Minutes:
Northern updated the Sub-Committee on the impact of the timetable changes introduced in May 2018. Northern were told in January 2018 that the planned timetable would no longer be possible due to a delay in the electrification of rail around Bolton. As a consequence the timetable had to be changed at short notice resulting in a timetable that could not be delivered reliably. It was emphasised that the service had recovered but is still not where it should be. Planned changes for December 2018 and May 2019 will aim to stabilise the service.
Transpennine provided an update to the Sub-Committee. They reported that many delays to their services around the Leeds area were caused by delays in Manchester. To address this issue Transpennine plan to split the “stopping” service from Manchester to Leeds into two separate services from 9 December 2018; one from Manchester to Huddersfield and then from Huddersfield to Leeds. The Sub-Committee was also advised that new train units should begin to enter service in early 2019.
Following the rail operator updates the Sub-Committee had the following comments:
· Northern responded to a question from the Sub-Committee requesting an update on the industrial action affecting Northern services. The Sub-Committee was informed that the dispute had been submitted to ACAS for arbitration but unfortunately this had proved ineffective. Northern expressed their hope to resolve the dispute but stated that no talks were currently planned.
· The Sub-Committee expressed concerns regarding penalty fares, particularly in regard to concessionary tickets which are not available from the self-service machines. Northern assured the Sub-Committee that penalty fares would be used reasonably – if a ticket was unavailable then they would not issue penalty fares.
· A question was raised over the planned changes to the Transpennine Manchester to Leeds service and whether the two parts of the journey would marry up effectively. Transpennine informed the Sub-Committee that the changes were specifically designed to improve East / West connectivity.
In respect of bus services, First informed the Sub-Committee that they have implemented a system which monitors the speed of buses relative to speed limits. They also provided an update on contactless ticketing targets and that the target to increase cashless sales to 80% in 5 years is achievable. First addressed fare increases but noted that while some fares had increased others had stayed the same price.
Arriva provided an update and advised the Sub-Committee that extra vehicles would be provided on the 130 and 136 services.
Following the bus operator updates the Sub-Committee had the following questions and comments:
· The Sub-Committee requested the latest patronage figures including, if possible, a breakdown of the park and ride usage. First would provide this information.
· The Sub-Committee expressed disappointment regarding the recent fare increases and commented that the various ticketing schemes available from bus operators makes it difficult for customers to find the best value option. First acknowledged this issue and stated their ambition to get more passengers using the M ticket option.
· The Sub-Committee expressed concerns regarding Arriva’s Leeds urban ticket and the exclusion of places such as Rothwell and Woodlesford from that ticket scheme. Arriva stated that they would take this information back to the company.
Resolved: That the operator updates and the Sub-Committee’s feedback be noted.