EAST COAST MAIN LINE FRANCHISE REPLACEMENT (THE INTERCITY EAST COAST FRANCHISE): ADVICE TO THE SRA FROM THE SCOTTISH MINISTERS
INTRODUCTION
Background
1. Section 208 of the Transport Act 2000 enables Scottish Ministers to issue advice to the Strategic Rail Authority in relation to cross border passenger railway services. What follows is offered under these terms.
The Advice
2. Scottish Ministers have previously provided non-binding advice, to the then shadow Strategic Rail Authority, in June 2000 in respect of the current East Coast Main Line franchise.
3. The Executive recognises the significant issues faced by the rail industry over the period since previous advice was issued. The Executive has noted the Strategic Rail Authority's intention to secure a franchise agreement for 7 years, possibly extending for an additional 3 years provided the franchisee meets agreed performance criteria. This advice is provided on that basis and is therefore underpinned by the same general principles as set out in previous advice and reproduced here at Annex A.
OPERATIONAL ISSUES
Service Level Specification
4. The Executive does not support any diminution of cross border passenger service levels. The new East Coast Main Line franchise must incorporate the existing service levels between London and all Scottish destinations within the base case specification, paying particular attention to connections to onward journeys within Scotland.
5. The East Coast Main Line franchise currently provides the only rail service at Dunbar in East Lothian. These services provide key peak hour services between Edinburgh and Dunbar and the new East Coast Main Line franchise must incorporate the existing service levels within the base case specification.
6. Any additional improvements offered by the new East Coast Main Line franchise must be underpinned by continuous improvements in safety, reliability, punctuality and quality of service. Performance under each of these measures must be reinforced by the Strategic Rail Authority through the appropriate performance regimes.
Operational Developments
7. Whilst importance must be placed on improving the reliability and punctuality of the existing service levels, forecast demand growth for the East Coast Main Line has been estimated at 20-30% with long distance passenger operators making up the majority of that demand for the period covering the next franchise. This consolidation must be undertaken in parallel with introducing additional service developments over the lifetime of the franchise.
8. Immediate short term development proposals, for the East Coast Main Line franchise should include:
· The maintenance of a regular clock-faced timetable for Edinburgh Waverley and a regular timetable pattern across Scotland. Service patterns should be readily explainable and easily communicated for rail passengers.
· Improved synergy between East Coast Main Line services and local and regional services to allow for reliable, timely connections. Service patterns should support and build on the existing level of service, covering all available modes of transport which offer onward passenger journeys.
9. Additional improvements the Executive would wish to see introduced by the new East Coast Main Line franchise in the medium to long term are increased line speeds to reduce journey times and increased service frequency.
10. Any additional improvements offered by the new East Coast Main Line franchise should not jeopardise the opportunity to develop other service enhancements, including Scottish local and regional transport aspirations. We ask that the Strategic Rail Authority bear in mind that aspirations for the future development of the rail network in Scotland will be subject to review during the Scottish Planning Assessment. This work is being jointly undertaken by the Executive and the Strategic Rail Authority and, as it will run in parallel to the East Coast Main Line refranchising process, it should inform the new East Coast Main Line franchise.
11. The Scottish Executive welcomes industry efforts to improve engineering access. For the East Coast Main Line engineering access proposals should facilitate the maintenance and renewals programme necessary to support the service level provisions. However, the provision and promotion of clear, readily understandable passenger information is important. This would be facilitated by the maintenance of regular service patterns along the route of the East Coast Main Line.
12. The shape of the future of Scottish passenger rail services has been outlined through the Invitation to Tender published in July 2003. In addition, a number of local and regional service enhancements are already in development or are being proposed. The Strategic Rail Authority should take note of the following proposals which are under serious consideration for introduction within the lifetime of the new East Coast Main Line franchise. These should be taken into account when appraising bids for the new East Coast Main Line franchise.
· Introduction of a rail link to Edinburgh airport
· Reopening of the line between Edinburgh and the Central Borders (parts of the former Waverley Line)
· Reopening of the Edinburgh/Bathgate/Airdrie railway line
· Reopening of the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway
· Projects arising out of the Strategic Rail Authority's Incremental Output Statement and Modern Facilities at Stations programmes
Related Wider Transport Infrastructure Issues
13. Any expansion, or refinement, to East Coast Main Line services must not be at the expense of local and regional services that terminate or pass through Edinburgh Waverley and Edinburgh Haymarket - nor the development of local and regional services provided by the new Scottish franchise.
14. The redevelopment of Waverley station will provide additional capacity for local and regional services. When considering the needs of the new East Coast Main Line franchise at Waverley, we would expect the Strategic Rail Authority to take into account the full detail of the ongoing development work on Waverley. That consideration should include any potential pressures on approaches to Waverley Station.
15. The majority of East Coast Main Line service developments will be dependent on the complementary upgrade of the network. The Executive welcomes all value for money upgrades which deliver and maximise passenger benefits - particularly where journey times are reduced and additional capacity created. However, due to the mix-traffic nature of the network any such work must take account of all operators sharing the use of the line. The Executive would also expect to be kept informed by the Strategic Rail Authority and the Network Rail Improvement Team of such upgrades and their progress.
SCOTTISH TRANSPORT POLICY CONTEXT
16. In Scotland, transport policy is focused on promoting a thriving economy and strong communities. Specifically to:
· Promote economic growth by building, enhancing, managing and maintaining transport services, infrastructure and networks to maximise their efficiency;
· Promote social inclusion by connecting remote and disadvantaged communities and increasing the accessibility of the transport network;
· Protect our environment and improve health by building and investing in public transport and other types of efficient and sustainable transport which minimise emissions and consumption of resources and energy;
· Improve safety of journeys by reducing accidents and enhancing the personal safety of pedestrians, drivers, passengers and staff; and
· Improve integration by making journey planning and ticketing easier and working to ensure smooth connection between different forms of transport
17. The Executive's broad objectives for railways within this context, in summary are:
· The railways to play a full part in a sustainable effective, integrated transport system;
· A railway network that is safe and accessible; and
· A railway system that supports economic development, meets social needs and supports a better environment.
18. The Executive maintains its expectation that the East Coast Main Line franchise should make a significant contribution to Scotland's integrated transport system. In addition to previous suggestions which remain relevant to the new East Coast Main Line franchise (reproduced at Annex B), the Executive offers the following additional suggestion as to how this could be achieved:
· Improved passenger information: this should apply to all parts of the journey experience, from real time information on services, to on board information and ongoing collaboration between operators to provide up-to-date relevant information at stations.
19. We ask the Strategic Rail Authority to ensure that these suggestions and the scope for building on developments already introduced to existing East Coast Main Line services be taken into account when considering the bids for the franchise.
Annex A to Scottish Ministers' Non-Binding Advice
The following general principles underpinned the Scottish Executive's advice, as provided in June 2000, and underpin the advice contained in this document:
· We are keen to ensure that the new East Coast Main Line franchise makes a positive contribution to the implementation of an integrated transport policy. We want the East Coast Main Line franchise to work as a key element of the Scottish railway network and to assist it to play a full and growing part in a sustainable, effective and integrated transport system. We want the railway network to be safe and accessible. We want it to meet economic and social needs without threatening the health of the environment.
· We want the new East Coast Main Line franchise to achieve significant journey time reductions throughout the length of its Anglo-Scottish routes, including those serving Inverness and Aberdeen . On routes north of Edinburgh inter-city railway services are till out performed by the private car as a swifter way to travel to destinations in the North East of Scotland. Major improvements can only be secured through a combination of new trains and major enhancements to the infrastructure.
· We expect the new East Coast Main Line franchise to increase the frequency of services between Scotland and England . Growing demand cannot be accommodated within the existing timetable or with the existing number and length of trains. New trains, track and signalling are a prerequisite.
· Although we welcome the undoubted passenger benefits generated by increased speeds and frequency of East Coast Main Line services, we are acutely aware of the repercussions this might have for maintaining current levels of local and regional passenger rail services in East Central and North East Scotland. Furthermore, any expansion of East Coast Main Line services will have a direct bearing on the capacity of the Scottish rail network to accommodate any growth in local and regional services. We want these implications to be taken into full consideration when assessing the merits of any proposals for enhancing the current levels of service provided by the present East Coast Main Line franchise.
· In addition, we want to ensure that any infrastructure enhancements required in Scotland to meet the requirements of an enhanced East Coast Main Line inter-city service are not implemented at the expense of the present and future requirements of the provider of local and regional services. This proviso should also apply to the present and future demands of rail freight operators.
· We would welcome the early commencement of the new East Coast Main Line franchise to enable prompt implementation of service enhancements.
Transport Policy Context
The Executive continues to expect any new East Coast Main Line franchise to make a significant contribution to Scotland 's integrated transport system. The following, provided in advice of June 2000, remain relevant and suggests how this could be achieved.
Improved Safety and Security: The new East Coast Main Line franchise should play its full part in contributing to the continuous improvement of safety and security of passengers both on and off the train. This must include stations and their approaches (such as car parks, public transport interchanges, cycle and pedestrian access).
Seamless journeys: The new East Coast Main Line franchise must assist with the development of more convenient, reliable and swifter interchange between its services and local/regional services (both train and bus). The means for achieving this would include more integrated time-tabling, through ticketing, improved travel information across modes, baggage handling etc. Much will depend on better collaboration between franchise operators.
Better access: The new East Coast Main Line franchise should ensure improved access to its services for those using public transport as well as those using private cars. The needs of cyclists should also be considered. In this regard the new franchise should play a full part in the development of better inter-modal hubs where these are deemed beneficial. This should include all the principal Scottish stations served by the franchise and be a key consideration in redeveloping Waverley . Means of securing better connections for those from remoter communities accessing regional hubs, such as Inverness , Aberdeen , Perth and Berwick upon Tweed should also be pursued. A good selection of concessionary and discounted fares should be available to widen accessibility to inter-city rail services for those on lower incomes.
Improved quality: This should apply to the whole journey experience and cover the environment of trains and stations as well as the quality of services supplied by personnel. This should include the provision of high quality customer facilities at stations and on trains. Where appropriate these should include facilities for those who wish to work and conduct business during the course of their journey. This should be done with due consideration to the comfort of other customers. Particular regard should also be given to the needs of visitors from abroad.
Equality: In addition to meeting DDA and DPTAC requirements, the new East Coast Main Line franchise should give serious consideration to the particular needs of older people, children, and parents with babies when providing services and facilities on trains and stations.
Improved transport planning: The new East Coast Main Line franchise should demonstrate a preparedness to collaborate with those bodies charged with preparing local transport strategies together with Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority and any other regional transport partnerships that may be established along its routes. This would ensure that the franchise is alive to local and regional transport agenda and be better placed to respond effectively to local priorities.