Agenda item

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

Lead: David Worsley

5.1          Members received the report of the Rail Strategy Manager who highlighted the key points of his report.

5.2          The Chair (Cllr Hinchcliffe) highlighted the £1.3 billion figure for bringing the North’s stations up to a desirable standard and stated that currently “the surface is just being scraped.”

5.3          Cllr Swarbrick recognised the input into the working group of former North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll.

5.4          He suggested that funding for work on these projects should be sought from other less traditional sources in order to reduce the £1.3 billion figure of public money required.

5.5          Cllr Foulkes stated that Liverpool City Region is seen as an area of best practice on this matter and outlined the difficulties encountered in bidding for the money, which is being spent on an asset that they do not own or control. He suggested that devolving or simplifying the process needs to be examined so that a single organisation is responsible for delivery. He added that TfN could be a powerful voice to obtain more funding.

5.6          The Chair stressed the importance of working in partnership, allowing for information and best practice to be shared between authorities across the North.

5.7          In response the Chief Executive emphasised the importance of working with the operators who make investments in their assets annually. Additionally, he stated that TfN will be working with the Committee to review the for Northern and TPE. This will provide Members with an opportunity to set out their requirements for services and accessibility, so that this data can then be used to shape the specification.

5.8          The Chief Executive was also supportive of Cllr Foulkes and Cllr Swarbrick’s suggestion on devolving the access for all funding directly to the North and its partners, so that this money can then be used alongside money from the private sector.

5.9          The Chair requested that the DfT’s accessibility audit be shared. 

5.10       Cllr Hunt stated that this work now needs to be translated into deliverable schemes and work will be required with the Mayoral Combined Authorities to provide opportunities to link up with their growth plans.

5.11       Cllr Ieronimo requested that consideration be given to how improvements to accessibility are communicated to those who require the information. He added that once the priorities have been identified there needs to be geographical spread so that not only the most densely populate areas benefit.

Resolved:

That the Committee:

1)   Endorses the work of the Task & Finish Group, including the indicative 10-year programme

2)   Endorses the following key messages from the Accessibility Task and Finish Group:

·       An updated analysis of the status of station facilities has indicated that the estimate of the overall cost for bringing the North’s stations up to a desirable standard (including step-free access at all stations) remains circa £1.3 billion.

·       The proposed programme of work required now includes additional enhancements (e.g. Braille maps, high contrast stair nosing, Smart Beacons) which will further improve accessibility for passengers, whilst also including enhanced CCTV or lighting at the majority of stations in order to improve confidence in travel safety for all social groups

·       Reassessment of the scope of the programme has indicated that a much higher proportion of the overall costs would fall within the “quick wins” category of works, which could be implemented without significant disruption to passengers, and thus may be possible to commence within the current Control Period (i.e. before March 2029). This will allow increased flexibility in devising a programme of work which could realistically be completed within 10 years;

·       Partners involved in the Accessibility Task & Finish Group have provided updated cost data and suggested additional means of strengthening the business case;

·       Additional information regarding the passenger experience was gathered through our Accessibility Survey, which closed on 7 June 2024.

3)   Agrees the proposals for taking forward work to accelerate the delivery of station accessibility improvements

4)   Endorses the ‘quick wins’ programme.