05.03.15
‘Metro-style’ clause in Northern ITT could allow converted LU stock
Plans to allow the new Northern franchisee to introduce trains with ‘metro-style’ minimum space for standing passengers, much less than the usual main line assumption, have been condemned by the RMT union.
It says the clause in the Northern Invitation to Tender (ITT) would amount to forcing the public “to pay through the nose to be jammed into decommissioned and dangerous sardine cans”.
While the ITT requires the new franchisee to bring in 120 new-build vehicles by 2020 to replace the Pacers, outside of this requirement parts of the fleet can be ‘metro-style’ and do not have to be new-build so long as they are “implemented as part of a transformational refurbishment that means passenger satisfaction with the stock (taking account of reduced seating capacity) should be comparable to that of a new or nearly-new fleet”.
The RMT is convinced that this is an indirect reference to Vivarail’s plans for converted London Underground D78 stock, known as the D-Train, which would have a 60mph top speed using automotive engines. The trains, currently being converted at Long Marston, could be ready for use far more quickly than new-build DMUs, and some see them as a viable short-term solution on some commuter routes where top speed is not a major issue. RTM’s recent interview with Vivarail chair Adrian Shooter is here.
The union has been mounting a furious assault on the D-Train idea ever since it was first revealed, and kept it up today, claiming that the ITT “confirmed that 30-year-old Tube trains withdrawn from service on London Underground, currently undergoing refitting to diesel operation, could be dumped on railways in the north as yet another rolling stock lash-up, raising serious safety fears”.
Vivarail says its planned refurbishment is so extensive that it will be “effectively a new train”.
Its idea has proved controversial and provocative, with RTM readers just as split as the rest of the industry on whether Shooter and his team have come up with a sensible and practical solution to a tricky problem – or if they are about to inflict poor-quality, clapped-out ‘Crawlers’ on passengers who deserve better. Rail industry websites, letters pages and forums have seen both sides of the debate put up strong arguments.
Adrian Shooter told RTM: “It is clear from the ITT that the DfT is determined to drive forward a wholesale improvement in the quality and quantity of rail services in the North. This includes upgrading busy local routes with trains that accelerate quickly, are easy to board and are pleasant to ride in. D-trains are ideal for such routes, and a perfect component in the overall fleet mix for the North. For the Train Operators the speed of delivery and cost efficiencies they offer make them a very simple choice. And of course for passengers and staff they provide the comfort and high standards they deserve.
“We are in continuing discussions with the bidders for the Northern franchise and we are confident that D-trains will play a significant role in bringing better rolling stock to the North's railways– and will be doing so at a lower cost and much earlier than would be possible with conventional solutions.”
The relevant section of the Northern ITT is quoted below:
“Bidders may propose the use of ‘metro-style’ rolling stock that allows 0.25m2 per standing passenger, rather than the 0.45m2 generally assumed, if the rolling stock in question:
- Has an interior layout that is thoroughly modern and comfortable, and [is] purpose-designed for high-density standing (e.g. with sufficient grab-rails or poles to allow standing in reasonable comfort so as to encourage passengers to make use of all available standing space rather than clustering by the doors) and to facilitate quick boarding and alighting for increased numbers of passengers (e.g. with draught screens set back to provide a larger open space in the vicinity of the train doors – trains with end doors as opposed to ‘one-third two-thirds’ doors are unlikely to be suitable);
- Is to be deployed on services for which such layouts are suitable (i.e. short-distance commuting; deployment outside of the Morning Peak and Evening Peak would only be allowable if there are sufficient seats to accommodate forecast passenger loadings); and
- Either is a new-build fleet, or is implemented as part of a transformational refurbishment that means passenger satisfaction with the stock (taking account of reduced seating capacity) should be comparable to that of a new or nearly-new fleet.”
A separate section of the ITT goes into exhaustive detail about what the new franchisee may and may not do with its fleet “aimed at ensuring that bidders’ rolling stock strategies are compatible with those submitted by bidders for the TPE (TransPennine Express) franchise”.
(Top image of LU D78 stock copyright Tom Page. Creative Commons)
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