Agenda item

To consider the update following the Rail North Committee on 14 November, including the proposed change to the East Coast Main Line timetable.

Lead: Darren Oldham

7.1          Members received the report from the Rail and Road Director who outlined the key points of his report, highlighting in particular the discussions and subsequent actions following the Committee’s consideration of the proposed East Coast Main Line (ECML) timetable change. He set out to the Board that – given the timescales involved – the RNC had resolved to ask this meeting to consider and agree TfN’s position on the proposal.

7.2          Cllr Gannon informed the Board that following the Rail North Committee he had presented the ECML proposals to the North East Joint Transport Committee and it was the unanimous view of the seven authorities that they did not wish to endorse the timetable changes. He explained that the decision not to electrify the Leamside line in the 1980s has caused a capacity issue on the ECML line which is constraining the area economically and socially.  He added his concern that whilst there is currently no direct TPE service to Manchester, when TPE is able to start running a service he remained concerned that the lack of capacity on the ECML would not allow for it to be reintroduced.

He highlighted the benefits to both the North East and the UK as a whole of additional pan-regional services.  He highlighted that in the letter from the Rail Minister to TfN (which had been circulated to the Board shortly prior to the meeting), a commitment was provided that interventions would begin to be put in place by 2027 subject to business case approvals and budgets. As a result of these reassurances and the benefits the timetable change will provide to the rest of the country, Cllr Gannon stated he would support the motion being put forward. In doing so he requested that the rest of the Board continue to support the North East on this matter by ensuring that the commitments made by the Rail Minister were delivered.

7.3          Mr Rob Mcintosh explained that in 2021 Network Rail had concluded investing £1.2 billion elsewhere along the ECML corridor. He went on to set out how the proposed timetable change would enable the benefits of that investment to be realised by passengers along the corridor, in particular residents of the North. Additionally, he set out how the Department is funding Network Rail to progress the work to deliver the seventh path  north of York, which is an important step in enabling improved pan-regional connectivity. In this regard the 2024 timetable is an interim step to further investment on the East Coast Mainline. 

Mr Nick Bisson added that the Department is required to have a long-term plan of rail enhancements (the Rail Network Enhancement Programme (RNEP)) and he confirmed that the money required to deliver further improvements north of York has already been earmarked within the RNEP, subject to the completion of the development piece and business case.  

7.4          Mayor Brabin sought clarification on the implications of the timetable for services to/from Bradford Foster Square, citing the importance of direct routes between Bradford and London.

7.5          Cllr Kilbane stated that the challenges facing the ECML had been worsened by the previous cancellation of the Eastern Leg of HS2.  He added that with capacity a finite issue the regulators were now in a position of having to choose between passengers and freight.

7.6          The Chief Executive made Board aware that Mayor Driscoll had also provided comments on the proposed ECML timetable changes, in which he set out his clear concerns about the proposals before the Board.

7.7          The Chair, noting that there were no further contributions on the specific issue of the ECML timetable proposal drew the meeting’s attention to a revised recommendation tabled by the TfN Executive. He outlined that this sought to capture the concerns of the Board in accepting the proposed timetable amendments for 2024.

7.8          Mayor Burnham (Chair of the Rail North Committee) then provided the Board with an update on the work of the RNC. 

7.9          He informed Board that  the issue of addressing access to rail stations had been identified by the Committee as a key priority moving forward, so fundamental is the issue to its work.  A Member Task and Finish group has been established and he emphasised the importance of the TfN Board keeping issues of accessibility at the forefront of its deliberations at all times.

Mayor Burham advised the Board that the Committee had also received updates from Avanti, Northern and TPE. He highlighted that since the Committee had met in the middle of November Avanti’s performance on the West Coast Main Line had significantly deteriorated further, whilst also noting high cancellation levels across all three operators.  He then provided up to date cancellation and reliability figures for each of the operators. 

In setting out the deep frustration and anger amongst the business and wider community arising from the performance of Avanti West Coast he highlighted the significant negative economic and social impact this is having in the run up to Christmas. 

He informed Board that the latest industry figures he had access to showed that 49.5% of Avanti trains arrived within the accepted timescales and 27% of trains were either cancelled or seriously delayed. He further stated that on the day of the meeting Avanti had cancelled 37 trains and that there were 11 part-cancellations due to train crew shortages.  He reminded the Board that these issues were in themselves should be viewed in the context of the problems posed by an already reduced the timetable in the run up to Christmas.  He invited the meeting to consider suggestions as to how this issue can be remedied.     

7.10       Members were supportive of Mayor Burnham’s comments about the extent to which the performance of Avanti was unacceptable.  Cllr Gittins highlighted that direct services to/from Chester and North Wales had been decimated and she was concerned that the more  services are taken away, the less likely it becomes that they will be reinstated.

7.11       Cllr Riley raised a wider issue of “short forming” amongst some operators and how this leads to unacceptable impacts on the comfort of passengers travelling with many left standing for the entire journey. He noted that this was happening on a daily basis for many people and emphasised the importance of the operators giving greater consideration as to the comfort of passengers.

7.12       Mayor Brabin stated that the resilience of the wider rail network is not where it should be due to the challenges in places such as Greater Manchester and Leeds, where limitations on capacity are a constraining factor.

She then addressed the issue of accessibility explaining that 71% of stations in West Yorkshire are not accessible: a fact that she considers to be unacceptable. In this she welcomed the focus being provided by the RNC and welcomed the Task and Finish Group. Additionally, she drew the Board’s attention to how the cost of the maintenance of new stations is transferred to local authorities, who already have stretched budgets. She cited West Yorkshire’s experience with the new White Rose Station: whilst construction of the station is developer funded, the cost of operating the station for its lifetime has to be picked up by the Combined Authority. Mayor Brabin argued that this is a disincentive to supporting such development and further highlights the extent to which separating rail revenue and costs in the way the system currently does needs to be addressed. This, she stated, makes being ambitious on accessibility even more difficult as authorities have all of the costs and none of the revenues to help. She urged that there needs to be an examination of how funding for stations operates with a view to ensuring that such matters are addressed as part of the promised rail reform measures.

7.13       Mayor Coppard commented on the need for the Board to ensure that its debates and discussions benefit from ensuring that it has more voices that are representative of the diversity of the communities they represent.  He requested that the TfN executive be asked to give this matter further consideration. The Chief Executive assured the Board that the executive would come back to the Board on this issue at its next meeting. 

7.14       Cllr Hughes brought the Board’s attention a concern that Avanti West Coast was still giving consideration to closing some of its ticket offices despite the industry wide proposal to close ticket offices being scrapped. He asked if TfN could examine this matter further.

7.15       Cllr Gannon raised a wider point about the issues of quality of train services and concerns that the investment in infrastructure and services was insufficient to achieve the desired transformation of the Northern economy. In doing so he emphasised the importance of seeing investment in the railways in terms of improving economic, environmental and social benefits.

7.16       In summarising the discussion, the Chair stated that it was clear there was widespread frustration and concern shared by all Board members about the performance of Avanti.  In light of this he proposed that he and Mayor Burnham (as the Chair of the RNC) write jointly to the Secretary of State setting out the Board’s collective view that Avanti’s performance was not acceptable. He went on to propose that the letter should set out the need for the Department to undertake an urgent review of Avanti’s performance, and that in conducting the review the Department should consider any and all options available to it.

7.17       Mayor Burnham supported the Chair’s proposal, adding that given the level of performance it was essential that all the seats on the services that run are available at all times. With this in mind he proposed that the letter to the Secretary of State should call for the declassification of first-class accommodation until such time as performance levels are restored. 

7.18       Cllr Gittins seconded the proposal to write to the Secretary of State, along the lines set out by the Chair and Mayor Burnham.

7.19       Cllr Hughes asked whether TfN can legally call for the declassification of trains. In response the Head of Legal confirmed that this can be included as part of the Statutory advice given to Government.

Resolved:

1.   That Board notes the feedback from the Rail North Committee including the establishment of an Accessibility Task and Finish Group and the discussions with Avanti West Coast.

 

 

2.   That Board agrees that the Chair/RNC Chair should formally write to the Secretary of State setting out its collective view that the performance of Avanti is unacceptable, that the Department should undertake an urgent review of Avanti’s performance and that until such time as performance is restored first-class accommodation should be declassified.

 

3.   That the Board notes with concern that, whilst TfN recognises the benefits of the proposed ECML timetable for December 2024, there are also a number of communities where there are negative impacts on passengers and businesses, particularly in Northumberland and the North East.

 

 

4.   That following receipt of additional assurances, on infrastructure commitments and future service development, on balance Board confirms its acceptance of the ECML timetable change planned for December 2024.