Passengers face “trade-offs” in return for better rail services

INCREASED FARES and ticket office closures might be the price passengers have to pay for train service improvements, according to a Government document.
A First TransPennine Express service.A First TransPennine Express service.
A First TransPennine Express service.

Raising the cost of cheaper journeys and reducing ticket office opening hours are among possible “trade offs” outlined in a consultation paper on the future of local rail services in the region.

Cutting some “lightly used” services as a way of paying for better trains is another of the ideas put forward in the document.

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Rail users are being asked for their opinions as the Government asks companies to bid for two franchises which cover the bulk of Yorkshire’s local services.

The consultation paper says that while both the northern and transpennine franchises are seeing growth in demand and crowding there are also many “very lightly-used services and stations”.

It also says that “some areas have fares significantly below what is found elsewhere on the network”.

Passengers are asked for their views on raising those fares to “typical” levels to help fund improvements and providing more modern trains “at the expense of some reduction in lightly used services”.

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Stephen Joseph, chief executive for the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Railways in the North of England are at a junction.

“The Government is talking about trade-offs. For the winners that could mean newer trains and better stations but for the losers, it could be higher fares and reduced services.

“Getting real investment into rail is essential to the region’s economy and we’ll be looking to work with others to campaign for railways in the north to get the kind of support other parts of the country have seen.”

The next northern and transpennine franchises are both due to start in February 2016.

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Northern councils see this as an opportunity to ensure the two are far better co-ordinated and are linked in to other local transport services.

Last year, Rail North, a group of local authorities working together to press for train service improvements, struck an agreement with Ministers which will give them a bigger say in the design of the franchises and how they are managed.

Coun James Lewis, chairman of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s transport committee, said: “Northern was infamously a ‘no-growth’ franchise when it was originally let in 2003.

“Since then, we’ve seen rail patronage increase by 40 per cent in West Yorkshire alone.

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“While local authorities have been able to fund additional carriages, such as the ‘Yorkshire Six’, more needs to be done and it’s important that the new franchises reflect this growth and cater for it effectively.”

Rail Minister Stephen Hammond said rail travel in the North will be “transformed” over the next five years with £1 billion of Government investment.

“To make sure we make the most of this investment and deliver a railway that is truly world class and boosts our economy it is vital that we hear the views of the people who use these services.

“This is further proof of our commitment to put passengers at the heart of our railways,” he said.

The Government has also issued prospectuses to bidders for the two franchises.