TfN’s new power

At the start of this month, Transport for the North officially integrated with Rail North to become the UK’s first sub-national transport body. To mark this devolutionary milestone, Director of Rail North DAVID HOGGARTH talks to STEVE BROADBENT about immi

A Transport for the North special features EXCLUSIVE interviews with the MDs of TPE, Northern and Rail North.

Transport for the North’s Long-Term

Rail Strategy went out for consultation in January ( RAIL 847, 848), but many improvements to the North’s rail network are already being implemented now and over the next five years.

With the integration of Rail North into TfN from April 1, “these short-term developments and improvements are being brought right into the heart of TfN, giving the organisation a complete spectrum of activities - the ‘here and now’, and then over a span of 30 years”, says Director of Rail North David Hoggarth.

Network Rail’s announcement in January of a further delay to completion of ManchesterPreston electrification means that some of the service improvements due to be introduced next month are being delayed.

This electrification scheme (part of the ‘Lancashire Triangle’ announced in 2009) was originally envisaged to be complete by the end of 2016. However, delays to other projects mean that some of the timetable improvements originally planned for December 2017 will be delayed until later in 2018. The end result is that the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises may not deliver some improvements to services on the dates that had been anticipated when the franchise contracts were signed.

Responsibility for discussions with Network Rail as to when (and in some cases if) infrastructure improvements will be available for traffic, and then with the franchisees as to the operational and commercial considerations, falls to the train operators - overseen by Rail North Partnership. And there have certainly been some intensive discussions within the industry over the past three months.

However, Hoggarth highlights the transformational nature of the two franchises. And as it is delivered, the May 2018 timetable change “is the first step towards 2020”, by which time the two franchises’ fleet of new trains will be fully in service.

He also notes some of the achievements of recent months: the opening of the Ordsall Chord in Manchester; improved services on the Bishop Auckland and ManchesterBlackburn lines; and better Sunday services on several lines, including Bradford-Ilkley. Four trains an hour with the introduction of Class 170s on the Harrogate line, and the long-awaited reopening of the Halton Curve

Whether it is the present series of projects or future ones, there is now very strong collaboration, at the planning stage in particular, between TfN and Network Rail. They have recognised the benefits of working closely with Transport for the North. David Hoggarth, Director, Rail North