The Committee invited rail operators to
provide feedback on train services in GM over the recent
period.
Comments raised by operators included the
following:
- Avanti West Coast – reported
that issues with regards to staff absence had resulted in upcoming
services changes. An amended timetable would be introduced to cover
the period 17 January until 25 February 2022 in response to the
challenges faced by staff absence which would ensure the service
was more reliable and capacity was balanced in connectivity with
other operators across the network. The service between Manchester
and London would be drastically reduced from three to one train per
hour from 17 January 2022 via Stoke. Four additional trains between
Manchester and London would operate throughout the day via Crewe.
Customers that had already purchased advance tickets had been
notified with the option to apply for a refund. The situation would
be under constant review and any additional services would be
considered where possible to reflect any events scheduled to take
place.
Patronage throughout December was between
65-70% of pre-Covid levels but had since dropped to 40% which
reinforced the view that the reduction in service would accommodate
demand.
- Network Rail – reported the
similar issues with regards to customer facing staff absence prior
to Christmas, however the position had improved. Operation centres
and engineering teams appeared to be less affected by Covid related
absence and remained stable.
Face covering compliance had increased to 80-90% although there was
some variation at weekends. Footfall at Manchester Piccadilly
during December was reported to be 70-80k per day and had decreased
to between 50-55k during January 2022. In comparison, footfall in
January 2019 was approx. 110k passengers per day.
The Committee were provided with an overview of activities and
messaging which had taken place in the run up to the festive period
concerning safety and security.
An update regarding track and platform upgrade across the network
was also provided and Councillor Clarke (Stockport) offered support
for the bridge works that were taking place at Romiley station.
- Trans Pennine Express (TPE) –
advised that an amended timetable to improve reliability to provide
stability due to levels of sickness absence had been introduced
from 10 January 2022. For those passengers that had already
pre-purchased tickets, a ticket acceptance scheme had been agreed
with other operators until the end of January.
Patronage was reported to have reduced to
approximately 51% from 75-80%. Prior to the Omicron wave, weekends
had been operating at pre pandemic levels.
A new WhatsApp service had been introduced to
book passenger assistance operating 7 days a week between 6am and
11pm excluding Bank Holidays. Furthermore, Good maps had been made
avaible at seven TPE stations across the network which included
Manchester Airport and Stalybridge to help navigate passengers with
mobility or visual difficulties safely around train
stations.
- Northern – similarly reported
that 2D maps had been introduced at stations.
The current timetable had been implemented on 4 January 2021 to
provide reliability for customers with a reduction in 10% of
services compared to December 2019. School flows had been protected
where possible with bus services to support where services had been
removed. There was no current end date for the new timetable,
however it would be reviewed over the forthcoming weeks
ahead.
Sickness absence for the company overall was reported at 9.6% of
which 3.9% was due to Covid, however some depots had absence at 25%
which reflected the necessity for an amended timetable. Demand was
reported to be significantly reduced from levels in November and
early December 2021 and for period 10 between 12 December and 8
January 2022, levels where 64% revenue and 56% journey
recovery.
Resolved /-
That the update by Rail Operators be
noted.