First South Western Rail Franchise Update

 

First are getting ready for the new South Western rail franchise…

FirstGroup and MTR announce that Andy Mellors has been appointed as Managing Director of the new South Western rail franchise, which launches on 20 August.

Andy Mellors has 25 years of experience in the industry. He has held a number of senior leadership roles since joining FirstGroup in 2002 and is currently Engineering Director and Deputy Managing Director at Great Western Railway, having previously held a similar role at First ScotRail. Most recently, he has been responsible for leading the transformation of the GWR rolling stock fleet both through the introduction of new electric trains in the Thames Valley, and the imminent entry into service of the Intercity Express Trains – the first major intercity fleet to be introduced on the UK rail network for many years. This experience will be vital given the exciting plans for a brand new fleet of 90 trains, consisting of 750 carriages on the franchise, plus a refurbishment of existing rolling stock. Andy is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Commenting, Steve Montgomery, Managing Director First Rail said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Andy as Managing Director of the new South Western franchise. Andy has an exceptional track record of improving rail services for passengers. He will head up an experienced team that will introduce our exciting plans for better customer journeys, and keep people moving and communities prospering across the South Western network.”

Commenting, Jeremy Long, CEO – European Business, MTR said: "We're delighted that Andy has agreed to come on board. His track record speaks for itself and will help us deliver the excellent services passengers want to see."

Commenting, Andy Mellors said: “I look forward to leading the team at the new FirstGroup and MTR South Western franchise, and to build on the respected foundations established by the current South West Trains employees. We will offer the tangible benefits that customers and stakeholders have told us they want, on a key part of the country’s railway network which connects London to key towns and cities across the region. Passengers on our franchise can look forward to new and better trains, more seats and services, quicker journey times, enhanced stations and more flexible fare options.”

 

However its not all plain sailing so far…

First Group has been asked by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to address concerns over reduced competition on services between London and Exeter following its successful bid for the new South Western franchise. The new franchise was awarded to First MTR South Western, a consortium of FirstGroup and Hong Kong's MTR, earlier this year. It will initially run for seven years from 20 August 2017 to 18 August 2024. A fleet of 90 new trains will be used on routes between London Waterloo, Reading, Bristol, Exeter, Weymouth, and Portsmouth.

First Group also currently operates the Great Western Railway (GWR) franchise, which runs the only other train service between London and Exeter. The CMA has investigated the award of the South Western franchise and has found no competition concerns on the majority of routes. However, it said first having control of both London to Exeter services could "reduce competition on the route, leading to higher fares or worse service for passengers".

Andrea Coscelli, acting chief executive and decision maker at the CMA, said: "This is a crucial rail route to the South West, used by around half a million passengers a year. It's therefore vital that passengers do not suffer as a result of reduced competition.

"The CMA believes that without its intervention, FirstGroup may be able to increase fares for passengers between London and Exeter, as it will be the only rail operator running all services on this route. We look forward to hearing from the companies involved about how they think they can overcome this."

A FirstGroup spokesperson said: "We have been discussing our plans for the new South Western franchise with the CMA for several months. Now that this update gives more clarity, we look forward to submitting our proposals on this issue which we envisage will satisfy their concerns."

The CMA has given First and MTR the opportunity to put forward proposals to address its concern.

The regulator previously raised concerns over the decision on the award of the Northern franchise to Arriva. These were addressed by the implementation of price caps for the affected lines.

11 July 2017: The CMA has decided, on the information currently available to it, that it is or may be the case that this merger may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition within a market or markets in the United Kingdom. This merger will be referred for a phase 2 investigation unless the parties offer acceptable undertakings to address these competition concerns. The full text of the decision will be available shortly.

South West Trains

An order for 90 new trains has been signed by the new operators of one of the country's busiest rail franchises. FirstGroup and MTR said the 750 new carriages, in five- and 10-car formations, on the South Western network will provide a 46% increase in peak capacity on suburban routes into London Waterloo. The £895 million fleet of Aventra trains will be manufactured by Bombardier Transportation in Derby, offering free Wi-Fi, at-seat charging points, information screens, air conditioning, wide gangways and wide doors

THE fleet of trains to be built by Bombardier for the new South Western franchise is being unveiled in Derby. The order for 750 Aventra vehicles is worth £895 million, and Bombardier said it is the largest single order yet for its new Aventra type, which is replacing the Electrostars as Bombardier’s aluminium-bodied commuter EMU

The latest order has an element of controversy, because the original proposal had been to use new Siemens-built Desiro City Class 707s for South Western, alongside its existing fleets of Desiros. The 707s are said to be more expensive than the Aventras, and FirstGroup and MTR’s decision to change the fleet policy has meant that 150 Class 707 vehicles, which are due in service this year and next, will have no obvious operator after 2019, when the initial lease ends.

The Aventra trains, which will be supplied in both five- and ten-car configurations, will operate on the Reading, Windsor and West London suburban routes.

Steve Montgomery, managing director of First Rail, said: “We have exciting plans for the South Western rail franchise and these new trains are an important step on the way to delivering an improved journey experience for our passengers.

The South Western Franchise transers to First Group / MTR from the 27th August 2017. The new franchise will run for 7 years from 20 August 2017 to 18 August 2024, with an extension of 11 railway periods callable DoT discretion.

First MTR South Western Trains Limited will oversee a £1.2 billion investment programme to improve services for passengers on all parts of the network from London to the South West. There will be 22,000 extra seats into London Waterloo each morning peak and 30,000 extra seats out of Waterloo each evening peak, and a fleet of 90 new trains will provide more space for passengers on Reading, Windsor and London routes.

Of course although this is good news for many passengers we are not seeing the new trains in this region (SWT run into Exeter). Later this week though we see some new trains that ARE heading our way

South West Trains

I dont normally cover anything with South West Trains but they do work into Devon . The rail francise is currently run by Stagecoach but the operation. The Department for Transport has started consulting on the specification for a new South Western rail franchise to start in 2017. Consultation is currently taking place with passengers, businesses and local councils on their views on the next franchise and ran until 9 February 2016. The current franchise is operated by South West Trains, and covers urban, suburban, regional, and long-distance routes between London Waterloo, Reading, Bristol, Exeter, Weymouth, and Portsmouth. It also includes the Island Line on the Isle of Wight

First Group Joint Bid

FirstGroup is pleased to announce that MTR Corporation (UK) will join the Group in a joint venture to bid for the South Western rail franchise, following the assent of the Department for Transport.

Commenting, Steve Montgomery, First Rail Managing Director said:

"We are pleased that we will be partnering with MTR in a joint venture to bid for the South Western rail franchise, for which we were shortlisted in February 2016. We have extensive expertise of running commuter, inter-urban, regional and long distance services – such as those that make up the South Western franchise – and a strong track record in delivering passenger growth. MTR run successful suburban and commuter railways; their knowledge from running London Overground and TfL Rail on behalf of Transport for London will add further depth and understanding to an important component of this franchise.

"Together, FirstGroup and MTR will develop an innovative and value for money proposal that will deliver better connectivity and significant improvements for South Western customers. Our bid will keep people moving and communities prospering across the region."

First Group

South West Trains Website

South West Trains meanwhile continues and has recently introduced a new app and web site:

Rail passengers can now access the cheapest available tickets across the UK rail network with the launch of a transformational new mobile app and website. The new South West Trains digital tools allow rail travellers to directly access the best fares without having to search multiple providers.  A new powerful booking engine developed by South West Trains is the first of its kind to be created by a train operator. It will drive both the southwesttrains.co.uk website and mobile app, searching for the cheapest available fares that can often be unavailable through third party rail websites and other booking engines.

Passengers will have easy and fast access to the cheapest fares, with no booking fees when buying tickets through the South West Trains website or app. Feedback from passengers and staff has been integral to the design of the new website and iOS app. Customer experience experts and South West Trains also compared booking tools available through popular retailers with the company’s existing website and other ticket purchase channels used by customers.

The new South West Trains website is also part of an overall £11 million digital investment strategy by parent company Stagecoach Group, one of the UK’s biggest bus and rail operators. Stagecoach Group has already launched a new bus online platform, providing live tracking of every bus and ticket purchase direct from a smartphone.

A new Android app will be launched as part of a second phase of improvements for South West Trains passengers later this year. It will also include a ‘My Account’ facility and an enhanced contact section.

© Ian Kirby

Rail News

Its been a while since I covered any railway news but we have had a major news announcement today:

South Western Franchise

The Department for Transport has today (4 February 2016) announced the 2 train companies that have been shortlisted for the South Western franchise competition, after submitting an expression of interest.

The shortlisted bidders are:

• First South Western Trains Limited
• Stagecoach South West Limited

Rail Minister Claire Perry said:

The South Western franchise has some of the busiest routes in the country, serving a diverse range of passengers and places. It is vital that we have the best partner to help us meet the challenge of delivering better journeys for all customers using these services.

We are investing in additional capacity, and have ambitious plans for smart ticketing, customer service and improved connectivity across the South Western network, to give passengers real benefits across the region and beyond.

The current franchise is operated by South West Trains, and covers urban, suburban, regional, and long-distance routes between London Waterloo, Reading, Bristol, Exeter, Weymouth, and Portsmouth. It also includes the Island Line on the Isle of Wight.

Gov.uk

© Thomas Guppy (cc) 16 April 2015

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Golden Whistle

The operating team at Great Western Railway (GWR) has taken the Golden Whistle in a national awards ceremony.

The train operating company, formerly First Great Western, scooped the Golden Whistle for Major Possessions, Projects and Central Station Team award - the highest honour within the 'outstanding operating team' category - at the Institute of Railway Operators Golden Whistle Awards.

The company was also handed two silver awards for regional and intercity operational performance. Customer services training manager Ashley Bray was also highly commended in the 'outstanding individual' category.

Oxford Mail

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Great Western Satisfaction

GREAT Western Railway (GWR), has achieved its highest ever score for customer satisfaction, according to an independent transport user watchdog, Transport Focus. Increasing its year-on-year measure for overall satisfaction by 3 percent from 81 percent to 84 percent, GWR has posted its highest score since the National Rail Passenger Survey began in 1999.

Mark Hopwood, GWR managing director, said recent investment to improve capacity and punctuality are having the biggest impact on customers. He said: “These results clearly show our commitment to building a greater west and investing in what we know our customers want to see, and reflect the hard work of thousands of GWR colleagues.

Of the five key drivers of customer satisfaction, GWR improved scores in four main areas, with punctuality improving by five percent, train comfort and length of journey by three percent and ticket purchasing up by one percent.

Wilts & Glos Standard

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© Chris Warman (cc) 43188 in the new colours November 2015

© EastleighBusman 166212 Jan 2016

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I will be trying to include more Railway and other non-bus news from the area this coming year although it not an area I know that much about. As always I welcome any contributions - if you see or hear of anything which you feel may be of interest please let me know, Photos are especially welcome!

South West Trains

© Fengschwing - Flickr.com

It has been announced today that Stagecoach have won the new South West Trains contract ensuring a Stagecoach Rail presence in Plymouth for another 10 years.

Under the terms of the contract, the transport company will invest £40m in stations including London's Waterloo, from where it runs services to Brighton, Southampton, Portsmouth, Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth. Stagecoach said that it would increase capacity by 21% on mainline services and by 21% on suburban services by operating longer trains.