Cheshire - LANDMARK COMING TOGETHER SEES RAIL COMPANIES LAUNCH PLAN FOR A CHANGING RAILWAY TO SECURE ALMOST £85BN BENEFIT TO ECONOMY AND ENABLE FURTHER IMPROVEMENT

• Landmark coming together sees train companies, Network Rail and suppliers launch ‘In Partnership for Britain’s Prosperity’ a single, long -term plan for a changing and improving railway;
• The plan sets out how Britain’s public and private ‘partnership railway’ will secure almost £85bn of extra economic benefits to the country and enable further improvements;
• The plan will launch a new drive to show customers and communities locally how the railway is changing in their area including 6,400 extra services across the country - with space for an additional 40,000 people in Cheshire and across the North at peak times thanks to the Great North Rail Project;
• The plan is supported by business and passenger groups and makes four commitments for change to improve and deliver for the economy, customers, communities and staff working in rail.

In a landmark moment for the industry, all of Cheshire’s train companies and Network Rail, have come together to launch a ‘single plan’ for Britain’s railway.

The plan, ‘In Partnership for Britain’s Prosperity’, is backed by business and passenger groups [including x local voice], and sets out how Britain’s ‘partnership railway’ of the public and private sectors will secure almost £85bn of extra economic benefits to the country and enable further improvements. The Great North Rail Project, a team effort to transform train travel in the north of England by Network Rail, Northern, TransPennine Express, Transport for the North and DfT, is a key part of the rail industry’s plan, which also sets out four commitments to build on the railway’s progress of the last 20 years.

These include a commitment to boost local communities through investment including 6,400 extra services across the country. This will mean space for 40,000 extra people in Lancashire and across the north by 2022. With forecasts by the Centre for Economics and Business Research indicating 14,400 new jobs will be created in Manchester and 5,700 in Liverpool by 2022, the extra capacity will be vital to connecting more people to more employment opportunities.

The four commitments being made by Cheshire’s, and the nation's rail companies together are:

• Commitment 1 - Strengthen the railway’s contribution to the economy, keeping running costs in the black, freeing up taxpayers’ money;
• Commitment 2 - Increase customer satisfaction by improving the railway to remain the top-rated major railway in Europe;
• Commitment 3 - Boost local communities through localised decision making and investment;
• Commitment 4 – Create more jobs, increase diversity and provide our employees with rewarding careers.

Securing the economic benefits of the public and private partnership will mean that:

• In the next 18 months alone, customers and communities across the country will see a transformation in their railway with more trains, better services and improved stations;
• Investment into rail of £50bn will help to deliver 5,700 new carriages on track by 2021 and 6,400 additional services per week;
• Customer journeys will be improved using technology to increase capacity by running trains closer together, to improve information to help passengers during disruption, and to make buying and using tickets quicker and easier;
• Improved services and greater confidence for customers with the introduction of a new Independent Railway Ombudsman, by summer 2018, ruling on unresolved complaints.
• A stronger voice for customers in England and Wales with customer representation on joint supervisory boards, or an equivalent – a partnership between the rail industry and customer groups;
• Our staff in the railway will benefit with 100,000 job opportunities, £1bn investment in our team, the creation of 20,000 new apprenticeships in rail and its supply chain by 2020 and doubling the number of higher level apprenticeships every five years;

David Brown, Managing Director at Northern commented: “The railway is key to Cheshire’s long-term prosperity.  As our industry comes together with a single plan to drive change, we are investing to improve what matters most to our customers and the regional economy.  We will deliver more capacity, improved services, faster journeys and a better customer experience that will better connect northerners with jobs, social and leisure opportunities.”

Leo Goodwin, Managing Director for TransPennnine Express said: “We are committed to the communities we serve and over the next three years, will deliver an investment of over £500 million which will transform rail services across the North and into Scotland.

“This investment includes the introduction of 220 brand new carriages which will provide an additional 13 million seats per year for customers. This will lead to an 80 per cent rise in seats at the busiest times of day.”

Andy Cooper, Managing Director of CrossCountry, said: “With our trains serving towns and cities across Britain, CrossCountry knows only too well how the railway supports the national and local economies. With fast, frequent services enabling business and commuter travellers to connect and grow regional economies, and leisure travellers able to reach seaside, rural and urban tourist destinations, a strong and efficient railway will continue to support our nation’s future.”

Amanda Hines, General Manager for Virgin Trains on the west coast route, said: “We know just how important the railway is to the long‐term future of both the economy of Cheshire and its communities. We have a strong track record of innovating for the benefit of passengers and we’re proud to be working with the rest of the industry to continue to deliver improved journeys for customers and better connections for communities across Cheshire and the rest of the country.”

Martin Frobisher, managing director for Network Rail’s London North Western route, said: “By working as one team the rail industry is transforming train travel for customers in the north of England, including in Cheshire where the Halton Curve scheme, funded by Merseytravel and part of the Great North Rail Project, will bring new services each way between Liverpool and Chester.”