuing over whether Virgin Trains should continue to operate West Coast between March 2012 – its original expiry date – and December, with the Department for Transport’s own operator Directly Operated Railways poised to step in to fill the gap if necessary.
ATOC, which has been calling for less restrictive franchises, welcomed Mr Hammond’s announcement.
The Association’s chief executive Michael Roberts said: “The next few years present a chance to improve fundamentally how the railways are run. On the right terms, longer and less prescriptive franchises would give train companies more opportunity to invest in improvements, respond more quickly to passengers’ needs and reduce costs.
“We welcome the government’s commitment to a horses for courses approach to franchising. The secretary of state rightly recognises the scale of work ahead to translate principle into practice – his announcement will allow the government and bidders alike to plan how best to respond.”
However, the RMT union dubbed the transport secretary’s plans a ‘rail franchise rip-off’, particularly as the next round of franchises are expected to last longer.
The Lancashire railway station featured in the film Brief Encounter should be added to the West Coast Mainline, a Conservative MP has told parliament.
David Morris said adding Carnforth to the route would boost the local economy.
Mr Morris, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, said the local community would raise funds for the project. The station, which was restored in 2003, was last used as a mainline stop in 1970. It was reopened as a refreshment room and visitor centre by the local community.
In a Commons debate, Mr Morris said stations like Carnforth could be added to the mainline if high-speed rail was brought to northern England.
He said trains currently stop at Carnforth in the morning and evening for cleaning, but no passengers are allowed on.
He added: “We will raise our own funds for our project – that is unheard of but we can do this. “We’ve already rebuilt the station from a shell and we can relay the platforms. This is the Big Society in its highest form – to integrate with an infrastructure network that has been serving our country for over 100 years.”
Transport minister Norman Baker said it was vital to consider whether a stop at Carnforth would work “operationally and commercially”.
He added: “Initial analysis from the department suggests that a call at Carnforth would require a stop at another station to be deleted, so a potential gain at Carnforth would result in a disbenefit to passengers at other stations along the route.”
He also warned that overall journey times would be increased by five minutes.
The historic station was made famous in the 1945 romantic film starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard.
The largest model railway in the world and one of the most successful permanent exhibitions in Northern Germany.
The Miniatur Wunderland has been constantly growing since the year 2001. Having started with two layout areas, Harz and Southern Germany, the Wunderland has openend the seventh area, Switzerland, in November 2007. More layout areas have already been planned until the year 2014.
The Model itself covers 6,400m², has 12,000 metres of track, 890 Trains with the longest measuring in at 14.51 metres. Couple this with 3,500 bridges and buildings, 200,000 figures, 215,000 trees and 300,000 lights and you can see why it is a World Record holder. Current estimates show that the model thus far has taken 500,000 manhours to construct and costs so far have reached 10,000,000 Euro’s.
This blog has been designed to allow me to post news & stories from the Railways, both real and model. I also intend to share a few stories from my work as a Revenue Protection Officer along the way.
The opinions expressed on this blog are exclusively mine and in no way, shape or form reflect the opinions of my employer.
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