BEATTOCK STATION ACTION GROUP9 October 2012

STRUCTURE OF THE RAIL INDUSTRY

Railways Act 1993 - Privatisation of British RailwaysBroken up into multiple companies

•Infrastructure owner/operator – originally Railtrack, now Network Rail. Private company wholly owned by UK Government.•Rolling Stock Leasing Companies (ROSCOs) – own the vehicles and offer vehicles and financing to operators.•Train Operating Companies (TOCs) – bid for and operate franchises offered by Government. Direction of payment may depend on profitability!•Freight Operating Companies (FOCs).

NETWORK RAIL AREAS

Green corridor from London to Carstairs is West Coast Main Line

NETWORK RAIL – SCOTLAND NETWORK

Diagram from Network Rail Scotland Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) Generation 2 (2011).

Scotland Network (managed in Scotland) shown in red.

West Coast Main Line south of Carstairs is not in Scotland Network!

POLITICAL STRUCTURE

Transport a devolved function under the devolution settlement.

ScotRail services commissioned by Scottish Government/ Transport Scotland.

Corresponds with red areas on map.

WCML services commissioned by UK Government/Dept. for Transport.

FUNDING IN SCOTLAND

Rail needs subsidy! Little appetite for new costs in current economic climate.

IN SUMMARY

WCML south of Carstairs not part of Scotland Network.

No ScotRail commissioned services (although Lockerbie Station is managed by ScotRail).

Services at Lockerbie Station provided by two franchises:•InterCity West Coast Franchise (Virgin)•TransPennine Franchise (First)

Specified by Department for Transport

ScotRail Franchise due for renewal in 2014

WCML ISSUES & OBJECTIVES

Reduce CO2/Climate change emissions from transport.Compete with / encourage modal shift from domestic aviation.Achieve faster end-to-end journey times.Make best use of limited capacity.Maximise Benefit/Cost Ratio of £9 billion spent on WCML upgrade!

= Pressure for limited stopping at ALL intermediate stations.

Lockerbie is the lowest demand station on the WCML route.

BENEFITS VS COSTS

Station at Beattock would serve Moffat and surrounds.More passengers paying fares.But some abstraction from Lockerbie.

BUTCosts 5 minutes to stop train.DfT uses a ‘Value of Time’ in £s per passenger.Costs more to stop than revenue added.And trains are at/near capacity anyway.

Local Service on WCML does not meet DfT or TOC objectives.

Would have to be commissioned by Scottish Government/Transport Scotland.

ATKINS STUDIES

Local Service on WCMLStudy commissioned by DGC/SPT 2004Examined options for additional local stations on WCMLBusiness Case improved with more stations.

•Existing: Lockerbie, Carstairs, Motherwell, Edinburgh Suburban (to Kirknewton)•Potential New: Beattock, Symington;•Other possible locations: Abingdon/Crawford, Ecclefechan/Eaglesfield/Kirkpatrick Fleming, Quintinshill/Springfield/Gretna

Region Wide Rail Station StrategyStudy commissioned by SWestrans 2007Includes consideration of Potential for a New Station at Beattock.

WAY FORWARD

•Included in Regional Transport Strategy Delivery Plan.•Review recent successes: Borders Rail, Laurencekirk,•Campaign jointly with other existing/potential station locations.•Political champion at Holyrood.•Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) Study – Detailed Business Case – (Must ask the right question!)