Great Western Coffee Shop

Not so fast. Seems as if someone heard what they wanted to hear. Tolls NOT being scrapped just cut to ^5.40 for cars,white van man, pink van woman and buses from 2018.

[/"We^re also connecting up the South West, with over ^7 billion of transport investment, better roads, support for air links, and ^ I can confirm today ^ a new rail franchise which will bring new intercity express trains and greatly improved rail services."

Talks have been underway for many months between FirstGroup and the Department for Transport, and there is speculation that First has won a further direct award of four years or so, which would extend the present franchise to 2020.
quote]

So it's not a new rail franchise as such, just a new award of an existing one...?! Bit of a non-story in the end!

Great Western direct award
^ The government will, subject to negotiations, shortly
agree a Direct Award with First Great Western until 2019 which will introduce the new Intercity
Express Trains and improve rail services across the South West.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/413949/47881_Budget_2015_Web_Accessible.pdf


This confirms it is indeed the direct award.

I guess that assumes the new trains will be running by 2019?

1.166 Transport: The government has already committed ^7.2 billion to transport
infrastructure in the South West. This includes: ^2 billion on upgrading key roads such as the
A30, A303, A358 and the M5; a new tunnel at Stonehenge; and electrification of the Great
Western Main Line. In January 2015, the Chancellor announced a new South West Peninsula Rail
Task Force to bring forward proposals for strategic and local rail schemes.

1.167 The Secretary of State for Transport will shortly set out details of the new franchise for
the Great Western Route, which will introduce the new ^3 billion Intercity Express
trains, more frequent services and faster journey times. To reduce costs for businesses,
once the Severn River Crossings are in public ownership after 2018, the government will
abolish Category 2 tolls (small goods vehicles and small buses) and include those
vehicles in Category 1 (motor cars and motor caravans).

1.168 Transport: The government has asked the South West Peninsula Task Force
on rail to consider improvements to the Exeter to Salisbury line as part of its work.
The government also encourages the relevant local authorities and Local Enterprise
Partnership to develop a business case for investment in the North Devon Link road,
to form the basis of a future application to the Local Growth Fund.

1.169 Plymouth Marine Enterprise Zone and airport: The government will seek to
create a new Enterprise Zone on the south Naval Dockyard site, and commission a new
study into the possibility of reopening Plymouth airport.

I guess that assumes the new trains will be running by 2019?

In his budget speech today Chancellor George Osborne said "We^re also connecting up the South West, with over ^7 billion of transport investment, better roads, support for air links, and ^ I can confirm today ^ a new rail franchise which will bring new intercity express trains and greatly improved rail services."

This could mean a number of things, so can anybody decode this?

The first one has reached the UK already, so at least some of them will probably be running by 2019. The questions are (a.) where? and (b.) for how much of the journey will they be running their 'Gin Palace' underfloor diesel engines?

I guess that assumes the new trains will be running by 2019?

1.168 Transport: The government has asked the South West Peninsula Task Force
on rail to consider improvements to the Exeter to Salisbury line as part of its work.

First Group have done well by FGW after handing the keys back a few years ago. Trebles all round.  ::)

What is franchising for if it can just be ignored?

No offence (and nothing personal!), but "at least some of them will probably be running" doesn't inspire much faith! (although it probably reflects reality!)

I guess much of it is down to how much more the electrification overruns and if the overspend is met.........."in" 2019 rather than "by" 2019 may be worth a small each way bet? (......against the promise of 2017 touted by FGW).

...all made possible thanks to that wonderful Labour government we had.  Haven't we got over that "outrage" yet?

I read that FG Directors could have been prosecuted for putting the company on an obvious path to financial ruin by taking the extension, so I really don't know what anyone seriously expected them to do?  No-one is shocked Osborne's figures do not match his 2010 projections 5 years later, yet many got on their soap boxes and cried foul play because FG and the DfT couldn't predict the future back in 2006.

So it's Labour's fault that Greater Western hasn't been retendered? It's Labour's fault that the franchise timetable has had the goalposts moved three times since the Intercity West Coast franchise debacle. And I assume that if we're misguidingly blaming Labour then we might as well pin that WCML debacle on them as well. >:( :o ::)

I rather thought we were tending to blame the misguided functionaries at the Department for Transport, rather than the Labour Party specifically?  ;D

Were it not for a grossly misguided bid that, by obfuscation and dazzle, blinded the DfT, then First Group would not have needed to walk away early.

And let's not forget, if the extension was only in the gift of the DfT then First would have done the exact same as National Express with the East Coast franchise.

So it's Labour's fault that Greater Western hasn't been retendered? It's Labour's fault that the franchise timetable has had the goalposts moved three times since the Intercity West Coast franchise debacle. And I assume that if we're misguidingly blaming Labour then we might as well pin that WCML debacle on them as well. >:( :o ::)

(Apologies for quoting in full but only picking up on one point. On my phone and extremely difficult to edit/delete as I'd like)

My personal view is that it seems to me the DfT seem to run rings around whoever is in power. Too few politicians understand, or want to understand,  the finer points of public transport to keep the DfT in check.

My personal view is that it seems to me the DfT seem to run rings around whoever is in power. Too few politicians understand, or want to understand,  the finer points of public transport to keep the DfT in check.

........... Maybe we should have a second election a few weeks after a general one to democratically elect ministers who have to put their name down to stand for that post....

Agreed, but also a governing class (all parties that have been in power) who think they can play at managing complex enterprises with no experience of the real world.  

Paying ^68,000 to ^140,000 pa isn't going to get you someone who can[/run] an organisation as big as UK PLC's railways. Given that the transport minister is also responsible for ordering new roads and ports, as well as avoiding making a decision on Heathrow's runways, he/she is doing the job on the cheap.

a Secretary of State has a bigger network of support and expertise than most Private companies, it really depends on his political agenda and the slice of cake he is permitted from the Treasury.........historically Transport has come some way down the pecking order, it's not a "sexy" subject like Health or Education.

My personal view is that it seems to me the DfT seem to run rings around whoever is in power. Too few politicians understand, or want to understand,  the finer points of public transport to keep the DfT in check.