Arriva Group has published its recommendations to the UK Government on how using its five-step plan can help deliver an urgent reform.
Accelerating The Government’s Ambition To Fix Britain’s Railways aims to kick-start improvements that could work alongside the longer-term changes that the Government wants to deliver.
Arriva says that a new national fleet capacity strategy will help to reduce passenger overcrowding journeys by using underused trains.
An overhaul to timetabling is also needed, allowing for quicker and more effective decision-making that reflects passenger demand.
Arriva currently have the London Overground concession as well as Arriva Rail London, Chiltern Railways, Grand Central and CrossCountry and says that it is the only group to have experience with all contract types currently in use.
“The last few years have been a challenging time for the British railway – but now is the time for optimistic, forward-looking change under a new Government. There is a real opportunity to marry long-term structural reform, which Labour has set out, with further short-term improvements for passengers and the taxpayer. Our proposals set out a series of crucial steps for the Government to help deliver on that promise, accelerate their ambition to fix Britain’s railways, deliver tangible change for passengers, and realise the railway’s potential as an engine of economic growth”.
David Brown, Managing Director of Arriva UK Trains
Responses
Cross Country franchise one of the worst performing TOCs!
People need to understand that the Dept for Transport do a lot of control by telling rail companies what they can or can’t do. Some companies wanted to do more than they were allowed. I think it was the Dept which told Cross Country to stop using the HST’s.
And X Country is a fantastic TOC..yeah right…very very overcrowded…not enough rolling stock…stood from B.Ham New St to Reading…4 cars….disgusting service.
‘ShysterRail’ ? ‘SpivRail’?
Cross Country should be stripped of the franchise
Sorry they can’t be serious? Chiltern have knackered carriages and they scrapped the green biofuel train probably because it cost them too much. As for crosscountry, they are overcrowded and charging a premium even when booking in advance. This company should not be allowed to give the government advice on how to run a railway
Things are getting better 8 coach cross country trains to Bournemouth and the fleet to be totally rebuilt interiors.
Only when available
On leicester to Birmingham route it’s a 2 or 3 car turbostar standing room only improvement would be longer trains which arriva can’t provide so how can they advise the government
I travel on one of Grand Central’s 6 coach ‘Cattle Trains’ between London King’s Cross and York, 50 mins late yesterday! These trains are a joke!!
The main improvement we could make in this country is to outlaw Arriva. They ruined XC as soon as they got it, shut down Grand Central the second COVID hit, ruined countless Bus companies that they took over. Every company that took over from them, like Northern Spirit and Merseyrail, improved once they got kicked out.
Their improvements to Chiltern include abandoning catering on board, no food for business class. Kidderminster services cut back to Stourbridge and the oldest coaching stick on the network.
I think you will find it’s DfT who decided Chiltern would no longer run to Kidderminster. In fact every train service and its stopping pattern has to be pre approved by DfT.
Is this a joke, they have made a mess of everything else, who on earth would take them seriously
Is this the same plan they used to exit Wales, leaving the railways in turmoil?
Ironic that Arriva should come up with proposals when their track record is probably one of the worst of all the operators.
It would make a nice change if the politicians genuinely listened to the people actually running the railway. And preferably before they start spending large sums of our money on yet another reorganisation of the industry.
Why would anyone want to ask those that run the mess called cross country how to run trains.
They run four carriage cattle trains the length of the country. Their advance fares have risen by over 300% since covid.
Arriva are a disgrace. They made a mess of northern rail too.
Arriva are the blueprint for how not to run a railway.
Totally agree. I’m currently sat on one of those 4 carriage cattle trains from Plymouth to Leeds
You have a point. How could I have forgotten Cross Country and their awful Voyagers? Arriva have hardly covered themselves with glory.