First Great Western announces extra capacity across network

[whole diary]

[Brucey]

From the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website

Extra Capacity across our network

Train operator, First Great Western has successfully secured and is investing in 48 additional carriages, which will come into service between February and September 2012.

This investment is in addition to the six carriages for Bristol (creating 900 additional seats) announced in August, and the 30 carriages whose future was secured in the Westcountry last year.

Bath and Bristol

The additional vehicles - announced by the Department for Transport earlier today - will deliver another 924 seats into and out of Bristol across morning and evening peaks, including 336 through Bath.

Cotswolds

Five Class 180 Adelante trains will be leased and refreshed to replace most of the Turbo services on the North Cotswolds line between Worcester and London Paddington.

Devon and Cornwall

One of the vehicles will be used to strengthen the Truro to Falmouth line, allowing all services on the line to run as two carriage units. Over the day this will add 2,100 seats, and will double capacity on key services including the 0747 Falmouth-Truro.

The other vehicle will strengthen services between Paignton, Exmouth, Exeter and Barnstaple. This adds 270 seats through the morning and evening peaks, and alleviates the capacity issues affecting school children and commuters on the 1554 and 1655 services from Paignton.

London and the Thames Valley

The new vehicles will mean an extra 4,500 seats will be available for customers into London from the west, including South Wales, Bristol, Swindon, Didcot and Oxford across the morning and evening peaks - an increase of around 9 per cent.

Two three-car Class 150 trains - six carriages - will also be leased and refreshed to operate weekday commuter services between Reading and Basingstoke, increasing peak capacity by around 13 per cent.

First Great Western Managing Director Mark Hopwood said:

^We^ve seen an ever increasing demand for travel on our services.  While that demand is gratifying in one respect, it can lead to overcrowding on peak services, which is why we^ve been working with for some time to secure additional carriages.

"We have worked hard to put together an innovative deal that really maximises the benefit to customers from the rolling stock currently available. This investment - some ^29 million - will deliver thousands of extra seats for customers across our network.

^m delighted we^ve been able to reach this deal with the Department for Transport, and I thank the Members of Parliament, local authorities and other key partners who supported our efforts."

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=5338

[Tim]

Good news. 

Any news on their suggestion that they might add an extra Mk III to the 7-car HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train)?

[Richard Fairhurst]

http://www.dft.gov.uk/news/press-releases/dft-press-20111122

The extra carriages being provided thanks to Government support will see 15 Mark III buffet-car carriages converted to standard class to provide longer trains on services into Bristol, Reading and London Paddington.
25 Class 180 carriages will be leased and will then release suburban rolling stock to enable shorter distance commuter trains to be lengthened into Paddington.
Six Class 150 carriages will used on services running between Reading and Basingstoke and thereby allow the stock currently on that route to lengthen suburban trains on the Thames Valley into Paddington.
Two Class 150 carriages will be added to Bristol services allowing two Class 153s to be cascaded onto Truro to Falmouth and Exmouth to Torbay services.

[ChrisB]

Also, one 7car HST^▸ (High Speed Train) (currently running the 0719 from MAI^▸ (Maidenhead station)?) is to be broken up and the carriages distributed around other 7car HSTs with the engines kept for spares.

[JayMac]

I suspect only a small percentage of that '^29 million' is coming out of First Group coffers, most will be coming from the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) aka the taxpayer, as the DfT press release says. Mark Hopwood and First Group may well have worked hard to get this deal, but they sure ain't coughing up the lions share of funding. To throw ^29 million of their own money at the capacity problems this late in the franchise would be a bit hard to believe, even though the statement from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) fails to mention where the money is coming from. Without reading the DfT's press release you could be forgiven for thinking - after reading the quotes from Mark Hopwood - that First are stumping up the cash.

[ChrisB]

From that DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) press release

The extra seats are being added thanks to Government funding for an additional 48 carriages on First Great Western services which run through Reading and the Thames Valley and into London Paddington as well as in Bristol and the far south west of England.

Looks as though I lost my bet re the 150s on the RDG^‡(resolve)-BSK^▸ (Brake Standard Corridor (carriage)). But only Monday-Friday, at the weekend they'll revert to the Bristol area to carry sports-related crowds around....

5.The total cost of providing these services until the expected end of the First Great Western franchise in April 2013 is ^28.9m.

So, it looks as if the taxpayer is stumping up that.

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are spending however...on revenue protection.

More Revenue Protection officers for the LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) area, plus new barriers at Didcot & Newbury by Nov12, Taunton by Jan13, and Cheltenham & Gloucester by Mar13. Gateline staff will be in place by Jun12 carrying out manual checks at these stations until installation.

Slough, Oxford & Reading wide-gates are being converted to automatic gates like the rest. Additional depot staff will be recruited. Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services) to Slough & Windsor will be investigated. Old Oak Common will need some work for the 180s maintenance.

So they certainly have more than just dipped their hands - there's a pretty hefty investment being made all-round.

[JayMac]

I'm sorry, but is this thread not about rolling stock and capacity?

It may be laudable that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are spending their own money elsewhere. But that hasn't been officially announced today has it?

ChrisB, I'll take it as written that all the other things you mention will come to pass. Will FGW make an announcement of their funding of these extra bits and bobs?

[vacman]

I'm sorry, but is this thread not about rolling stock and capacity?

It is all part of the same HLOS^▸ (High Level Output Specification) deal, the extra staff and gates are because of longer trains where revenue protection will be more difficult so yes, is all part of the same discussion!

[ChrisB]

And it's related to the HLOS^▸ (High Level Output Specification) deal - it's what FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are required to spend to get these vehicles....

[Tim]

I'm sorry, but is this thread not about rolling stock and capacity?

It may be laudable that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are spending their own money elsewhere. But that hasn't been officially announced today has it?

ChrisB, I'll take it as written that all the other things you mention will come to pass. Will FGW make an announcement of their funding of these extra bits and bobs?

I agree.  Spending on Revenue Protection, though important, isn't something that comes off First's bottom line as RP staff tend to pay for themselves as do barriers within a few years.  In a sensible set-up extra rolling stock on busy services with high ticket prices ought to pay for itself too.
Also, there is a difference between "spending" and "investment" (as I remind my wife when she suggests that she "invests" in new shoes).  The real investment in the cascaded stock took place in the 1970s and 80s when the tax payer paid for those trains.  ^29 million for 48 extra coaches (which are all old enough to be beyond the 20 year period over which BR^▸ (British Rail(ways))'s accountants would have depreciated them) doesn't look to be very good value (does anyone know how long the deal lasts - is it ^29m per year?).

I don't want to knock this deal the extra coaches are desperately needed, but someone seems to be getting exceedingly poor value for money here and it sure isn't FGW.  

This is "let's pretend" capitalism of the worst kind.  Either you have a nationalised industry where the tax-payer stumps up for these vehicles up-front BUT ONLY ONCE, or the private sector invests significant money itself.  Instead we get the tax-payer "investing" in stock that it has already paid for and then sold off at a pittance, and the private company taking all the extra fare income from the passengers travelling in this extra capacity.

The idea that FGW needs the "carrot" of extra tax-payer investment in rolling stock to pursude them to hire more RP staff who ought to pay for themselves (and if they don't pay for themselves they are frankly not needed) is laughable.

Edit - I realise now that the ^29 million is for a deal that takes us to the April 2013.  If the new stock arrives between Feb and Sept 2012, the majority will be provided for less than a year.  The taxpayer is therefore paying perhaps about ^750,000 to rent an old unit or coach for 1 year.  Can anyone tell me that this is good value?  It must be approaching what a brand new train costs to build.  I realise that the deal also covers the costs of maintaining and fueling the new trains, but I would hope that ticket sales could contribute to those things.

[IndustryInsider]

Finally an announcement about what we all knew/hoped was coming for months.  Negativity about the financial aspects of the deal aside let's remember that First Great Western passengers and staff alike (i.e. 'us' on the forum here) will benefit hugely thanks to this desperately needed boost to capacity and in the Cotswold Lines case, comfort as well.  Mostly in time for the extra passengers expected for the Olympics, and to give more passengers that brave the crush hour day in day out a slightly better chance of a seat, or in some cases, getting on their intended train at all.

Financially, yes it's a bit of a dog's breakfast of a deal, but presumably these 180's would have been sitting idle costing money for the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) who'd leased them had they not been transferred home, and when the Greater Western franchise comes up for renewal, not much more than a year away, the other vehicles will become an inclusive part of that franchise - and the costs to operate them - anyway.

I believe driver/guard training on the 150's for RDG^‡(resolve)-BSK^▸ (Brake Standard Corridor (carriage)) is imminent, with 180 re-training presumably taking place early in the new year.

[Richard Fairhurst]

let's remember that First Great Western passengers and staff alike (i.e. 'us' on the forum here) will benefit hugely thanks to this desperately needed boost to capacity and in the Cotswold Lines case, comfort as well

Absolutely.

Having endured a 166 back from Hereford to Charlbury on Sunday (aircon bust, train freezing cold) this can't come soon enough. Well done to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) for pulling this off.

[ChrisB]

The way I see this is thus....

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have 16 months left on their franchise. At this late stage in a franchise, no TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) would normally be interested in further unbudgeted expense. I also strongly suspect that there is no extra fare income expected - these are to supply seats to those in the awful cattle-truck accomodation currently offered.

There will be additional costs in running these trains - both the extra trains & lengthened trains by way of increased track access & station-stop charges from Network Rail.

The 180s need to be refurbed - they are in a state that no TOC taking them on would want to acquire them for their customers paying shockingly-high fares. Maybe OK for Northern & cheap fares, but LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) fares are a lot higher. That has to be paid for.

FGW hint that the refurb is being done prior to delivery - i.e. not by themselves.

The DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) want FGW to take them. So do FGW want them, but at little/no cost to them, when they are unable to use them to increase revenue - so Revenue Protection should realise enough to cover this increase in expenditure, while the DfT has been persuaded to refurb them first. Maybe they've also amended the cap 'n collar arrangements as another sweetener, who knows?

These arrangements are going to be pretty much revenue neutral at the end of the franchise in April 13 is my view, while the DfT and FGW get the kudos from their suffering commuters for doing the deal. Remember, the DfT screwed up at the start of this franchise by supplying to little stock within it to satisfy demand.

I agree, this is 'spending', not 'investment'. Although it could be said that FGW are investing their staff time to re-learn the Adelantes.

In aswer to Tim's Qs, no, it's ^29m to the end of the franchise - it states that somewhere. And its FGW payback to the DfT for providing the refurbed stock by recruiting RP personnel. THe increase in farbox will be dealt with under the cap 'n collar arrangements - they won't get to keep much, as it will reduce the c 'n c payments.

let's remember that First Great Western passengers and staff alike (i.e. 'us' on the forum here) will benefit hugely thanks to this desperately needed boost to capacity and in the Cotswold Lines case, comfort as well

Absolutely.

Having endured a 166 back from Hereford to Charlbury on Sunday (aircon bust, train freezing cold) this can't come soon enough. Well done to FGW for pulling this off.

HMm, som,ewhere I have read that the Adelantes are only for use on weekdays.

[lordgoata]

Having endured a 166 back from Hereford to Charlbury on Sunday (aircon bust, train freezing cold) this can't come soon enough. Well done to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) for pulling this off.

Could be worse, it could have been working!

I'd rather put on my coat back on, than have to practically strip off due to the insane temperatures some of these bloody trains insist on

Regarding the extra capacity - well done to all involved!

[grahame]

Remember, the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) screwed up at the start of this franchise by supplying to little stock within it to satisfy demand.

Hang on. Chris ... each bidder for the franchise was asked to specify how much stock they would require, so the responsibility is surely with the bidder.   If I go into my local Asda and buy a small turkey to feed 20 people at Christmas and they all leave still feeling hungry, I'm the one that's made the mistake for underbuying - I can't blame Asda for tempting me to buy a too-small bird at a lower price than a bigger one.