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Tackling Rail Growth in the City Regions

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Tackling Rail Growth in the City Regions TacklingTackling railrail growthgrowth inin thethe citycity regionsregions The PTEs need access to funds for continued investment if they are to keep up with rising demand for rail services. operating companies will have no direct responsibility to the PTEs. The PTEs have a long history of supporting local rail services in their areas and want to build on this in the future. Achievements so far include 69 new stations opened in PTE territory, reopening of complete lines such as Huddersfield to Halifax and the Larkhall line in Glasgow, and investment in new trains such as the Class 333 fleet on the Airedale and Wharfedale routes in West Yorkshire. Watershed Roy Wicks points to the booming ridership on the Northern franchise, where patronage figures have risen by over 10% in two years, as Roy Wicks, pteg Chair. reason for optimism. ‘There are a number of reasons for the rising traffic levels’ he says. ‘Performance was doing well in the last years of the previous franchise and has continued to improve since Northern took over. The new franchisee has proven better at collecting revenue, and the economies of the city regions served by the franchise are doing well.’ All this is changing the way the railways in Meeting growth the Passenger Transport Authority / Executive (PTA/E) areas are perceived. Not much more than a year ago, the northern cities were uneasy over the potential impact of the DfT’s review of the Northern franchise, which aspirations in identified high levels of subsidy per passenger and considered a number of options for driving this down. ‘We got a positive result out of all of this’ says Mr Wicks, ‘as rather than saying we the city regions have to take so many millions of pounds out of the franchise, transport minister Derek Twigg concluded that the franchise is well- he UK’s core cities are booming. Department for Transport is following the run and that some of the more extreme The centres of cities such as spirit of this by encouraging the regions to options in the review are not worth pursuing.’ Manchester and Leeds are growing help decide on spending priorities, inviting Northern’s managing director, Heidi Tapace, with retail and office the PTEs to bid for funds.’ Mottram, agrees that the government reaction developments complemented by some high London is seen as the model here. ‘In broad to the Northern review was a watershed. ‘The specification apartment blocks. In the wider terms, the DfT sees Transport for London as issue now is about capacity: how rail can be a regions surrounding these cities, employment being successful and is interested in viable alternative to the car. If there is road is often declining in traditional manufacturing replicating this in the regions’ says Mr Wicks. congestion and standing on public transport, industries, while jobs are being created in the ‘If the city regions are to work well, they the jobs may go elsewhere.’ service sector in the city centres. This trend need more powers – but if they are given favours rail: focused on the city centres, more powers, they have to be able to railway lines are good conduits for taking demonstrate that they will behave One in seven people to the new employment opportunities. responsibly, in the way that TfL has done.’ ‘It is widely accepted that the London Running counter to this trend in favour of 155 million annual passenger journeys economy depends on getting people in and devolution is a removal of the requirement for are made on PTE and SPT rail networks – out of the city at the beginning and end of the the PTEs to be counter-signatories to one in seven of all rail journeys in Britain. working day’ comments Roy Wicks, Director franchise agreements, so for example Centro General of South Yorkshire Passenger (the West Midlands PTE) does not have an The next test coming up will be in the West Transport Executive and Chair of pteg which automatic right to be a co-signatory to the Midlands, where the Government’s reaction represents the PTEs. ‘It is the same in the new West Midlands franchise which is to be should bids for the new franchise come in North. The cities are seen to drive the let next year. One suspects that a primary requiring more money than expected will be economies of their regions, and rail can help reason for this is that the Department, charged crucial. The High Level Output Specification to keep them vibrant both by taking people to with getting some return for the taxpayer for will be another point to watch, but Mr Wicks work in the city centres and by providing the billions spent on the West Coast Route remains confident. ‘It is difficult to see how connectivity with London, the national capital.’ Modernisation, wants to be the final arbiter anyone could go to Leeds, for example, and Mr Wicks maintains that this is now a on how scarce track capacity is allocated on say “We are going to reduce services because widely shared perception in the corridors of this route. Nevertheless, the move is causing they are costing too much”. Saving big power, and it is driving a change in attitude. some disquiet in some PTEs, for although the money requires taking rolling stock off lease ‘The 2005 Railways Bill was all about Executives will have the authority to fund or closing lines – withdrawing off-peak devolving decision making, and the discretionary additional services, train services does not save much money.’ 42 Published in association with Modern Railways OCTOBER 2006 Modern Railways Tackling rail growth in the city regions An example of how improved rail services can help city regions function more Achievements so far include effectively is provided by the north western corridor out of Leeds, where electrification and a 15-min service frequency have made a 69 new stations opened in very attractive part of the country easily accessible to the city. Ilkley, for instance, is now just half an hour from the centre of PTE territory, reopening of Leeds. ‘As a result you get a lot of professional people living in this area who would not consider taking the car into Leeds. complete lines and The ‘green’ commuting helps the city work better and is a factor in the large number of new jobs that have been created in Leeds in investment in new trains recent years’ says Ms Mottram. feasibility study of platform lengthening on capital is the engine of the national economy A bigger role for the PTA/Es the Calder Vale and Harrogate lines. In the and needs more money – but we do not need As traffic congestion rises in the city regions, Greater Manchester PTE area, reinstatement to start a catch-up process. For example if the there is growing demand for rail services. A of two platform faces at Salford Central, near funding gap between London and our regions view has to be taken on how to deal with that, to an area of rapid urban redevelopment, is were to be halved that would release an in terms of the quality and capacity of rolling being studied. additional £4 billion a year for transport in stock, the capacity of the network and pricing. ‘We need longer trains and we need longer our regions.’ The PTA/Es have an important role to play, platforms’ says Northern MD Heidi Mottram. Spending on transport in the UK is well says Mr Wicks, one advantage being that they ‘The Department for Transport sees that if it below the average for western Europe, so can take the long view – unlike the train is to plan for economic growth, and persuade there is a good argument for putting more operator focused on the end of the franchise. people out of cars and onto public transport, into the sector. ‘There is a need to redress the Already, the regions are taking decisions to then we need a long-term strategy.’ balance’ says Mr Wicks. ‘If we could halve ease the capacity crunch. Yorkshire Forward, the gap between the regions and London it the regional development agency, is investing Funding: the big issue would help to forge a more integrated £8.7million towards the leasing costs of 12 While pteg believes the basic argument about economy, spreading some of the Gross extra carriages to ease overcrowding the value of the railway is now largely over Domestic Product out into the regions.’ problems on the Leeds-Harrogate and Leeds- and decided in rail’s favour, the question of There are already a number of mechanisms Bradford-Halifax routes. securing extra funding for the rail networks of in place to channel the funds that are In an even more ambitious move, the PTEs the city regions remains. ‘London has won available. Local Transport Plans play a role in the Northern franchise area are the argument for more spending on transport in getting some of the smaller schemes off considering helping to fund the acquisition of – and funding levels per head in London are the ground. pteg is hoping for big things new diesel multiple-units from China, to more than two and a half times higher than from the Transport Innovation Fund, replace Pacers and go some way towards they are in our areas’ points out Mr Wicks. launched in 2004. This allocates £200million meeting the growth requirement. ‘We are not saying take it out of London – the per annum to projects that reduce traffic Infrastructure capacity is also coming congestion and/or enhance transport under the spotlight. West Yorkshire PTE has Rail growth in the PTE areas is outpacing productivity, and the big northern cities look commissioned Network Rail to undertake a that in other areas of the country.
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