KILF, the Keep Island Line in Franchise Group, have issued this statement following the resignation of Claire Perry. Ed
We (KILF) welcome the appointment of Blackpool MP Paul Maynard as the new Rail Minister. His predecessor Claire Perry had personally advocated the proposal for removing Island Line from the wider franchise and turning it into a separate self-sustaining business, despite widespread local concerns (as expressed through the recent public consultation).
With a newly-formed government, a new Secretary of State for Transport and a new Rail Minister now in place, we hope that the DfT will urgently review the franchise objective to work towards Island Line becoming a self-sustaining business.
Plea to be treated equitably
Paul Maynard’s Blackpool constituency is served by the Northern franchise, which receives a multi-million pound annual subsidy from the taxpayer. In a contract which commenced in April, Arriva Rail North provide a range of rail services within this subsidised franchise, none of which are required to be self-sustaining.
All we are asking for is that the Isle of Wight is treated equitably with all other parts of the country, including Mr Maynard’s constituency.
Urging IW MP to support efforts
We hope to make our case directly to the new Rail Minister in the near future. We are also urging the Island’s MP to support our efforts – i.e. making the case that his constituents should not be uniquely disadvantaged in this way.
Even though the Invitation To Tender (ITT) has been published, there is still time for the DfT to place an obligation on franchise bidders to come up with a long-term solution for Island Line as an integral part of the wider franchise model.
Stewart Blackmore added that KILF expects that the new Rail Minister will honour the pledge made by his predecessor, Claire Perry, in her County Press article in September 2015, in which she said “Network Rail should take on the full cost of maintaining the line’s infrastructure, including the track, pier and stations”. This was reaffirmed in a DfT press release on 11th September 2015 which stated that “Network Rail [would be] responsible for maintaining and improving the infrastructure of the line”.
This new funding model (for how Island Line’s infrastructure costs are met) would be a hugely positive step, putting Island Line on an equitable footing with the rest of the rail network. and that nothing less will be acceptable to rail users on the Isle of Wight.
We at KILF pledge to assist the Minister to achieve this goal.
In dialogue with bidders
Irrespective of whether the DfT takes such a step, KILF is also getting dialogue underway with the two bidders, in the context of paragraph 4.5 of the Stakeholder Briefing Document (which was published shortly after the Invitation To Tender) which states:
“Bidders have the flexibility to put forward proposals that go beyond the base specification, where it can be demonstrated that such proposals would provide passenger benefits in a way that is affordable and delivers value for money. Where particular aspirations have not been met in the franchise specification, stakeholders are encouraged to engage with bidders directly as they develop their proposals.”
Benefits of remaining in franchise
We consider that Island Line remaining fully within the wider franchise has the potential to deliver passenger benefits in a way that is affordable and delivers value for money (due to the economies of scale arising from a regional franchise), and we will be urging both bidders to put forward proposals that go beyond the base specification in this regard.
Our first such meeting is with First Group tomorrow (Wednesday), with Stagecoach to follow in August.
Image: kevinsteinhardt under CC BY 2.0
