Agenda item

This Council Meeting notes

·           That a Department for Transport (DfT) consultation on the Northern Rail and TransPennine Express franchises from February 2016 onwards closed on 18th August 2014

·           That the third question of the DfT consultation document invited views on allowing a ‘reduction in the hours ticket offices are open and staffed’

·           That Transport for Greater Manchester provided a detailed response to this question which highlighted how staffing both at stations and on trains has significant benefits ‘in terms of revenue protection, improved levels of and perceptions of safety, and the provision of information and guidance’

·           That Section 2.33 of the DfT’s own stakeholder consultation admits that ‘evidence suggests that a relatively high proportion of journeys on Northern are made without a ticket’ and that one of the existing reasons for this problem is given as ‘unstaffed stations’

·           That Section 3.30 of the DfT stakeholder consultation states that ‘on the Northern franchise, we expect to require bidders to set out how Driver-Only Operation may be introduced onto suitable services’, in effect meaning a reduction in conductors on local trains

·           That despite the limited consultation period, the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union (RMT) have confirmed that over 10,000 responses objecting to proposals for unstaffed stations and ‘Driver-Only Operated’ trains were delivered to the DfT during the consultation

This Council Meeting believes

·           That the sustainability of our railways is reliant on generating adequate revenue, which passengers expect to be reinvested to increase capacity and achieve an acceptable level of quality for users

·           That the demand for rail travel is forecast by Rail North to continue to grow by around 2.5% a year across the North of England, leading to an overall increase in usage of 50% increase by 2029, making it the wrong time to reduce staffing levels

·           That any proposed change to a ‘Driver-Only Operating’ model requires substantial upfront investment in station facilities in order to continue to provide an adequate level of customer service for passengers, and that no such investment appears forthcoming

·           That even with an investment in modern facilities similar to those utilised by Metrolink services, that cuts to staffing in our local stations and on local rail services would make the rail network more inaccessible for elderly and disabled people especially, and are thus undesirable

·           That the loss of conductors and ticket office closures is a false economy which goes against the wishes of passengers who value the staffing of trains and stations

·           That the way to reduce the subsidy to Northern Rail, £324million in 2012-13 (53p per mile), is to do more to ensure that every passenger who travels has a valid ticket for their journey

This Council Meeting requests

·           That Councillors be provided with any reply from the DfT which TfGM receives to its response to the stakeholder consultation

This Council Meeting resolves

·           That the Chief Executive writes to the Minister of State for Transport and Transport for Greater Manchester

       (i)         Stating the value which this Council places on the job that conductors and station staff do in revenue protection, ensuring our railways are safe and in customer service

       (ii)        Requesting a commitment from them that all trains and stations in Stockport which are currently staffed retain these personnel

       (iii)       Requesting a guarantee that local investment will be forthcoming to ensure that all stations in Stockport are both safe and accessible for all residents of the Borough

Moved by:               Councillor Dean Fitzpatrick

Seconded by:        Councillor Elise Wilson

MOVED AND SECONDED - This Council Meeting notes

·         That a Department for Transport (DfT) consultation on the Northern Rail and TransPennine Express franchises from February 2016 onwards closed on 18th August 2014

·         That the third question of the DfT consultation document invited views on allowing a ‘reduction in the hours ticket offices are open and staffed’

·         That Transport for Greater Manchester provided a detailed response to this question which highlighted how staffing both at stations and on trains has significant benefits ‘in terms of revenue protection, improved levels of and perceptions of safety, and the provision of information and guidance’

·         That Section 2.33 of the DfT’s own stakeholder consultation admits that ‘evidence suggests that a relatively high proportion of journeys on Northern are made without a ticket’ and that one of the existing reasons for this problem is given as ‘unstaffed stations’

·         That Section 3.30 of the DfT stakeholder consultation states that ‘on the Northern franchise, we expect to require bidders to set out how Driver-Only Operation may be introduced onto suitable services’, in effect meaning a reduction in conductors on local trains

·         That despite the limited consultation period, the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union (RMT) have confirmed that over 10,000 responses objecting to proposals for unstaffed stations and ‘Driver-Only Operated’ trains were delivered to the DfT during the consultation

This Council Meeting believes

·         That the sustainability of our railways is reliant on generating adequate revenue, which passengers expect to be reinvested to increase capacity and achieve an acceptable level of quality for users

·         That the demand for rail travel is forecast by Rail North to continue to grow by around 2.5% a year across the North of England, leading to an overall increase in usage of 50% increase by 2029, making it the wrong time to reduce staffing levels

·         That any proposed change to a ‘Driver-Only Operating’ model requires substantial upfront investment in station facilities in order to continue to provide an adequate level of customer service for passengers, and that no such investment appears forthcoming

·         That even with an investment in modern facilities similar to those utilised by Metrolink services, that cuts to staffing in our local stations and on local rail services would make the rail network more inaccessible for elderly and disabled people especially, and are thus undesirable

·         That the loss of conductors and ticket office closures is a false economy which goes against the wishes of passengers who value the staffing of trains and stations

·         That the way to reduce the subsidy to Northern Rail, £324million in 2012-13 (53p per mile), is to do more to ensure that every passenger who travels has a valid ticket for their journey

This Council Meeting requests

·         That Councillors be provided with any reply from the DfT which TfGM receives to its response to the stakeholder consultation

This Council Meeting resolves

·         That the Chief Executive writes to the Minister of State for Transport and Transport for Greater Manchester

(i)         Stating the value which this Council places on the job that conductors and station staff do in revenue protection, ensuring our railways are safe and in customer service

(ii)        Requesting a commitment from them that all trains and stations in Stockport which are currently staffed retain these personnel

(iii)       Requesting a guarantee that local investment will be forthcoming to ensure that all stations in Stockport are both safe and accessible for all residents of the Borough

AMENDMENT MOVED AND SECONDED - This Council notes

·         That a Department for Transport (DfT) consultation on the Northern Rail and TransPennine Express franchises from February 2016 closed on 18 August 2014

·         That the third question of the DfT consultation document invited views on allowing a ‘reduction on the hours ticket offices are open and staffed’

·         That Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) provided a detailed response to this question which highlighted how staffing both at stations and on trains has significant benefits ‘in terms of revenue protection, improved levels of and perceptions of safety, and the provision of information and guidance’

·         That Stockport has over 20% of Greater Manchester railway stations and local passengers.

·         That Rail was vital in Stockport’s past and will continue to be vital to Stockport’s economic future.

This Council believes

·         That for the first time the new franchise will be expected to invest for growth.  The previous two northern franchises specified no growth. This will not be an option for the new franchise;

·         That the timing of station opening hours and their staffing levels play a crucial role both in maximising revenue from current passengers and attracting more passengers onto the rail network;

·         That the recent introduction of an evening peak period, with an associated hike in prices for many passengers, is a regressive step and to be regretted.

·         That the responses to the public consultation by TfGM , Stockport MBC, SE Manchester Community Rail Partnerships and local rail user and station adopter groups were all broadly similar in that they:

o   Reject the three trade-offs on which the DfT asked for comments which were to pay for better trains and services by: sharp increases in below average fares, reduce some lightly-used services and stations and reduce staffing at stations.

o   Call for greater support for community involvement in supporting and promoting train services;

o   Call for more trains and better quality trains;

o   Call for minimum half-hourly services at most stations from earlier in the morning until 2300 on all weekday services, with later last trains on Fri and Sat with better Sunday services;

o   Call for the introduction of new technologies, eg WiFi on all trains, smart ticketing, real time passenger information at all stations.

This Council resolves

·           to support Rail North (the consortium of the 32 transport authorities in the North of England) and TfGM in seeking the best terms for the new northern franchise to support the continued growth of the Region, including Stockport.

For the amendment 37, against 1.

AMENDMENT CARRIED

The amendment was then put as the substantive motion and it was

RESOLVED – (39 for) This Council notes

·         That a Department for Transport (DfT) consultation on the Northern Rail and TransPennine Express franchises from February 2016 closed on 18 August 2014

·         That the third question of the DfT consultation document invited views on allowing a ‘reduction on the hours ticket offices are open and staffed’

·         That Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) provided a detailed response to this question which highlighted how staffing both at stations and on trains has significant benefits ‘in terms of revenue protection, improved levels of and perceptions of safety, and the provision of information and guidance’

·         That Stockport has over 20% of Greater Manchester railway stations and local passengers.

·         That Rail was vital in Stockport’s past and will continue to be vital to Stockport’s economic future.

This Council believes

·         That for the first time the new franchise will be expected to invest for growth.  The previous two northern franchises specified no growth. This will not be an option for the new franchise;

·         That the timing of station opening hours and their staffing levels play a crucial role both in maximising revenue from current passengers and attracting more passengers onto the rail network;

·         That the recent introduction of an evening peak period, with an associated hike in prices for many passengers, is a regressive step and to be regretted.

·         That the responses to the public consultation by TfGM , Stockport MBC, SE Manchester Community Rail Partnerships and local rail user and station adopter groups were all broadly similar in that they:

o   Reject the three trade-offs on which the DfT asked for comments which were to pay for better trains and services by: sharp increases in below average fares, reduce some lightly-used services and stations and reduce staffing at stations.

o   Call for greater support for community involvement in supporting and promoting train services;

o   Call for more trains and better quality trains;

o   Call for minimum half-hourly services at most stations from earlier in the morning until 2300 on all weekday services, with later last trains on Fri and Sat with better Sunday services;

o   Call for the introduction of new technologies, eg WiFi on all trains, smart ticketing, real time passenger information at all stations.

This Council resolves

·           to support Rail North (the consortium of the 32 transport authorities in the North of England) and TfGM in seeking the best terms for the new northern franchise to support the continued growth of the Region, including Stockport.