§ Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—[Mr. Burns.]
8.11 pm§ Sir Alan Haselhurst (Saffron Walden)I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss the future of the Heron line. I should point out straight away that the Heron line is a railway. I am glad that the Minister replying to the debate appreciates that fact, but not all those who made inquiries about the title of the debate appreciated that I was talking about a railway. Those who got nearest to the right answer thought it was a bus route, and others who were nowhere near it thought that it might have ornithological connections.
The Heron line is part of the network run by the West Anglia Great Northern railway company, or WAGN as it is somewhat inelegantly known. It is principally the service between Liverpool Street and Cambridge and it passes through my constituency. There are five stations in my constituency: Stansted Mountfitchet, Elsenham, Newport, Audley End and Great Chesterford. There is also the station at Stansted airport. Although its route uses most of the Heron line, it is now called the Stansted skytrain service, but it is very much part and parcel of the West Anglia section of the WAGN railway company.
I was disappointed that, in shaping the franchises, the opportunity was not taken to split West Anglia from Great Northern so that we would have had competing services from King's Cross to Cambridge and from Liverpool Street to Cambridge. It was one of the natural opportunities that arose for competition in the privatised railway, but it was decided otherwise. I shall not reopen that issue tonight. However, the decision to include both services to Cambridge within the same franchise has certain consequences.
I regard tonight's debate as timely as there are concerns in my constituency about the future of the Heron line and how it will fare as part of a railway franchise, as it is clear that the premier service to Cambridge is seen as the one that departs from King's Cross. There is now an excellent service—railway operators call it the Cambridge cruiser—that enables people to travel between the two cities in 52 minutes—a time that cannot be matched on the Heron line. So questions naturally arise in the minds of my constituents that, in the longer term, the stations on the Heron line will become less attractive to the railway operator. Of course they go on to think the worst. Therefore, I thought it might be useful to make a number of points ahead of the publication of the passenger service requirement for the franchise, and more particularly, the award of the franchise.
I should like to make a few points about the shape and scope of the franchise, mentioning the future impact of the Thameslink 2000 project—I am delighted that the Government have given approval to that project. It is of strategic importance to provide improved services north-south through the capital, but it seems that the possibility of making those additional north-south journeys will not be available until early in the next century—perhaps around 2002. Therefore, my first question is what length of franchise will be considered appropriate for WAGN, as the big question mark of Thameslink 2000 is hovering and that and other connected 92 franchises might be reconfigured in the light of Thameslink 2000. If, in order to keep options open, the franchising director goes for a short franchise for WAGN at the outset, the chances of certain improvements taking place in the service—to which I shall allude in a moment—seem somewhat reduced if it is envisaged that another franchise operator will take over once the Thameslink 2000 concept is realised.
My second consideration is whether trains operating on the Heron line from Cambridge through the stations in my constituency will have access to the Snow Hill tunnel which—according to the Thameslink project—allows trains to travel through London from north to south. Although there would have to be minor infrastructure changes to allow that physically to happen, it would seem that if it does not, there will be no opportunity to travel from Audley End to Guildford and Brighton on a direct train service, whereas that opportunity will be open to people travelling from Cambridge through the stations served by the line into King's Cross. That would further the impression that the Heron line is of less importance.
I recognise that the alternative opportunity for passengers on the Heron line was originally seen as the east-west link through London known as crossrail, but I do not have to remind my hon. Friend that there is doubt about the future of crossrail at the moment, so the opportunities for my constituents being able to travel directly through the tunnel into Liverpool street to the stations that were planned on the crossrail line seem somewhat diminished. Obviously, I hope that it will be possible to resurrect the crossrail project, but in the absence of that certainty, it appears that some of the advantages that will flow to passengers using the Cambridge-King's Cross service will not benefit passengers using the service through my constituency.
I hope that the franchising director will want to include in the franchise the potential of Stratford as an alternative terminus for trains. It will not be many years now before Stratford will provide an interconnection with the cross-channel rail services and with the Jubilee line, providing a faster connection to the west end. I certainly hope that the prospect of services to Stratford along the Heron line from Cambridge will be included.
To look further ahead, I wonder whether the franchise would be enhanced if the line between Ely and Peterborough were electrified. Those passengers wishing to travel to Peterborough and further on the east coast main line would benefit if there were a direct service that did not require them to change at Cambridge or Ely. I hope that such a suggestion might bolster the potential of the franchise.
The scope of that franchise should also include improvements to the infrastructure, particularly the signalling. I am not a technical expert on railway engineering by any stretch of the imagination, but the type and age of the signalling facilities south of Bishop's Stortford towards Liverpool Street is such that the newer types of rolling stock cannot use it. That is disappointing. If the Liverpool Street and the King's Cross services to Cambridge are included in the same franchise, that means that there cannot be commonality of rolling stock. It would be advantageous if the railway operator who wins the franchise were able to use his rolling stock on either line, as it suited him.
93 The system is inherently inflexible if one cannot use the same rolling stock on both lines. At the moment, perversely, the same rolling stock is used on both lines, but later this year the Great Northern line is due to switch to the new type 365 Networker trains. Surely that switch will offer a glaring example to my constituents of what the haves have in relation to the have-nots. The haves will enjoy faster services in new rolling stock, whereas the Heron line will still have 20-year-old rolling stock. That does not seem sensible. If there is a justification for having a combined franchise, one should take advantage of that and ensure that there is commonality of stock. That cannot be achieved unless the state of the signalling is attended to in the near future. I want to know whether that will be a condition of the franchise.
Such improvements would have the advantage of providing a diversionary route from Peterborough. If there were any difficulties on the Great Northern section of the east coast main line, it would be possible to run trains from Peterborough on electrified track all the way to Liverpool Street. That would also offer the further possibility of enlarging and enhancing the catchment area for employees of Stansted airport, because people would then be able to use a fast, reliable service to the airport from Peterborough.
Certain questions must be asked about the scope of the franchise. I should also like to comment on the quality of the service that my constituents may expect. They will be left with 20-year-old type 317 rolling stock. I hope that the franchising director will consider it important, whatever the length of the franchise he decides to award, bearing in mind the considerations that I have mentioned that may be in his mind, too, to promise at least refurbished rolling stock on that line. It would be unacceptable to continue to run unaltered 20-year-old rolling stock. It is daft not to hold out the promise of new rolling stock once it is possible for it to use the Heron line.
At the moment, it is galling to my constituents that some of the stations on the Heron line are closed on a Sunday—some are located in my constituency and others are south of it. The reason for that is that engineering works on the Great Northern line preclude a fast service from Cambridge on a Sunday. In order to provide a faster service, trains travel on the Heron line, but, to achieve that fast service, certain stations on that line are closed on a Sunday. People therefore cannot take advantage of those train services. That is not satisfactory and I hope that those Sunday services will be reconsidered as part of the franchise.
I must mention late-night services. It would be wrong to instance the needs of a Member of Parliament, trying to get away from this place at 10.15 pm, if he is lucky, who must catch either the 10.33 pm or the 11.33 pm. The gap between those services is lengthy, especially at Liverpool Street station, which may be beautiful to look at but is not beautiful to dwell in for a long time. There are just about 20 seats on the entire concourse at that station, so it is not an hospitable place late at night. If we are to encourage people to use the railway to come into London for an evening function, the cinema, the theatre, concerts or whatever, they must have the prospect of getting back home at a reasonable hour. The 10.33 pm train is a bit too early, and if they miss that they have an hour's wait. If people go out for a meal after an evening function they are not sure even that they can catch the 94 11.33 pm service. That does not encourage people to use the railways. I hope that late-night services will also be examined when the franchise is being considered.
I have already mentioned the possibility of links between Stansted airport and Peterborough. When the airport was opened, we went to great expense to build a spur northbound from the airport towards Cambridge, in addition to the southbound spur to carry passengers from London. It was thought sensible and useful to provide such a northbound spur, connected to the Heron line up to Cambridge. The service was run by the Regional Railways. I am afraid that in the early days of the airport, it did not attract many passengers and Regional Railways lost money. It decided to take advantage of regulations whereby it runs just one train a week—effectively no service.
There is a great interest in my constituency in seeing that service reinstated. I do not see why that should not be done by the franchise operator of the West Anglia Great Northern railway. That service should be examined when awarding that franchise. If we are to take the pressure for new housing off the rural part of my constituency and overcome the threat posed to it by urbanisation, it makes great sense to give people north of Stansted the opportunity to travel to work at that airport. I am thinking not just about passengers but about potential employees at the airport. Employment opportunities at the airport are growing steadily by the year. We should make use of the northbound spur, having gone to great expense to build it.
It is also important to consider the impact of the railway on airport employees from stations to the south of Stansted. The Stansted skytrain stops at Tottenham Hale and possibly one other station to provide the fastest possible service for airport passengers. What about the possibility of picking up employees at some other stations on the line? The pressure for new housing and the congestion on roads would be relieved if that service could scoop up more airport employees at those stations.
I have laid before my hon. Friend some of my concerns about the shape of the franchise, and what services it might include, and I have also put down some markers about what my constituents will be looking for, and are entitled to look for. I believe that some of those decisions should be thought through now and not put off until the next century. We should not award a franchise on certain assumptions and change them once Thameslink is operational or we have made a fresh decision on crossrail.
We should not perpetuate a situation in which my constituents are kept waiting, longer than they need, for the delivery of a better service with new rolling stock. They, too, should enjoy the benefits of privatisation that are already apparent from the franchises that have been awarded. Those benefits are the product of the Government's privatisation policy. I want my constituents to share that to the full and I have tried to outline the way in which that can best be done.
§ The Minister for Railways and Roads (Mr. John Watts)I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Saffron Walden (Sir A. Haselhurst) on initiating a debate on the future of the Heron line. As he said, the debate is timely. He and I have discussed the issues before, and I know that he is concerned that his constituents receive a high standard of passenger rail services. 95 I pay tribute to my hon. Friend's work on the Transport Select Committee, where he has clearly demonstrated his commitment to see that the Government's railway policy is translated into benefits for passengers and taxpayers alike. My hon. Friend expressed the concern felt by some of the Heron line's customers in the West Anglia half of West Anglia Great Northern, who feel that they are the poor relations and fated always to see improvements on the Great Northern route that are not matched on their route.
The Government do not view any passengers as poor relations. Indeed, I note that almost half WAGN's passenger revenue comes from the Heron line and its branch lines. Furthermore, performance in terms of punctuality and reliability is very impressive. The performance consistently exceeds the passengers charter standards and it is marginally better than that of the Great Northern section of the franchise. Clearly, the line is an important and integral part of West Anglia Great Northern, and it is the intention of the train operating company and of the franchising director that it should remain so.
My hon. Friend has expressed concern on previous occasions that West Anglia Great Northern might be left at the tail end of the programme to franchise the 25 train operating companies. He has been keen to avoid any risk of the Heron line going into decline in the interim period, while its customers have to wait an unduly long time before enjoying the improvements from franchising already being seen elsewhere on the network.
There is no question of the current British Rail management retrenching on the Heron line pending franchising. I am glad to confirm that passengers on the Heron line and the other routes on WAGN will not now have long to wait until the benefits associated with franchising are introduced. The franchising programme is moving forward with increasing momentum. On 25 April, the franchising director issued an invitation to potential bidders to apply to pre-qualify to receive invitations to tender for WAGN and six other train operating companies.
I am pleased to see that, yet again, tremendous interest has been shown. A total of 91 applications have been received from 28 different organisations, with at least 10 applications for each company. The companies are bidding competitively for the right to operate the West Anglia Great Northern franchise. My hon. Friend can be assured that there will be a healthy competition for the right to run the services.
I understand that the draft passenger service requirement for WAGN is likely to be issued later this month and, as with previous PSRs, the appropriate local authorities and the rail users consultative committee will be consulted. Furthermore, I shall draw to the attention of the franchising director the views that my hon. Friend expressed this evening. Invitations to tender are likely to be issued later this summer and, on the experience of the franchises let to date, WAGN is likely to be transferred to the successful bidder by early next year.
I refer to the specific issues raised by my hon. Friend. In relation to the modernisation of infrastructure, Railtrack has carried out a series of measures in recent months to modernise infrastructure on the Heron line to 96 good effect. The results can be seen in the excellent performance in respect of punctuality and reliability—consistently above the passengers charter standards—of services on the Heron line. I understand that WAGN will shortly be discussing with Railtrack the potential for greater operational flexibility, which can be fully achieved only through upgrading the infrastructure.
My hon. Friend spoke of the interrelationship between Thameslink 2000 and WAGN. The Thameslink 2000 project, which is planned to commence operations in the year 2002, will enhance services on WAGN by linking stations such as Peterborough, Cambridge and King's Lynn with stations in the south, via central London. The Office of Passenger Rail Franchising will consult the Rail Regulator and other interested parties when determining the most appropriate service specification.
However, as Thameslink 2000 will operate from King's Cross-St. Pancras, it will not serve the Heron line, for which the terminus is Liverpool Street. There would have to be a new link across north London for that to be facilitated. If the operator believes that the demand is there for such a service, and if a commercial deal can be struck with Railtrack, that might be considered in the future. As my hon. Friend reminded the House, it will be some years before the additional capacity provided by Thameslink 2000 is available. It is a £600 million project and it will take some time to deliver.
My hon. Friend also referred to crossrail. Crossrail is expected to come after the Jubilee line extension, Thameslink 2000 and the channel tunnel rail link in the sequence of major new rail projects for London. That sequence of projects takes account of affordability and disruption—it is clearly not sensible to have too much upheaval at one time on London's transport system.
My hon. Friend referred to services to Cambridge. I am sure that the competition for the West Anglia Great Northern franchise will secure benefits for passengers served by the intermediate stations on the lines to Cambridge. The franchising director will be looking for the best deal, and he anticipates healthy competition for the service. In addition, the passenger service requirement will safeguard services to intermediate stations to Cambridge, as well as to Cambridge itself. My hon. Friend will be aware of the instruction to the franchising director, in comparing bids for franchises, to take account of those that offer service levels and enhancements over and above the levels that he specified.
I recognise the frustration that passengers on the Heron line must feel at having to use class 317 rolling stock, while passengers on Great Northern are served by new class 365 stock. Unfortunately, considerable work on infrastructure—such as the replacement of old-fashioned track circuits, platform lengthening and improvements to track and signalling—would be necessary before class 365s could use the Heron line.
I recognise that that has all been undertaken already on Great Northern, but a significant factor was that the line was also used by Eurostar services and the costs were shared with the international operator. The cost of similar work on the Heron line would be borne by WAGN alone. That is an important consideration to bear in mind. Any operator will have to think carefully before committing to such investment. However, if I may give some hope to my hon. Friend, some previous franchise awards have included commitments to refurbish existing rolling stock. 97 If the existing rolling stock on the Heron line is not replaced, it may be that potential bidders for WAGN will look hard at ways in which it can be improved for the benefit of passengers. A feature of virtually every franchise that has been let so far has been the commitment to new rolling stock or to substantial refurbishment.
WAGN originally cut back on Sunday stopping services on the Heron line in 1994, in a successful attempt to build on the tourist market—particularly passengers wanting to travel quickly from London to Cambridge. It is true that fast through services are now timetabled from King's Cross following improvements to that line. However, I understand that Railtrack needs to carry out even more extensive engineering work on Great Northern on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings, to avoid disruption to weekday services. The only way to maintain the burgeoning tourist market is to maintain the Sunday through trains on the Heron line, but WAGN has promised to reassess the situation when the engineering work on Great Northern is complete. I am sure that it will have listened with interest to what my hon. Friend said this evening.
Matters such as late-night services can be addressed extremely well during consultation on the PSR if my hon. Friend, his constituents, local authorities and the rail users consultative committee are not satisfied with the level of service specified in the PSR.
Clearly, services to Stansted airport are important, particularly in the context of our overall transport policy, through which we wish to encourage people to travel to airports by rail rather than making them feel forced to use their cars. WAGN is currently working on proposals to enhance services to and from Stansted through the southern part of the Heron line by extending off-peak services from Liverpool Street to Bishop's Stortford.
As my hon. Friend said, such proposals would particularly benefit shift workers at the airport who use the Heron line. The proposals would be introduced in the May 1997 timetable, and WAGN will consult the local authority and rail user groups later this summer. In addition, along with BAA, Stansted Airport Ltd. and Essex and Cambridgeshire country councils, WAGN has commissioned a study looking at the feasibility of reintroducing services to and from Stansted to the north of the line. I understand that it expects to receive that report in the near future.
My hon. Friend also mentioned electrification of the Ely to Peterborough line. I understand that Railtrack and the local authorities have been looking at possible options for improving the Ely to Peterborough cross-country route 98 to accommodate more freight traffic to and from the port of Felixstowe. It will be a commercial matter for Railtrack and the new owners of Freightliner—the company that moves container freight via Felixstowe—to consider whether to pursue any of the available options. My hon. Friend will be aware that the new owners of Freightliner have explained that they have plans to increase their volume of business by 50 per cent. over the next five years.
In addition, the Felixstowe to Holyhead route is represented on the draft rail and combined transport trans-European networks maps. Therefore, any project that Railtrack wished to pursue on that route would in principle be eligible for assistance through the TENs programme. But it would, of course, be in competition with other projects for limited funding, both in this country and on the continent of Europe. My Department would give careful consideration to any such future bid from Railtrack, but Railtrack has not yet come forward with a bid for TENs funding for that route from this year's budget. Therefore, it is difficult to argue that there are firm proposals for developing that route which would justify categorising it as a TENs priority.
My hon. Friend also mentioned the potential for connections with Stratford station and the channel tunnel rail link. Clearly, the growth of docklands and the enhancement of services through the forthcoming Jubilee line extension might well make it feasible for WAGN to serve Stratford from the Heron line. I understand that it intends to keep its options open on that matter and to assess whether it becomes a viable option.
As my hon. Friend recognises, privatisation is about improving quality and taking advantage of commercial opportunities to enhance services. It is about establishing contractual safeguards that will guarantee the future of every line and station on the network. In the light of what we are seeing throughout the rail network as an increasingly large proportion is transferred to the private sector, I hope that I can reassure my hon. Friend not only that the Heron line's future is safeguarded, but that its future under privatisation is in fact brighter than before. The persistence and eloquence with which my hon. Friend advances the case for better services on the line for his constituents and the detailed knowledge that he has of the services provided and the potential for new services will help to guide the beneficial development of services into the future.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Adjourned accordingly at seventeen minutes to Nine o'clock.