Matt Graydon

This report looks excellent and timely. "Throughout this work, Arup found the most opportunity for acceleration, cost reduction and improved outcomes was identified during the first 10% of a project’s lifecycle. These early-stages offer the most opportunity to drive Greener, Faster, Cheaper delivery. Ensuring the initial stages of project planning are robust and innovative, sets the foundation for success. Defining and driving programmes based on operational outcomes, not just the asset, leads to greater buy-in and support." As Prof. Bent Flyvbjerg says the key to getting big things done is "think slow, act fast" Great work Arup and Cath Leech! #megaprojects

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Is it the end of the line for the private sector in rail? Former Labour MP and Rail Minister Tom Harris, seasoned rail expert Jonathan Riley, Labour insider Kelly Edwards and I discuss what the next Government could mean for the UK's rail industry. 🎧 Listen now: https://lnkd.in/gp42YwRx Labour have already outlined their rail policy for the General Election, with a commitment to effectively renationalise the current rail franchises. Key Topics Covered: 🌟 Labour's realistic approach to rail nationalisation 🌟 Balancing pragmatic solutions with public expectations 🌟 The impact of devolution on transport policies 🌟 Strategies to reset industrial relations and improve public transport 🌟 Are buses and active travel being overlooked by policy makers? #GE24 #TransportPolicy #RailReform #LabourParty #PublicTransport #InstinctifTalks

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We reveal today that officials in the Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom have hatched a plan to fund the new HS2 (High Speed Two) Ltd Euston station and the Network Rail main line terminus. Early-stage proposals are to create a concession, whereby north of £3bn is invested by private investors alongside £700m of public money. Concessionaires are then paid fee for every passenger that passes through the barriers at the stations. It is all part of Labour Party (UK) plans to bring back PFI-style funding. Although, as Al Watson and Paul Davies highlight, it is likely likely to involve a far greater degree of partnership between the public and private sectors. In today's The Times https://lnkd.in/ecbuqkfV

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No doubt the launch of Great British Railways, when it arrives, will be a pivotal moment for the UK rail sector. But I have been wondering how rail advocates like me, the business community and the public at large will judge the success of Labour's rail rethink. For me the bellwether of success will be the state of #CrossCountry services at the end of the parliament. This benighted business gets much less coverage than other supposed 'basket case' operators like Avanti West Coast or TransPennine Express. Yet in the case of both of those TOCs, industrial relations issues have played a huge role in preventing an adequate service over recent years. CrossCountry, on the other hand, is dysfunctional by design. As Peter Kennan made clear in an eloquent recent post, XC's woes have been more than 20 years in the making: the short train formations, the lack of cosmetic improvements to the noisy and (by rail standards) polluting Voyager DEMUs, the lack of luggage space, the dismal catering offer, the DfT-mandated shrinking of an already hopelessly inadequate rolling stock fleet...I could go on. In Railway Gazette International's UK content, we've been consciously writing more about XC simply because it is -- as its former MD told us last year -- Britain's 'national train operator'. And, on a personal note, I've been using it a lot more over the past couple of years, with what can best be described as 'mixed feelings'. Yet because XC doesn't have MPs using it to get to London and nor is it relevant to the interminable 'north-south divide' narrative, its dysfunction seems arguably to be glossed over. This cannot be right for what should be a strategically important transport provider linking many of our economic heartlands. If CrossCountry becomes ‘boringly reliable’ within GBR by 2029, that in my opinion will be a decent yardstick by which to judge Labour's reforms. https://lnkd.in/dTu8k-TR

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Important Sustrans piece of work looking at how we ensure that disabled people are at the heart of transport planning, including getting to public transport.

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Our latest safety message looks at how the way in which rail transport operators make changes and improvements can impact safety culture. It covers three topics: - Proactive approach to maintenance - Reviewing and updating your safety management system - Corrective actions and management of change. #railsafety #safetyculture

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It's #TransportPlanningDay and what better way to see how we can improve things than by focusing on the four P's - principles, policy, practicalities and politics of reducing car usage in the UK. My colleague Ed Downer will also discuss the results to date from the recent survey. There's still time to have your say https://buro.im/TPDsurvey #TPDay2024 #TPD #TPS #burohappold

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One of the first train companies hit by Labour's rail nationalisation plans is Britain's best-performing operator. Greater Anglia will be among the first three passenger train companies brought into state control next year, new transport secretary Heidi Alexander announced this week. It's the best performer of the 20-plus train companies in the UK for punctuality and is joint first (along with Southeastern Railway and the Caledonian Sleeper) for reliability, with the lowest cancellation rate in the country. #Labour clearly wants the opening shots of #nationalisation to be seen as a success. Its choice of South Western Railway as the first to be taken over by the State next May not only reflects contractual milestones but also a symbolic end to John Major's flagship transport policy, with South West Trains having been the very first private franchise in 1996. Yet none of this is going to result in lower ticket prices. Rt Hon Rachel Reeves announced in the Budget that fares will rise 4.6% next year, something Labour isn't changing. Changing the ultimate ownership of the passenger rail network doesn't change its culture or the fact that after May 2025, the same trains will be being driven by the same people over the same tracks and serving the same stations in accordance with the same (or a very similar) timetable. Read more on this week's announcement: https://lnkd.in/eV6hWqtz

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As ever, measurable benefits will be the proof of this.

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The Parliamentary winds of change swept through the GWR network as much as anywhere else last Thursday. Oxfordshire now has no Conservative MPs for the first time since at least 1885 when the franchise was expanded, Cornwall elected more than one Labour MP at an election for the first time ever, and we now have 2 Greens on our patch too representing the vastly different Bristol Central and North Herefordshire constituencies. A map and a database that consisted primarily of blue prior to July 4 now has a distinctly red and yellow tinge! Overall 61% of our GWR MPs are new so the work as a Public Affairs team starts in earnest - helping these new MPs with constituency casework, providing updates on projects and planned improvements in their area, and helping them understand and navigate complexities of the rail industry, something that everyone is hoping becomes easier as the long-awaited rail reforms come to fruition. As ever we are here to help! The winds of change are blowing for the industry too, be that the Government’s renationalisation policy, an increased focus on Net Zero, or - as we’ve heard from the Chancellor today when mentioning our own Worcestershire Parkway station - unlocking economic growth and development. Rail has a vital role to play in this but it’s key that as an industry we demonstrate the economic value that we bring - jobs, investment, environmental benefit - rather than simply focusing on the structure of the industry. Now, back to memorising which of our stations have moved in the boundary changes and whose constituency they are now in…

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HS2 and The Budget, in more detail from my colleague Thomas Wintle

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One of the nice things about having taken a step back before embarking on new projects has been the opportunities afforded by more time to catch-up with colleagues and clients from the past - and realising just how lucky I’ve been to have worked with some of the very best. Next week I’m interviewing Ros Atkins about his book ‘The Art of Explanation’ (now out in paperwork) for ‘Centrum’, the magazine I edit for the PSMG LLP. In the book, Ros talks about the power of informal networks and the huge value in having people with whom you can share ideas and seek honest opinions. ‘Networking’ might seem an outdated concept in an era of sophisticated technology, hybrid working and, yes, AI, but is there really any substitute for that one-on-one connection? A coffee with someone I respect and value or another impersonal piece of tech? There’s a place for both, but I know which I prefer - and which I bet has a longer-term value and relevance than AI and ChatGPT.

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As more of our new trains are entering service, our rail performance figures are improving and we expect this to continue as we add more over the coming months.

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Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) has coordinated a groundbreaking manifesto calling for immediate and strategic action to address the persistent issue of road fatalities and serious injuries in the UK. With support from more than 30 leading organisations, it outlines 4 strategic priorities to significantly reduce fatalities and serious injuries on UK roads. 1. Developing a National Road Safety Strategy focused on prevention, protection, and post-collision response, coupled with evidence-based targets and robust safety performance indicators. 2. Establishing a Road Safety Investigation Branch modelled on existing transportation safety branches to analyse road incidents and provide actionable insights for preventing future tragedies. 3. Introducing Graduated Driver Licensing to support young drivers by limiting high-risk driving situations, a measure proven to reduce fatalities by up to 40%. 4. Adopting Advanced Vehicle Safety Regulations - Immediate implementation of the world-leading vehicle safety standards, mandating critical technologies such as Automatic Emergency Braking and Intelligent Speed Assistance. The UK has seen a stagnation in road safety improvements since 2010, from being a global leader in road safety, it is now lagging behind other nations. Every day, five people die on UK roads, with more than 30,000 individuals killed or seriously injured annually, amounting to a staggering societal and economic cost of approximately £43.5 billion each year. Jamie Hassall, Executive Director of PACTS, said: “These four simple measures will be the building blocks to enable the UK to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. With strong leadership and a strategic approach the UK managed to half the numbers of road deaths in a decade but since 2010 the focus was lost and daily road deaths have remained at five a day. Investing in road safety is not just a moral duty but it’s good for peoples’ health and wellbeing, the environment, business, and the country.” PACTS urges the incoming government to prioritise these strategies within the first 100 days of office to ensure the UK meets international road safety targets and sets a global standard in protecting its citizens. TRL Richard Cuerden Cycling UK RAC Foundation Elizabeth Box Kumar Niketan Brake, the road safety charity Ross Moorlock Road Safety Foundation UK Dr Suzy Charman Nick Reed Towards Zero Foundation David Ward National Motorcyclists Council Road Safety GB James Gibson The Road Safety Trust Ruth Purdie OBE UKROEd Intelligent Transport Systems UK Max Sugarman Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) ADRIAN walsh RoadSafe The AA Edmund V King OBE Sustrans RoadPeace Rebecca Morris Thatcham Research MCIA UK Road Safety Analysis Ltd The Bikeability Trust Agilysis Limited Safer Essex Roads Partnership IAM RoadSmart Neil Greig Co-Pilot

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Train operators are planning to put battery-operated trains on our rail network to phase out diesel. GWR is leading the way, with plans to order 100 battery trains to serve local services in Bristol, Devon and Cornwall, as well as routes including Cardiff to Portsmouth and Exeter to Penzance. The tenders go out at the turn of the year and they would come into service around 2030. Simon Green, its engineering director, told me:  “I cannot currently conceive of any circumstances under which we would seek to procure pure diesel trains.” Diesel replaced steam locomotives on our railways from the 1950s, with electrification beginning in earnest in the 1960s. The last steam-hauled trains ran on the network in 1968. Six other operators- Chiltern, East West, Northern, ScotRail, Transport for Wales and TransPennine Express- are in talks with Siemens, the tech and engineering firm, about buying a version of its Desiro Verve, a battery train which went into service in Germany in April. It can travel at least 50 miles on a charge. About 40% of the network has already been electrified in fits and starts, but there has been considerable uncertainty about the timetable for completing the job. It costs around £6.5m to electrify a mile of double-track railway, because installing power lines often involves expensive works to adapt bridges and tunnels. Remember that a battery train does not need to be able to do the whole journey with its own power: it just needs to be able to get across the sections of the route which have not been electrified. When it reaches overhead lines, up pops the pantograph. This is is rare and welcome good news for a beleaguered industry: the trade association RIA estimates it could save up to £11 billion. It may help ensure the viability of local and regional routes to the middle of the century and beyond. Read the full story in today's Sunday Times https://lnkd.in/eVdP3N3G Siemens Great Western Railway (GWR) Railway Industry Association Hitachi Rail Alstom CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) Network Rail

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What David Frost taught me. I've honed my craft working with and listening to journalists. 🥇 My most valued moments? One of them has to be working with David Frost on Breakfast With Frost. 💡 His mantra was to ‘Make Every Word Count’. 🎒 New to BBC TV in 1997 with very little experience, I was fortunate to learn so much by being in the presence of this TV giant.  As a programme runner I got to watch him reviewing every script, red penning superfluous words.  It is forever burnt into my memory. 👉🏻 And today preparing communications in a crisis, I remind myself to ‘be more David’ and chuck out every syllable that doesn’t reinforce what needs saying. ❓ Where do you need to “be more David”? #MangoldConsultancy #StrategicCommunications #crisiscomms #crisiscommunications #reputationmanagement #mediatraining

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Another article I did on the Kimber KDS9c Rail for Lipsey’s Bulletin: https://lnkd.in/eiCt84wA Enjoy - Nothing for Sale, information only!

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We had an 'incident' circa 10.48 Thameslink Train Wednesday 6th November 2024 into #London from Bedford Midland. Signal problems cancelled Three Bridges trains, our #Brighton train went as normal but passed Kentish Town then stopped every red signal thereafter. It took over 35 minutes to reach platforms at St Pancras. Apparently, signalling issues at Blackfriars. So trains from ECML (Thameslinks) and Bedford/Luton were cascaded back from there! The driver said upon a delay in a tunnel short of St Pancras Thameslink Station, that he was told nothing, did not know anything and then we just waited until he did and could enter the Station. 1. He should have been briefed before. 2. He should have been allowed to stop at Kentish Town to enable people to alight. 3. It was not just inconvenient but slightly concerning/frightening. What if's abound! But the lack of people to reassure, explain, the failure to pre-notify before Kentish Town and entering the tunnel to St Pancras at speed not knowing then finding out belatedly, all is irksome to helpless passengers. People are cost, automation has pros and cons. Are we getting the balance right?

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