CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
SOUTH WALES MAIN LINE
1. We welcome the assurance from First Great
Western that there are no plans to reduce the frequency of their
services between London and South Wales. (Paragraph 10)
2. We welcome the decision by First Great Western
to negotiate with Network Rail for the reintroduction of a later
evening service from London to Cardiff. We do not believe that
the people of South Wales should have to wait until the award
of the new Greater Western franchise in 2006. It is unacceptable
that there is no late night service linking the capital cities
of England and Wales and we recommend that the Strategic Rail
Authority provide sufficient funds to introduce such a service
in time for new timetable, due to come into force in December
2004. (Paragraph 15)
3. We welcome First Great Western's proposals
for a high speed train link between the capitals of England and
Wales. This is the sort of forward looking approach that is necessary
to provide a positive future for rail services in South Wales.
We are unimpressed with the reaction of the SRA to such proposals.
Given the long lead time necessary to enact such a proposal, we
recommend that the Strategic Rail Authority give urgent consideration
to a new high speed link between England and South Wales as part
of the long term strategy for a Greater Western service. (Paragraph
18)
4. We welcome the SRAs announcement of a forthcoming
route strategy for the Great Western Main Line, and the potential
improvements that a Greater Western Franchise may offer. We look
to the SRA to reassure us that the needs of South Wales will not
be secondary to those of Southern England when the route strategy
is developed. (Paragraph 28)
5. We welcome the Government announcement of
a review of the rail industry. We look forward to receiving further
details on the Government's proposals for streamlining these organisations.
We will judge these proposals on the extent to which they promote
genuinely better services for rail users. (Paragraph 32)
6. We recommend that when the SRA develops its
route strategy for the Great Western Main Line, it should give
consideration to the cost and feasibility of a second rail crossing
between Wales and England. (Paragraph 35)
NORTH WALES MAIN LINE
7. We welcome any increase in intercity services
for North Wales. We are disappointed that the projected service
level of seven trains a day will not be realised. While we appreciate
that the reduction in the line speed has forced Virgin to reduce
the numbers of trains per day, we conclude that Virgin Train's
planning of the new service and consequent promises ought to have
been more adequately thought through so that unrealistic aspirations
could have been avoided. (Paragraph 39)
8. We find the delay by Network Rail in authorising
the North Wales Main Line for use by Pendolino trains unacceptable.
We recommend that Network Rail ensure early clearance for the
use of Pendolino trains along the North Wales Main Line be given
in time for the introduction of that service in December 2004.
(Paragraph 41)
9. We welcome the SRAs commitment to a costing
exercise for increasing the line speed on the North Wales Main
Line. However, any costing exercise would be of limited use should
funds not be available. We recommend that the SRA give a clear
commitment to upgrading the North Wales Main Line should its costing
exercise demonstrate value for money. Furthermore, we recommend
that the SRA commit to running the exercise in conjunction with
the National Assembly for Wales so that there is an adequate level
of transparency in the process. (Paragraph 45)
10. We recommend that electrification of the
line be included in the costing exercise for increase in the line
speed of the North Wales Main Line. We further recommend, that
should the costings not prove prohibitively expensive, the work
be carried out as part of the rebuilding of the West Coast Main
Line. (Paragraph 48)
11. We recommend that the Secretary of State
for Wales consult with his Cabinet colleagues to ensure representations
are made to the Council of Ministers, the European Commission
and the European Parliament for funding for the upgrade of the
North Wales Main Line as part of the Trans European Network initiative.
(Paragraph 53)
VIRGIN CROSS COUNTRY SERVICES
12. While the changes to Virgin Cross country
service may well have been necessary to provide a reliable cross
country service, the manner in which decisions were made fell
well short of what is required. Presenting the First Minister
with what was effectively a fait accompli the night before changes
to the service were made does not constitute consultation. We
conclude that the Strategic Rail Authority failed in its statutory
duty towards the National Assembly for Wales and did not honour
its own undertaking to consult the Rail Passengers Committee.
We recommend that the Strategic Rail Authority review its procedures
to ensure that such events do not happen in the future. (Paragraph
59)
THE WALES AND BORDERS FRANCHISE
13. We conclude that the spirit of the Department's
Direction and Guidance had not been followed as a result of the
split by the SRA of the criteria and scoring and marking system.
These should have been combined to enable bidders to understand
the objectives set by the Department and what was required of
a bidder for the franchise. (Paragraph 70)
14. We recommend that the SRA publish a full
summary of the negotiations surrounding the award of the Wales
and Borders franchise including the level of services offered
by Arriva at each stage. In this way taxpayers would be aware
of the funding levels for the existing services and the cost of
providing improvements. (Paragraph 71)
15. We are pleased to see that SRA funding for
the Wales and Borders franchise has not been reduced from the
level of funding provided for existing rail services. However
we conclude that merely maintaining existing funding levels does
not provide Wales with its fair share of rail improvements. We
recommend that the SRA should revisit its allocation of funding
to the Wales and Borders franchise to allow Arriva Trains to provide
an enhanced rail service for Wales. (Paragraph 75)
WALES AND BORDERS SERVICES
16. The Committee welcomes the clock face
timetable proposals from Arriva and believes that it has the potential
to provide a significant improvement to existing rail services
in Wales. The Committee further welcomes the initiatives by Arriva
to achieve an integrated national train service that links North,
Mid and South Wales. (Paragraph 80)
17. We welcome the initiative by Arriva to use
Carmarthen and Shrewsbury as hubs for its clock face timetables.
However, we are concerned that this proposal could be undermined
by the infrastructure quality both in and around Shrewsbury and
along the South Wales Main Line. We recommend that Arriva and
Network Rail establish a programme of investment to ensure that
both stations will provide effective hubs for rail travel within
and to and from Wales. (Paragraph 84)
18. We further recommend that Arriva take steps
to integrate the Heart of Wales Line in its plans for the hub
at Shrewsbury. (Paragraph 85)
19. We welcome the increased popularity of the
commuter lines in Cardiff and the year on year increases in passenger
numbers that they have achieved. Unfortunately this increase has
not been matched by SRA funding for the lines. We recommend that
the SRA reconsider the funding levels for rolling stock provision
to eliminate by December 2005 overcrowding on peak services. We
further recommend that the Department for Transport examine the
SRA's budget in respect of the Wales and Border's franchise with
a view to increased expenditure on rolling stock provision to
enable capacity to meet demand. (Paragraph 90)
20. We have a degree of sympathy for Arriva in
its programme for station improvements. It has agreed a franchise
contract with the SRA for a fixed annual payment that excluded
both new stations or station improvements. We recommend that Arriva
press ahead in the short term with the private/public partnership
discussions with all interested parties to improve many more than
15 stations in Wales. (Paragraph 93)
21. We note that Arriva has a duty of care for
the station fabric and that cleaning platforms, general repairs,
removing graffiti and repainting are their responsibility. Poorly
maintained stations do not promote a safe environment and therefore
we expect a commitment from Arriva that those duties will not
be ignored in the running of the franchise. (Paragraph 95)
CARDIFF STATION
22. We welcome the acknowledgement that Cardiff
Station is still in need of significant improvements. We recommend
Arriva, First Great Western and other interested parties consider
the establishment of a joint group to redevelop the station to
provide a facility that reflects the status of Cardiff as the
Capital of Wales. (Paragraph 98)
HOLYHEAD STATION
23. We welcome the involvement of Stena Lines
in negotiations to refurbish Holyhead Station. Given the potential
for local spend by high spending visitors on cruise-ships, we
are confident that further discussion between port operators,
ferry companies and the WDA on financing jetties and terminals
would be worthwhile. (Paragraph 101)
DISABLED ACCESS
24. We welcome the commitment to improving
disabled access to stations and the legislation that underwrites
that commitment. However, we are concerned that funding constraints
may not deliver the necessary improvements in good time. We recommend
that the SRA, in conjunction with Network Rail and the Train Operators
undertake an audit of all stations in Wales, including lift access
for disabled passengers, to assess what work is necessary for
stations to comply with the legislation covering disabled access.
(Paragraph 106)
INFORMATION
25. We welcome Arriva's acknowledgement of
the importance of clear signage and information for passengers.
We will monitor closely Arriva's proposals to improve information
for passengers at Stations within the Wales and Borders franchise.
(Paragraph 108)
POWERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
26. We welcome the progress that has been
made in discussions on the strategic direction of the rail network
between the UK Government and Welsh Assembly Government. We reiterate
our recommendation that powers of guidance and direction over
the Strategic Rail Authority in respect of the Wales and Borders
franchise and other rail services within Wales be conferred on
the National Assembly for Wales. (Paragraph 119)
27. We support the aspiration of the National
Assembly to be given the power to appoint one or more members
of the SRA and recommend that clauses to that effect be included
in any draft Transport (Wales) Bill. (Paragraph 121)
28. We recommend that the concept of statutory
consortia /passenger transport boards should be examined by the
Department for Transport alongside a public transport body covering
the whole of Wales. Greater flexibility in the powers of the National
Assembly can only serve to increase its potential to realise its
aspirations for a fully integrated transport policy for Wales.
(Paragraph 126)
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