1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. An opportunity to align service patterns….

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

6. Passenger growth to/from and within SW

7. Passenger growth to/from SW

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

9. Fair shares for all?

10. The three pillars of sustainability

11. Unprecedented new housing and jobs

12. The challenge of declining mobility

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

14. 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

15. Support sustainable growth
Key objectives
Support sustainable growth

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

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

18. 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

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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24.
Thank you!