FGW make ^12.5 million loss in FY 2008/9, 9.4 million profit in 2009/10

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

May I ask where this DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) plan has been reported?

[Chris from Nailsea]

It's available on the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) website, at http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/intercity-west-coast-franchise/draft-invitation-to-tender-attachment-g.pdf

[JayMac]

Er... I've not read it word for word, but where in that document are the references to the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) splitting up the TransPennine Express franchise as suggested by northwesterntrains?

[Chris from Nailsea]

Fair point: having read through that document in more detail now, it's not covered in any detail - but it is referred to, on page 12.

[northwesterntrains]

I've not checked the document linked to in the above but I'm sure that the suggested splitting of the TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express) franchise is across different documents.  I think to get the complete picture you need to look at the West Coast RUS^▸ (Route Utilisation Strategy), the Northern RUS, the electrification RUS and the Manchester Hub document.

There's also some consultations that looked in the railway franchising system, which came to the basic conclusion of less franchises equals less money spent on the bidding processes so going forward there should be less franchises not more: http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/rvfm-jacobs-franchising-march2011.pdf

[JayMac]

Aren't RUSs^▸ (Route Utilisation Strategy) drawn up by Network Rail though? Something that the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) don't have to follow if they choose not to.

That applies to consultation documents also.

The point I'm making is that there are various reports, consultations, aspirations, internet chatter etc, but nothing from the DfT saying, "they want to split up the TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express) franchise."

Manchester Airport - Scotland is not to be included in the next Inter City West Coast franchise. Which is expected to be 14 years in length.

The most likely thing to happen, I believe, is the TPE franchise running until 2017. By that time East Midlands, East Coast, Northern and CrossCountry will all have been re-tendered. Of course the DfT could attempt to align franchise end dates with various extensions so as to bring about consolidation, but I don't see the current Government wanting to have less franchises. Just some reform of the franchise model and process.

[paul7575]

Aren't RUSs^▸ (Route Utilisation Strategy) drawn up by Network Rail though? Something that the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) don't have to follow if they choose not to.

That applies to consultation documents also.

The point I'm making is that there are various reports, consultations, aspirations, internet chatter etc, but nothing from the DfT saying, "they want to split up the TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express) franchise."

Manchester Airport - Scotland is not to be included in the next Inter City West Coast franchise. Which is expected to be 14 years in length.

The NW electrification announcement by DfT did explicitly state that Manchester - Scotland would be removed from TPE, and run as a 'micro franchise'.  I'm not aware of a formal DfT announcement of anything else to do with TPE, although break up is also a McNulty report proposal.   

I don't think it is correct to say DfT are not involved in a new RUS though,  DfT is definitely consulted about them, and AIUI^▸ (as I understand it) NR^» (Network Rail - home page) would be highly unlikely to publish a proposal in an RUS which DfT were not reasonably OK with...

Paul

[vacman]

^9.4m is peanuts for such a high turnover!

[northwesterntrains]

Aren't RUSs^▸ (Route Utilisation Strategy) drawn up by Network Rail though? Something that the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) don't have to follow if they choose not to.

That applies to consultation documents also.

The point I'm making is that there are various reports, consultations, aspirations, internet chatter etc, but nothing from the DfT saying, "they want to split up the TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express) franchise."

Manchester Airport - Scotland is not to be included in the next Inter City West Coast franchise. Which is expected to be 14 years in length.

The NW electrification announcement by DfT did explicitly state that Manchester - Scotland would be removed from TPE, and run as a 'micro franchise'.  I'm not aware of a formal DfT announcement of anything else to do with TPE, although break up is also a McNulty report proposal.   

I don't think it is correct to say DfT are not involved in a new RUS though,  DfT is definitely consulted about them, and AIUI^▸ (as I understand it) NR^» (Network Rail - home page) would be highly unlikely to publish a proposal in an RUS which DfT were not reasonably OK with...

Paul

It's probably just me referring to the wrong body by the time there's DfT, Network Rail and ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about).

The Manchester Airport to Blackpool route is set to be run by the same rolling stock as other North West lines which are set to be electrified (likely 319s) so moving that route to the Northern franchise would have logic - then Barrow and Windermere services are interworked by Blackpool services so again there would be logic in moving them across.

Then you'll have just 5 routes left as TPE so unless you start moving routes in the other direction (e.g. York-Blackpool, Selby/Leeds to Manchester Vic or/and Leeds to Morecambe) then the TPE franchise will be very small.