Contents

1. Introduction 3

2. Role of Rail 4

3. The Tees Valley Rail Network 6

4. Aspirations for Tees Valley Rail 18

5. Interventions 25

6. Action Plan 33

2 Draft Rail Implementation Plan 1. Introduction

Tees Valley Combined Authority is the local transport authority for the Tees Valley. This is the Tees Valley Rail Implementation Plan, part of the first Strategic Transport Plan for the region, for the period up to 2029. It has been developed by the Combined Authority in collaboration with our five constituent Local Authorities, Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees.

The Combined Authority has ambitious plans to grow the region’s economy and our Strategic Economic Plan aims to create 25,000 Our vision for new jobs and deliver an additional £2.8billion into Tees Valley by Tees Valley is: 2026. We are also developing a Local Industrial Strategy, an agreement between us and the Government on how we will To provide a high improve our economy over the next ten years and how this will quality, clean, feed into the Government’s overall UK strategy. quick, affordable, reliable and safe In order to ensure that everyone in Tees Valley is able to work, transport network study, enjoy and fully participate in these ambitious plans for the for people and future, we need a world-class transport system that also encourages inward investment. Transport is about connecting freight to move people and businesses in Tees Valley and beyond. Delivering a within, to and from world-class transport system that is fit for the future is a critical Tees Valley. enabler for the success of the area.

In preparing the Strategic Transport Plan, a framework was developed based upon six themes, which are closely linked and will all require improvement in order to meet the overall transport vision for the Tees Valley. The six key themes are:

 National Rail.

 Major Roads.

 Connecting Economic Centres.

 Unlocking Key Sites.

 Local Journeys.

 Deliver Social Equality and Protect and Enhance the Environment

To support the Strategic Transport Plan itself, a series of Implementation Plans have been prepared which go into more detail on the current and future issues, and the interventions needed, across the six themes listed above.

This Rail Implementation Plan covers issues relating to the first theme in the above list in particular, but also links to the third, fourth and fifth themes as well. It explores the importance of rail services (both passenger and freight) to Tees Valley and briefly reports on the work done to date in enhancing the rail network, before setting out the key elements of rail improvements that are needed to support our ambitions.

As with the Strategic Transport Plan, we are looking for feedback on this supporting document, before it is finalised towards the end of 2019. Please visit our website to provide your input. www.teesvalley-ca.gov.uk/consultations

Draft Rail Implementation Plan 3 2. Role of Rail

The rail network in the Tees Valley plays a key role in linking our main centres of economic activity and in providing crucial connectivity to other parts of the country.

Rail contributes considerable lasting benefits to the productive potential of the Tees Valley, helping to reduce congestion on the road network and facilitating the development of clusters of economic activity around stations. More specifically, the Tees Valley rail network:

 Supports commuting to/from urban centres and other economic clusters of activity, leading to an increase in the density of employment which raises productivity;

 Allows the development of business links and market opportunities as a result of inter-city connectivity;

 Increases output in other sectors of the economy, since rail services reduce transport costs relative to journeys made by road;

 Delivers other productivity impacts such as enhancing trade between firms;

 Supports the tourism and leisure economy by providing access to and from the airports and specific attractions;

 Improves quality of life through improving access to education and training, improving social inclusion, lowering the number of killed or seriously injured on the transport network and reducing environmental impacts of road travel;

 Supports international connectivity by facilitating access to major ports and airports and helps to attract inward investment; and

 Supports the movement of goods in a sustainable way.

Passenger rail in the Tees Valley has continued to show significant growth in recent years, and is key to providing good public transport access between our main economic/retail centres, Teesport, Teesside International Airport and many of our major employment and regeneration sites. Between 2000 and 2018, patronage at all Tees Valley stations has grown by 75%, and this growth has largely been maintained through recent challenging economic conditions (for example, there was a 6.3% increase between 2012/13 and 2017/18).

Freight movements by rail have also continued to increase as epitomised by the growth in container traffic into and out of Teesport, which has increased by an average of 7% per annum over the last 5 years. Approvals and funding are already in place for the Northern Gateway Container Terminal expansion at Teesport which will significantly add to this by more than doubling the container capacity to 1.1 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) and creating up to 4,000 direct and indirect jobs. The future development of the South Tees Mayoral Development site could also open up further opportunities for freight growth in this area.

To support our future plans, we need a rail network that has high quality vehicles, frequent services and goes to where people will want to travel now and in the future.

Our rail links to London and Scotland via the services on the East Coast Mainline are critical for business and leisure travel. This is highlighted by recent research which showed that existing East Coast services at Darlington benefit the Tees Valley economy by £400 million. Hartlepool and Eaglescliffe also continue to benefit from the direct links to London provided

4 Draft Rail Implementation Plan by Grand Central. It is important that these links are retained and enhanced to offer optimum provision for Tees Valley passengers and support the economy. Connectivity to the Midlands and beyond to the south west, as well as to Yorkshire, is also important and is currently provided by CrossCountry services. There are 742,000 Cross Country journeys per year from Darlington which equates to almost one third of all rail demand at this key rail gateway for the Tees Valley.

East-west connectivity across the North is provided by the TransPennine Express franchise from both Darlington and Middlesbrough (plus Thornaby and Yarm) to York, Leeds, Manchester and Manchester Airport, in particular. The economic linkages between the Tees Valley and the Leeds and Manchester city regions are important to the economic vitality of the area. In particular, there are strong economic, social and cultural links between Tees Valley and Leeds. The link to Manchester Airport is critical in that it is currently the only direct link between the area and one of the country’s major international airports for businesses that require international connectivity.

Local rail connectivity within the Tees Valley, for both passenger and freight services, is also vital to our economic growth to ensure that our key centres of population and economic activity are well connected together as well as to the national rail network. This is highlighted by the fact that “Connecting Centres” is one of the five main themes within the Strategic Transport Plan framework. The Northern franchise provides the majority of local rail services which operate on our rail network.

Addressing the needs and unlocking the potential of both the national and local rail networks is the fundamental principle behind the Tees Valley’s rail ambitions, which aim is to provide a 21st century transit system in a cost effective and efficient way.

Draft Rail Implementation Plan 5 3. The Tees Valley Rail Network

Extent of the Rail Network

The current Tees Valley passenger rail network is illustrated below.

Tees Valley Passenger Rail Network

Whilst the network is fairly extensive, it is still based, to a large extent, on historic patterns of development and travel demand and it does not necessarily fully meet our future needs. Passenger service levels, quality and connections are also not up to a sufficient standard to fully support our ambitious plans: most existing local timetables were designed many years ago and connections between services are often far from ideal; services do not always start early or run late enough; Sunday services are often poor; and there are even gaps in service at the busiest weekday peak times.

The Tees Valley is still a major hub for the movement of rail freight with the freight-only Stillington line, which branches off in a NW direction north of Stockton, providing an important additional link to the East Coast Mainline south of Durham. We also retain a number of rail-connected freight facilities operating at Middlesbrough, Teesport, Redcar, Lackenby Wilton, Boulby Mine, Skinningrove, Port Clarence and Hartlepool (Hartlepool 20" Pipe Mill and the Power Station). These are supported by large marshalling yards at Thornaby (Tees Yard) and Middlesbrough and are illustrated in the plan below:

6 Draft Rail Implementation Plan Tees Valley Rail Freight Network

Our local rail-freight infrastructure has largely developed on the basis of major flows of dry and liquid bulks to and from private sidings or port facilities, relating to the area’s position as a major centre for petro-chemicals, steel-making and power generation. We also have a long history as a major centre for intermodal traffic. Stockton was in the first wave of Freightliner terminals opened in the 1960s, and we have retained a continuous Freightliner presence for almost 50 years. As already mentioned, the future establishment and roll-out of the Mayoral Development Corporation site in the South Tees area is likely to add significantly to the growth potential for freight in the Tees Valley.

Draft Rail Implementation Plan 7 Performance of the Rail Network

The table below shows the patronage at each of the rail stations There were more across the Tees Valley over the past five years, noting that than 6.5 million rail James Cook Station only opened in 2014. James Cook Station is boardings and the highest profile example of where local funding has recently alightings in 2017/18 been used to enhance station facilities across the Tees Valley – a 10% increase in and more information on this is provided later in the document. patronage since 2010

As already described in Chapter 2, the figures highlight that there was an on-going upward trend in rail use across the Tees Valley in recent years, up to 2016/17, despite a lack of any serious investment in trains or service improvements in our area. This is testament to the local investment made to improve our stations. There was a slight fall in total demand in 2017/18 but this can probably be directly attributable to the regular industrial action that reduced Northern’s service levels throughout the year and also to network performance issues that affected both Northern and in particular TransPennine services.

Tees Valley Rail Patronage Station 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 Allens West 62,069 59,085 59,320 63,248 65,489 64,876 Billingham 68,812 73,500 75,952 86,197 95,157 81,958 Darlington 2,175,768 2,199,524 2,243,233 2,250,978 2,276,238 2,329,991 Dinsdale 32,697 43,899 48,569 54,486 59,164 56,909 Eaglescliffe 149,821 177,504 196,769 204,942 208,659 208,633 Gypsy Lane 21,926 23,713 26,414 30,388 33,032 33,349 Hartlepool 534,792 574,120 618,894 644,329 642,582 641,662 James Cook 22,777 30,912 30,609 32,729 Longbeck 40,070 41,208 40,405 43,207 45,099 47,284 Marske 79,141 78,300 79,261 76,112 74,434 73,189 Marton 9,882 10,586 10,589 13,549 13,719 13,376 Middlesbrough 1,367,087 1,373,524 1,348,960 1,333,222 1,357,420 1,314,379 North Road 32,919 35,728 31,110 32,320 33,378 30,347 Nunthorpe 22,639 24,248 32,523 35,825 35,864 34,650 Redcar Central 365,764 384,430 359,660 343,165 348,123 345,109 Redcar East 140,720 129,449 119,627 112,042 110,684 100,516 Saltburn 253,662 266,569 252,638 250,724 244,508 237,669 Seaton Carew 46,602 53,554 57,386 56,074 57,277 61,941 South Bank 4,712 12,514 22,914 21,899 23,968 21,477 Stockton 68,914 77,671 73,067 77,193 80,842 79,456 Thornaby 571,657 583,699 591,511 611,576 635,908 603,585 Yarm 122,596 122,872 125,747 135,564 147,181 149,461 Total 6,172,250 6,345,697 6,437,326 6,507,952 6,619,425 6,562,627 Source: Northern Rail

8 Draft Rail Implementation Plan The graph below highlights the predominantly upward growth trend in rail use across the Tees Valley over the last 10 years.

Growth in Rail Use in the Tees Valley over the last 10 years

Although we cannot access specific equivalent data for the Tees Valley on rail freight flows, a search of online timetabling data suggests that the Tees Valley currently has over 100 freight trains running each week.

The volume of freight on individual lines varies and there is 150 freight trains considerably more freight traffic generated by terminals south of the run in the Tees River Tees competing for capacity with passenger services between Valley every Darlington and Middlesbrough. week.

Draft Rail Implementation Plan 9 The two tables below indicate the recent performance of all passenger train operating companies that serve the Tees Valley, covering 2016/17 and 2017/18, which is the most recent available for year-on-year comparison. This data is published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for each operator in the country.

The first table shows the Average Public Performance Measure (PPM) for the whole year, which is the industry standard means of measuring the percentage of passenger trains that are run on time. For the train operators categorised by the ORR as long distance, the measure is the percentage of trains arriving within 10 minutes of the timetabled arrival at their final destination while for the regional operators, it is the percentage of trains arriving within 5 minutes. In general these are franchise-wide figures that do not relate specifically to any routes or services. However TVCA has managed to obtain more detailed figures for TransPennine and Northern, to better reflect performance on local services in the Tees Valley.

Recent Performance of Rail Operators in the Tees Valley (PPM) PPM Period PPM Period Operator Average 2016/17 Average 2017/18 Long Distance Virgin Trains East Coast 83.1 82.2 Cross Country 89.7 87.5 Grand Central 85.0 83.7 TransPennine Express (whole franchise) 88.8 86.3 TransPennine Express North (including 88.8 87.0 services to Darlington and Middlesbrough) Regional Operators Northern Rail (whole franchise) 91.1 88.2 Northern Rail (Tyne, Tees and Wear) 94.0 92.2 Northern Rail (Bishop Auckland-Darlington- 94.6* 93.5 Saltburn) Northern Rail (Durham Coast via Hartlepool) 93.6* 91.8 Northern Rail (Middlesbrough-Whitby) 85.3* 81.5 Northern Rail (Saltburn-Darlington-Newcastle) 90.8* 90.5 Source: NERMU

* Average based on Period 7 to Period 13 only as Route Based information not available to NERMU prior to that.

The second table (below) shows the Average Right-Time Performance measure, which is the percentage of trains that arrive at the final destination within a minute of the scheduled time. Again these are generally franchise-wide figures but TVCA has also managed to obtain more detailed Right-Time figures for TransPennine and Northern, to better reflect performance on local services in the Tees Valley, although the specific Northern Rail Route- based data was only available from mid-2017-18 onwards.

10 Draft Rail Implementation Plan Recent Performance of Rail Operators in the Tees Valley (Right-Time) Right-Time Right-Time Operator Period Average Period Average 2016/17 2017/18 Long Distance Virgin Trains East Coast 50.6 43.9 Cross Country 42.5 38.5 Grand Central 43.5 40.9 TransPennine Express (whole franchise) 52.5 48.9 TransPennine Express North (including 48.7 45.4 services to Darlington and Middlesbrough) Regional Operators Northern Rail (whole franchise) 71.0 65.2 Northern Rail (Tyne, Tees and Wear) 82.1 79.3 Northern Rail (Bishop Auckland-Darlington- Data Not Available 77.4** Saltburn) Northern Rail (Durham Coast via Hartlepool) Data Not Available 75.7** Northern Rail (Middlesbrough-Whitby) Data Not Available 56.4** Northern Rail (Saltburn-Darlington-Newcastle) Data Not Available 64.8** Source: NERMU

** Average calculated using Period 7-13 Data only

These PPM and Right-Time figures show that the recent performance of the local Northern services in the Tees Valley and wider North East has generally been better than for other operators and that in the North East performance is better than the Northern Rail average. Whilst this is clearly a positive for Tees Valley passengers, there was an emerging picture of falling performance across all operators between 2016/17 and 2017/18. The figures for the longer distance operators, including TransPennine, were generally pretty similar in 2016/17 and showed the same sort of decline in 2017/18. The figures are only a snapshot and not necessarily representative of the long-term picture, but the pattern is concerning and is likely, at least in part, to be related to increasing issues of lack of capacity and resilience across the rail network that will be discussed in more detail below. Performance figures for 2018/19 are certain to suffer further falls, particularly for Northern and TransPennine, as a result of the well documented problems related to the introduction of the May 2018 timetable.

Whilst PPM and Right-Time are still relevant and useful measures of train service performance across the different routes and franchises, the rail industry is now moving towards On-Time measures for all train operators. This means that performance will be assessed in terms of the percentage of trains actually leaving/arriving at all stations on the route on time (within a minute of schedule), not just the start and end points of a route (as now) on time. This is the right vision and a much more accurate measure of performance and will help to ensure that passengers can benefit from a more reliable railway. However as the PPM and Right-Time figures continue to show, it will be a challenge to achieve this.

Draft Rail Implementation Plan 11 Capacity and Capability

The capacity and capability of the passenger and freight rail networks that serve the Tees Valley is now becoming a serious concern in terms of the impact this will have on future economic growth.

The East Coast Mainline (ECML) north of York and in particular north of Northallerton, where it becomes 2-track only, is now at or very close to capacity and we are witnessing train operators now struggling to deliver franchise commitments as a direct result. For example from May 2018 not all of the new TransPennine services between Newcastle and Manchester Airport were able to make calls at Darlington due to lack of capacity on the ECML, which is of major concern to TVCA.

These short-term capacity concerns have been clearly highlighted by Network Rail in its ECML Route Study which was published in 2018. This contains the following stark summary of the situation North of York:

“Assuming today’s infrastructure, no increases in the number of services would be possible on this section of railway. Changes to service levels would have to be made using trade-offs between trains in different service sectors, and/or by adjusting stopping patterns and the destinations served.”

This is not an acceptable scenario in light of growth forecasts.

There are also on-going issues of service resilience which have widespread network implications. The ECML is critical to virtually all passenger and freight connectivity aspirations for the Tees Valley both short and long-term.

The local rail network is also constrained meaning that without interventions to free up known capacity pinch-points, in particular at Darlington and Middlesbrough stations, and at other likely pinch-points such as Hartlepool, no further train services or station calls are possible with the current infrastructure. This is clearly not sustainable given the levels of growth that are forecast and the increased service levels that are already committed.

In addition to this, key freight links on the rail network are currently unable to fully cater for the largest growth market in the Tees Valley which is high cube containers to/from Teesport. Although a terminal exists at Teesport, which facilitates the transfer of containers onto rail, without the rail network in the Tees Valley having the sufficient gauge clearance to transport the largest containers, there will be a continued reliance on transporting these by road.

12 Draft Rail Implementation Plan Station Facilities

A significant programme of station investment in the Tees Valley over the last few years, funded locally, has started to deliver a step-change in the provision of passenger facilities at all our rail stations. The aim was to ensure a minimum standard of provision for passengers at stations including waiting facilities, information provision, cycle parking, signage and CCTV. This helped close a gap in the provision of facilities for passengers at all our local stations, when compared to what is provided at some of our larger stations.

The programme also included more significant improvements at three of our key local hub stations – Eaglescliffe, Hartlepool and Redcar Central as well as the construction of the first new station in the Tees Valley for almost 20 years, at James Cook University Hospital.

The station patronage figures above help to show that this investment is already having a positive effect. This is a good start but there are more improvements that can be made to improve facilities for rail passengers, particularly in terms of integration and accessibility.

User Satisfaction

The table below shows a summary of the most recent user satisfaction results for the various rail operators, based on surveys carried out twice each year by Transport Focus.

Recent User Satisfaction figures for Tees Valley services Operator 2017 Spring 2016 Autumn 2016 Spring 2015 Autumn Long Distance Operator Virgin Trains East Coast 91% 91% 88% 89% TransPennine Express 86% 84% 87% 83% Cross Country 88% 84% 86% 87% Grand Central 94% 91% 96% 93% Regional Operators Northern Rail 83% 81% 82% 84% Source: Transport Focus

Draft Rail Implementation Plan 13 Current Issues

Although rail patronage has grown significantly in the Tees Valley in recent years, despite modest investment, and the figures for user satisfaction are generally showing an upward trend, there remain a number of key issues that have been identified with the current rail network in the Tees Valley.

First, station facilities at Darlington and Middlesbrough are limited for such important gateways to a city region the size of the Tees Valley.

Given its strategic location on the East Coast Main Line (ECML), Darlington Station is not currently fulfilling its potential due to capacity issues and a lack of appropriate facilities. This adversely impacts on both mainline services and those local services which either terminate or cross the mainline at Darlington. Specific issues include:

 Mainline passenger services: Lack of capacity as access to the main platforms within the station involves inefficient early deceleration and diversion off the mainline. As part of its East Coast Route Network Study, Network Rail has now identified Darlington and one of the priority locations for investment to increase capacity on the ECML;

 Local service: Lack of capacity as services need to cross the mainline north and south of the station in order to stop here. This is constraining important rail links into the heart of the Tees Valley and also into South Durham along the Bishop Line, both key development corridors;

 Southbound freight services: Lack of capacity as some services, particularly large containers, are required to travel north into/through the station before then going south;

 Lack of high quality station facilities and access options; and

 Lack of integration with Darlington town centre and with the growing Central Park Enterprise Zone site immediately adjacent on the North East side of the Station.

14 Draft Rail Implementation Plan Issues at Middlesbrough Station include:

 Lack of platform capacity and operational flexibility for the service levels that operate now - this will be further compounded by longer trains that will be delivered in the TransPennine Express franchise, the new committed East Coast Middlesbrough- London services, enhanced Northern Rail frequencies into Middlesbrough and the continued growth in freight services such as containers to/from Teesport;

 Lack of integration with other modes of transport;

 Lack of integration with Middlesbrough town centre and with the growing Middlehaven Enterprise Zone site immediately adjacent on the North side of the Station; and

 Ongoing issues with the condition of the station building façade, car park and entrance, currently subject of a Network Rail renewals project.

Overcoming these issues by providing two high quality rail gateways for the Tees Valley will be imperative to the future strategy, particularly as local rail timetables and operations are fundamentally linked to the capacity and throughput of these two stations.

The East Coast franchise, and the commitments for new and improved services within it, is critical for the economic vitality of the Tees Valley. Both Darlington and Middlesbrough will benefit significantly from these improvements so, despite the future nature of the franchise now changing beyond 2018 following publication of the Government’s Strategic Vision for Rail in November 2017, it remains vital that these commitments are delivered on time as planned, irrespective of whether the franchise is in public or private control.

The section of rail line between Northallerton and Teesport is crucial to provide effective access between the Tees Valley and the East Coast Main Line for both passenger and freight trains. However, the current limited gauge clearance of the line, from where it leaves the ECML at Northallerton, requires all large container traffic from Teesport to/from the south to make a reversing manoeuvre at Darlington, which adds time, distance and cost and places a limit on train path availability now and the future. Continuation of this situation will not support the planned expansion of Teesport, and could actually stifle growth of this important economic asset.

Draft Rail Implementation Plan 15 Journey times on the route are also slow. Train speeds are relatively low, when compared to other equivalent routes and to highlight this point rail journey times to York from Middlesbrough (circa 1 hour) are double those from Darlington (circa 30 mins), even though the journey distances are very similar. A reduction in journey time is particularly important to enhance the following national rail links:

 Direct TransPennine services to Manchester Airport (from both Darlington and Middlesbrough), now that these have been secured in the long-term in the new franchise.

 Existing Grand Central services to London, serving Hartlepool and Eaglescliffe in the Tees Valley.

 New East Coast services to London from Middlesbrough and Thornaby that are committed in the franchise.

Finally, local rail connectivity issues include the following:

 Most existing local timetables were designed many years ago and are not now reflective of the travel demands of the modern day Tees Valley economy between our key centres of activity. In addition, rail stations are not always in the ideal locations to meet the needs of new markets and to encourage greater accessibility to the local rail network.

 Service frequencies are on our local lines and at many of our stations are often not up to the required minimum standard. 2 trains per hour has been recognised as such a standard for the Tees Valley’s rail network, yet there are various examples where this is not currently being met.

 Connections between services (local, regional; and national) are often far from ideal, services do not always start early or run late enough, Sunday services are often poor and there are even gaps in service at the busiest weekday peak times.

 Rail journey times on local lines are also uncompetitive when compared to the car. For example it can take significantly longer to travel by train between our key centres of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Stockton as well as to access other parts of the Tees Valley by rail, in comparison to the equivalent journeys by car. There are similar issues on the strategically important Durham Coast Line, for example between Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool and Newcastle where end-to- end journey times are between 80 and 90 minutes and are therefore much longer than the equivalent by car. Journey times on the Esk Valley line between Middlesbrough and Whitby are equally uncompetitive.

 Beyond the two main capacity constraints at Darlington and Middlesbrough, others are emerging such as lack of platform capacity at Hartlepool and Redcar Central for additional services and the need for further expansion and additional car parking at

16 Draft Rail Implementation Plan Eaglescliffe. The provision of adequate capacity across the whole network is vital to support passenger and freight growth.

 Rail fares are viewed by many passengers as complex with a baffling array of ticket options on offer which often makes obtaining the best deal very difficult.

 There is a lack of integration with other modes of public transport with rail and bus timetables and ticketing often lacking the required coordination. Also, whilst the provision of cycling parking at stations is improving and there have been small increases in the number of cycles accepted on board by some operators, more can still be done. The limits on the carriage of cycles on trains and the different booking arrangement between train operators remains confusing and continues to act as a barrier to use.

Local rail services must therefore be planned and delivered in a more effective manner.

Draft Rail Implementation Plan 17 4. Aspirations for Tees Valley Rail

Strategic Rail – East Coast/HS2/Northern Powerhouse Rail

As stated above, the East Coast Mainline is the fundamental corridor for all Tees Valley’s strategic growth aspirations for rail, both passenger and freight. Within the next two years East Coast services will increase in frequency through Darlington and to Middlesbrough with new, longer trains and exactly the same will happen with TransPennine services to both locations. CrossCountry and Grand Central services also provide vital connectivity on the route whilst freight services are also forecast to grow so the capacity and capability to meet all these demands must be provided.

Potential Benefits of HS2 Services for Tees Valley

The long term aspiration for the Tees Valley Rail Network is that Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and High Speed Rail (HS2) will play a critical role in supplementing these services and thus further enhance strategic rail connectivity to the Tees Valley.

NPR, which is the centrepiece of Transport for the North’s (TfN’s) long term rail strategy, will potentially further transform links to the key economic powerhouses of Leeds and Manchester, as well as to Manchester Airport, by delivering significant journey time reductions and improving journey quality across the Pennines.

NPR is being promoted as a single network for the North and a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) was submitted to Government in early 2019 to be followed by development of an OBC over the next 18 months. The network is shown in the plan below and stretches from Liverpool in the West, to Newcastle in the North, Hull in the East and Sheffield in the South. Beyond York, current plans show NPR using an upgraded ECML so Darlington will be the main point in the Tees Valley, although future expansion could see Middlesbrough and other parts of the region also served directly.

For assessment purposes, NPR is broken down into various corridors such as Liverpool- Manchester, Manchester-Leeds, Manchester-Sheffield, Leeds-Newcastle, Leeds-Hull and Sheffield-Hull. For Tees Valley the Leeds-Newcastle corridor is of most direct interest and a

18 Draft Rail Implementation Plan series of options to upgrade the existing ECML, as well as the parallel route North of Northallerton, were included in the SOBC. This upgrade will be required in order to provide sufficient capacity to cater for the uplift in the number of services (both passenger and freight) that are needed in the future. The SOBC outlines that this uplift will be from 6 trains per hour to 9 trains per hour. The specific options along the Leeds-Newcastle corridor, which will provide the additional capacity that is required on the route, will be further refined and developed in the OBC stage.

The Northern Powerhouse Rail Network

HS2, which is the Government’s main national long-term rail priority, will further improve connectivity to London and the South East and will have a particular transformational impact on links to the East and West Midlands by drastically reducing journey times by rail. There will be dedicated infrastructure for HS2 between London and just south of York after which services will run on the upgraded ECML. Again Darlington will be the key calling point for the Tees Valley. As the above Infographic shows, HS2 will reduce journey times to London by nearly half an hour compared to the present day and by nearly one hour to Birmingham.

Draft Rail Implementation Plan 19 It is therefore vital and extremely welcome that both these transformational high speed rail services have outlined a commitment to directly serve the Tees Valley in the future.

However, for all this to work there is a pressing need for major investment in additional capacity on the ECML north of York to allow for the combined demands of NPR, HS2, ‘classic’ rail and freight to be met in full. Network Rail has outlined the investment that will be needed to meet future growth requirements in its ECML Route Study which was published in 2018. As outlined above, Darlington Station is a particular pinch-point on this section of the strategic rail network which is now causing operational constraints for long distance services as well as for local passenger and freight services which cross or terminate here. The lack of capacity is compounded when further service enhancements are introduced and it will severely restrict the impact of NPR and HS2 which will have a negative effect on the Tees Valley economy.

The ECML is therefore fundamental to all Tees Valley rail aspirations and it is clear that urgent investment to improve capacity and resilience is now of paramount importance. In support of this TVCA is an active member of the East Coast Mainline Authorities (ECMA) Group which is actively campaigning for this investment.

Local Rail – TfN Rail/Local Connectivity

Rail North (now TfN Rail) was established in 2014 and brings together Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) across the North of England into one cohesive and proactive body for the purposes of managing the two existing rail franchises in the north of England (Northern and TransPennine). It represents the regional and local economic, transport and strategic objectives for the rail industry. It aims to provide an improved train service through enhanced infrastructure and radically improved rolling stock and to support the delivery of the full Great North Rail Project as part of a wider programme of transformational change.

For the Tees Valley, although it does provide some important local links, TransPennine’s main role is as a long-distance strategic operator, providing vital direct links to key centres across the North of England and also to Manchester Airport. Northern provides more local and regional services which primarily connect the centres within the Tees Valley together, but also provide connectivity to the North East Combined Authority area and links into the strategic network at Darlington.

The Long Term Rail Strategy for the North of England, as first published in 2015, drives TfN Rail’s priorities. Refreshing this and embedding it within TfN’s Strategic Transport Plan has been a key priority. In refreshing this document, further areas for intervention will be identified in partnership with the Tees Valley Combined Authority and Local Authorities to influence industry processes and investment planning in order to improve the provision of rail services across the North. TfN Rail will also seek, through its role in managing the two existing rail franchises, to encourage further improvements and initiatives that will secure even greater benefits for passengers.

20 Draft Rail Implementation Plan Key Principles of TfN’s Long Term Rail Strategy

Theme Conditional Output Connectivity  Reduce journey times between the A step-change in connectivity, including North’s economic and freight frequency and journey time improvements for centres, and between these centres both passenger services and freight, combined and both international gateways and with better integration of services. This will key centres across the UK. bring the North’s economic assets and clusters  Increase the population within 60 and neighbouring regions closer together and minutes rail journey time of two or better align service provision to the seven day more major Northern cities. economy, supporting sustainable  Increase the population within 30 transformation of the North’s economic minutes rail journey time of at least performance. one economic centre.  Increase the population within 60 minutes rail journey of one or more of the North’s airports.  Increase the population within 90 minutes rail journey time of one or more of the North’s major rail connected tourist destinations.  Increase the number of services operating on Sundays and Public Holidays to achieve parity with the weekday inter-peak.  First services to arrive in economic centres prior to 0700 (0900 on Sundays), with last services departing no earlier than 2300. Capacity  Increase the percentage of Providing longer trains and additional services passengers satisfied with the level of to meet existing and future passenger demand, crowding on franchises within the with improvements to the infrastructure and North. signalling capability to accommodate these  Enable all passengers to expect a additional services. It will also enable the seat on off-peak services, and within railway to be maintained and renewed in such 20 minutes of boarding peak a way that passengers and freight users are services. not unnecessarily disrupted by engineering  Provide the infrastructure capacity possessions. This will ultimately improve and capability to increase the access for all to opportunities across the North permissible speed, weight, gauge and facilitate the modal shift of passenger and and length of freight trains to cater freight flows. for proven existing demand and for evidenced future demand. Customer  Increase the percentage of A passenger network that is easy to navigate, passengers satisfied with the accessible and predictable, with consistent facilities and condition of the train information available before and throughout franchises within the North. journeys. For passengers, there will be a less  Increase the right time punctuality of complex and more rationalised fares structure passenger and freight services in the and better co-ordination of services with one North.

Draft Rail Implementation Plan 21 Theme Conditional Output another and with other modes of public and  Decrease the percentage of active transport. Stations and rolling stock will cancelled passenger and freight be of high quality with secure and comfortable services in the North. passenger environments and facilities tailored  Increase the percentage of to the needs of the journeys being made. For passengers satisfied with personal freight, there will be improved reliability and safety at station and on board. punctuality, and the flexibility to meet the changing needs of the industries of the present  Increase the percentage of and the future. Collectively, this will improve passengers satisfied with the the performance and integration of the North’s provision of information during the strategic transport network by delivering high journey. quality services across the North. Community  All stations to meet TfN’s minimum A railway that supports the social fabric of the standards, recognising their role as communities it serves, providing journey gateways to the North’s towns, cities opportunities which enable access to and communities, and their potential education, training and leisure opportunities as greater role in the economic and well as employment, and plays a full part in social fabric of the areas they serve. addressing transport poverty, isolation, and  Increase the percentage of deprivation across the North. Equally important passengers satisfied with the station. is enhancing rail’s wider role in society and  Improve air quality and reduce CO2 reflecting our global responsibilities, including and other harmful emissions both on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and about the railway estate and in the transition to sustainable energy sources wider society through modal shift to and reducing the pollution caused by transport rail. activities. Rail will meet these responsibilities by supporting modal shift for both passenger and freight and by increasing environmental standards of rail’s own operations. Cost effectiveness  Reduce the cost per passenger mile Growing revenue and minimising the unit cost and per freight tonne km of services of operating and maintaining the North’s in the North. railway without compromising the quality of the  Grow the net revenue generated by services offered, helping maximise network the North’s passenger and freight efficiency and enhance the case for additional railway whilst delivering high-quality faster and direct services. services and inclusivity.

We envisage that the interventions that will come forward through these processes will include the development of standardised station facilities across the North. This will build on the work done to date in the Tees Valley to identify and implement a set of minimum standard facilities that partners (Northern Rail, Network Rail, Tees Valley Authorities) wish to see at the rail stations across the Tees Valley (other than the main ‘hub’ stations). As well as actual passenger facilities at stations themselves, this will also include parking for cyclists and for cars, access for pedestrians, signage at and also away from the station, information provision and better integration with bus services.

Travelling by rail needs to be made easier for passengers with the provision of less complex and more transparent fare structures and tickets that can be purchased in ‘smarter’ ways. An important part of this is the provision of tickets that can be used across all public transport networks. On-going work in this area is being undertaken by Transport for the North, through its Integrated and Smart Travel Programme, and this is welcomed as it should ensure a consistent approach to rail fares and wider public transport ticket integration

22 Draft Rail Implementation Plan across the North of England. This is closely linked to the development of a Long Term Rail Fares Strategy, which is also being developed by Transport for the North, and aims to make fares systems more equitable and simpler to use for all passengers across the North. Improved integration between rail and other forms of transport must also include physical measures on the ground to, for example, make it easier for rail passengers to interchange with bus services, park their cars or bicycles at rail stations or more generally for pedestrians to access stations more easily.

All this needs to go hand in hand with a programme of improvements to local rail services in the Tees Valley. TVCA envisages this to be a combination of enhanced frequencies and revised timetables to improve internal links and connections by rail, but also to improve connections with strategic services from Darlington, Eaglescliffe, Hartlepool, Thornaby and Middlesbrough. There are still gaps in provision and poor connections between certain locations in the Tees Valley which need to be addressed. It is vital that adequate capacity is provided across the whole network to facilitate this local growth.

All these services need to be operated by higher quality, more fit for purpose rolling stock which run on cleaner more environmentally sustainable fuel sources that will reduce rail’s carbon emissions. In the Tees Valley there is the particular potential to use hydrogen as a fuel source for rail and this now needs to be explored fully with partners in the rail and energy sectors.

A graphical summary of the Tees Valley Rail Vision

The following table translates this into a summary of the implications of these service growth aspirations for a number of strategic locations across the Tees Valley rail network:

Draft Rail Implementation Plan 23 Location Current level Aspirational Change Indicative Services (trains per hr) (trains per hr) Darlington N-S on 6 9 + 3 3 HS2, 2 East Coast, 3 ECML NPR, 1 Cross Country (XC) Bishop Line 1 2 + 1 2 Northern Tees Valley Line 2 4 or 5 + 2 or 3 4/5 Northern E of Darlington Durham Coast 1.5 5.5 or 6.5 + 4 or 5 4 or 5 Northern, 1 Line/Hartlepool TransPennine Express (TPE) or 1 XC, 0.5 Grand Central (GC) Middlesbrough 4 (5 in Dec 19 8.5 + 4.5 6.5 Northern, 1 TPE, 1 and 5.5 in East Coast 2021) Thornaby 4 (5 in Dec 19 8 + 4 6 Northern, 1 TPE, 1 and 5.5 in East Coast 2021) Redcar/Saltburn 2 5 + 3 3 Northern, 1 TPE, 1 East Coast Eaglescliffe 2.5 6.5 or 7.5 + 4 or 5 4 or 5 Northern, 1 TPE or 1 XC, 1 East Coast, 0.5 GC Stockton 1 5 or 6 + 4 or 5 4 or 5 Northern, 1 TPE or 1 XC Billingham 1 4 or 5 + 3 or 4 4/5 Northern Yarm 1 2 or 3 + 1 1 TPE, 1 TPE or 1 XC Esk Valley 1 to Nunthorpe 2.5 + 1.5 2.5 Northern 4 per day to 8 per day + 4 8 per day Northern Whitby

24 Draft Rail Implementation Plan 5. Interventions

Franchise Commitments

The Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) franchise began operation in March 2015 and contained firm commitments to improve services to Darlington following the introduction of new Azuma trains in 2019, and also to introduce new direct services to Middlesbrough from 2021/22. As stated above the future role and management of this franchise was changed following the publication of the Government’s Strategic Vision for Rail and there is now a period where the franchise is back under Government control under the operational name London North Eastern Railway (LNER). What is not in doubt, however, is the importance and economic value of the existing services and planned improvements within this franchise, which are still an absolute priority for the Tees Valley irrespective of which organisation operates them.

Fast links from both Darlington and Middlesbrough to the key destinations within the TransPennine Express network were retained in the new franchise, which commenced in April 2016, along with commitments for service improvements, new rolling stock and reduced journey times. New trains on the Middlesbrough route will start operation in late 2019, which coupled with earlier and later services and the doubling of Sunday services which were delivered in May 2018, will provide a further major boost for connectivity. There is also an aspiration to influence future franchises to ensure that services on this strategically important route are extended beyond Middlesbrough to Redcar and Saltburn.

Draft Rail Implementation Plan 25 A new direct hourly TransPennine service between Darlington and Manchester Airport began operation in May 2018, providing further improved connectivity for the Tees Valley, although for the reasons outlined above TVCA was disappointed to learn that not all these trains can call at Darlington in the short-term. New trains on this route will also begin operation in late 2019 at which point all Darlington calls can be made.

New TransPennine train specifications

The major investment planned in the new Northern franchise, which runs from 2016-2025, is the full replacement of the much maligned ‘Pacer’ train fleet and the full, as-new upgrade of the remaining rolling stock in the fleet. All Pacers (which provide the majority of services in the Tees Valley) are due to be replaced by the end of 2019 and all other upgrades will be in place by 2020 at the latest. This will provide the step-change in rolling stock quality that the Tees Valley rail system has required for many years whilst at the same time improving train performance and increasing seat capacity. This will be particularly important on routes where crowding is now regularly occurring such as peak services to/from Middlesbrough and Darlington, services on the Durham Coast and some Middlesbrough to Whitby services.

26 Draft Rail Implementation Plan Another major improvement will be the introduction of a range of inter-regional express type services within the Northern franchise, branded as ‘Northern Connect’ services. One of these services will be Middlesbrough-Newcastle-Carlisle, which will double the frequency of direct Middlesbrough-Newcastle services from one per hour to two per hour. As yet the route of the service has not been finalised with routes via Sunderland and Hartlepool (Durham Coast) or via ECML, Durham and the Stillington line both under consideration. The preference of TVCA and our constituent authorities, as well as of our partners in the wider North East region, is for the service to run via the Durham Coast. This will help to deliver improved connectivity on this key strategic transport corridor, which is currently significantly under-served by rail. However, either way, the boost to direct rail connectivity and journey quality between the Tees Valley and North East Combined Authority areas will be very welcome

There is also significant investment for station improvements included in the franchise although scheme details are to be worked up. One firm commitment will see the delivery of ticket machines at all Northern stations, other than those irregularly served, by 2020. In the Tees Valley this will mean that all stations, other than Teesside Airport and Redcar British Steel, will be included. There is also a commitment to deliver an improved/streamlined range of ticketing available via ‘smarter’ means and to improve integration with other modes of transport.

In terms of franchise management, the biggest change for the Tees Valley was a commitment to resourcing a North East Business Unit within the new Northern franchise. This involves the franchisee having a dedicated Regional Director and supporting team based in the North East and working much more closely with regional stakeholders on franchise management and operational issues.

Within the wider Rail North Partnership arrangement, a North East Rail Management Unit (NERMU) has been created, involving North Yorkshire and Cumbria County Councils and the North East Combined Authority as well as TVCA. This works particularly well in rail geography terms because the Northern rail network is pretty much stand-alone in the NERMU area with no timetable interaction with other parts of the Northern operation. NERMU, which now also has a dedicated manager, provides the client-side body that works with the franchisee in a much closer more collaborative way than was possible previously to ensure that franchise improvements are delivered as planned and that further enhancements (for example, timetable/service improvements) are assessed and delivered.

This new arrangement is a very positive step forward for the Tees Valley as it provides the Combined Authority with greater influence over local rail operations, planning and promotion and it has been working successfully in its first two years. The NERMU arrangement is now allowing for more local input on operational matters and more locally based intelligence on issues such as economic and housing growth to be considered at a much earlier stage of the timetable planning and service development processes. It is also envisaged that this will allow for any further improvements to connections and timetables that were not included in the new franchise, to be more readily considered and delivered at the regional/local level rather than all decisions on our local franchise continuing to be made centrally, as has been the case previously.

TVCA and its NERMU partners are now keen to build on the early NERMU experience to understand the benefits (and potential risks) of a greater level of devolved powers and decision making for the region on rail matters. There are various potential options as to how rail devolution could be extended in the North East region and these will be investigated and assessed in terms of their costs and benefits and how they work under the wider TfN rail model.

Draft Rail Implementation Plan 27 This is clearly evidence of more local involvement and influence in the planning and development of rail services in the Tees Valley which is welcomed. Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) are another mechanism by which more local community involvement in rail is encouraged. Since the inception of the CRP idea, nearly 15 years ago, numerous successful partnerships have developed and are now in operation. This includes two that directly feed into the core Tees Valley rail network, namely the Bishop Line CRP which covers the line from Bishop Auckland to Darlington and the Esk Valley CRP which covers the line from Whitby to Middlesbrough. Both these partnerships have been proactive in promoting their respective lines and increasing ridership on them and have the on-going financial support of Northern. Traditionally CRPs have developed on rural and/or branch lines, but there are now examples of CRPs in urban areas and Northern has further funding in its franchise to continue and potentially extend its support for community rail. There may be a case for extending the CRP concept to other parts of the Tees Valley in the future and this is something that Northern is investigating. The Combined Authority will be happy to support this if a financial and business case is made.

Required Improvements

To address the current issues described above, in addition to the over-arching priority for more capacity on the ECML, there are four principal rail priorities within this strategy:

 Darlington Station Masterplan;

 Middlesbrough Station Masterplan;

 Northallerton to Teesport major upgrade; and

 Local Rail service and network enhancements.

Darlington Station Masterplan

The Darlington Station Masterplan proposes a significant remodelling and upgrade of this key interchange, as shown by the various images below.

The proposals will provide additional platform and track capacity to overcome the existing operational constraints, a significantly enhanced station building including improved retail and commercial opportunities as well as much improved accessibility and integration. A new station building will be constructed on the East Side of the Station which will link to the existing building by a new, fully accessible purpose built footbridge. Car parking and public transport interchange facilities will also be improved as will the approaches to the station and the wider public realm.

28 Draft Rail Implementation Plan A strong business case continues to be developed for the scheme which will deliver the required infrastructure improvements to make Darlington fully NPR and HS2 ready, at the same time as overcoming the immediate capacity constraints. . The wider station masterplan includes up to 30,000 sqm of new business space and up to 1,500 new homes with the station connecting better to the Central Park Enterprise Zone, the historic Market Hall area and other public spaces in Darlington, creating over 3,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The Masterplan was completed in 2017 and the scheme has since been showcased in various key documents and projects including Network Rail’s East Coast Mainline Route Study, HS2’s Changing Britain: HS2 Taking Root report and TfN’s Strategic Transport Plan and NPR project. The key objective now is to ensure that the scheme is submitted to the Department for Transport for inclusion in the new Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline at the earliest opportunity in order that the target delivery timescale ‘by 2025’ is achieved. This is to ensure that works are complete to coincide with the 200th Anniversary celebrations of the Stockton to Darlington Railway, the world’s first passenger railway.

A SOBC has now been produced and submitted to DfT and an OBC will now continue to be developed for the whole scheme. However, as a result of subsequent discussions with DfT it has been agreed to split the project into two delivery phases:

 Phase 1 – A new East side station comprising new platforms and associated track and signalling works for local services, a new station building and passenger facilities, a new accessible footbridge linking the new East side with the existing station building, revised car parking arrangements, improved interchange and wider station fabric and public realm enhancements.

 Phase 2 – Provision of a new mainline platform and associated track and signalling works on the East side capable of servicing the much longer trains that will be provided by HS2 and NPR.

Phase 1 should be deliverable by the desired 2025 deadline and there will not be any abortive works in respect of the next phase. Phase 2 can then be added seamlessly in the future as required by DfT and TfN.

Proposed new layout at Darlington Station

Middlesbrough Station Masterplan

A similar Masterplan has also been produced for Middlesbrough Station, with the intention of developing a single solution for the station that will resolve all the issues outlined in Section 3.3 above. This will ensure that facilities and infrastructure at the station are adequate for such a major rail gateway and that it can adequately cater for the planned increase in the number of services and passengers using the station. Crucially it will also ensure improved

Draft Rail Implementation Plan 29 integration between rail and other modes and better links between the station and the town centre to the south and the Middlehaven Enterprise Zone to the north.

There are two distinct elements to the Middlesbrough Station project:

 The provision of additional platform capacity at the station. A business case is being developed to determine the optimum solution that can deliver the required capacity for all future growth in service levels including service improvements and enhancements in both the Northern and TransPennine franchises, new East Coast services to London and further improved local services.

 The provision of improved station facilities. This includes the remediation of the station undercroft to create new operational and business space, improved facilities for passengers in the booking hall, concourse and waiting areas, improved interchange with other modes of transport and improved access to / from the station including enhanced public realm on its various approaches.

Some details from the emerging Masterplan work are shown below:

Step 1: Station Forecourt and Undercroft→Step 2 Station Concourse and Booking Hall

As with the Darlington project, TVCA is working closely with Network Rail and Transport for the North to ensure that Middlesbrough Station remains a high industry priority and is included in the appropriate funding pipelines.

30 Draft Rail Implementation Plan Northallerton to Eaglescliffe Major Upgrade

A major upgrade of the rail line between Northallerton and Eaglescliffe is required so that it can be used more effectively by both freight and passenger trains. A key element of this is the provision of W12 gauge clearance of the line, as a precursor to electrification of the route. This will support the ongoing development of the port as a truly international gateway for the North of England by allowing the largest containers to be transported by rail along the most efficient route.

The provision of W12 clearance on this route will also help to alleviate capacity issues at Darlington by removing the need for significant freight movements to pass through the station, thus further boosting the business case for our other main priority. It is vital that gauge clearance of the freight network is delivered as part of a coherent national strategy so that effective end to end railfreight routes are provided. It is understood that gauge clearance of the route could be delivered relatively quickly as there are only a limited number of structures affected.

The other short-term priority for the route is the delivery of line speed improvements to bring journey times for passenger trains more in line with those achievable on the East Coast Mainline. It is important this is done quickly to get the maximum benefit of the new TransPennine rolling stock to Middlesbrough that will start operation in 2018 and the new East Coast services in 2020, along with the existing Grand Central services. This will further enhance strategic rail connectivity for the Tees Valley.

Future electrification of the line from Northallerton remains the long-term goal as it will complete the TransPennine link between Manchester Airport and Middlesbrough. Currently the proposed TransPennine Route Upgrade programme will see the electrified route stop at Northallerton on its completion. The Combined Authority feels that there is a strong case to extend this to Middlesbrough/Teesport and the Northern Sparks Report in 2015 recommended this as one of the top five priorities for the next phase of electrification across the North of England.

There would be significant operational benefits and cost savings for both the East Coast and TransPennine Express franchises if the relatively short last section of both long distance routes was electrified to provide full end-to-end electrification. It will also contribute further to the much needed passenger journey time/speed improvements on the line between Middlesbrough and York. Once this section is electrified, there would then be a strong case to infill between Darlington and Saltburn and also electrify the Durham Coast Line and the line to Nunthorpe which will deliver the long-term ambition of full electrification of the core Tees Valley Rail network.

Draft Rail Implementation Plan 31

Local Rail service and network enhancements

The Combined Authority welcomes the improvements that are included within both the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises but will be working hard through NERMU to secure further enhancements to ensure that:

 A minimum of 2 trains per hour operate on all rail lines wholly within the Tees Valley. This is consistent with the desirable minimum standards that have been set out by Transport for the North in its Strategic Transport Plan.

 Earlier morning, later evening and improved weekend services, particularly on Sundays, are delivered along with appropriate provision on key Bank Holidays such as Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

 Further frequency enhancements are then provided, starting on core east-west routes.

 Connections between all local/regional and national services are improved particularly at key interchange points and revisions to service patterns are fully investigated.

 Sufficient network capacity is provided to support or growth ambitions for both passenger and freight services.

 Masterplans for Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe and Redcar Central stations are developed further as well as for other locations as issues are identified.

 Further station improvements are delivered, particularly in relation to accessibility.

 The potential for new stations is investigated, initially for Teesside International Airport, Nunthorpe Parkway, South Tees Development Corporation site, Teesside Park and Morton Palms, then other locations as identified.

 Opportunities for the potential development and expansion of the network are fully investigated.

 Rail fares become less complex, more transparent and keep in line with technological innovation and the availability of multi-modal ticketing is improved.

 Integration between rail and other modes of transport is improved.

 The marketing of rail services is improved and is part of a wider, on-going programme of public transport promotion across the Tees Valley.

32 Draft Rail Implementation Plan 6. Action Plan

What? How? Action Description Outcomes Milestones Timescale Lead 1) Delivery of Further development of the business case for 1) Much improved capacity and Completion of Complete DBC Darlington Station Darlington Station in order position the scheme in operational flexibility at Darlington SOBC and early /TVCA Masterplan the DfT’s Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline and 2) Much improved facilities for Decision to 2019 improvements then to secure funding for the delivery of the passengers at Darlington Develop significant package of improvements that are 3) Better national connectivity by Delivery of Opened DBC required at the station, as outlined in the Masterplan rail, including HS2 and NPR vision. Parkgate March 4) Better local connectivity and Pedestrian 2019 much improved local services Bridge linking right across the Tees Valley Station with Central Park 5) More capacity on the East EZ Coast Mainline 6) Much improved access to the Completion of Dec DBC station and improved wider public OBC and 2019 /TVCA realm Decision to Design 7) Wider economic benefits and GVA uplift. NWR CMSP Mid 2020 NWR 8) Supporting economic growth for Church Fenton to Newcastle Phase 1 Delivery – East By 2025 TVCA/ Side Station DBC/DfT Phase 2 Post DfT Delivery – New 2025 Mainline Platforms

What? How? Action Description Outcomes Milestones Timescale Lead 2) Delivery of Further development of the business case for 1) Much improved capacity and SOBC for New May 19 DfT Middlesbrough Middlesbrough Station in order to secure funding for operational flexibility at Platform (Ph 1) Station Masterplan the significant improvements that are required at Middlesbrough OBC 2020 improvements the station, as outlined in the Masterplan vision. 2) Better national rail connectivity by new East Coast and improved New TPE Dec 19 TPE TransPennine services trains 3) Better regional connectivity New Northern Dec 19 Northern through the new Northern Connect Connect service service 4) Improved/new local rail NWR CMSP Mid 2020 NWR services for Church 5) Much improved passenger Fenton to facilities, access to the station and Newcastle improved wider public realm New LNER Dec 21 LNER 6) Wider economic benefits and London service GVA uplift 7) Supporting economic growth Phase 2 Expected TVCA/MC Delivery – completion /NWR Station End 2020 Undercroft and Southern Entrance Phase 3 – Expected TVCA/MC Improved completion /TPE Station March Facilities 2021 Phase 1 – By Dec DfT/NWR delivery of 2021 Initial capacity solution

What? How? Action Description Outcomes Milestones Timescale Lead 3) Delivery of Delivery of Rail Gauge-Cleared routes to W12 1) Better loaded trains Completion of Dec 2019 NWR/ infrastructure that standard between Eaglescliffe and Northallerton 2) Reduction in rail miles GRIP3 Study TVCA will enable large and on the Stillington Line. Delivery of 3) Reducing unnecessary freight containers to be infrastructure improvements to enable bigger Further 2020 NWR/ traffic through Darlington Station, transported by rail shipping containers to be moved to and from the development of freeing up capacity for passenger TVCA to / from the Tees port and other facilities on standard rail wagons scheme expansion Valley. without the need to route through Darlington business case Station. 4) Access to diversionary routes for intermodal traffic This should be a precursor to line speed Potential 2023 NWR improvements and electrification from Northallerton 5) Faster passenger services to scheme to Middlesbrough to optimise the benefits of new key destinations such as London, delivery East Coast services, existing Grand Central Leeds and Manchester services and improved TransPennine services. 6) Supporting economic growth and environmental objectives 4) Delivery of improved local rail services 1) New, higher quality trains Upgraded high By Dec Northern Delivery of a programme of improvements to local rail services. In the 2) More frequent services on quality trains 2019 short term this will be focussed on new/upgraded, high quality rolling existing routes – Saltburn- on all Northern stock being delivered through the Northern and TransPennine services. Darlington-Bishop Auckland, routes in the All Tees Valley routes will see a transformational change in train quality Durham Coast, Middlesbrough- Tees Valley and there will be accompanying timetable improvements. Nunthorpe-Whitby New trains on By Dec TPE 3) Earlier morning, later evening the TPE routes 2019 After this there will be the opportunity to examine further service and improved weekend services, to improvements across the Tees Valley once the main capacity constraints particularly Sundays, on all local Middlesbrough at Darlington and Middlesbrough are resolved and further plans to routes and via enhance Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe and Redcar Central are developed. The 4) Better connections between Darlington case for frequency enhancements, new services/stations and potential services network development/expansion will be examined in order to influence the Extension of Dec 19 TPE 5) Exploration of potential new TPE service to next franchises. TVCA can now have a greater role in this regard through routes and stations membership of the North East Rail Management Unit and Rail North. Redcar 6) Smart ticketing covering rail and other public transport modes NWR CMSP Mid 2020 NWR for Church To optimise this investment in service improvements, it must be 7) Simpler fare structures accompanied by range of improvements for passengers. This should Fenton to Newcastle

What? How? Action Description Outcomes Milestones Timescale Lead include a much enhanced ticket offer for rail and public transport users 8) Improved marketing and Existing Up to TfN Rail and better marketing and promotion of rail more widely, much improved promotion of rail and public Northern 2025 /NERMU facilities for passengers at stations, much better multi-modal integration, transport more widely franchise particularly between rail and bus and rail and cycling and improved 8) Better facilities for passengers opportunities for park and ride, at stations New Northern 2025 TfN Rail/ Franchise 9) Better multi-modal integration NERMU 10) Supporting economic growth and environmental objectives 5) Develop the Develop a business case for the following new 1) Enhanced rail provision across Initial Business April 20 TVCA/ case for a number stations: the Tees Valley Case LAs of new stations  Teesside Airport (reopening) 2) Improved access to key across the Tees economic hubs Valley  Nunthorpe Parkway 3) Improved rail park and ride  South Tees Development Corporation site opportunities  Teesside Park 4) Supporting economic growth  Morton Palms, Darlington and environmental objectives

This case for further new stations may be assessed as identified. 6) Delivery of Delivery of a programme of improvements to rail 1) More and quicker trains to a New trains on 2019 LNER improved national links between the Tees Valley and a range of wide range of national East Coast rail services national destinations. In the short term this will be destinations focussed on new trains and improved services 2) Supporting economic growth New TPE 2019 TPE through the existing East Coast, Cross Country and and environmental objectives Trains/ TransPennine franchises. Services TVCA will also continue to work to ensure that Tees Extension of Dec 19 TPE Valley benefits fully from HS2 and NPR services in TPE service to the future. Redcar All this is dependent on the required capacity being delivered on the ECML North of York and TVCA will NWR CMSP Mid 2020 NWR for Church

What? How? Action Description Outcomes Milestones Timescale Lead continue to work with all relevant partners and Fenton to stakeholders to ensure that the required investment Newcastle is now made HS2 Phase 2b Early HS2 Ltd Hybrid Bill 2020 Deposit OBC for NPR Late TfN 2020 New TPE 2023 DfT / TfN Franchise Rail 7) Greater local On-going performance and delivery monitoring of 1) Increased transparency and Major National 2019 DfT influence on key Northern and TransPennine franchises currently monitoring of existing franchise Reviews (e.g. franchises which takes place through North East Management Unit performance and delivery of Williams) into serve the Tees (NERMU) and Rail North Partnership. services in the Tees Valley. the rail system Valley 2) Improved specification for Tees Existing TPE Up to TfN Rail/ Valley services in the next The NERMU arrangement now needs to be and Northern 2023/ NERMU Northern and TransPennine extended to enable greater local influence on the Franchises 2025 specification of the next round of franchises and franchises more direct local control over the management of 3) Greater alignment of services New TPE and From TfN Rail Northern Rail services operating in the Tees Valley and timetables in future Northern 2023/ /NERMU and wider North East. This will involve more franchises to provide a better Franchises 2025 devolved powers through TfN to NERMU. overall network for passengers 4) More local control over the operation and management of rail services in the Tees Valley. 8) Replacement of The case for alternative fuel technologies to replace 1) Use of cleaner fuel technology, Continued 2019/20 TVCA diesel as the main existing diesel trains will be closely examined, with such as hydrogen development of Northern fuel source for local the objective for the Tees Valley to become the first the Tees 2) Lower emissions NWR rail services in the pilot area for the use of hydrogen on rail. Valley 3) Supporting environmental Tees Valley Hydrogen objectives project with an initial focus on

What? How? Action Description Outcomes Milestones Timescale Lead local rail outputs Existing Up to TfN Rail Northern 2025 /NERMU franchise

9) Extension of To build on the success of the two existing CRPs 1) More community involvement DfT Completed DfT existing (Bishop Line and Esk Valley) that feed into the main and engagement in rail Community 2019 Community Rail Tees Valley rail network, the potential to extend the 2) Access to CRP funding Rail Partnership (CRP) community rail concept more widely across the streams Consultation concept to other Tees Valley will be examined in more detail. This rail lines will include a detailed assessment of the full costs Detailed 2019/20 Northern Business Case and benefits of any proposal that may come from Northern forward. 10) Influence on Recognition of Tees Valley rail issues and priorities 1) Better reflection of Tees Valley TfN STP Published TfN wider rail strategy for passenger and freight in a range of key priorities in a range of key policy 2019 development strategies and funding programmed including: and strategy documents and affecting  Transport for the North’s Strategic funding programmes passenger and Transport Plan and Long Term Rail 2) More funding allocated for NWR CMSP Mid 2020 NWR freight service Strategy investment in Tees Valley rail for Church provision in the Fenton to  Network Rail’s Continuous Modular schemes Tees Valley and on Newcastle the key investment Planning Study (CMSP) for Church Fenton to Newcastle – this includes ECML and all programmes for rail CP6 2019- DfT/NWR local networks in the Tees Valley 2024  DFT’s Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline  Network Rail’s Control Period Investment Programme  HS2 Phase 2  Northern Powerhouse Rail