Issue - meetings

To receive an update on progress with short term rail service business planning, in the context of an update on the strength of the recovery of rail in the North.

Lead: David Hoggarth

8.1          Members received the report from the Strategic Rail Director who outlined the points in the report.

8.2          During the discussion of this item the meeting became inquorate.

8.3          Mayor Burnham expressed concern about elements of the report which he took as indicating the need for further reductions in services (compared with the base-line timetable) in subsequent financial years (years 2 and 3 of the current business planning round).

Concern was also expressed as what the requirement for workforce modernisation might mean in terms of the customer experience: both he and Members are worried about the potential for changes to impact on public confidence including the sense of safety as a result of this. 

8.4          Mayor Brabin supported Mayor Burnham’s comments: in doing so she flagged the strength of the rail recovery in the North post-pandemic, noting that the recovery was consistently stronger and faster than the national average.

8.5          Mr. Peter Kennan requested that the scope of the paper be made wider and that all partners involved in TfN are engaged with and not just those in the Rail North Partnership.

8.6          When looking at the need for efficiencies Cllr Robinson suggested that it was appropriate to consider the scope for reforms to the rolling stock leasing industry as an opportunity that needed to be explored.  He suggested that Officers should do a piece of work on this matter.  In noting the point made by Cllr Robinson the Chief Executive asked for the Board to bear in mind the current situation and the implications this has on committing to additional work in the short term.

8.7          Cllr Mundry raised the issue of lack of infrastructure investment, and in particular highlighting the importance of having a degree of certainty in the short/medium term: this would provide local partners (and potential investors) with greater confidence to plan their own investment.

Resolved:

1)   That the Board welcomes the strong recovery in rail passenger numbers in the North, noting that this is significantly higher than the national average;

2)   That the Board supports the argument that the strength of the North’s rail market should be a key consideration for Government when considering the allocation of future funding to support growth in rail patronage;

3)   The Board welcomes the work of the Rail North Committee in supporting the Rail North Partnership through the business planning process as a means of enabling the North’s priorities to be taken into account;

4)   That officers undertake work on the way rolling stock is leased and financed with a view to identifying alternative savings the industry could make;

Board would oppose future reductions in services and staffing levels given the service reductions already applied in the December 22 timetable and the need for a growing railway in the north to support the recovery and TfN’s objectives.