R A I LT R AC K - The Railways Archive

6.6
6.6 Stations and depots
Discussion with our partners has confirmed that there is a
strong common desire to enhance the level of facilities at
stations throughout the network.Previous sections have
indicated how we propose to progress our maintenance and
renewal responsibilities,both at those major stations which
we operate, and at those stations which are leased to
customers.This section sets out how we plan to progress
enhancements.
F o l l owing pilot exercises with Central Trains and Great
N o rth Eastern Railw ay (GNER), and widespread consultation
with all stake h o l d e rs , we have published a specification fo r
M o d e rn Facilities at Stations.This allows allocation of stations
to one of six categories according to size and function. I t
indicates the level of facilities that we aspire to prov i d e.
Where an existing facility is to be renewed (such as a life -
expired lift), we will ensure that its renewal (paid for from
existing access charges) confo rms to the relevant specifi c a t i o n
(in this example, a passenger- o p e rated lift). Our plans fo r
u p g rading stations in this way through renewal are set out in
Section 4.
However, many stations do not currently have the full
range of facilities which are set out in the specification and
so cannot reach the specification through renewal alone.To
fund the investment to provide such facilities,it will be
necessary to negotiate and agree new financing
arrangements.The same comment applies for an accelerated
renewal of existing facilities that are not yet life-expired.
In some cases,the current station operator can develop
a commercial case to fund the enhancement because the
increases in revenue resulting from improved product quality
will provide sufficient payback.A number of schemes are
progressing on this basis,notably with GNER and Virgin
Trains for passenger-waiting environments,and with a
number of operators for car-park extensions.In many cases,
the economic life of the enhancement extends beyond the
life of the current franchise operator, and we have assumed
that the additional income necessary to give a fair return on
our investment will continue to be provided in future station
charges.
To cover other cases, we propose an option for discussion
with the Franchising Director, the Shadow Strategic Rail
Authority and the Rail Regulator whereby we would commit
to deliver the output specifications,in whole
or part,to provide a step change in the level of facilities by
the end of the next Control Period in 2006.To assess the
likely cost implications, we have undertaken modelling work
which takes account of the current levels of facilities,and the
unit costs of delivering those facilities necessary to bridge
the gap to the output specification.The costs are, therefore, a
broad approximation and will need to be validated on a
detailed basis if the option is to proceed.
Platform stepping distance and length policy
A number of important issues have a bearing on the
maximum stepping distance that passengers need to
negotiate when entering and exiting from trains,and the
length of the platform over which this distance is maintained.
These include:
• the variety of existing passenger and freight vehicles
• introduction of new vehicles onto the networ k
• gauging of passenger and freight vehicles
• track renewals
• access for disabled people
• European interoperability.
These issues,when considered together, present a complex
background against which we seek to set a consistent
stepping distance and platform length policy.
We have established a project group which will be
consulting broadly with our industry partners,having first
evaluated a number of options for future platform and train
standards with a view to developing a policy by mid-1999
for inclusion in the 2000 NMS.We also intend to develop a
funding strategy, in partnership with external agencies where
appropriate, and an understanding of the timescales over
which the policy could be implemented as an integral part of
our Modern Facilities at Stations initiative.
We have assessed the cost of achieving full compliance
with the standard on platform gauge and length to be in the
order of £900M.
Discussion with
our partners has
confirmed that there
is a strong common
desire to enhance the
level of facilities at
stations throughout
the network
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