Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the Strategic Rail Authority on 25 October 2001.

The Strategic Rail Authority today published a notice containing the draft of an enforcement order, as well as details of a proposed penalty, to be made against Arriva Trains Northern Limited (ATN). This follows extensive service disruption in recent months on the wide ranging North of England operation. Around 1000 trains a week have regularly been cancelled over the May to September period this year.

The SRA will consider any representations which are made during the 26 day consultation period, which starts today, on the proposed enforcement order and penalty. The SRA proposes to levy a penalty of £2 million in relation to ATN’s cancelled trains in respect of the period from May to August and to make the proposed order in respect of train cancellations during September / October so as to ensure that ATN recruits and trains sufficient drivers to enable it to provide its timetabled services. In the event that the order, when made, is breached, ATN will be required to pay an amount of £5,000 per driver per calendar month below the agreed target. The SRA expects that the penalty and the enforcement order will be imposed on ATN in late November.

SRA Chief Executive Mike Grant said,

“Passengers on this intensive regional network have suffered an unacceptable level of cancellations in recent months. ATN has until 19 November to convince me that it is operating, and will continue to operate, a proper service. If performance does not improve, the company faces the possibility of further serious sanctions including, ultimately, franchise termination”.

ATN and other interested parties can make representations to the SRA about the proposed enforcement order and penalty, by 19 November 2001. The SRA will require Arriva Trains Northern to display copies of the order at every station that it serves.

Separate from today’s enforcement order, the SRA and PTEs have agreed a service mitigation plan with the company. This permits ATN to remove temporarily an average of 1000 services per week (Mon-Sat) with effect from 29 October 2001 to 24 February 2002. During these 4 months, ATN will be required to operate and publicise details of substitute bus services in the areas of the network affected.

In return for this permission, Arriva Trains Northern must fund passenger benefits to the value of £250,000 per four week Period for the duration of the plan. The service reduction has been permitted for this limited period to provide passengers with greater certainty about which services will be operating, and to enable focus on recruitment and training of drivers.

The press release issued by the Strategic Rail Authority on 26 November 2001.

The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) and BAA plc have today agreed to commission feasibility work aimed at upgrading the West Anglia railway link from Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport and Cambridge to accommodate expected future airport and domestic passenger growth.

The work, which BAA is supporting to the tune of £500,000 will initially consider infrastructure requirements beyond the signal renewal work already underway in light of potential demand for the Stansted Express and commuter services and the impact of the development of Stratford and the Channel Tunnel rail link.

Mike Grant, the SRA’s Chief Executive, welcomed today’s announcement:

“Rail Links to airports form an important part of the SRA’s future strategy for the railways.

“The Stansted Express has been successful, with an increase in services in recent years to cope with a marked modal shift from road to rail.

“BAA’s involvement in developing the West Anglia line is most welcome. We have a common aim to further improve services for all users of this route, whose success is closely linked to that of Stansted Airport where ambitious extension plans are being pursued. There is still a long way to go to identify the right enhancement and secure funding but this is a useful first step.”

BAA Stansted Managing Director, John Stent, said:

“BAA is delighted to be working with the SRA on this important study. We have lodged a planning application to grow Stansted to about twenty five million passengers a year. The study sees how we can improve service standards for everyone in the coming years and also looks longer term to ensure that capacity will be in place should the full potential of Stansted’s existing runway ever be realised.

This may be a one off opportunity to enhance the capacity of the line because Railtrack are undertaking substantial maintenance work on it, and it should not be missed. We are playing our part in supporting the SRA. We have earmarked a further £1.5 million toward the completion of the future design if we find there is a viable enhancement scheme. We have also indicated our willingness to fund, on a commercial basis, airport related elements including a second tunnel if and when that proves necessary.”

Notes to Editors

1. The West Anglia route is heavily congested, and demand for services is expected to increase still further in the future, with projected increases coming from both airport and commuting services. The SRA’s West Anglia Route Modernisation Enhancements (WARM(E), project is designed to provide significant capacity and other performance improvements on this route.

2. The SRA has contracted £1 million with Railtrack for initial design and costing on certain options for WARM(E), and for provision to be made for possible enhancement as renewals are carried out. The work programme covers a number of enhancement options, including:

• Additional tracks between Tottenham Hale – Brimsdown
• Additional platforms at Liverpool Street
• Additional capacity at Cambridge Station
• Line speed and other performance improvements
• Development of services to Stratford

The press release issued by the Strategic Rail Authority on 28 November 2001.

Sir Alastair Morton announced today that he will relinquish the chair of the Strategic Rail Authority this Friday, 30 November to enable Richard Bowker to succeed him on 1 December.

He said:

“I want to facilitate Richard’s arrival now he is available. I am pleased he is succeeding me and I wish him every success in a task that will not be easy. He knows the industry and has the talent and energy the situation demands. He will need, however, to get ministers and officials to back off and let the SRA raise its game and do its job.

“Most of our rail problems are structural and deep-seated. We have scarcely begun to reverse the legacy of decades of under-investment, and short-term remedies will achieve little. My vision of the future and my strategic recommendations are on Stephen Byers’ desk, not in the draft Strategic Plan awaiting Richard Bowker. That has been prepared by the SRA as Ministers wished – to fit within the resources available from the Government’s 10 Year Plan. At intervals since 7 June, but particularly since 7 October, I have advised Stephen Byers to restructure both Railtrack and the overall regulatory system, and then the public funding of a public service that can only be delivered adequately if an SRA-led government policy attracts private sector capital and management into partnership with it.

“I leave to Richard the tasks of reconciling structure to reality, resources to needs and, more immediately, of imparting direction and urgency to the restructuring and remanaging of Railtrack. That ought to be the major justification for and consequence of government pushing it into administration. Little of long-term structural significance has happened there in nearly two months since 7 October. The industry is drifting.

“I did not take this job as a career move after the successful completion of the Channel Tunnel, but to help improve an essential public service. I thank all those who have helped and advised me, particularly Mike Grant who has proved a tirelessly efficient guardian of the public interest at its interface with the private sector. There are many good people in and near the railway industry working hard to deliver what people want and need, but they are as frustrated as I am by its structure and by short-term responses to its long-term needs. No strategy will succeed unless it first deals with those fundamentals. I wish Richard Bowker luck, health and strength in addressing them.”

The press release issued by the Strategic Rail Authority on 29 November 2001.

The Strategic Rail Authority today responded to Transport for London’s call for a new ‘Transit Authority. The SRA is already working closely with TfL to plan rail services in London, and has established a joint company – Cross London Rail Links Ltd – to take forward major projects.

The SRA does not believe that a Transit Authority for London, as outlined by TfL, is necessary, but does support closer integration and joint planning of the surface, Underground, light rail and bus systems. The Authority believes that rail planning for the national rail network in and around London should be undertaken strategically in the interests of passengers and freight customers as a whole, rather than being determined by political boundaries.

Speaking at a conference on Rail in London today, SRA Chief Executive, Mike Grant said:

“London is at the heart of the national rail network. London’s railways are not a Transit network, but a mixed use network for freight, local, regional, long distance and international passenger services. London’s rail routes connect Scotland, the North of England and the Midlands with the Channel Tunnel and the major ports.

“London’s ‘travel to work area’ extends well beyond the GLA boundary, which excludes key centres such as Watford, Gatwick Airport and Basildon, and the boundary itself has little relevance to passengers.

“The creation of a Transit Authority would require legislation and would involve delay and added complexity. I sense that passengers and London’s businesses want us to deliver improvements sooner rather than later – and to do more besides. I do not think they want to wait for yet more regulatory change, particularly when so much can be achieved through working together and making sensible use of the existing structure. We have to provide a better service to London’s passengers through collaborative working between SRA and TfL. We should focus on delivery, and not add to the uncertainty and risk by further changes in structure and regulation within London.”

The press release issued by the Strategic Rail Authority on 3 December 2001.

Richard Bowker today takes up his post as the new Chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority. He takes over from Sir Alastair Morton, who led the organisation in shadow form from April 1999, and chaired the SRA from its formal establishment in February this year.

On taking up his responsibilities, Richard Bowker said:

“I take over today against a backdrop of a railway that has lost both confidence in itself and the confidence of those who rely upon it to deliver service every day. In particular the present uncertainty over the future of Railtrack requires to be resolved as quickly as possible. My focus will therefore be two fold. First, to restore stability, as well as the confidence that we can, as an industry, deliver the basics safely and effectively, day in, day out. Second, and in parallel, design and implement a vision for the railway that we all want and deserve.

“The Strategic Plan is the starting point of this process. It is well advanced and requires just a little more work to refine it and underwrite its delivery, as well as incorporate my views and aspirations for the railway of the future. It will be published on 14th January 2002. A New Year signifying a new beginning.

“We have first to recognise that the railways of this country exist primarily to serve the needs of passengers and freight users and it is our job at the SRA to show strong leadership and direction in delivering this. It is also essential that we demonstrate an early start to the huge task ahead and I shall be announcing a number of ‘quick wins’, all designed to make the railway deliver more effectively, over the next few weeks and months.

“Tomorrow, I can announce a first step along that road, when, with the Scottish Transport Minister, Wendy Alexander, I shall be starting work on a new rail link for Edinburgh, designed to relieve traffic congestion.

“On Thursday, with the Secretary of State and the Mayor, we will be starting work on the extension of the East London Line.

We shall shortly set out how we intend to take forward the refranchising programme.

“My messages for the four key groups of railway stakeholders are:

For passengers and freight customers – your interests lie at the heart of all we do. It will take time for all the improvements to come through, but we are determined to deliver them. Where we can bring in some ‘quick wins’ to help you, we shall do so.

For local, regional and national government – we are determined to deliver what we have promised – a bigger, better, safer railway capable of playing a larger role in meeting local, regional, national and international transport needs. Our commitment is to the whole of Great Britain, although our responsibility is to say where the priorities should be at any one time.

For the rail industry – the opportunities are huge, and after so many setbacks, this may be our last chance to seize them. We want industry partners with the vision and the willingness to be long term players, and we recognise the need for investors and risk takers to be appropriately rewarded.

For rail staff – I really respect the resilience and dedication of so many who have worked to provide services under difficult conditions. Your role in delivering the new railway is essential, and investment in people has got to go along with investment in new infrastructure or equipment.

“I have taken this job because I passionately believe in the role the railway can and must play in delivering an effective national transport infrastructure. I believe we can rise to the challenge but the atmosphere of division, argument and blame which has characterised relationships in the railway in recent times must be consigned to the history books. Leadership and partnership are the keys. The SRA will take up the leadership challenge, all of us involved in the railways must focus on working to the same common objective. It can be done and I believe we are up to the challenge. The journey back begins in earnest today”.

Notes to Editors:

Biographical Details

Richard Bowker is 35. He joined London Underground Ltd as a graduate finance trainee in 1989. He qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant in 1993.

He moved to financial consultant Babcock and Brown Ltd in 1996 and was seconded to Virgin Rail Group in 1997. In 1999 he helped set up Quasar Associated Ltd, a small asset and project finance advisory business specialising in rail industry commercial and financing work.

Since September 2000 Mr Bowker has been Commercial Director for the Virgin Group of Companies, with specific responsibility for the transport sector of the Group, notably Virgin Rail Group, of which he was Co-Chairman.

Terms of Appointment

Mr Bowker’s appointment as SRA Chairman will be for 5 years. It will be a full time appointment. His basic salary has been agreed as £250,000 per annum with pension and potential for a performance bonus of up to £50,000.

Strategic Rail Authority

The Strategic Rail Authority is a non-departmental public body, established under the Transport Act 2000. It is responsible for:

• Promoting the use of the railway network for the carriage of passengers and goods;
• Securing the development of the railway network; and
• Contributing to the development of an integrated system of transport for passengers and goods.

The press release issued by the Strategic Rail Authority on 5 December 2001.

Rail Project will be major boost for transport and jobs in the capital

Secretary of State for Transport Stephen Byers, Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London and Richard Bowker, new Chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) today welcomed the start of work on the northern extension of the East London Line (ELL).

This phase of work will see the ELL extended from Whitechapel, via new stations at Bishopsgate, Hoxton, Haggerston and Dalston, to link with national rail network lines towards Highbury & Islington and Finsbury Park. Powers have also recently been granted by the Secretary of State to extend the East London southwards in two directions running towards Wimbledon, Crystal Palace and West Croydon. Work on all lines is scheduled for completion by 2006.

Stephen Byers, Ken Livingstone, and Richard Bowker attended a start-of-construction ceremony at the site of the new station in Dalston. They were welcomed by Paul Godier, new Managing Director of London Underground Limited (LUL).

Speaking at the ceremony, Stephen Byers said:

“This is the first step towards this new line which will not only bring much needed investment to the capital but will also help to ease congestion on existing Tube and rail lines.

“The northern extension will mean people from Hackney and Dalston will no longer have to use a combination of buses and the Victoria line to travel to the centre of the capital.”

Welcoming the start of work, Ken Livingstone said:

“Today heralds the start of a long overdue new phase of rail construction, the like of which has not been seen since Victorian times. This northern extension of the ELL will play a crucial role in bringing new jobs and prosperity to north-east London.

“It will be followed by other major projects including CrossRail and, in the longer term, the Hackney-South West tube line. My aim is to increase London’s rail capacity by 40 per cent over the next ten years.”

Richard Bowker, Chairman of the SRA, said:

“I am delighted, in my first week as Chairman of the SRA, to be marking the start of works on the East London Line extension – a key project to ease congestion and boost regeneration in the Capital. One of my key aims in the short term is to bring the various stakeholders in the railway industry more closely together, and the East London Line partnership between the SRA, London Underground and Transport for London is a great example to build on.”

Commenting, LUL’s Paul Godier said:

“The commencement of this project is excellent news for London and its regeneration. It will serve areas of the capital which at present are poorly served by public transport, and will be closely integrated with the Tube network.

“The project will bring many opportunities to commuters, businesses and tourists. It will help ease congestion on a number of routes around north-east London, with significantly quicker journeys to central London and the City.”

London’s Transport Commissioner, Bob Kiley, welcomed the integrated approach taken by Transport for London (TfL), the SRA, the Government and LUL to get this work underway.

Mr Kiley said:

“Effective, properly-planned transport links are vital for London. This ELL has a key part to play in creating an ‘Orbirail’ system for London, providing Metro-style services around central London. It is refreshing to see such a concrete example of the results of co-operation.”

The press release issued by the Strategic Rail Authority on 14 January 2002.

Delivering improvements for Wales’ railway

A Plan for the future of the railways is published today by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), setting out a series of measures to improve Britain’s railway and ensure the Government’s growth targets are met. The Plan outlines how improvements for passenger and freight customers will be delivered in the short and medium term, contributing to the aspirations of the Welsh Assembly Government’ Transport Framework, as well as setting out long term ideas for the next decade.

The Plan has the full backing of the Government, which has increased public funding for the railway by £4.5 billion compared with the allocation in the Ten Year Transport Plan. It is the first time in almost 50 years that a plan has been created designed to lead to expansion of the railway. The SRA itself will be restructured to deliver the Plan and new high level appointments were advertised yesterday, including a Chief Operating Officer to ensure a focus on immediate delivery and performance.

Launching the Plan, the SRA’s new Chairman, Richard Bowker, said

“This Strategic Plan marks the line in the sand, it is the point at which we say enough is enough and begin the journey to deliver a railway fit for the 21st Century. But, we recognise that medium and long term aims are not enough. The railway has many current problems and we will take all the steps we can to bring about the earliest improvements for rail users.

“The input to the Plan from Sue Essex and her team has been most helpful. The Strategic Plan outlines the mechanism for the delivery of improved commuter services in the South Wales, faster and more frequent links with London and England’s major cities, more and better trains for the rural communities and the expansion of rail freight. As a key step, the process of letting the Wales and Borders franchise will now be moving apace.

“£400 million has been allocated to a special GB wide Rail Performance fund set up to co-invest with rail companies in short term schemes to improve reliability for passengers. A National Rail Academy is being developed to boost the training of staff in core railway skills. A £430m GB wide fund for local passenger improvements is included in the Strategic Plan, as is funding for freight facilities designed to move freight from road to rail”.

Richard Bowker said.

“This Plan offers for the first time stability, clarity and predictability for future projects and their timescales, enabling all participants in the industry to plan and resource effectively. It is practical and deliverable. It takes the policy objectives established in the Government’s Ten Year Transport Plan and sets out a quantified, prioritised programme to deliver those objectives. It demonstrates a commitment to safety, and a determination to attract and keep more passengers and freight customers.

“We must invest in the people who keep Britain’s railways moving. I want to see fewer accountants, fewer lawyers and fewer consultants, but more engineers, more operators, more project managers and especially more young graduates and school leavers joining an industry with a future”.

The Plan sets out the SRA’s vision for Britain’s railway where:

• sufficient trains run with sufficient frequency to meet growing passenger demand
• performance is better and stable, so that passengers and freight users can plan with confidence
• staff are trained, motivated, attentive and helpful
• the whole journey experience is vastly improved so that, from departure door to destination door, passengers are treated like the valuable customers are
• the stations are safe and welcoming with adequate parking and integration with other modes
• the trains reliable and clean, the journey predictable and relaxing
• there is overall a safe, reliable and value for money product throughout the UK

Richard Bowker concluded:

“The Plan is based on a railway that is in the private sector with public accountability and control exercised through the Strategic Rail Authority. The railway industry must urgently address the problems which face it, including the strikes which have caused such misery since the New Year. And, with the industry, the SRA will find effective solutions. Nothing can be allowed to get in the way of regeneration of our railway. The prize for success will be a system that meets our needs better and better each year. We will get there”.

The highlights of the Strategic Plan are summarised in the attached Annexe.

Annexe

Highlights of the Strategic Plan for Wales

Objectives

The objective of the Strategic Plan is to deliver the Government’s objectives set for the SRA. The primary objectives are to deliver by 2010:

• 50% increase in passenger kilometres
• reduction in overcrowding which breaches the SRA’s standards.
• 80% increase in freight tonne-kilometres.

The plan also meets where possible SRA’s other priorities set by Government, including better integration with other transport modes, expansion of capacity, promotion of the use of the railway network and encouragement of its use.

The priorities have been developed taking into account the Welsh Assembly Government’s Transport Framework, and dialogue with the Rail Passengers’ Committee for Wales and local authorities.

The SRA made representations to the consultation draft of the Wales Spatial Plan issued in September 2001.

Priorities

The plan sets clear priorities based on the need for mandatory safety improvements, emerging information about European Union requirements on interoperability and the cost of improving accessibility in line with the Disability Discrimination Act. It also takes account of the constraints of the specialist rail engineering resources available, and the need for schemes to represent value for money for taxpayers. In particular, the schemes are based on the need to stabilise the industry and improve performance, and on meeting the Government objectives set out in the Ten Year Transport Plan and those of the National Assembly of Wales, set out in their Transport Framework document. These priorities are reflected in the investment programme and the allocation of SRA financial support. The highlights for the short, medium and long terms are set out below.

Short Term (to 2005)

• The principal development for the short term will be letting of the Wales & Borders franchise.
• RPP-funded additional rolling stock on Taff Corridor to alleviate overcrowding, building on recent re-signalling funded by SWIFT. (implemented January 2002).
• 34 four-car CrossCountry Voyager trains to replace all loco-hauled services by May 2002. Progressive introduction of new trains, delivering extra services, including new services between Cardiff, Newport, the Midlands, the North of England and Scotland
• Testing of first of 44 tilting five-car Super Voyager trains, which will deliver faster journey times and more through services between North Wales and London.
• Wessex Class 158 trains (for Cardiff – Portsmouth service) – new air conditioned units; class 158 and 150 trains – sanders to improve performance and safety, particularly during leaf fall season.
• Central Trains phase two class 170 modification programme begun, to improve reliability of the fleet, and new air conditioning units on class 158 vehicles (170s and 158s operate on Cardiff – Nottingham service).
• Selective increased frequencies on the Cardiff Valleys networks.
• Strengthening of morning services Barry Island to Aberdare.
• Proposed reintroduction of passenger services to Ebbw Vale, a joint project being examined with the Welsh Assembly Government.
• Infrastructure improvements on Chester to Shrewsbury line to provide reduced journey times.
• Infrastructure improvements at Barry, Bangor and Chester to improve operational efficiency.
• Increasing capacity on the Swansea West Loop to improve operational efficiency and increase capacity.
• The SRA and the Welsh Assembly Government are providing a total of £14.5m for the reopening of the Vale of Glamorgan line to passenger traffic in 2003, providing stations at Rhoose (to serve Cardiff International Airport) and Llantwit Major and higher line speed for freight services. This project is funded through the Rail Passenger Partnership scheme.
• SRA is looking into possibility for new rolling stock for the Great Western route before 2006.
• RPP-funded station improvements at Haverfordwest
• £30m investment by Virgin West Coast in improving reliability, quality of passenger experience and maintenance provision.
• 125 mph operation (present top speed is 110 mph) for VWC services by May 2003, giving reduced journey times to and from mid and north Wales.
• Virgin West Coast infrastructure upgrade and renewal works to deliver increased capacity, high fast and slow line speeds, improved reliability and performance.
• A number of FGW stations in Wales will transfer to the Wales and Borders franchise this year.

Medium Term (2005-2010)

The medium term strategy is to deliver the growth targets set in the Government’s Ten Year Plan and to provide more capacity to relieve passenger overcrowding. Highlights of the projects required are:

• Line speed improvements on the Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury line.
• Increased passenger and freight capacity on the Newport to Crewe line.
• Improved gauge clearance in the Great Western main line to Cardiff for freight trains.
• Much of the signalling and track on the Great Western Main Line must be renewed over the next 10 years. Where signalling renewal takes place, this may provide an opportunity to enhance capacity and operational resilience at key locations, and also to replace the existing Automatic Train Protection system with the new ERTMS train control system on the high speed lines used by FGW. Considerable development work is needed on this proposal and will be taken forward in the short term.
• Key issues for the future Great Western franchise in the period after 2006, to which any new franchisee would have to pay attention, will include:
  

  – Additional incentives for improved operational performance and customer satisfaction
  – Investment in new trains to replace the FGW HST fleet
  – Additional train services, with some improved journey times
  – Investment in new and existing stations, car parks, depot and customer service.

Long Term (Beyond 2010)

Beyond 2010, the role of the railways will become even more important, and the key network capacity issues will have to be addressed. In particular, this involves:

• Great Western Main Line. Development of plans, linked with track and signalling renewal for the routes from London Paddington to South Wales and the West of England.
• West Midlands/Manchester Capacity. New infrastructure in the Birmingham and Manchester conurbations will deliver more capacity with benefits for services from North and Mid Wales.

Accessibility for all

Implementation of the plan will bring significant benefits for passengers with disabilities. The highlights of the programme of improvements are:

• All new vehicles will be fully accessible, complying with the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations which are administered by DTLR.
• Additional funding to make large and medium stations accessible by 2004
• Work carried out under the small scale station improvements programme will be compliant with the SRA code of practice on access for disabled people;
• Disability Awareness training will be encouraged, and this is being reflected in new Code of Practice for train operators.