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Network Rail manages more stations

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Newcastle and York are to become Network Rail-managed stations from the start of the new East Coast franchise in 2015.

The main line stations will join Reading and Bristol Temple Meads, which Network Rail took over on April 1, under a new management model designed to improve long-term planning for the UK’s railway stations.

Network Rail will assume control of asset management and commercial activities for both stations from the start of the new franchise, leaving the new operator to focus on passenger-facing services.

The idea is that the ‘managed station – lite’ model, as it has been dubbed, will make it easier to develop long-term strategies. Network Rail will be solely in charge of maintenance and renewal works around the stations.

Like Reading and Bristol, Newcastle has received substantial investment for modernisation works and York presents further opportunities for commercial development.

‘Where we’re in the lead role, we can do more in terms of customer enhancements,’ says Jason Manley, stations specialist for Network Rail’s Network Operations. ‘Bristol Temple Meads has got a big master plan for it, so we can look long term, and we can take a better strategic view.

‘A lot of train operators are frustrated because they can’t make some long-term decisions, and they can’t always build up the business case to always do things within the term of the franchise.’

3 COMMENTS

  1. Surely this is a non story.

    If there is more than one franchise serving a station and there is no dominance in terms of train numbers, or perhaps passenger numbers, then it is quite wrong to allow one franchise to run the station. Perhaps Directly Operated Railways should do the management even when they no longer have any trains to run?

  2. Could we please get Network Rail to manage Clapham Junction ?
    The stations is over capacity, the main entrance uses the original subway tunnel that was used for platform interchange, unfortunatley its a case of retail over rides passenger needs.

    The same also goes for the overbridge, a good job was made of cleaning it up when the Brighton Yard entrance was brought back in to use a few years back after being closed for over 25 years. The same issue happened that large retail pods were then built on the bridge between platforms 10 and 15 / 16 reducing the busiest passenger section by 50%

    While the barrier line is being reworked the subway itself is dangerously narrow and over crowded during the day let alone in the peak hours.

    While SWT do a decent job of managing it now, it needs someone who is not determind by needs of a length of franchise to sort the station and its infrastructure, at the moment its a patchwork of add ons and work arounds

  3. What Kit said. When one franchise runs a station, they plaster it with their garish branding, non-standard signing and boarding information relating only to their trains, which confuses users.
    I know they had a clean slate, but the layout and signing that NR have put in at the new Reading station is an exemplar that should be copied at all major stations.

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