Transport Insights

The transport stories you won't see in the industry-friendly media

Author

Chris Ames

Tag: hendy

  • All change or plus ca change?

    A couple of announcements linked to Great British Railways show quite how slowly Labour is bringing “change” to the rail network.

    The BBC reports:

    The rail operator Great Western Railway (GWR) is to be renationalised in a “significant” move for trains in the West of England, the government has confirmed.

    GWR, based in Swindon, runs services linking London to the south-west of England and South Wales. It will come back under public ownership on 13 December.

    It’s not really news, other than the confirmation that it will happen, and will happen this year. In fact, it might be seen as later than expected. The BBC reported last September:

    Train firm GWR ‘to be renationalised in a year’

    Train company GWR (Great Western Railways) will be returned to public ownership “in about a year’s time”, one of its bosses has said.

    Meanwhile, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced:

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  • Hendy: Our PAYG upgrade is long overdue

    There’s more good news, bad news on the rail ticketing front with Greater Anglia adding contactless technology to the 20 stations that were due to get it at the end of last year but which were put back to the summer.

    But, although the delay isn’t as bad as it was predicted to be, the whole programme to spread Transport for London’s (TfL) pay as you go (PAYG) beyond London is still years behind and less than halfway complete.

    Out of 233 stations that should have had the technology by the end of 2024, only 103 have now been delivered by TfL.

    Rather embarrassingly for rail minister Lord Hendy (who used to head TfL), he keeps saying the same thing about the upgrade being long overdue, even as he tries to sing its praises.

    In November, it was announced that 50 stations would go live the following month – the first tranche of a second phase. Hendy said:

    Rail ticketing is far too complicated and long overdue an upgrade to bring it into the 21st century.

    In December, it was announced that only 30 stations had been delivered:

    PAYG contactless will be rolled out to a further 20 stations, including Stansted and Southend airports, on Greater Anglia route during Summer 2026 after issues were identified in testing.  

    These are the 20 stations that have now had the technology implemented. Hendy said:

    Rail ticketing is long overdue an upgrade to bring the rail network into the 21st century.

    He is surprisingly frank on this: the upgrade is long overdue and, as I reported in November, there is no target date for adding the remaining 130 stations.

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  • Marching on together?

    Following the admission that disclosure of a “peer review” of West Yorkshire’s mass transit plans would damage public confidence in them, central and regional government continue to act in a way that suggests the plans really are “in peril” and that the contribution of trams to the scheme may be limited.

    The latest desperate looking move is a press release from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA):

    Businesses, investors and political leaders have united to reaffirm their backing for West Yorkshire’s Mass Transit plans following a visit to the region from the Rail Minister.

    […]

    Leeds United Football Club is the latest high-profile organisation to throw its weight behind Mass Transit, alongside the National Wealth Fund and leading developer Muse.

    The press release adds:

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