Great Western Coffee Shop

A "health check" on the following - I attended the GWR Stakeholder and Community Rail Conference, held in Swindon today but I was online rather than there in person, and it gave me a chance to write notes through the day.   Why a health warning?   

* I am not a court reporter and may have got something wrong - if so please tell me and I can correct

* I may have missed something

* My spelling is awful - so awful that even the smell checker had problems and there are likely to still be funnies in there

but ....

so much was useful - here are my notes.

Please feel free to quote into other forum threads because much of this carries on stories already underway ...

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Added - Slide set at http://www.passenger.chat/mirror/conf20200624.pdf for Coffee Shop members

Promotional video ...

Mark Hopwood  - bookkeeping and welcome.

Election will be change for rail; not featuring much in campaign but changes will be serious. Will remain same for people in this room  committent to community rail, partnership, social, environment. Can't do what we do alone.

Andrea Davis ... Partnerships; spend most money on adult care. £400 million rail investment in Devon.  Help our residents and businesses. Talk about rail recovery in SW. Work with colleges, bus operators, housing and planning. Focus on housing, better connection and resilient, environment.

Cranbrook Station early so that people had train straight away. Walkable. Newcourt 3000 houses; residents may only need 1 car not 2. 30 mins+ down to 11 minutes.

Decarb is so important. 31% carbon from our travel. North Devon Link road getting busy. No get rid of car because of living in remote communities. Need to focus. e.g. 118 rail link bus.  Building a model / team - "Lack of Trust"; [[ I'm afraid I drew a parallel to teams I am in - MTC, HOG, MEC, FoMAH, WWRUG, MTUG ]] .   Different Ramp gradient standard at March Barton.  Collective team goals far more important. "It is not about me - it is about everyone" [[ Yes! ]] Every day / out and about I see the results.  Thank You.

Peter Hendy. Not supposed to speak during election. Please don't quote me until after 4th July. Could speak long term BUT knows that any short term issues will be people's priority. As chair, sorry infrastructure has to been as it should be. Substantial changes made. Still not good enough but getting better.  Chair NOT CEO so Andrew work harder.  Connacriving drives growth. Modern connectivity more easily / better results by rail e.g. OKE - permanence and people really want better rail connections.  "Don't think well talk about substantial station closure again in my lifetime".

Structure last change 1993. Huge passenger grown. So frequent don't need a TT SWI -> PAD. Concerns a regime full of contracts don't all fit together. Crazy - NR were late on elect but so many others. SoS asked Keith Williams to look at industry.  Keith stated with what people wanted. from 2018 now longer than WWII. Manifestos both main parties commit to GBR. Unite tracks and train. Fundamental - rail runs better if unified.   Scrapping PPP - incident / 50 lawyers not needed. Many setting standards  without responsibility. Need what passengers want and reliability.  Labour would need a lot of work if adding TOC public ownership in place of regulation. Alex Hines from Scotland now at DfT.   Need better, cheaper railway.  Rail has all the costs but less fares. Like to think increase revenue. Can we shop treasury running revenue and DfT costs. Can't leave alone an infrastructure as it will turn on itself.  Probably need a head office but a small one, more power at regional level.  We consume so much public money that politicians will be interested.

Changes ... I have been around a long time ad expect to see a new setup.

David Long Q - integration. Devon - strong partnership; have to be willing to change routes and stations becoming both.  Now ask bus to hang on - result for customers. Remember there are a lot of us move around.  Qn - why to we compare cars in miles, public transport in time; need to think why.   Peter - rail timetable is complex; hard to change times and reliably effects right around the country.  Bus needs to be in a responsive partnership. Ideal is frequent on both - sounds like Devon is good.

Paddy Bradley Q. Successive Govt. have not empathised infrastructure into future govt.  Peter - always long and complex.  Have yo build and not kill people as Victorians  Need consistency. Long uncosted lists from politician are not sensible.  Take longer than 1 parliament. Consistency again.
Andrea - also down to what people and local authorities want. So regional.

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Platform - myths busted [[sounds like safety bias]] and indeed that comment confirmed. Young people and adults with learning difficulties.

Joe Graham
11 CRP
273 station teams
Emma, Nicole, Anne, and Jo
300+ applications to CCIF. Excited about range and projects.
DfT and minister - dialled in but cannot be here because of election.
Thanks to DfT for CR support.
[listing of many projects]

OxCRP - excellent but I have been sidetracked. Critical to know your community and grass roots.

Life Cycle ... for public and people in prisons.  Cycling "most common choice " for short journeys including to station.   Refurbishing bikes abandoned in stations.  Excellent project [[ Not personally / locally applicable in rail / Wiltshire ? ]]

Richard Burningham - Devon and Cornwall Railcard - WHY NOT Wiltshire Railcard??? Have had railcard since 1985.  "Seek improvements" ... [we need those in Wilshire] ... "promote local use of train".  Promotion ... railcard is additional incentive to make more journeys. 15700 to 20700 railcard sales in one year. 23,000 in 2023, but note 24,000 in 2019.   Capital cost was £68k

"Nick Reeves" - new name for Luke Farleigh / integrated transport role
Correction - Nick Reid - excellent ...

Question D&C working for journeys from home to work. Andrea would like it to cover Somerset too.
"So cheap to get around South West".

B-o-A friends - thank you to Nicole and team.  Able to use GWR funds to pump prime more from TC and local heritage.

Paul Gentlemen - Railway 200 (next year since passenger railways). Asking "what are you ideas"

----------- Afternoon ---------

David Harding and Penny Anderson

DH - Head of economics for NR.
What is the subsidy require? Was 12.5Bn before pandemic 7 on operating 5 on development.
Revenues 10.4bn down by 85% in first covid year.  5bn down yr 2 and still down
Scotrail most subsidy because fix costs shared by others
GTR jumped massively as did SWR

What costs more - trains or infrastructure?
13.9bn infrastructure 13.2bn
BUT pass throughs and costs over
25% staff, access, rolling stock

Real story is det
56bn - service last year was 4bn

How much recovered
Revenue 10.4 - 9.9 Bn - back up to 96% but without inflation 80%
Elizabeth line 3% now 14% so recovery partially hidden

Barriers identified?
Cost, Reliability ... but as from current users
Down to CR to get others

Penney Anderson
Outcomes from social activity e.g.
Rail Social Value tool
"Community" includes crime
"Climate" include CO2 and particulate

What does value mean? Social, economic, environmental
Social Impact Slide.


John Scragg - to what extent do track access charges reflect the true cost?
Problem - averages for rolling stock. Misses opportunities to reduce.

How to identify where the community gains are. Penny suggests relationships are important and take a very long time to build.  David thinks the RB presentation was particularly good.

Richard Faulkner. Battle for rail '70s and '80s - argument was to include societal ad environmental. Can't we include a table to show gain by everyone. Speaker agrees that we should show these issues BUT we still ned to manage costs.

Rachel Gelliamassi
Our goal is be the best employer.
What we do at GWR to endorse this.
12 mos ago as MD of a bus company. Moved into an organisation that did care about people [[crits Stagecoach?]]. 3000 people on from line - "the person you buy your ticker from at the stn". Customers no. 1 are passengers also.

Training - examples of moves during career. Very impressed [[eh? people do move during their careers]]

Customers want simple, streamlined, easy [[no - reliable and doing what they want]]

? Exemplar at team levels [[ - what about TransWilts / West Wilts ]]. Gold accredited, etc [[but what a management kefuffle to get there? ]]  Helps are better that

"Grab me afterwards" if you want to know about what' happening in your area. (me = Rachel Geliamassi)

M Kulkhani - bringing music to Paddington Stations

Ashley Bray and Ann Nasim
Passionate about colleague experience.
Colleagues remain for a signifiant time. Outperforming others.
20% of workforce over 20 years
6.1% turnover v 33% UK average, 12 years
52% less than 10 years
400 apprentices - 150 new this year
"Investment in people" maintained for 6 years
Yatton Station Cafe - flag
Gender, EMG (Ethnic Minority Groups), LGBTQ+.
Disabillity disclosure rate (59% to rise)
Flexible Working / responsive. Quite a challenge!
Attract to apply - and choose best candidate for the roll


John Henderson - strikes, lack of staff - how to meet that challenge. Industrial action and lack of reliability effect peoples' knowledge

Q: from DR - how many taken on with disabilities?  How will you change the culture? How to get refreshments back into stations? Taunton . Paignton, Torquay, etc.

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Part 3
Video: Strawberry line cafe [[good example]] and cycle [[not entirely right for MKM]]

Marcus Jones
Good be back. Thanks for the support and the rightful challenges.  We are, slowly, stating to see it starting to get better.
3 stages - doing stabilisation at present but still seeing some issues.
Primarily 6 areas - frustrating most of the line. Axle counter and points doing much better. Have nor funding for first 13 miles - long way to go (old electrics).
Stage 2 - look to improve from the summer. Still fragile; e.g. bump last week. Good to see green shoots but still letting people down.
First time - lots of trapped electric trains (and my boss was on one!) - how to get running and move passengers on quickly.
CP6->CP7.  Successful Elizabeth line in CP6.  CP7 "Good deal" - can' talk nos. (purdah), 21 days closure at Chipping Sodbury.  Sonning Cutting. How to do sensible risk management. Exciting time ahead.

Mark Hopwood
Also 11% Wessex (nr)
Industrial Action work with RMT and ASLEF seemingly not striking during election run up
Problem last Sunday. Gradually reducing but not enough. Customer base changed and we have done some changes e.g. lunchtime to West Country.

Bristol Oxford at Weekend Saturdays. Noting Grove.
Mid-cornwall Metro. Need to solve rolling stock.
Met financial gap - withdrew most of HST and chose not to bring in 769s
"The fact we haven't enough trains is an impediment to reliability"
Project Churchward - looking to standardise; need quicker been looking around.
Budget to DfT for extra rolling stock. No announcement but 27 AC trains in the eye - not just to give extra stock to some lines but spread.  We need spares - like BA have spare planes.  Let's protect the spares? Similar stories each day. Formal announcements soon. HSTs will need heavy work mid / end 2025. PAYG launch in Cornwall and BRI to SWI.
Making point than more stations need more trains.
Proud of electric but still a lot of diesels. Keen to move cl 230 forward. Pretty sure other TV branches and also D&C branches. Keen on Wires - Oxford, Filton Bank.  Still focused on long term.
Changes happened and coming. Concerned at effect of HS2; on other changes were able to promise gains. I don't know what I can promise from HS2.  We have taken some IETs into Euston. If we were to see WLL and NLL stations might make it more effective and perhaps Central Line.
Election will result in big changes. Not featuring in campaign - we will see what this means in due course. I started in BR and may end in similar.  Wish I could say more trains and more on time - BUT I value our relationship.  In June 2025 our 6 year contract could come to an end (break point) but otherwise to 2028.  We want to deliver on value.

Mike Jones - Cullompton. Q - Climate change. What plans to combat / South Coast of Devon?  via Okehampton.  Highly Council speak to 'xxxx' - but I (Marcus Jones) can't talk about. Chat with Bob Dann.

Radley - "can't buy" etc. Any chance simplifiiation. Radley -> Oxford -> Advance London. A: Everyone looking at fare sorting. Have to get treasury advice. Worry about simpler fares; starts to evaporate when the best bargains are taken away.   Do we need to present a simpler menu?  Nonsenses like split ticketing ...

Thanks for the conference. Problems addressed honestly. Future is rail 200. How can we really celebrate.

Q: Bryony - what wise works to incoming. 
Mark
- focus on strategic direction and let us deal with the details / day to day
- if we had freedom we could grow revenue
- be a little less risk averse
Marcus
- we can continue to work together for better results for customers

Thank yous

If GBR came in 2025 ... would you come to the conference?

MH - thanks to Joe, here, diallers in.  PLEASE give us feedback. Change in the air. Clear message - train service performance is top of the agenda.

Nick Reid is the new GWR Integrated Transport Manager, taking over from Luke Farley.  Nick is a former Station Manager Westbury and SM South Devon.

Oh - excellent. Thank you for that - I will go back and update the post to make it accurate.

Assuming AC is air-conditioned rather than alternating current, a fleet of 27 points pretty squarely to the rumoured Class 175s...

The model number was not mentioned, but other hints not recorded in my précise would confirm that. There was, I recall (but a lot of water has flowed under the keel since) reference to more 158s being released for Cardiff - Portsmouth ...

23 class 175s for service the other 4 units as maintenance spares or parts.

Errr....housekeeping  :-*

Slide set at http://www.passenger.chat/mirror/conf20200624.pdf

You got a mention too, Graham, as the person who was probably joining the conference from the furthest away.........

I'm sure Richard can post himself, but I feel a clarification is a good idea....
That increase in sales y-o-y was because sales went online as well as at ticket offices. Not simply because there was a railcard available. That capital cost was the cost of the software update to sell them online via railcard website & app.
Richard B - can you explain again just how you managed to obtain that sum & where from? I heard you mention the pandemic but didn't uunderstand the reasoning. I noted that GWR paid for the oncost of each sale.

Thanks Chris.  We still received the usual contributions from our funding partners during the Pandemic but weren't able to spend them in anything like the usual way because of the lockdowns and restrictions on travel.  As soon as we could promote particularly leisure travel, we did but it did mean that we did, this once, have the means to meet the £68,500 capital cost of making the railcard available to buy online.