Public transport bosses in the West Midlands have welcomed a greater focus on local rail services following an announcement by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling this morning.
“This looks like positive news for the rail industry, now we have to make sure it leads to good news for passengers,” comments Cllr Gary Clarke, chairman of the watchdog West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority.
In a written statement to Parliament the Secretary of State set out a new structure of rail franchises for the Midlands, which will take effect following the end of the Central Trains franchise in Autumn 2007.
From this date there will be a new West Midlands franchise to operate regional and local services, as well as ‘outer suburban’ services to and from London Euston. There will be an option to transfer Central Trains services through Birmingham Snow Hill to Chiltern Railways if this proves to offer better value for money.
“This suggests we will have a Birmingham-based train company with a clear focus on the conurbation’s journey to work area,” comments Rob Donald, director general of the region’s public transport body Centro. “The idea of having a single operator for the Snow Hill Line could also lead to greater efficiencies and better services for passengers,” he says.
The importance of rail services to cutting congestion and supporting the economic growth of the West Midlands cannot be underestimated. The region has shown faster passenger growth than London and the South East, with around one in five Birmingham rush hour commuters now travelling by train.
Councillors on the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority, which sets policy for Centro, will be keen to see a franchise structure that provides for continued growth as well as more reliable services.
“This new franchise map could provide a solid foundation for improving rail services, but what will be really crucial is the franchise specification that will now be set by the Department for Transport,” says PTA chairman Cllr Gary Clarke. “We still need the reassurance that the new train operator will be required to provide the same routes and frequencies as Central Trains at the very least – and we will be looking for better performance and quality too.”
As well as the West Midlands franchise announced today, the Secretary of State said there would be a new East Midlands franchise and a new Cross Country franchise, to replace that currently operated by Virgin Rail Group. Discussions are still taking place with Transport for London about the inner-suburban services operated by Silverlink Metro and there is a possibility that Nottingham-Sheffield-Liverpool services could be switched to TransPennine Express.
“It does look as if the Department of Transport has taken on board many of the comments made by Centro-PTA and our colleagues in the Passenger Transport Executives Group (pteg),” adds Rob Donald. “That shows how we have all been creating good working relationships as the new structure of the rail industry falls into place.”
Centro boss Rob Donald currently chairs the pteg group, which represents passenger and regional interests in all the major metropolitan areas outside London.
Link: DfT news release
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