Western Gateway Rail Strategy 1 WESTERN GATEWAY RAIL STRATEGY 2 Western Gateway Rail Strategy
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Western Gateway Rail Strategy 1 WESTERN GATEWAY RAIL STRATEGY 2 Western Gateway Rail Strategy Table of contents Foreword 3 3. Conditional Outputs 25 Theme 1: Choice 26 1. Introduction 5 Theme 2: Decarbonisation 37 1.1 Introduction 6 Theme 3: Social Mobility 44 1.2 Western Gateway Sub-National Transport Body 7 Theme 4: Productivity 51 1.3 Western Gateway Existing Rail Network 8 Theme 5: Growth 61 1.4 Stations 11 1.5 Traction Power 11 4. Delivery 67 1.6 Freight 12 4.1 Delivery of the Strategy 68 1.7 Performance 14 4.2 Phased Delivery 70 2. The Case for Change 15 2.1 Policy Context 16 2.2 Challenges and Opportunities 18 2.3 Themes, Objectives, Priorities & Conditional Outputs 20 2.4 Hub Designation 22 2.5 Service Designation 23 Western Gateway Rail Strategy 3 Foreword Part of our STB’s overall Strategic Transport across the Western Gateway area as Plan is to develop a mode specific Rail well as through e-consultation with our Strategy which outlines how rail will help to constituent authorities, Network Rail, Train deliver the overall vision and objectives for Operating Companies and Freight Operating transport in the Western Gateway area. Companies. Our Rail Strategy sets out the need for change The delivery of the Rail Strategy has been based on a review of policy, challenges structured into five ‘route maps’ in order to and trends. It explores the region's vision, focus and align actions and interventions to objectives and priorities, and develops a series relevant bodies and themes. These five route of Conditional Outputs which will support the maps include: Strategy, Governance and delivery of these objectives. Collaboration, Digital Solutions, Stations & Access to Rail, Freight, and Future Ready & Our Rail Strategy includes a clear vision, Resilience. with five themes supported by focussed objectives and priorities and also sets out The publication of this Rail Strategy marks clear outcomes that the Western Gateway an important step in the development of our STB wants from the rail network. STB, and is the result of a truly collaborative effort from Western Gateway and its I believe the need for change is clearly stakeholders. explained in this document and the base line conditions of existing services are equally well defined. I am very grateful for the support provided by Network Rail in developing this strategy and their commitment to continue close partnership working as we take the strategy forward. I’m very pleased that despite current CLLR BRIDGET WAYMAN difficulties, we have developed our Rail Chair - Western Gateway Sub - Strategy with significant input from industry national Transport Body (STB) stakeholders by holding workshops 4 Western Gateway Rail Strategy Image Credit - Ceri Breeze / Shutterstock.com Western Gateway Rail Strategy 5 1 Introduction 6 Western Gateway Rail Strategy 1.1 Introduction Western Gateway is one of 7 Sub-National Transport (STB) bodies across England and is formed The Western Gateway STB is home to over of the 9 local authorities that sit within Gloucestershire, Bristol, parts of Somerset, Wiltshire and 3 million people, and although there are Dorset. It aims to be a region that is sustainably connected and provides high quality and value pockets of deprivation in the larger towns for money travel opportunities for all its businesses, residents and visitors. and cities, it is generally considered to be a reasonably affluent region of the country. Figure 1 - Sub-national Figure 2 - The Local Authorities covered by the The region is largely rural in nature, including Transport Bodies in England Western Gateway Sub-National Transport Body several world-renowned locations such as Stonehenge, Cheddar Gorge and the Dorset Coast, making Tourism a key industry sector alongside Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace, Financial and Professional Services Gloucestershire and Military. County Council South It has ambitious targets to deliver over Gloucestershire Council 300,000 new homes and over 190,000 Bristol City new jobs by 2036. To achieve this vision, Council the alliance is predominantly focused on maximising capacity and resilience of the transport network, prioritising transport North Somerset investment that will improve connectivity at a Council local, national and international geographical Bath and North East Wiltshire scale. By investing in strategic level corridors, Somerset Council Council the Western Gateway will connect: Dorset Council • Local centres through ambitious public transport networks such as Metrobus and MetroWest; • National markets through strategic BCP Council (Bournemouth, crossroads of highway and railway links; and Christchurch & Poole) Peninsula Transport Transport for London (TfL) Western Gateway • International markets through Airports and Midlands Connect Transport for the North (TfN) Transport for the West of England Combined Authority is made up of three councils - Transport East England’s Economic Heartland South East (TfSE) Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire Deep-Sea Ports. Western Gateway Rail Strategy 7 1.2 Western Gateway Sub-National Transport Body Western Gateway STB was established The Western Gateway STB Board, comprised Strategic Plan (2025-2045). This Rail Strategy in 2018 to respond to the government’s of elected members from each constituent forms an integral part of that Transport Plan, devolution agenda, and with objectives to local authority, as well as representatives embracing the same principles and priorities work together to drive innovation, maximise from DfT, Highways England, Network for change and growth, although our sustainable economic growth, improve Rail, Peninsula Transport STB and Western horizons extend towards 2045, aligning with industrial productivity by strengthening Gateway Transport & Business Forum, is the recognised Long-Term Planning Process travel connections to local, national and committed to working together to provide (LTPP) adopted by the rail industry. international markets and support social a single voice to government on strategic The Strategic Transport Plan identifies 3 hubs mobility by enhancing strategic travel transport matters affecting the region. The and 4 corridors, that are recognised within the connectivity across South West England. Board is established to provide strategic Rail Strategy. These are: leadership and direction to the material Figure 3 - The role of the Western Gateway advantage of the Western Gateway region. STB in the decision-making process Northern Central This strategic leadership role will include: Transport Hub Transport Hub • Representing its members in discussions (Cheltenham, Gloucester (West of England Government with Government, Strategic Infrastructure and Tewkesbury) Combined Authority area) Providers and neighbouring STBs (including Southern Strategic Transport Transport Transport for Wales); Transport Hub Western Investments across the Infrastructure • Agreeing strategic investment priorities for Innovation Corridor Western Gateway area Providers (South Coast – Southampton road, rail and cycling; and to Weymouth, plus (South East to South Wales) • Leading on significant matters that connections to Salisbury) Sub-national Transport Body require strategic solutions, including decarbonisation, digital connectivity and Southern Western multi-modal ticketing. Growth Corridor Growth Corridor Passenger (South East to South West) (Midlands to South West) Stakeholders Transport In June 2020, Western Gateway issued a Operators draft Strategic Transport Plan for consultation. The Strategic Transport Plan focuses on Missing Link short-term delivery to 2025 and includes Strategic Corridor Local Government an approach to developing a Long-Term (Midlands to South Coast) 8 Western Gateway Rail Strategy 1.3 Western Gateway Existing Rail Network The rail network in Western Gateway, like The region spans 2 Network Rail (NR) Routes many other parts of the national rail network, and includes 4 Train Operating Companies was developed piece by piece by my multiple (TOCs) as shown on the map on the next private companies in the 19th and early 20th page. Western Route predominantly aligns centuries. This was dominated by the parallel with Great Western Railway operated services, Great Western and London & South Western while Wessex Route aligns with South Railway companies providing the east-west Western Railway operated services. Transport connectivity to the region from London. The for Wales operates a handful of services railway was nationalised under British Rail in between Cardiff and Bristol / Cheltenham, 1948, and decline in passenger numbers due and as described above, CrossCountry to competition with the private car led to operates the North & Midlands to South West widespread closures in the 1960’s and 70’s. services. This history has led to the shape of the Frequency and quality of services is variable network today, retaining the strong east-west, across the route, ranging from a turn-up- London-centric connectivity, with much and-go service level on the Great Western poorer provision on local routes and in the route between Swindon, Bath and Bristol, north-south axis. The main routes that provide and to some extent between Southampton north-south connectivity are: and Bournemouth, to infrequent and irregular service patterns, in particular between Birmingham Exeter Weymouth, Yeovil and Bristol. (via Bristol and Taunton) Direct connectivity and journey speeds are Birmingham Bournemouth also poor across much of the region. The direct services matrix