North Wales and Mersey Dee Alliance Rail Improvement Task Force: - Terms of Reference (February 2016)

Transcription

1 North Wales and Mersey Dee Alliance Rail Improvement Task Force: - Terms of Reference (February 2016) Introduction The North Wales and Mersey Dee Alliance Rail Improvement Task Force has been established at the invitation of the Wales Office, the Department of Transport and the Welsh Government to develop proposals to improve rail services and infrastructure in North Wales and the neighbouring Mersey Dee cross border area. The initiative derives from a campaign to electrify the North Wales Coast Mainline from Holyhead to Chester to link with electrified lines to Warrington and Crewe and to ensure that North Wales and the MDA area is HS2 ready with electrified links to the Crewe HS2 Hub via Chester to enable electrified classic compatible services to run from North Wales and Chester to London via the Crewe Hub. The Task Force will progress from input based proposals like electrification to specifying output improvements like improved journey times and demonstrate how these will unlock development opportunities and support economic growth in the region, e.g. improving the value of redevelopment proposals for the Business Quarter of Chester, enabling housing development, supporting GVA growth, increased taxation and capital receipts. The Chester and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership has ambitious plans to grow its economy from a 21bn GVA economy to a 35bn economy by 2030, an annual growth rate of 2.75%. This target is supplemented by a desire to achieve a GVA of 115% of the UK average (currently around 106%). The next iteration of its plan will seek a 50bn economy for Cheshire and Warrington by 2040 and create 139,000 new homes and 127,000 new jobs in that period. North Wales is seeking to reverse a position of relative economic decline and stagnation relative to UK growth. The region wishes to improve GVA from 73% of the UK average and grow faster than the UK average. North Wales MDA members have similar ambitions to the C&WLEP though precise targets for North Wales as a whole are still under discussion. Both areas (North Wales and Cheshire and Warrington) want to be part of the Northern Powerhouse concept, growing GVA above the UK average, expanding advanced manufacturing and other key sectors and improving road and rail connectivity with the Northern Cities and manufacturing clusters along the M62, Trans-Pennine corridor. Transport Infrastructure and Rail in particular is seen as a barrier to growth in the North Wales and Cheshire area. Rail does not effectively serve commuting for employment or long distance travel for business and tourism. The rail network in the area is disconnected from key employment sites like Deeside Industrial Park, Airbus etc. Rail services are slow and Version 5, 17 th February

2 highly uncompetitive with road travel within the region and to Northern Cities like Manchester and Liverpool and their Airports. The core MDA area has the lowest level of commuting by rail in the UK because of the slow and uncompetitive rail offer. Services along the North Wales Coast are also overcrowded at peak times particularly when travelling beyond Chester from the North Wales Coast. Connections to Liverpool and Manchester are abysmal in terms of journey time to distance travelled (e.g. Bangor to Manchester Piccadilly travels 115miles in 2hrs 25 minutes (145 minutes) a speed of under 50 miles an hour. The quality of rolling stock is variable Businesses in the region have condemned the rail network and services as not fit for purpose in the C21st, a barrier to growth and a drag on the region s competitiveness as a location to do business. The region also feels that the potential of rail freight is neglected and should be given some priority, particularly in the context of the traffic through Holyhead Port and the region s links with Ireland. The North Wales railway is part of the Comprehensive TEN-T European Network and should be electrified by 2030 based on EU TEN-T objectives. The Task Force will develop a plan to make the rail network and services serve the economy as an engine of growth and achieve modal shift where rail commuting in the area matches and then exceeds the UK national average. This will include proposals to develop rail-freight services in the area. Scope The area is served by the Wales and Borderlands Franchise currently operated by Arriva Trains Wales and the London Chester Holyhead branch of the West Coast Mainline Franchise currently held by Virgin Trains. Chester and the MAD area in England has an additional range of franchises serving it including Merseyrail and Northern. The services that the Task Force will make recommendations on will include: - Holyhead Bangor Chester Cardiff (via Shrewsbury) Holyhead Bangor Chester Crewe London Euston Holyhead Bangor Chester Birmingham (via Shrewsbury) Holyhead Bangor Chester Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport Holyhead Bangor Chester Liverpool JLI Airport and Liverpool Lime Street Wrexham Chester Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool JLI Airport Wrexham Chester - Manchester and Manchester Airport Wrexham Bidston/Liverpool Central via Deeside Industrial Park and the Wirral Waters Development Wrexham London Euston via Shrewsbury Freight Services and Opportunities in the region Connectivity with other public transport e.g. bus services Version 5, 17 th February

3 Integrated ticketing and other means of making journeys more convenient and quicker, especially improved travel information services and access to stations. Improved rolling stock The Task Force will consider infrastructure supporting these services including: - Signalling Track Stations Car Parking at stations Safety Measures at stations and on trains such as CCTV. Objectives The Task Force will seek to make recommendations to make the rail network and its services fit for the purpose of growing the economy through: - Modal shift for commuting, relieving pressure on roads Improved passenger experience and facilities including improvements that facilitate business travel, student travel and tourism - wi-fi and electric sockets, luggage space and catering and better, safer stations. Radically Improved cross border journey times to Liverpool and Manchester competitive with the motor car in quiet traffic conditions and at least 40% lower than at present e.g. Bangor to Manchester 90minutes (from 145 minutes) Improved journey time to London, targeted on improving journey times along the N Wales Coast and the Chester to Crewe stretches of line. New service patterns with fast and stopping trains, reducing stopping for fast trains Access to Manchester and Liverpool Airports Consideration of new/improved stations to serve key economic zones like DIP/Airbus (a Broughton Parkway) Developing the potential for rail freight services and exploiting the area s closeness to Ireland and the volume of traffic flowing through the Port of Holyhead. Exploring the growth of freight traffic through the region s ports arising from Liverpool 2 (Atlantic Gateway) The Task Force will: - Discuss investments required all along the routes targeted to improve rail access to key destinations in Manchester and Liverpool including the airports (i.e. investments in North West England). Assist the Welsh Government to complete and submit its Strategic Outline Business Case for Electrification of the Holyhead - Chester Crewe/Warrington lines. Think openly and creatively beyond the political and administrative boundaries that are strangling and disadvantaging the economies of North Wales and the MDA area by stopping economic appraisals at the border and will work on the basis of the Version 5, 17 th February

4 real, borderless economy of the MDA area. It will seek to encourage the rail industry to think creatively and embrace commercial opportunities to improve services. Work closely with Merseyrail both in terms of its connections with Rail North and TfN and enhancing Merseyrail services in the area where relevant. Make proposals for inclusion in franchises to serve the area from 2018 with specific reference to new rolling stock, new services and fares. Membership Core Group NWEAB MDA CandWLEP Business Cllr Dilwyn Roberts (as Chair) Cllr Pat Hackett (as Chair) Cllr Samantha Dixon (as nominee) Ashley Rogers North Wales Business Council Colin Brew, CW and N Wales Chamber of Commerce Political Briefings The Task Force will regularly brief and involve: - North Wales AMs North Wales and MDA Area MPs and Peers in Westminster MEPs from the area Chair Councillor Samantha Dixon, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council Way of Working Advisers and Consultancy Support a) Senior Advisers Charlie Seward and Rebecca Maxwell b) Technical Consultancy Mott McDonald c) Communications and PR TBC Technical Advisory Group Network Rail DfT WG TOCs TfN Merseyrail Secretariat Meeting Schedules NWEAB (Stephen Jones and Iwan Prys Jones) To be confirmed Version 5, 17 th February

5 Timescales The Initiative will produce an interim Report, A Prospectus in March 2016, prior to: - The Budget Welsh Assembly elections and purdah In response to the relevant rail industry route studies (options for funders) A final Report will be published by June 2016 prior to: - The autumn statement The closure of the rail industry planning process for the CP6. The report will be submitted to the UK Government and the Welsh Government. ENDS Version 5, 17 th February