DfT to give TOCs financial incentive to cut services

[Mojo]

Just had this Email:

We've realised one of the biggest threats to rail is that the Department for Transport is planning to give train companies a financial incentive to cut train services.

This could be really bad news. The proposal is in The Future of Rail Franchising http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/franchises/futureoffranchising/ which isn't even a formal consultation, because it's said to be only of 'technical interest' to the industry. The Government appears to be trying to sneak through this change without giving passengers - or anyone - a chance to comment.

Just to clarify, we've already written our official response to this document, together with 20 other groups - I emailed you about this before. But this response covered several issues and so lots of groups weren't able to sign up to it. We think now it would make sense to build a wider coalition focussed on this one particular issue of the incentive to cut services, and the need for a proper consultation.

The deadline for the consultation is the end of April so we want to get it published in one of the big newspapers before then. Sorry this is all a bit last minute, we hadn't quite realised the scale of the threat. We did a press release on this but the volcano meant we didn't get much coverage. http://www.abtn.co.uk/press-releases/1714044-train-services-be-cut-stealth-press-release

We think it's important to raise this before the election, so that it's not a done deal afterwards.

 

[HSTfan!!!]

shocked to hear that, if anything needs to be done, we need an increase of services

 

[Ivo]

It is very typical of the English (as opposed to British) authorities to consider the railways an archaic waste of space, and this proposal would seem to back that view. If we were to discover that even brief discussions had been entertained relating to service withdrawals, there would be chaos. The authorities should look at the volcano issue and realise that the railways are an excellent means of transport and surely the most efficient and reliable mode out there, and it is very environmentally friendly (for the most part) as well.

There isn't an advisor in Government by the name of Beeching, Marples or Serpell, is there?

 

[HSTfan!!!]

what makes it worse, is thanks to our government we are so behind other european countries with regards to rail technology and high speed service. We pioneered the use of rail and now everyone is years ahead of us, and we're only just starting to make plans for a catchup.

 

[Tin Miner]

Maybe a Lib Dem government might make a difference....

 

[HSTfan!!!]

well they want NR to cut fares when a rail replacement bus is used? I guess we could see some investment from them however

 

[Mojo]

Maybe a Lib Dem government might make a difference....

Or not, given their attitude towards transport and the railways in some of the councils they run.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Such underhand behaviour, but I am not in the least surprised that they are trying to sneak something like this through.

 

[WatcherZero]

Whats the relevant paragraphs? Cant see the press release behind a password wall.

 

[mathmo]

The actual links are:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/franchises/futureoffranchising/

http://www.abtn.co.uk/press-releases/1714044-train-services-be-cut-stealth-press-release

 

[WatcherZero]

‘under the current process there is no incentive for operators to make sensible changes to services that are no longer justified'. It says ‘The Department is therefore considering amending the current franchise agreement so that where operators propose sensible measures to reduce costs during their franchise term they will be rewarded by receiving a proportion of these savings'.

Thats weak, it doesnt define what the savings are (many savings could be made without cutting services) also whats the point in privatisation if the companies dont find the savings? Dft or PTE's could block any reduction in services they dont like so I dont see any danger in making the TOC's more adaptive, for example say theirs a late morning service that only 10 people use and you could instead put those cars on a busy lunchtime shopping service.

 

[Moog_1984]

Or not, given their attitude towards transport and the railways in some of the councils they run.

I'm working in norway and they have a lib lab kind of red-green government who have inherited a privitised maintanence set up who seem to have managed to reduce skilled rail workers by over 50%, whilst trying hard to show a profit. The Oslo area is knackered due to under investment and inadequate maintenance!

Also they are tied into the EU's rules on investment, subsidy and so on meaning the post office cannot buy as much rail capacity as they want !

With this recession I think we are seeing a good scepticism to the "market knows best, my little children" philosophy. It clearly doesn't.