The ruling follows an extensive investigation by ORR into problems arising from the introduction of the integrated train planning system (ITPS) for the May 2010 timetable, and the effect these problems had on operators and customers. The new system is designed to make it easier and more efficient for Network Rail to provide timetable information to train and freight operators. However, system faults left some operators temporarily unable to publish information or take bookings and reservations.

ORR announced that:

Network Rail had breached condition 1 of its licence for failing to run an effective and efficient system for managing the timetable change process on the network; and
Network Rail, as it has admitted, is in continuing breach of condition 2 of its licence for failing to provide accurate timetable information to train operators within required timescales.
Commenting on the decision, Bill Emery ORR chief executive said:

“Network Rail must always be responsive to its customers’ needs.

“We support Network Rail’s decision to replace old and inefficient timetabling systems and processes, and in time ITPS should bring longer term benefits to the industry. But the introduction earlier this year has been most unsatisfactory. Our extensive investigation found that there had been a marked failure to consider properly, mitigate, and communicate the risks of initial problems affecting operators and passengers.

“Network Rail is now taking positive steps to resolve problems that should have been avoided. However, Network Rail is in clear breach of its licence and the regulator will always take action when the company fails to meet its obligations. We will now carefully consider whether it is appropriate to impose a financial penalty.”

Highlights of this special weekend include tours of the ‘Bus Pit’, self-guided tours of the ‘Bus Shed’ and an exhibition on the B-type bus including films, models and photographs.
Tickets are valid on both days and cost £10.00 for adults, £8.00 for senior citizens, £6.00 concessions and £5.00 London Transport Museum Friends. Accompanied children under 16 Free.

To avoid the queues, tickets can be booked in advance by calling 020 7565 7298 or online at ltmuseum.co.uk. The Museum Depot is open both days from 11.00 to 17.00 with the last admission at 16.00 and is located in Acton at 2 Museum Way, 118 – 120 Gunnersbury Lane, London, W3 9BQ. The nearest Tube station is Acton Town (District and Piccadilly Line) check before you travel at tfl.gov.uk. Further information regarding activities can be found at ltmuseum.co.uk.

Inspired by Rail Ale Trails on Devon and Cornwall branch lines (Modern Railways, April 2010), the Rail Ale Guide features over 200 good pubs near railway stations throughout the South West, covering Bristol, Bath,Salisbury, Weymouth and points west.

The guide has been compiled and published by former Dartmoor Railway Managing Director, John Hummel.  He said, ‘The Guide makes it easy to find good pubs to visit by train, or when waiting at an unfamiliar station, to find that little gem of a pub, just around the corner.  I hope it will encourage readers to plan evenings or days out by train, visiting some of the South West’s fine pubs by train.’

The book, priced at £5, has been published with the support of the Campaign  for Real Ale, the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, and the Association of Community Rail Partnerships.

A new website, www.railaleguide.com, will also include news and updates.

ATOC says that October 2009 marked a turning point, and in 2010 overall demand has begun to grow significantly. In January to March 2010, passenger journeys rose by 4.4% when compared to the same period last year, according to ATOC’s figures, while in April to June, passenger journeys rose by 6.1%.

Long-distance growth in the January-March 2010 quarter-year was 7% and April-June growth was 7.7%; for regional services, the figures were 1.8% and 6.2% repectively; and for London and the Southeast,  5.1% and 5.9% respectively.

Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of ATOC, said:  ‘All sectors of the railways performed well during the first half of the year, but the turnaround in London and the South East is particularly marked.

‘But, it is vital that we don’t take the nation’s fragile recovery for granted – the threat of the economy slipping back into recession remains real and serious. Train companies will continue to work hard to ensure that they attract customers onto the railways and can play their part in helping to secure the nation’s continued economic recovery.’

Meanwhile, new analysis published by the TAS Partnership suggests demand for rail services in Great Britain can be expected to go on rising despite the economic uncertainties.

TAS uses standard modelling techniques to look at likely trends in demand over the period up until 2019. ‘We’ve looked at a range of likely outcomes, depending on different levels of economic and employment growth,’ explained the report’s editor Chris Cheek. ‘We conclude that demand nationally is likely to rise by between 16% and 32% between 2009 and 2019.’ In London and the South East, the growth over the same period is expected to be between 22% and 41%.

He added that other factors were also moving in favour of further growth in demand for all public transport modes. ‘Surveys show a consistent willingness of a significant proportion of people to change behaviour and switch to public transport for a higher proportion of their journeys in response to concerns about climate change. This could give the spiral of growth another twist,’ Cheek added.

The signalling will be commissioned in four stages, and the scope includes all elements of design, manufacture, installation, testing and commissioning.  The equivalent of six Solid State Interlockings will be controlled by Invensys Rail’s Westlock interlocking and Westcad computer-based control systems, which are to be installed at West Hampstead and Victoria signalling centres. 

Nick Crossfield, Invensys Rail’s Managing Director, said: ‘Whilst this is an extremely challenging project in terms of design, integration and access, our delivery team is looking forward to working closely with colleagues at Network Rail on the Thameslink programme and with other contractors to deliver another first class solution for London.’

As a key deliverable for the London Olympics, the first stage of the project is to be commissioned at Kentish Town in April 2011, with the final stage scheduled for completion in April 2012.

He was launching the new annual ORR Health and Safety Report, which is a revamped successor to the former HM Railway Inspectorate annual safety reports. It sets out to analyse the state of health and safety across the rail industry in 2009/10, commenting on the performance of Network Rail, passenger train and freight train operators, and London Underground plus Tube Lines.

The ORR says the report defines and cites best practice across the rail industry, highlights areas for attention, and explains the regulator’s role in ensuring the railways continue to be challenged to deliver excellence.

Key findings ORR picks out include:
* Britain’s railways continue to be amongst the safest in Europe – a key international safety indicator, the RSSB’s precursor indicator model for system safety risk to passengers and the public at level crossings, showed an 11.35% improvement in 2009/10.
* Worker safety is improving, but there are concerns about track worker safety – the past year was marked by three worker fatalities, and safety in terms of overall harm got worse last year.
* Significant concerns about the reporting of minor injuries within Network Rail and its contractors.
* Despite a positive overall picture on passenger safety, the short-term trend on ‘passenger harm’ is up – main line railway overall passenger harm went up for the first time in seven years; this trend is dominated by injuries at stations.
* The industry needs to raise its game on occupational health – there are significant gaps in the information that the industry holds on occupational health.

Franchises would run for 15 years as standard, so long as performance levels were maintained. In return for more private investment in the railways, operators would get greater commercial freedom to innovate in the way they deliver services, according to the minister. The reforms would also set ‘tough requirements for train operators to deliver on passenger satisfaction’, and operators could face being stripped of their contracts if they fail to meet those requirements.

The proposals are set out in a public consultation which seeks views from across the rail industry, passengers and the general public on the Government’s approach to rail franchising ‘and the benefits that longer franchises and increased private sector investment in the railways would be able to offer.’

Other proposed changes include:

• Changes to the current financial risk-sharing provisions, known as ‘cap and collar’, which could include a link to GDP or employment levels.

• Making it easier for operators to invest their own money during the life of the franchise, and receiving part of the value of that investment once the franchise ends.

The outcome of the consultation will be considered alongside the emerging findings of the Rail Value for Money study, chaired by Sir Roy McNulty, and the conclusions of the government’s Spending Review.

The Department for Transport says it will publish its conclusions towards the end of the year and will begin re-letting franchises under a new model soon after. 

NFRIP

I refer to Roger Ford’s article on p27 of the June issue entitled ‘NFRIP – the great leveller’. I would like to apologise to anyone who was offended by the error on agilitytrains.com/case for Inter-city Express Programme (IEP). The NFRIP (National Fleet Reliability Improvement Programme) data available at the time of writing the article for the Agility Trains web site was Period 10, which shows Class 395 as the fourth most reliable fleet in January (our first month of running) however we were in error to say that the Class 395 was the most reliable on Southern routes as this was not correct. Following the publication on the web site, NFRIP data was updated again in mid March for Period 11, leading to Roger Ford’s confusion. We would never knowingly publish anything in error.

ALISTAIR DORMER

Managing Director

Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd

London WC1

Copy of Technical 5-Min Delays Period 10 2009-10