18.05.16
Franchises must put passenger comfort at the heart of rolling stock – Perry
Rail franchises will be required to modernise their rolling stock in order to improve passenger comfort, the DfT has said in its new rolling stock perspective.
The government will require bidders on new franchises such as West Midlands Rail to include improving rolling stock in their bid, and will pilot a scheme where new franchisees (East Coast, TPE and Northern) have to invest a portion of their profits in rolling stock innovation for the first three years.
The report also said it is not acceptable that the National Passenger Survey found that passenger satisfaction remains below 80%.
In her foreword to the strategy, rail minister Claire Perry said: “The future of the rail industry must be one in which it uses this era of opportunity to become ever more customer focused. Passengers want, and deserve, reliable, frequent and fast services in comfortable trains with modern features.
“Everyone who works on the railway, from frontline customer facing staff to train drivers, signallers, telecoms experts and others need to be given the skills to make new rolling stock and signalling equipment work for passengers as it is introduced.”
Recommendations for rolling stock include considering new solutions to reduce overcrowding, potentially including double deck trains and seat layouts that can be quickly altered.
The report also recommends improving passenger comfort by making ergonomic seating, wi-fi and mobile phone reception available as a matter of course.
It also says that in the future it will be “a matter of course” for trains to transfer between TOCs and routes. Measures to allow for this include widespread inclusion of common systems for coupling, train management and train control and a long-term approach to livery.
The report also says that trains should be designed to improve their environmental impact by reducing emissions, being more easily recycled at the end of their life, and ending toilet discharge onto tracks by January 2020.
It says that Network Rail must work more closely with train manufacturers in order to ensure that rolling stock is compatible with the railways.
The department recommend that TOCs work closer together to develop common ‘big ticket’ items for rolling stock, including standard train heights and widths, vehicle lengths and door positions, lighter trains and driver advisory systems.
The report also promises that the procurement strategy for HS2 trains, which will begin next year, will “set new standards in passenger experience”.
It confirms that the European Train Control System (ETCS) will be installed on all trains as part of the introduction of the Digital Railway.
(Image c. Alex Thorkildsen)
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