Agenda and minutes

The Chair to Welcome Members and the public to themeeting.

Lead: Chair

1.1          The Chair welcomed Members to the meeting.  In opening the meeting, he outlined the issues that the Committee will discuss specifically highlighting the operator updates and the station accessibility.  He commented that whilst there is still a lot of work to do on this issue, he is encouraged by the start the Task and Finish group have made on this and are beginning to examine this area more deeply.

1.2          Apologies were received from Cllr Kilbane, Mayor Coppard and Cllr Renwick.

Members are required to declare any personal, prejudicial or disclosable pecuniary interest they may have relating to items on the agenda and state the nature of such interest.

Lead: Chair

2.1          There were no declarations of Interest.

To consider the approval and signature of the minutes of the previous meeting as a correct record and to consider any requests for updates on matters contained therein.

Lead: Chair

3.1          The minutes of the meeting held on 14 November 2023 were considered for their accuracy.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 November 2023 be noted.

It was noted that Lord McLoughlin attended the meeting as an observer.

To consider the update on the work of the Task and Finish Group and the outline next steps following the first meeting.

Lead: David Worsley

4.1          The Chair expressed his gratitude to Members of the Committee who have been involved in the task and Finish Group.

4.2          Members received the report from the Rail Strategy Manager who then outlined the key aspects of the report.

4.3          The Chair highlighted to the Committee the unacceptable amount of time it will take to have all stations fully accessible if work continues at the current pace. He suggested that a 10-year deadline should be set for completion of this work.

4.4          On the £1.5 billion cost of completing this work, the Chair stressed the importance of being creative through station devolution with local authorities and local areas taking control of stations, as well as ways of attracting new investment to help offset some of the costs.

4.5          He stated that a clear proposal needs to be put to the next Government outlining the North’s intention and the importance of this work being done consistently and within the requirements of the Equality Act.

4.6          Cllr Swarbrick agreed with the Chair that the timelines were too long but that this is also the case with a ten-year timetable. He informed the Committee that during the Task and Finish Group he pushed for work to start on some of the “quicker wins” where work can be done out of existing budgets and stressed the importance of working creatively in order to generate the required funds.

4.7          The Chair highlighted that just 43% of stations in Greater Manchester are fully accessible and he expects that this is the case in stations across the north. He stressed that on such an important matter a timetable of 20 years or longer is simply unacceptable and sends a message to disabled people that they aren’t important.

4.8          Cllr Browne cautioned against losing sight of existing commitments and asked if confirmation can be gained on the position of the delivery of accessible projects, which Network Rail and DfT have already confirmed.

4.9          He highlighted two examples of stations within his area and requested clarity on their situations.

4.10       The Head of Strategic Rail stated that this is being considered by the Task and Finish group, and they want to understand what the commitments are in order for this to form part of the base assessment being undertaken.

4.11       The Chair requested that “quick wins" be explored as soon as possible and asked that they should also be considered in the light of a devolution proposal, highlighting that where there is regeneration potential around stations and where a local area has ambitions for regeneration around stations then this context needs to be taken into account.

4.12       In response the Rail and Road Director stated that this will be incorporated. Additionally, whilst a five-year timeline for “quick wins" has been established, the group will look again at this to ensure that devolution aspects are fully incorporated.

4.13       The Chair suggested that Members put forward names of stations in their areas which they would like to be included as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To consider the update on rail operational rail matters and performance including an update from Avanti West Coast.

Lead:  Gary Bogan

5.1          Members received the report from the Rail North Partnership Director. The Committee then received updates from CrossCountry, TPE, Northern and Avanti West Coast Mainline.

5.2          Members received the presentation from Mr Ben Simkin (Cross Country) who provided an update on the current situation.

5.3          Chair asked Mr Simkin how CrossCountry is handling the issues regarding half term and how it is communicating with customers to inform them about any problems. 

5.4          Mr Simkin explained that when it is  known that trains will need to be cancelled, the approach tends  to be to protect the long-distance intercity journeys and focus more on regional services for cancellations, which was the approach during the February half term. He went on that information is put on  the website where there are dedicated landing pages, and social media is also used. He acknowledged that there are challenges across the industry about how disruption is communicated to passengers and there is a lot of work taking place on how this can be improved and exploration of how new technologies can be used to help.  

5.5          Regarding the disruption graph in the presentation Lord McLoughlin asked if there is a way of breaking down the cancellations that occurred as a result of issues at CrossCountry and those that were are result of external factors.

5.6          Mr. Simkin explained that the graph shown is only the disruption relating to their train crews and trains and does not include disruption as a result of external factors. He offered to consider this further in order to provide the additional information being requested. 

5.7          The Chief Executive explained that through the Rail North Agreement there is a contractual relationship between TfN, the DfT, Northern and TPE where TfN engages in the train operators’ annual business planning processes and the Chief Executive sought the agreement of CrossCountry to establish a similar arrangement with them.

5.8          Mr Simkin agreed to this in principle and commented that such an agreement will enable TfN to advocate for CrossCountry. He stated that he would need to work out the timelines to understand when the best time to involve TfN will be.

5.9          Mr Chris Jackson then provided an update on TransPennine Express. He reported that the temporary timetable introduced in mid-December is performing well and that cancellations caused by train crew are now fewer than 5% with “P code” cancellations all but disappearing. Overcrowding and complaints about overcrowding are also down. Whilst informing the Committee that customer satisfaction is now 86% he  acknowledged that there is still further work to do in order to win back trust and confidence.

5.10       The temporary timetable changes have also allowed for an acceleration in driver training which has also led to an improvement in day to day delivery at the same time.

5.11       As a result of the improvement in performance the Committee was informed that there will be an uplift in the timetable from June that will see an increase from 34 to 40 trains per day  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To update the Committee on the progress of infrastructure development and delivery in the North of England and consider the proposed activity which can be undertaken by Transport for the North to support the industry to improve the integration of schemes and service changes across the North.

Lead: Charlie French

6.1          Members received the report from the Investment Planning Manager who then highlighted the key points within the report.

6.2          Cllr Hinchcliffe requested that in the letter to the DfT about the task force for Leeds in Sheffield,  there is an explicit reference to the need that the land from HS2 be safeguarded for a T-shaped station at Leeds.

6.3          She also raised the issue of landslips and requested that a study be undertaken on the number of landslips that have occurred in the last year on railway lines and how this compares to 10 years ago and how the industry can deal with it. She believes this issue will affect economies and that steps need to be taken to address it.

6.4          The Investment Planning Manager stated that these points can be included into the next steps and that he will liaise with officers with regard to an assessment of  the environmental impact and where activity can be proposed.

6.5          The Chief Executive highlighted that network resilience is an increasing problem and suggested working with Network Rail with a view to having a more substantive conversation in the future.

Resolved:

1)   That the Committee notes the updates provided in relation to each of the programmes in development and delivery across the North.

2)   That the Committee endorses the proposed activity set out as next steps, supporting the aspiration for improved engagement with the industry and greater involvement by TfN in the development and delivery of schemes within its region, recognising the opportunities for greater integration of changes.

To agree priorities for TfN’s Annual Business Plan and the approach to Member contributions

Lead: David Hoggarth

7.1          Members received the report from the Head of Strategic Rail who then highlighted the key points within the report.

7.2          The Chair suggested that the Committee also needs to discuss the emerging draft legislation  and whether or not there is the correct level of devolution and local control proposed.

7.3          Lord McLoughlin suggested that this should not be held over to the next meeting and needs to be discussed sooner.

Resolved:

1)   That the Committee endorses the approach set out in the report to the 2024/25 rail elements of Transport for the North’s Business Plan and notes the Department for Transport funding allocation for 2024/25.

2)   That the Committee approves the approach to the 2024/25 Member Contributions as outlined in this report.

3)   That the Committee notes the two governance matters relating to the change in composition of two sub-regions and the change in Rail North Partnership Board members.

4)   That the Committee notes the proposed forward plan for future meetings.

To seek endorsement of a strategic approach to Rail in the North

Lead: David Hoggarth

8.1          Members received the report from the Head of Strategic Rail who then highlighted the points within the report.

Resolved:

1)   That the Committee notes the content of the report including the strong growth aspirations set out in the Strategic Transport Plan if rail is to play its full role in supporting the economic, social, and environmental aspirations of the North.

2)   That the Committee endorses the final version of the Strategic Rail Report noting that there is still an opportunity to provide further input before it is finalised.

The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 4 June 2024 at 10.30am

The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 4 June 2024 at 11am.

To resolve that the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Items 11,12, and 13 on the grounds that:

(1)It is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during such item(s), confidential information as defined in S100A(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) would be disclosed to them in breach of the obligation of confidence; and/or

(2)it / they involve(s) the likely disclosure of exempt information as set out in the Paragraphs [listed below] of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

To resolve that the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Items 11,12 and 13 on the grounds that:

(1)      It is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during such item(s), confidential information as defined in S100A(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) would be disclosed to them in breach of the obligation of confidence; and/or

(2)      it / they involve(s) the likely disclosure of exempt information as set out in the Paragraphs [listed below] of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

To consider the approval and signature of the private minutes of the previous meeting as a correct record and to consider any requests for updates on matters contained therein.

Lead: Chair

11.1       The minutes of the meeting held on 14 November 2023 were considered for their accuracy.

Resolved:

That the private minutes of the meeting held on 14 November 2023 be noted.

It was noted that Lord McLoughlin attended the meeting as an observer.

To consider the feedback from the working group.

Lead: Caroline Young

12.1       The report was received by Members who were then invited to ask questions and make comments.

Resolved:

That the report be noted

To provide an update on the approach to future rolling stock across the North

Lead: Caroline Young

13.1       The report was received by Members who were then invited to ask questions and make comments.

Resolved:

That the report be noted