http://tinyurl.com/ayf8w
EXPRESS DELIVERY
02 August 2005
In April the region's railways will undergo their biggest shake-up for decades with the launch of the Great Western Franchise. National Express Group is one of three rail firms bidding to run the new operation. JOHN WARREN spoke to Peter Cotton, head of the National Express bid, about the company's plans for the network.
When we think of National Express most of us think of coaches - but the company is the largest rail operator in the country. The public image is something Peter Cotton is keen to address.
Heading National Express' bid, and managing director designate for the new company should the group win the franchise, it is Mr Cotton's job to persuade the public and the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) that things will be better with the company at the helm.
He says: "If you say National Express, everyone thinks coaches but we are the biggest train operator in the country, running seven train operations nationwide. We run local, regional and intercity services and our size and experience gives us a major advantage.
"We not only have a very broad experience at lots of different levels but have experience of pulling different operations together.
"That has only happened once and it was us that did it, pulling together services provided by three train operating companies in greater Anglia. This gives us unique experience to draw on here."
The (SRA) published detailed plans for a massive overhaul of the Great Western rail franchise at the beginning of June.
Its plan is to squeeze all the remaining capacity out of the existing rail infrastructure by combining the services currently delivered by First Great Western and regional operator Wessex Trains into a new "super-franchise".
By pulling the services together under a single umbrella the SRA argues that it will be able to introduce timetable improvements and deliver better services to passengers, without mass investment in infrastructure.
First Great Western, National Express Group and Stagecoach make up the shortlisted bidders receiving invitations to tender last month. But Mr Cotton insists National Express's bid for the Great Western Franchise is independent of its Wessex operations.
He argues: "This is not a Wessex bid, it's a National Express bid using the experience that we have gained from Wessex. That said, Wessex is a very successful operation, scoring very highly and the best in the region on punctuality and customer satisfaction."
Despite scoring highly on punctuality, with 85.4 per cent of trains found to be running on time - the highest rate in the region - according to the SRA's recent National Rail Trends report, Wessex Trains and, by association, National Express has a less promising record on rolling stock.
Mr Cotton says: "Wessex issues on rolling stock tend to be seasonal when we cascade extra carriages on in the summer to cope with demand.
"These come from a depot in Canton in Cardiff run by Arriva. This is not a criticism of Arriva but the service is not running quite as we or Arriva have hoped, something which we will address vigorously should we win the franchise."
And there are incentives to win.
Mr Cotton says: "The franchise is going to be very large and that makes it attractive. It's forecast that it will turnover more than ú500 million, employing more than 4,000 people so it's big business.
"And to be blunt we believe that we can deliver a better service more effectively than First.
"Running a network comes down to two very simple things, punctuality and customer satisfaction and we believe we can improve on both."
The SRA has, however, made it clear that despite ongoing works there is relatively little money to invest in rail infrastructure. Tracks, ballast and signals - a major cause of delays - are unlikely to improve significantly soon.
Mr Cotton argues that despite this changes for the better can be made.
He says: "The SRA and the Government has put emphasis on efficiency. Whoever wins has got to get back to basics, doing things effectively and efficiently. There is potential here for future growth, the region is economically dynamic and we can tap into that, encouraging the same growth on the railways.
"That will mean increased demand but there are options.
"We can extend the length of our trains by putting more carriages in.
"That can have implications on platform length and some platforms may need to be extended, which is expensive, however there are other mechanisms - for example, selective door opening at stations - so passengers travel in certain carriages for smaller platforms.
"We can increase the frequency of trains, increasing capacity through timetable changes, although there are limits to this approach."
Moreover, Mr Cotton argues there should be a shift in attitude.
He says: "We want to create a positive and dynamic service, employing people who are informed and enthusiastic about what they do.
"That doesn't happen at the moment and it's something I personally feel very strongly about.
"We need to make improvements to stations, those run by Wessex trains included, and to improve the cleanliness of trains."
Asked if he was confident of winning the new franchise he replied: "If we say we are confident we will appear arrogant and we aren't but we are confident that our bid is the best possible and that it will deliver improved services to thousands of customers.
"What we are concerned about is that First may be so desperate to hold onto its franchise that it will submit an unrealistic bid.
"We have found through past experience that it is not something that works in the long term."
First, National Express and Stage Coach have until September to submit their bids to the SRA. The winner will be announced early next year ahead of the launch of the new franchise in April 2006.