Franchise Announcement

[whole diary]

[MartinH]

Many thanks for posting that very useful information here, MartinH - and welcome to the Coffee Shop forum! 

Thank you Chris. I hadn't seen this really mentioned or discussed anywhere, so when I saw it  briefly mentioned on here, I thought I post the details and see what people think of what FGW^▸ (First Great Western) is now proposing.

[JayMac]

The Department for Transport have now published the Greater Western Franchise Agreement for September 2015 to April 2019:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/first-great-western

[paul7575]

Interesting table giving the 387 cascade dates into the GW^▸ (Great Western) franchise from GTR.  Given that the last ones have not entered service yet, GTR will only have all 29 units available for 9 or 10 months at the most:

29 Class 387 units (116vehicles) are delivered in four distinct phases:
- 6 units by end of March 2016;
- 4 units by end of April 2016;
- 8 units by end of February 2017
- 11 units by end of March 2017

The first 6 units being timed to coincide with the start of the previously discussed EMU^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit) shuttle between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington...

Paul

[ChrisB]

The Department for Transport have now published the Greater Western Franchise Agreement for September 2015 to April 2019:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/first-great-western

You'll now find the Service Level Commitment to go with this on that page too. SLC3a is the first (of three) I believe that will run through this new franchise. 3A runs from the Dec18 TT - while the current one runs up to that date.

Direct link to pdf here
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/452229/first-great-western-service-level-commitment-3a-22032015.pdf

[JayMac]

There are actually 3 separate Service Level Commitments during the Direct Award period. The current one does not run to December 2018. Neither is SLC3a the first of three. It is the third of three.

From start of Direct Award (20th September 2015) to May 2017 (SLC1): https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/452224/first-great-western-service-level-commitment-1-22032015.pdf

From May 2017 to December 2018 (SLC2): https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/452225/first-great-western-service-level-commitment-2-22032015.pdf

From December 2018 to end of Direct Award (April 2019) (SLC3a): https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/452229/first-great-western-service-level-commitment-3a-22032015.pdf

Also on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Franchise Agreement page (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/first-great-western) is Service Level Commitment 2a, updated in May 2015. This is the current SLC^▸ (Service Level Commitment) running to September 19th 2015.

Well done DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) for some very confusing numbering. What happened to SLC3? 

[ChrisB]

There were going to be 3a, 3b & 3c originally.....not sure what happened. Would make sense to have followed 2a. Which is what confused me.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Hmm. The words "Department for Transport" and "clarity" are not ones I'd expect to see in any one phrase - unless the words "lack of" also appeared. 

[Rhydgaled]

Wasn't SLC^▸ (Service Level Commitment) 3 (Dec 2018 onwards) broken into (a) and (b) versions because the passenger-foresaking proposal to turn the PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)-Penzance route over to slightly-glorified regional express DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) hadn't yet been approved?

From the franchise agreement document:

SLC 3(b)
Public Register Version 91 (a) The parties acknowledge that SLC3(b) was still under development by the Franchisee at the date of this Franchise Agreement. (b) The Franchisee shall deliver a draft of SLC3(b) to the Secretary of State by no later than 30 April 2015. Such draft shall be consistent with: (i) the principle that SLC3(b) shall be a development of SLC3(a) providing for improved outputs consequent upon the implementation of the West of England Rolling Stock Procurement Process; and (ii) the draft public timetables supplied by the Franchisee to the Secretary of State on 21 January 2015 with filenames ^Dec18 T135A new 200115.doc^ and ^Dec18 T135 new 200115.doc^. (c) The Franchisee and the Secretary of State shall act reasonably and in good faith in seeking to agree SLC3(b). If agreement is not reached by 31 May 2015 the Secretary of State shall have the right to reasonably determine it.

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

According to one of the official documents Coombe station has moved from Cornwall to Oxfordshire. Rather poor proof reading for an offical document.

[Ollie]

According to one of the official documents Coombe station has moved from Cornwall to Oxfordshire. Rather poor proof reading for an offical document.

Wonder if they meant Combe in Oxfordshire?

[ellendune]

According to one of the official documents Coombe station has moved from Cornwall to Oxfordshire. Rather poor proof reading for an offical document.

Wonder if they meant Combe in Oxfordshire?

You mean https://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/your-journey/at-the-station/combe-oxon?

[Ollie]

Yeah that one.

[Kernow Otter]

From December 2018 to end of Direct Award (April 2019) (SLC3a): https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/452229/first-great-western-service-level-commitment-3a-22032015.pdf

I wonder if anyone could shed a little clarity on the specific wording in part of this document please.  For example from the link above, pages 99 - 100, limited stops Cornish Mainline.

Some of the specific stations have details of the travel direction of stopping services ie:  3.5 Menheniot.  The next sub paragraph 3.6  Lostwithiel is less detailed, and it simply states '10 services shall call'.  Is that 10 in each direction per day or 10 in total for both directions per day ?

Any clarification would be much appreciated.

Many thanks

[ChrisB]

I read that as a total.....as a minimum. Of course the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) can stop more often.

And that may mean uneven up & down too - so 6 up & 4 down complies.

[IndustryInsider]

I read that as a total.....as a minimum. Of course the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) can stop more often.

And that may mean uneven up & down too - so 6 up & 4 down complies.

I don't think that's correct, as the document's 'interpretation' section says (with my italics added):

3.3
Except where expressly indicated to the contrary, all services are to run in both directions and the requirements of the Service Level Commitment (including any interval between services, frequency of service or stopping pattern) are to apply in each direction.

Also, there's a total of 23 stops currently by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services (including the down sleeper), so 20 seems a much more likely number than 10 in terms of not causing uproar in Cornwall.  These SLC^▸ (Service Level Commitment)'s really aren't ever set in stone anyway and I predict several amendments before this current version is actually initiated.