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Abellio clamps down on fare dodging by Peter Brown Passenger safety and a clampdown on crime, including fare evasion are the key elements of the Greater Anglia franchise, which came into force on 5 February under the control of Abellio. Abellio replaces National Express East Anglia, which had been running services between London Liverpool Street and Norwich, as well as suburban trains serving stations in the north east area of the capital, Hertfordshire and Essex. Additional Making Travel Safe Officers (MTSOs) will nThe railway cost £11bn to run in 2010-11, according to the Office of Rail Regulation. Income from fares was £6.6bn, with £4bn coming from government. The ORR measured significant regional variations in income and expenditure across the UK. The highest subsidy was in Scotland at 15.6p per passenger km and the lowest in Wessex at 1.7p. be working in conjunction with revenue protection officers (RPOs) and the British Transport Police, explained Greater Anglia managing director Ruud Haket. He said: ‘I want customers to have complete peace of mind and the deployment of the MTSO and RPO team will certainly help. I also want to make it really clear that I believe all customers should travel on a valid ticket. ‘We know that over 90 per cent of customers buy a ticket; however, this still leaves one in 10 that doesn’t and this minority is costing all rail users in the end.’ The average government funding across all rail regions was 7.5 pence per passenger km. The Wessex region – Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire – largely equates with the South West Trains franchise. It has the highest passenger density, with an average 143 passengers per train. Scotland has the lowest, at 84 passengers per train. Superintendent Gareth Williams of BTP has welcomed the initiatives to make the routes safer and tackle crime. He told Rail Professional: ‘The MTSOs will be a valuable addition to the existing police presence and will provide further reassurance for passengers across the network. ‘We already have officers who tackle crime and passenger safety issues on trains and at stations across Essex and East Anglia, but these additional teams will play a significant role in supporting our efforts by patrolling the lines across the Greater Anglia route.’ ORR reveals true costs of rail The average fare was 12.1p per passenger km. ORR said its objective was to shine a brighter light on the costs and funding of the railway. Director Cathryn Ross said: ‘As the rail industry works hard to improve efficiency and cut costs, this data will improve understanding of how the money flows across the rail industry.’ Old fleets to be given new lease of life Alstom is to convert a fleet of 36 five-car units to enable longer trains to run on South West Trains routes into Waterloo during peak hours. Porterbrook, which owns the trains, has asked Alstom to lead on the work, as it originally built the Class 458s and 460s that will be used for the £42m project. Some of the work will be carried out at Wabtec’s Doncaster-based plant, under Alstom’s supervision. Terence Watson, managing director of Alstom Transport in the UK and Ireland, said: ‘We look forward to bringing Alstom’s local expertise to the fore in this key project that shows how industry partners can work well together to provide innovative, value for money proposals to meet rolling stock requirements.’ The Class 458s are currently used by South West Trains, while the Class 460s were formerly used on the Gatwick Express route. The modifications will include work to cabs, couplers and gangways, as well as the conversion of baggage areas into passenger saloon areas. ScotRail conductor Alan Mitchell, 63, has returned to work after time off following a train incident viewed two million times on YouTube. He confronted an alleged fare dodger, who was then ejected from the train by a second passenger. The Crown Office has now decided no one will be prosecuted over the fracas Page 10 MARCH 2012
Network Rail awards £1.5bn of signalling framework agreements ■The next framework agreements for signalling work have been given to Invensys Rail, Signalling Solutions and Atkins. The contracts with Network Rail, worth around £1.5bn in total, will cover the majority of signalling renewals and enhancements in England, Scotland and Wales. They will start in April and last for up to seven years. Simon Kirby, Network Rail’s managing director of infrastructure projects, said: ‘Network Rail is continuing to drive down the costs of Britain’s railway.’ He added: ‘As the number of passengers and companies that rely on Britain’s railway continues to rise, the safety-critical systems we use to run a safe and efficient railway are more important than ever.’ Rugby signalling centre More Asian bidders expected to take part in future franchise competitions Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTR) would bring its own engineers over from China to ensure minimal disruption during the rebuilding of London Bridge station in 2018, if it was successful in its bid to run Thameslink’s trains, its managers have said. The operator, which already has a stake in London Overground operator Lorol, is making its first solo bid in the UK with its pitch for Thameslink. But more Asian companies are expected to bid for contracts in Britain’s transport infrastructure over the next few years, according to Nick Emmerson, partner in international law firm Eversheds. Lack of money in the west is likely to lead to more far eastern companies bidding for business in the UK, he predicts. Speaking from his London office, he explained: ‘Asian companies have identified UK transport and infrastructure assets as investment targets, as they offer long-term stable returns in a sector where they have recent and relevant know-how. ‘Bringing that experience and expertise, and the financial resource to back it, can only strengthen the UK’s ability to modernise. Asian companies have excess cash burning holes in their pockets.’ MARCH 2012 PAGE 11
Page 1 and 2: MARCH 2012 ISSUE 180 £3.95 THE BUS
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