Passenger Transport: May 3, 2024

FO EV RT ER NI Y GH T

ISSUE 312 3 MAY 2024

NEWS, VIEWS AND ANALYSIS FOR A SECTOR ON THE MOVE

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh, pictured on a visit to Hitachi

Private TOCs on borrowed time Labour’s plan for Britain’s railways confirms intention to bring all franchised operations in-house document, shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh asserts that reforms proposed by the current government don’t go far enough. She writes: “They will not fix the fundamental problems that

When the new South West Trains and Great Western franchises commenced on February 4, 1996, they became the first private sector-operated rail franchises in the UK. It marked the beginning of a new era, but one that Labour has confirmed will end if it wins the next general election.

Published on April 25, Labour’s plan for Britain’s railways proposes to bring franchised train

operators under public ownership and control, within a new Great British Railways framework while maintaining a role for nonfranchised open access operators.

In the foreword to the

NEWS

NEWS

Partnership at heart of new era for buses

Industry scraps Flix passengers TrentBarton plans for East saved 1 million and Transdev Coast upgrade tonnes of CO2 use CitySwift

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Go-Ahead’s Martin Dean on ‘hybrid age’

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“Where private operators have failed, Great British Railways will be tasked with improving services” Louise Haigh NET ZERO

Too many unresolved issues to proceed

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Travel tech provider’s green credentials

beset the industry - continuing fragmentation, inefficiency and waste, and an ongoing conflict in public service provision between passenger needs and private commercial interests. Where private operators have failed, Great British Railways will be tasked with improving services.”

NORMAN BAKER: PAGE 14 ALEX WARNER: PAGE 16 GRUMBLES: PAGE 21

INNOVATION & TECH

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Bus companies use data to help networks

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01/05/2024 16:50

CONTENTS

PASSENGER TRANSPORT PO Box 5496, Westbury BA13 9BX 020 3950 8000 editorial@passengertransport.co.uk

Pendulum has swung away from private sector TOCs There were no big surprises in Labour’s plan to fix Britain’s railway, Get Britain Moving. As we approach the 30th anniversary of the first UK rail franchises being awarded, a new Labour government could soon be taking them all Robert Jack in-house (alongside those that are already run by Managing Editor DfT OLR Holdings Limited, the holding company established to act as operator of last resort for rail franchises).

The pendulum has swung in favour of public control, for both buses and trains. Bus services, previously operated on a commercial basis outside of London, will increasingly become franchised under Labour.

Franchised rail services will meanwhile return to public ownership.

It’s perhaps not surprising in an era where public transport has a higher profile, and where it is more dependent on public subsidies.

Many of those who work for private sector train operating companies will feel that their role has been unfairly maligned. The commercial nature of their business owners has not been the sole reason for failings. But, in a divided country where money is in short supply, the policy of bringing the TOCs in-house as contracts expire, and sticking shiny new GBR branding on them, is relatively cheap and is popular with voters. Some might say it’s a political no-brainer.

If Labour wins the next election, history will show whether its unified and simplified governance structure benefits rail users and taxpayers. And if it doesn’t, the pendulum may start to swing back.

HAVE YOUR SAY Contact us with your news, views and opinion at: editorial@passengertransport.co.uk PASSENGER TRANSPORT editorial@passengertransport.co.uk forename.surname@ passengertransport.co.uk Telephone: 020 3950 8000 Managing Editor & Publisher Robert Jack Deputy Editor Andrew Garnett Contributing Writer Rhodri Clark Directors Chris Cheek, Andrew Garnett, Robert Jack OFFICE CONTACT DETAILS Passenger Transport Publishing Ltd PO Box 5496, Westbury BA13 9BX, UNITED KINGDOM Telephone (all enquiries): 020 3950 8000

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IN THIS ISSUE 04

THE TRAIN ARRIVING AT PLATFORM ONE...

Labour has hailed its new rail plans as ‘the biggest overhaul to our railways in a generation’ - but can it deliver? “Labour is going to turn Great British Railways into something more like British Rail,” says Norman Baker.

ORGANISATION

PAGE

ALBUM Alexander Dennis Bee Network c2c Central Connect CitySwift CrossCountry Essex County Council Flix First Bus First Bus Solent Go-Ahead Group Go-Ahead London Govia Thameslink Railway Great British Railways Gwynedd Council Hovertravel LNER Lothian Buses Mobico National Express ORR RIA Stagecoach Group Stagecoach North Scotland Stagecoach Oxford Stagecoach Supertram Transdev Blazefield TransPennine Express Transport for London Transport for Wales Tranzaura TravelMaster Trentbarton Unite the Union Urban Transport Group Vectare Vision Bus

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PRIVATE SECTOR TOCS REACH END OF THE LINE

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TYRES HAVE SCOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT

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LABOUR AND TORY SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

“The headline that Labour is planning to nationalise the railway if they get into power didn’t really arouse me as it would have in previous times,” says Alex Warner. “Maybe it’s an age-thing, I tend to get less excited now by most things than I did in my youth.”

The manufacturing and disposal of vehicle tyres is a huge environmental problem. How can we make improvements? “Tyres present numerous problems: they need to be maintained and can be very inconvenient,” says Nick Richardson.

Our Whitehall insider imagines what’s going on inside the minds of the mandarins at Great Minster House, home of the DfT.“Signals will still fail, engineering works will still overrun, delays will still be caused by trespassers or ‘leaves in the line’”.

REGULARS NEWS NET ZERO INNOVATION & TECH COMMENT GRUMBLES CAREERS DIVERSIONS

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3 May 2024 | 03

01/05/2024 17:31

NEWS ROUND-UP

Partnership at heart of new era for industry Headwinds see bus industry entering a defining new phase PARTNERSHIP

According to Martin Dean, Go-Ahead’s managing director of UK regional bus, Britain’s bus networks are moving into a new and potentially unsettling era.

Speaking at last week’s ALBUM Conference in Cheshire, Dean hypothesised that bus deregulation had gone through three phases since 1986. The first era was characterised by entrepreneurialism and free market forces before a second era during the 1990s led to the rapid consolidation of the industry and the emergence of the big bus groups. He described the period up to the present day as “the hybrid age”.

“What I mean by that is nothing to do with propulsion systems,” he added. “More that the industry is locked into a heavy duty partnering

model - some commercial aspects remain by the hybrid definition, which comes from the fact that spending on location, 50% of our business comes from government or local authority sources, but not exclusively so.”

Dean said increasing environmental awareness amongst the population was driving much of this change, but the pandemic - where governments had pumped money into their bus networks - and regional disparities that had driven the emergence of devolved administrations had also played a key role. He claimed that the industry has completed its metamorphosis from entrepreneurship to deep partnership in response.

Dean pointed to the situation in Oxford, where Go-Ahead’s operations there had been locked in competition with Stagecoach Oxford, and before that, Thames Transit, for many years. However, more recently, the

Buses likely to rise up the policy agenda Martin Dean believes buses will become key issue Bus, alongside wider transport policy, is likely to rise up the political agenda in the coming years according to Martin Dean, Go-Ahead’s managing director of UK regional bus.

“I think it’s really interesting that Labour has focussed a lot on buses,” Dean told delegates at last week’s ALBUM Conference.

He said Labour’s view of buses

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as a crucial levelling up point is clear. Dean also highlighted the potential negative impact on the electorate’s consciousness if they fail to align with the Conservatives on bus policy.

“When you look at the Uxbridge by-election and how the Conservatives used transport to win an unexpected victory, transport will become a more

two operators have embraced a partnership model that has seen the introduction of joint ticketing and coordinated networks.

He returned to the theme of devolution and said it was notable that a Conservative government had launched the concept of the ‘metro mayor’ as a means of growing regional economies, possibly in the hope it would diminish the influence of the so-called ‘Red Wall’. Despite that, Dean felt it was unlikely any

Dean: ‘Devolution is here to stay’

prominent issue,” he said.

Meanwhile, in response to a question from ALBUM chair and Stephensons of Essex MD Bill Hiron about road space allocation, Dean said he felt a sea change was coming.

“It does seem counterintuitive that people are concerned about the environment but then some politicians are scared to restrict freedom,” he said. “I do think there will be a tipping point and that’s why I talk about a new age of opportunity [for the bus industry].”

future Labour government would move away from the devolved mayor concept.

“It’s very clear devolution is here to stay,” he continued.

“Mayors see buses as very public manifestations of their ability to influence how people go about their lives and to influence more balanced economic growth.”

For the future, Dean said he felt that environmental consciousness amongst the population would only increase. Meanwhile, an ageing population, resource shortages, economic regulation, particularly in Europe, and global migration flows would also present challenges. Still, he said the bus industry was well placed to meet the challenges of this age, one he characterised as “the age of prominence” for the industry.

“The success we’ve had as an industry has been due to not being too insular,” concluded Dean. “Where we have that debate about who controls networks, we should not lose sight of the fact that our customers are part of a wider society. We need to be in that community, and that’s something we should embrace in the future.”

‘IMMIGRATION IS A GOOD THING’

Migration could help achieve growth aspirations RECRUITMENT

Access to increasing levels of immigration should be seen as a good thing for the industry according to Martin Dean, Go-Ahead’s managing director of UK regional bus. “It will allow us to meet our growth aspirations,” he told delegates at last week’s ALBUM Conference in Cheshire. “Staff availability is one of our key barriers in recovering from the pandemic... it has been a real issue.” www.passengertransport.co.uk

01/05/2024 16:47

ALBUM to highlight impact of franchising No official line but body will highlight role of SME sector FRANCHISING

ALBUM has no official position on bus franchising, but it is keen to ensure that the interests of smaller bus operators are protected. That was the message from policy advisor Tony Depledge at last week’s ALBUM Conference in Cheshire.

The move follows the conclusion of the franchising programme for Greater Manchester’s Bee Network, in which just one SME operator - Vision Bus - won a handful of school contracts. As recently as 2019, Greater Manchester boasted over 40 smaller operators operating local bus services (PT310).

“Many SMEs see franchising as a risk, others see it as an existential threat,” said Depledge.

If you are an SME you can’t move anywhere else - you can’t trade

UTG BACKS SME BUS OPERATORS Jason Prince acknowledges strength of ALBUM firms POLICY

The Urban Transport Group, a significant body representing the UK’s network of transport authorities, has conveyed a powerful message to ALBUM members, acknowledging and valuing the crucial role of SME bus operators.

In a video message to last week’s ALBUM Conference in Cheshire, UTG director Jason Prince said smaller operators were “an www.passengertransport.co.uk

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“Many SMEs see franchising as a risk, others as an existential threat”

contract arrangements and to let tenders? The answer is broadly no.

It’s a very patchy picture.”

He also said he was keen to avoid a situation where if every local authority is given powers to decide to franchise their local networks, then this should not be used as a bargaining chip.

“We can’t be in a position where [franchising] is constantly available as something that might come up and used almost as a threat,” he said. “We need something that says, ‘this is the regime within which we work’. I think that’s something that’s not being thought through.”

Depledge revealed that ALBUM was due to have talks with the Labour Party and in particular those handling the party’s business policy brief.

“They are very wedded to the SME sector and we need to talk to them about what would be at risk because of franchising,” said Depledge. “We’ll be bringing that point up very strongly.”

important part of a mixed market that includes SMEs”.

He continued: “I think SMEs have a huge opportunity in a changing landscape. They have agility, like most SMEs, and knowledge of the local area. They are rooted in the local area, too. I know it may feel challenging with the landscape changing, but I think there are huge opportunities.”

Prince called on SME bus operators to go out and seek new opportunities. “We all need to champion what bus does, and I think bus has a bright future,” he said. “As we start to see areas looking at new

ways of delivering bus services, all I would say to you as SMEs is to be on the front foot and to continue to push what value that you bring - that agility, knowing your communities and that knowledge and speak to combined authorities and speak to local authorities. I believe that having SMEs in a mixed transport and bus operations market can only be a good thing.”

After introducing Prince’s video message to delegates, ALBUM policy advisor Tony Depledge said that having the influential support of UTG for the SME bus industry “was no bad thing”.

wins in one part of the country with losses in another. On that basis it can become an existential threat.”

He said ALBUM was keen to ensure that in franchising regimes, the authority in charge “had an eye on what SMEs can bring to the party” as they add authenticity.

“We know our local communities, and we live and work in the communities we serve,” Depledge added. I think that’s a really important selling point.”

He also questioned if franchising would be appropriate for every area. Depledge continued: “Do local authorities everywhere across the country have the skills and resources to be able to design networks, have

BOYD REVEALS IMPACT OF COVID

Lothian boss outlines the challenges of pandemic COVID-19

Lothian Buses managing director Sarah Boyd gave a frank assessment of the impact of Covid-19 on her operation at last week’s ALBUM Conference in Cheshire.

“Pre-pandemic, we were fortunate to be bucking the trends for passengers in Scotland,” said Boyd.

“Up to 2019, we were reporting 2.3 million customer journeys per week.

Then the pandemic happened.”

She said passenger numbers at Lothian “literally fell off a cliff overnight” to just 10% of what they were before Covid-19 hit. “During the proceeding two and a half years, we had to make a colossal 18 service changes - given that we were previously doing two per year, it was the equivalent of nine years of work,” Boyd added.

She said that the turmoil of those years had now passed, but some impacts still lingered, particularly the impact that home and hybrid working continue to have on patronage. Lothian has managed to recapture 90% of its pre-pandemic patronage. However, Boyd added that it was necessary to remember that there was still work to do to return to the patronage of 2019.

She also admitted that in the period following the pandemic Lothian had become operationally unreliable as it battled a chronic shortage of staff. “We could not run our timetables and the mileage we had registered with the traffic commissioner,” Boyd candidly revealed. “I’m not going to lie, as operations director at that point it gave me sleepless nights.”

She revealed that things had eased since then and Lothian was working to improve driver retention with a number of initiatives, such as more flexible four-day rosters.

3 May 2024 | 05

01/05/2024 16:48

NEWS ROUND-UP

TfL urged to reverse bus network decline David Leeder says TfL’s own policies have put the city’s buses in reverse gear. Former TfL executive Leon Daniels agrees that changes are required POLICY

Transport for London’s bus deficit “could easily increase by 4-6% per annum” unless action is taken to speed up bus journey times and encourage more people to travel by bus.

This warning has come from David Leeder, a former director of National Express Group and FirstGroup, in an article in BUSES magazine. Leeder, co-founder of Transport Investment Ltd (TIL), writes that TfL is “drifting back towards a model that relies on rising Treasury handouts to keep an ever-shrinking network going - a policy that was tested to destruction in the 1970s and 80s”.

Leeder argues that the on-going decline of London’s bus network “seems to have gone largely unnoticed by many commentators and politicians” - instead there are frequent calls in other UK cities for their citizens to enjoy a “London-style” bus network.

London’s bus network is suffering from rising costs and falling passenger numbers - but Leeder argues that these trends are the result of TfL’s own policies.

Over the past decade or more, Leeder says that TfL has prioritised cycle schemes, rail improvements and air quality, “and apparently given up on ‘reasons to travel’ marketing”.

A plethora of new pedestrian schemes and “often empty” cycle lanes have led to “extreme loss of junction capacity, selective removal of bus lanes, and huge reductions in bus speeds”.

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As bus speeds fall, operating costs have risen and patronage has fallen - a vicious cycle that is very familiar to bus operators.

At the same time, TfL’s rail schemes, including the Elizabeth Line, and post-Covid changes in travel behaviour, have released considerable capacity on previously overcrowded tube lines, providing bus users with alternative options.

Leeder, who lives in inner east London,writes: “My local Route 15 illustrates the problems with TfL’s strategy. The frequency has been drastically cut. At Aldgate the route makes a long, slow diversion, even though the bus stops outside Aldgate East station have been removed to make way for cycle lanes. In Lower Thames Street, it is quite common to wait 10-15 minutes to make the left Is London a model that others should seek to replicate?

MOVING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION In his article, David Leeder highlights a few facts about London’s buses: London bus demand peaked in 2014. After a decade of decline, patronage has returned to 2005 levels This is despite London’s population growing by 1.2 million people (14%) over the same period.

As a result, bus trips per head of population per year have dropped by almost a quarter (circa 24%) in London.

The subsidy in 2014 was £547m (23p per trip). By 2023 it was £786m (45p per trip) - an increase of around 95%.

In response, TfL has so far cut the network by around 1,000 buses (10%) since 2017, by thinning frequencies and removing entire routes (especially in the central areas).

turn near the Tower, which has been largely given over to a lightly used ‘cycle superhighway’.”

He adds: “TfL seems to no longer have any systematic idea who buses (or roads) are for: the revealed policy seems to be to disadvantage low income workers, or the infirm, so that the ‘Lycra Louts’ employed by investment banks can race back home to St John’s Wood while the buses stand in traffic. And forget any discretionary growth in bus use at these speeds.

“One may deduce that some parts of TfL management are aware of this contradiction, but the all-party elite consensus of ‘Two Wheels Good, Four Wheels Bad” makes any public discussion of the difficult trade-offs inherent in allocating scarce road space very hard.”

If the current strategies and trends are maintained, Leeder warns that TfL’s bus deficit could easily increase by 4-6% per annum (for example, with 3% higher costs plus 3% lower revenue).

Instead, he proposes that TfL adopts a more subtle balance in the allocation of roadspace.

He argues that London would benefits from Brighton-style speeds (and marketing), or Paris-style segregated bus routes.

Leon Daniels, who was managing director surface transport at TfL from 2011 until 2017, agrees that action is required to speed up bus speeds in London.

He told Passenger Transport: “There is no doubt a combination of circumstances have led to worsening bus speeds and a consequent reduction in the attractiveness of the bus network.

This is especially true where it is indeed now sometimes quicker to walk. Significant action is now needed across the network to improve bus speeds.” www.passengertransport.co.uk

01/05/2024 16:47

Industry scraps plans for East Coast upgrade Planned new timetable has been deferred to avoid unsolved issues PERFORMANCE

Major improvements on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) planned for December 2024 will no longer take place after the government approved plans from an industry working group to postpone the proposals.

The changes were planned to deliver benefits from recent investment in extra capacity on the ECML, including power supply upgrades and rolling stock improvements.

The decision to postpone the new timetable will impact several key enhancements. These include additional LNER services between London and Newcastle, as well as changes to the stopping

patterns of some cross-border services into Scotland. These changes would have significantly reduced the journey time on some London to Edinburgh services to four hours.

TransPennine Express also intended to restore the services it had axed in December 2023 to stem performance problems.

CrossCountry had also planned to restore some services suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement, Chris Curtis, Network Rail’s director of network performance, said:

“There are too many outstanding issues to have confidence” Chris Curtis

to RIA’s strategy is a focus RIA CALLS FOR ‘ART onCentral rapid carbon reduction and air OF THE POSSIBLE’ quality enhancements in the short

Plans for lower cost Net Zero railway published STRATEGY

The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has unveiled a strategic roadmap to achieve a cost-effective, high-performance Net Zero railway by 2050.

This plan outlines how immediate procurement decisions can safeguard the UK’s rolling stock manufacturing capability and leverage existing government infrastructure initiatives. By adopting a coordinated ‘track and train’ approach, the blueprint aims to optimise outcomes for passengers, freight users, taxpayers, and the wider rail supply chain. www.passengertransport.co.uk

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term. This entails introducing newer, more reliable trains to improve overall system performance.

Additionally, the strategy aims to mitigate costs and boost economic benefits by minimising the rail supply sector’s ‘boom and bust’ cyclical nature.

While the government’s plans to raise the proportion of the UK rail network electrified from 38% to 51% have been welcomed by RIA, it has identified a further 15% of routes, which, if electrified, would mean 100% of passenger services and 95% of freight services being decarbonised incrementally in the decades to 2050.

Meanwhile, RIA has determined

“Following lessons learned from introducing major new timetables, the industry steering group that oversees timetable introduction has concluded that there are too many outstanding issues to have confidence that the new East Coast main line timetable can be delivered robustly in December.

“We are all committed to working urgently together to find a way to deliver the benefits to passengers and freight users as soon as we can.”

The planned new timetable had faced criticism. Transport for the North argued it had pushed forward greater connectivity with London at the expense of links across the North of England.

Newcastle to Manchester services would have fallen back to one per hour - in 2019, there were two trains per hour on the route.

that around a third of the network doesn’t require electrification and can be decarbonised using battery-electric trains instead. It has also highlighted the uncertainty surrounding UK rail manufacturing and the need for the government to commit to a pipeline of work.

“Our analysis provides an ‘art of the possible’ strategy for the government and the railway industry,” said RIA technical director David Clarke. “Ordering a fleet of battery-electric trains, a strategic and a consistent approach to electrification and quick green wins on less intensively used routes can all help achieve a more efficient and low-carbon railway. Considering this as a ‘track and train’ strategy allows us to permanently lower the cost of running the railway.”

ORR SEEKS BETTER ACCESS PROCESS Disabled passengers face complaint process barriers ACCESSIBILITY

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has conducted research revealing accessibility challenges faced by some disabled passengers in navigating the rail complaints process and seeking redress for booked assistance failures.

Surveys and research revealed mixed experiences among disabled passengers, with some facing challenges despite their awareness of complaint procedures and redress options.

Key points from the report include: 86% of disabled passengers surveyed knew their right to complain, with 62% being ‘fully aware’. However, awareness of redress options was lower, at 71%, with only 39% being ‘fully aware’; While most operators’ complaints processes were broadly accessible, 46% of respondents faced some barriers, and 8% found the process inaccessible; and Motivation to complain varied, with 36% of disabled passengers refraining from complaints despite believing they had a cause and 45% never seeking redress when they could have.

ORR will work with train operators to ensure compliance with the Complaints Code of Practice and Accessible Travel Policy Guidance, focusing on passenger awareness and process accessibility. It added TOCs must address complaints from disabled passengers and document efforts in annual reports to demonstrate improvements informed by feedback “Where disabled rail users experience inadequate standards of service it is paramount that operators provide fully accessible means to raise complaints,” said ORR director Stephanie Tobyn.

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01/05/2024 16:47

NEWS ROUND-UP

Mobico CFO quits as group hits headwinds Turnaround specialist takes on role on an interim basis FINANCIALS

Mobico has announced that chief financial officer James Stamp will step down in June following accounting issues affecting the group’s German rail business. The problems led to delays in the publication of its annual results twice this year.

Stamp, who has been with the company for almost seven years and served as CFO for less than two years, will be succeeded on an interim basis by Helen Cowing, former group CFO at vending machine company Selecta Group. Cowing, experienced in turnaround situations, will fill the role on a temporary basis.

The announcement coincided

with Mobico reporting a 36% decline in adjusted pre-tax profits to £92.9m for the year ending December 31, 2023. While revenues increased by 12.2% to £3.15bn, boosted by rising passenger volumes, the company cited higher wage costs and lower profitability in Germany as dampening factors.

Audit issues stemming from changes to indices used by Germany’s statistics office delayed Mobico’s 2023 financial results, resulting in sharp share declines in February and March.

CEO Ignacio Garat termed the

“Our 2023 results are below expectations”

Ignacio Garat. Mobico

previous year. Before the pandemic, STEADY BUS USE this figure stood at 32 bus trips, BUT LONDON RISES indicating a noticeable decline.

No change in England bus use but capital’s increases STATISTICS

The recently released mid-period estimates from the government’s annual National Travel Survey (NTS) for 2022-23 provide a comprehensive view of public transport usage in England. This year’s figures reveal no increase in bus trips or the distance travelled per person in England outside London.

It’s important to note that the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect public transport patronage significantly. On average, individuals outside the capital took 23 bus trips, reflecting no change from the 08 | 3 May 2024 PT312p08-09.indd 8

Similarly, the figures for distance travelled remained stagnant, with an average of 120 miles per person by bus outside London, marking a 24% decrease compared to 2019.

However, in London, bus usage was slightly improved, with a rise from 14 to 16 bus trips per person in the interim period of 2022-2023.

Nonetheless, this represented a 12% decline from 2019 (when 18 trips per person were recorded). The average bus distance travelled per person increased from 54 miles in 2022 to 58 in 2022-2023, although this is still below the 73 miles per person recorded in 2019.

Turning to the London Underground, trips per person

delays regrettable but confirmed the conclusion of additional work related to the German business.

Mobico, which has emerged as one of Germany’s largest rail operators on the back of contract wins in North Rhine-Westphalia, faces challenges from driver shortages and energy price volatility. The company continues efforts to restore profitability amid the transport industry’s recovery from the pandemic’s impact and the phasing out of government support packages.

On a statutory basis, Mobico reported an annual loss before tax of £98.3m, compared to a £225.3m loss in 2022. Meanwhile, its net debt remained largely unchanged year-on-year at £987.1m.

In the UK and Germany, revenues grew 9.2% to reach £869.9m, representing strong

increased by 17% in the year ending June 2023, to 9 compared to 7 in 2022. However, this remained 27% lower than the 2019 levels of 12 trips per person. Similarly, London Underground miles traveled rose by 10% in the year ending June 2023, to 79 compared to 72 in 2022, but still a 28% decrease from 2019’s 109 miles per person.

Surface rail trips increased by 13% in the year ending June 2023, with 17 trips per person compared to 15 in 2022. Yet, this was 19% lower than the 2019 figure of 21 trips per person. Surface rail miles travelled remained similar in the year ending June 2023, with 468 miles per person compared to 453 miles per person in 2022. However, this marked a 25% decrease from 2019’s 625 miles per person.

trading in UK coach and with UK bus patronage reaching 98% of pre-Covid levels. However, the fall in adjusted operating profit for the division to £43.2m was principally as a result of the January 2023 16.2% pay settlement with UK bus staff.

Work continues to restructure the National Express Transport Solutions coach charter business in the UK and efforts to sell the North American school bus business continue.

“Our 2023 results are below the expectations we set ourselves at the beginning of the year,” said Ignacio Garat, Mobico group chief executive. “I am nevertheless encouraged by the progress we have made in transforming the business, with the new leadership we have appointed in North America school bus and the UK & Germany making a tangible impact and the first phase of our Accelerate cost efficiency programme delivering ahead of expectations.”

C2C ISSUE £10K FARE EVADER FINE Investigation revealed fraud for five year period REVENUE PROTECTION

Train operator c2c has imposed a record-breaking £10,000 fine on a persistent fare evader.

The passenger, encountered during a routine inspection at a London station, failed to produce a valid ticket for their journey. Upon investigation, it was revealed that the individual had been consistently evading fares on the same route for nearly five years.

The train operator has recently launched a crackdown on fare evasion with around £130,000 received in fines and penalty payments so far this year. www.passengertransport.co.uk

01/05/2024 16:46

“It is only a matter of time till one of us is robbed”

Unite survey reveals scale of bus staff abuse Significant numbers of bus drivers have safety concerns SAFETY

The Unite union has claimed Britain’s bus drivers are facing a “tsunami of abuse”, with 82% of the 1,800 bus drivers it has polled responding that they faced abuse from passengers during the last year.

The union claims that the same percentage also stated that the turmoil of the incidents negatively impacted their mental well-being.

Over half of those questioned said they did not report incidents to their employer, and those who did report them were not satisfied with the response.

The research follows the union’s demands for more robust legal protection for bus drivers after a fatal assault on Stagecoach North

Scotland driver Keith Rollinson in February. Since then, Unite has repeated its calls for legislation to be enacted which makes it a specific offence to assault, threaten or abuse transport staff.

In addition to calling for the introduction of legislation, the union is also asking operators to implement safeguarding policies, particularly around those working late or early shifts. Unite is also directly pressing operators to radically change their attitudes and “end the acceptance of abuse as part of the job”.

Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “No one should feel unsafe at work. Our research highlights that it is all too common for bus drivers to be subject to daily abuse. This is completely unacceptable and Unite is holding bus operators to account where they fail to protect

workers.”

In addition, many drivers reported a surge in robberies, with over half feeling unsafe at work.

This is exacerbated late at night and in remote locations.

The union highlighted the case of one Stagecoach employee in Yorkshire who claimed they were “extremely worried as I feel myself or colleagues will be seriously physically attacked whilst at work”. “The risk to us all regarding carrying large amounts of cash whilst on duty, and when walking late at night back to the depot, places us at extreme risk,” they said. “It is only a matter of time till one of us is robbed.”

Unite national officer, Bobby Morton, said: “The endemic nature of bus driver abuse must end, bus operators must start taking their responsibilities to worker safety seriously.”

IN BRIEF TRENTBARTON ORDERS Trentbarton has ordered 29 more Enviro200 buses from Alexander Dennis. The 11.8-metre long single deckers will join Trentbarton’s fleet this summer.

A total of 23 of them will operate on the Ilkeston Flyer, the Villager, H1, and the Mickleover services.

The remaining vehicles will act as spares for the wider fleet. They follow 20 similar vehicles bought last year for the Threes route connecting Nottingham, Hucknall, Kirkby, Sutton and Mansfield.

NATEX RAILSTRIKE SURGE National Express is to boost its capacity to meet demand during the upcoming rail strikes from May 7-9 with an additional 7,500 seats available on its most popular routes. It comes as the company revealed continuing passenger growth last year with over 19 million customers travelling on its network. National Express has seen a 25% increase in passengers, up from 15 million recorded in 2022.

CLARIFICATION

HOVERBUS CONTRACT WIN First Bus Solent has taken on the contract from Stagecoach to operate the Hoverbus service, which connects stops across Portsmouth with Hovertravel’s Isle of Wight hovercraft service at Southsea. The Hoverbus route and timetable remain the same, although ticket prices have been reduced to stimulate patronage. www.passengertransport.co.uk

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CENTRAL CONNECT/VECTARE In the last issue we reported about the withdrawal from several Essex County Council bus contracts by Central Connect, a company linked to growing local bus operator Vectare.

We would like to clarify that Central Connect did not withdraw from these contracts at short notice and the services were deregistered with the full statutory notice period.

We are happy set the record straight and apologise for any confusion.

3 May 2024 | 09

01/05/2024 17:00

NEWS ROUND-UP

Lack of consultation on Welsh bus changes?

Transport for Wales and local authorities have been accused of making significant changes to bus services without asking the public for feedback CONSULTATION

There are growing concerns that Transport for Wales and local authorities are making significant changes to Welsh bus services without consulting the public first.

Since 2020, TfW has been reviewing the bus networks in each region with the aim of increasing passenger numbers by making them more efficient and attractive. It has also implemented changes to TrawsCymru bus services, including splitting the T3 into two services last November.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, TfW said it had not undertaken public consultations on the wider Welsh bus network reform and design.

However, it said it had supported the relevant local authorities with consultation around their network development aspirations, “as it’s currently a local authority responsibility”.

Gwynedd Council is in the vanguard of implementing the bus network reforms in partnership with TfW. Last January bus passengers in southern Gwynedd were dismayed to learn that some of their early morning services were about to be withdrawn.

Additional services were hastily registered. The county has also introduced fflecsi demandresponsive bus services this year, and in early July a raft of changes is due to take place on the Llŷn Peninsula.

Passenger Transport asked Gwynedd Council (Cyngor Gwynedd) how many times it 10 | 3 May 2024 PT312p10-11.indd 10

had consulted the public on these changes, and if it had not consulted, the reason for not doing so.

A spokesperson said: “Cyngor Gwynedd receives ongoing feedback from a range of stakeholders in various ways about the county’s bus services and we look to respond positively whenever we can. However, when considering that public transport aims to serve a range of communities and travel

routes, it is not always possible to incorporate all requests as they can be very specific. In addition to feedback received, factors such as travel patterns and numbers of users are also considered when carrying out a network review.”

Initial feedback to the changes already implemented had been generally positive, which was “reflected in terms of passenger numbers”.

Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, who represents southern Gwynedd,

“People are now dependent on cars or lifts ... In all of these cases, we haven’t received any kind of valid or adequate consultation” Mabon ap Gwynfor MS

Rail replacement spend expected to fall Budget is forecast to reduce by 34% this year Transport for Wales expects its spending on rail replacement buses and coaches to reduce by 34% this year, from a peak of £25.4m last year.

TfW’s expenditure last year included more than £9m on standby replacement buses (PT310). Now TfW has revealed that it has budgeted £16.7m for rail replacement for 2024. This compares with £14.6m in 2022.

Last year was exceptional

because the Rhondda Valley line was closed from April for capacity enhancement and electrification, requiring buses to replace the usual half-hourly train service.

Significant faults suffered by longdistance train fleets last year are also unlikely to recur this year.

The Rhondda blockade ended in late February, but a local replacement bus service operates while the rebuilding of Ynyswen station continues.

told the Senedd that TfW proposed to reduce the local rail service. “This, of course, follows cuts to the bus services - the T2, the T3 and the 32 - which means that people are now dependent on cars or lifts from family and friends. In all of these cases, we haven’t received any kind of valid or adequate consultation.”

TfW Rail is currently consulting on its proposed future timetables, including reduced services on some rural lines.

New Welsh transport secretary Ken Skates has said one of his three priorities is to listen to people, particularly on the 20mph default speed limit. Bus drivers are among those whose views on 20mph will be canvassed.

Passenger Transport asked him why bus networks were being changed without adequate consultation. He said he was conscious of “consultation fatigue” in society, with people being consulted on many issues.

Some people felt there was no point responding because nobody took notice of their feedback.

“I think the key thing is demonstrating that through consultation, changes are made to policy and delivery, and we’re able to identify those changes clearly,” he said. Making people aware of potential changes and consultation was difficult, particularly with media being so weak and people using digital sources for their news, he said.

When consultation happened after changes had been made, it was difficult then to convince people “we are genuinely listening”. He agreed that there should be public consultation in advance of bus network changes, and said town and community councillors were trusted and “vitally important in the process of consultation and listening”, on 20mph and on bus issues. www.passengertransport.co.uk

01/05/2024 16:46

“If we can reduce the subsidy on rail we could then cross it over to bus services”Ken Skates

Rail subsidy savings could transfer to buses Welsh transport secretary wants rail subsidy reductions BUDGETS

Savings in Welsh rail subsidy could be used to improve bus services in future, Welsh transport secretary Ken Skates has said. He was unable to guarantee that bus franchising - which his government aims to introduce in all areas of Wales - would be fully funded to deliver the improvements which have been outlined.

Last year, many bus services in Wales were reduced or withdrawn entirely in response to a reduction in the Welsh Government’s funding which bridged the post-pandemic gap between revenue and operating costs.

This year’s £39m successor Bus Network Grant, via local authorities, has prevented further cuts and enabled restoration of services in some areas.

Also last year, Transport for

SKATES UPBEAT ABOUT GBR

Welsh Government will welcome greater influence POLICY

Ken Skates, the Welsh Government’s cabinet secretary for North Wales and transport, is upbeat about the structure and role of Great British Railways (GBR) if Labour wins the general election.

Labour’s plan for Britain’s railways, Get Britain Moving, explains that devolved leaders will, for the first time, have a statutory role in the rail network. “National and regional transport bodies will have the ability www.passengertransport.co.uk

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Wales Rail received an additional £125m of subsidy, because passenger numbers had not increased by as much as expected in 2018, when TfW committed to £800m of new trains and the £1bn modernisation of the Core Valley Lines. For 2024/25, TfW has £390m of revenue funding for “rail passenger services and transport interchanges”.

Passenger Transport asked Skates whether he was satisfied with the balance between Welsh rail and bus subsidies, in the context of buses carrying approximately three times as many people as trains.

He replied: “The priority I’ve set for Transport for Wales is to reduce the rail subsidy by growing the farebox. I think there will be growing opportunities to do that in the months to come, particularly with Metro [the modernised Core Valley Lines] coming into use.

“Short term though, we’ve still got a bridge to creating a more sustainable funding model.” He

said finance was something he needed to discuss in cabinet. He wanted rail subsidy to reduce, but through growing passenger numbers rather than obsessing over service cuts.

“The imbalance in subsidies between bus services and rail services is something that’s regularly raised in the chamber.”

He referred to a Senedd question the previous day about bus service reductions in South West Wales, and criticism of TfW Rail’s planned reduction in Shrewsbury-Swansea services from five to four through trains per day per direction. He said only six passengers were using that train service, and TfW believed that removing it could save £1m to £1.5m.

“Per passenger, that’s a massive subsidy. I think Transport for Wales are right to be looking at where demand is greatest and focusing on increasing the farebox through growing passenger

numbers, and at the same time looking at alternative and reliable transport modes in those areas where people rely on buses.”

Could money saved from the rail subsidy be transferred to the bus budget? “That would be the intention. I’m not in control of future budgets obviously, so I don’t know what the finance minister in the government moving forward would wish to do. But if we can reduce the subsidy on rail we could then cross it over to bus services, I think, particularly given that we’ve got great opportunities with the bus Bill - with franchised services likely to be introduced in 2027.”

Was he certain that Wales would find the funding to introduce and sustain franchising, including the enhancements envisaged? Skates responded: “That will obviously be for a future government - that will be from 2026 onwards - but if we’re going to make a success of franchising then we have to make sure that there’s adequate funding within the programme of change. So ministers would have to consider whether the resource is appropriate for the level of ambition we’ve got for the bus network across Wales.”

to agree national and regional rail services with the unified rail body, enabling devolved leaders to develop ambitious plans for seamless, integrated transport networks and a public transport system that properly serves their local areas,” says the document.

“Balancing the ambitions of leaders in one area with those elsewhere on a network that operates across devolved boundaries is an inevitable tension, but Great British Railways will be required to remain agile, making decisions at pace and based on local communities’ needs.”

Like other devolved bodies, the Welsh Government has its

own plans for integrating public transport, including multi-modal fares and coordination of rail and bus timetables. Labour’s plan for the railways refers to a unified “brand” under GBR, which will “make decisions relating to fares, timetables, track access and other operational aspects of the railway”.

Passenger Transport asked Skates, who is a Labour MS, whether GBR’s remit would conflict with his government’s remit for Transport for Wales to operate multi-modally.

He responded: “My understanding is that the proposal from UK Labour would actually incorporate, for the first time, a very clear degree of

authority for the nations and the regions across the UK on Great British Railways.

“With Network Rail, we don’t have that same degree of influence and authority, so having it through Great British Railways will be a huge advantage for us.”

Although Welsh rail infrastructure is not devolved, his government has funded many enhancements of Network Rail assets, including the recent £70m capacity increase on the Ebbw Vale line. The Welsh Government previously expressed frustration with the costs and timescales of Network Rail’s delivery of projects it funded.

3 May 2024 | 11

01/05/2024 16:46

NET ZERO

Flix helped users save 1m tonnes CO2 in 2023 Global travel-tech firm publishes second voluntary ESG report MONITORING

Global travel-tech provider Flix issued its second voluntary ESG report on Earth Day (April 22), disclosing its near-term goals for emissions reduction, while highlighting the environmental benefits of collective travel.

With more than 81 million passengers in 2023, the company said it drives sustainable and affordable travel for all with a holistic ESG strategy at its core.

Following the Science Based Target initiative’s (SBTi) validation of its near-term emissions reduction targets and having achieved meaningful progress in the past year, the company is looking to the future with confidence.

FIRST BUS WILL CHARGE YOUR CAR

“We are committed to transforming long-distance travel globally. With 11 years of experience as a global travel-tech company reshaping the sector with a steady vision, we aim to be a driving force towards a sustainable future. Sustainability will remain the guiding principle along this path, with focus on safeguarding the environment and creating value for our stakeholders and the communities we serve,” commented André Schwämmlein, CEO and co-founder of Flix.

Collective transport represents

“We are committed to transforming long-distance travel globally” André Schwämmlein

a key lever to make travel more sustainable. To quantify this benefit, Flix compared emissions of several modes of transport and calculated resounding savings of CO2-emissions per passenger kilometre over the past year.

According to this analysis, over one million tonnes CO2 were avoided in 2023 alone thanks to travellers choosing Flix services over other modes of transport, like a car or plane.

While passengers changing their approach to travel and embracing collective transportation plays a crucial role, operators also have a duty to support this transition by enabling people to travel more easily, especially across poorly connected regions, said Flix.

Acknowledging this, in 2023, Flix provided regular connections across more than 5,600 destinations on four continents,

a third of which have fewer than 20,000 inhabitants.

As part of its decarbonisation strategy, Flix is committed to achieving carbon-neutral operations in Europe by 2040 and globally by 2050. The company established near-term targets for emissions reduction with the Science Based Targets initiative to assess its progress within a scientifically recognised framework.

The SBTi has validated Flix’s near-term targets, thus acknowledging that its strategy is in line with global climate goals.

By 2032, Flix has set the target to reduce its absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 54.6%.

This includes greenhouse gas emissions directly and indirectly generated by Flix, associated with the consumption of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling, and with the fuel consumption of its own fleet. Additionally, Flix aims to reduce its Scope 3 emissions by 40.9%, which includes emissions generated by its partners’ fleets per passenger kilometre.

Summercourt EV Charging

Bus operator opens EV charging to the public ELECTRIC VEHICLES

The UK’s first bus depot to offer consumer electric vehicle (EV) charging is now open to the public, at First Bus’ new purpose-built hub at Summercourt depot in Cornwall.

The Summercourt charging hub is the first-of-its-kind for the bus industry, providing direct access for the public to rapid electric charging infrastructure for electric cars and vans. The site is easily accessible in a key location along the A30 corridor, a major tourist route into Cornwall, helping ease electric vehicle drivers’ EV range anxiety as they travel.

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www.passengertransport.co.uk

01/05/2024 16:22

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

Trent and Transdev use CitySwift platform Bus companies use technolgy to optimise their networks DATA

CitySwift last week announced partnerships with bus operators Transdev Blazefield and Trentbarton.

The Galway-based company’s intelligent transport data platform, which improves the performance of public transport networks using AI-powered analytics, simulations and optimisations, will be used by both operators to optimise their networks.

Through CitySwift’s performance optimisation software, Transdev Blazefield hopes to future-proof the bus network by utilising CitySwift’s intelligent data solutions.

DIGITAL VEHICLE INSPECTIONS Go-Ahead Group teams up with Tranzaura APPS

The Go-Ahead Group is delivering digital transformation to enhance operational efficiency across its regional bus services in the UK. Go-Ahead says that its new five-year partnership with Tranzaura highlights the group’s commitment to innovation, reliability of bus services and as a result, increased customer satisfaction.

By October 2024, Go-Ahead’s bus companies will be able to streamline pre-service daily vehicle inspection checks and maintenance processes electronically through the Tranzaura app. This transition from traditional www.passengertransport.co.uk

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Transdev will be able to create a data-driven resilient bus network that responds to passenger needs by optimising reliability and resources thanks to CitySwift’s intelligent data hub, which provides access to high quality network performance insights, optimal service recommendations, and predictive analytics.

Additionally, Trentbarton aims to employ CitySwift’s technology to speed up network optimisation to provide a better user experience and gain precise insights that enable them to identify exactly what’s

occurring within the network.

The CitySwift platform collects, filters, and enhances data from hundreds of sources to give authorities and operators a reliable single source of truth.

Paul Turner, commercial director at Transdev Blazefield, commented: “For the first time, thanks to CitySwift’s platform, we have a single source of truth for our bus network data. Having access to reliable data unlocks our team’s ability to quickly make decisions - ultimately enabling us to deliver a better service to our passengers.”

“For the first time, thanks to CitySwift’s platform, we have a single source of truth for our bus network data” Paul Turner, Transdev Blazefield paper-based records to intuitive mobile apps will enhance reliability, safety, and sustainability across Go-Ahead’s extensive fleet of more than 6,000 buses, benefiting customers UK-wide.

The Tranzaura app gives real-time compliance visibility and audit trails for operational and management teams at Go-Ahead. By using photo capture, dynamic reporting and realtime communication tools between drivers and engineers, it helps to ensure the smooth operation and overall reliability of bus services.

After utilising the Tranzaura technology successfully in its London bus garages and depots, Go-Ahead is now rolling out the app across all its UK operations.

Matt Carney, chief executive of Go-Ahead Bus, said: “Our

partnership with Tranzaura reflects our dedication to digitalisation, embracing innovative solutions to streamline processes and improve the way we work. By incorporating Tranzaura’s digital solutions into our operations, we will achieve new levels of fleet reliability and efficiency, creating safer and more reliable services for customers.”

Go-Ahead bus driver using Tranzaura app

LNER LAUNCHES NEW DIGITAL INFO PLATFORM New service offers live updates onboard PASSENGER INFORMATION

Passengers on LNER intercity services will be able to find the latest journey updates, destination inspiration and more while they are travelling onboard, with the launch of a new one-stop digital information service.

By scanning a QR code on the seat, customers will be able to self-serve and have access to a variety of information. This includes the latest on their journey and connecting services, the wider rail network, facilities at their destination station, and ideas on attractions and places they could visit when they get there.

Customers in standard will also be able to order food and drink to be delivered directly to their seat using the ‘Let’s Eat At Your Seat’ service.

The new platform is being introduced across LNER’s fleet of trains. It will also provide customers with information on LNER’s loyalty programme LNER Perks, where they can receive £5 for signing up and earn credit for future journeys. There is also an option to share feedback on their journey experience. LNER has worked with Whoosh to develop the platform.

Danny Gonzalez, chief digital and innovation officer at LNER, said: “We know from our customers just how important it is for them to have the latest information about their journeys. At LNER, we believe the digital experience plays a crucial role in helping people enjoy the best possible experience when they travel with us ... We will be looking to add more features in the future.”

Edmund Caldecott, CEO of Whoosh, commented: “It is a one-stop shop for all passenger needs during their journey.”

3 May 2024 | 13

01/05/2024 16:22

COMMENT

NORMAN BAKER

The plan arriving at platform one…

Labour has hailed its new plan for Britain’s railway as ‘the biggest overhaul to our railways in a generation’ - but can it deliver?

You wait ages for a transport policy from Labour then two come along at once. Hard on the heels of their plan to bring bus services under public control, we now have Getting Britain Moving, their plan for the railway.

This too leans heavily towards public control and away from private companies, which suggests, with Louise Haigh at the helm, that some of Corbyn’s approach to policy is alive and well, though Starmer of course will never put it like that. And Corbyn would certainly not have had the Union Jack emblazoned on the front cover, which now seems obligatory for any Labour publication or public event.

Nor, in fact, would the vast majority of Labour MPs and activists.

The impression given by the media, and indeed by Labour itself, is that what is proposed is a radical departure - “the biggest overhaul to our railways in a generation” is how Louise Haigh puts it.

That is objectively true, though the hyperbole deployed overstates the changes, for the reality is that a great deal of the spadework has been done by this government and accepted by Labour.

It is acknowledged by nearly everyone that the pre-Covid franchise arrangements were past their sell-by date, and that fragmentation within the railways has been adding costs and complications unnecessarily. When you have a dispute as to who bears the cost of disruption when one sort of animal as opposed to another is on the track - Network Rail or the train 14 | 3 May 2024 PT312p14-15.indd 14

operator - then you know something is wrong.

The government’s answer through the Williams plan (Shapps has been unceremoniously deleted from the joint credit he awarded himself) secured widespread approval. The plan was published in May 2021, a date already delayed due to Covid.

Yet three years since publication, we are still waiting even for the simple Bill to establish Great British Railways. This is firmly down to the prime minister who hates railways and has

Labour’s plan for rail: Getting Britain Moving

continually blocked attempts by Mark Harper and Huw Merriman to make significant progress. I am told that he, in effect, told Mark Harper to shut up when he was arguing in cabinet for the Bill to be given legislative space, and after all, it would probably have passed all its Commons and Lords stages in less than a week. So instead we have a pointless draft Bill when the whole thing has already been microscopically analysed since 2021.

Most recently the PM is also said to have stopped the transport secretary from making a meaningful intervention to save the Alstom plant at Derby. Fortunately, a botched way round that impasse seems to have been found.

Labour seem sensibly content to adopt a great deal of the Williams plan, even, for the first time, accepting the name Great British Railways.

One major difference relates to the involvement of the private sector in running trains. Consequently, a great deal of media attention has been given to the proposal to “fold in” to Great British Railways the existing contracts with train operators as they expire one by one. Labour is going to turn the putative Great British Railways into something more like British Rail.

There is of course an alternative that marries the need for public accountability and direction with the innovation the private sector can bring. This, after all, is the model employed in London for London Overground and also London Buses, and one that Andy Burnham is rolling out for his Bee Network in Manchester.

In these cases, everything of importance to the public is decided by accountable bodies, and contracts are let for the private sector to deliver. It is similar to the arrangement for supported bus services which I thought worked well when I was running a bus company in Brighton, the Big Lemon.

Opponents argue that reverting to “British Rail” is dogmatic rather than pragmatic, and that it fails to take into account the doubling of passenger numbers under privatisation, ascribed to private sector innovation. It is losing the opportunity for the best of both worlds.

Those who support the plan point out that the lines now being run by the state, especially LNER, are doing rather well, thank you very much. They also point to the huge bureaucracy associated with contracts. The one for East Midlands Railway, for example, runs to 527 www.passengertransport.co.uk

01/05/2024 16:25

“Labour is going to turn the putative Great British Railways into something more like British Rail” pages and about 263,000 words.

You have to ask, however, what the attitude of the existing contract holders, the TOCs, will be between now and contract expiry.

Realistically, why would they do anything other than the bare minimum when they have an execution date inked in.

One proviso in Labour’s plan that has received little attention states that contracts can be folded early “if they are broken by operators who fail to deliver for passengers”.

There may be lucrative work for the lawyers yet.

The dog that isn’t barking relates to the ROSCOs. As I pointed out in an earlier piece for Passenger Transport, the ROSCO big boys (and girls) saw their profits treble in one year, with a whopping £409m paid out to shareholders in 2022/23, up from £122m the year before. Profit margins are 41.6%.

Train companies spent £3.1bn, 26% of their overall expenditure, on train leases in the year to March 2023.

This avalanche of money tumbling out from the industry dwarfs in significance what the TOCs are receiving, yet Labour propose to do nothing about it, despite union agitation.

Their plan says it would “not be responsible to take on the cost of renationalisation”. In other words, Starmer and Reeves won’t wear it.

It is interesting and welcome that Labour plans to allow the continuation of open access operators. But give it time, and Treasury civil servants will be whispering in ministers’ ears that this is income abstracted from the state and which could be captured if open access were wound up. Not true, in my view, but it has long been the standard Treasury line.

Getting Britain Moving is good on analysis, identifying in particular the passenger frustration with overcrowded trains and cancelled services. Ms Haigh, who wants to be known in office as the Passenger-In-Chief (a nice touch) has set out six tests for the railway, which should be: reliable, affordable, efficient, quality, accessible and safe.

That would seem to cover all bases. The question is whether this sound analysis leads on to policy interventions that will deliver the outcomes desired.

The largely unspoken assumption underpinning the plan is that there will be no extra cost to the Treasury. This is almost certainly a pre-requisite demanded by Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor. www.passengertransport.co.uk

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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh

On the plus side, the elimination of waste and duplication is estimated to save £1.5bn a year, a figure taken from the 2021 Williams plan.

Ms Haigh thinks this can be upped to £2bn by eliminating the sort of contracts like the East Midland Railway one referred to above.

There is also an assumption that the £25m a day which the ASLEF strikes are costing will be saved, though if Labour think ASLEF are going to meekly end their industrial action just because there is a Labour government, they may be disappointed. But the plan’s promise that “individual and collective rights of work are protected and strengthened” looks like an abandonment of any meaningful attempt to update often very old and inappropriate working conditions, for example relating to Sunday working.

One stand-out promise in the paper is Labour’s Best Price Guarantee, which sounds good but what exactly does it mean? If it means that someone at a ticket machine will always get a ticket at the same price as they would at the ticket office, that might be achievable, notwithstanding software challenges.

But does it mean that the split ticket price available online now becomes the default best price? It should really, but that suggests a big bill for Rachel Reeves to pick up as the price of a great many journeys would fall.

And how will best price be measured when it comes to advance tickets, subject to dynamic pricing?

Automatic delay and cancellation refunds will be welcome for passengers, but of course that cannot apply to those with paper tickets.

Labour’s plan says that “prices are kept, wherever possible, at a point that works for both passengers and taxpayers”. (My italics). With due respect, this is a meaningless sentence and insofar as it isn’t, it simply reiterates the approach taken by successive governments over many decades. It doesn’t suggest a whole lot of progress on cutting fares any time soon.

Of course Labour could find money to cut fares if they ended the ludicrous freeze on fuel duty and started to make airlines pay for their environmental cost rather more. Don’t place any bets on this, though, despite the clear logic.

What is welcome, and essential, is the clear pledge to introduce in the first session of the new parliament a Railways Act to do what the present government has been dithering about since 2021. We need this to give a clear direction forward. And certainty over this way forward will in itself act as a spur for action.

The train, at last, will be rolling and picking up speed. Just mind the gap between the rhetoric and the reality..

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Norman Baker served as transport minister from May 2010 until October 2013. He was Lib Dem MP for Lewes between 1997 and 2015.

3 May 2024 | 15

01/05/2024 16:25

COMMENT

ALEX WARNER

Private sector TOCs reach end of the line Labour has promised to phase out all of Britain’s much maligned - often unfairly in my view - franchised train operators The headline that Labour is planning to nationalise the railway if they get into power didn’t really arouse me as it would have in previous times. Maybe it’s an age-thing, I tend to get less excited now by most things than I did in my youth. There’s also a fatigue at the slowness at which anything seems to occur these days and also because the headline conjured up the usual narrative around privatisation having failed, trains being delayed, fares being too high and fat cat bonuses.

For those of us working in the sector, we also had that tiresome period in which you were either supposed to think nationalisation is a good or bad thing, depending on the flurry of WhatsApp messages doing the rounds last week. Always one to try and avoid controversy these days - I’ll be honest - I just agreed with whatever message I was receiving. At nearly 53, life’s too short for a barney.

The problem with the railway during my lifetime, is that everything is indeed polarised, including perspectives on individuals and companies. The debate around the future structure of the sector last week made me reflect on this polarisation and culture and how it affects perceptions of people and the organisations they represent.

Industry professionals are either lumped in the ‘good camp’, representing ‘virtue’, or defined as a ‘rogue’ or ‘incompetent’, solely becuase of their employer, rather than your demeanour and ability - with an element of right/wrong time, right/wrong place coming 16 | 3 May 2024 PT312p16-17.indd 16

to bear. For instance, those involved with an operator of last resort tend to automatically get painted externally as representing best practice, the saintly experts coming in to rescue everyone from uselessness or malpractice. It was a similar situation when a company won a franchise and took over, often with a sense of cocksure impunity. Thankfully, this hasn’t been a trait of Directly Operated Holdings Limited (DOHL), but it certainly was of some of the private businesses that won bids.

In this polarised state that has characterised the railway of my career, those employed in the private sector have tended to be seen as the cads and rogues in the cast - and some more than others. If you’ve spent any time at First, you’ll have wrongly been consigned to the fire below, without redemption, and you won’t want it on your CV if you were part of Stagecoach and National Express when their footprint shrunk to zero. Thankfully, you’re near retirement if you were in power at Connex or MTL (remember ‘Northern Spirit’?) back in the day, because they were hated more than Manchester United. If these companies weren’t tarred as rapacious, then they were incompetent - twas a

“Those employed in the private sector have tended to be seen as the cads and rogues in the cast”

lazy narrative and mindset, and it neglected to realise the success these companies had made in the bus or coach sector or overseas, as well as in UK rail, as risk-takers, innovators and investors, even if they didn’t always get it right.

It genuinely doesn’t feel that the public operators of TOCs get the level of media scrutiny or brickbats that their private counterparts receive. You can see that currently, with no real doffing of a hat in the press to some of the positives that the privatised companies have brought to the party.

It’s not appealing to bring these to the fore.

In fairness, DOHL has done a very decent job and I’m sure the team have got a press release sat on a computer in the press office full of stats and facts available to despatch to impetuous wags who might have the temerity to suggest otherwise. Such a release has seldom, if ever, been needed, as miraculously in terms of the media, all the ills of TransPennine Express suddenly evaporated when DOHL took over from First, just as LNER was brilliant the moment Stagecoach exited. As for Northern, the perennial strugglers way back since the beginning of privatisation, well the silence in terms of media criticism has been deafening since Arriva got the bullet.

I’ll be honest, when I was at South Eastern Trains under state ownership, post Connex, way back in the mid-noughties, it always felt like we were treated as paragons of virtue. I’d like to think justifiably so, of course, but it did feel we were set up to succeed rather than fail.

The financial make-up of the rail industry, in terms of subsidy profiles and allocation is so opaque. It’s difficult to really determine whether the TOCs under state ownership have been bequeathed with more dosh than their private sector predecessors. Maybe it is green eye, but talk to those outside of the TOCs that come under the jurisdiction of DOHL and they still make envious comments about what they consider lavish spend the other side of the fence and a less intense level of Department for Transport scrutiny or a bolder approach because there’s no sense of jeopardy of having the franchise removed. It must feel like playing in one of those ‘closed shop’ American sporting leagues, where there’s no threat of relegation.

If the railway genuinely becomes fully nationalised, I suspect that the spectre of punishment for poor performance might be similar to that within NHS trusts, or police www.passengertransport.co.uk

01/05/2024 16:45

“Anything seems better than this current dilly-dallying and mind-sapping uncertainty” forces and education establishments, where a team could still be parachuted in and the organisation placed on ‘special measures’. This ‘jeopardy’ for those at the helm, won’t feel the same as having the profits for an owning group potentially wiped out by having a contract removed, or the share price plummeting.

However, from a professional perspective, imagine heading up a geographical area of the railway and being placed in ‘special measures’.

You’d carry that stain throughout your career, so that’s an incentive to do a good job.

It would, though, be churlish to undersell the hard work of those in the DOHL TOCs. I genuinely cannot whatsoever recall anything but very good journeys on LNER and on Northern and TransPennine, the energy of their frontline teams is absolutely excellent.

On my trips on South Eastern, I get the feeling there is real pro-activity and focus managing director Steve White nails it when it comes to stakeholder relations, customer and employee engagement, in particular. DOHL was fortunate to have inherited such a first rate team of managing directors and direct reports. However, by the same token, they have done well to keep them engaged and retained and in some respects inspire them to outperform how they might have done if they had remained within the ownership of their previous employers. They’ve also been helped, like others, by the more straightforward playing field in play than previously. They don’t take the revenue risk and as such no longer have the stress of market conditions and having to dream up ways to making a few bob, with a demanding shareholder breathing down their necks, asking why more passengers aren’t getting on-board and spending more.

It’s important that the GBR team don’t let it go to their heads and think they represent virtue as the custodians of policy and the rule book, looking down on the various private sector companies that will, most likely, still comprise the supplier base. The challenge with such a dominant organisation with a position of power in a sector is that it can be insulated from challenge. You don’t bite the hand that feeds you and suppliers will be constantly fawning over them, blowing smoke up their proverbial, potentially not seeking to question or suggest ideas and alternative approaches.

They will know that if they fall out with GBR, then that’s their whole business screwed. www.passengertransport.co.uk

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I remain confident (and not because I have fallen into the above sycophantic trap), that under the stewardship of Lord Hendy and Andrew Haines, GBR, when it properly comes into being, will be grounded and responsible.

There’s been a definite culture change over time within Network Rail whilst they’ve been at the helm. I’ve also had a recent insight into the GBR Transition Team and I like what I see.

I do think that the ‘guiding mind’ stateowned body is a good thing. A single approach to creating fares policy, retailing tickets and having one overarching brand will be actually quite exciting, rather than constraining. It’s been so long since the railway had one brand that I’d like to judge properly as to whether this hits the sweet spot for customers. My hunch is that a situation similar to Network SouthEast in its prime would be attractive - a strong brand with discreet sub-brands for individual routes or regions. The old timers who ran the railway back then keep telling me that these brands were game-changing. Let’s see how it might work out three decades on.

I am also excited by the prospect of the new framework centralising procurement for big contracts and creating a more seamless, customer-friendly and unified approach. Surely this will be the death knell for the unedifying situation where the owning groups self-award rail replacement contracts, for instance?

I’m not convinced, though, that the operation of the railway itself is - across the board - best served by complete public ownership. I’m a big fan of the Transport for London concession model that has, in my view, hit the right balance on London Overground and more recently Crossrail. Arriva and MTR have performed well as part of the creation and development of these transformational railways, through a collaborative relationship with an understanding, flexible and credible contracting authority in TfL. Performance hasn’t been perfect and there’s an opportunity for a more dynamic, customer-centric approach on both concessions but it’s felt a more stable and positive model than that within the national rail franchises. I do believe that a framework going forward, where the private sector operators are encouraged to run the train service and stations, but in a way, as is the case on the TfL concessions, with requirements more straightforward and no revenue risk distraction, is the way ahead.

Some will argue that the risk and reward element attached to revenue is what drove passenger numbers to reach an all-time high in privatisation, but it can be overstated. As much as I’m the biggest advocate of keeping customers happy, the scale of each private sector initiative wasn’t sufficient enough to drive big shifts in customer numbers, apart from where the sum of the parts was all consuming - on Virgin West Coast, for instance, where a mixture of Branson and his brand, combined with the West Coast Mainline and the advent of Pendolinos, leading to a reduction in journey times and increased frequencies, proved genuinely game-changing. There weren’t many other parts of the UK franchised railway that experienced such transformational change.

Going forward, if there isn’t a rogue or ‘failed’ entity, then how will us lot in the rail industry and indeed the media cope with not having anyone to moan about? The public loved nothing better than slagging off British Rail. Let’s not dress it up as anything different, it was seen as a national joke and an embarrassment really. Operationally it felt more resilient and the trains had comfier seats, but that’s about all it had on today’s railway, in my view. Safety didn’t seem as advanced as today (albeit technology has helped) and there’s no way that the staff were more customer-focused than today’s generation.

I’m sure the debate will rumble on until the election and beyond. There will be rumours of this or that poorly performing company about to get the bullet and much discussion around the specifics of Labour’s proposals. Maybe I’ve got my head in the sand or I’m jaundiced by political promises or the time it takes for anything to come to fruition, but just let me know when it happens. To be blunt, anything seems better than this current dilly-dallying and mind-sapping uncertainty.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Alex Warner has over 30 years’ experience in the transport sector, having held senior roles on a multi-modal basis across the sector.

He is co-founder of transport technology business Lost Group and transport consultancy AJW Experience Group (which includes Great Scenic Journeys). He is also chair of West Midlands Grand Rail Collaboration.

3 May 2024 | 17

01/05/2024 16:45

COMMENT

NICK RICHARDSON

Tyres have scope for improvement

The manufacturing and disposal of vehicle tyres is a huge environmental problem. How can we make improvements?

Since the early days of road vehicles, tyres have provided the interface between vehicles and the road surface. The invention of pneumatic tyres was a step up from solid rubber tyres, relying on high pressure air keeping the tyre inflated. This overcame the difficulties of bumpy road surfaces and continues largely unchanged today, despite significant leaps in other aspects of vehicle technology.

Tyres present numerous problems: they need to be maintained and can be very inconvenient when they fail, usually in difficult circumstances on the highway. With many new vehicles having no spare wheel, a long wait to be rescued is typical and a failure on a motorway is a challenging situation. The actual surface in contact with the tarmac is tiny compared to the load carried and hence gripping the road can be difficult and often dangerous in adverse weather. Should any sort of tyre blow, the results are harmful to anyone nearby (even the noise alone) and frequently destructive.

I once experienced a skid pan covered in oil in a car with over-inflated tyres with the inevitable consequence of spinning helplessly, even at slow speed. A bit of practice improves skills but a skid is not a pleasant feeling. For buses, London Transport’s watery skid pan at Chiswick Works generated some interesting noises and experiences. This involved a bus loaded with sandbags representing passengers upstairs but not downstairs to amplify the 18 | 3 May 2024 PT312p18-19.indd 18

skid. No doubt some trainees found it a rather scary experience but a valuable lesson to learn.

Cost is another problem. A tyre for any large vehicle costs hundreds of pounds and standards have been getting tighter. After one appalling incident that focused on a coach’s tyres being too old to be safe, the ten year age rule requires that tyres should be replaced regularly. With regular use and hard wear, not helped by degenerating road surfaces, tyres are not as durable as they might be. Breakdowns due to tyre defects delay passengers and incur cost while blowouts, although uncommon, can be destructive. Reducing the number of wheels may help – larger vans have moved on from double rear wheels and the latest concept is a two-wheeled self-balancing electric car.

Particle emissions Now the problem of tyre emissions is becoming more apparent. The synthetic oilderived rubber that forms the outside of tyres gradually erodes, releasing vast numbers of microparticles into the air. In fact estimates of toxic particles from tyre wear indicate that the problem is almost 2,000 times worse than particles from exhausts, particularly with increases in vehicle weights; this is estimated to total 300,000 tonnes annually in the UK and US from cars and vans alone. Bigger cars are an obvious source but so are electric vehicles which are considerably heavier than the vehicles they replace. The particles generated are smaller than those emitted from exhausts and affect human health, even entering organs via the bloodstream. Such particles of a size below 23 nanometres are hard to measure, are not currently regulated and their chemical composition includes many carcinogens. We are addressing tailpipe emissions with the emergence of many electric and non-diesel fuelled buses and coaches but completely overlooking the other sources of emissions, tyres and brakes. As an unintended consequence, we are likely to be making tyre emissions worse given the relatively high weight of electric buses.

Approximately 30,000 buses and coaches are registered in the UK according to government figures. Assuming that each has six wheels, that is 180,000 large tyres that need renewal on a regular basis. Add to this nearly 36 million cars with 144 million tyres, 0.5 million vans and 0.6 million heavy commercial vehicles – the scale is huge. Despite a recognition that Disposal of tyres is one of those problems without a satisfactory conclusion

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engine emissions need to be addressed, we are just waking up to the tyre emission problem.

Throughout the world, there are over 1.4 billion vehicles, so addressing this problem could have vast benefits in reducing consumption and waste while improving health.

Michelin has designed UPTIS tyre to replace conventional tyres

Disposal On top of this, disposal of tyres is one of those problems without a satisfactory conclusion.

Used tyres take up lots of space to the point where they have been bundled together to provide underwater reefs on the principle that dumping waste at sea makes it go away.

However, off the coast of Fort Lauderdale in Florida, an artificial reef designed to attract fish and allow new coral to grow has turned into a nightmare. This 1970s project tied together 700,000 tyres to sink them in the water but the metal clips holding them together were (unsurprisingly) corroded by the salt water resulting in some being brought ashore. The remainder form a watery wasteland over 35 acres causing damage to the natural environment in which they sit.

A similar project in the 1980s affecting the seafloor south of France is costing well over a million Euros (part-funded by Michelin) to extract an artificial reef. The 25,000 tyres used were found to leak chemicals including heavy metals. Elsewhere, tyres have been washed away to redistribute pollutants over a wide area and are now recognised as a significant source of marine pollution.

Burning tyres is also problematic and generates dangerous chemicals with fires being difficult to extinguish or control.

Some recycling takes place but tyres are designed not to come apart easily so extracting the synthetic rubber component from the core steel component is not an easy process; it makes recycling difficult and expensive. However, there have been examples of further uses such as walls built by a process of filling them with packed earth and stacking them on one another. This creates a formidable wall which could be disguised if necessary but is suitable for use only where space is available or where other materials are harder to source. For industrial or agricultural applications, this could be one way of making use of redundant materials. Most of the time though, they are simply piled up in the absence of an acceptable use. www.passengertransport.co.uk

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Potential solutions One major supplier, Michelin, has come up with an alternative. Instead of a tyre around a metal wheel, the concept is of a wheel of aluminium and poly-resin construction surrounded by a rim of rubber. This heralds the airless tyre which Michelin has dubbed ‘Tweel’ for various off-road applications and UPTIS (Unique Puncture-proof Tyre System) for cars and other light vehicles. The wheel absorbs shock from the road surface without any cushions of air. Early indications are that this is very promising with each airless tyre lasting two to three times longer than a conventional example and requiring far less synthetic rubber.

Applying the concept to large vehicles is not simply a scaling-up of the lighter applications.

The loading and shocks are amplified for large wheels and the distances covered far exceed those achieved by cars. If a durable design could be achieved, it would reflect the improvements that have been made in other aspects of vehicle design. With big wheels, a

more sophisticated shock absorbing design may be possible. This would require regular checking and maintenance but potentially incur fewer renewals and less consumption of resources. Airless tyres would, however, remove the possibility of blow-outs and reduce maintenance and replacement which would bring safety and commercial benefits plus the clear environmental and health benefits. It is early days with the Michelin innovation, but it looks promising. What is clear is that dependency on traditional tyres needs to be challenged and overcome. If a cost-effective and safe alternative could be developed for larger vehicles, it would be a significant achievement.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nick Richardson is chair of CILT’s Bus and Coach Policy Group and is a former chair of the Transport Planning Society. In addition, he has held a PCV licence for over 36 years.

3 May 2024 | 19

01/05/2024 16:28

COMMENT

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Nigeria’s superrefinery has arrived

New Dangote refinery could create a West African trading hub with the ability to export its products across Africa and beyond

Mention Nigeria to “the man on the street” and he will probably mention the oil industry at some point. This is James Spencer understandable on the basis Portland that Nigeria is not only the largest oil producer in Africa (15th in the world), but also has the 10th largest oil reserves on the planet. At the same time however, casual observers would be surprised - if not staggered - to know that until the Spring of 2024, this African mega-economy (230 million people) had no properly functioning facilities to convert their oil into usable products.

In short, until this year, Nigeria did not have one single fully operating oil refinery!

Having no refining capacity puts a country at a significant economic disadvantage.

Being able to produce crude oil is meaningless to a consumer, if that crude oil cannot be converted to something useful locally (ie, petrol, diesel, lubricants, plastics). It also presents an interesting paradox for a country that has to export its entire crude production (two million barrels per day), only to then receive a quarter of it back as refined products that have been produced elsewhere in the world. Over the last 20 years, this particular paradox has become increasingly problematic, as Nigerian oil production has fallen by 50%.

Furthermore, whilst crude oil revenues have largely gone to exploration companies and Nigeria’s obscene army of corrupt middlemen, 20 | 3 May 2024 PT312p20-21.indd 20

the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has been wholly responsible for importing refined products at a cost of $2.4bn per month. Add into the mix endless government subsidies for transport fuels (in 2023, the average price of petrol in Nigeria was 18ppl!!) and it is little wonder that importing 100% of the country’s refined fuel demand has become a ruinously expensive exercise.

Not surprising then that the oil world, and a fixated Nigerian public are watching the opening of the new Dangote Refinery with enormous interest. This facility has been some time in the making, with plans going back to 2013 for a state-of-the-art refinery to be built on marshland 30km east of Lagos. Construction began in 2017 but by the time Covid hit, the project was mired in construction disputes, logistical hurdles and financing delays. Nonetheless, 10 years after plans were first put down, Dangote refinery was inaugurated in May 2023 with trial batches of crude going through the different processing units. Diesel and Jet Fuel production was first off the blocks in January 2024 and gasoline supply is predicted to begin in May of this year.

It is a source of significant local pride that the owner of the refinery is not the

“Until this year, Nigeria did not have one single fully operating oil refinery!”

government, nor an international oil company, but a local, Nigerian conglomerate - the Dangote Group, which is headed up by Africa’s richest man, avid Arsenal fan and eponymously named Aliko Dangote. He has given his name to an impressive piece of kit, with production scheduled to come in at 650,000 barrels per day, which will make it the seventh largest refinery in the world. It will be bigger than any unit in Europe and approximately three times the size of the UK’s largest refinery (Exxon Fawley). Equally important is Dangote’s technical sophistication, with a Nelson (Refinery) complexity classification of 10.5 (out of 14). This puts it above most US and European refineries (US average = 9.5, EU average = 6.5) . Finally, because the refinery’s production levels will meet 100% of local demand (with a 150,000 barrels per day surplus to trade on overseas markets), Nigeria can now look to rebuild its dollar reserves, whilst simultaneously reducing foreign exchange costs. The Central Bank of Nigeria estimates foreign exchange savings of between $25bn-$30bn annually, as a result of selling refined products in Nigerian Naira.

All of this should make happy reading for Nigerian fuel consumers, but it does present a slightly less positive outlook for the European refining industry. Our refineries are basically old-school gasoline machines that reflect the demand economics of the 1960s and ‘70s, which is when they were built and when gasoline was the main grade of fuel. The turn of this century saw the displacement of petrol by diesel in the automotive sector and this meant that European refineries were producing way more petrol than they could feasibly sell into domestic markets. As a result, they became heavily reliant on Nigeria’s (35 million litres per day) petrol demand, which acted as a “sink” for European exports. The loss of this sales channel will hit a number of European refineries hard, but even worse is the prospect of Dangote gasoline finding its way onto international markets. With expected production well in excess of local demand, the refinery looks likely to be able to create a West African trading hub with the ability to export its products to the rest of the African continent and beyond. Basically, not only will Nigeria not need European gasoline anymore, their new super-refinery may soon be stealing market share within Europe itself.

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01/05/2024 16:35

COMMENT

GREAT MINSTER GRUMBLES

Labour and Tory spot the difference

Our Whitehall insider imagines what’s going on inside the minds of the mandarins at Great Minster House, home of the DfT

It’s time for a little party game! It’s called ‘Spot the difference between the Conservative government’s plans for rail and the Labour Party’s plans for rail, as set out in its policy paper, Getting Britain Moving: Labour’s Plans to Fix Britain’s Railways.’

Let’s go through the key elements in Labour’s plans. First, it wants to set up an arm’s length body, a “guiding mind” for the railways. This body will be called Great British Railways - exactly what the current Conservative government wants.

Second, it will maintain the open access regime allowing private sector companies to provide additional services where network capacity allows. That’s straight out of the Conservative government’s play-book.

Third, it will keep the rolling stock leasing companies and the freight operators in the private sector. No surprise here, of course, but absolutely in line with what the Conservative government likes.

I could go on but the party game could become a bit repetitive! The reality is that it’s quite hard to see a great deal of difference of substance between the Conservative government’s plans for rail and what Labour is now proposing. There are some differences, of course, to be fair. The main one is that Labour will bring all passenger franchise contracts back under state control as existing contracts expire. We’ve known this for some considerable time of course. But, at the risk of repeating myself too much, the train operating www.passengertransport.co.uk

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companies are already quasi-nationalised anyway given the nature of the contracts under which they operate. It’s true that private sector companies won’t be receiving a fixed fee for operating services so the taxpayer will no longer be contributing to private sector profits, but bringing all franchised services back under state control won’t save much money in the overall scheme of things and it won’t make a jot of difference to performance - because most train delays are not the fault of the operators but the infrastructure owner, Network Rail, which is already a nationalised body.

It’s worth reminding ourselves that in the 10 years before Covid struck the private sector operators actually returned some £3bn to the taxpayer. That doesn’t sound like a “broken” franchise system to me. It’s also worth reminding those that weren’t born when British Rail existed that under British Rail passenger journeys actually fell by a massive 33% - is that a mark of success for a nationalised model?

“For all of the claims by Labour that its plans will deliver a more reliable and efficient railway, let me predict one thing.

They won’t”

The two other main differences in approach are, first: Labour’s plans to give devolved leaders in Scotland, Wales and in mayoral combined authorities a statutory role in the rail network. I think that’s a good thing. It puts real meat behind the devolution agenda - one which the Conservative government often spoke positively about but never really delivered on; and second, it will reform the role of the passenger voice by creating a new passenger watchdog - a Passenger Standards Authority - which will take over Transport Focus, the Rail Ombudsman and elements of the role of the Rail Regulator. On paper this sound like a perfectly sensible, even plausible, reform.

Whether it actually makes a great deal of difference to the passenger, only time will tell.

The reality is that Labour’s policy paper is full of political rhetoric about how broken the current rail system is, yet Labour is not proposing any radical reform relative to the Conservative government’s current plans that will make any material difference to train performance, the cost of fares and so on. Labour says it has six key objectives for the railways -reliability, affordability, efficiency, high quality, accessibility and safety.

Name me a politician or a political party of any colour that would not want our railways to meet these objectives.

Labour will also produce a long-term strategy for the railways to be updated every five years.

Good luck with that one! The trouble with long-term strategies is that they are one-off fixed plans which may be fine at the point at which they are written but become out of date almost as soon as the ink has dried.

More to the point they can be a noose around a government’s neck as they become the benchmark against which a government’s policies are judged.

For all of the claims by Labour that its plans will fix a broken system and deliver a more reliable and efficient railway, let me predict one thing. They won’t. Because they can’t.

Signals will still fail, engineering works will still overrun, delays will still be caused by trespassers or “leaves on the line” and all the rest.

I was amused to see in Labour’s press release announcing its plans that Great British Railways would be a body “led by experts”.

And Network Rail isn’t? I wonder what Sir Peter Hendy and Andrew Haines made of that remark!

3 May 2024 | 21

01/05/2024 16:35

CAREERS

Whitehurst named as GTR’s new ops head Former Network Rail manager joins UK’s largest train operator Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has announced that John Whitehurst has been appointed as its chief operating officer. He will join the train operator later this month.

Whitehurst will be responsible for ensuring GTR’s operations are safe, reliable, and sustainable while maintaining a careful focus on making sure passengers receive a high-quality service.

The role will see him lead the planning and delivery of services across GTR’s four brands - Gatwick Express,

22 | 3 May 2024 PT312p22-23.indd 22

Great Northern, Southern, and Thameslink - representing approximately 18% of UK rail passenger journeys. He will also hold critical relations with the supply chain and industry partners such as Network Rail.

GTR said Whitehurst brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having successfully managed large teams and multimillion-pound projects across operations, infrastructure and engineering. His previous roles include serving as Network Rail’s route infrastructure maintenance director on the Kent and Anglia routes, and a nearly 12-year tenure at Serco, as managing director of transport and community services.

“I’m looking forward to getting out across the length and breadth of GTR’s vast network, meeting my new colleagues who work incredibly hard every day to provide customers with a safe and reliable service,” said Whitehurst.

He succeeds Andy Coulthurst, who has led GTR’s operations on an interim basis since November 2023. He will retire this summer after over 20 years in the rail industry. Coulthurst joined GTR in January 2020, assuming various roles, including leading a successful programme of initiatives to give customers an ever-better and more reliable train service. He will stay with GTR up to his retirement in the summer.

APPOINTMENTS TRAVELMASTER TravelMaster, the company that is responsible for South Yorkshire’s multi-operator transport ticketing scheme, has announced the appointment of Mark Fowles as independent chairperson.

Former Nottingham City Transport managing director Fowles (pictured), succeeds Stagecoach Supertram managing director Tim Bilby in the role.

“Having Mark as chairperson brings a new range of benefits to TravelMaster, and his customer first approach closely aligns with the transformations we have been making at TravelMaster since my own appointment,” said TravelMaster general manager John Henshall.

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01/05/2024 16:37

DIVERSIONS

Push-ups on a train at 125mph to Carmarthen

bowel cancer. He was just three years old when his mum, Joan, passed away aged 31. His best friend David Baughn died in 2018 and GWR colleague Trish Daly passed away last year.

In addition to doing push-ups at 125mph on a train, Barry also completed his challenge with some push-ups at Reading Train Care Depot and outside Reading station.

“Cancer has already, or will at some point, impact us all,” said Barry. “I am remembering my mum and those friends I have lost to cancer every day I complete the April challenge.

“I’ve seen at first-hand all the work that Cancer Research does and even if everyone donates £1, it could make the world of difference to millions. I like to keep fit anyway and this seemed the perfect cause.”

You can help Barry’s charity push at tinyurl.com/m4w5f2jn.

been revealed.

A team from the urban archaeology department of the City of Antwerp unearthed the truck in Northern Antwerp under a wall of an old fortress known as the Northern Citadel.

“It’s a mystery as to how the carriage came to be in Antwerp, and unfortunately there’s very little left of the relic as it disintegrated while being excavated,” said consultant archaeologist Femke Martens.

“Its only identifiable features were the inscriptions which

included ‘FURNITURE REMOVAL TO HOUSE,’ ‘Enquire at any station,’ ‘BK769,’ (which identified the truck’s size - B - and its use, for furniture, - K) and crucially ‘LNER’.”

Thankfully, new historic rolling stock research suggests that the truck was the first model of LNER removal, and it was briefly in service around 1930. A more common model was a blue edition, which was used more widely, making the discovery of this earlier model all the rarer and more unique.

GWR director takes Cancer Research challenge When it comes to speedy pushups, Great Western Railway director Barry Milson may well take some beating. He has completed a round of push-ups in electric fashion, travelling at 125mph on a GWR service from London Paddington to Carmarthen.

Projects director Barry is participating in Cancer Research’s 100 Push-ups a Day April Challenge in memory of those close to him who have passed away from

Corner of Belgium that’s forever LNER

MORE ON LNER’S BELGIAN MYSTERY

You may remember a couple of issues ago the case of the LNER goods wagon excavated in the unlikely settingof Antwerp in Belgium (PT310)? Well, more has

On the Intercity Express Push-ups

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Oxford Bus Company driver Arif Khan has completed his second London Marathon with a new personal best (and a respectable time) of just two hours and 47 minutes.

The 40-year-old bus driver relentlessly trained for the big day, fasting during Ramadan and looking after his 10-year-old son.

So far, he has raised over £600 for Cancer Research UK. What’s the secret to his success?

“After 20 miles, the real marathon starts, but the body never fails, only the mind,” revealed Arif.

“If you follow your heart and discipline your mindset, any goal is achievable.”

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