EMR plans remain on course despite COVID effect
MAJOR investment in both infrastructure and rolling stock is expected to continue on East Midlands Railway, the operator’s managing director Will Rogers has told RAIL.
In an exclusive interview to mark the first anniversary of EMR taking over the East Midlands franchise, Rogers spoke of the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the business.
Abellio won the East Midlands franchise last year, replacing Stagecoach, which had operated it since November 2007 (including through several Direct Awards).
Rogers joined EMR at the start of the year, moving from the MD role at Arriva Rail London. He replaced interim MD Julian Edwards, who now holds that role at West Midlands Railway (also owned by Abellio).
Like all operators, EMR was hit hard by the lockdown and the Government advice not to travel. Rogers told RAIL that at one point, only 1% of the operator’s usual passenger numbers were travelling. More recently, it has climbed back up to reach 13%.
On March 23, Government suspended franchising with operators signing Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs), where revenue risk was transferred to the Department for Transport in exchange for financial support. Between March 1 and June 27, EMR received £98.8 million in payments.
Rogers told RAIL: “The current contract lasts until September and we don’t know yet what is coming next. There’s an expectation something will follow, but precisely what that looks like we’re not sure. Looking at our passenger volumes today there’s still a significant challenge to the structures that went before. I think a return to franchising that we knew back at the start of March is unlikely in the short to medium term.”
When Abellio won the franchise, it announced plans to split NorwichLiverpool trains and instead run Norwich-Derby and NottinghamLiverpool. Electric trains would start running between Corby and St Pancras International, while Class 170s would transfer from Govia
Thameslink Railway, ScotRail and West Midlands Railway to allow EMR to replace its ‘15x’ fleet dating from the late 1980s.
Also, East Midlands Trains’
High Speed Train fleet was to be replaced by cascaded HSTs from LNER from the start of 2020, with ex-Hull Trains ‘180s’ supplementing that fleet until sufficient electrics were available for the Corby route.
Rogers denied that the pandemic has forced EMR to change its approach: “As we look forward there are still exciting improvements for our customers. We’re planning ahead and focusing on delivering the commitments we made, which includes the fleet replacement.
“Electrification has been a significant investment in the future of the Midland Main Line and will bring significant enhancement in journey times and capacity. Clearly there’s talk of wider electrification schemes. which would be good to see - particularly as we look to rail to fulfil the sustainable transport brief which we know is more in focus as we bounce back from Coronavirus.”
For the full interview with Will Rogers, see RAIL 913.