Service Level Commitment / Agreements (SLCs/SLAs)

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

You will be disappointed to hear that these are no longer a 'thing' in the new TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) contracts.

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) confirmed today in a Local Stakeholder meeting that the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) have cancelled these, in favour of saving money. TOCs are now given a maximum budget in which they have to run the timetable & agree any timetable changes with their DfT masters in order to achieve savings. There appears to be no leeway within this budget, nor anyway of obtaining rolling stock changes without specific approval of the DfT.

Hence the cancellation of a couple of Hereford starters on the Cotswold Line as an example - it wasn't possible to retain these within the budget savings that the DfT required. There are many others across the network that have been bid to NR^» (Network Rail - home page) to remain within their budget & the whole exercise has to be signed off by the DfT - hence the warning previously that times on RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) are the bid & could be changed until sign off is obtained.

But no service is protected under an SLC^▸ (Service Level Commitment, or possibly SLC Rail (a consultancy firm), depending on context) any more.

There is also a carbon credit offset being required by the DfT, hence the disappearance in December of the Castles. Hence some 10car IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) will become 2x5cars to cover this loss. Whether that carbon-less gain gains them a credit against this monetary budget or is completely self-contained as a different requirement I have yet to ascertain. I have a further opportunity on Friday to discuss this further.