TravelWatch SouthWest General Meeting Taunton, 7th October 2017 Connecting the Dots Christopher Irwin, Director, TravelWatch SouthWest CIC TravelWatch SouthWest General Meeting Taunton, 7th October 2017

After GW & XC: initial views from the SW The opportunity The strategic context What TravelWatch SouthWest sought to do The initial messages for passing on to the DfT franchising team

Unfreezing history Great Western New franchise starts: April 2020 Last franchise contest 2005/6 Direct awards in 2013 and 2015 Premium to HMG: 1.5p per passenger kilometre in 2015/6 New franchise starts: April 2020 CrossCountry Last franchise contest 2007 Direct award in 2016 Premium to HMG: 2.2p per passenger kilometre in 2015/6 New franchise starts: December 2019<>October2020

An opportunity to align service patterns….

Relevant investments outside SW…. LHR Western Rail Link East West Rail Elizabeth Line Old Oak Common super-hub HS2

Passenger growth to/from and within SW

Passenger growth to/from SW

Rail out-performed by low cost airlines (There are 20 air passengers between the SW & Scotland to every 1 by rail)

Fair shares for all?

The three pillars of sustainability

Unprecedented new housing and jobs

The challenge of declining mobility

The congestion plague (Bristol City: 9 road accident deaths; 300 NO2 & PM attributable deaths pa)

Workshops at TWSW General Meetings in 2015 and 2016 Trawling for advice Workshops at TWSW General Meetings in 2015 and 2016 One day workshop in Taunton, July 2017, with contribution from DfT franchising team Focus on the DfT questions Draft report circulated to workshop participants for comment, end of August Responses from >20 consultees

Support sustainable growth Key objectives Support sustainable growth

Support sustainable growth Match capacity to growing demand Key objectives Support sustainable growth Match capacity to growing demand

Support sustainable growth Match capacity to growing demand Key objectives Support sustainable growth Match capacity to growing demand

Some of the key objectives Support sustainable growth Match capacity to growing demand Achieve step-change in satisfaction: design services around users’ needs Work in partnership with range of stakeholders Deliver a service that is viable, bearable and equitable

Main potential impacts on demand Growth Growth, and even more Demand could grow by as much as 7% a year

Changing the present service pattern 7-day railway with core clock-face timetable Frequencies at least hourly; more where busier XC as a fast inter-city service (West Midland Rail to address local service provision in their area) New generation of HS2-compatible XC rolling stock More through trains, better connectivity between trains (and other modes, especially at hubs) More use of diversionary routes Table listing main, route-based, service enhancements

Improving performance and delivery: (One third of GW services fail to arrive ‘right time’) More platform staff to improve station despatch Ring-fence performance penalty payments for asset enhancement Identify and deal with network pinch-points Facilitate more & easier cross-platform connections Draw on users’ insights when planning for possessions Lead in use of social media when disruptions occur

Service quality improvements Fit for purpose trains: luggage space, dependable WiFi etc., sufficient doors (commuters), work space, family space…. Make stations pleasant to visit or wait at; encourage a friendly human presence (Community benefits) Find a better solution to seat reservation. (XC’s APOD is an irritant and off-putting for the infrequent passenger) Tackle distrust of railway retailing (issues range from access to reliable fares’ information, to fares’ complexity to ATM performance, to lack confusing fare restrictions) Dependability of promised service offer is vital

Top South West regional priorities Improving performance and reliability: route upgrades, more platform staff, delay-repay, tackle pinch-points Sufficient, fit-for-purpose, rolling stock: raising the game to stay competitive as road vehicles become more sustainable and ever more user-bespoke. Advance MetroWest and Devon Metro: on the front line in beating congestion and unlocking the South West’s economic potential Introduce a clock-face based, 7-day week timetable giving a basic hourly service pattern with more frequent services on the principal metro and inter-urban flows

www.travelwatchsouthwest.org Thank you!