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The Gibb Report – an Assessment

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The Gibb Report – an Assessment UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM PRESTIGE LECTURE 3rd October 2017 The Gibb Report – An Assessment by Piers Connor1 Background to the Gibb Report In September 2014, a new company, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), was given the contract to run train services operated over the Thameslink, Great Northern, Gatwick Express and Southern Railway. In the year leading up to the summer of 2016, the performance of the Southern Railway, the part of the Govia Thameslink Railway covering the suburban and south coast services between London and a large section of the southern coast of England, deteriorated to a level where passenger dissatisfaction was leading to public demonstrations and persistent media criticism. Eventually, the government was forced to act and they decided to commission a review of Southern and its service performance. The result was the Gibb Report2. to the West Midlands, North West and Scotland to Bedford Milton Keynes Central Bletchley Leighton Buzzard Tring SERVICES AND FACILITIES Berkhamsted London Cannon Street Hemel Hempstead This is a general guide to the basic daily services. Not all trains stop at all stations on each coloured line, so please check the timetable. Watford Junction RIVER THAMES Routes are shown in different colours to help identify the Harrow & Wealdstone London Bridge general pattern. Wembley Central South Bermondsey London Victoria to Highbury & Islington Shepherd’s Bush Queens Road Peckham Gatwick Express Kensington (Olympia) REGULAR ROUTE West Brompton Battersea Park SERVICE IDENTITY Peckham Rye New Cross Gate GX1 Gatwick Express Imperial Wharf to London Waterloo East Dulwich Brockley Southern ACCESSIBILITY Clapham Junction North Dulwich LIMITED REGULAR ROUTE SERVICE SERVICE IDENTITY Step-Free access between the street and all platforms Wandsworth Common Tulse Hill Honor Oak Park SN1 Brighton MainLine Some step-free access between the street and platforms Forest Hill SN2 West London Step-free access is available in the direction of the arrow Balham West No step-free access between the street and platforms Streatham Hill Norwood Gipsy SN3 Metro Hill Sydenham SN4 Oxted Notes: can be used in the Crystal Platform access points may vary and there may not be be yellow shaded area Streatham Palace SN5 Redhill Penge West step-free access to or between all station areas or facilities. SN6 Mainline West Access routes may be unsuitable for unassisted wheelchair Streatham Common Anerley SN7 Mainline East users owing to the gradient of ramps or other reasons. Norbury SN8 Coastway West Birkbeck Step-free access between train and platform requires a Wimbledon Haydons Road Tooting Thornton Heath SN9 Coastway East staff-operated ramp. If you require a ramp or need help Selhurst Beckenham Junction getting on or off trains, please book this in advance and to Guildford Other train operators may provide additional services along some of our routes. we will make sure staff are available to help, otherwise Mitcham Eastfields Norwood Junction Other train operators’ routes there might be a significant delay to your journey. Wimbledon Chase Bus links Mitcham Junction Gatwick Express and Southern Assisted Travel: 0800 138 1016 Faygate* Limited service stations on our network South Merton Principal stations Hackbridge Interchange with London Underground Morden South STAFF AVAILABILITY Carshalton Waddon West Croydon East Croydon Interchange with London Overground On-train or station staff available at all times Wallington Interchange with London Tramlink On-train or station staff available at certain times only St. Helier South Croydon Interchange with Eurostar No on-train or station staff available Carshalton Beeches Riddlesdown Sanderstead Interchange with other operators’ train services Sutton Common West Sutton Upper Warlingham Interchange with Airports Sutton Purley Oaks to Bournemouth Woldingham Ferry service routes Belmont Coulsdon Southampton Central Purley Cheam Woodmansterne Town Reedham to London Banstead Whyteleafe St. Denys* Oxted Southampton to Reading Ewell East Kenley Airport Parkway Chipstead Whyteleafe South to Canterbury to London Epsom Coulsdon South Downs Caterham to London and Ramsgate Eastleigh Guildford Epsom Kingswood Merstham Hurst Green *Bitterne to Portsmouth to Dorking Ashtead Redhill Tadworth Edenbridge Penshurst Leigh Tonbridge *Woolston London Road (Guildford) Ashford International *Sholing Leatherhead Tattenham Reigate to Kent Coast Clandon Nutfield Godstone *Netley Corner Earlswood Edenbridge Ham Street *Hamble Horsley to Dorking Town and Guildford Salfords Effingham Junction Lingfield Appledore *Bursledon Fareham to Dover Bookham Horley Hever and Europe Swanwick Box Hill & Westhumble Rye to Channel Islands, Portchester Dormans France and Spain Gatwick Airport Cowden to Guildford Dorking to Reigate Winchelsea Fratton Hilsea Cosham Dorking Deepdene Portsmouth East Grinstead Ashurst *Doleham & Southsea Holmwood Three Bridges Bedhampton Crawley Ockley Balcombe Eridge Three Oaks Portsmouth Havant to Gosport to London Warnham Ifield and Harbour Crowborough Isle of Wight Warblington Littlehaven * Faygate Haywards Heath to London Ore Emsworth Horsham Buxted Wivelsfield Hastings Southbourne Christ’s Hospital Uckfield St. Leonards Warrior Square Nutbourne Billingshurst Burgess Hill Bexhill Southwater Plumpton Pulborough Bosham Hassocks Collington Amberley Ashington Cooksbridge* Fishbourne Cooden Beach Arundel Washington Preston Park Glynde BerwickPolegate Chichester Normans Bay Pevensey Bay* Pevensey & Westham BarnhamFord London RoadMoulsecoomb (Brighton) Falmer Lewes Lancing Hove Bognor Regis Angmering Worthing SouthwickFishersgate PortsladeAldrington Brighton Hampden Park Goring-by-Sea West Worthing East Worthing Southease Durrington-on-Sea Shoreham-by-Sea Eastbourne Newhaven Town Littlehampton to France Newhaven Harbour Bishopstone Seaford Produced by 25.1.2016 (GX SN Routes Diagram) www.fwt.co.uk Figure 1: Schematic map of the Southern rail network. Source: Southern. Introduction to the Gibb Report The Gibb Report was prepared by a well-known and experienced British railway executive, Chris Gibb. The report was commissioned by the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling and was begun in September 2016. Although it was completed in December 2016, it was not published by the government until 27th June 2017. 1 PRC Rail Consulting Ltd. 2 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/southern-rail-network-gibb-report Prestige Lecture Gibb Report Assessment Terms of Reference Chris Gibb was asked by the Transport Secretary to investigate the situation on the Southern Railway in the following terms: “To ensure all possible steps are being taken to improve performance of Southern rail services and to introduce a new and fully aligned approach to the management of GTR rail services in order to improve performance and passenger experience.” He was also asked to: “Identify…actions to ensure closer working and more effective alignment between GTR and NR [and] ensure those actions are implemented with immediate effect”. He was asked for an: “integrated approach… including in relation to: • Objectives, incentives and performance metrics • Improving the overall passenger experience • Leadership, management structures and accountabilities • Work processes and team design and culture • Contract specification and design • Future franchise specification and design” And to “Chair an Industry Readiness Board” that would get stakeholders to agree ways to improve the performance of the railway and the introduction of the upgrade . All this might seem comprehensive but there was a significant directive that said, “The management of industrial relations remain [sic] a matter to be managed by Govia Thameslink Railway Limited.” In other words, ‘Don’t investigate the strike issues. We don’t want to go there.’ This was rather a ‘cop out’ by the government. They put it in the ‘too difficult’ box but this was partly due to the fact that there was a wish not to interfere with on-going negotiations. In fact, the industrial relations issues were actually a large part of the reason for the troubles on Southern and were caused, in the first instance, by the government forcing GTR to impose Driver Controlled Operation (DCO) and the associated changes to working practices over those parts of the operation which didn’t already have it. Figure 2: Selhurst Depot, the largest on the Southern rail network. Gibb recommends a wider distribution of crews and trains around the fringes of the network to aid service performance. Photo: Press Association. Southern’s Problems Southern’s problems were encapsulated in their poor service with an average 11% of trains cancelled or delayed (compared with 3% on SWT) in 2016. The situation was exaggerated by a number of factors: Piers Connor Page 2 3rd October 2017 Prestige Lecture Gibb Report Assessment • The nature of the GTR franchise - a huge network of complex, interworking services previously run as four different operations; • The DfT influence – a not always benign interference factor with a combination of embedded bureaucracy, political dabbling, opportunist spin and weak system knowledge; • Staff dissatisfaction – a long held suspicion and contempt of management, fed by openly political union action determined to “bring down this…government”3. • Network Rail – trying to rebuild London Bridge and its environs whilst running train services (the road to hell is paved with good intentions); • Upgrade programmes – new trains, new signalling, ATO; • London Overground – running their own frequent
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