MPs call for an end to peak time fare rises and greater transparency about use of public subsidy.
In a report setting out their vision for the railway by 2020 Transport Select Committee endorses quest for a more efficient railway but raises concerns about safety, staffing and the protection of passenger interests.
Launching Rail 2020 (HC 329-1) the report of its inquiry examining government proposals to reform the railway, Louise Ellman MP, Chair of the Transport Committee said:
“The number of rail passengers has increased but train companies’ unit costs have not come down. The Government wants to reduce the cost of the railway to taxpayers, but it must not do so by ramping up fares which can be complex and are often very expensive. Ministers must urgently set out a long-term policy on fares and rule out using higher fares to reduce peak demand for train services.
“There are good economic, social and environmental reasons for the Government to provide a £4 billion subsidy to the railway, but to drive efficiency savings across the sector the Government and the regulator must shine a light on complacent management, waste and profiteering by ensuring greater transparency in the finances of the rail industry.
“It is vital we know far more about how public money is spent so that there is confidence it does not leak out of the system in the form of unjustified profits. The Government should publish and consult on a clear statement of what the subsidy is for and where it should be targeted. Commercial confidentiality should not be used to block legitimate requirements for information.”
The Committee supports the McNulty Report’s general approach to achieving substantial savings. But it considers his target to save £3.5 billion by 2018/19 to be challenging and expresses specific concerns about safety, staffing and the protection of passengers' interests. Commenting on this Louise Ellman added:
“If train operating companies do not realise substantial efficiency savings over the next five years, then the case for more far-reaching structural changes to the industry will become compelling. Changes to the numbers and duties of station staff should not be pursued solely to reduce costs or at the expense of passenger safety or service quality. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) should also monitor safety where Network Rail and train operating companies have formed alliances, ensuring these arrangements reflect the interests of taxpayers and passengers”.
The report does not focus on the lessons of the West Coast Mainline
Franchise debacle* but the MPs make some recommendations about rail franchises, to influence the current government review. In particular, the Committee sees merit in continuing with longer rail franchises but suggests the Government explores options for reviewing contracts every five year and looks at spreading premium payments over the full length of each franchise contract. MPs also recommend that franchises which need to be re-let soon should be tendered on the basis of medium-term franchises of seven to ten years’ duration, to avoid holding up the whole process.
The Committee calls on the Department for Transport to consider delegating the letting and management of rail franchises to an arms-length body with more commercial expertise than the Department has at its own disposal. It also suggests that franchises should be designed to deliver wider policy objectives such as the promotion of sustainable end-to-end journeys, the quality of the passenger experience, or economic development.
Speaking about future franchising, Louise Ellman said, “Confidence in the DfT has been badly shaken by the collapse of the West Coast Main Line franchise. We are not convinced that the DfT as currently structured is best placed both to set rail policy and deliver the detailed work required to run each franchise competition. A new arms-length franchising body could employ staff with the appropriate specialist and commercial skills required to let and manage effective franchise contracts. However, ministers must remain fully accountable to Parliament for the railway.”
The Transport Committee has set out its own vision for the railway, including:
- Clarity about the purpose and effectiveness of rail subsidies.
- A clear link between policy on rail and other aspects of transport policy, for example a focus on sustainable end-to-end journeys
- A strategic approach to policy-making which does not sacrifice democratic accountability, takes passenger interests more clearly into account, upholds safety standards and develops a strategy for improving the security of the rail network.
- Greater transparency about the costs of rail (and the assumptions underpinning the Department for Transport's analysis of the ratio of taxpayer to farepayer funding on different types of rail service), to ensure that new investment, operator alliances, profit or wastage levels and various forms of franchise can be better compared and evaluated.
- More modern, flexible fares and ticketing options and a clear long-term policy on regulated fares that rules out even higher fares for commuters on peak time trains.
- A strong single economic regulator for the rail industry with capacity and credibility to deliver savings across the board
- Effective industry leadership via the Rail Delivery Group, scrutinised closely by the regulator to ensure that this strategic body acts in the best interests of the farepayer and taxpayer, rather than simply of established rail interests.
- Devolution for some rail franchises, such as the Northern franchise, to local or regional bodies.
The Committee recommends that the Rail Delivery Group, made up of senior industry leaders, should spearhead the swift implementation of innovative ticketing technology and work with Passenger Focus to develop a clear strategy for improving retail facilities on stations and trains.
MPs also warn the rail regulator it must ensure that alliances between Network Rail and train operators don’t disadvantage rail freight. Likewise the regulator must take a cautious approach to approving the sale or redevelopment of former railway land in case such resources may be required for rail in future.
* the committee plans to issue a further report in due course examining franchising including lessons from the west coast mainline franchises debacle.
Oh, daddy, when did the London Underground open?
On Thursday, January 10, the London Underground is 150 years old. It is a fantastic milestone, the anniversary of the world’s first underground railway and the only one ever to have been operated by steam. The first line, between Praed Street and Farringdon was operated by the Metropolitan Railway, which has given its name to this wonderfully effective mode of transport that has ensured, in many ways, that cities retain their integrity and their density. The Underground’s amazing influence on London, its instant popularity, its rapid spread and its remarkable safety record are all to be celebrated and, indeed, I will be giving two talks on Thursday at separate events to make the occasion. And on Sunday 13th, there will be a special steam ride along the Circle Line which will clearly give a few passing tourists a bit of a surprise.
However, there is one slightly irritating aspect of the celebrations. For some reason, Transport for London has hooked on the idea that January 9th is the key date. There was, indeed, a train with MPs and dignitaries, and a banquet at Farringdon station, on January 9th 1863, but the official opening was the following day when more than 30,000 Londoners travelled, for free, on the railway that was just under five miles long. Why TfL has chosen to celebrate a bigwigs booze up rather than the real openning of the world’s first mass transit system is something of a mystery. Is it, perhaps, reflective of these elitist times? Diamond Geezer, a great name for a blog, has clarified it in much more detail – scroll down http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1
Book plug: My book, The Subterranean Railway, how the Underground changed London, has just been updated and reprinted for the anniversary, but is still a bargain at £9 99. Email me via this site Christian Wolmar if you want a signed copy
Siemens
Beijing opens world's longest CBTC-based metro line.
With Siemens technology automated Line 10 commences operation.
Munich, Germany, 2013-Jan-02
57 kilometers in length, Line 10 of the Beijing Subway welcomed its first passengers at the end of December. Siemens fitted both the line and the on-board equipment for 84 trains with the Trainguard MT train protection system. The Line 10 is now the world's longest metro line equipped with CBTC (Communication Based Train Control). "We'd already shown what our automation technology could do during the expansion of the metro lines in Guangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing. We're proud to be a reliable infrastructural partner, making a major contribution to improving Beijing's traffic situation," said Jürgen Brandes, Head of Siemens' Rail Automation Business Unit.
With around 336 kilometers of track, Beijing's subway network is China's second longest. The extended Line 10 forms part of the outer subway loop, linking the north-west to the south-east of the city. The first section of Line 10 opened for business at the start of the Olympic Games in 2008. The newly opened second section, which comprises around 30 kilometers of track and 21 stations, now also connects the south-western districts of Beijing to the subway network. The ring closure of the line is planned for spring 2013. The extended link is designed to accommodate some two million passengers daily, significantly easing the load on the city's transport network.
Line 10 has been fitted with the automatic train protection system Trainguard MT by Siemens. This permits optimum train sequencing commensurate with passenger levels and maximum safety, reliability and availability for metro operations. Data is transferred continuously between the metro line and the train via Airlink. The CBTC-system controls the trains on Line 10 according to the moving block principle within absolute braking distances. Thanks to integrated, automatic running and braking control (Automatic Train Operation - ATO), the train runs smoothly and energy efficient, stops precisely in front of the platform doors, issues an order for synchronous opening of the platform screen doors and enables a punctual passenger operation. Trainguard MT requires less trackside equipment, such as signals and block signaling systems, than conventional train protection systems. This results in lower installation and maintenance costs, and in turn reduces the demand for spare parts.
The CBTC-solution Trainguard MT is the most extensively deployed automatic train control system and is used by more than 20 metro operators around the world. The Chinese cities of Beijing, Guangzhou and Nanjing each have two metro lines which are equipped with Trainguard MT, while this system has also been installed on the line linking Guangzhou and Foshan. This year, Siemens won the contract to equip lines in Suzhou, Chongqing and Dongguan. China is the world's most ambitious country in terms of rail investment, and is planning to build 85 new mass transit lines by 2015 with a total length of more than 2,700 kilometers in over 30 cities.
You can find the press release online at: www.siemens.com/mobility-logistics/press/pressreleases
Line 10 has been fitted with the automatic train protection system Trainguard MT by Siemens. This permits optimum train sequencing commensurate with passenger levels and maximum safety, reliability and availability for metro operations. Data is transferred continuously between the metro line and the train via Airlink. The CBTC-system controls the trains on Line 10 according to the moving block principle within absolute braking distances. Thanks to integrated, automatic running and braking control (Automatic Train Operation - ATO), the train runs smoothly and energy efficient, stops precisely in front of the platform doors, issues an order for synchronous opening of the platform screen doors and enables a punctual passenger operation. Trainguard MT requires less trackside equipment, such as signals and block signaling systems, than conventional train protection systems. This results in lower installation and maintenance costs, and in turn reduces the demand for spare parts.
The CBTC-solution Trainguard MT is the most extensively deployed automatic train control system and is used by more than 20 metro operators around the world. The Chinese cities of Beijing, Guangzhou and Nanjing each have two metro lines which are equipped with Trainguard MT, while this system has also been installed on the line linking Guangzhou and Foshan. This year, Siemens won the contract to equip lines in Suzhou, Chongqing and Dongguan. China is the world's most ambitious country in terms of rail investment, and is planning to build 85 new mass transit lines by 2015 with a total length of more than 2,700 kilometers in over 30 cities.
You can find the press release online at: www.siemens.com/mobility-logistics/press/pressreleases
International Railway Journal
THE Czech and Slovak governments are considering plans to merge state-owned railfreight operators CD Cargo and ZSSK Cargo in an effort to improve their financial position and protect them from potential takeover bids..
ITALIAN Railway Network (RFI) has awarded a €176m contract to supply and install electrical and mechanical equipment on the Treviglio – Brescia high-speed line to Consorzio Saturno, a consortium of Ansaldo STS, Alstom, Balfour Beatty Rail, and Sirti.
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Rail supplier updates from CalAmp, Siemens, Ansaldo, PowerRail and Bentley Systems (Jan. 4)
www.railway-technology.com Updates
A joint venture (JV) led by Aecom Technology has secured a $43.3m contract from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to carry out advanced preliminary design services for the first phase of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) Green Line light rail extension in Boston, US.
Siemens has delivered a communication-based train control (CBTC) system on the 57km Metro Line 10 in Beijing, China.
The company has equipped the Trainguard MT automatic train protection system on the new Line 10 as well as on-board equipment for 84 trains.
Siemens said the system allows optimum train sequencing based on passenger levels while ensuring maximum safety, reliability and availability for metro operations.
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has awarded a SAR270m ($72m) contract to US-based Fluor to provide management consultancy for the $7bn railway project linking the cities of Riyadh and Jeddah.
Fluor will oversee the work, including the engineering designs, setting implementation strategies and the initial operation of the project, over a period of 84 months.
The company will partner with Parsons Brinckerhoff to review the project's engineering designs.
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