Leeds - RAIL INDUSTRY LAUNCH PLAN, ‘IN PARTNERSHIP FOR BRITAIN’S PROSPERITY,’ 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 into Leeds and other major northern cities 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 Leeds’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 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. 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 to Leeds and other cities across the north by 2022. With forecasts by the Centre for Economics and Business Research indicating a 6,800 boost to jobs in Leeds by 2022, the extra capacity will be vital to connecting more people to more employment opportunities.

The four commitments being made by Leeds’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 Leeds’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.”

Natasha Wilding, General Manager for Virgin Trains on the east coast route said: “We know just how important the railway is to the long‐term future of both the economy of Yorkshire & the Humber and its local communities. That’s why today we’re joining forces with other train companies to launch a plan to create a better railway. We’re working with the rest of the industry to create better journeys for customers and more space for thousands of extra people. As an example, the arrival of our new Azuma trains from 2018 will bring almost 10,000 more seats to customers in Leeds by 2022.”

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.”

Richard McClean, managing director at Grand Central said: “Partnership across the railway industry is connecting people and commerce with opportunity.  At Grand Central we are investing in our fleet and customer experience, working closely with other train operating companies on our routes to improve services, together.

“We continue to support northern businesses build their markets through our direct connections to London.  At the same time we are bringing customers into our region to experience the best the north has to offer.”

Rob McIntosh, managing director of Network Rail’s London North Eastern and East Midlands Route, said: “We are now working closer than ever before with our train operators to deliver a safe and reliable service as well as help deliver the upgrades and improvements that customers want to see. The One Plan initiative underlines everything that is good about the industry and by working in this way we can help deliver for the communities and economies our railway serves."