Investment call to Bradford, Keighley, Ilkley and Skipton trains as Northern Rail licence extended (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Investment call to Bradford, Keighley, Ilkley and Skipton trains as Northern Rail licence extended
11:00am Tuesday 15th May 2012 in News
By Marc Meneaud, Aire Valley Chief Reporter
Rail user groups have made fresh calls for more investment to tackle overcrowding on the Airedale line after Northern Rail was granted an extension of its franchise.
Tim Calow, chairman of Aire Valley Rail Users Group, welcomed the announcement that the Department for Transport had renewed the rail operator’s licence to run services until April 2014, but said he hoped extra cash would be made available for new carriages to improve journeys for commuters.
Mr Calow said: “In Airedale we need longer platforms to run longer trains, with more seating capacity.
“Across the franchise the train fleet is ageing and it will be a real challenge to maintain reliability in the medium term.”
Northern Rail was first granted its franchise in 2004 on a “no growth, no investment” basis, which meant it has had to rely on money from shareholders for additional carriages, new stations and improvements to stations.
Northern operates a fleet of Class 333 electric trains on the Airedale and Wharfedale lines, connecting Bradford and Leeds with Ilkley and Skipton.
It also runs a much older fleet of diesel trains on the Caldervale route, which runs between Leeds and Manchester via Bradford Interchange.
Mr Calow said: “We do not criticise the current management, which was asked to run the franchise on a ‘no growth’ basis, however urgent decisions are likely to be delayed until the new franchise is let. The extension could delay those decisions – though the current state of public finances is likely to delay much-needed investment too.”
Northern Rail said it had spent £130 million on improvements and had increased the number of trains arriving on time from 83.7 to 91.9 per cent.
Drew Haley, a spokesman for Northern Rail, said: “Thanks to the Department for Transport’s rolling stock programme, in December last year Northern introduced four additional peak-time services between Skipton/Ilkley and Leeds, offering much needed capacity on the Airedale and Wharfedale lines. We are aware that this hasn’t eradicated the problem of overcrowding, but it has helped reduce it. We will continue to work with industry partners to identify ways to increase capacity.”
Comments(20)
Joedavid
says...
11:33am Tue 15 May 12
If they get the trains full they will be happy why bother spending when money coming in.
justjustice
says...
11:56am Tue 15 May 12
They are working on a "no growth, no investment" scheme, but then does this not show growth and so should be getting more investment?
Or was it done intentionally, you cannot get more growth when the trains are already full, only way to get growth then is to ride "Indian style", hanging onto the side of the train and sitting on the roof! Is that what they want?!
@Joedavid The lines can the be worst in the world people will still use them. People need to use to trains to commute to work; no work no money; people do not have a choice, they have to take these overcrowded trains to survive.
But I too believe all utility services which are essential should be renationalised; the wallets of these privatised companies' shareholders are always placed before the the needs of the people and the country! With money being spend on bonuses instead of improvements and investment!
mad matt
says...
12:19pm Tue 15 May 12
Albion.
says...
12:25pm Tue 15 May 12
mad matt wrote:Tunnels?
One solution would be to invest in some double-decker trains like they use in Germany. That would avoid having to extend the platforms to accommodate the longer trains mentioned.
Joedavid
says...
12:35pm Tue 15 May 12
Albion. wrote:Ouch !
mad matt wrote:Tunnels?
One solution would be to invest in some double-decker trains like they use in Germany. That would avoid having to extend the platforms to accommodate the longer trains mentioned.
Mik_e
says...
12:35pm Tue 15 May 12
bobbyo
says...
12:53pm Tue 15 May 12
jonathancrewdson wrote:well said jonathancrewdson, i totall agree with your comment!!
The only way to improve the railway industry would be to renationalise it. That will automatically remove the profit taken out of the industry by the train operating companies. Despite privatisation allegedly being the panacea of the network's problems we have the most expensive, most inefficient and most unreliable railway industry in the EU.
markjoe
says...
1:29pm Tue 15 May 12
"Northern Rail was first granted its franchise in 2004 on a “no growth, no investment” basis, which meant it has had to rely on money from shareholders for additional carriages, new stations and improvements to stations."
So basically it would have to behave like a "real" company in the "real" world and pay for things as opposed to lining the directors pockets with government hand outs. If a company needs to raise capital it has to go cap in hand to share holders not the government.
Shipleyvegas
says...
2:33pm Tue 15 May 12
Albion. wrote:Duck?
mad matt wrote:Tunnels?
One solution would be to invest in some double-decker trains like they use in Germany. That would avoid having to extend the platforms to accommodate the longer trains mentioned.
a reasonable sort of chap
says...
4:05pm Tue 15 May 12
Al Spade
says...
5:56pm Tue 15 May 12
Joedavid
says...
6:33pm Tue 15 May 12
To take it over with their trains or better still run in competition.
GC BD4
says...
6:35pm Tue 15 May 12
GC BD4
says...
6:43pm Tue 15 May 12
Albion.
says...
6:50pm Tue 15 May 12
Joedavid wrote:They have done that, Rail passenger franchise agreements don't last for ever but there aren't that many operators around.
So how about the powers that be setting another opperator on?
To take it over with their trains or better still run in competition.
Albion.
says...
6:51pm Tue 15 May 12
GC BD4 wrote:Some of them look like you will adhere to them if you sit on them.
There are issues there should be a quality issue that all trains have adequate TOILET VACILITIES on all trains and that the operator should ensure that these vacilites are operating ( ie: the train guard checks thats before a journey commences that all facicilites are adhered to)
Joedavid
says...
6:51pm Tue 15 May 12
Albion. wrote:Well users will have to hope the agreement with this company is up soon.
Joedavid wrote:They have done that, Rail passenger franchise agreements don't last for ever but there aren't that many operators around.
So how about the powers that be setting another opperator on?
To take it over with their trains or better still run in competition.
Albion.
says...
6:54pm Tue 15 May 12
Joedavid wrote:Possibly, but I don't know of any that are well thought of.
Albion. wrote:Well users will have to hope the agreement with this company is up soon.
Joedavid wrote:They have done that, Rail passenger franchise agreements don't last for ever but there aren't that many operators around.
So how about the powers that be setting another opperator on?
To take it over with their trains or better still run in competition.
ravacity
says...
9:06pm Tue 15 May 12
markjoe wrote:or the railway companies just put their fares up by 6 to 11% as they have done recently.
I fully agree with the comments above about renationalising the rail network, I think it would give & return better value for money.
"Northern Rail was first granted its franchise in 2004 on a “no growth, no investment” basis, which meant it has had to rely on money from shareholders for additional carriages, new stations and improvements to stations."
So basically it would have to behave like a "real" company in the "real" world and pay for things as opposed to lining the directors pockets with government hand outs. If a company needs to raise capital it has to go cap in hand to share holders not the government.
jonathancrewdson says...
11:08am Tue 15 May 12