Action stations on the railways

An extra 700 services a day, part of the proposed Northern Hub, has the potential to make a substantial difference to the regional economy, and help to offset chronic levels of overcrowding on rush-hour services.

The less welcome news is that the Initial Industry Plan, released yesterday by Network Rail, is just a wishlist. It still requires the Government’s approval – and then public and private sector funding.

As such, transport chiefs from across the region need to come together now to advance the Northern Hub – and ensure that this scheme remains the country’s number one priority until it is delivered.

The issues are significant. Infrastructure, and the fact that the railways are operating at capacity, has previously been blamed for extra services not being approved. An extra 700 trains a day will require considerable track improvements – how can these be brought about?

Then there is the question of funding. Yesterday’s supporting documents talks about concepts such as additional driver-only trains, “ticket retailing” and “improvement in train use”.

Yet local fares have already risen above the national average to pay for some extra rolling stock – and there are plans to close ticket offices across the region. Was the language used an implied warning that annual double digit increases in fares are here to stay?

And, just as crucially, the Government and other railway industry need to decide – with local authority input – how the Northern Hub should fit into the current franchise system, and whether passengers would be better served by one company operating services throughout the North in the future to provide the accountability, and joined-up thinking, that still lets down the train network on such a regular basis.

The sceptical reaction to yesterday’s proposals stems, in all likelihood, from the broken promises of the past. The challenge for Network Rail, and others, is proving the doubters wrong and providing an infrastructure, and daily service, that compares more than favourably with London.