Travelling from A to B on the train is quite straight forward, as long as the line is intact (i.e. Dawlish), or that cable has not been stolen (North Warwickshire line and Turkey)
And if you want to get there more quickly, (especially on the East Coast Main Line) then privatising the line is apparently the answer.
But this answer does not seem to appeal to those in California...
Getting the right information can certainly help us on our way, but Christian Wolmar argues that train operators need to get media savvy to keep the customers satisfied...
Read on.....
Headlines..
Good progress made with controlled Dawlish landslip.(BBC News)
Study considers long-term options for Devon - Cornwall rail link - Railway Gazette
Cambrian Coast railway line to reopen fully by summer.(BBC News)
GBRJ Series 4: Dudley to Bridgnorth (BBC iPlayer)
(C) @ Boundless Productions
Engines Must Not Enter The Potato Sidings. 1969 documentary.(BBC4 Collections)
News from Babbacombe Cliff Railway (Torquay Herald Express)
Babbacombe Cliff Railway
Sheffield Supertram marks 20-year journey.(BBC News)
East Coast rail journeys 'could get faster under privatisation'.(heraldscotland)
East Coast invitation to tender released.(Global Rail News)
East Coast at York.
Two new city railway stations could cut traffic problems.(Aberdeen. The Press and Journal)
Commentary: (Californian) High-speed rail project is a train wreck.(Daily Pilot)
Major incidents of theft set back (Turkey)high-speed rail project. (Cihan Beta)
MP backs alternative speedy rail plan.(Bradford Telegraph & Argus)
Rail Business Intelligence - incisive news and analysis for the UK rail industry
BNSF - Communities - BNSF and the Environment - Fuel Efficiency
Christian Wolmar - Britain's Leading Transport Commentator.
Article first appeared on February 21st, 2014 in Rail Magazine
Rail 741: Railways must embrace the information age
Rail passengers suffer from having too little of the wrong sort of information and not enough of the right sort. We live in a digital age and expectations about information have changed radically in just a few years but the industry has, to some extent understandably, not kept pace.
I will not dwell on the wrong sort of information, as I have mentioned numerous times in this column about the ridiculous automatic announcements both on trains and at stations. While this is blamed by the operators on Transec, the very fact that some operators, like FGW, provide an excellent information service without resorting to endless messages about safety cards and not leaving luggage unattended while others – Virgin are particularly culpable, and SouthEastern too – send out an endless stream of aural garbage that alienates passengers and, oddly, is something of a safety risk suggests that there is much discretion available to the operators. Network Rail, too is guilty of this too – do we really need to be told that skateboarding is banned at Kings Cross or that CCTV is provided for your safety and security. Transec can and needs to be challenged.
No, this column is about the information that should be provided. Here the horrible word data comes into play. Data is in reality another word for information but mostly it is a stream of information that can be used for calculation and analysis of trends. The industry generates fantastic amounts of data on train performance, delays, cancellations and so on.
In the old world this was owned and controlled by British Rail and since privatisation by the train companies. For a time, this data was jealously hoarded by the train companies. We have, however, come a long way from the days when the only source of information was a call to a phone number – I even remember it by heart as 01 928 5151 – where being answered was a bonus and getting the right information a miracle. The creation of the main platform for information, national rail enquiries was a great step forward and it was right that in the early days this was provided by the train operators as a franchise requirement. At the time no one else would have been able to make a viable business case to provide the information but now things have changed. This was originally mostly a telephone service but is now mostly provided online (with all those Indian operators now thankfully no longer required to distinguish between Gillingham in Dorset and Gillingham in Kent).
The government set up a service called Transport Direct which, too, at the time seemed innovative and necessary. However, with the opening up of data together with the development of cheap technology to process data, the nature of the game has changed. Much of that data has been forced into the public domain. I use the expression ‘forced in’ because there was reluctance on the part of operators to release data as it is potentially valuable but now most is openly available.
In these days of websites and, particularly, apps, it is much more useful to the public if the information becomes widely available for free. Apps are incredibly cheap to devise and therefore app developers can provide the data in all kinds of novel ways, ensuring the public has far better access to travel information.
There is a wealth of sources of data – which goes under names like Trust, Tyrrell, NOIS etc and I could not begin to explain the interrelationship between them in a column of this size. The key point is that in order for there to be a level playing field, then all data must be available to every player. Moreover, it is real time information that is the key. People want to know what is happening NOW. One provider of a service has complained that while information on delays is instantly available, cancellation data is not. The Association of Train Operating Companies (I cannot get used to the idea it now goes by the daft name of Rail Delivery Group) deny this and say the companies have done nothing to prevent the information being available.
The matter appears to have been resolved following my intervention but there is a major issue over the provision of information on delays which Passenger Focus has rightly been complaining about this for a long time. I was discussing this issue with Nigel Harris, my esteemed editor, a few days ago and he reported how he was on a train that had stopped and long before any information was made available by the conductor, he had found out the reason for the delay and its likely length from Twitter followers. In a way, therefore, it seems that the train operators have in many instances given up trying to be on top of this. It is not uncommon to have better information on one’s phone than is provided either by departure boards or rail staff at stations.
The train operators face a choice. They can either become far more savvy at obtaining and providing information – some have become very good at using Twitter, while others are still in the information dark ages – or they can outsource the provision of the information and go into collaboration with an external provider – or even a series of them.
There is no shortage of other ways in which the operators can become more open. Take, for example, fare information. As my colleague Barry Doe mentions frequently, big savings are available to long distance travellers who buy two tickets to cover the journey. For historic reasons, fares for popular routes are often more expensive than a combination of the fares for two legs which make up the same journey. The key, though, is knowing the location of the break point used internally by the industry. This would allow people to going from A to C, to say – a ticket from A to B, please, and then one from B to C. The industry, ever worried about losing revenue, refuses to reveal this information on the grounds it is commercially confidential. Here, though, what Nigel Harris (two mentions in one column, ed) wrote about the railways in the last issue is apt. ‘Are railways a national and regional economic asset or merely a financial investment to provide income streams for owners and investors?’ I am sure my regular readers will know my answer to that question.
Commercial confidentiality is also used to prevent passenger numbers for particular trains being released. This is completely daft and hampers the provision of information by third party providers. If the number of people on a particular train is known, then people can alter their journey time accordingly. ATOC responded by saying ‘there is a difference between data which is commercially useful and data which is useful to passengers in finding a less busy train. For example, there is already plenty of data made available by the industry that fits the latter purpose – including PIXC [passengers in excess of capacity] data on loadings, ORR station usage data and the type of info London Midland uses for its Find My Seat pages.’
I am not convinced. There is no reason why the industry needs to high usage figures and this can only have a negative effect on both the industry and passengers. I cannot see what commercial advantage can be gained from such information which, in any case, would be obtainable with sufficient effort by a rival. Indeed, the anti-HS2 campaigners have managed to get quite a lot of information about loading factors on trains coming into Euston.
There has been considerable progress on the provision of data. The Office of Rail Regulation has improved immeasurably the amount of information available to the public and made it more accessible through its National Rail Trends Data Portal although I would still like to see a single table covering every year since privatisation with franchise subsidy or premiums, track access payments, and all other data relating to individual operators. However, the ‘commercial confidentiality’ block remains a bugbear. When an industry receives more than £4bn in taxpayer subsidy annually, the public is entitled to have all the information about the companies involved – for free.
Network Rail
Seamless integration of HS2 will transform Britain’s railway, says Network Rail
Network Rail has today welcomed the report of the HS2 deliverability review as a clear statement of the benefits an integrated approach could deliver for passengers, freight users and local communities.
Paul Plummer, Network Rail group strategy director, said: “HS2 will sit at the heart of Britain’s transport network, allowing us to reshape the railway in a way that incremental improvements simply cannot. That’s why we welcome the report’s recommendations and its call for an integrated approach to planning and operating the railway.
“We can deliver the biggest benefit for passengers, communities and freight if we plan for the high speed and existing lines to operate seamlessly together. This will also ensure we build upon investments we are making today, such as the Northern Hub, to improve connectivity between major towns and cities.
“The step-change in capacity that HS2 enables across the network as a whole will transform the service on existing lines, creating the space we need to meet growing demand and deliver new and better connections.
“The timetables that might operate are by no means fixed and we will soon announce a programme of engagement with passengers and stakeholders, both inside and outside the industry, to seek their views on what should be prioritised as we start to plan future services.”
Cable theft disrupts Snow Hill line passengers
Network Rail, London Midland and British Transport Police have appealed for help in tracking down cable thieves after passengers using the Snow Hill Lines between Stratford-upon-Avon, Shirley and Birmingham suffered more than 36 hours of disruption to rail services this week because of cable theft.
“We can deliver the biggest benefit for passengers, communities and freight if we plan for the high speed and existing lines to operate seamlessly together. This will also ensure we build upon investments we are making today, such as the Northern Hub, to improve connectivity between major towns and cities.
“The step-change in capacity that HS2 enables across the network as a whole will transform the service on existing lines, creating the space we need to meet growing demand and deliver new and better connections.
“The timetables that might operate are by no means fixed and we will soon announce a programme of engagement with passengers and stakeholders, both inside and outside the industry, to seek their views on what should be prioritised as we start to plan future services.”
Cable theft disrupts Snow Hill line passengers
Network Rail, London Midland and British Transport Police have appealed for help in tracking down cable thieves after passengers using the Snow Hill Lines between Stratford-upon-Avon, Shirley and Birmingham suffered more than 36 hours of disruption to rail services this week because of cable theft.
Thieves struck in the early hours of Wednesday morning (19 March) near Wood End, stealing seven separate lengths of cable including the power supply and signalling cables. Network Rail engineers worked over two nights to repair the damage with services returning to normal on Thursday evening.
Dyan Crowther, Network Rail’s route managing director, said: “I apologise to passengers for the disruption they suffered as a result of cable theft this week. We are working closely with British Transport Police to reduce cable theft on the railway and our efforts over the last few years have seen a marked drop in both the number of incidents and the resulting delays to passengers.
“However, when cable theft does happen, it is incredibly frustrating for passengers who are affected by the disruption. Cable theft is a serious criminal act and I would urge anyone who may have information on who may be responsible to contact the British Transport Police.”
Nationally, delays caused by cable theft have reduced significantly from its peak several years ago with the improvement down to a number of factors, including Network Rail and other infrastructure companies successfully lobbying for a change in legislation regarding buying and selling scrap metal and British Transport Police targeting thieves and unscrupulous scrap dealers buying stolen metal. Network Rail engineers are working with suppliers and other industries to make metal – particularly cables – harder to steal and easier to identify and are introducing new ways of working to reduce delay and fix thefts more quickly.
Terry Oliver, London Midland’s head of Snow Hill services, commented: “I sincerely apologise to passengers who were unable to travel on 19 and 20 March. This did not meet the high standard of performance and reliability I expect for passengers using the Snow Hill lines. I will be working closely with Network Rail, which has a shared obligation to deliver services to our passengers, to understand how we minimise the impact of such incidents in the future”.
Detective Inspector Kaz Miller of British Transport Police Detective added: "The theft of cable is not just an attack on the railway – it has a direct impact on the day-to-day lives of thousands of passengers with trains delayed or cancelled as a result.
“BTP has a dedicated team of officers working throughout the area to tackle this type of crime. We are also catching and prosecuting more cable thieves than ever before. However, this crime still poses a serious threat to the railway infrastructure and we will not become complacent.
“We will continue to take action and focus our resources to drive this type of crime down even further but we need your help. Did you witness anything suspicious? Do you know anyone involved in the theft of cable from the railway? If so, we want to hear from you.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact British Transport Police on Freefone 0800 40 50 40, or text 61016
Alternatively, information can be passed to the independent charity, Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.
Dyan Crowther, Network Rail’s route managing director, said: “I apologise to passengers for the disruption they suffered as a result of cable theft this week. We are working closely with British Transport Police to reduce cable theft on the railway and our efforts over the last few years have seen a marked drop in both the number of incidents and the resulting delays to passengers.
“However, when cable theft does happen, it is incredibly frustrating for passengers who are affected by the disruption. Cable theft is a serious criminal act and I would urge anyone who may have information on who may be responsible to contact the British Transport Police.”
Nationally, delays caused by cable theft have reduced significantly from its peak several years ago with the improvement down to a number of factors, including Network Rail and other infrastructure companies successfully lobbying for a change in legislation regarding buying and selling scrap metal and British Transport Police targeting thieves and unscrupulous scrap dealers buying stolen metal. Network Rail engineers are working with suppliers and other industries to make metal – particularly cables – harder to steal and easier to identify and are introducing new ways of working to reduce delay and fix thefts more quickly.
Terry Oliver, London Midland’s head of Snow Hill services, commented: “I sincerely apologise to passengers who were unable to travel on 19 and 20 March. This did not meet the high standard of performance and reliability I expect for passengers using the Snow Hill lines. I will be working closely with Network Rail, which has a shared obligation to deliver services to our passengers, to understand how we minimise the impact of such incidents in the future”.
Detective Inspector Kaz Miller of British Transport Police Detective added: "The theft of cable is not just an attack on the railway – it has a direct impact on the day-to-day lives of thousands of passengers with trains delayed or cancelled as a result.
“BTP has a dedicated team of officers working throughout the area to tackle this type of crime. We are also catching and prosecuting more cable thieves than ever before. However, this crime still poses a serious threat to the railway infrastructure and we will not become complacent.
“We will continue to take action and focus our resources to drive this type of crime down even further but we need your help. Did you witness anything suspicious? Do you know anyone involved in the theft of cable from the railway? If so, we want to hear from you.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact British Transport Police on Freefone 0800 40 50 40, or text 61016
Alternatively, information can be passed to the independent charity, Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.
Network Rail's orange army battle on second front near Dawlish
Friday 21 Mar 2014- Network Rail has sent in a second battalion of the ‘orange army’ to tackle a huge landslip that is threatening the Great Western Main Line about a mile west of Dawlish.
Rail services between Barmouth to Harlech to be restored ahead of schedule
Thursday 20 Mar 2014- Trains are set to run again between Barmouth and Harlech on 1 May as Network Rail completes the massive £10m programme of storm repairs two weeks ahead of schedule.
Rail group to map out resilience strategy for Devon and Cornwall
Wednesday 19 Mar 2014
- A rail taskforce pulling together a dozen national and regional organisations has been established, marking the launch of a high-level study that aims to protect a key rail link between Devon and Cornwall against extreme weather.
- Crossrail
- Europe’s largest infrastructure project has revealed that almost a third of Crossrail Ltd jobs are filled by women, compared to just 20% of job roles across the UK construction industry.
Crossrail is seeking to boost the representation of women working in construction, particularly in engineering roles where the UK has the lowest representation of women of any European country, with just 8.5% of engineers women.
Ailie MacAdam, Central Section Delivery Director is in charge of delivering the new tunnels and stations in central London and Docklands for the £14.8bn Crossrail project. She said:
“Crossrail is being built by some of the UK’s best construction and tunnelling engineers. Over the next 10 years, as an industry, we need to double the number of people with engineering qualifications to meet the demand for skills. To achieve that, more must be done to attract and retain young women to what is a fabulous and rewarding career. Crossrail and its contractors regularly visit London schools to run engineering workshops and to inspire the next generation of construction workers and engineers. But a joint effort is needed between schools, parents, government and industry to encourage more young people, including women to pursue a construction and engineering career.”
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