Great Western Railway

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Great Western Railway
Annual
Stakeholder
Report 2015-16
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Contents
1.0
Managing Director Foreword
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2.0Mark Langman, Network Rail, Route Managing Director, Western
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3.0 Our strategic priorities and GWR Business Wheel 8
4.0Delighting Our Customers 4.1 Becoming GWR
4.2 Highest ever passenger satisfaction
4.3 Network Rail and GWR Alliance
4.4 New footbridge and lifts at Chippenham
4.5 Kingham Car Park
4.6 Cornwall Freight
4.7Pewsey Footbridge
4.8 Trowbridge Station Improvement
4.9 Brompton Dock Reading
4.10 Cornish Wine on the Pullman
4.11Success for Assisted Travel
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5.0 Disciplined Operations
5.1 Performance
5.2 Silver RoSPA Award
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6.0 Great People
6.1Golden Whistle Awards
6.2 Rail Business Awards
6.3 HR Awards
6.4 Excellence Awards
6.5 Prince’s Trust Get into Railways Scheme
6.6 Employable Me documentary
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7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Keeping Our Communities Prospering Customer and Communities Improvement Fund
Train named after last trenches survivor
Prostate Cancer UK
Bristol pound available for use at Bristol Temple Meads
Community Rail Partnerships
- Severnside Community Rail Partnership
- Heart of Wessex Community Rail Partnership
- Devon & Cornwall Community Rail Partnership
- TransWilts Community Rail Partnership
- Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership
Corporate responsibilities
8.0
Driving Business Growth
8.1 East North Cotswolds and North Downs
8.2 West Speed to the West
8.3 Wales Rugby and Wales
8.4 CentralTaunton Station update and Bristol Temple Meads Masterplan
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1.0 Managing Director Foreword
Welcome to our annual report to stakeholders which looks
back over our first year as GWR. We are proud of our new
name and our new ethos. Together with our staff, our
customers and our partners we are harnessing the spirit of
Brunel; recreating his innovation and drive for improvement
to the Great Western railway.
This is not a return to a heritage rail service. This is a
renaissance of rail looking clearly to the future. A leap
forward to a new level of service with brand new trains,
an electrified railway and a total commitment to the
communities we serve.
changes, but we are willing to innovate and work with
the DfT and Network Rail to maintain momentum and to
deliver for our customers. We will let you know if there
are any changes in the delivery dates, but for now, we
continue to work to our previous timetable.
We could not do it without you and we are pleased
that over the last year we have been able to deepen
our partnerships, and to make new, strong links with
communities right across our business. We recognise our
role in economic regeneration and we are more than willing
to play our part in giving back to the regions we serve.
This year’s report contains our first ever update on our
Customer and Communities Improvement Fund. We
were delighted with the bids we received and with the
quality and range of projects now funded. This fund is
all about levering finance for schemes that would not
normally receive rail funding; schemes that support
areas of social need. It has worked better than we ever
expected and we are looking for a second bumper round
of entries for next year.
Last year we published a separate report “Our new
Great Western franchise” detailing the benefits this new
franchise brings for every area of the network. Many
of those commitments are repeated here and we are
continuing to work with you to deliver profound changes
in capacity and comfort for our customers.
It would be wrong for me not to temper this by noting the
recent report to Government by Sir Peter Hendy, new Chair
of Network Rail. Sir Peter’s report, and revised delivery
plans for Network Rail’s work on the Great Western have
been the subject of a Department for Transport (DfT)
consultation that has not yet reported back.
We don’t yet know the full impact of this on our
commitments. However, you have my assurance that we
are determined to deliver as much as possible as close as
possible to the original timescales. There may need to be
More than ever this franchise is about partnership, it is
about engaging with the communities we serve, keeping
people moving and finding solutions for an increasingly
congested world. We know we do that better when we
work together with you, and my team and I would like
to say “Thank You” for another great year of delivering
for customers, communities and the local and regional
economy. It is a pleasure working with you.
Best wishes
Mark Hopwood,
Managing Director
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2.0 Mark Langman, Network Rail,
Route Managing Director, Western
The Western Route is undergoing the biggest period of
investment since it was first built, over 175 years ago.
This is excellent news: it's recognition of the vital role
that the rail network plays in the functioning of the
country after a long period of post-war neglect.
However, it's also a formidable challenge to those of
us who are involved in the work. Passenger numbers
are higher now than at any time since the 1920s
and much of the infrastructure and rolling stock is
showing its age.
Ultimately, our plans are about improving the things that
matter to rail users: more seats, greater capacity, faster
and more reliable services for everyone – commuters,
business or leisure travellers, and the freight services on
which our economy depends.
The future of the railway in the Thames Valley,
West of England and Wales is bright. Electrification
represents a huge step forward for the network and
will have a transformational effect on everyday travel,
especially when allied to the other programmes
which are underway: Crossrail, the Western Rail Link
To Heathrow and the route-wide signalling upgrade
amongst others.
We could not hope to achieve those goals without a close
partnership with Great Western Railway; both in the
delivery of major infrastructure enhancements and in
day-to-day performance improvements. Over many years,
Mark Hopwood and his team have proven to be reliable
and robust partners in all our undertakings, and we have
enthusiastically worked together to improve passenger
outputs and raise standards. It was with this in mind that
we moved to formalise our joint working arrangements in
March by signing an alliance agreement.
Whilst we look forward to delivery of those projects,
passengers rightly expect performance improvements
today. So we are also devoting time and effort to fixing
some of the problems which have plagued the service
in recent years. One of my first actions following my
appointment was to introduce enhanced maintenance
regimes and rapid-reaction repair teams for those
parts of the network which were worst affected
by poor reliability. This has already begun to reap
rewards in terms of daily performance measures and I
confidently expect this trend to continue.
I am confident that this ever-closer working relationship
will continue to provide benefits for rail users for many
years to come, and I look forward to the future of the
western route’s railway.
Best wishes
Mark Langman,
Route Managing Director, Western
Network Rail
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3.0 Our Strategic Priorities
ng
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Supportive of e
Colleague
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In ecu
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Cust
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Satis mer
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Kee
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Delighting our c
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Re-value rail in
the hearts and
minds of the
travelling public
n
io
at
m a
or
sf nd
an ge
Tr A
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Driving the revenue and profitability of our
business, meeting our franchise obligations and
securing more third party investment for the
benefit of our customers.
C
omer
Cust nce
rie
Expe
th
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Driving business growth
y
do
a
ap
it
bil
fita
Pro
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Working to engage with the wider
communities we serve to deliver a
sustainable future in a socially responsible
way, so we become integral to their
infrastructure and a preferred partner with
solutions for their local needs.
c
ss
an
ine
m
b us
or
Driving
erf
rp
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Accountab
Keeping our communities prospering
Compliance
i ne
to
ra
vir
on
Im men
pac tal
t
Great people
Recognising that our goals will only be delivered
with our colleagues’ commitment and seeking
out new ways to deliver the best customer
experience possible.
Dis
cip
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En
cat
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et
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ingfu
Mean rships
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Partn
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Finding ways to improve our service delivery
and manage the factors that impact customer
satisfaction, while maintaining and developing
our commitment to safety.
Ded
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t
p
s
s
o
e
r
sp
gh
e
i
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Bringing improvements to our business for
the long term benefit of our customers and
managing the factors that impact customer
satisfaction and analysing customer research.
Disciplined operations
ds
Tr
Pe ain
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rm rv
an ice
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r
nda
a
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Delighting our customers
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Delighting Our
Customers
4.1 Becoming Great Western Railway
On 20 September 2015 First Great Western was renamed Great Western Railway
(GWR), marking the biggest investment in the railways since Brunel. The re-brand
centred on the company’s commitment to putting its people and customers first.
Inspired by the legacy of Brunel, the new branding is
a modern adaptation of the traditional Great Western
Railway look and feel, drawing on its 182-year-old
heritage to inspire a new identity. As part of the new
look, travellers will see refreshed branding, new uniforms
and the phased introduction of new train liveries.
Central to GWR's activity is an improvement package,
put together with the Department of Transport (DfT),
which will deliver huge benefits to passengers in terms
of journey times, capacity and reliability. Alongside the
ongoing £7.5 billion investment in improvements to the
rail network, a massive fleet upgrade will see new or
more modern trains, all with free WiFi, on every area of
the network by December 2018. During the same time
frame, the addition of new trains will slash the average
age of our train fleet by more than half – and also help to
create three million additional seats across the network.
A major timetable change in December 2018 will see
quicker train journeys across the route with a reduction
of journey times between South Wales, Bristol and
London, shaving travel time into Bristol by up to 17
minutes and Cardiff by up to 14 minutes.
These new services will also see more direct trains into
Devon and double the number of trains into and out of
Cornwall. This will be supported by 100 extra members of
customer-facing staff and the introduction of dedicated
Customer Ambassadors at key stations across the route
to help customers with local information, directions and
onward travel options.
Local businesses also stand to benefit as a result of
being better connected to new and prosperous markets.
Independent research conducted for the South West
Economic Regional Development Agency (now LEPs)
showed that electrification will boost the South West
economy by £120m per year alone.
“This investment represents a historic milestone
for us and so it was a perfect opportunity to
launch the Great Western Railway once again.
We are committed to improving the journeys
of our passengers, as well as the economic
prosperity and social footprint of the regions
and communities we serve. It’s a new dawn for
our railway and we’re excited to be at the helm.”
Mark Hopwood,
Great Western Railway Managing Director
Local communities along the Great Western Railway
service will also benefit from financial support. A £2.2m
Customer and Communities Improvement Fund, which
will support areas of the railway where there is a real
social need will be deployed, as well as a commitment
to redevelop branch lines, offer free travel to jobseekers
on their way to interviews and introduce a paid work
placement programme for the long term unemployed.
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4.2 GWR Records Highest Ever Score For Customer Satisfaction
2016 marks the year that Great Western Railway achieved its highest ever score
for customer satisfaction according to independent transport user watchdog,
Transport Focus.
Increasing its year-on-year measure for overall
satisfaction by 3% from 81% to 84%, GWR has posted its
highest score since the National Rail Passenger Survey
began in 1999. This year’s score beats its previous high of
83%, achieved in 2011.
Of the five key drivers of customer satisfaction, GWR
improved scores in four key areas:
+ 5% + 3%
Punctuality
Train comfort
+ 3% + 1%
Length of
journey
Ticket
purchasing
GWR was one of only five operators to significantly
increase their score for overall satisfaction.
GWR Head of Customer Experience Alison Smith said
recent investment to improve capacity and punctuality are
having the biggest impact on customers. She explained:
“These results clearly show our
commitment to Building a Greater West
and investing in what we know our
customers want to see, and reflect the hard
work of thousands of GWR colleagues.
“Customers are starting to see the impact
made by converting first class carriages
into standard, providing vital extra
capacity, as well as Network Rail’s great
work in recent months to drive down
infrastructure-related delays.
“The team at Network Rail – led by
recently-appointed Route Managing
Director Mark Langman – should be
particularly congratulated for what
they have achieved, and we are doing
everything we can to help them continue
this good work.”
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4.3 Working Together With Network Rail
4.4 New Footbridge and Lifts at Chippenham Station
On Friday 4 March 2016, Network Rail and Great Western Railway signed a
formal alliance with the aim of delivering a better traveling experience for
passengers by working more closely together.
Passengers travelling to and from Chippenham station have found their journey a
much easier experience after a new footbridge and lifts were officially opened by
Network Rail in January of this year.
The agreement, which was signed at Swindon station,
covers five key areas of working and commits both
companies to a more aligned approach to further
improve performance and increase efficiencies. It also
covers improved joint planning for major upgrade
projects such as the electrification of the Great Western
Main Line, to help minimise disruption for passengers
as much as possible.
The new bridge and lifts greatly improve accessibility at
Chippenham by providing, for the first time, a step-free
route from the station’s main entrance to both platforms,
without the need for staff assistance. This will not only
be of benefit to passengers with reduced mobility, but
also those travelling with children or heavy luggage or
those who simply find stairs a struggle.
Mark Langman, Network Rail’s managing
director for the Western route, said:
“As part of our national £40bn Railway Upgrade
Plan to provide a bigger, better, more reliable
railway for passengers, the railway through the
Thames Valley and south west is undergoing
the biggest modernisation programme since
the Victorian era, including electrification, a
new signalling system, new tracks and
upgraded stations.
“To deliver these extensive improvements and
minimise disruption as much as possible, it’s
essential we formalise a number of the good
things we are already doing and set joint
targets for improvement.
Mark Langman, Route Managing Director, Western Route
Network Rail and Mark Hopwood, Managing Director GWR
“For many years we have been working as
partners and this has been borne out in recent
months by improvements to punctuality and in
the delivery of major upgrade work. This formal
agreement will now mean that we work more
closely together to deliver the improvements
we know passengers want to see.”
The £3m project was mostly funded through the
Department for Transport’s ‘Access for All’ scheme,
which is designed to improve accessibility at rail stations
across Britain by installing lifts and ramps.
Lynn Edginton, Great Western Railway’s manager
for Chippenham station, said:
“We recognise the key role that rail travel has in
supporting the local and national economy and we are
delighted that this improvement has been completed,
providing better access for all who use the station.
“During the previous franchise, over £85m was invested
across our network of 210 stations by working with industry
partners, the Department for Transport and local authorities.”
“Our railway is going through the biggest investment since Brunel, and between us it is our job
to make sure customers see the full benefit of that work as quickly and efficiently as possible.
This agreement formalises many arrangements that have been in place for some time, while also
identifying new ways of working together to deliver value for passengers.”
Great Western Railway Managing Director, Mark Hopwood
The new footbridge and lifts at Chippenham Station
“The opening of this new bridge at
Chippenham station will provide proper
access and make a real difference to
people with a disability or those travelling
with children.
“We are delivering on our commitment to
make journeys better and providing a rail
network that everyone can use. By 2019
we will have invested more than £480m
improving access to nearly 200 railway
stations across the country, including
in Wiltshire.”
Rail Minister, Claire Perry
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4.5 Car Park Extension
at Kingham
4.6 Live Lobsters take the
train to London
Following on from previous car
park extensions at Charlbury and
Hanborough, customers at Kingham
station are now benefitting from
an extra 115 car parking spaces,
as well as the completion of a
new footbridge.
Great Western Railway has teamed
up with local businesses to help
transport Cornish produce to the
capital’s best restaurants in less than
half the time it takes road transport.
Oxfordshire County Council’s deputy leader Rodney Rose,
whose council division includes the station, said the extra
parking and new footbridge would be welcomed by local
people and added:
Committed to the communities we serve, we have
teamed up with InterCity RailFreight Ltd, WEGO Carbon
Neutral Couriers and local fisherman to help get their
products to market quicker, as well as enabling them to
add hours to production times.
4.7 A New Footbridge for Pewsey
In March 2016 Pewsey’s brand
new passenger footbridge worth
£465,000 was officially unveiled at
the train station.
The bridge was installed by Network Rail as part of
their £40bn railway upgrade plan to provide a bigger,
better and more reliable railway for passengers.
The modern footbridge has improved lighting making
it safer for passengers in winter and at night, and has
replaced the old bridge which was installed in 1969,
having previously been in use at Cookham Station
in Berkshire.
“Our partnership with GWR is transforming how
Oxfordshire travels and if we are going to solve problems
like the A40, this is one of the ways we will do that.”
Commercial Development Director,
Matthew Golton, was joined by Rail
Minister and MP for the Devizes
constituency Claire Perry at the official
opening. Claire Perry said:
“Protecting our local rail services is one my
local priorities and the investment in the new
footbridge demonstrates the commitment to
our rail services at Pewsey.
“Also, from 2018 rail users at Pewsey will
benefit from the new AT300 Hitachi bi-modal
trains which will call at the station to and from
the West Country, replacing the 40 year-old
high speed trains."
Matthew Golton added:
"We at Great Western Railway recognise the
key role that rail travel has in supporting
the local and national economy and we are
delighted that this improvement has been
completed, providing better access for all who
use the station."
John Ellis, the chairman of the Cotswold Line Promotion
Group, which represents passengers on the route between
Oxford and Worcester, said:
“Many people travel long distances to use trains on this
line and they must have confidence there will be parking
spaces available when they get to the station, so this is a
welcome improvement.”
Jeff Screeton, InterCity Freight joins Matthew Golton, Commercial
Development Director and Derek Thomas MP St Ives to welcome
the first consignment of Cornish seafood to London.
Improving sustainability, reducing CO2 emissions by
getting vans off the road, and improving the freshness
of produce, the service will see live and fresh produce
traditionally carried to market by the road network
taken by train.
Utilising space in what is traditionally referred to as the
Guard’s van, live shellfish are packed in special cold
crates on the daily 1739 service from Penzance, arriving
into London Paddington at 2344. From there, they are
collected by WEG0 Carbon Neutral Couriers and taken to
their final destination.
Matthew Golton, Commercial Development Director, Trevor Beaven,
Station Supervisor, Minister for Rail Claire Perry MP and Mark Langman,
Route Managing Director Network Rail, celebrate the opening of the
new footbridge at Pewsey
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4.8 Trowbridge Station Improvements
4.9 Brompton Bike Hire at Reading
This year improvements to Trowbridge Station worth almost £1 million were officially
unveiled by Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport Claire Perry.
Reading Station has become the latest station to have a Brompton Bike Hire
Dock installed.
The new facilities include new ticket vending machines,
new passenger shelters and benches, an extension to the
bike parking facilities, improved station car park
and CCTV.
The scheme, allowing people to hire folding bikes by
the day, travel with them on the train, and return to any
Brompton Dock, was launched in response to increasing
demand for rail-cycle provision and the corresponding
need for a bike hire system that offered the flexibility
of a folding bike. The Dock is part of a larger public
nationwide network of 36, with members able to hire
and return bikes to any dock up and down the country,
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no limit on hire
duration. The Brompton Bike Hire Dock requires a simple
registration at bromptonbikehire.com, before being able
to reserve bikes via web and SMS, with a dedicated app
to follow shortly.
Railway users can also benefit from easier pedestrian
access with handrails on the footbridge and an upgrade
of the steps and ramp to Platform One, while there are
now additional car parking spaces and improved lighting.
The project was funded by Local Sustainable Transport
Funding (LSTF), National Station Improvement
Programme and Access for All minor works in a
partnership between Wiltshire Council and Great
Western Railway.
“I am delighted with the new, improved
service here in Trowbridge.
“This, along with the success of the
TransWilts train service will really boost
the use of the station, and make it much
more comfortable for people who use it.
“It is anticipated that this will be the first
step in the transformation of the TransWilts
Swindon to Westbury line with the next
step having the service extended to
Salisbury and possibly to Southampton
Airport, to give real connectivity to
Trowbridge, Wiltshire’s county town.”
“We are delighted to be opening another of
our new generation of docking stations in
partnership with Great Western Railway.
GWR are continually looking to offer
their passengers greater travel flexibility.
Brompton Bike Hire provides further
opportunities for integrated rail & cycle
journeys for those using Reading station.”
Harry Scrope, managing director of
Brompton Bike Hire
Horace Prickett, portfolio holder for transport at
Wiltshire Council
Minister for Rail Claire Perry MP with Mayor of Trowbridge Roger Andrews, GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood,
Station Manager Nick Reid, Town Crier Trevor Heeks and Wiltshire Councillor Horace Prickett at Trowbridge.
Councillor Tony Page, Deputy Leader Reading Borough Council opens the new Reading Station Brompton Dock.
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4.10 Cornish Wine on
the Pullman
Last year we shared our excitement
that we had begun serving an English
wine on our Pullman dining services,
the United Kingdom’s last remaining
daily fine dining rail service.
The introduction of the Cornish wine, Knightor Trevannion,
was part of the new lunch and dinner menu launched
last year by Great Western Railway and award-winning
seafood chef and restauranteur Mitch Tonks. After
creating a menu using locally sourced produce, building
on our original 50:15 pledge to source products from near
the railway line, Mitch, along with his wine merchant Tim,
began their search for an English wine worthy of joining
our wine list, and thus our relationship with Knightor
wines began. This year, we were delighted to continue
our commitment to supporting the communities we serve
through the introduction of Knightor Brut to our menus.
This elegant sparkling wine, produced by Adrian Derx and
originating from the south Cornish coast, joins our select
wine list, all of which are chosen specially to complement
each dish.
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4.11 Success for Assisted Travel
Great Western Railway has, by a
big margin, the largest number of
assisted travel bookings, around
130,000, of any train operator. In
addition, we assist approximately
the same number of people again
with unbooked requests.
Our most recent quarterly survey with users of our
booked assisted travel service revealed the highest
satisfaction levels yet. 92% of those surveyed were
overall satisfied, with 77% of those being very satisfied.
Amongst others, those surveyed praised the smooth
running of the service and that staff were both friendly
and helpful, and met passengers’ needs.
The assisted travel service provides a vital lifeline to
many customers, who without it would be unable to
travel, with 91% agreeing that the service enabled
them to be independent. We are incredibly proud of this
service, especially as this year we received more praise
contacts for the assisted travel service than complaints,
reflected in our net promoter score of +73%.
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Another challenging year for both FGW and GWR with a number of significant
events affecting our performance. With positive management of these, we have
seen successful delivery of the train service and looking ahead there are some
exciting initiatives to deliver further improvements.
GWR Performance and Reliability From 2006-2016
GWR PPM From 01/04/2006 until 31/03/2016
100%
95%
90%
85%
Year
Period PPM
Period PPM
PPM Moving Annual Average
PPM Moving Annual Average
P01 2015-2016
P01 2014-2015
P01 2013-2014
P01 2012-2013
P01 2011-2012
P01 2010-2011
75%
P01 2009-2010
80%
P01 2008-2009
Despite all of the above we have worked closely with
Network Rail and other industry partners, as well as
internally with teams within our own organisation, to
ensure that the impact of these strains were felt as little
as possible by our customers. As a result of this we
have seen some improvements in the delivery of our
Looking forward however there is still work to do and
we must remain vigilant and keep the focus on driving
down delays. The continued works to electrify the
network, the introduction of our first electric trains
and associated strains on resources will all need to be
managed effectively to ensure we do not suffer a decline
in our figures. GWR have recently signed a formal alliance
with Network Rail which covers the many ways we
will be working together more closely and includes a
commitment to deliver a more aligned approach to further
improve performance and increase efficiencies.
P01 2007-2008
During the year, the ongoing engineering work both
for regular maintenance and preparing the network for
electrification have caused significant disruption for
our customers. Though a large proportion of this has
been concentrated in the Thames Valley there have also
been impacts on other key points across our network
with the extensive track lowering works around Bath,
ongoing maintenance in the Severn Tunnel and a number
of signalling renewal schemes including Cardiff and
Swindon to name a few. In addition to these there have
been an increased number of large sporting events, with
the biggest of note being the Rugby World cup which
brought its own challenges. We saw a very different
customer flow than we see at other events, compared in
some instances to those seen during the Olympics.
Public Performance Measure (PPM), the industry standard
for measuring the percentage of trains arriving at their
destination on time and in turn the delivery of our
customer satisfaction figures (Punctuality/reliability of
train service for GWR up 5% from Autumn 2014, National
Rail Passenger Survey – Autumn 2015).
P01 2006-2007
The last 12 months have presented a number of
challenges for the company impacting on our
performance delivery however since the appointment of
new Managing Director for Network Rail in September,
we have seen an improvement in the reliability of the
infrastructure in the Thames Valley along with other
benefits. We have now formed a collaborative project
team working with Network Rail focussing on key
issues affecting our performance. This has shown some
significant improvements towards the end of year and we
expect this to continue into the new financial year.
PPM ( % )
Disciplined
Operations
5.1 Performance
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Anthony Smith
Chief Executive of
Transport Focus
“Our dedicated Passenger Manager has been
able to work constructively with GWR, at all
levels, over the past twelve months helping
to drive a deeper understanding of the
passenger perspective.
“We welcome GWR’s commitment to
understanding more about customers’ needs.
This year we carried out some joint research
in the build up to and during the Bath line
closure. GWR’s willingness to respond to
what passengers were saying was very
reassuring, as is the continued desire to
work with us to drive further improvements
to their passengers’ experience of planned
disruption. Something that is crucial given
that many passengers face several more years
of disruption to their journeys.
“This year’s challenges included six successive
large-scale engineering possessions as
well as a plethora of ‘smaller’ planned
disruptions. Maintaining a consistently good
passenger experience day in, day out, while
managing the planned disruption is critical.
While passengers in the Thames Valley tell
us that more improvements are needed, it
was encouraging to see a positive uplift in
many areas of GWR’s Autumn 2015 NRPS
results, particularly in the areas that are most
important to passengers. We hope that GWR
is able to sustain and improve on these scores
in future.
“Given the challenges posed by the scale of the
Great Western network upgrade and changing
landscape around it, it is hugely positive that
we are able to continue to work with GWR to
ensure that the passenger voice remains at the
heart of decision-making and delivery.”
5.2 GWR Receives Silver Award for Safety
This year, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) awarded
Great Western Railway a Silver Award in its prestigious annual Occupational
Health and Safety Awards.
The Awards recognise a company’s commitment
to continuously improving accident and ill health
prevention at work and provide a visible testimony of
GWR’s safety achievements.
The RoSPA Health & Safety awards are held every year
and are internationally recognised and much sought
after. These awards are not rail industry specific and
are judged against organisations from different industry
sectors and many well-known household and high street
names and global brands. Other winners of the Silver
Award in 2015 include Boots Stores, Hovis, Marks &
Spencer, Tesco and Vauxhall. Success in these awards
is regarded as a high accolade and showcases our
commitment to the safety of our staff, our stakeholders,
competitors and customers.
Submissions focus on a number of points, including
the role of directors and senior managers in leading
health and safety within the organisation, how the
organisation engages employees with health and
safety, how accidents are investigated and how lessons
are learnt following them, amongst other things. The
submission is then judged independently by a panel
of experts, including experts from the Institution of
Occupational Safety & Health (IOSH) and The National
Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health
(NEBOSH). Organisations that maintain high standards
in consecutive years can win gold medals, president’s
awards and orders of distinction.
At GWR we believe that every manager should have an
understanding of their responsibilities when it comes to
health and safety. As a result, we run IOSH Managing
Safety courses and NEBOSH National General Certificate
in Occupational Health and Safety courses throughout
the year to up-skill our managers and contribute to their
professional development.
26
27
28
29
Great
People
6.1 First Awards as GWR
This year, we won our first award
as Great Western Railway when we
scooped the top award for the Major
Possessions, Projects and Central
Station Team in the Outstanding
Operating Team category at the
Institute of Railway Operators Golden
Whistle Awards.
6.2 GWR Standout Performer at
the Rail Business Awards
Following on from our success at the
Golden Whistle Awards, GWR went
on to be the standout performer at
the leading rail industry awards,
taking home four trophies from the
Rail Business Awards.
A further two silver awards were achieved for Operational
Performance, Intercity and Operational Performance,
Regional. In addition, Customer Services Training
Manager Ashley Bray was highly commended in the
Outstanding Individual Category.
Mark Hopwood, Managing Director,
spoke of his pride with GWR being
recognised in this manner. He said:
“These results clearly show our commitment to
Building a Greater West and investing in what
we know our customers want to see, and reflect
the hard work of thousands of GWR colleagues.
“I am immensely proud of these awards and
the work put in by all of our dedicated staff.
The recognition for improved performance is
a welcome achievement, showing Network
Rail’s work to drive down infrastructure related
delays – and we hope to continue our work
with them to transform this railway.”
Unlike other industry awards the Golden Whistles are
dedicated to people who work in railway operations,
recognising those who have gone above and
beyond expectations in order to deliver outstanding
operational performance.
Firstly, we were recognised in the Young Professional
of the Year category, with two of the four finalists being
GWR employees, and the award ultimately going to
GWR Customer Services Training Manager Ashley
Bray. A further three awards were won: the Corporate
Communications Award for the return to the GWR brand;
Marketing Campaign of the Year for Building a Greater
West; and the social media team won our final award
for Digital and Social Media Excellence. GWR was also
highly commended in the Customer Information and
Service category.
“These awards reflect how positively the
rest of the industry sees our move to GWR,
and the impact that our new identity has
had on people outside our railway”
Mark Hopwood, Managing Director
30
31
6.3 Success for the GWR HR Team
6.4 Excellence Awards
This year our HR team celebrated three prestigious awards in just
one week, recognising its work to improve how we attract, recruit
and develop our people.
Earlier this year colleagues and their
partners gathered for the 2016 Great
Western Railway Excellence Awards
to celebrate those colleagues who
put the ‘great’ into Great Western
Railway day in, day out.
The first was Tracey Coleman, Head of Learning and
Development, winning Silver in the Learning and
Development Professional of the Year category at the
Training Journal Awards. This was followed by our
Recruitment team scooping the award for Best Corporate
Recruitment Team at the In-House Recruitment Awards,
ahead of competition from Boots, Bupa, Coca-Cola
and others. The award recognised the team’s efforts to
improve how we recruit new colleagues to our business,
working more closely with hiring managers to find the
right candidates for GWR.
The HR team’s third award was HR Impact at the
industry’s prestigious Personnel Today Awards. The
judges praised how the team reviewed and redesigned
our corporate welcome for new starters, making it more
engaging and helping them better understand the part
they will play in our success.
“I am extremely proud of my team and they
deserve these awards, which recognise
their hard work to improve how we recruit,
welcome and support GWR colleagues.
“We are now implementing plans to build
on this success, so we can better support
colleagues through the changes GWR
faces over the next 5 years”.
Sharon Johnston, HR Director
The Excellence Awards celebrate both individual and
team achievements over the last 12 months based on
nominations from their managers and peers. This year
there were over 400 nominations put to the Executive
Team who selected the eventual nineteen winners.
Excellence Awards winners 2016
“All our Excellence Award winners
were recognised for going above
and beyond in their roles and for
being an inspiration to others in
sometimes trying circumstances.
“It was an honour to host the
awards, and to see so many of our
colleagues receiving recognition
having been nominated by
their peers – whether it was for
improving safety, delighting our
customers, leading people or
projects brilliantly, or supporting
the communities we serve.”
Performance Manager Mike Smith receives his award.
Andy Mellors,
Engineering Director and Deputy
Managing Director
Engineering Director Andy Mellors congratulates winners
32
6.5 The Prince’s Trust
6.6 Employable Me Documentary
The Prince’s Trust helps disadvantaged young people get their lives on track.
It provides practical and financial support to help young people facing a wide
range of issues gain the skills and confidence they need to move into work,
education or training.
Earlier this year, GWR were
approached to take part in a
documentary with the working title
‘Employable Me’.
Since November 2015, GWR have been working in
partnership with The Prince’s Trust to develop a Get into
Great Western Railway scheme.
The scheme is open to young people from the age of 18,
who are unemployed or who are at risk of unemployment
through underachievement in education. They may also
have specific learning needs or a disability.
Get into Great Western Railway, is designed to equip
a maximum of 13 young people with the skills needed
to succeed in delivering excellent customer service.
The inaugural scheme commenced in January 2016
supported by colleagues in both the East and Central
regions and was attended by 6 young people.
The programme lasts for 4 weeks and consists of 2 weeks’
classroom based learning including the attainment of a
level 2, Food Hygiene certificate. This is followed by
2 weeks of work experience in an On Board and Station
environment with each young person being given the
opportunity to experience work within both areas.
Whilst the inaugural scheme commenced in our East
region, our aspiration is to mirror this scheme across all
three regions with Bristol in Central and Plymouth in the
West. Our commitment is to run three schemes each year
of the current franchise. It is expected that we will have
supported over 100 young people in gaining valuable
work and life skills that will enable them to succeed
in employment or training, by the end of the current
franchise. We will be able to report in future reports,
the number of Prince’s Trust candidates who obtained
permanent employment at GWR.
The series follows some of Britain’s most extraordinary
jobseekers as they seek to prove that having a neurological
condition, shouldn’t make them unemployable.
An avid railway enthusiast and with the desire to harness
his customer service skills, we supported a gentleman called
Matthew who also happens to have Downs Syndrome. We
gave him the opportunity to shadow a Customer Host with
colleagues from Cardiff depot as well as the opportunity to
shadow colleagues on the Gateline at Bristol Parkway.
The experience provided an opportunity for GWR to explore
what we can do to support people who may previously
have felt unable to be considered for roles within the
industry. Although this hasn’t led to employment at GWR
for Matthew, he gained valuable skills, experience and the
confidence to apply for job opportunities. Matthew’s story
was shown via BBC’s online channel platform, BBC Three in
March of this year.
Janet Cooke
Chief Executive of London TravelWatch
We meet with Great Western to discuss planned
investment work in London, the Inner Thames Valley
and at Gatwick Airport, as well as to monitor current
performance and customer service standards.
We continue to focus on how Great Western will handle
the handover of services to the Crossrail train operating
company, so that it is a seamless and well handled transfer,
which benefits passengers.
Capacity on peak time trains is still a key issue of concern
for passengers in the London area. We welcome the
commitment of Great Western to increasing the capacity
of Thames Valley services in advance of Crossrail, as the
electrification project proceeds, and of the completion of
the programme to increase capacity on Inter-City trains.
We are looking forward to the enhanced capacity that the
new electric trains will bring later this year to the local
services between Paddington and Hayes. We have looked
at how passengers will get to and from Paddington while
the Bakerloo Line platform is closed for a few months to
allow the construction of the interchange with Crossrail.
Improving public transport access to London’s airports
is also a key concern of ours and so we welcome the
commitment to improve the number of Great Western
trains that serve Gatwick Airport on the route from
Reading and Redhill. We also support the proposals for
Western Rail Access to Heathrow.
Although we cannot guarantee employment, we ensure
that all candidates have access to real job opportunities.
To support with any future applications they may make,
we have also provided employability skills training to
compliment the classroom based learning. This includes
review and practice time for our existing recruitment
processes which include an online, situational
judgement assessment.
We look forward to continuing to working closely with
Great Western in the coming years to address the issues
affecting passengers in the London area.
Matthew with Bristol Parkway Gateline Operative Liz Keohane,
Cardiff Customer Host Louise Tucker and Bristol Parkway Service
Delivery Assistant Tanya Cleaver
34
35
Keeping Our
Communities
Prospering
7.1 Customer and Communities Improvement Fund (CCIF)
This year marks the first year of GWR’s Customer and Communities
Improvement Fund, a three year community improvement scheme
designed to support areas of real social need.
Designed to help boost local communities, up to
£750,000 a year is available for three years as part of a
£2.2 million Customer and Communities Improvement
Fund. This year, 41 different projects across more
than 10 counties will benefit from a share of £750,000.
Projects cover a wide variety of areas, both physically
and metaphorically, with plans from helping disabled
adults and children travel with their adaptive bikes
to renovating a disused 1859 station building for
the community.
All the proposals were presented to a panel of
representatives from GWR’s Customer Panel, the Advisory
Board and the executive management team. Final
recommendations were then put to the Department for
Transport for approval. Supported by the DfT, the Customer
and Communities Improvement Fund was established to
recognise and back projects identified by the communities
where GWR operates, which would not normally qualify
for funding. Including match funding, over £1.2 million has
been committed in the first year of the fund.
“We are hugely grateful to Great Western Railway and
delighted to be able to use this fund for much needed
improvements at our local stations. The money will go
towards improving the path between Romsey Station and
the Romsey Signal Box Museum close by. The Signal Box
used to be at the station and is now a working museum
giving an insight into the life of a railway signalman...”
CCIF successful bidder Theresa Watt, Mayor of Stonehouse
and Carol Kambites from the Town Council with Richard
Morrish, Station Manager
GWR Commercial Development Director
Matthew Golton said:
“We are committed to improving the journeys of our
passengers, as well as the economic prosperity and
social footprint of the regions and communities
we serve.
“We had many responses from those in our communities
looking for help, and I am delighted to be able to
announce the schemes that have been successful in
this first year of funding; helping to put our people,
our customers, at the forefront of what we do.”
Successful bidder, Nick Farthing, Chair of the
Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership with
Mark Youngman, Scheme Manager
Worcester Foregate Street
36
Hereford
Banbury
Ledbury
Great Western Railway
Network Map
Kings Sutton
Ashchurch
for Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury
Moreton-in-Marsh
Heyford
Cheltenham Spa
Kingham
Gloucester
Shipton
Narberth
Station managed by Great Western Railway
Charlbury
Tackley
Ascott-under-Wychwood
Combe
Finstock
Station served by Great Western Railway
Route operated by Great Western Railway
Hanborough
Great Western Railway Summer/Limited Service
Ferryside
Kidwelly
Pembrey & Burry Port
Llanelli
Cam & Dursley
Neath
“Construction Youth Trust is delighted to have been
awarded funding from Great Western Railways Customer
and Communities Improvement Fund. We will deliver
two Budding Brunels projects in Port Talbot and Cardiff,
raising awareness of the diverse career opportunities,
both in the construction and rail industries...”
Bristol Temple Meads
Cardiff International
Airport
Nailsea &
Backwell
Okehampton
Winnersh
Wokingham
Crowthorne
Sandhurst
Crediton
Blackwater
Farnborough North
North Camp
Dilton Marsh
Warminster
Ash
Dorking
Betchworth
Reigate
West
Wanborough
Redhill
Guildford
Dorking
Shalford
Gomshall Deepdene
Chilworth
Feniton
Pinhoe
Newton St Cyres
Whimple
Southampton Airport Parkway
Southampton
Central
Chetnole
Axminster
Portsmouth Harbour
Maiden Newton
Central
Exeter StExeter
Davids
St James Park
Exeter International Airport
Digby & Sowton
Polsloe
Bridge
Exeter
Central
entral
Exeter St Thomas
Dawlish Warren
Mottisfont & Dunbridge
Eastleigh
Southampton Airport Parkway
Romsey
Thornford
Yetminster
Honiton
Dean
Newton Abbot
Gunnislake
Calstock
Bere Alston
Liskeard
Bodmin Parkway
Bere Ferrers
Coombe
Roche
Menheniot
Lostwithiel St Keyne
Saltash St Budeaux
Bugle
Causeland
Sandplace
Luxulyan
Ivybridge
St Germans
St Austell
Looe
Plymouth
Par
Devonport
Dorchester West
Upwey
£20k Slough Cultural Study
£68k Slough Walking and Cycling
£4k Hayes and Harlington Railings
Hedge End
Botley
£4k Windsor and Eton Cycling
£20kHavant
Tackley Station
Shoreham-by-Sea
Barnham
Fareham
£7k Goring and Streatley
Access
Cosham
Chichester
£7k
Dorking West Access
Fratton
Worthing
£10k &Marlow Branch Travel Plans
Portsmouth
Southsea
£10k Surrey Cycle Access
£15k Hungerford Pedestrian Connectivity
£40k Cotswold Line Promotion Group for
Moreton-in-Marsh
Eastleigh
Weymouth
Teignmouth
Torre
Totnes
Torquay
Paignton
Truro
Perranwell
Falmouth Docks
Falmouth Town
“Tackley is a wonderful village for getting people involved in events
and projects, so we are delighted that we have got funding from the
Customer and Community Investment Fund (CCIF) to help us create
more community interest in our railway station!”
Robin Gibbons, Tackley Parish Councillor and
Train Representative
Gatwick
Airport
East Schemes
Dawlish
Bodmin
Warren Bartlett, Duty Station Manager,
and Robin Gibbons, Tackley Parish Councillor
at Tackley Station
Bramley
Basingstoke
Yeovil Pen Mill
Crewkerne
Wadebridge
Penmere
Newbury
Theale
Aldermaston
Midgham
Thatcham
Mortimer
Pewsey
Salisbury
Tiverton Parkway
Padstow
Helston
Culdrose
Bedwyn
Newbury
Racecourse
Hayes &
Harlington
Heathrow
Airport
London
Paddington
Castle Cary
Topsham
Lympstone Commando
Lympstone Village
Starcross
Exmouth
Penzance
Kintbury
Kintbury
Windsor &
Eton Central
Ealing
Broadway
Bruton
Taunton
Yeoford
Redruth
Carbis Bay Camborne
Hayle
Penryn
St Erth
Melksham
Yeovil Junction
Morchard Road
Copplestone
Holsworthy
Stonehouse Town Council’s Mayor and Chair
Lelant
Lelant Saltings
Bath Spa
Brad
Bradford-on-Avon
Freshford
Avoncliff
Trowbridge
Frome
Bridgwater
Eggesford
Lapford
Bude
Sampford Courtenay
St Ives
Oldfield Park
Highbridge & Burnham
Minehead
Portsmouth
Arms
Por
Kings Nympton
“We welcome the award of £6,000 funding from the GWR
Customer and Communities Fund which will enable
Stonehouse Town Council to improve the footpath
linking the Station to the town centre car park.”
Newquay
Quintrell Downs
Bristol
Airport
Hungerford
Tw
Twyford
Reading
Rea
EAST
W EST CENTRAL
West Schemes
£14k Hannahs Rail
£30k Torquay Station
£30k Polsloe Bridge
£20k Barnstaple
St James Park
£30k Dawlish Warren
Chapelton
£50k St Germans
Station
Umberleigh
St Columb
Road
Worle
Keynsham
Greenford
Slough
Maidenhead
Pangbourne
Tilehurst
Reading West
Chippenham
Westbury
Jemma Bridgeman, Wales Manager,
Construction Youth Trust
Newquay Cornwall Airport
Yatton
Weston Milton
Weston-super-Mare
Marlow
Henley-on-Thames
Goring & Streatley
Bristol Parkway
Bedminster
Stapleton Road
Lawrence Hill
Lawre
Parson
Street
Cholsey
4
Cardiff
Central
Didcot
Parkway
Swindon
Pilning
Clifton Down
Redland
Shirehampton
Patchway Yate
Montpelier
Filton
Sea Mills
Abbey Wood
al
Newport
Bridgend
Culham
Appleford
Severn Tunnel
Junction
in
Port Talbot
Parkway
A Budding Brunels course run by Construction
Youth Trust in Wales
Radley
Kemble
Te
rm
Swansea
Airport
Detailed view available
w
Tenby
Penally
Bus Link
Oxford
ro
Pembroke Dock
Lamphey
Pembroke
Manorbier
Stonehouse
Stroud
ea
th
Kilgetty
Saundersfoot
H
Whitland
Honeybourne
Evesham
Colwall
£25k Swansea Real Time
£38k South West Wales Train Training
£17k Budding Brunels
£3k Bridgend Brunel Interpretation
£8k Vale of Glamorgan Schools
£20k Severn Tunnel Junction Car Park
Carmarthen
Pershore
Malvern Link
Great Malvern
Wales Schemes
37
Worcester Shrub Hill
Central Schemes
£8k Wheels for All
£20k Somerset Rural Youth
£20k University of the West of England
£40k Parsons Street
£5k Weston Milton and Yatton Access
£50k Bridgwater College Link
£3k Avoncliff Cycling
£5k Keynsham Ramp
£10k Cam and Dursley Access
£8k Westbury Access
£10k Dorchester West Real Time
£15k Frome Access
£20k Three Rivers Stations
£8k Melksham Access
£7k Bridgwater Station Building
£6k Stonehouse Pedestrian Link
£5k Ashchurch for Tewkesbury
£10k Sea Mills and Shirehampton CCTV
David Crome, General Manager West, with Director of Development
and Engagement Andrew Dean and Development Manager Nicky
Church from Dame Hannah Rogers Trust.
“Hannahs are so grateful for the continued and wonderful
support we receive from GWR. The commitment of the
staff towards the community is phenomenal and we are
delighted and honoured to part of the GWR family”.
Andrew Dean, Director of Development at
Dame Hannah Rogers Trust
Hove
Brighton
38
7.2 GWR Commemorates Last
Survivor of the Trenches
As part of the centenary commemoration
of the First World War, Great Western
Railway has named a Class 43 locomotive
‘Harry Patch – The last survivor of the
trenches’, after the longest surviving
soldier of the Great War.
The train was unveiled by Harry’s Grandson and last
known surviving relative Roger Patch.
39
7.3 GWR and Prostate Cancer UK
In 2015 Great Western Railway
continued working with First
Group’s Charity of Choice partner,
Prostate Cancer UK.
A highlight of the partnership includes the donation of
£16,190, raised through the auction of old power car name
plates. Throughout the year GWR employees have raised
£2000 through events including sponsored runs and bike
rides, collections, cake sales and dress down days. Looking
forward, GWR graduates have also organised a charity
charter train with the Branch Line Society that will be
running in May of this year as part of a graduate fundraising
challenge. Great Western Railway has also donated over
£60,000 of advertising space at its stations, including
gateline advertising and posters, to help launch a campaign
which highlights what train passengers and the general
public can do to help put a stop to prostate cancer.
Paul Gentleman, Project Communications Manager,
and Roger Patch unveil the new name plate
“We are absolutely delighted that GWR
have named one of their locomotives after
Grandad, he would have been thrilled
about it. He was a very modest, quiet man
and it was incredible how so many people
took him to their heart as he became a
symbol of remembrance. But to us, he will
always be Grandad and we are extremely
proud of everything he achieved.”
Roger Patch
GWR also commissioned a specially designed livery as
part of its commemoration of the Great War. The design
includes the words from Laurence Binyon's Ode to
Remembrance, a poem that whenever Harry heard it, he
remembered his fallen comrades. Their nicknames, Jack,
Jilly and Maudy are also featured within the design.
Colleagues at Plymouth enjoy a cake sale to
support Prostate Cancer UK
During the year, Prostate Cancer UK has in return held
awareness stands at several Family Fun Days and
GWR conferences, raising awareness through talking
to hundreds of people and delivering thousands of
information leaflets to staff.
Joe Graham, Business Assurance Director
for GWR, said:
“We are delighted to have continued our partnership with
Prostate Cancer UK this year. It has been great to see the
enthusiasm with which staff have taken the cause to heart
and thrown themselves into organising and participating
in fundraising activities.”
Lord Faulkner of Worcester
Chair of our Advisory Board
To many historians, railway aficionados and enthusiasts,
the Great Western Railway of Brunel, Collett and
Churchward was an icon, known throughout the
world for style, speed and comfort. To reintroduce the
brand in the 21st century was therefore a remarkable
act of courage and self-confidence, and is a further
demonstration of how we are now – genuinely – living in
the Age of the Train, with passenger growth continuing
to exceed all expectations, and the railway playing its
part in regenerating the business and tourism economies
in previously neglected regions of the country.
To chair the GWR Advisory Board in such favourable
times is a huge honour. My fellow board members and
I are privileged to be able to see many aspects of the
railway’s operations at first hand and behind the scenes.
We are briefed comprehensively by Mark Hopwood and
his colleagues at our regular board meetings on how the
business is performing, we share in GWR’s successes
at various rail business awards events, we engage with
stakeholders such as local authorities, local enterprise
partnerships and Members of Parliament, we meet the
apprentices who are discovering that the railway again
offers an attractive career, and we attend ceremonies
such as power car namings. We are pleased to celebrate
the successes of the Community Rail Partnerships, and
campaign for investment where it’s needed.
We do not get involved in the management of the
company, but act as ambassadors for it, supporting it in
public but also being prepared to be honest critics when
it’s necessary in private.
With such a massive programme of investment being
undertaken on the railway – in electrification, Crossrail
construction, track reinstatement and station openings
- the challenges facing GWR are formidable. We are
confident though that the company is in good hands and
will be able to deliver what it promised the government
when the franchise was awarded. Today’s GWR is a
worthy successor to its great Victorian forbears.
7.4 Bristol Pound Accepted at
Bristol Temple Meads
In July 2015 Great Western Railway
began accepting the Bristol Pound,
the UK’S first city-wide local currency,
at our Bristol Temple Meads Station.
Designed to build stronger community connections and
support a greener local economy, the currency is also
accepted by First West of England buses, Good Energy
and Bristol City Council for Council Tax. Now customers
can use Bristol Pounds at the station’s ticket offices to
buy rail tickets.
Rob Mullen, General Manager for the Central
Region explains:
“Dedicated to supporting the communities we serve,
when I heard about the Bristol Pound I wanted to get
on board – and to help focus peoples’ minds on all
things local.
“The Great Western mainline was built not only to connect
London to Bristol, but to transport the goods arriving from
America at Bristol Harbour to the capital and beyond.
As we continue to build a greater west, we know that
Bristol’s influence as a key economic player and as city of
culture and creativity will continue to grow.”
Michael Lloyd-Jones, Core Scheme Manager
of the Bristol Pound said:
“Almost three years since the Bristol Pound was launched,
we’re delighted that Great Western Railway are now
accepting Bristol Pounds at Temple Meads station. It’s
another big milestone for the £B scheme in our year
as European Green Capital. Together I hope we can
continue to grow the Bristol Pound scheme and make it a
normal activity for everyone living and visiting Bristol.”
41
7.5 Community Rail
Partnerships
Severnside Community Rail Partnership
The Severnside Community Rail Partnership is a Community Interest Company.
We cover all the local lines radiating from Bristol. Our traditional work with local
communities, greatly supported through the Probation Service Community Payback
Scheme, is aimed at improving local stations, in particular to provide a safe and
friendly waiting environment.
Over the last year we have worked with communities
at 23 of the 25 local stations we cover, most of which
are unstaffed or only staffed at the morning peak. We
encourage and support our station volunteer groups to
participate in the RHS It’s your Neighbourhood Awards,
and 18 of our stations were visited by RHS assessors,
with each repeat entry improving or maintaining their
previous level of achievement.
package of improvements at a GWR local station has
been successfully negotiated, implemented, and funded
through a Community Rail Partnership: we are very
grateful for the help given by GWR. The improvements at
Severn Beach plus more trains being provided by GWR
on summer Sundays will also help develop the leisure use
of the Severn Beach line.
A new mural was installed under the canopy at
Avonmouth station, showcasing 39 high quality images,
taken by local students, of the Severn Beach line and
the communities which surround the stations. North
Somerset students produced local history maps for the
stations on the Weston-super-Mare line.
One of our most successful recent initiatives has
been putting together a plan and a funding package
for the comprehensive improvement of Severn Beach
station. This includes a new larger shelter (needed to
accommodate the considerable increase in passengers
at the station, and the school parties regularly using
the line); wind-resistant fencing at this very exposed
location, which also screens the adjacent derelict
land; information, interpretive and local artwork
panels, new planters, and additional cycle stands. The
funding has been provided by the Partnership, South
Gloucestershire Council, the Association of Community
Rail Partnership's Community Rail Development Fund
and GWR, plus a Heritage Lottery Grant (as part of the
“Forgotten Landscape” project to restore the heritage
and wildlife habitat of part of the Lower Severn Vale
Levels). This is the first time that a comprehensive
Severn Beach Station undergoing refurbishment
The Partnership continues to commission and undertake
research work. We are currently focussing on ways the
local railway might need to adapt to meet the needs of
the significant new employment opportunities in the area
around Avonmouth. The need for the rail service to carry
employees from inner Bristol at times to fit shift working
poses particular problems for the traditional patterns of
train operation.
We are particularly pleased that our proposals for bringing
back the disused station rooms at Bridgwater into
community use, and for seeking more innovative and
cost-effective CCTV for local stations, initially on the Severn
Beach line, have both been accepted for CCIF funding.
42
The Heart of Wessex Rail Partnership
The scenic railway from Bristol to Weymouth is supported at multiple levels by its
local communities. Seven local authorities along the route come together to fund
the joint venture with Great Western Railway to enhance and promote this line and
its destinations.
The partnership acts as a conduit for the ideas and
aspirations of local communities, and allows them to
become actively involved in delivering some of these,
and in promoting the line and the local economies it
serves. Fourteen of the stations have been adopted by
local groups who have created gardens, help to keep the
stations clean and welcoming, and have initiated local
projects to improve access, information and signage.
Our friends represent a diverse group, ranging from
Freshford where large station working parties several
times a year bring together all generations from the
village, the Bradford on Avon Garden Gang who tend
and continue to develop their magnificent gardens every
Monday and Tuesday, the Friends of Dorchester West
who are at the station several times a week, stimulate
support from several local organisations and have
involved local young people with learning difficulties
in building features to enhance the station, the Wessex
Wanderers who put their local knowledge to great use in
their popular free guided walks from stations, through to
our newest adoption at Yeovil Pen Mill by students from
Lufton College.
Joint task force projects in 2015/6 included participation
in the national Clean for the Queen weekend at stations
all along the line, and further joint Task Forces to tackle
larger projects. These included volunteers from Bristol
to Weymouth converging on Westbury and Trowbridge
stations, together with Great Western Railway staff and
some local Network Rail friends using their volunteer
leave days to help us out. 14,200 hours of voluntary
time and talent were gifted to the line and its stations
in 2015/6. A genuine sense of “joint ownership” of the
railway has developed, and the bonds between the
communities and Great Western Railway staff continue
to deepen.
Representatives of all the voluntary groups come
together as the Community Rail Working Party, which
generates a regularly revised “Community Wish List”
of aspirations for both local rail users and visitors. This
was a particularly great year for checking items off
that list, including new shelters, additional seating and
cycle provision, station renovations and signing and
information improvements. Perhaps most importantly
it also saw the first step towards the long standing
aspiration for a year round Sunday service which,
together with the Weymouth Wizard on Saturdays, is of
vital importance to a region where tourism and leisure
forms such a substantial part of the local economy.
The last twelve months saw some great promotional
initiatives with Town and Parish Councils, local
businesses and market and event organisers. They
contribute invaluable insider knowledge, materials
and creative ideas to enhance our detailed focus on
promoting unique aspects of our local economies, arts,
heritage and countryside. Our regular Line Guide and
website benefit from and directly reflect continuous
input from communities and customers, and are another
product of that sense of joint ownership. This has
undoubtedly contributed to the outstanding increase
in passenger journeys on the Heart of Wessex Line to
over two million per year, without any change to the
service provision. For every 100 passengers in 2003 there
are now 290 on the same trains - a growth rate that far
outstrips the national average.
Heart of Wessex taskforce volunteers at Trowbridge Station with
members of the GWR team
Above and right: Volunteers clearing ground at Trowbridge to
support improvements in the station and car park
44
45
Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership
The Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership (DCRP) is a non-profit partnership
between local authorities, GWR and others which works to promote local railways
across the two counties, from the Tarka Line to Barnstaple in the east to the St
Ives Bay Line in the west.
Away from the Riviera Line, marketing work majored on
our rebuilt website www.greatscenicrailways.com and
its linked campaign “Visit Poldark Country by Train”,
working with Visit Cornwall. This saw our own “Poldark”
and “Delmelza” at Paddington station for Community
We have an excellent relationship with GWR across the
company and we very much value the help and support
we get from GWR managers and staff.
Rail in the City in May, 20,000 leaflets distributed and
a ground breaking collaboration between GWR and
ourselves with a dedicated banner on the GWR WiFi
sign-in page and one of the scrolling highlights at the
top of the GWR homepage. This campaign led to an extra
10,000 visitors to our website and won “Best Marketing
Campaign” at the National Community Rail Awards held
in Torquay in October.
Our three year EU Citizens’ Rail Project finished at the
end of last year. This Interreg, international co-operation,
project saw us join with partners from Lancashire and
three EU countries, Germany, Holland and France, to
work on a range of initiatives on local and rural lines.
Here in the far South West, we focussed on the Exeter –
Paignton Riviera Line with the idea of doing everything
we have been doing on the two counties’ rural lines over
the years in a concerted effort on this line and seeing
what happened.
This included a large marketing programme, encouraging
a lot of community activity, including new and
reinvigorated station friends’ groups and a line forum,
station improvements at Torre and Exeter St Thomas
stations and, best of all, extra trains between Newton
Abbot and Paignton meaning that there were now two
Torbay trains an hour through most of the day. Our local
partners, GWR, Devon County Council and Torbay Council
all helped with funding and much support and our EU
Partners were fully involved throughout. The upshot is
that we saw a 9% increase in the number of journeys
made on the line in 2015 over 2013 and the additional
trains will continue until December 2018 when, under the
GWR Direct Award, a full half hourly local service will be
introduced between Paignton and Exeter (extending to
Exmouth), fulfilling a very long held local aspiration.
DCRP volunteers take on Poldark guise at Paddington to encourage
travel to Cornwall
Branch Line Community Forums continued across the
two counties as did much work with schools and local
marketing. The extra funding we are receiving from GWR
under the Direct Award means that we are able to retain
the web, new media and communication skills we were
able to take on thanks to our EU Project and already
we have launched a new website directly aimed at
encouraging more local people living close to the TruroFalmouth “Maritime Line” to take the train –
www.themaritimeline.com. This is the first step of a
marketing campaign we are planning this year for
both this line and the Exeter – Exmouth “Avocet Line”
following very interesting Behavioural Analysis study
work done along the Avocet Line last Summer aimed
particularly at attracting more passengers on Sunday
trains, part of the push for a half-hourly Sunday service.
Researchers surveyed passengers and non-users as part
of the study which was the brainchild of GWR Regional
Development Manager Dan Okey and funded jointly
by GWR, ourselves and the Designated Community
Rail Development Fund, backed by the Department for
Transport, Association of Community Rail Partnerships
and Network Rail.
46
47
Vinita Nawathe
TransWilts Community Rail Partnership
Passenger numbers on the TransWilts line continued
to rise through 2015, with ORR (office of Road and Rail)
figures for the 2014/2015 year showing a 117% increase
for entries and exits at Melksham Station, and passenger
counts by TransWilts in December indicating a running
rate of over 230,000 journeys per annum - with Saturday
and Sunday trains loading (on average) just as much as
the weekday ones.
We look forward to longer trains next year, and to
additional services. The evening peak train is already full
and standing, and the extra capacity is needed if growth
is to be maintained. Calculations based on journeys per
head of population in station catchments indicate that
strong growth is possible for many years to come.
Our "Weymouth Wizard" campaign won us a Gold
National Railfuture award in November in the Social
Media Class. Our volunteer Bob Morrison won an
individual award, and our coffee shop forum won a
web site award. We also won a Silver in the "best
campaign" category - for helping to raise the TransWilts
from a minimal service of underutilised trains to the
more frequent and busy service we have today, with
the community working with partners Great Western
Railway and Wiltshire Council.
Our "Small line, big reach"
2015 ANNUAL REPORT
campaign - with posters, mini
You know what they say about
timetables, ticket wallets and
the TransWilts...
local press, social media and
radio coverage has boosted
small
awareness and use, and
line,
big
working with groups such
reach
as the Melksham Railway
Development Group with
events such as the "Santa
Special" encourages people
to start using the train young.
It's notable to see the young
and mixed background profile background of many
passengers - the line reaching right across the community.
Swindon
It’s not just about the trains, though - it’s about the
significant positive difference they make to people’s lives
and the economy of the area served.
Bristol
Chippenham
Bath
Avoncliff
Bradfordon-Avon
Melksham
Trowbridge
Westbury
Pewsey
Bedwyn
Dilton Marsh
For six weeks during summer 2015, regular services were
replaced by diverted main line trains running hourly in
each direction, and it's reassuring to see that the line has
the capacity to handle this frequency of train. For the
latter weeks of this period, the trains served TransWilts
stations, and quickly gathered local passenger traffic people were disappointed at the loss of evening trains at
the conclusion of the works.
In August, the "Weymouth Wizard" ran via Swindon,
Chippenham and the TransWilts and with Great Western
and the Community Rail Partnerships working together,
we ran a marketing campaign that brought new users
to rail for a day at the seaside, and regular commuters
out on a Saturday with their families too. Nearly 400
passengers were carried on the busiest Wizards, with
most of them joining at Swindon or Chippenham.
Warminster
Wilton (future)
Tisbury
Salisbury
Southampton
and Airport
TW annual report.indd 1
04/02/2016 22:35
We are currently in the process of being consulted on for
service designation - which if granted will facilitate the
continued growth of the TransWilts line. Strategic plans
and development are being looked after by our chair - Paul
Johnson (a key player in getting the service where it is
today), with our president Peter Blackburn taking a special
interest in developing Melksham Station. But they're just
two of a team of dozens of community volunteers who
help with leaflet distribution, passenger counts, web forum
administration, advertising, marketing and so much more,
without whom the TransWilts wouldn't have had such a
good 2015 - nor be looking forward so positively to the rest
of 2016, 2017 and beyond.
Chair of TravelWatch SouthWest
TravelWatch SouthWest has had a busy year listening
to, representing and promoting the interests of public
transport users in the South West. Our remit is to articulate
the importance of public transport to the diversity of
stakeholders we represent, as an enabler of social,
environmental and economic wellbeing in order to secure
improvements in delivery.
taken up these concerns in our consultation response
to the Hendy review, and has suggested that any
effect on committed promises should be mitigated or
compensated for. We have sought assurances that new
timescales for the delivery of electrification, and any
subsequent changes to plans for improved services can
be counted on.
TravelWatch SouthWest holds two general meetings a
year, which give members of our affiliated bodies, and
others with an interest in public transport, the opportunity
to hear from and interact with a range of speakers, to share
their knowledge of current pubic transport issues and to
shape the work of TravelWatch SouthWest.
Our members appreciate the excellent support
provided by GWR to Community Rail lines and
services. With a proven and award winning track
record in providing low cost, high value for money
schemes the Community Rail Partnerships in the
South West (Severnside, Devon & Cornwall, TransWilts
and the Heart of Wessex) have resulted in the highest
community rail growth in the UK. Passenger sentiment
and teamwork make these happy lines. Those who
liaise with community rail across a wider area rank
GWR as one of the best in this regard.
At our October 2015 meeting, some 90 participants from
user groups and other bodies across the South West took
part in a workshop to highlight the main public transport
issues affecting users at the moment. The need for better
public transport integration and the role of public transport
in supporting local economies came high on the list.
Such messages came through loud and clear at specific
stakeholder events we arranged with DfT to discuss
forthcoming franchise tender processes in the south west
area. In our written consultation responses, we argued
strongly for the need for rail franchising to take into
consideration plans for local economic and spatial growth
and rail's contribution to achieving them.
GWR attend our general meetings and this year presented
on the very welcome promise of real passenger benefits to
be delivered through the GWR direct award. In particular,
we were very glad to see measures to address capacity
and comfort in the franchise area, such as the cascade of
class 165s and GWR's innovative approach to securing
new trains that would be able to run on both the electrified
and non-electrified parts of the railway. During the March
2016 meeting, concerns were raised that delays to Network
Rail's implementation of network improvements could
have a negative knock-on effect to the delivery of promises
regarding more and better train services. TravelWatch has
As original members of the Peninsula Rail Task
Force and now its newly formed stakeholder group,
we welcome the contribution of GWR to funding a
Network Rail study into the potential for incrementally
improving the existing infrastructure to reduce journey
times to the far south west. The study is clearly a
missing part of the evidence base needed to inform
any picture of what must, could or should be done on
the route. TWSW's view is that a culture of continuous
improvement to maximise the potential of the existing
infrastructure should be a core part of Network Rail's
remit to fill the conceptual gap that exists between
basic maintenance and all-out renewal.
We look forward to continuing to work alongside
GWR over the coming year to ensure the needs and
aspirations of transport users are understood and
worked towards.
48
49
Three Rivers Rail Partnership
The Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership, working with Great Western
Railway continues to build on previous successes at Romsey, Mottisfont &
Dunbridge and Dean rail stations.
Passenger numbers continue to grow at the three
stations with the Volunteers maintaining their high
standards of station cleaning, planting of shrubs and
hanging baskets and adding to the Art projects of
Romsey and Mottisfont & Dunbridge, with “characters”
maintaining their “watch” of the trains along the route.
On Friday 4th December 2015, volunteers from the
Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership served up
some Christmas cheer for passengers and visitors to
Romsey Station. The waiting room on platform 2, with
the Partnership’s grateful help from Station Staff, was
opened later than usual to coincide with the town's late
night Christmas shopping event. Volunteers hosted the
proceedings handing out free mulled wine, mince pies,
biscuits and chocolates to rail users and visitors alike.
The waiting room was also quickly transformed with
foliage, Christmas decorations and lanterns to give that
extra seasonal feel.
Romsey Station Volunteers at Romsey Show September 2015
In addition, there was a second hand bookstall for those
last minute Christmas presents, sales of hand painted
Christmas cards and a raffle to win a teddy bear dressed
in a World War One replica nursing uniform. Over £85
was raised through the raffle in aid of the military charity
Combat Stress as part of the volunteers' continuing World
War 1 exhibition which is on permanent view in the
waiting room. All in all the evening was received extremely
well, with some visitors now becoming regular returnees
each year to sample our simple but warm hospitality!
Our winning station Volunteer at Romsey Station, Shirley
Rogers, continued our tradition of attending events with
a stall at the 2015 Romsey Show with items again sold in
aid of Combat Stress.
Romsey, Mottisfont & Dunbridge and Dean stations are
perfectly situated for walks and rambles from the train
along the Test Valley. The Three Rivers Community Rail
Partnership launched a walks guide during 2015, with
books sold at Romsey station, local Tourism outlets and
Waterstones Bookshops in the area
as well. Over 500 copies have
been sold so far, with proceeds
going to the Partnership and
other local groups.
7.6 Meeting Our Corporate
Responsibilities
We want to engage the wider
communities we serve to deliver a
sustainable future in a responsible
way. We want to become an integral
part of transport infrastructure,
and the preferred partner offering
solutions for all local needs.
To do this we need a robust plan that identifies
opportunities to put sustainability and our stakeholders
at the heart of our business.
Whilst we have embedded the principles of
sustainability during the last franchise, this is the first
time the Department for Transport has given us defined
sustainability objectives to fulfil. Having a strategic
approach to sustainability allows us to respond to social,
economic and environmental risks and opportunities
whilst continuing to build strong partnerships with our
customers and communities.
Over the last 12 months we have developed our
Sustainability Strategy and a delivery plan that sets out
how we will achieve each commitment. Whilst we have
been developing our approach, we have still continued
to deliver numerous projects to “Keep people moving and
communities prospering.”
Volunteers have maintained our links with local events
by attending local village fetes in the area to promote
train travel from these stations. We are looking forward
to the up and coming improvements (courtesy of the
recently announced GWR Innovation fund) to be carried
out at Dean and Mottisfont & Dunbridge stations, along
with the widely awaited upgrade to the pedestrian link
from Romsey station to the Romsey Signal Box museum
and surrounding area.
We appreciate our close working partnership with Great
Western Railway and our colleagues within the Rail
Company and look forward to another successful year
of Community Rail projects.
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51
Energy Efficiency
Waste Management
Supporting our communities
Station Manager Environmental Dashboards
LED light installation
Recycling
The Community Apprentice
Over the last year we have collated our utility, waste
and printing data to create Environmental Dashboards
for each station. The dashboards compare consumption
against the same four-week period the previous year
and enable station managers to engage their teams to
collectively reduce environmental impact. Monitoring
performance for an individual location also allows us to
quickly identify faults that may be causing increased
consumption, for example water leaks or overridden
lighting controls. The dashboards are the first step in
engaging staff on environmental issues, as we work
to introduce ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 to stations and
offices it is essential our staff understand our approach
to sustainability and the environment, understanding the
part they play in helping us achieve our objectives.
To improve the energy performance of our stations and
reduce operating costs we have started a programme
to introduce new LED lighting column heads to replace
existing less efficient lights.
We have continued to introduce recycling facilities to
locations across the network, working to increase the
amount of waste recycled and finding alternatives to landfill.
Working with our waste disposal contractor we have been
able to divert general waste from our Devon stations to the
new Energy from Waste facility in Devonport, Plymouth, just
one step in demonstrating how we are applying The Waste
Hierarchy to our operations. The waste hierarchy gives top
priority to preventing waste. Where waste is unavoidable we
explore options for reuse, then recycling, then other recovery
(i.e. energy from waste) and last of all disposal (i.e. landfill).
Through our Duty of Care we are committed to applying the
waste hierarchy to our operations.
Great Western Railway has supported more than twenty
young people from Colston’s Girls’ School to tackle
Islamophobia and Homelessness, as part of a Community
Apprentice scheme run by education charity Envision.
The Community Apprentice is an inter-school competition
run in Bristol by the education charity Envision. Loosely
based on the TV Series The Apprentice, teams of young
people compete to demonstrate leadership qualities whilst
managing their own projects, aiming to have the biggest
positive impact on their community. Employees from
GWR have mentored young people on the programme,
supporting their projects and aiding their development.
Shield Building Control System
Sustainable Procurement
To improve the energy performance of our stations and
reduce operating costs building management systems
are being installed to enable smarted control.
GWR is committed to reducing our impact on the
environment and improving the sustainability of our
business over the course of the franchise. Introducing
building management controls means we can respond
more quickly to changes in environmental conditions
meaning heating and lighting will not be switched
on unnecessarily. Smarter controls allow us to adapt
temperature and lighting levels to suit customers and
staff. Improved data collation also helps us identify where
greater savings can be achieved and monitor actual
carbon and financial savings.
It has been estimated that the installation of the Building
Management System will enable savings of 10% to be
identified. This will equate to a saving at each station of
approximately 3.5 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide emissions
per year. This is equivalent to half the annual of an
average household.
It has been estimated that the installation of the lighting
will reduce consumption from platform column lights by
50% over the course of the year. This equates to a saving
at each station of approximately 6.7 tonnes of Carbon
Dioxide emissions per year. This is equivalent to the annual
emissions of an average household.
Preferred Environmental Option
We have continued to address sustainability in our supply
chains, assessing how each of our key suppliers can help us
to meet our sustainability objectives. Over the last year we
have re-tendered several major contracts making sure that
the scope of the contract helps us meet our environmental
targets and sets out what we expect of our suppliers in
terms of sustainability and corporate responsibility. We are
now working to implement ISO 20400, the International
Standard for Sustainable Procurement.
This year, GWR worked with 1928 suppliers. Of those,
865 are classed as small enterprises (with less than 50
employees), 464 as medium enterprises (with between
50 and 250 employees) and 599 as large enterprises
(with over 250 employees). As a company that supports
apprenticeships and traineeships, we asked our suppliers
about the number and type of apprenticeships and
traineeships they offered. Our suppliers offered a total of
14431 apprenticeships at varying levels from traineeships to
higher apprenticeships.
PREVENTION
REUSE
RECYCLE
ENERGY RECOVERY
DISPOSAL
Least Preferred Environmental Option
After events in Paris, one group of young people ‘Team
Unveiled’ has decided there is a real need to educate
people about both Islamophobia as it exists in Britain
today, and Islam in its true form, not as it is represented
by extremists. They organised an event in Bristol where
there were speakers and workshops on Islam and
Islamophobia through which they excelled in creating a
greater understanding, awareness and tolerance.
‘Team Ignite’ are tackling homelessness, driven by their
own personal experience of seeing high numbers of
homeless people in Bristol. They focussed on providing
essentials such as sanitary products, and worked hard to
raise awareness of the issues around homelessness.
Community Apprentice participants from Colston's
Girls' School Bristol
52
53
Driving Business
Growth
8.1 East
North Cotswolds
Great Western Railway is working to unite business
leaders, local authorities, Network Rail and Local
Enterprise Partnerships in order to secure long-term rail
improvements for the North Cotswolds. Great progress
has already been made, with 20 miles of track redoubling
completed between 2008 and 2011, a 20% increase
in rail mileage since 2009 as well as more services,
faster journeys and increased capacity. In addition, the
North Cotswolds has already seen significant station
investments, with car park extensions at Hanborough,
Charlbury and Kingham and improved customer
information, help points and waiting shelters along
the line. This investment has resulted in increasing
passenger numbers, with half a million more journeys
made in 2015 than in 2010.
Further service improvements are committed, with the
introduction of new Super Express Trains from July 2017
and by December 2018 GWR will operate an hourly
service between Worcester and London with additional
peak services, delivering increased capacity, faster journey
times and more station, car park and cycle improvements.
However, there is great potential for further growth if
service enhancements and improvements to car parks
were delivered. GWR has produced a Vision for the North
Cotswolds Line and has begun working with industry
partners, business leaders, Local Authorities and LEPs to
turn it into a reality.
Matthew Golton, Commercial Development Director, and Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council Rodney Rose
cut the ribbon at Kingham car park
54
55
The Vision for the North Cotswolds:
• Two trains an hour between Worcester
and London
• Three trains per hour between Hanborough
and Oxford, direct or with good connections
to London
• One train per hour between Great Malvern
and London
• Worcester City to London in less than
two hours
• Hanborough to London in less than one hour
• Faster services to and from Hereford
• Improved performance and reliability
• Station facilities, car parking and access
improvements to meet suppressed demand
• Potential reopening of Stratford to
Honeybourne line and Cowley to Oxford line
Achieving the Vision will deliver better connectivity to
London and Heathrow Airport, improve recruitment and
retention rates and encourage more visits to support the
tourist economy. It will also lead to reduced congestion in
Oxford, Worcester and on the strategic highway network
and provide support for planned housing development.
The Vision was launched at an event in Witney, organised
by West Oxfordshire District Council and supported
by Local Enterprise Partnerships and Local Authorities
from along the line. The event was attended by the Rt
Hon David Cameron, Prime Minister and MP for Witney,
as well as delegates from the private and public sector
across the region.
The next step is to develop a business case for the
investment, building upon the information gathered
through the Witney event.
“It was real step forward to bring together
local authorities, LEPs and businesses
from along the North Cotswold Line today
to kick-start discussions on how they
would benefit from improved rail.
“I hope that this event has given the
rallying cry to join together with a
shared vision and as a single voice for
the North Cotswold’s Line. Let’s keep
up this momentum and build on it – ask
your friends, family and everyone in your
network to get involved and let’s come up
with the strongest business case in the
country. The challenge has been set!”
Right Honourable David Cameron MP,
Prime Minister, speaking after the event
North Downs
The North Downs Line links together a number of
economically successful towns. Currently the line serves
an estimated 392,000 people and 290,000 jobs within
a two kilometre catchment area and by 2031 this is
expected to have grown by 63,000 people and 34,000
jobs. The North Downs Line catchment area has the
potential to play an important role in achieving balanced
growth in the South East over the coming decades,
but this will only be achieved with investment in
infrastructure and services.
Great Western Railway is bringing together Local
Enterprise Partnerships, Local Authorities and Network Rail
to share our vision for the future of the North Downs Line.
This will increase local and regional connectivity,
attract new business investment to the line, enable
housing development, support the tourist economy and
promote social inclusion. To achieve this, Great Western
Railway and its partners will need to secure significant
investment in electrification, rail infrastructure and
station improvements, as well as ORR and DfT approval
on third rail electrification.
By 2024, the North Downs Vision could achieve:
• Electrification of the North Downs Line
• Faster Journey Times - Less than 1 hour
from Reading to Gatwick
• Two fast trains per hour between Gatwick
and Oxford
• Two stopping trains per hour between Guildford
and Reading
• One stopping train per hour between Guildford and
London Victoria via Redhill
• 24 hour services to Gatwick
• Improved performance
• Sufficient supporting infrastructure to meet the
demand generated by service improvements.
56
8.2 West
Plymouth Station Masterplan
Speed to the West
In February of this year, the Department for Transport
and Great Western Railway announced funding for a
new study into improvements to railway infrastructure
between London and Devon & Cornwall.
The study, which will be carried out by Network Rail
and funded and commissioned by GWR, will look at
what more can be done to existing track, signalling and
other railway infrastructure to improve line speed and
ensure the full benefits of the new trains coming onto the
network are realised.
The work will inform a report which the Peninsula Rail
Task Force is providing to the government this summer,
and the consideration of future funding for the railway
and franchises on the route.
The Task Force is a rail improvement group formed in
early 2013, comprising five local authority areas and two
Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).
Rail Minister Claire Perry said:
“I was determined to find a funding solution for this study
to look at line speed improvements and I am delighted
that Great Western Railway have provided the backing.
“We are absolutely committed to improving the resilience
of the South West’s rail network, with more than £70m
invested in this route so far and routine maintenance
continuing to strengthen the line further.”
Rail passengers in the south west are already set to
benefit from better and faster journeys with the go-ahead
from a brand new fleet of AT300 trains running between
London and Cornwall, which was announced last year.
The deal will allow Great Western Railway to buy 29 new
long distance trains to serve the south west from 2018.
This will cut journey times from London to Exeter by
up to 5 minutes, to Plymouth by up to 6 minutes and to
Penzance by up to 14 minutes.
GWR's Commercial Development Director
Matthew Golton said:
"In the coming years we will be delivering the
biggest fleet upgrade in a generation of the Great
Western network - including a brand new fleet
of trains for customers travelling between Devon
and Cornwall and London to deliver faster, more
frequent services into the capital from 2018.
"With such significant investment on its way, we
need to take the opportunity now to make sure the
right infrastructure can be in place to maximise
the journey time, frequency and capacity benefits
that the new AT300 fleet will bring. Our report
will help provide information and data to help
support the business case for further infrastructure
improvements and better connectivity for the region."
Mark Langman, Network Rail’s managing
director for the Western route, said:
Great Western Railway is working in partnership with
the Council, Network Rail and Plymouth University
to improve capacity at the station and create a more
welcoming gateway to the city. The aim is to more fully
integrate the station with the city centre by innovative
solutions to address the level difference from Caprera
Terrace and the station forecourt and concourse. A
high level masterplan has been produced incorporating
improved public realm and interchange with improved
linkages with the city centre. A multi storey car
park is planned in a new location and associated
re-development opportunities are envisaged for the
existing car park. These plans will be complemented
by an improved arrival experience within the station
itself, with a wider gateline and further improvements
to the concourse and waiting area which build on the
schemes delivered in recent years. The station changes
support enhanced train services to and from Plymouth
in the next few years including brand new trains and
improved service frequencies.
“The funding of this study is really welcome news
for all rail passengers in Devon and Cornwall. We
know how important rail services are to the region
and how passengers rely on the links both within
the region and onwards to London and other major
cities. We can now get this study underway and
will work closely with Great Western Railway to
enable a start as soon as possible.
“Network Rail's Western route is developing a
programme of investment to upgrade the rail
network in the west and south west and we look
forward to working with Great Western Railway
to see how we can bring further benefits for
passengers following the introduction of new
longer trains and timetables.”
Vision for Plymouth Station
Councillor Andrew
Leadbetter
Chair of Peninsula Rail
Task Force
“The Peninsula Rail Task
Force has ambitious plans
for the network in the
South West so we are
fortunate to count Great
Western Railway among
our partners. GWR has
been working with us at
the forefront, creating real
change and investment
into the network that will
help deliver our priorities,
now and in the future”
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8.3 Wales
Brendan Cleere
As the year concludes, a potentially generation changing
announcement was made in Wales with the UK Government, Welsh
Government and 10 South East Wales local authorities signing the
Cardiff Region City Deal. With funding in the region of £1.5billion,
the City Deal has great potential for stimulating economic growth
across the South East Wales region, and will maximise the benefits
of the electrification of the mainline to Cardiff and Swansea. The City
Deal emphasised the importance of improving transport networks,
through a Metro network for South East Wales.
Director of Growth
and Development,
Taunton Deane
Borough Council
This year saw the Rugby World Cup held in Cardiff. The eight
matches played at the Principality Stadium offered a set of new
challenges with more people travelling by rail than in the Olympics.
Our team, and the wider rail industry moved over 300,000 people
in and out of Cardiff over the four weeks of the World Cup and key
lessons were learned for other high profile events in Cardiff.. The
Rugby World Cup highlighted the need for Cardiff Central station
and track layout to be significantly upgraded. We inputted into
the initial stages of Network Rail's Cardiff Central Masterplan, and
fed our views into the National Assembly for Wales Enterprise and
Business Select Committee Inquiry into the Priorities for the Future
of Welsh Infrastructure, as well as their Inquiry into the Rugby World
Cup travel arrangements and are delighted that this concluded one
of two priorities for South Wales should be creating a station for
Cardiff fit for the 21st Century.
Taunton Deane Borough
Council is proud to be
working with Great Western
Railway and key partners
- Network Rail, Somerset
County Council and Heart
of the South West LEP on the enhancement of
Taunton Railway Station.
Alongside the service
improvements that will
improve our connectivity, the
rail station and surrounding
environment is a vital
component of our Town
Centre regeneration plans,
providing a brand new
gateway for Somerset’s
County Town and giving a
major boost to our economic
growth ambitions.
8.4 Central
Taunton Station Upgrade
Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone
Great Western Railway are working with Heart of the
South West Local Enterprise Partnership, Somerset
County Council, Taunton Deane Borough Council and
Network Rail to upgrade Taunton Station. The main
features of the project include a new ticket office,
interchange and forecourt on the south side, planned for
completion in summer 2018 and a new multi-storey car
park also on the south side planned for completion at the
end of 2017.
Bristol Temple Quarter, set right in the heart of Bristol with
Bristol Temple Meads at its core, is one of the largest urban
regeneration projects in the UK. The project to regenerate
the area around Temple Meads creating 17,000 jobs over
a 25 year period, includes Bristol Arena and the Temple
Meads masterplan and is being delivered by four key
partners: the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership,
Bristol City Council, the Homes and Communities Agency
and Network Rail. Completion of the key early projects
at Temple Gate and Temple Greenways is planned for
summer 2017 and of Bristol Arena in summer 2018.
Project objectives:
• Improve station accessibility to provide greater
connectivity with town centre through Firepool
development
Project objectives:
• Create high quality station gateway providing a
positive first impression of Taunton
• Regenerate the area and create a new, superbly
connected entry to Bristol with a 21st century railway
station showcasing its outstanding heritage
• Improve car parking capacity to support
passenger growth
• Create a hub for creative, high-technology, specialist
engineering and low-carbon companies
• Improve transport interchange to improve access
to buses and taxis and support interchange for
Hinkley Point
• Deliver key projects including Bristol Arena,
Temple Gate and Temple Greenways and eventually
the Temple Meads masterplan
Creating a New ‘Gateway’ into Taunton
Credit: Richard Carman
Vision for Cardiff Station
Credit: BCC City Design Group
Both above: Vision for the future of the Temple Quarter
Enterprise Zone
9350/0416 www.redrocketgraphicdesign.co.uk
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