Government denies misleading rail franchise on Bristol route

THE UK Government has denied giving a misleading reason for barring the next Wales and Borders rail franchise from Bristol, after the emergence of information which appears to disprove its original claim.

Following passenger complaints and calls for better train services between south Wales and Bristol, transport secretary Chris Grayling said in November that he was “expecting and hoping for a significant increase in services as part of the Wales and the Borders franchise”.

However, in September his own department had ordered the franchise bidders not to propose any new services to Bristol on the grounds that upgrade schemes were unfinished and “there is no indication of the number of paths per hour that will become available”. Disclosures obtained through the Freedom of Information Act now reveal that the number of train paths after completion was already known. The key information is in Network Rail documents, and Network Rail is an “arm’s length body of the Department for Transport (DfT)”.

Asked whether the DfT had misled in September, a spokesman said the DfT had been referring to the number of paths which would be available to the Wales and Borders franchise specifically, after choices had been made if competing demands for other new services emerged.

At the moment there are two trains, by Great Western Railway, each hour between Cardiff and Bristol.

Only three Welsh stations have direct trains to Bristol, and Mr Grayling was not alone in hoping the new Wales and Borders franchise – which starts in October – would include new services to Bristol.

However, the DfT took a different view last summer when it drew up the “agency agreement” which authorised the Welsh Government to invite final bids for the franchise.

The agency agreement says there are no paths for Welsh Governmentspecified services until all outstanding upgrade work in the Bristol area is completed, including remodelling of Bristol East Junction, near Temple Meads station.

It says this work is currently projected to take place in “mid to late Control Period 6, 2019-24”, and therefore may not be completed until 2024.

However, the Bristol East Junction scheme has been under development for years and was due to be implemented in 2015-16.

The area’s other major scheme is the installation of two extra tracks between Filton and Bristol, now well advanced and due for completion this year.

Therefore, it appeared unlikely that the DfT, including Network Rail, had no indication in September of the number of train paths which would be available after the schemes were completed.

“Information released by Network Rail now reveals that each of the four tracks between Filton and Bristol will provide capacity for one train every three or four minutes.

“Challenged on its earlier assertion that the number of future train paths was unknown, the DfT said that there would probably be other demands for trains to use the capacity which would need to be considered at the time.

Transport expert Prof Stuart Cole, of the University of South Wales, said Network Rail had worked on the Bristol upgrade schemes for a decade.

“There must be a robust plan in Nework Rail which shows exactly how many paths there will be,” he said. “There’s a demand for more trains between Cardiff and Bristol as soon as possible.

“The GWR franchise isn’t going to change till 2022, whereas the Welsh franchise is changing this year.”