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For Decision 1. Introduction History 2 Item No 4 By: Mr A King, Cabinet Member --- Regeneration Pete Raine, Strategic Director Strategic Planning To: Cabinet --- 5 April 2004 Integrated Kent Rail Franchise (IKF) Subject: Classification: Unrestricted _______________________________________________________________________________ Summary: This report recommends that a draft response to the Strategic Rail Authority’s (SRA’s) consultation should form the basis for the County Council’s submission. For Decision 1. Introduction History 1.1 Since 1986, the County Council has recognised the opportunities the Channel Tunnel and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) provide to modernise Kent’s railway system. Kent has supported both projects, despite having to put up with considerable disruption due to the building of the Tunnel, started in 1987, followed by the CTRL which is still under construction. It did so in the expectation that there would be a significant improvement to rail services as outlined during the Select Committee process in both Houses of Parliament. The proposed new Integrated Kent Franchise has the potential to improve rail services in Kent dramatically for the first time since 1963. It is vital for the people of Kent that the SRA’s specification addresses the needs of the county and that the franchise holder has the flexibility in the future to add services as demand grows. 1.2 The SRA’s consultation period for its Integrated Kent Franchise proposals ends on 23 April. A Kent Rail Forum meeting was held on 29 March where representatives of Medway Council, District Council, other representative bodies and key private sector companies attended to discuss the proposals. Richard Bowker, the Chairman of the SRA, attended for part of the meeting. 2. Draft Consultation Response 2.1 Following the Kent Rail Forum, a draft County Council response has been prepared and is attached. It is recommended that the Cabinet approves this draft as the basis for the County Council’s response to the consultation. Following Cabinet, the draft will be circulated to members of the Kent Rail Forum for comment and it is recommended that the Cabinet Member for Regeneration is remitted to approve any subsequent changes that result. It is also recommended that the County Council puts forward a nominee to the non-executive board of the IKF franchise holder so that the interests of the people of Kent are represented. - 4.1 - 3. Recommendations It is recommended that: • the attached draft response forms the basis for the County Council’s submission to the SRA; • approval of the final submission to the SRA is delegated to Alex King, the Cabinet Member for Regeneration. • That the County Council puts forward a nominee to the non-executive board of the IKF franchise holder. Mick Sutch David Hall Head of Planning & Transport Strategy Regeneration & Projects Manager Tel: (01622) 221612 (01622) 221982 Background Documents: Integrated Kent Franchise --- SRA, February 2004. COM\IKF CABINET APRIL 2004 - 4.2 - Integrated Kent Rail Franchise A Response to the SRA from Kent County Council ( DRAFT ) 1. Executive Summary 1.1 New fast services from East and North Kent to Stratford and St Pancras are welcomed. Particular concerns relate to: • Capacity issues and loss of existing London termini facilities on the North Kent line. • Loss of off-peak provision at many rural stations. • Overall provision of services to/from Maidstone. • Rail heading. • The failure of the service proposals to take into account the significant growth planned for Kent and London. • The impact on London Bridge of the policy to restrict London termini operation is a major concern. • The provision of CTRL domestic services to Dover. • Proposals are London Centric. 2. Background 2. 1 History Since 1986, the County Council has recognised the opportunity the Channel Tunnel and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) provide to modernise Kent’s railway system. Kent has supported both projects despite considerable disruption due to the building of the Tunnel, started in 1987, followed by the CTRL which is still under construction. It did so in the expectation that there would be a significant improvement to rail services as outlined during the Select Committee process in both Houses of Parliament. The proposed new Integrated Kent Franchise has the potential to improve rail services in Kent dramatically for the first time since 1963. It is vital for the people of Kent that the SRA gets it right. 2.2 Rail Co-ordination Kent County Council actively works with the rail industry in a number of important areas through a Memorandum of Understanding with South Eastern Trains. We also support an innovative funding co-ordination agreement in partnership with South Eastern Trains and Network Rail. It is in this context, as an active stakeholder and “critical friend” to the rail industry that the County Council is able to comment knowledgeably on the SRA’s Integrated Kent Franchise (IKF) proposals. - 4.3 - 2.3 Consultation on IKF To champion the interests of the people of Kent, the County Council has consulted extensively with a wide range of stakeholders. This has included organisations and individuals with an extensive knowledge of the Kent rail network and its complexities. We have been proactive in undertaking station passenger counts at locations where the IKF proposals will have a significant impact upon the level of service provided as we believe that the industry figures underestimate passenger numbers and particularly school children. The County Council has brought together political and business partners through the Kent and Medway Rail Forum. This Forum met on 29 March where a broad Kent-wide consensus on the IKF proposals was agreed. 2.4 The Growth Agenda Existing Regional Planning Guidance and Government’s Sustainable Communities Plan (with designated growth areas in the Thames Gateway and Ashford) will impose substantial house-building in Kent, in addition to the housing which is needed because of internal demographic change. RPG calls for 5,700 new houses per year to be built in Kent for the 15 year period up to 2016 (85,500 new houses). This figure may be further increased by the recommendations of the recent Barker Report. In parallel with the creation of new homes, the scale of new development, particularly in the Thames Gateway and Ashford, will create up to 100,000 new jobs over the same period. Such expansion is impossible to achieve in a sustainable way without substantial investment. Kent County Council is working with Government to identify ways to unlock the £10 billion needed to ensure appropriate infrastructure, including rail, is provided. This is clearly a major challenge. The County Council presented to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2003 a document entitled What Price Growth? This recognised four challenges: • improve rail services, roads and motorway junctions to kick start the Kent economy; • provide community infrastructure for schools, learning, leisure, health and community facilities; • enhance and regenerate existing town centres; • create jobs. 2.5 The Role of Rail In its response to the CTRL scheme, the County Council developed six key tests to measure the proposals against. Four of these tests remain relevant for consideration of the IKF proposals: • Economic development – the regeneration of the growth areas and coastal towns. - 4.4 - • Environment – the need to achieve model shift, particularly road to rail. • Freight – the need to maximise the use of existing lines and CTRL for freight. • Domestic services – faster, more reliable journeys to London and within Kent. In addition, the County Council considers that rail services should provide good access to: Work School and post 16 education travel Leisure/shopping Healthcare journeys This is consistent with the County Council’s priorities in the expenditure of its £6 million bus service budget for supporting services which are necessary for social, school and work reasons. 2.6 Previous IKF Consultation In November 2003, the County Council provided the following mission statement, agreed by the Kent and Medway Rail Forum, in response to the SRA’s second round of IKF consultation: Kent Common Position on Service Provision The concept of the Integrated Kent Franchise is welcomed as it offers the potential to integrate classic and CTRL domestic services and maximise the benefits of the rail service in Kent. The extension of CTRL Domestic Services beyond the Core Option of Gravesend, Folkestone and Canterbury to include services to Thanet, Medway and Swale is welcomed. These services are essential for the delivery of sustainable growth in the Growth Areas and the priority areas for regeneration. The current financial position of the SRA is acknowledged. The SRA is funded through central government that is also promoting the sustainable growth of the Thames Gateway and Ashford. It is, therefore, imperative that there is a co-ordinated approach from Government to achieving these services, and that the Integrated Kent Franchise is capable of modification over time to reflect fully current levels of overcrowding and the additional demands that growth in the County will bring. There should be no overall reduction in the number of trains serving the Growth Areas of the Thames Gateway (south east London to Swale) and Ashford. The SRA should use the opportunity of the complete review of the south east network to seek to maximise the number of services through the Medway Towns within the existing infrastructure constraints in the short term. The SRA must plan to improve the infrastructure through the Medway Towns and possibly east of Dartford in the medium term so that additional services can be - 4.5 - introduced as the Thames Gateway develops. This should be reflected within the franchise agreement. 3. Current IKF Proposals 3.1 Background Kent County Council warmly welcomes the proposal to provide high-speed CTRL domestic services from East and North Kent. These services will, in most cases, substantially reduce journey times to and from London and give a significant boost to the sub-regional economy and the delivery of sustainable development in the Growth Areas and regeneration of the coastal towns.
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