Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2019 16:28:29 GMT
New Southeastern franchise award to be announced next year now?
|
|
|
|
Post by MoEnviro on Feb 18, 2019 17:40:46 GMT
New Southeastern franchise award to be announced next year now? Still looks like March announcement for June start date, unless another extension is granted. |
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Feb 18, 2019 23:31:54 GMT
New Southeastern franchise award to be announced next year now? Unless you know something I don't then the last announcement extended it to June this year. I doubt the Secretary of State has the power, given there is a live procurement at present, to extend it right into next year unless all the bidders agree. A delay of that extent would indicate something has gone massively wrong with the retendering exercise or bidders are running scared at any ridership related risk given we're losing jobs hand over fist as Brexit approaches. If I was a bidder I'd certainly be telling the department to "go away" (ahem) if they were expecting me to shoulder additional hundreds of millions of pounds of revenue risk because the government and parliament are incompent ****s. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2019 9:06:51 GMT
New Southeastern franchise award to be announced next year now? Still looks like March announcement for June start date, unless another extension is granted. It was from an article with conflicting statements, - "to ensure bids are fully evaluated ... the next SE franchise will be announced next year" followed by, - "Govt expects to award the SE franchise 'this year', but has given no indication as to a more precise date"
|
|
|
|
Post by sid on Mar 20, 2019 8:25:25 GMT
There has been another landslip at Wadhurst blocking the line in both directions and buses are being sourced as a matter of urgency.
|
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Apr 10, 2019 11:39:50 GMT
The Southeastern franchise has been extended *again* to November 2019 with a further possible extension to April 2020. I think that is now 6 extensions that Govia have received on this franchise. That's borderline farcical if you ask me.
|
|
|
|
Post by YY13VKP on Apr 10, 2019 12:27:17 GMT
The Southeastern franchise has been extended *again* to November 2019 with a further possible extension to April 2020. I think that is now 6 extensions that Govia have received on this franchise. That's borderline farcical if you ask me. Think Virgin Trains have also received the same amount of extensions since 2012, if not more than Southeastern |
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Apr 10, 2019 13:10:14 GMT
The Southeastern franchise has been extended *again* to November 2019 with a further possible extension to April 2020. I think that is now 6 extensions that Govia have received on this franchise. That's borderline farcical if you ask me. Think Virgin Trains have also received the same amount of extensions since 2012, if not more than Southeastern Some of those are because DfT cocked up the franchising process and were legally challenged. Virgin were then granted a new franchise contract weren't they? I haven't cross checked so I may be wrong. The difference though is that Virgin have usually had to spend money / invest in improvements on the extended term. I also think one of the terms on West Coast was when DfT put the franchise into a management contract arrangement where Virgin were paid a fee but took no revenue risk. South Eastern has had next to nothing spent on it for a long time and the lack of any forward plan for service improvements means that Network Rail can't plan its works properly either. A shed load of asset problems exist on South Eastern but with no franchise plan for timetable or other improvements Network Rail can't plan asset interventions properly. This is an ongoing disaster for passengers on South Eastern as the service / infrastructure have "drifted" for years and years. While I am not particularly convinced by TfL's ideas on South Eastern I do think the franchise needs a radical overhaul of service patterns, frequencies, trains, stations and customer service. It should, it run properly, be a mini gold mine because the network is relatively dense and offers reasonable journey times. It's the shoddy frequencies and "couldn't care less" approach to stations that makes it unattractive. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2019 14:45:27 GMT
Think Virgin Trains have also received the same amount of extensions since 2012, if not more than Southeastern Some of those are because DfT cocked up the franchising process and were legally challenged. Virgin were then granted a new franchise contract weren't they? I haven't cross checked so I may be wrong. The difference though is that Virgin have usually had to spend money / invest in improvements on the extended term. I also think one of the terms on West Coast was when DfT put the franchise into a management contract arrangement where Virgin were paid a fee but took no revenue risk. South Eastern has had next to nothing spent on it for a long time and the lack of any forward plan for service improvements means that Network Rail can't plan its works properly either. A shed load of asset problems exist on South Eastern but with no franchise plan for timetable or other improvements Network Rail can't plan asset interventions properly. This is an ongoing disaster for passengers on South Eastern as the service / infrastructure have "drifted" for years and years. While I am not particularly convinced by TfL's ideas on South Eastern I do think the franchise needs a radical overhaul of service patterns, frequencies, trains, stations and customer service. It should, it run properly, be a mini gold mine because the network is relatively dense and offers reasonable journey times. It's the shoddy frequencies and "couldn't care less" approach to stations that makes it unattractive. Having relied on SE trains for a few years now, I find their customer service has improved. And the high speed services are a god send.Excellent WiFi as well. However... 1. The high speed services , mostly 6 cars, are reaching capacity. Huge developments in Medway Towns and Ebbsfleet area putting strain onto the loadings. Probably far too expensive to add carriages. 2. SE London deserves better frequencies quite frankly. 15 mins frequency services is best on offer currently. Weekends less so. Places like Bromley, Catford, Greenwich, Eltham, Bexleyheath should have tube level frequencies and earlier and later trains all week. Too much freight traffic and insufficient track space needs to change. 3. Pinch points cause constant chaos. Signal problems at Lewisham is a common issue which creates havoc across large parts of network, and always takes a long time to recover the service. 4. Thameslink services are still unreliable. Hourly services at weekends down to Rainham. I thought it was supposed to be x30 mins as per former SE Gillingham to CX services. Clearly not. |
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Apr 10, 2019 15:11:07 GMT
Having relied on SE trains for a few years now, I find their customer service has improved. And the high speed services are a god send. Excellent WiFi as well. However... 1. The high speed services , mostly 6 cars, are reaching capacity. Huge developments in Medway Towns and Ebbsfleet area putting strain onto the loadings. Probably far too expensive to add carriages. 2. SE London deserves better frequencies quite frankly. 15 mins frequency services is best on offer currently. Weekends less so. Places like Bromley, Catford, Greenwich, Eltham, Bexleyheath should have tube level frequencies and earlier and later trains all week. Too much freight traffic and insufficient track space needs to change. 3. Pinch points cause constant chaos. Signal problems at Lewisham is a common issue which creates havoc across large parts of network, and always takes a long time to recover the service. 4. Thameslink services are still unreliable. Hourly services at weekends down to Rainham. I thought it was supposed to be x30 mins as per former SE Gillingham to CX services. Clearly not. I think if you use longer distance / high speed SE services then the experience is better than the inner area services. I have read that the High Speed routes are doing very well and are packed full at peak times. The big problem is that despite premium fares there is still an enormous hidden subsidy in the SE franchise to pay for track access and the trains. DfT are desperate to reduce that subsidy which can only mean much higher fares. The new franchise spec did ask for enhanced high speed services / capacity which would mean more trains. Hitachi should be a guaranteed winner for a future order. I think Thameslink are restoring a lot of weekend services in the May timetable. They've not done so far in order to give themselves breathing space for driver training / route learning so the weekday services work. They should, in theory, be in a far more stable position to increase weekend services. Many routes have been at 50% or less of their former frequencies at weekends which has caused a lot of comment and may have changed travel patterns permanently. Whether GTR can fill the expanded weekend services will be interesting to see. |
|
|
|
Post by sid on Apr 10, 2019 21:34:19 GMT
Some of those are because DfT cocked up the franchising process and were legally challenged. Virgin were then granted a new franchise contract weren't they? I haven't cross checked so I may be wrong. The difference though is that Virgin have usually had to spend money / invest in improvements on the extended term. I also think one of the terms on West Coast was when DfT put the franchise into a management contract arrangement where Virgin were paid a fee but took no revenue risk. South Eastern has had next to nothing spent on it for a long time and the lack of any forward plan for service improvements means that Network Rail can't plan its works properly either. A shed load of asset problems exist on South Eastern but with no franchise plan for timetable or other improvements Network Rail can't plan asset interventions properly. This is an ongoing disaster for passengers on South Eastern as the service / infrastructure have "drifted" for years and years. While I am not particularly convinced by TfL's ideas on South Eastern I do think the franchise needs a radical overhaul of service patterns, frequencies, trains, stations and customer service. It should, it run properly, be a mini gold mine because the network is relatively dense and offers reasonable journey times. It's the shoddy frequencies and "couldn't care less" approach to stations that makes it unattractive. Having relied on SE trains for a few years now, I find their customer service has improved. And the high speed services are a god send.Excellent WiFi as well. However... 1. The high speed services , mostly 6 cars, are reaching capacity. Huge developments in Medway Towns and Ebbsfleet area putting strain onto the loadings. Probably far too expensive to add carriages. 2. SE London deserves better frequencies quite frankly. 15 mins frequency services is best on offer currently. Weekends less so. Places like Bromley, Catford, Greenwich, Eltham, Bexleyheath should have tube level frequencies and earlier and later trains all week. Too much freight traffic and insufficient track space needs to change. 3. Pinch points cause constant chaos. Signal problems at Lewisham is a common issue which creates havoc across large parts of network, and always takes a long time to recover the service. 4. Thameslink services are still unreliable. Hourly services at weekends down to Rainham. I thought it was supposed to be x30 mins as per former SE Gillingham to CX services. Clearly not. I can't help thinking that the high speed services should be a separate franchise so that Southeastern have no conflicts of interest. Running times from the Medway Towns to St Pancras are much the same as they were on the fast service to Victoria before extra stops were added. I agree about tube level frequencies on SE London routes but is there the capacity to cope? For instance I can't see how the Victoria to Orpington service can be increased from the present 4tph without causing delays to fast services. Medway Towns got a raw deal losing the long standing semi fast Charing Cross service in favour of a slower Thameslink service and it's ridiculous that it's only hourly st weekends. |
|
|
|
Post by markyl on Apr 11, 2019 6:25:49 GMT
The Orpington to Victoria trains were cut back to 2 TPH much to the annoyance of locals in Orpington, Petts Wood and Bickley the 4 TPH were replaced with a disjointed TL service
|
|
|
|
Post by sid on Apr 11, 2019 6:49:02 GMT
The Orpington to Victoria trains were cut back to 2 TPH much to the annoyance of locals in Orpington, Petts Wood and Bickley the 4 TPH were replaced with a disjointed TL service I would have thought 6tph between Bromley South and Orpington could be justified. |
|
|
|
Post by snowman on Apr 23, 2019 18:23:40 GMT
Urgent Question asked in Commons today approx 17:15 hours by Conservative MP Michael Fallon who asks an urgent question on the delay of the award of the new South Eastern rail franchise.
In December, the government extended the franchise agreement with Govia from 1 April 2019 to 22 June 2019.
On 10 April, the government announced that the current franchise would be extended to 10 November 2019 with an option to extend the agreement further to April 2020 "while we make a decision on the competition".
Transport Minister Andrew Jones says the department has extended the franchise in order to deliver "the best outcome" for passengers.
Michael Fallon replies that the minister "hasn't explained why such a mess has been made of this franchise".
He asks when the franchise will be awarded.
Mr Jones replies that he cannot give a date.
"It is right to take the time to make sure we get it right," he says.
Shadow transport minister Rachael Maskell accuses the "ever failing" Transport Secretary Chris Grayling of a "lack of action" on the "beleaguered" South Eastern franchise.
She says the government should have brought the franchise into direct operation, adding that the "franchising fiasco must end".
Transport Minister Andrew Jones replies that the "short" extension to the franchise will allow the competition on the next operator to conclude.
|
|
|
|
Post by TNL33036 on Jun 7, 2019 19:46:13 GMT
|
|
