Rail Franchising - The Future

[First Class]

RE: Rail Franchising - The Future

(03/10/2012 14:33)507009 Wrote:  

(03/10/2012 13:49)First Class Wrote:  Why exactly do we need First/Arriva/Stagecoach etc, when the government can do it itself. They are even doing quite a good job of East Coast! Better than NXEC!

I'm afraid not:

Wikipedia Wrote:The latest performance figures to be released by the Office of Rail Regulation rate East Coast's performance below that of its predecessor. Over the third quarter of the 2010/11 financial year East Coast achieved 81.7% PPM and a moving annual average of 83.3%.

You can't just measure the quality of a TOC by a PPM score, especially where the difference is 1.6%! Unless you can discount any weather related problems, problems outside of East Coast control etc, then PPM score is a pointless way of identifying quality of service. Do you judge the quality of a movie by the performance of one actor?

The bottom line is that a significant amount tax payer's money is NO LONGER needed to fund this franchise, (compared to NXEC), which can only be a good thing. Certainly worth the 1.6% drop in PPM!

[DVL418]

RE: Rail Franchising - The Future

(04/10/2012 09:17)First Class Wrote:  

(03/10/2012 14:33)507009 Wrote:  

(03/10/2012 13:49)First Class Wrote:  Why exactly do we need First/Arriva/Stagecoach etc, when the government can do it itself. They are even doing quite a good job of East Coast! Better than NXEC!

I'm afraid not:

Wikipedia Wrote:The latest performance figures to be released by the Office of Rail Regulation rate East Coast's performance below that of its predecessor. Over the third quarter of the 2010/11 financial year East Coast achieved 81.7% PPM and a moving annual average of 83.3%.

You can't just measure the quality of a TOC by a PPM score, especially where the difference is 1.6%! Unless you can discount any weather related problems, problems outside of East Coast control etc, then PPM score is a pointless way of identifying quality of service. Do you judge the quality of a movie by the performance of one actor?

The bottom line is that a significant amount tax payer's money is NO LONGER needed to fund this franchise, (compared to NXEC), which can only be a good thing. Certainly worth the 1.6% drop in PPM!

Indeed, twice in the past 12 months when I've used the ECML delays have been due to the overhead wiring being down and cable theft - both of which are completely out of the train operators' control.

[First Class]

RE: Rail Franchising - The Future

(03/10/2012 16:20)wirralbus Wrote:  Rail franchising is so full of micro management from the DfT these days , they are told you have to have this , and you have to stop there this many times a day , its not a calk walk for the franchise holders these days .

Without the Virgin marketing team where would West Coast be now ?

The same place really.

Passenger growth is booming everywhere, (hence Open Access appearing).

Business customers couldn't care less what advertising says. They are a captive audience who have to travel regardless. Virgin took advantage of this audience and charge some sickening Anytime fares in order to fund the other "cheaper" fares.

Some are keen to use PPM facts. Virgin is ranked bottom, (worst) - for the second year running, and didn't do too well the year before that either! Nothing above 88.7% in the last 3 years. 82.1% and 86% most recently. London Midland, who broadly operate the same routes, also outperformed them, so you can't really consider problems outside of Virgin's control, otherwise it would have affected London Midland, too.

East Coast have managed 93.3%, 86.6% and 87.5% despite having older rolling stock and running on older infrastructure that didn't have billions spent on it AND having a lot of weather related problems. I have to say, DOR are doing a good job performance wise!

Even looking towards passenger satisfaction levels from Passenger Focus, Virgin get an 89% rating, with East Coast on 87%, so they are extremely similar, despite what VT's marketing team claim to has done. One big difference though. Virgin are costing us and the government MUCH more. Is it worth it for 2%? Surely, with the billions of investment into Virgin/WCML, we should be disgusted that there is only a 2% difference between Intercity WCML and ECML?

[wirralbus]

RE: Rail Franchising - The Future
Virgin performs over a much bigger section of the WCML than London Midland , you would have to compare with all the other operators on the west coast .

East Coast looking at those PPM figures is also erratic as well , that is uncontestable .

[DVL418]

RE: Rail Franchising - The Future
Good job they don't cover the whole of the WCML as London Midland has rather carelessly run out of drivers!

BBC News Story

Perhaps they should have paid higher wages and lower dividends?

[First Class]

RE: Rail Franchising - The Future

(04/10/2012 12:29)DVL418 Wrote:  Good job they don't cover the whole of the WCML as London Midland has rather carelessly run out of drivers!

BBC News Story

Perhaps they should have paid higher wages and lower dividends?

I got offered a job in Crewe with London Midland a few months back, but knocked it on the head because of the change in terms & conditions they made at the time. Good company for people outside the industry to join though, but terms aren't the best in the industry, (which is why they probably can't get qualified drivers).

[wirralbus]

RE: Rail Franchising - The Future
Didnt London Midland have a problem because they had to take staff on from both Central Trains and silverlink who were on differing terms and conditions.

[H101GEV (Administrator)]

RE: Rail Franchising - The Future

(04/10/2012 11:39)wirralbus Wrote:  East Coast looking at those PPM figures is also erratic as well , that is uncontestable .

Indeed, and noticeably worse than NXEC as well, as pointed out earlier. For all the shouting about renationalisation, for a government run operator like East Coast to perform worse than what was widely considered a poor TOC in NXEC hardly fills you with confidence.

[First Class]

RE: Rail Franchising - The Future

(04/10/2012 13:51)507009 Wrote:  

(04/10/2012 11:39)wirralbus Wrote:  East Coast looking at those PPM figures is also erratic as well , that is uncontestable .

Indeed, and noticeably worse than NXEC as well, as pointed out earlier. For all the shouting about renationalisation, for a government run operator like East Coast to perform worse than what was widely considered a poor TOC in NXEC hardly fills you with confidence.

But the comparison is between a State owned TOC and Virgin, not between NXEC and East Coast.

Virgin has had billions pumped into it, and is no better than East Coast who are doing just as well (if not better) than Virgin with far less investment AND has the profits going to the government rather than Branson. The level of service provided is poor from Virgin when you consider the amount they have supposedly spent.

[DVL418]

RE: Rail Franchising - The Future

(04/10/2012 13:24)wirralbus Wrote:  Didnt London Midland have a problem because they had to take staff on from both Central Trains and silverlink who were on differing terms and conditions.

Those drivers from Central & Silverlink would have TUPE'd over so had some degree of pay & conditions protection, in the short term at least.

How I understand it, is they have got themselves in this mess because they can't recruit or retain drivers because the pay and conditions they are offering are so poor recruits go elsewhere and experienced drivers moving to other TOCs.

Perhaps they should have considered improving pay and conditions on offer (shock, horror ) rather than trying to squeeze maximum profits for minimum investment in most important aspect of any service industry - people?

Anyway, this fiasco will hit LM's profits when hopefully the regulator slaps a hefty fine on them for not honouring timetable, as well as they now having to improve pay, albeit rather late in the day.

Another example of how you can't run a national railway with venture capitalists and retail managers, rather than people who know how the industry works!?

Perhaps they will now appreciate that key requirement of providing a train service includes having a proper ongoing driver recruitment and training programme.