Response from West Sussex Rail Users Association to the DfT consultation on Thameslink franchise. Q.1 What improvements do stakeholders believe could be made on the combined franchise through partnership working between Network Rail and the new operator? 1.1 Network Rail re-signalling of the Arun Valley line will enable the successful to revise timetable to deliver faster journey times from Southampton and South Coast resorts via Horsham to London termini. 1.2 Delivery of the Arundel Chord by Network Rail will provide an alternative route from Brighton and West Coastway stations via Horsham to London easing considerably congestion on the Brighton Main Line (BML) and delivering a more flexible network. The chord could also provide the South Coast towns, an area of high population density with improved transport links and help with re-generation of coastal towns now in serious decline (e.g. Littlehampton and Bognor). This proposal was originally made by GoVia and delivery was promised by DfT. 1.3 Longer platforms where feasible to enable the ToC to run more 12 coach trains particularly on the Horsham Dorking line and the West Coastway (westwards from Worthing). 1.4 Joint working should encourage more flexibility in infrastructure and timetables and enable the ToC to provide better services via Horsham for special events including the London Marathon and events at Goodwood. 1.5 The successful ToC should continue to participate in the joint control centre currently hosted by Southern at Croydon to enable NR and the ToC to provide holistic solutions for emergencies and during disruptions. A second joint control centre located at Three Bridges might bring further improvements in problem solving. Q.2 Do consultees have any other specific aspirations for the new franchise that they wish to bring to the Department's attention? 2.1 Firstly to keep what we have as a starting point. We are happy with what Southern have achieved in their 2 franchises but this can be improved on post 2015. 2.2 Improved services for non-bml lines including providing genuinely fast trains to London via Horsham (at present only semi-fast). This can be achieved by returning to the pre-2008 stopping pattern for Thameslink services with these calling at Horley and Redhill instead of the Arun Valley trains doing so. 2.3 The Sunday timetable via Horsham to mirror weekday service with regular fast trains to and from London. At present Sunday trains are slow and very overcrowded. 2.4 A vastly improved service from Chichester and Bognor via Horsham to London Bridge (LBR). At present there is only one direct train to LBR from Chichester and none returning. There is a need for several fast peak hour trains to and from LBR to serve the population working in East London (incl. Canary Wharf). Q.3 Are consultees aware of any other rail or non-rail development schemes that might affect the new franchise? 3.1 Yes. There is considerable new housing planned in West Sussex; at least 25,000 new homes by 2020. Many thousand new homes are already being built south of Crawley, around Horsham and south of Horsham and more are planned. Elsewhere in West Sussex, several thousand homes are being built in and around Chichester, also Pulborough and Billingshurst. These people need to get to work and this means there is a need for a better train service to London and Gatwick not least because the road network is poor and already at breaking point. NB there is less than 10 miles of motorway in West Sussex and not much dual carriageway
either. We are still using the roads built by the Romans! Q.4 What increments or decrements to the specification would stakeholders wish to see and how would these be funded? 4.1 We do not wish to see any decrement in services on the West Coastway or Arun Valley lines. 4.2 Take the Gatwick Express via Chichester to Southampton once an hour. There is a real need for an express service from Gatwick to south Hampshire (stops at Horsham, Barnham, Chichester, Emsworth, Eastleigh, Southampton Airport and Central). Self-funding if replacing slow stopping service. 4.3 Invest in the Horsham-Dorking line and upgrade it to take longer trains. This could reduce the load on the BML north of Hayward s Heath and free up some paths if services ex Horsham were timetabled imaginatively. Q.5 Which aspects of the specification, other than for those services operating through the Thameslink core route, would stakeholders wish to see mandated and which aspects of the specification could be left to the discretion of the operator? 5.1 Mandate at least current level of service between London termini and South Coast destinations via Horsham. 5.2 Mandate that ToC does not run trains without functioning on-board toilets on West Coastway and Arun Valley lines. Q.6 Are there other approaches to train service specification which you would prefer? 6.1 DfT to have less control over franchise details (i.e. not dictating on rolling stock type and distribution; timetable changes) allow ToCs to be more creative providing they adhere to an agreed basic specification. 6.2 DfT to encourage the train operator to discuss and agree proposed train service changes with User Groups as well as Passenger Focus. Q.7 What changes to services would stakeholders propose, what is the rationale for them and would these provide economic benefit? 7.1 Fast services from Southampton / Portsmouth via Horsham to London Bridge. There is only one direct from Barnham via Horsham to London Bridge in the morning and one back in the evening both extremely well used. An earlier direct service (arriving by 8.00) to London Bridge and a later return service (leaving after 18:30) would be a great improvement to the Arun Valley service and facilitate a reasonable journey time from West Sussex stations to Canary Wharf which is a major destination. Currently there is only 1 direct service between Chichester and London Bridge in the morning peak and no direct services in the afternoon/evening peak and the LBR services now take longer than when British Rail were in charge! economic benefit is enabling more people to take up job opportunities in London and on the south coast; reduction in commuter car journeys (e.g. to Haslemere); less pollution; less commuter traffic on roads at peak times. 7.2 Peak hour services calling at Gatwick in early morning and evening. This would benefit staff and airline passengers and reduce road journeys. There are many people working at or near the airport who have to drive because the trains do not stop at Gatwick which is a nonsense. Currently Arun Valley trains stop at Horley (where no-one alights) but not at Gatwick which Is a major place of work for West Sussex residents as well as being their local airport. If the timetable can only afford one stop it should be Gatwick not Horley. Economic benefits include enabling more people to take up employment opportunities in the Gatwick area; reduction in car journeys.
7.3 Later trains between London and Chichester via Arun Valley line. Shift workers (of whom there are many and the number is growing) can t use the trains, neither can leisure travellers wishing to enjoy evening entertainment in London or Chichester. This would directly benefit workers who would not have to use their cars, and Chichester Theatre, also other places of entertainment. Q.8 How might better use be made of the capacity currently available? 8.1 There are no spare paths on the BML, or Arun Valley, or the line between Leatherhead and Clapham Junction. This means that the lines are operating at capacity and will do so unless and until major infrastructure improvements take place. These must include resignalling Arun Valley and Horsham to Dorking lines. 8.2 Better use of the BML can be achieved by reducing the current duplication of services at present operated by both Thameslink and Southern on the BML. If these are rationalised both paths and rolling stock can be released for use on other lines including providing trains via Horsham to London Bridge (see 7.1 and 7.2) 8.3 More car parking at rural stations would encourage more people to use the trains instead of driving long distances. West Sussex station car parks are all full by 9am so there is no chance for leisure travellers to take the train. Rural bus services are almost non-existent however if people could get to a station they would be more inclined to use the trains than drive long distances. This would be an economic benefit as it would encourage off-peak use. Q.9 What steps might bidders be expected to take to meet passenger demand and what might be the most appropriate mechanisms for managing demand? 9.1 Lengthen trains to increase capacity 9.2 Use fare structure imaginatively not punitively to enable commuters to travel to work at a reasonable cost. Sensible use of incentives such as lower fares in shoulder peak (early morning, later evening) to broaden appeal to commuters (not higher fares in high peak!). 9.3 Broaden range of offers to encourage more people to use trains for leisure. Q.10 What destinations on the current Southeastern network do respondents think should be served by the combined franchise s services and what is the rationale for such proposals? 10.1 A direct connection from Gatwick to Ashford enabling use of the Eurostar. At present a few brave souls drive round the M25 to Ebbsfleet (not recommended as likely to miss the train) and very few travel to St Pancras. 10.2 Direct service from Gatwick to Tonbridge to provide a decent rail link from Sussex to Kent. Q.11 How might better use be made of the capacity available on the Brighton Main Line? 11.1 More BML trains to serve Redhill and Horley as this would give them a direct line to Brighton without having to change. Q.12 What steps should bidders be expected to take to improve performance on the route? 12.1 ToC to work effectively with Network Rail to achieve better integration of services including: cross platform interchange (e.g. at Hayward s Heath and Three Bridges) and better connections throughout Sussex. Q.13 What destinations on the Great Northern route do respondents consider would be appropriate to become destinations for trains which serve the core Thameslink route? 13.1 Cambridge.
Q.14 Do respondents believe Great Northern trains which do not serve the Thameslink core route should remain as part of this franchise or be transferred to the new Inter City East Coast franchise? 14.1 The Peterborough service might fit better with Inter City East Coast. Q.15 What improvements would respondents like to see made to Great Northern services as part of the combined franchise and what is the rationale for this? No response given. Q.16 What services would be appropriate to serve the Airport market? 16.1 Peak hour trains via Horsham to stop at Gatwick instead of Horley as stated at 7.2. At present peak hour trains don t stop so everyone from Southampton eastwards has to change (with baggage) at Three Bridges. 16.2 Through trains from Gatwick to Southampton airport a train service to link the airports as stated at 7.3. At present DfT limit a direct service to Southampton Airport to every 2 hours from Brighton only which is nonsense! 16.3 Retain the existing rolling stock for the dedicated airport service. If this is replaced use the GatEx rolling stock on the Arun Valley line we like it, at least there are comfortable seats and toilets! Q.17 What improvements could be made without adversely affecting the service provision on the remainder of the franchise? 17.1 as above: Fast trains to London via Horsham from Portsmouth / Southampton stopping only at Chichester, Barnham, Horsham 17.2 All trains to have functioning toilets (West Coastway). Q.18 What services that run via Elephant & Castle do respondents think should run via the Thameslink core route? No response. Q.19 Recognising that not all of these services can run via the Thameslink core route, what would be the most satisfactory way of managing the interchange at Blackfriars? No response. Q.20 What improvements would respondents like to see made to Coastway East and West services, the rationale for such proposals and the economic benefit expected to be delivered from these changes? 20.1 Restore the fast service that existed in part until 2007 between Portsmouth and Brighton (when the SWT service between Basingstoke and Brighton was withdrawn) with stops at Havant, Chichester, Barnham, Worthing Shoreham, Hove and Brighton. This can be achieved either by introducing new trains or by taking out stops on selected existing services. 20.2 The off-peak service each hour between Southampton and Brighton to call at Bosham. To maintain journey time the Southwick stop can be taken out because contrary to belief the employees of the Shoreham Port Authority do not use the trains! Q.21 What improvements would respondents like to see made to other Southern services as part of the combined franchise from 2015, what is the rationale for such proposals and the economic benefit expected to be delivered from these changes?
As in Qs I, 2, 4, 7. 8 and 16 above Q.22 What are respondents views on the practice of splitting trains at stations such as Hayward s Heath? 22.1 The splitting at Horsham has proved a success as it gives a faster service for long distance travellers. A good idea from Southern so DfT need to ensure the rolling stock is suitable. Q.23 Do respondents feel that the Newhaven Marine branch line and station should be kept open and maintained or should the rail industry deploy the relevant funding elsewhere on the rail network? No response. Q.24 How would you like to see performance information published? 24.1 More detail for each station on a line of route as the current system can make the statistics look better than passenger experience because of the practice of extra time for the final stage of a journey. It also hides effective cancellations for some intermediate stations when stops are missed out to recover lateness. Q.25 How frequent should its publication be? 25.1 As Now. Q.26 What level of disaggregation of performance do you believe is reasonable? 26.1 Same as now Q.27 What are the priorities that respondents consider should be taken into account to improve the passenger experience of using these services? 27.1 All trains to have toilets, with benefits to health and well-being of train users. 27.2 All trains to offer a quiet coach, Southwest trains manage this. 27.3 Retain ticket offices. In rural areas these are a life-line, even if only open part-time as they prevent long car journeys to buy and collect tickets etc. McNulty was WRONG! 27.4 First class services to be Improved including: separated seating (doors to 1st class compartments), plus ticket checks to remove squatters. Over 40% more money to get a seat (not always guaranteed) is a disgrace when at present a headrest cover is the only difference to standard. 27.5 The on-board refreshment service for West Coastway and Arun Valley line trains should be re-instated particularly as the journey times are up to 2 hours. 27.6 Power supply on board these are long-distance commuter routes with high prices with worse facilities than a metro service. Even many 1st Class carriages up to London do not have a charger plug. If this is a constraint of the rolling stock then DfT should stop ordering sub-standard trains. Virgin manage to provide power sockets in all classes, why can t Southern? Q.28 What do stakeholders see as the most important factors in improving security (actual or perceived) and addressing any gap between the two? 28.1 Continue good work started by Southern
28.2 Have staff at stations while trains are running, not disappearing at 6 o clock 28.3 Ensure that CCTV is managed and operated effectively in conjunction with British Transport Police. Q.29 What is important to stakeholders in the future use and improvements in stations? 29.1 That ToC and Network Rail consult with and take account of the views of local rail users. [Horsham station forecourt set fair to be a real problem because our knowledge and experience was discounted..] Q.30 What priorities would respondents give to car parking and cycling facilities at locations where these are fully used? 30.1 High priority for extra car parking in West Sussex. Most West Sussex stations serve scattered rural communities that have NO bus services. The only way to get to stations is by car and at present take-up of rail services is limited by the (inadequate) number of car park spaces available. 30.2 Cycle racks in town stations are generally popular and full so more are needed. Cycling to and from rural stations is at best a seasonal option as cycling down narrow country lanes in the dark in winter is a life-threatening challenge. 30.3 The general policy not permitting cycles on trains is unfortunate but dictated by poor choices of rolling stock. Look at the trains provided on the continent (e.g. Sudostbahn in Switzerland; plenty of room for people, bikes and skis) Q.31 What sort of ticketing products and services would you expect to see delivered through smart technology on this franchise? 31.1 Southern are already rolling out the Key and this should be continued by the incoming ToC as scrapping it in favour of a different but not better system will be massively inconvenient. 31.2 A ToC ap. for smartphones Is needed and overdue. 31.3 The Network Rail and Southern Twitter feeds are good and well used. Q.32 What local accessibility and mobility issues do stakeholders see and how they might be addressed? 32.1 Disabled access is needed as a priority at Arundel and Pulborough. 32.2 There is no joined up thinking about bus and train services. With the exception of major towns (Chichester, Bognor, Crawley and Horsham) trains are not accessible to anyone without a car. The few bus services that do exist; appear to be deliberately timed not to connect with trains, nor is there any system whereby the buses wait if a train is late. Local authorities are not doing anything about this. Q.33 What environmental targets would stakeholders like to see within the franchise specification? 33.1 Southern is already using regenerative braking to save tonnes of CO2 and this should be continued and extended to all ToCs. Contact contact@wsrua.org.uk or visit www.wsrua.org.uk