The
Merseyrail network is set to get brand new trains after Liverpool City
Region leaders gave the green light to the £460m project on Friday
16th December.
The
state-of-the-art trains that will come into service by the end of 2020
will replace the near 40-year-old fleet that currently runs on the
network – the oldest in the UK.
The
trains will be built and maintained by Swiss manufacturer, Stadler,
subject to a final legal process and the signing of the contracts in the
New Year.
The
new trains will be safer – most notably in the ease in which everyone
can get on and off, and will also make Merseyrail the most accessible
traditional network in the country.
The
trains will be able to carry 60 per cent more passengers while
retaining the same number of seats, will cut journey times by 10 per
cent– equivalent of up to nine minutes on some end-to-end routes, and
will have the capabilities to eventually run beyond the current
Merseyrail boundaries to places like Skelmersdale, Wrexham and
Warrington.
The
trains, which will not result in any additional fare increases or
council tax rises, will be publically owned by Merseytravel, meaning
that they can be designed specifically to suit the network, with
features local people have said they want to see.
Today’s approval by the Combined Authority marks the end of an extensive procurement process
which formally began in October 2015 when the Merseytravel Committee
gave permission for the project to go to tender after approving the
business case for new trains, recognising that it represented best value
for money long term.
It
took into account a number of factors including the increasing costs in
maintaining a near 40-year-old fleet and the capacity pressures of a
2.5 per cent rise in passenger journeys every year.
The new trains’ project also includes infrastructure upgrades to power supplies, platforms
and track, as well as refurbishment of the depots at Kirkdale and
Birkenhead North and the ongoing maintenance of the trains.
Key features of the new trains:-
· More
space for bikes, buggies, disabled passengers and luggage; intelligent
air conditioning; a bright, open and airy saloon, and a mix of seating
types, keeping some of the ‘sociable’ facing seats,– all these points
came out of a Transport Focus survey of local users in 2013.
· Easier
to get on and off – the most common request in the Transport Focus
survey. This will be achieved through reducing the ‘gap’ between the
train and platform through: a train body configured specifically for our
network; lower train floors; platform and track improvements and a
‘sliding step’ from the train – this combination gives almost ‘level access’ in a first for the UK.
· On-board
safety – the train will be a ‘safe space’ forming one continuous space
with no dividing doors; CCTV with images broadcast within the train
saloon and to the driver and control room; a direct link
to the driver and control room; the driver visible through a transparent
cab door; on-board customer service staff, supplementing other on-board
staff and staffed stations.
· Door
safety – there will be traffic light system door illuminations
indicating when it’s safe to get on and off; sensitive door edges that
will detect ‘the pull’ from something as narrow as a tie or finger,
stopping the train from moving or bringing it to a stop.
· Wider
aisles, larger areas at the doorways and many more grab handles, making
the train much easier to move around and safer for standing passengers.
Said Mayor of Liverpool and Chair of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Joe Anderson:
“The
people of our City Region need and deserve new trains. Merseyrail is
one of the top performing networks in the country and we want to keep it
that way. This is a once in a generation opportunity for custom built
trains that will be safer and carry more people, more quickly.
“A
better rail service will bring a boost to the regional economy of £70m
every year, plus a1000 new jobs. It’s also one our first Devo Deal
successes for the City Region as we’ve got commitment for funding that
will help make this project happen.
“Unusually,
these trains will be owned by us locally, meaning we can make sure the
trains are exactly what passengers want and that they are ready for our
future plans.”
Added Cllr Rob Polhill, leader of Halton and lead member for transport on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority:
“The decision today is not just about the new trains themselves but what they will enable us to do.
“These
trains will have the capability to operate beyond the current
Merseyrail boundaries, potentially bringing the benefits of the high
performing network to people in places like Skelmersdale and along the
Borderlands line into Wrexham within the next 30 years – helping us
deliver our long term rail strategy.
“The
new trains will help us improve links within and beyond our area,
linking in to the wider ‘Northern Powerhouse Rail’ agenda.”
The
new trains will be operated differently, with the driver – assisted by
cameras along the length of the train – responsible for the opening and
closing of the doors and the dispatch, rather than the guard.
This
mode of operation, Driver Controlled Operation (DCO), was put forward
by all bidders in meeting the recommendations of the Rail Accident
Investigation Branch (RAIB) report into the fatal incident at James St
in 2011.
Many
suburban ‘commuter’ networks and all Metro networks in the UK are DCO,
including the Tyne & Wear Metro and London Underground – which has
been DCO for 30 years. In terms of ‘light rail’ the
Manchester Metrolink is also DCO. Between 60 and 70 per cent of all rail
passenger journeys in the UK are on DCO networks. It is also used
extensively across Europe.
While
this method of dispatch doesn’t require a second person to operate the
train, it is recognised that local people value on-board staff. As a
result, new customer service roles, based in the train saloon will be
created. It will mean staff are on hand to assist and advise passengers,
targeted at key locations and times. While the customer service roles
will be smaller in number than the current guard complement, it is
expected that a number of guards will take up these positions.
At
their meeting earlier today, the Merseytravel Committee put forward a
motion for guaranteed continued employment for those guards who are
currently permanently employed at Merseyrail and wish to remain so. On
consideration of the business case, Merseytravel officers confirmed
that these costs can be accommodated as part of the project. The motion
was then endorsed by the Combined Authority.
Reductions
in posts, required to make the project affordable, are expected to be
accommodated through redeployment, voluntary redundancies and
retirements over the next four years, until the new trains are fully
operational on the network.
Said Cllr Liam Robinson, Chair of the Merseytravel Committee:
“These
new trains will be fit-for-the-future, safer and faster and at no
additional cost to passengers or council tax payers. It is a ‘must do’
project; the benefits are clear.
“That
is not to say that we’re not sensitive to the staffing implications of
such a decision. In an ideal world we’d like to have a second member of
staff on every train to ensure the highest level of customer service,
but there aren’t the resources to do that.
That
is why, as the Merseytravel Committee, endorsed by the Combined
Authority, we have sought guaranteed continued employment for all
permanently employed guards and their managers who wish to stay at
Merseyrail – something that we have had reassurance can be accommodated.
“Some
guards will have the opportunity to be employed in a new on-board
customer service role and others will be able to take advantage of other
redeployment opportunities, all on the same terms and conditions as
now.”