Contact: Dominic Millen Team: Traffic & Transportation Direct: 020 8379 3398 email: [email protected] PUBLIC TRANSPORT CONSULTATIVE GROUP 11 July 2019 from 7.00pm to 9.00pm Dugdale Centre, London Road EN2 6DS MEETING NOTES Councillors (Italics denotes absence): Daniel Anderson (Chair), Dinah Barry, Chris Bond, Yasemin Brett, Chris Dey, Stephanos Ioannou, Lindsay Rawlings, Mahtab Uddin Other Members and Guests Attending: Patrick Ladbury Govia Thameslink Railway Dominic Millen LB Enfield – Place Department Alan Neville Greater Anglia Peter Smith Over 50s Forum Esther Johnson Transport for London Dave Hooker Transport for London Plus one member of the public. 1. INTRODUCTIONS & APOLOGIES Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Barry, Bond, Brett and Ioannou. An apology for lateness was received from Cllr Uddin. It was noted that some groups were again not represented and it was agreed that more should be done to engage with Youth Parliament members. 2. ELECTION OF CHAIR It was agreed that Cllr Anderson would be Chair. 3. DECLARATION OF INTERESTS None. 4. PREVIOUS MEETING NOTES These were agreed as an accurate record. 5. PUBLIC TRANSPORT PROVIDER UPDATES INCLUDING RESPONSES TO PREVIOUS ACTION POINTS Greater Anglia Rail Services - Greater Anglia The main points of the update and related discussions were: 22 trains have been brought into UK with bulk being for east of England. Some Stansted Express “Air12” units are included. New Bombardier trains are being tested at Derby. Due in service in 2020. Meridian Water Station now open and being served by previous Angel Road services. An additional 2 trains per hour service is due to start on the 9th September. Tottenham Hale Station improvements in place including new platform, lifts and bridge access. 92.4% PPMA with focus on timely despatch at Liverpool Street. Customer satisfaction is now at 80%, which is a significant increase. Tickets machines now have call assistance to help with ticketing queries and customer information screens and help points are being upgraded. Looking at timetable changes for May 2020. Action Network Rail representative to be invited to the next meeting. Action Clarification should be sought on the discrepancy between the cost to Freedom Pass holders of peak travel on National Rail and TfL services. Great Northern Rail Services – GTR Clarification was requested about the continuing temporary timetable and cancellations due to the lack of train crew. It was noted that weekday performance is on target, but weekends remain an issue, due to rest day working and training of drivers. Issues with driver training and availability were discussed and there was an assurance that more drivers and fewer drivers requiring training on new trains should resolve this. There is a perception that claiming for delays and cancellations is difficult so people do not bother. Action GTR to confirm the number of claims per period for the past 12 months. Franchise has been split between new directors to try to get a greater focus on issues for particular routes. Class 717s are due in service by the end of September. Engineering works include: Closure of platforms at King’s Cross to allow two new lines and platforms to be provided. Closure over August Bank Holiday where there will be a rail replacement service. An issue with the coordination of works between operators was highlighted. From late 2019 to mid-2020 weekend services on Great Northern will divert to King’s Cross to allow cleaning of the Moorgate tunnel. Access for All mid-tier fund has been launched for schemes up to £1m. This is not sufficient to cover the cost of new lifts at a station. GTR Passenger Benefit Fund £15m fund for on and off network improvements with £80k for each of 8 stations in Enfield, namely Crews Hill, Enfield Chase, Gordon Hill, Grange Park, Hadley Wood, New Southgate, Palmers Green and Winchmore Hill. The funding can be used for a range of improvements including both strategic and local. Action Details of the GTR passenger benefit fund to be sent to ward councillors. London Buses, Overground and Underground - Transport for London 3 of 54 Class 710s trains have already been brought into service on the Barking to Gospel Oak Line, with remainder due by the end of year. Will look at potential timetable improvements in line with other operators. Key improvement would be improved off-peak services to Cheshunt and Enfield Town, which TfL are looking into. Assuming all goes to plan and funding is made available, a W10 route test will be forthcoming followed by public consultation. The obstruction of Garfield Road has not been identified as an issue by the operator. Reinstatement of services at North Middlesex University Hospital is progressing. Timescales are to be confirmed once there is agreement on works between the hospital and TfL. Action 125 curtailment at Eversley Park Road was an issue because there were no nearby stops. TfL have asked the operator for details of incident. Action More information was requested on 125 bus accidents at Fords Grove. Action 298 frequency and reliability is an issue, particularly towards Potters Bar. It is problematic that trains are not running on 3rd August when it is the Prudential Cycle Ride. It was noted that engineering works are planned well ahead and will sometimes clash with events. Action Details of additional trains on Tottenham Hotspur event days. The potential loss of car parking at 21 Underground stations, including Arnos Grove and Cockfosters was raised as a result of TfLs decision to develop them into residential housing. There are a number of concerns, including the likely dispersion effect of cars being left in neighbouring streets and thereby necessitating 24/7 control parking zones and residents having to foot the bill; the park & ride effect of the current users of the car parks who drive there because of poor public transport connectivity, which this measure fails to address; drop-off and pick-up is already a significant issue at Arnos Grove, whereby buses are blocked from entering the concourse as a result of cars stacking up. This will worsen if these plans proceed with more people likely to consider this option. In Cockfosters, the Cockfosters Road is already log-jammed with traffic and this too is likely worsen if the plans proceed. In Arnos Grove there is also the heritage issue of the iconic Grade II star listed building being flanked by new developments. Considerable local opposition is already in evidence. Action Nag’s Head Road/Hertford Road works start on the 22nd July with a 5- week closure which will see buses diverted. TfL to provide further details and for these to be communicated to local councillors and businesses. There were several general queries/points: Details of issues (such as location, time, service) are required to identify problems. Low frequency services not running to timetable cause particular issues, not least for vulnerable users. Action More information on the environmental impact of the various franchises was requested. Action There was a request for improved communication of planned engineering works and related disruption including via councillors and the Council’s Communications Team. 6. BUS REVIEW The assessment of the 2013 Bus Review has been concluded and the report notes that overall while it contained proposals that would deliver benefits, these would be achieved at the cost of a significant change to current service patterns and established passenger movements. In the present circumstances proposals that put existing passengers and revenue at risk, in the search for an unquantified amount of potential patronage, cannot expect to be viewed favourably. There are ongoing challenges in respect of the bus network in Enfield, including access to healthcare, low density residential and growth areas, but there are also opportunities, including via new approaches to bus service provision (such as demand response travel), to address these. To take this forward, the review of the 2013 Bus Review proposes another phase of work is carried out by external advisors. However, given that there is not a budget for a substantial piece of work, the proposed approach is for Council officers to engage closely with TfL to use our combined resources to: Undertake data gathering and analysis to identify key issues and opportunities for the bus network in Enfield. Identify a small number of short-term interventions which resolve key pinch points, fill missing links and improve overall coverage. Develop a longer-term plan to deliver increased bus patronage in Enfield. This will include changing the nature and role of bus services. Agreed That a copy of the Bus Review Review report and related briefing note would be sent out to the Group. The Chair also wanted clarification as to whether the decision not to progress this was the Cabinet Member’s. 7. GTR PASSENGER BENEFIT FUND Covered under item 5. 8. ANY OTHER BUSINESS None 9. NEXT MEETING INCLUDING DATE It was proposed that the next meeting take place on 17th October 2019. .