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DARLING MUST GIVE PASSENGERS A REAL VOICE IN NEW RAIL FRANCHISES

24 Oct 2002

Passengers must be given a real voice in the future direction of their rail services when new franchising rules are drawn up, Friends of the Earth said today. Transport Secretary Alistair Darling confirmed last week [1] that he will soon be announcing major changes to the rail re-franchising process, which determines which company will run the train services in an area.

Friends of the Earth believes that although many changes are proposed to the much-criticised process [2], the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) has no plans to consult passengers on what they want from their rail services.

At present, the franchising process is shrouded in secrecy:

• passengers are not asked for their views directly - the passenger view is represented by the Rail Passenger Committee for the region [3]; and
• the basic franchise specification (outlining what level of service the SRA is aiming to provide) is not a public document.

Friends of the Earth wants to see far greater openness and consultation in the re-franchising process:

• passengers should be consulted directly through exhibitions and meetings at main stations, and via the SRA website;
• the basic franchise specification should be made public.

Friends of the Earth rail campaigner Roger Higman said:
“It’s good news that the SRA is going to change the way it decides who runs our train services. It is time some of the worst elements of privatisation were sorted out. But it seems that passengers will still have no real say in what services are provided for them. Surely it’s just common-sense for the industry to ask its customers what services they want? The SRA must open up the process and give the average passenger on the 08.14 a real voice.”

Notes

[1]    Hansard 15th October 2002, column 158
[2]    Friends of the Earth has learned that the SRA is planning to announce radical changes to its franchising policy shortly, in particular:

• The SRA has admitted that the current process isn’t working citing a ‘protracted and costly’ process, a need to be ‘more engaged, commercial and professional’ and pledging to change ‘a performance regime that isn’t working’ and ‘eradicate perverse incentives’
• The SRA has proposed to ‘change the form of contract between the SRA and the Franchisee to a more prescriptive ‘service contract’’, ‘to streamline the process and meet deadlines’. Greater Anglia will be the first franchise to be renewed using the new style agreement.

[3]    There are nine regional Rail Passenger Committees and a national Rail Passenger Council. These are established by Parliament as the statutory representatives of passengers. Although they perform an extremely valuable role, the average passenger has little knowledge of them and how to get involved in re-franchising.

Currently the other statutory consultees in the refranchising process are Regional Development Agencies, local authorities and Passenger Transport Executives in the former metropolitan counties (Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne & Wear, West Midlands and West Yorkshire).

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