Track and train
Amey’s Consulting and Rail Development Director MARK BROWN tells RAIL why greater devolution and the closer integration of train and infrastructure operations should form the basis of future franchising
Why AMEY supports greater integration.
On October 14 2018, a KeolisAmey joint venture took over the running of the Wales & Borders franchise in a deal that will run until 2033. In addition to bringing much-needed investment, extra services and new rolling stock to this part of the network, the management and operational arrangements of the franchise herald a swift departure from the previous model.
That is because responsibility for the procurement and management of the current franchise has now been passed from Whitehall to the Welsh Government.
Meanwhile, TfW is due to assume control of heavy rail infrastructure on the Valleys Lines from Network Rail in support of its plans for a £1 billion South Wales Metro, which will include a fleet of new tram-trains and at least five new stations in a network of routes, both on and off-street, and centring on Cardiff Central.
Transport for Wales Rail Services has also taken on infrastructure management on some 124 miles of track from NR on behalf of TfW.
The joint venture also helped TfW to develop its Metro plans, and will be responsible for delivering and then operating the new system after its expected completion date in 2022.
KeolisAmey is no stranger to holding the joint role of asset manager and service operator, with the same partnership also taking on the management and operation of both Manchester’s Metrolink network (in July 2017), and the Docklands Light Railway (December 2014).
Meanwhile, Amey has the added advantage of being one of the UK’s largest suppliers of rail infrastructure and asset management services in its own right, giving it an almost unique perspective of the benefits and challenges of bringing infrastructure and operational service management together.
Amey Consulting’s Development Director Mark Brown explains: “Amey has been an
infrastructure manager for some time, ever since being part of the Tube Lines consortium (with Bechtel) that maintained and upgraded three of London Underground’s deep Tube lines (from 2003-2010).
“With DLR, Metrolink and now Wales & Borders, all of our operational experience has been as an integrated operator and asset manager, while we are also a key supplier to Network Rail - which has given us extra insight into running services over a network that is close to capacity.”
According to Brown, the key to the successful running of two of the UK’s largest light rail networks rests in having joint accountability and joint responsibility for the concessions it operates with Keolis on behalf of Transport for Greater Manchester and Transport for London.
The same applies to the Wales & Borders franchise, although Brown admits it is far too early to draw firm conclusions until the bulk of KeolisAmey’s franchise commitments have been delivered.
He describes it as an ‘emerging opportunity’, however, to demonstrate how heavy rail across the UK can be more responsive to local needs by transferring franchise decision-making closer to the point of delivery.
Wales & Borders will pioneer this fresh approach, with the new franchise model promising to transform the passenger experience throughout the region and, in particular, the Valleys Lines, which passenger satisfaction surveys confirm to be among the poorest scoring lines in Wales.
In addition to delivering South Wales Metro, KeolisAmey’s commitments include working in partnership with TfW to spend £ 800 million on new trains to boost capacity by 65%, with the current fleet in Wales to be replaced by 2023.
By the end of 2023, there will also be a 29% increase in services each weekday across Wales (285 extra), while Sundays will be boosted by 61% with an extra 294 trains.
All 247 stations in the franchise area will be modernised in a £194m scheme; smart ticketing is to be introduced and an extra 600 staff recruited.
Brown adds: “Most of the low hanging fruit has now been taken in terms of boosting efficiency and passenger satisfaction in the current wider structure, but it will not achieve improvements of the order of magnitude we’ve seen in the last 25 years. Something different is now required to optimise the system as a whole.
“It’s still early doors with Wales & Borders so we cannot claim any success yet, but we have worked closely with TfW to develop a solution, and something radical to transform a rundown bit of the network.
“As a whole, all three (KeolisAmey-run) franchises can make a really strong case for bringing asset management and operations closer together and devolving control away from central government. We (and devolved transport authorities) all have a lot at stake, and there are lessons being learned on taking a common approach, of which we are all confident of achieving.”
The future of franchising in the UK has been included in the remit of the industrywide rail review that is currently being led by former British Airways Chief Executive Keith Williams.
Commissioned by Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling in September 2018, it has been described as the most significant assessment of Britain’s railways since privatisation in the mid-1990s.
A call for evidence was made by Williams in December in order to inform his conclusions on the review’s principles, including new commercial models and organisational structures for the provision of services.
The terms of reference of the review also make explicit reference to increasing integration between track and train and exploring options for the devolution of rail powers.
Brown says that he plans to supply evidence before the deadline at the end of May, which is likely to put forward the Wales & Border franchise as a blueprint for an overhauled UK-wide franchising system.
He stresses that the status quo must change, or else the industry risks generating more negative headlines like we saw last May, when infrastructure and train operators jointly failed to properly implement timetable changes on various parts of the network.
With Wales & Borders, decentralising franchise control away from central government is already prompting a willingness for devolved authorities to work more closely with operational partners such as KeolisAmey to deliver innovation and transformative change in rail services.
“We would encourage the review to look closely at the benefits of devolution and the potential for securing the significant benefits of much closer integration.
“Amey recognises there are risks, but we believe it is the right thing to do and the right way to run an integrated system. Inter-city and multi-regional franchises might need a slightly different strategy, but the case is definitely there for a more integrated approach on the rest of the network with more influential input from devolved authorities.
“The arguments against change and the excuses have been well rehearsed, but without change we will continue to spiral downwards into declining performance and customer satisfaction, which might lead to a lack of investment and a cycle of decline for that reason.
“We need new hope, and I think devolution and integration are two key ingredients to achieving that.”
The case is definitely there for a more integrated approach… with more influential input from devolved authorities. Mark Brown, Development Director, Amey Consulting