CrossCountry franchise news?

[XC victim]

Hi, before this thread gets locked and without any speculation or fantasy ideas for the future of the crosscountry franchise does anyone have any news of the current situation of the franchise.

I have been searching all over the internet and rail news sites but can’t find any news.

Has a direct award contract been awarded yet? If so what is the length of the award? What happened to the results of the consultation? When will bidding recommence for the new franchise?

This is surely the franchise with the greatest need for improvement and the current situation appears to have left passengers in limbo.

 

[pdeaves]

Direct award to October 2024 (http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/operators/franchises1.shtm#newcrosscountry). Such a shame as a new franchise (owning group agnostic) designed for growth is necessary now, not in five years (or more) time.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

Has the 5-year extension actually been taken? Last time I heard was that there was an option for 5 years but nothing was taken as of yet.

 

[XC victim]

Are there any changes (or even possibly improvements) planned during the 5 year award?

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

https://www.railwaygazette.com/news...-year-cross-country-direct-award-planned.html

This is the last I heard:

UK: The Department for Transport has published a prior information notice which would enable it to directly award a contract for the operation of Cross Country services for a maximum of 60 months from the end of Arriva’s current contract in October 2019.

Arriva originally won the Cross Country franchise in 2007, and the services are currently operated by its XC Trains Ltd subsidiary under a three-year direct award contract running from September 2016 to October 2019.

The next franchise was scheduled to be awarded in 2019 following a competitive tender, but the procurement process was put on hold in September when the government announced a comprehensive review of the rail sector. The Cross Country franchise covers regional and long distance services stretching across Great Britain and interfacing with many other operators, and DfT felt this geographical scope could impact on the review’s conclusions.

The review is expected to be completed in 2019, and the government anticipates that any reforms could be implemented from 2020.

European Union rules require authorities planning a direct award to give 12 months’ notice of their intention, and specify a 60 month limit on the contract duration. The publication of the OJEU notice on October 13 leaves DfT with the option to directly award a contract in compliance with the EU rules, but it could also use an alternative method to appoint an operator.

The 12-month notice period covers the UK’s expected departure from the EU on March 29 2019, after which it would no longer be subject to EU procurement rules.

 

[43074]

Direct award to October 2024 (http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/operators/franchises1.shtm#newcrosscountry). Such a shame as a new franchise (owning group agnostic) designed for growth is necessary now, not in five years (or more) time.

It's an open secret it's getting a direct award, the terms of the direct award in terms of improvements etc haven't yet been announced. I would assume something will be done about the crowding situation as it will probably be a fairly lengthy one (if that site is to be believed) rather than just a couple of months or so. There's no reason a direct award couldn't include new or additional stock where needed, it depends what is negotiated between Arriva & the DfT.

 

[HH]

It's in progress, so they won't make announcement until it's all been agreed. This is normal.

 

[thelongestroad]

Hopefully they're forced to refurbish those damn voyagers. I'm sure there's about 18 years of human fluids, hair and dead skin in those interiors.

 

[CptCharlee]

There has to be some new rolling stock given to them. The core service is so overcrowded. Wonder if any changes to the network will occur.

I'd assume service pattern will remain the same. They need the extra capacity as a minimum.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Hopefully they're forced to refurbish those damn voyagers. I'm sure there's about 18 years of human fluids, hair and dead skin in those interiors.

They are in a disgusting state compared with VTWC's, aren't they?

They do at least need a working reservation system, though. Perhaps they could just plate over the existing one and fit the "stick on" battery powered version LNER have fitted.

 

[DanTrain]

Hopefully they're forced to refurbish those damn voyagers. I'm sure there's about 18 years of human fluids, hair and dead skin in those interiors.

Agreed...something needs to be done about the pricing too. It's currently far cheaper to change at Doncaster than to get a direct XC train to the North East from Sheffield, and getting to Birmingham involves either a long detour or biting a seriously hard bullet on the price. At least you get your money back when they're invariably late . Add to that the foul trains and overcrowding and it's a wonder anyone uses them!

 

[Starmill]

Hopefully they're forced to refurbish those damn voyagers. I'm sure there's about 18 years of human fluids, hair and dead skin in those interiors.

DfT didn't make it a requirement to refurbish them in any of their previous Direct Awards. Presumably it's also quite expensive and it doesn't really attract new customers so it remains to be seen if either this is a long enough contract to have them do that or if DfT will pay for it.

They are in a disgusting state compared with VTWC's, aren't they?

Absolutely. Parts of them like the steps, heaters, toilet floors and other nooks and crannies clearly aren't reached sufficiently by their deep-clean schedule (I am assuming that XC have a deep-clean schedule for their Voyager fleet?).

There has to be some new rolling stock given to them. The core service is so overcrowded. Wonder if any changes to the network will occur.

I agree that the franchise simply cannot continue without an increase in the available rolling stock. But Direct Awards and new rolling stock do not commonly go together. The Turbostar routes are in particular need, having been utterly ignored the last time. This one us sufficiently long that we can hope for thr best, but don't make heroic assumptions.

Agreed...something needs to be done about the pricing too.

Government policy is not to incentise railway use through value for money ticket sales, and the basic economics of the franchise (exceptionally limited rolling stock, heavy demand for short journeys competing with long-distance demand) seem likely to remain unchanged.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Agreed...something needs to be done about the pricing too. It's currently far cheaper to change at Doncaster than to get a direct XC train to the North East from Sheffield, and getting to Birmingham involves either a long detour or biting a seriously hard bullet on the price. At least you get your money back when they're invariably late . Add to that the foul trains and overcrowding and it's a wonder anyone uses them!

The pricing can't really be dealt with until the capacity is. Can you imagine it more overcrowded? (actually you probably can - TPE or a 4-car set on the Trent Valley...)

 

[Bletchleyite]

Absolutely. Parts of them like the steps, heaters, toilet floors and other nooks and crannies clearly aren't reached sufficiently by their deep-clean schedule (I am assuming that XC have a deep-clean schedule for their Voyager fleet?).

If they have, it's about as good as Merseyrail's.

 

[JonathanH]

I agree that the franchise simply cannot continue without an increase in the available rolling stock.

That's not true is it. It could quite easily run for five years or more without any changes. The rolling stock isn't life expired or illegal to operate (subject to fitting sliding doors to the rest of the HSTs) and it is enough to run the number of services in the current timetable.

As a member of the travelling public, you may not like that a large number of services are overcrowded but that doesn't mean an increase in rolling stock is necessarily going to materialise. Besides, anything new would take at least some of those five years before it became available.

 

[DanTrain]

The pricing can't really be dealt with until the capacity is. Can you imagine it more overcrowded? (actually you probably can - TPE or a 4-car set on the Trent Valley...)

Fair point...if they had more stock they could run everything at 10 cars, reduce prices, increase capacity and probably still make the same or more profit, but that'd require a) action from Daft/XC and b) extra stock to be available, which beyond non-DDA complaint HSTs, it isn't really.

Government policy is not to incentise railway use through value for money ticket sales, and the basic economics of the franchise (exceptionally limited rolling stock, heavy demand for short journeys competing with long-distance demand) seem likely to remain unchanged.

No of course, how dare poorer people want to travel... (there's the obligatory stab at the government out the way )

This is again true though...the simple answer is more rolling stock, but until EMT get bi-modes I can't see where that will come from (unless something like 185s could run on the core, they wouldn't lose much time between York and Bristol I wouldn't have thought?).

 

[Starmill]

No of course, how dare poorer people want to travel... (there's the obligatory stab at the government out the way )

You might say it in jest but in my opinion it's not an inaccurate estimate of the current government's policy.

 

[Starmill]

until EMT get bi-modes

Which will come as part of the East Midlands franchise award. The question is, will we ever see the Southesatern, West Coast Parnership and East Midlands franchise competitions come to fruition in their current form?

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

Which will come as part of the East Midlands franchise award. The question is, will we ever see the Southesatern, West Coast Parnership and East Midlands franchise competitions come to fruition in their current form?

East Midlands award is due in April 2019 (next month)
West Coast Partnership in November 2019 (after Williams Review)
Southeastern sometime this year

 

[Starmill]

East Midlands award is due in April 2019 (next month)
West Coast Partnership in November 2019 (after Williams Review)
Southeastern sometime this year

How much hope are you holding out that all three will be awarded within the next 6 - 8 months?

 

[yorkie]

By the way if anyone wishes to post any suggestions for service provision changes on XC, please either use an existing thread (there are several) or create a new one, in the correct forum, namely Speculative Ideas

Not only is this the wrong forum for it. but the original poster did specifically state:

...and without any speculation or fantasy ideas for the future of the crosscountry franchise does anyone have any news of the current situation of the franchise.....

Just in case anyone is wondering, I will clarify by stating we absolutely welcome speculation, but we just ask that it takes place in the correct forum.

Many thanks for your understanding

 

[hwl]

Which will come as part of the East Midlands franchise award. The question is, will we ever see the Southesatern, West Coast Parnership and East Midlands franchise competitions come to fruition in their current form?

Probably.

The issue with XC was that it was far less obvious what changes should be made to deal with rising passenger numbers and patterns. Also just too much going on else where e.g. 222 might be available from 2023 but also air quality issue at New Street. Hence the direct award as too many ifs.

 

[Carlisle]

(I am assuming that XC have a deep-clean schedule for their Voyager fleet?).
.

You’d expect a deep clean to be routinely scheduled at central rivers depot where they’ve been based since new, so theoretically anyway staff should know every inch of them by now

 

[Mugby]

That's not true is it. It could quite easily run for five years or more without any changes. The rolling stock isn't life expired or illegal to operate (subject to fitting sliding doors to the rest of the HSTs) and it is enough to run the number of services in the current timetable.

As a member of the travelling public, you may not like that a large number of services are overcrowded but that doesn't mean an increase in rolling stock is necessarily going to materialise. Besides, anything new would take at least some of those five years before it became available.

That's a pretty accurate, if rather depressing assessment.

Personally, I can't see any relief to the issues expressed coming in the foreseeable future.