KPM PRO Services’ Post

Network Rail and Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom announce five-point plan to improve customer experience at London Euston station Network Rail and the Department for Transport have unveiled a five-point plan geared towards improving the way Euston station functions, and delivering a better passenger experience while it undergoes longer-term design changes. Network Rail said that the outdated station was in major need of overhaul, with some passengers experiencing uncomfortable and unpleasant conditions. The Transport Secretary tasked the station’s teams at Network Rail and relevant train operators – including #AvantiWestCoast and #WestMidlandsTrains – to look again at how the station works on a day-to-day basis and to make immediate improvements wherever possible. While a major reconstruction of the station is required to meet current demands, the initial five-point plan to ensure a better experience for passengers at Euston includes: Reviewing passenger information provision and circulation, including a shutdown and review of the use of overhead advertising boards. A review on how passengers are invited to, and board services, especially during disruption Creating more concourse space and alleviating pinch-points, which will include more, and upgraded, toilet provision. Unifying station operation during disruption to ensure a holistic approach is taken for the benefit of all passengers. Driving up the reliability of both the infrastructure and train services to reduce disruptive events being experienced at the station. The Transport Secretary says this is a positive first step to getting a grip on overcrowding at the station, but adds that more must be done. Senior management at Network Rail have been asked to meet with the Secretary of State next week to answer questions on plans for the station and set out a route towards longer-term improvements to the passenger experience. Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: “For too long, Euston station simply hasn’t been good enough for passengers. “That’s why I’ve tasked Network Rail with coming up with a clear plan to immediately improve conditions for passengers. This includes a shutdown of the advertising boards from today to review their use. “We know Euston needs a permanent solution and are working hard to agree this – but these immediate steps will help to alleviate some of the issues the station has been facing.” Gary Walsh, route director for West Coast South said: “Passengers haven’t received the experience they deserve at Euston recently and we need to do better. “Our five-point plan will help improve things for passengers in the short term by creating more space, providing better passenger information, and working as an industry to improve the reliability of train services on the West Coast Main Line.” https://lnkd.in/epmii_Ez

Well here we go, the announcement of the first three operators moving back in-house under the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024; including the first to be privatised back in the day - South Western. Also in a way time next year the old ‘BR Anglia Region’ will sort have be recreated with c2c and then Great Anglia coming in. As a side note; whom remembers when announcements like this were done at 0700 and not released at midnight My only criticism in the announcement is the ‘to display performance information at stations’. This needs to be digital solution first / only via digital screens and not a printed poster. In fact the information is already online on websites. Why? Nearly every TOC has no spare frame capacity either stations do not have enough either through histrionic reasons / asset rationalisation or the fact basically the current frames are knackered and cost and absolute fortune to replace. Secondly, by the poster gets out there on the street the data shown is only generally valid for one week in the past period before the next one starts to be produced and this has always been the case in their previous PPM guises. The daft thing also bringing back a poster which conveyed information the general person in the street couldn’t understand - unless you worked in the ticket office to do charter discounts - is also a nonsense. Maybe it should a simple sad face - neutral face - happy face emoji type poster which all can understand…as we say in design circles - keep it simple and stupid.

It feels a little like ‘Back to the Future’ time in national transport policy today! In words we haven’t heard for nearly 25 years, the Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, has been in Leeds today outlining her vision of a “joined up” transport system that works for everyone – a new ‘people first’ Integrated National Transport Strategy based more on locally specified need than ‘top down’ solutions.  Announcing what amounts to the start of a national conversation/ consultation with the public and transport workers to collect their views over the coming months, the general aim seems to achieve more seamless/ integrated door to door journeys. It is a laudable aim in itself and Ms Haigh has drawn inspiration for this from the city of Dijon where the multi-modal public transport network (bus, tram, community transport) operates frequent services and is also married up to car and bike hire and car parking choices via a single app (called Divia). Of course, London and city regions around the country already have their own long-term plans and visions for transport provision, so it will be interesting to see how all this plays out in the months ahead, let alone have the actual strategy published and implemented in a context of spending restraints. But it does at least represent some long-term thinking and is definitely one to watch.  In another milestone also reached today, the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill has now received its royal assent. This Act paves the way for the return into the public sector (for the first time since rail privatisation began in the mid-1990s) of all the remaining passenger rail franchises and prohibits the future contracting of private sector companies to run rail services (‘open access’ operators excepted of course). But this law is only the first stepping stone and the hard graft to turning this into a properly integrated publicly-owned network is going to take years not months, which is probably longer than many people are expecting.  All this will require extensive negotiation between national government and local authorities and, of course, commercial and extensive programmes of stakeholder engagement too. Time to saddle up - it’s going to be an interesting ride!

Having had a passion for transport planning since I was a kid has led me to collect boxes full of printed maps/timetables/leaflets. While some information clearly expires over time, it's also a useful time capsule. For example this week in the context of the rail renationalisation proposals. 🚄 In Sept 1997 Great Western printed this simple leaflet summarising *all* the fares from Bristol to London. Notice how simple the fare structure is that the full offering fits on a third of a side of A4 - no split fares, no dynamic pricing etc. An adult wishing to travel from Bristol Parkway or Temple Meads to London and return within one month would have paid £63. In today's money that's £153. A peak time return journey from Parkway to Paddington tomorrow will set you back £265 on an Anytime return, and even buying Advance singles saves only 2 quid. Ah, but surely the service has improved during the interim thanks to the extra money spent? Well luckily among the crates I also found the summer timetable that showed the existence of a non-stop train to London in just 1h15 by HST, a journey time now unmatched by IET. Some frequencies have increased, but not to a level that matches the hike in fares. Even the Pullman dining has been scaled back (for those who're into that kind of thing) and the buffet gone. 🍽 This isn't a criticism of one operator or what's happened to one line over the years - it's a reflection that, as politicians on all sides like to deal with facts, rail passengers don't need to have recollections from as far back as Brunel to recognise the direction of travel and draw their own conclusions. Printed archives available on request from the attic. #rail #nationalisation #fares

Wales /6 March 2024 /Intelligent Transport -- The next steps to delivering bus reform for #Wales have been set out by the Welsh Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters. The ‘Roadmap to #Bus Reform: Towards One Timetable, One Timetable, One Ticket‘ builds on the proposals of the bus whitepaper that was published in March 2022 to radically shake-up the way that the public transport system works in Wales. “We’re moving from a privatised system that puts profit before people towards one that will plan buses and trains together around the needs of passengers,” Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Climate Change, with responsibility for transport, said. The current system, where bus operators decide where to run services based on where they can maximise profit, will be replaced by a system of ‘franchised’ contracts. Transport for Wales (#TfW), local councils and the Welsh Government will work together to design bus networks that link key services and tie up with other buses and train timetables, all using one ticket. Companies will then be able to bid to run the whole package of routes for an area, not just the ones that are the most profitable. “This is the most far-reaching set of reforms taking place anywhere in the UK“ At the moment, using your car is easy but using public transport can feel like a hassle. “Our aim is to create one joined up network, one integrated timetable which you can access using one ticket. That way, we will make it easier to understand how to use public transport, and it will make journeys seamless,” Waters added. The roadmap sets out year-by-year targets of how the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales plan to approach the delivery of franchising bus services in Wales. This includes how the organisations intend to work closely with partners and stakeholders, such as local authorities and bus operators, to design and deliver services that are easy to use, easy to access and well connected for communities across Wales. This new approach is proposed to be rolled out on a geographical basis and will take several years to achieve. Image Source | (© Surprising_SnapShots | pixabay)

📢NEWS UPDATE📢 The bus reform roadmap outlines how the Llywodraeth will work with partners and stakeholders to replace the existing system with franchised contracts, with the aim of better meeting the needs of passengers. Transport for Wales, Bus Users UK, Confederation of Passenger Transport

🚌 When is a £1 fare increase more than just a pound? As bus fares are set to rise from £2 to £3, (excluding London and GM, as these are funded differently) how do we maintain quality bus services while keeping fares accessible, especially for the low-income families who rely most on buses to get around? Greater Manchester’s impact in the first three months since the £2 and £5 caps were introduced offers important insights: - 12% ridership boost in 6 months - 3% new bus users - 55% travelled more frequently - 76% reported saving money In GM, success was not just about affordability – it was also about reliability and reach. People could travel further, more often, and access new opportunities. So looking to 2025, the challenge is clear: A sustainable network is not just about fare caps (important though they are during a cost of living crisis) but about creating a resilient, accessible system that serves both urban and rural areas. The question for us in transport, in both private and public sectors, is how do we innovate to ensure affordable travel and quality service go hand in hand? #PublicTransport #AffordableFares #BusFareRise #TransportEquity #FareCaps #CostOfLiving

Continuing Progress on Fare Transparency for ScotRail Passengers. I want to commend the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee for their ongoing consideration of Petition PE1930, which calls for ensuring customers always receive information on the cheapest possible fare as part of ScotRail’s operations. It’s back in front of committee tomorrow The introduction of split-ticketing functionality and requirements for adherence to the legislative consumer duty represent significant steps forward which wouldn’t have happened without the committee work. These initiatives align with the goals of promoting fairness, transparency, and value for passengers across Scotland. However, the work is not yet complete. The complexity of rail fares and the planned reduction in ticket office services highlight the urgent need for robust digital solutions and continued human in the loop service. Enhancing ScotRail’s online and app-based platforms to reliably present all cost-saving options, including advanced split-ticketing, will be vital for achieving the petition’s aims and addressing the accessibility needs of all passengers. I encourage the committee to keep the petition open and continue to press for these essential upgrades while recognising the important milestones already achieved. Let’s ensure that public transport in Scotland remains fair, inclusive, and affordable for everyone. #PublicTransport #ScotRail #SocialValue #TransportInnovation #FairFares https://lnkd.in/ecEW4BYt Alison Irvine Monica Lennon Jackie Baillie Graham Simpson Liz Warren-Corney Chris Musson Alastair Dalton Jon Molyneux Sam Ghibaldan

Transport Leaders to allocate millions for bus improvements 📢🚍 Transport Leaders have agreed the allocation of around £100m for a range of bus improvements including enhanced services, cheaper fares, priority measures to speed up buses and improved passenger information, all thanks to the region’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding. The North East Joint Transport committee agreed at its meeting today (19 March) to allocate the remaining capital and revenue funding for a wide range of initiatives. Cllr Martin Gannon, Chair of the North East Joint Transport Committee, said: “It’s great to be investing so much in our bus network which is such an important part of everyday travel for our residents. “Local people need to be able to trust that the bus network is reliable, that buses run to timetable and that they can travel at a price they can afford. I’m hugely proud of the fare promotions we have launched using our BSIP funding – including the £1 fare for young people and affordable region-wide day tickets – but there is much to do to build passenger trust and deliver reliable services. “We are now looking to allocate our remaining funding to ensure that the money is there to invest in schemes which will make services much more punctual and reliable to really help passengers travel with confidence. “Schemes will include measures which will speed up bus services in congested areas alongside new Park and Ride sites and other improvements. Simplified and accessible passenger information will also play a huge part in this, with a new website providing real-time information to make travelling in the region by bus more appealing and intuitive. Our region’s BSIP is already making major improvements and I’m pleased to be taking this next exciting step.” Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eaU_d8ig #bus #publictransport #investment Transport North East Arriva UK Bus Go North East Stagecoach Bus NEbus - North East bus operators working together Urban Transport Group