Autumn statement on Fares

This from the Chancellor's Autumn Statement:

Rail Fares
1.272 To help households with living costs the government will further cap the average increase in regulated rail fares for the 2014 calendar year to RPI. This will benefit over a quarter of a million annual season ticket holders who will, on average in 2014, save £25. For instance, an annual season ticket from Chelmsford to London should be around £35 less in 2014 than it would have been without this change whilst an annual season ticket from Oxford to London should be around £45 less. This measure will complement the decision by the Mayor of London to cap the average increase in Transport for London fares at RPI for 2014.

1.273 Autumn Statement 2013 confirms that the permitted 'flex’ above the overall cap on average rail fares will be reduced to 2%. A commuter with a £2,000 season ticket could save up to £60 because of this measure, in a scenario in which the operator had chosen to apply the maximum permitted increase.
 
1.274 Autumn Statement 2013 also confirms a trial of flexible rail season ticketing that will take place in the South East. The innovative products being tested will benefit those who work flexibly or part-time.

Hmmm...

Putting aside the challenge of recalculating every fare before tomorrow, this is good news for passengers.
 
Note that our Chancellor even has a sense of humour - focusing on fares from Chelmsford, the home to erstwhile rail minister and the notoriously train-shy Simon Burns MP.

Greater Anglia colleagues, therefore, will be best placed to advise whether this particular policy innovation has been a success

Autumn Statement - Christmas comes early?

So what goodies did the Chancellor's Autumn Statement contain?

Aside from causing chaos with the fares system by the late reduction of January's average regulated fare increase to RPI+1 (down from Petrol-heads eye watering RPI+3) there are one or two additional jee-jaws to delight.

The simultaneous publication of the 2011 National Infrastructure Plan lists the following in section 3.c Network Rail Schemes:

New infrastructure projects

• North Trans Pennine electrification
• New rail link between Oxford, Bicester, Aylesbury, Milton Keynes and Bedford
• Network Rail Discretionary Fund
• Funding for winter resilience measures
• Bridge renewals

Note - there are no plans for additional rolling stock over and above what has already been (often and repeatedly) promised.

So once released from Thameslink the Class 319 fleet will now be expected to cover almost as much ground as Santa on Christmas Eve!

UPDATE: This from the Transport Select Committee...

Following the Autumn Statement made on 29 November, the Transport Committee will be taking oral evidence from the Secretary of State for Transport.

Wednesday 14 December 2011, 5.05 pm

Committee Room 8

Witness: Rt Hon Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State for Transport

Good to see that Louise Ellman and co are on their toes.

UPDATE: The DfT have also published the Logistics Growth Review today...

Good news for Freighties!

In section 2.30 DfT commits £55m of investment to developing a Strategic Freight Network:

The Government is making available funding for an investment of £55m for the Strategic Rail Freight Network (SFN) allowing delivery of schemes that remove bottlenecks and improve capability and longer term connectivity to the UK’s major ports.

These are: the Ely – Soham doubling scheme that will remove a bottleneck on the Felixstowe-Nuneaton route, improving both freight and passenger capacity and reliability on this section of the route and increasing the attractiveness of freight paths between Felixstowe and Nuneaton, reducing demand for paths on more heavily congested routes via London; and

Gauge clearance of additional rail freight routes in the Midlands between Syston Junction (just north of Leicester) and Stoke that will allow existing freight capacity to be used more efficiently by enabling the routes to carry 9ft 6in 'hi-cube' containers - which otherwise require specialist rail wagons or carriage by road. These schemes will improve access to Felixstowe and Southampton ports and the new port at London Gateway, as well as northern locations including Liverpool.

Details here.

DfT abolished as Treasury leads rail expansion

This from Rose and Crown...

Much gloom in Marsham Street as Osborne's finest achieve, in less than week, what numerous Transport Secretaries have failed to deliver in years!

Stand by for confirmation tomorrow of passenger friendly fare increases and a raft of network enhancements that might actually get the economy and country moving again.

No doubt the Treasury bean-counters have tired of DafT's navel gazing, reputation for inertia and over dependence on expensive Consultant's reports?

Caught on the back foot by HMT's whirlwind briefing the beleaguered inmates of Great Minster House were forced into feverish denials before sinking into sullen silence.

Meanwhile, the industry looks forward to welcoming an Autumn Statement that apparently contains trans-Pennine electrification, work to reopen the Varsity route and myriad smaller schemes.

Which begs the question: what is DafT for?

No matter!

Once Marsham Street has been abolished perhaps Gideon can use the money to buy trains for all this newly enhanced infrastructure?