Great Western Route Utilisation Strategy March 2010 2 Foreword I am delighted to present the Great Western Development of this strategy has followed Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS), which sets a now well-established process. Initially, an out the strategic vision for the future of this analysis was carried out into the capacity and vital part of the rail network. As well as the capability of the existing network and train Great Western Main Line itself, the strategy services taking into account major changes covers the network north to Ashchurch and planned over the next 10 years. Future Bicester Town and south to Basingstoke, demand was then analysed with a number of Salisbury and Dorchester. “Gaps” identified and options to resolve these gaps appraised. Those which demonstrated This August will see the 175th anniversary the best value for money are included in of the Great Western Railway. Today, that the strategy. railway carries tens of millions of passengers a year through the Thames Valley, the West The dominant issue is the need to provide Country and Wales. Working closely with our sufficient capacity on peak services, train operating customers, Network Rail is specifically to and from London but also for delivering an ever improving service for those Bristol and Exeter. In the short to medium term passengers, and for freight users. the approach focuses on enabling longer trains to serve these routes, particularly through the More people are choosing to travel by train, introduction of IEP, which will increase capacity and high levels of growth are predicted through new rolling stock and an enhanced to continue, particularly around London timetable, but also through train lengthening Paddington and Bristol. Demand for freight for local services. The strategy also identifies is also expected to continue to grow, as it is future opportunities presented by electrification increasingly recognised as an economically such as a further review of the local network sensible and environmentally efficient form in Bristol building on the analysis of a ‘Bristol of transport. Metro’ service. This success brings challenges. Already This RUS was initially published in the improvement work has begun – fixing consultation form in September 2009. Many the bottleneck at Reading, redoubling the issues were raised during that consultation Cotswold line, increasing the linespeed on the that have influenced several aspects of Bristol to Birmingham corridor, preparing for the strategy. Network Rail has led the Crossrail, and through development work on production of this RUS, however it has the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) and been developed with the full input of the rail electrification of the Great Western Main Line. industry including passenger and freight This investment is a massive boost for operators, the Department for Transport, passengers, businesses and communities Transport for London, Passenger Focus and along the route. When complete, more trains London TravelWatch. I thank them all for will run, with better performance and greater their contribution. environmental efficiency. Iain Coucher Chief Executive Executive summary Introduction The scope area adjoins the routes of the South Route Utilisation Strategies (RUSs) seek West Main Line; Wessex; South and Central to establish the strategic direction of the Wales and Borders; Chilterns and the West railway from a systematic analysis of future Midlands. The RUS area plays a crucial role requirements of the network. They seek to in the core cross-country network, linking the balance capacity, passenger and freight South Coast, Thames Valley, West Country, demand, operational performance and cost South Wales and South Midlands with the whilst addressing the requirements of funders Midlands, Greater Manchester, Yorkshire, the and stakeholders. Network Rail is developing North East and Scotland. a programme of RUSs, in conjunction with Timeframe rail industry partners and wider stakeholders, The Great Western RUS primarily focuses which when complete, will cover the entire rail on the next 10 years to 2019 but has also network in Great Britain. This programme of considered the implications of growth in RUSs includes a Network RUS which reviews demand over the next 0 years in the context national issues such as stations, depots, rolling of the Government’s 2007 White Paper stock and electrification as well as presenting “Delivering a Sustainable Railway”. scenarios and forecasts for long distance passenger and freight markets with the The period from 1 April 2009 to 1 March established Freight RUS providing a strategy 201 is Network Rail’s current Control Period to meet anticipated freight demand to 201. (CP). Any known commitments to 201 This Great Western RUS provides a further that have either formed the High Level Output step towards achieving national coverage and Specification (HLOS) or have committed has followed the now well-established process. funding through other funding streams have been included as part of the Great Western Scope RUS base. Such capacity schemes and The Great Western RUS sets out the strategic other enhancements are described further in vision for a particular part of the rail network. Chapter 4. The scope of the RUS is extensive and diverse; the focal element being the Great CP marks a start of a new era for rail in Britain Western Main Line (GWML) which operates as this is the first review since the passing over 20 miles and creates main line links of the Railways Act 2005, and introduces a from London to the West of England and South new process whereby the Secretary of State Wales. Extending from this are radial routes to issues a High Level Output Specification and Oxford, the Cotswolds, Birmingham, the South a Statement of Funds Available which sets Coast and South West. Branch lines into the the scene for the next five years. From this, London suburbs, to the Devon and Cornish Network Rail has embarked on a national coast and dedicated freight only lines complete programme of expenditure targeted at building the mix of routes considered. a bigger and better railway through over 500 schemes and projects aimed at providing extra capacity or capability for passengers and freight customers – this is the biggest expansion of Britain’s railways since the 180s. Within the Great Western RUS scope area The identified gaps have been analysed there are a significant number of major, to understand how best to address them, high-profile, high-investment enhancement taking into account any schemes already schemes planned or proposed during CP proposed. In the course of this work, options which continue into the next control period have been developed on an iterative basis (Control Period 5 (CP5)) from 201 to 2019. until feasible solutions have been identified These major enhancement schemes include with acceptable operational performance the electrification of the Great Western that meets whole-industry value-for-money Main Line; the Intercity Express Programme criteria. In some cases there may be further (IEP); European Rail Traffic Management work required to identify additional benefits System (ERTMS); the Reading Station Area in order to demonstrate a sufficiently strong Redevelopment and Crossrail. Although economic return. predominantly within the Thames Valley The Great Western RUS has been developed area, these schemes will resolve a number of as a result of considerable analysis and close current and future issues across the whole of collaboration between Network Rail, the the RUS area. The implementation of these Department for Transport, the passenger and interventions will significantly change the freight operators, Transport for London, the capacity and capability of the network. Office of Rail Regulation, Welsh Assembly Through the inclusion of these improvements Government, Passenger Focus and London in the base, the RUS has been able to identify TravelWatch. further prospective “Gaps”. The focus of options to address these gaps being to input recommendations for the longer-term strategy to inform the Department for Transport’s (DfT) next HLOS for CP5. Process The starting point for the Great Western RUS has been to analyse the current base position of the network, combined with any committed schemes and known interventions. Demand analysis has been undertaken to ascertain the expected level of growth over the next 10 years taking into account the anticipated drivers of change. The combined analysis identifies where supply and demand is mismatched now, and where it is expected to be mismatched in the future. 5 Gaps performance pinch-points and local and The key themes that have emerged from regional connectivity. The following table the analysis of the current railway and what presents the gaps identified and taken is required of it in the future is capacity forward for further analysis under the Great (at stations, on trains and of the network), Western RUS process. 1. Paddington peak capacity 2. I nner suburban service pattern 3. Paddington to Reading all day capacity 4. Paddington to Reading performance 5. Slough to Windsor all day capacity 6. Freight capacity and capability: in and around London and north-south 7. Reading peak capacity 8. Didcot to Wolvercot Jn performance 9. West Midlands to South Coast connectivity and all day capacity 10. Swindon to Gloucester performance 11. South Wales to South Coast all day capacity 12. West Midlands to South West connectivity and all day capacity 13. Bristol peak capacity 14. Bristol performance