Western Gateway Sub-national Transport Body WESTERN GATEWAY RAIL STRATEGY PHASE 2 SEPTEMBER 2020 PUBLIC Western Gateway Sub-national Transport Body WESTERN GATEWAY RAIL STRATEGY PHASE 2 TYPE OF DOCUMENT (VERSION) PUBLIC PROJECT NO. 70062820 SEPTEMBER 2020 Cover image: 1000 Words \ Shutterstock.com WSP Kings Orchard 1 Queen Street Bristol BS2 0HQ Phone: +44 117 930 6200 wsp.com PUBLIC QUALITY CONTROL Issue/revision First issue Revision 1 Revision 2 Revision 3 Remarks Phase 2 Draft Phase 2 Draft Final Phase 2 Final Report Report Report Date 06 Aug 2020 16 Sep 2020 29 Sep 2020 Prepared by WSP UK Transport WSP UK Transport Julian Phatarfod Signature Checked by Julian Phatarfod Julian Phatarfod Karen Heppenstall Signature Authorised by Karen Heppenstall Karen Heppenstall Katherine Bright Signature Project number 70062820 70062820 70062820 Report number v1.00 v2.00 V3.00 File reference Phase 2 Draft Phase 2 Draft Final Phase 2 Final Report v1.00 Report v2.00 Report v3.00 WESTERN GATEWAY RAIL STRATEGY PHASE 2 PUBLIC | WSP Project No.: 70062820 September 2020 Western Gateway Sub-national Transport Body CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 1 INTRODUCTION 6 1.2 PREVIOUS WORK 6 1.3 REPORT STRUCTURE 7 1.4 GEOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT 7 1.5 NETWORK RAIL CONTEXT 8 1.6 STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT 9 1.7 HUB DESIGNATION 10 1.8 SERVICE DESIGNATION 11 1.9 ACCESSIBILITY 12 2 CHOICE 14 2.1 INTRODUCTION TO THEME 14 2.2 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT C1: FREQUENCY 15 2.3 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT C2: INTERCHANGE 20 2.4 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT C3: PERFORMANCE 24 2.5 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT C4: EXTENDED TIMETABLE 27 2.6 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT C5: DIRECT SERVICES 29 2.7 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT C6: FREIGHT CAPACITY 33 3 SOCIAL MOBILITY 36 3.1 INTRODUCTION TO THEME 36 3.2 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT M1: STATION ACCESS 37 3.3 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT M2: MODAL INTEGRATION 41 3.4 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT M3: REGIONAL CATCHMENT 43 3.5 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT M4: FARES INFLUENCE 47 3.6 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT M5: TICKETING SOLUTIONS 49 3.7 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT M6: ACCESSIBILITY 51 4 DECARBONISATION 54 4.1 INTRODUCTION TO THEME 54 WESTERN GATEWAY RAIL STRATEGY PHASE 2 PUBLIC | WSP Project No.: 70062820 September 2020 Western Gateway Sub-national Transport Body Page 2 of 115 4.2 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT D1: CARBON EMISSIONS 55 4.3 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT D2: CARBON FOOTPRINT 64 4.4 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT DX: NETWORK EFFICIENCY 67 4.5 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT D3: FREIGHT GROWTH 67 4.6 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT D4: FREIGHT CAPTURE 70 5 PRODUCTIVITY 73 5.1 INTRODUCTION TO THEME 73 5.2 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT P1: JOURNEY SPEED 74 5.3 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT P2: ON-BOARD PRODUCTIVITY 76 5.4 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT PX: STATION GATEWAYS 78 5.5 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT P3: INTERNATIONAL GATEWAYS 79 5.6 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT P4: FREIGHT CAPABILITY 82 6 GROWTH 86 6.1 INTRODUCTION TO THEME 86 6.2 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT G1: TRANSIT ORIENTED GROWTH 87 6.3 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT G2: MOBILITY HUBS 89 6.4 CONDITIONAL OUTPUT G3: NETWORK RESILIENCE 95 7 DELIVERY OF THE STRATEGY 99 7.1 INTRODUCTION 99 7.2 FUTURE ROLE OF WESTERN GATEWAY 99 7.3 A FUTURE RELATIONSHIP WITH NETWORK RAIL 100 7.4 DELIVERY PLANS AND GOVERNANCE 101 7.5 ROUTE MAPS TO DELIVERY 103 7.6 SUMMARY AND NEXT STEPS 115 WESTERN GATEWAY RAIL STRATEGY PHASE 2 PUBLIC | WSP Project No.: 70062820 September 2020 Western Gateway Sub-national Transport Body Page 3 of 115 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY To be a region that is sustainably connected and provides high quality and value for money travel opportunities for all its businesses, residents and visitors Western Gateway is the Sub-National Transport body formed of the nine local authorities between Gloucestershire and Dorset. It aims to be a region that is sustainably connected and provides high quality and value for money travel opportunities for all its businesses, residents and visitors. WSP was commissioned by BCP Council on behalf of the Western Gateway Transport Steering Group and its Stakeholders to develop a Rail Strategy for the region. Based on engagement with Stakeholders in the form of eConsultations, an online eWorkshop and a number of specific interviews, the conditional outputs developed during Phase 1 were investigated in more detail and fortified to drive change in the five key themes: 1 Choice - This theme seeks to make rail the mode of choice across the Western Gateway. 2 Decarbonisation - This theme aims to enable rail to contribute more actively towards the overall decarbonisation of the Western Gateway region. 3 Social Mobility - This theme targets to provide equal journey opportunities by rail for all residents of the Western Gateway by improving access to stations, multi-modal interchange, and affordable rail travel. 4 Productivity - This theme seeks to enable rail to contribute more actively to improvements in productivity across Western Gateway. 5 Growth - This theme facilitates sustainable growth across Western Gateway through better connecting development to rail and making sure the rail network is resilient to change. 23 conditional outputs set out the ambitions for rail in WG. Six route maps to delivery describe the governance, actions and processes for Western Gateway to follow as the implementation of the strategy progresses. This includes the establishment of five cross-industry Taskforces to deliver, monitor and evaluate these route maps between 2020 through to 2040 and beyond, ensuring that investment is prioritised and targeted to make a tangible difference to residents, businesses and visitors to the Western Gateway. 5 23 5 6 Conditional Route Maps Key Themes Tasks Forces Outputs to Delivery WESTERN GATEWAY RAIL STRATEGY PHASE 2 PUBLIC | WSP Project No.: 70062820 September 2020 Western Gateway Sub-national Transport Body Page 4 of 115 The strategy will require all relevant stakeholders to collaborate and leverage their influence to deliver this strategy and realise the identified Conditional Outputs. The Western Gateway Board and each of the 5 Taskforces will have a series of actions and tasks to undertake within designated timescales to progress towards delivery of the strategy. This is clearly defined for the 0-3 year phase of the strategy, with actions and tasks for later phases being defined by deliverables and decisions made by the Board in the first phase. The 6 route maps to Delivery are outlined in the table below: these are designed to be a blueprint for the Board and Taskforces to procure and deliver the necessary studies, business cases, and, in later stages of the strategy, design and construction. Chapter 7 contains the Route Maps themselves and more detail on the conditional outputs to be monitored and evaluated by each Taskforce. Route Map Owner Strategy, Governance and Collaboration Western Gateway Board Strategic Planning and Configuration States Strategic Planning Taskforce Digital Solutions Digital Solutions Taskforce Stations & Access to Rail Stations & Access to Rail Taskforce Freight Taskforce Freight Taskforce Future Ready & Resilience Future Ready & Resilience Taskforce The Rail Strategy presents an ambitious yet deliverable vision for making rail a vital part of a sustainable transport network both within Western Gateway and across to its neighbouring authorities which has the support of all stakeholders who have been involved in its production. Contact name Julian Phatarfod and Karen Heppenstall Contact details +44 (0)79 0196 0166 | [email protected] +44 (0)74 6940 2383 | [email protected] WESTERN GATEWAY RAIL STRATEGY PHASE 2 PUBLIC | WSP Project No.: 70062820 September 2020 Western Gateway Sub-national Transport Body Page 5 of 115 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1.1 Western Gateway (WG) is the Sub-National Transport (STB) body formed of the nine local authorities between Gloucestershire and Dorset. It aims to be a region that is sustainably connected and provides high quality and value for money travel opportunities for all its businesses, residents and visitors. 1.1.2 Part of this overall Strategic Transport Plan is to develop a mode-specific Rail Strategy which outlines how rail will help deliver the overall vision and objectives for transport in WG. 1.1.3 WSP was commissioned by BCP Council on behalf of the Western Gateway Transport Steering Group and its Stakeholders to develop a Rail Strategy for the region. This Strategy presents the need for change based on a review of policy, challenges and trends, it explores the region’s vision, objectives and priorities, and develops a series of Conditional Outputs which will support the delivery of these objectives. 1.2 PREVIOUS WORK 1.2.1 This Phase 2 Report builds on the Phase 1 Report issued in February 2020, which outlined the need for change, the vision, objectives and priorities for rail in WG, and a series of draft Conditional Outputs. The technical reports for both Phases will be amalgamated and condensed into a single, published strategy document in September 2020. 1.2.2 The Phase 1 report set the geographical, economic and transport contexts for this work, at strategic, policy and operational levels, setting out details of the current rail network and passenger and freight services, committed and developing plans for improvements, and how these fit with the strategies and aspirations of the local authorities in Western Gateway. The report pays close attention to potential demographic and technological changes and how they may affect the demand for and supply of transport over coming decades. An important facet of this work is the attention paid to cross-boundary services – WG railways are part of a national network, and some key transport nodes which serve WG populations are outside the region. Key policy considerations include: the climate emergency; an integrated transport network within WG; interconnected UK-wide transport networks; an evolving railway network; a strategic transport network; a customer focused rail network; sustainable growth and a resilient network; and freight requirements and opportunities.