Examination of Witnesses (Questions 346-359)
MR BRENDAN
O'FRIEL, MR
JOHN MOORHOUSE,
MR JIM
BEALE AND
MR ERNIE
PRESTON
WEDNESDAY 26 JUNE 2002
Chairman
346. Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am sorry to
have kept you waiting. Welcome and can I ask you to identify yourselves.
(Mr Beale) My name is Jim Beale and I am Chairman
of the Committee which covers the north east of England. On my
right is my Secretary, Ernie Preston. On my left is Brendan O'Friel
who is my opposite number on the other side of the Pennines, Chairman
of North Western, and his Secretary, John Moorhouse.
347. Do you have a joint few words to tell us,
Mr Beale?
(Mr Beale) We are prepared jointly to answer questions
although I think they will be of particular application to the
north east and others to the north west.
Mr O'Brien
348. Are the current indicators of train operators'
performances sufficiently focused on the need of the passengers?
(Mr Beale) I think our answer has to be that they
are improving but very gradually. We carry out surveys at stations,
as you perhaps are aware, of passengers every year and of course
we also have the complaints information which comes in to us and
we can measure these things on a trend basis. The impression,
barring of course the recent circumstances at Arriva Trains Northern,
is that things are gradually getting better. There are however
one or two blips.
349. Do you have any estimate of the number
of passengers who have switched permanently to other forms of
transport as a result of the poor services that we have received
in the north east?
(Mr Beale) I am sorry, I am not aware of any such
information.
350. So your research does not go into that
kind of detail?
(Mr Beale) It does not go into that, no.
351. Why is that? This is passenger service,
is it not?
(Mr Beale) It is, indeed.
352. If they were passengers on trains and they
have left to go to other forms of transport, does that not concern
you?
(Mr Beale) It is a matter of grave concern to us,
but the surveys we are doing are amongst current passengers, not
potential passengers or past passengers.
353. You say you have a grave concern about
losing passengers from railways yet you do not appear to be doing
anything about it.
(Mr Beale) We do not know how many people are not
now using rail who previously were.
354. So you have this grave concern but you
do not appear to be doing anything about it. Why is that? Why
are you not trying to attract passengers back onto the railways?
I am concerned about the north east and that is where my constituents
ask for a service and there are passengers who have moved off
to the private car in particular.
(Mr Beale) We are aware of that.
355. What are you doing to get them back onto
the trains?
(Mr Beale) We have initiated a project which we are
calling the great car commuter challenge where we actually have
volunteers to use the train in place of their car for a period
of weeks. This is centred round Leeds. It has, I have to be totally
honest and admit, been, sabotaged is not quite the word, but the
effect of the industrial action of Arriva Trains Northern has
made it difficult for us to interpret results. The object of this
is to see if there is some way of attracting to the rail system
people who are using their cars for commuting and, if this is
sufficiently encouraging when we see the results, we intend to
expand on it.
356. What representations have you made to the
SRA or to the people on the franchises about the improvement of
services in stations, particularly Wakefield?
(Mr Beale) We are constantly making representations
to the train operating companies. Specifically about Wakefield,
may I turn to my secretary because I think he probably has more
detail.
Chairman
357. Mr Preston, do you have anything to say
about Wakefield?
(Mr Preston) Not about Wakefield, but to say that—
Mr O'Brien
358. My question was about Wakefield.
(Mr Preston) In terms of stations, the Committee members
and its staff are carrying out an inspection of all the stations
within its area. It started off in the north east and it is now
picking up on stations in West Yorkshire and that is expanding,
but I think you have to appreciate that we only have limited resources
to do this. The members are part time and it only has a small
staff. Wakefield will eventually be done as will all the other
stations.
359. We were advised two years ago that, when
Leeds Station was completed, Wakefield would follow on. Were you
not aware of that advice?
(Mr Preston) Not in terms of an upgrade. Wakefield
was mentioned at one stage as an aspiration, I think it was by
GNER, to improve the station at Wakefield Westgate.
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