Thameslink response to questions asked before the St Albans Council meeting

Transcription

1 1 Claire Singh 2 Fiona Lane a) What can Govia do to improve their service? b) What are the timelines for improvements? a) Why is the St Albans to London service more expensive than the Hatfield line? b) Why do you not have adequate contingency plans for drivers not showing up? c) What are the contingencies for drivers not showing up? d) How many first class tickets are purchased during rush hour? Improvements to service needed Expense of line compared to other routes Contingency plans First class carriages We continue to work with Siemens, who are contracted by the DfT to build and maintain the new Class 700 trains, to resolve all outstanding reliability issues as swiftly as possible See Slide 8 Thameslink passengers will benefit from a resolution of the RMT and ASLEF disputes on Southern - Slide 8 The DfT has recently made over 300 million available to Network Rail to boost resilience on Thameslink and adjacent lines over the next two years. This includes replacing old or poor quality track. GTR will help Network Rail to expedite this through more access to the track overnight and during weekends Slide 8 Ditto It has been so since before privatisation and likely reflects shifts to more market demand related pricing made under British Rail. Under the GTR franchise all farebox revenue is passed to the DfT, who also regulate the cost of major fares including all season tickets. See Slide 11 See the information in the GTR presentation on driver recruitment and training Slide 9 If a driver phones in sick or is delayed on a previous journey, we will use a spare driver if one is available. We also ask drivers whether they would be prepared to stay on beyond their booked hours. This information is not available. On the Class 700 trains the DfT specified 26 First Class seats at both the front and the rear of each train, i.e. 52 in total. The total number of First Class seats fitted exceeds current demand. As a result, it has been 1

2 3 Emma Bertenshaw e) How about introducing a standing only ticket at a discounted rate? f) Can the compensation scheme cover additional expenditure such as taxi fares and childcare late fees? Why is it not possible to purchase open return tickets? Availability of seats/standing tickets Compensation system Ticket price agreed with the DfT that, on fast trains, the 1 st Class seats at the front of the train (in direction of travel) are for 1 st Class ticketholders while the 1 st Class seats at the rear (in direction of travel) are always be declassified and available for Standard Class ticketholders. On all stations and on semi-fast services (calling at all stations to Mill Hill Broadway and then fast to West Hampstead Thameslink) that have always been designated as Standard Class only all 1st Class seats, both at the front and the rear of the train are declassified. This has been the case for many years. No such ticket exists, either on National Rail, London Overground or London Underground. It would be difficult to enforce and the DfT would be unlikely to agree to the introduction of any product that would reduce their fares revenue. The industry frequently reviews the National Rail Conditions of Transport (NRCoT) to include changes to legislation or policy changes. While a wholesale change to include covering additional compensation is unlikely, individual cases are reviewed on their own merit while taking into account the NRCoT, the Train Operator s Passengers Charter and the Consumer Rights Act Open Return tickets (valid for one calendar month) are generally only available for longer journeys or for journeys to or from airports, e.g. St Albans or Harpenden to Gatwick Airport or to Luton Airport. They are available from Luton Airport Parkway to London Thameslink stations. Eurostar tickets that include return travel from one s local station (e.g. St Albans or Harpenden) are available on the Eurostar website. 2

3 4 5 6 Intalink registered voluntary bus user group for St. Albans Anonymous St Albans Commuter Mr & Mrs Jones a) What are Thameslink doing to improve reliability with city bus connections? b) Would Thameslink be prepared to fund a city feeder shuttle bus specifically to connect with rail services, similar to Luton airport? What assurances can you offer that compensation claims will be processed correctly? I have had two claims rejected from Govia for being received after 28 days following the delay date, when the letters were within this period (letter supplied). Update: This compensation claim has now been paid; apparently there was a technical issue. Did Govia contact all claimants they mistakenly refused? Or will claimants have to re-issue their claims? a) Network Rail: What assurances can be offered that the railfreight terminal will have no negative impact on passenger services? Bus connections Compensation system Impact of rail freight on passenger journeys GTR is a member of Hertfordshire County Council s Intalink Steering Group and attends regular meetings. We are working hard to improve reliability for all Thameslink users. See Slide 8 and our answer to Question No 1 above. GTR would gain no commercial benefit from such a bus service as all farebox revenue is passed to the DfT. However, the newly launched SC1 service which links St Albans City and St Albans Abbey stations via St Peter s Street all day Monday Saturday provides the links requested Unfortunately there was a bug in the system; it has since been fixed. Everyone affected was contacted at the start of January. They should all have received the correct compensation by now. If there is anyone who hasn t had a second letter with the vouchers please contact us. We apologise for the problem that primarily affected those not making online claims. Network Rail to respond 3

4 7 Anonymous St Albans Commuter b) Network Rail: Is there a fully costed and detailed engineering plan in place to ensure there will be no disruption to service during the connecting up of freight services, and also what effect will the daily priority of freight trains entering and departing the SRFI have on the general overall passenger service? c) What financial indemnities has Segro plc given to Network Rail to ensure that any work started will be paid for, and also to ensure that any disruption to fare-paying passengers will be fully compensated? d) Govia: What disruptions to passenger services do you anticipate during the massive engineering works involved in connecting the SRFI, and what guarantees have you been given that freight trains entering and exiting the terminal will in no way detrimentally effect your passengers using the Bedpan line? Can increased fares be put towards building a second footbridge at St Albans Station? A Second footbridge/crowded station Network Rail to respond Network Rail to respond GTR would raise strong objections with Network Rail to any proposed infrastructure or engineering works that would disrupt Thameslink services. A feasibility study is underway for the provision of a second footbridge at St Albans station. It is being led by GTR in partnership with Network Rail. Extra staff are in place on island 4

5 8 9 Daisy Cooper J R Gunning large cause of delay is the crowded station. a) Are the maximum number of trains, and maximum length of trains used on all routes? b) Would you support a change to the arrangements so that East Midlands Trains can take passengers at peak times? a) When GTR took over how many Drivers were employed? b) What is the budgeted number of drivers for our line and is this enough? c) What is the actual number of drivers they currently have? d) How long does it take to train a Driver? e) There must still be a shortfall why? Train capacity East Midlands - St Albans Driver Recruitment platform 2 & 3 each weekday evening peak to ensure passengers are kept safe as they queue for the stairway to the footbridge. Yes. E.g. we still have two 4-car all stations trains in the morning peak and three 4-car all stations trains in the evening peak. We will be able to extend these to 8-car trains by the end of May, when we will have received sufficient new Class 700 trains to do so. Once the 700s are all in service, we will be operating a mixture of 12 car and 8 car trains (please note that the infrastructure of some routes that Thameslink operates on is limited to 8 cars, such as those that go to Sutton/Wimbledon). See Slide 8 In principle we would have no objection, provided it did not reduce the number of Thameslink trains able to call at St Albans, and could be done without harming operational performance. The DfT, East Midlands Trains and Network Rail would all need to be in agreement. Full details are shown on Slide 9 in Thameslink s presentation. Ditto Ditto Ditto The number of trainees has to match the availability of qualified driver trainers. We have many excellent train drivers but not every good driver wants to take on the additional responsibility of becoming a driver trainer. 5

6 10 Mark Davies f) How many recruits are in the pipeline? a) Govia: Why do you regularly and systematically blame Network Rail for your failures? b) Linked to a) when do you receive compensation for Network failures and have your claims been audited? c) How much, since you have taken on the Franchise have you paid in Dividends and/or Management charges to your Private Equity owners d) Can you specifically detail the PROFIT, as opposed to grants and central government contributions' you have invested into either trains or people e) An unplanned red signal is not a reason for a delay, agree? f) How many train drivers from Thameslink have been used to support the Southern Rail franchise since the dispute started? Funding/profit queries Customer Service Full details are shown on Slide 9 in Thameslink s presentation. We don t. We aim to be as honest as possible in communicating the reasons for any journey disruption. As shown in the Thameslink presentation, all performance income from Network Rail is passed to the DfT. See Slide 11. No profit has been made to date since the start of the franchise. No profit has been made to date since the start of the franchise. The franchise involves a Public-Private partnership. Required investments are set out in the Franchise Agreement. A red signal is not an abnormal event. A driver may announce that I m sorry for the delay; we re currently held at a red signal. That is surely useful information for passengers on the train and the majority of customers feel that is better than no announcement, None. There have been no secondments. However there have been numerous occasions on which our trains have made additional stops, e.g. at Redhill. Platform dwell times at Southern stations have also been extended. g) Why do you employ people with We assess customer service skills during our selection 6

7 11 Anne Main MP 12 Lee Taylor no customer service attributes? h) Finally, define for yourselves what a customer means a) How exactly will Govia work with Network Rail to improve its passenger communication services? b) What more does Govia believe passengers could have done to avoid these disruptions? a) What are the plans to increase capacity on the line between St Albans and London in the next 12 Improvements to service needed Train capacity process. We aim to recruit people with a positive attitude, who like other people. The training we provide then gives them the skills to do their job and to do it well. A customer is anyone who travels on our services or considers doing so. Our aim, across all the following channels, is to put the customer in control: Technology Available and accessible Up-to-date and accurate Informative Give choice Our People Utilise the technology given to them Share information with customers Report faults quickly Systems Innovative Connected to industry systems Reliable functionality We strive to maintain accurate information on our website when our services are disrupted, including details of alternative routes available to our passengers. Similar information is available on the National Rail Enquiries website under the tab Changes to train times. Many commuters habitually check live departures information before setting out for the station. If there is a problem they re able to pre-plan an alternative route In the next 12 months the main capacity improvements will come from the continued rollout of new Class 700 rolling stock. See Slides 6 and 7. 7

8 months? Does this plan line up with the Local Authority s role in managing planning consents? The biggest increase in capacity will come with the introduction of the May 2018 timetable. 13 Eric Roberts b) What, if any, improvements are planned for St Albans station? c) Would Thameslink consider providing enhanced compensation when trains are cancelled due to Driver Unavailability? a) Concerns regarding the unworkable 2018 timetable. Will this mean more delays and slower 'fast' trains - shunted onto the slow lines? I.e. Higher fares for slower trains, is this acceptable to Govia? Second footbridge/crowded station Compensation system 2018 Timetable concerns Local Authorities, including Hertfordshire County Council, have actively contributed to Phase 1 of the consultation on the May 2018 timetable. A new large heated waiting room is currently being constructed on platform 4 Plans are being drawn up for a 5m station redevelopment, to be completed in spring The planned station redevelopment will include a new building on platform 4 with a wider gateline to speed passengers into and out of the station, better ticket purchasing facilities and a secure cycle hub. More ticket gates will be introduced in the main ticket hall plus better retail facilities. Provision will be made for a second footbridge to ease the current congestion which is particularly acute during the evening peak. A feasibility study is currently underway GTR was the first (and so far only) train operating company to introduce Delay Repay 15, which enables anyone delayed for 15 minutes (rather than 30 minutes) to claim compensation. See Slide 10. No other changes are planned. We are working with our industry partners to ensure that the May 2018 and December 2018 timetables are entirely deliverable. It will not mean more delays or slower trains. 8

9 14 Derek Wilson 15 Tim Lamb b) What is the anticipated impact of the extra railfreight trains to/from the proposed SRFI deport, near Radlett, and when and how will the infrastructure works necessary impact on Thameslink services? Will this mean more delays, cancellations and engineering works? a) Where does the funding for passenger refunds come from? Is it taxpayer funded, or from the profits of Govia? b) How much money do Govia receive in penalty payments when they claim against other rail companies such as Network Rail? Thameslink relies on drivers to volunteer for overtime on Sundays and Public Holidays which leads to an inadequate service. When will this situation change? There are often long queues at the Thameslink ticket office at St Pancras station, with only a couple of counters open. What steps are being taken to improve this Funding/profit queries Driver contracts Customer Service GTR would raise strong objections with Network Rail to any proposed infrastructure or engineering works that would disrupt Thameslink services. As shown in the Thameslink presentation, the DfT funds all payments against Delay Repay claims but GTR funds the necessary administration costs. See Slide 11 None. As shown in the Thameslink presentation, all performance income from Network Rail (or other sources) is passed directly to the DfT. See Slide 11 See the information in the GTR presentation on driver recruitment and training Slide 9 Many Train Operating Companies rely on drivers volunteering for rest day working and overtime under established agreements with the drivers union. The on-going recruitment and training of more drivers will make it easier to ensure that all services are fully resourced. East Midlands Trains have recently opened a new ticket office next door to ours. It has up to four members of staff on duty. Tickets for any National Rail journey can be bought at either ticket office. Our staff are multi-skilled, with their role varying between 9

10 16 17 Anonymous St Albans Commuter Siobhan Osgood situation? What plans are there for making it easier to cross between platforms? Is this also a safety concern when it is very crowded at rush hour? Would it be possible for rush hour trains to stop on platform 4, allowing two options to exit, rather than all passengers having to use the stairs? What plans are there for improving the Ridgemont Road exit? It is increasingly difficult to cross the busy carpark at peak times. a) How are the ticket price rises justified, particularly when the level of service has decreased? b) Almost all delays and cancellations seem to be blamed Second footbridge/crowded station Second footbridge/crowded station Ridgmont Road exit improvements Ticket price Employee relations selling tickets and assisting customers at the information desk or on the platforms. More ticket vending machines have recently been installed in the station concourse between our ticket gates and the northern entrance to London Underground A feasibility study is underway for the provision of a second footbridge at St Albans station. It is being led by GTR in partnership with Network Rail. Extra staff are in place on island platform 2 & 3 each weekday evening peak to ensure passengers are kept safe as they queue for the stairway to the footbridge. Many trains running fast from St Pancras / West Hampstead Thameslink to St Albans stop on platform 4. Those that cross from the fast to the slow line at Radlett Junction (and then stop on platform 2) do so as there is a faster East Midlands train just behind them. If we could stop more trains on platform 4 we would do so. The planned station redevelopment will include a new building on platform 4 with a wider gateline to speed passengers into and out of the station, better ticket purchasing facilities and a secure cycle hub. It will also include a complete redesign of the car park, including safer pedestrian and cycle access. We will be working in partnership with Herts Highways on improved access. Under the GTR franchise all farebox revenue is passed to the DfT, who regulate the major fares including all season tickets. See Slide 11 It is not true that almost all delays and cancellations seem to be blamed on a member of staff. We do not blame people or 10

11 on a member of staff; does Govia have a strategy for positive employee relations? organisations but we do try to explain the cause of any disruption. Where, for instance, a train is cancelled due to staff shortages this is a statement of fact which is no reflection on the motivations or attitudes of our employees. c) Does Govia lose money on strike days, or are these losses covered by the government? d) How much does Govia's CEO earn? e) How much does Govia's Senior Management Team earn? f) What were Govia's profits and/or returns to stakeholders in the last tax year 2015/16? Funding/profit queries GTR does have a strategy for positive employee relations, including an annual Employee Survey and active and tangible support for charitable fund raising. Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) does lose money on strike days. Govia is a joint venture between the Go-Ahead Group (65%) and Keolis (35%), two substantial and successful transport companies in their own right. Govia currently runs three major rail franchises: GTR (Govia Thameslink Railway), Southeastern and London Midland. Govia is the UK s busiest rail operator, currently providing around.35% of all passenger journeys. Go-Ahead is the largest operator of bus services in London, running around a quarter of London s bus services. The Go-Ahead Group is a PLC and its CEO s earnings are reported in its Annual Report.. See above. Go-Ahead s online annual report summary for the year ending 2 July 2016 can be found at 11

12 g) What are the plans to improve St Albans City Station, and in particular the narrow footbridge which leads to crushing at peak times? h) Are there plans to improve parking at St Albans City Station? i) Are there plans to improve the automatic ticket machines so that they work faster, and provide more machines to reduce queues? j) Could the smoking area be moved away from the exit to St Albans station? k) Could ticket prices be reduced given the lack of seats available? l) Why are there no staff available on platforms to assist passengers, particularly when leaving very crowded services? m) Many commuters are now choosing not to work in the city due Second footbridge/crowded station Availability of seats/standing tickets Customer Service A feasibility study is underway for the provision of a second footbridge at St Albans station. It is being led by GTR in partnership with Network Rail. The layout of the Ridgmont Road car park will be improved as part of the planned station redevelopment, to include the provision of better walking and cycling routes. Ridgmont Road and Station Way car parks are full by around 08:30 each weekday but sufficient capacity to meet future demand is available in the Victoria Street multi-storey car park in Charrington Place. Yes, the older ticket vending machines will be replaced with new, more reliable. This should be completed by end July this year. The number of machines at St Albans City station has recently been increased from 10 to 12. Yes, it will shortly be relocated into the loading bay area. Under the GTR franchise all farebox revenue is passed to the DfT, who regulate the major fares including all season tickets. We do provide discounted fares in the off-peak to help encourage those people who can, to travel at less busy times.. See Slide 11 Extra staff are in place on island platform 2 & 3 each weekday evening between 15:30 and 20:30 to ensure passengers are kept safe as they queue for the stairway to the footbridge. We continue to work with Siemens, who are contracted by the DfT to build and maintain the new Class 700 trains, to 12

13 18 19 Elena Herron Julie Mumby to the cost of the poor train service. What is Govia's response to this? n) Will St Albans City and District Council allow, and/or demand that a new station be built in St Albans? Why is the cost of train tickets so high when it is impossible to get a seat, and sometimes difficult to board a train when they are so crowded? a) How much money did Govia pocket last year in compensation for delays? Was money received in this way, and not distributed to customers via the delay repay mechanism, used to reduce fare increases? Second footbridge/crowded station Availability of seats/standing tickets Funding/profit queries resolve all outstanding reliability issues as swiftly as possible See Slide 8 Thameslink passengers will benefit from a resolution of the RMT and ASLEF disputes on Southern - Slide 8 The DfT has recently made over 300 million available to Network Rail for major upgrades to Thameslink and adjacent lines over the next two years. This includes replacing old or poor quality track. GTR will help Network Rail to expedite this through more access to the track overnight and during weekends Slide 8 A feasibility study is underway for the provision of a second footbridge at St Albans station. It is being led by GTR in partnership with Network Rail The planned station redevelopment will include a new building on platform 4 with a wider gateline to speed passengers into and out of the station. More ticket gates will be introduced in the main ticket hall plus better retail facilities. Under the GTR franchise all farebox revenue is passed to the DfT, who regulate the major fares including all season tickets.. See Slide 11 None. As shown on Slide 11, all performance income from Network Rail (and other sources) is passed to the DfT. Under the GTR franchise all farebox revenue is passed to the DfT, who regulate the major fares including all season tickets. See Slide 11 13

14 20 21 Anonymous St Albans Commuter Carole Rodda b) Can Govia advise what stranded passengers should do in the event of total service failure at a time when alternative train or bus travel is unavailable? Will Govia compensate passengers if they have to use a taxi as their station staff have been known to say they will? Why are there no seat-back tables in standard class on the 700 series trains? This makes it difficult to work from a laptop without a seatback table, and nowhere to place drinks. Please retrofit seat back tables. Why are trains are breaking down on a daily basis, usually several times a day causing major disruption to service? Why are trains not maintained to a higher standard to prevent this avoidable disruption? Compensation system Seat-back tables Train maintenance Our website and the National Rail Enquiries website show recommended alternative routes at times of disruption to our services. If this advice is followed and there are no connecting service buses because it is late at night (e.g. from Hatfield to St Albans) please check with a member of the station staff, as there may be rail replacement buses en route. If there are none, a taxi can be authorised. As shown on Slide 4 the DfT, who specified and ordered the Class 700s, have agreed that Wi-Fi and seat back tables will be installed. Timescales are awaited. Trains already delivered will have these facilities retro-fitted, whereas those not yet in build will be factory fitted. Siemens are currently evaluating how long it will take to retrofit each train, with the estimate being between one and three weeks. As we cannot afford to take trains out of service, it is likely to be several months before sufficient trains have been delivered to allow retro-fitting to start. We continue to work with Siemens, who are contracted by the DfT to build and maintain the new Class 700 trains, to resolve all outstanding reliability issues as swiftly as possible See Slide 8 14

15 22 Gavin Wallace Overcrowding on St Albans station could be improved by: a) providing a secondary crossing, perhaps utilising the existing road bridge, b) providing better information about the number of carriages on a train to help passengers spread along the platform, c) improving station exit points and increasing the number of barriers to enter/exit to 6/7 at both exits/ Could extra carriages used in peak morning traffic be left at the southernmost point of the route, to be picked up again for peak evening traffic? This may help overcrowding on the trains. Second footbridge/crowded station Capacity of trains a) A feasibility study is underway for the provision of a second footbridge at St Albans station. It is being led by GTR in partnership with Network Rail b) The Customer Information Screens on each platform show the number of carriages that the next train is formed of. We will ask our platform staff to make more announcements to passengers to supplement this c) The planned station redevelopment will include a new building on platform 4 with a wider gateline to speed passengers into and out of the station, better ticket purchasing facilities and a secure cycle hub. More ticket gates will be introduced in the main ticket hall plus better retail facilities. This already happens. Our train planning team make use of all available rolling stock to optimise capacity in both the morning and evening peaks We still have two 4-car all stations trains in the morning peak and three 4-car all stations trains in the evening peak. We will be able to extend these to 8-car trains by the end of May, by when we will have received sufficient new Class 700 trains to do so. See Slide 8 ~ Ends ~ 15