What further change is needed?
Delivering a New Rail Service | Delivering growth on bus services | Support Translink requires
Early indications from the changes introduced last year by Translink, as detailed in section 2, are encouraging, supporting the case that improvements to services will attract more passengers. Strategies for this change programme must be continued over the next three years if passenger growth is to accelerate, be sustainable and long-term.
Delivering a New Rail Service
The first tranche of the 23 new C3k trains procured were delivered, completed testing and commissioning and entered service during 2004/05. The current year, 2005/06, will see this process completed.
The current financial year will also see the implementation of plans that will deliver a new rail service. This project fundamentally repositions customer service at the heart of all aspects of railway operations. Improvements offered to passengers are expected to attract the desired growth in passenger numbers.
During 2005/06 the new rail service project will focus on delivering the following service enhancements:
- New timetables will be phased in from June 2005, to offer increased capacity and frequency that introduce simplified operations.
- Improved reliability of service will be achieved from the new rolling stock and hub and spoke operations.
- The achievement of a corporate culture change in which customer care is central, through the delivery to all staff of the ‘new, inspired rail service’ training programme.
- An upgrade of facilities at stations and halts that includes ensuring their compliance with Disability Discrimination Act requirement.
- Delivery of a renewed approach to rail service marketing, branding and communications.
With this programme, significant growth in passenger numbers is anticipated during 2005/06, helped by the recent removal of the uncertainty over the future of the railway lines north of Ballymena and Whitehead.
Subsequent steps to achieving passenger growth on the rail network will involve the completion of relay work on the Bleach Green / Larne line and the development of a business case for the replacement of aged Class 450 rolling stock.
Enterprise services
The plan also identifies the need to reinforce Enterprise rail services as the preferred way for people to travel to Dublin. A key objective for 2005/06 will be to achieve passenger growth on Enterprise services after the completion of prolonged engineering works north of Dublin and with the refurbishment of rolling stock well progressed.
There will be a renewed focus on delivering improved punctuality and reliability of performance on the service, essential if previous growth is to be recaptured. A major promotional campaign for the Enterprise service will be planned and delivered.
Railway development plan
The long term position of the railway has been considerably strengthened by the commitment of Government to maintain the railway network in its entirety and to enable the continuance of services north of Ballymena and Whitehead. Under the Regional Transportation Strategy Translink will deliver a fully funded ‘new rail service’ project that will enhance all aspects of the service experienced by rail passengers, with patronage growth as its core objective.
Translink now has the opportunity to develop a new strategic approach to the development of the railway over the next five years. A timetable vision of progressively enhancing frequency and introducing regular ‘clock face’ timetables is being developed and this will drive critical decisions on upgrading of infrastructure and specification of fleet replacement requirements.
Translink will continue to lobby for the increased investment programme outlined in the ‘expanded offering’ option recommended in the June 2004 Booz Allen Hamilton Report for Translink, The Future of Railways in Northern Ireland.
This ‘expanded offering’ option would further increase railway patronage and deliver a positive economic payback for Northern Ireland. Translink considers the funding approval of the ‘expanded offering’ option an essential component of the delivery plan for the ten-year railway objectives of the RTS.
Delivering a New Rail Service | Delivering growth on bus services | Support Translink requires
| Delivering growth on bus services |
The bus businesses represent a complex strategic challenge. Translink has already begun a programme of comprehensive network development with the aim of meeting passenger growth targets, consistent with the RTS.
Goldline and Metro Phase II implementation
The objectives of both phase II plans are to further improve service frequency levels. On Metro Phase II the target is to enhance frequency levels by approximately 50%, every 7-10 minutes on each corridor. The funding to support the additional fleet vehicles required has been approved in principle by Goverment.
Fleet
In the two years, 2002/03 - 2004/05, 200 new buses and coaches were taken into service. Approval was gained recently for the procurement of 335 additional vehicles during this corporate plan. The fleet average age will reduce to under 10 years during 2007 as these new buses are delivered. This is very welcome, although it will then be essential that Government supports a steady annual replacement programme rather than the ‘stopgo’ process which has applied in the past. An additional 120 vehicles are earmarked to enter the fleet as part of the Phase II network developments for Goldline and Metro.
Ulsterbus and Schools Strategic review
A core part of the work programme for 2005/06 is the start of a programme of strategic reviews of Ulsterbus districts and their schools networks businesses. Information has been collected from pilot studies which have served to scope the complexity of the exercise for the network as a whole and give a broad indication of the issues.
The strategic reviews are intended to:
- Identify operating costs for individual parts of the business.
- Redesign the Ulsterbus network to provide attractive and more frequent core services.
- Plan changes that will maximise the use of all resources.
- Examine the potential for a ‘Business Unit’ approach to managing each part of the business.
Delivering a New Rail Service | Delivering growth on bus services | Support Translink requires
| Support Translink requires |
Translink has already implemented significant bus network improvements and has a clear and credible strategy for future expansion of services. However, if Translink is to attract more passengers from their cars and deliver to RTS targets, it is essential that practical support is provided in three key areas outlined below.
Growing bus use through partnership initiatives and ‘Quality Bus Corridors’
Translink relies on key partners, principally Roads Service, to deliver Regional Transportation Strategy initiatives that will help achieve bus passenger growth:
- A programme of accelerated implementation of strategic bus priority on ‘Quality Bus Corridors’ (QBCs) also including a reduction of the free or low-cost parking available in urban areas.
- The decriminalisation of parking enforcement (DPE) and effective enforcement of bus lanes.
- The development of strategic park and ride facilities.
Translink considers these initiatives are essential to maximise the growth in bus use that will arise from the deployment of an increased fleet.
The Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan (BMTP) has a peak bus patronage growth target of 28% and the improvement of bus speeds by 15% against 2001 levels. Bearing in mind there has been continuing deterioration in the early years of BMTP this requires an immediate and radical change to the pace of delivery of 'Quality Bus Corridors.'
The key factor is bus journey time relative to the car - improvement in this is central to the delivery of a ‘virtuous circle’ of bus growth from increased frequency of service. It is delivered by comprehensive, effective and enforced bus priority that allows the bus to move freely and reliably.
The faster bus journey attracts passengers but there is also greater reliability and frequency increases are made effective by avoiding ‘bunching’. The faster speed also allows more trips per bus and the reinvestment of extra fares revenue in even higher frequency completes the ‘virtuous circle’.
The success of these policies is vividly demonstrated in other cities, including Dublin, Edinburgh, Oxford, Brighton and London. It’s now time for a fair deal for bus passengers in Belfast. To date, in Belfast there has been limited progress in respect of the ‘non-bus service’ aspects of the partnership initiatives which are required. The extra buses for Metro Phase II will not be effective without demand management of cars and comprehensive, effective and enforced QBCs. In addition, there is a need for enforcement powers to be quickly extended to control moving traffic offences in bus lanes.
Bus network reform support
The additional funding to expand the bus fleet and deliver Phase II frequency improvements for both the Goldline and Metro networks is very welcome. However, network changes of this scale take time
to deliver results and there remains a need for an interim network development support programme to support the additional cost of enhanced frequency as passenger growth and revenue builds.
These resources will ‘seed fund’ planned network developments; essential if the entire Belfast Metro and Ulsterbus networks are to be upgraded and recast to deliver the passenger growth targets, while minimising negative impact by maintaining socially necessary routes.
Across the UK, bus industry costs including fuel, insurance and labour costs continue to move ahead of inflation, while the real cost of motoring (to the motorist) continues to decline.
If more people cannot be attracted to the bus network, these cost increases will lead to a ‘vicious circle’ of higher fares and / or reduced services. This would be self-defeating and contrary to the
RTS and BMTP objectives of bus passenger growth and transfer of journeys from car to bus.
Regulatory and licensing reform
To deliver RTS growth targets, pragmatic progress in relation to the ‘New Start’ policy agenda (i.e.changes in the regulation and licensing of bus services) is required. Such an approach must prioritise reform of the network as a whole within the overall growth agenda.
An approach has now been agreed in principle with the General Consumer Council and the Northern Ireland Independent Coach Operators Association and is being taken forward in consultation with the Department for Regional Development.
It is agreed by all parties that a 3 year period of route licensing stability is essential to enable Translink to design and deliver its network reform programme without the threat of destabilising fragile but socially necessary networks. It is agreed that this is the best way to create opportunities for the greater participation of independent operators, within a carefully planned and expanding fully integrated network and ticketing system.
Delivering a New Rail Service | Delivering growth on bus services | Support Translink requires
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