:01:02. > :01:10.Here in the East: We're at the North Norfolk Railway in Sheringham,
:01:10. > :01:15.where we're looking at what is coming down the line.
:01:15. > :01:25.What is in store for Aarau ways and will a new company make a break for
:01:25. > :01:25.
:01:25. > :31:27.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1801 seconds
:31:27. > :31:32.Hello and welcome to the part of the programme that's just for us
:31:32. > :31:34.here in the East. I'm Amelia Reynolds and this is Sheringham
:31:34. > :31:37.Station on the North Norfolk Railway.
:31:37. > :31:41.Later, we get the first glimpse of the new Dutch company that is to
:31:41. > :31:51.run the trains here. And trains minister Theresa Villiers says she
:31:51. > :31:52.
:31:52. > :31:56.will look at improving our rail services. I know people in the area
:31:56. > :32:00.would like to see more improvements and we will be considering those it
:32:00. > :32:10.very seriously for the new franchise coming up and for the
:32:10. > :32:12.
:32:12. > :32:17.next period of rail funding which starts in 2014. This line was first
:32:17. > :32:24.opened in 1887. It was close by beating and then reopened by a
:32:24. > :32:28.heritage line in 1976. Joining me is a Trevor Eady, who used to be
:32:28. > :32:34.the commercial director at Norwich airport. He is in charge here. It
:32:34. > :32:39.has to be one of the most popular heritage lines? Yes, we hope we are
:32:39. > :32:44.in the top 10 for heritage lines in the country. 150,000 people had
:32:44. > :32:50.used us this year. That is incredible. So, a really important
:32:50. > :32:54.part of the tourist industry? hope that it will cause people to
:32:54. > :33:04.go to Sheringham as to a one-hour train and it going to the towns and
:33:04. > :33:11.it used the local shopping. It is not just about heritage? Yes, we
:33:11. > :33:16.educate people about evacuation and other educational activities
:33:16. > :33:19.throughout the week. Thank you very much.
:33:20. > :33:23.These heritage trains take half an hour to travel to Holt further down
:33:23. > :33:26.the line but across the road, you can still get a mainline train to
:33:26. > :33:29.Norwich. And from there it's just under two hours to London.
:33:29. > :33:32.Commuters make up 60% of passengers in the Greater Anglia Rail region.
:33:32. > :33:37.In addition, services from the capital run on the West Coast Main
:33:37. > :33:39.Line through Milton Keynes. Or the East Coast rail line through
:33:39. > :33:42.Peterborough, while First Capital Connect run trains to Bedford and
:33:43. > :33:47.to Cambridge. The Government announced last week that a new line
:33:47. > :33:50.from Bedford to Oxford will go ahead sooner than expected. And
:33:50. > :33:53.High Speed Two is expected to cut through the far west of this region,
:33:53. > :33:58.although a decision on the �32 billion project has now been
:33:58. > :34:02.delayed until the new year. New lines are very welcome but this
:34:02. > :34:05.region has some of the most crowded trains in Europe. But next week,
:34:05. > :34:13.MPs will be campaigning for greater investment in our railways at a
:34:14. > :34:16.summit about regional services. Andrew Sinclair reports.
:34:17. > :34:20.This is probably the line most in need of improvement, the InterCity
:34:20. > :34:22.service from London to Norwich. 71 times a day, it sweeps through the
:34:22. > :34:32.countryside of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk, carrying 9 million
:34:32. > :34:32.
:34:32. > :34:38.passengers a year. We have had 15% growth since we started the
:34:38. > :34:41.franchise in 2004. An extra 50,000 people per day. It is a popular
:34:41. > :34:45.railway. It is feeding the important towns of East Anglia and
:34:45. > :34:48.London. But this is a line with serious constraints we leave London
:34:49. > :34:52.at 90mph. For the first 20 miles there is plenty of track, and
:34:52. > :34:56.trains can easily overtake, but at Shenfield it goes down to one line
:34:56. > :35:04.in each direction all the way to Norwich. It's a busy line, shared
:35:04. > :35:08.with freight and commuter services this is where delays often occur.
:35:08. > :35:12.It is one of the busiest two-track railways in the country. You can
:35:12. > :35:17.only use the railway you have got and that the speed of the services
:35:17. > :35:21.that run on it. So does frustrate our ability to improve journey
:35:22. > :35:25.times. Improving journey times is what MPs along this track are keen
:35:25. > :35:27.to see. Extra passing loops like these at Witham would help and if
:35:28. > :35:30.the level crossings were upgraded, trains would be allowed to go
:35:30. > :35:34.through them faster. With the National Express franchise coming
:35:34. > :35:37.to an end and Network Rail drawing up a list of spending priorities,
:35:37. > :35:47.two of our MPs have decided to call a rail summit to get all interested
:35:47. > :35:48.
:35:48. > :35:53.parties together to find a way of making improvements. What we are
:35:53. > :35:57.looking for his proper investment that comes in a, in a once and
:35:57. > :36:03.regeneration kind of opportunity to get our economy -- communities of
:36:03. > :36:08.moving better and to benefit those used for business. This is a huge
:36:08. > :36:12.deal. Nobody has campaigned to have a kind over up rows service that
:36:12. > :36:17.the rest of the country enjoys. If we do not do anything, it will be
:36:17. > :36:24.quicker to get to Brussels and to get to Norwich. We are asking for a
:36:25. > :36:29.planner, deliverable over the long term and structured properly.
:36:29. > :36:32.MPs are main argument is it an economic one. They have seized on a
:36:32. > :36:38.report done by the old East of England Development Agency which it
:36:38. > :36:43.concluded that if this route was upgraded, it would be worth �3.5
:36:43. > :36:45.billion up to the local economy. Across the region, there are
:36:46. > :36:48.various campaigns under way for rail improvements - the call to
:36:49. > :36:52.upgrade the Fen Line. The demand for a proper East-West rail link.
:36:52. > :36:54.MPs believe there is still a future for rail, it just needs some money
:36:54. > :36:58.and commitment. Well, this week the rail minister,
:36:58. > :37:01.Theresa Villiers, took the train to Norwic, which by the way was late.
:37:01. > :37:09.Andrew Sinclair met her at the station and began by asking about
:37:09. > :37:13.her impressions of the service. This line is crucially important to
:37:13. > :37:17.the economy of this area. That is one of the reasons are why there
:37:17. > :37:21.are improvements to the infrastructure on the way. But I
:37:21. > :37:27.understand people's aspirations to see improvements in the future. We
:37:27. > :37:31.hope we can deliver them. But if you look across Arab region, there
:37:31. > :37:36.are calls to improve the friend line and, they are caused to
:37:36. > :37:41.improve the Stansted Express, to have an East-West rail link, this
:37:41. > :37:45.seemed to be so many demands at the moment to improve infrastructure.
:37:45. > :37:49.Well, a crucial way to improve those demands is to make sure the
:37:49. > :37:53.cost of running the railways comes down and also to make sure we bear
:37:53. > :37:58.down on the cost of delivering infrastructure upgrade. I think we
:37:58. > :38:01.have a real chance of doing that. And although we have big programmes
:38:01. > :38:08.coming up like Thames link which will benefit parts of the region
:38:08. > :38:13.that your Channel's -- you shall serve, their other areas of and if
:38:13. > :38:17.we are able to deliver those, we have -- the rail industry has to
:38:17. > :38:22.step up and reduce costs. That is why we have a major reform
:38:22. > :38:25.programme in response to the report produced by Sir Roy McNulty who
:38:25. > :38:31.thought ready to take billions and cost out of the railways were the
:38:31. > :38:35.right reforms. How big a challenge is it? He it is very tough, there
:38:35. > :38:40.is no doubt that costs have spiralled on the railways despite
:38:40. > :38:45.its great success with increasing passenger numbers. We have not seen
:38:45. > :38:54.the unit costs come down. That is a real concern for stop you feel
:38:54. > :38:57.optimistic about the future of rail travel? Absolutely. We are
:38:57. > :39:03.undertaking a programme which is unprecedented since the Victorian
:39:03. > :39:07.area -- era. The Chancellor has placed a higher priority on
:39:07. > :39:13.transport investment, and rail in particular. We are delivering
:39:13. > :39:19.important improvement on our existing nail right work -- rail
:39:19. > :39:24.network because it is crucial for a healthy and flourishing economy.
:39:24. > :39:29.Joining me are Norman Lamb, the Lib Dem MP and also their railway
:39:30. > :39:32.journalist Philip Sutton. Norman Lamb, promising words from the
:39:33. > :39:39.minister but are you sure we are going to get a real improvement on
:39:39. > :39:46.this Norwich to London line? Quite optimistic. Abellio are serious
:39:46. > :39:50.railway people. They have a good reputation on other rail franchises.
:39:50. > :39:54.And the way they run of the franchise, manage the staff,
:39:54. > :39:58.concentrating on reliability, is the key thing. They also improve
:39:58. > :40:04.ticketing arrangements with new ticketing machines and having it
:40:04. > :40:12.every member of staff with a smart phone so they can tell you how long
:40:12. > :40:17.they will take to sort every problem out. It could be �3.5
:40:17. > :40:21.billion of for the local economy, we have to unlock that?
:40:21. > :40:25.absolutely have got to. Rail infrastructure is also important
:40:25. > :40:30.for the economy and we could do better if we had a good system.
:40:30. > :40:34.Philip's cousin, wide you think the government has brought forward the
:40:34. > :40:39.improvements for the East West link section from Oxford to Bedford? Is
:40:39. > :40:44.it good news? It is very good news. It is a shame it has not happened
:40:44. > :40:50.before. There was an opportunity to extended to Cambridge. That could
:40:50. > :40:54.happen. It could, but part of the line has been built over. But if
:40:54. > :41:00.there is the political will, it needs to be done. You have the
:41:00. > :41:04.summit next week, what you think will be achieved? I think it is
:41:04. > :41:09.important for MPs to bring people together, hold organisations to
:41:09. > :41:13.account. Network Rail is also critical in this. They are
:41:13. > :41:17.responsible for the infrastructure, the signalling and so forth. I am
:41:17. > :41:21.not satisfied with their performance in the East of England.
:41:21. > :41:25.We have to make sure that they improve their performance, get on
:41:25. > :41:29.with the improvement works to the overhead lines in Essex, because
:41:29. > :41:35.getting the infrastructure right will improve reliability. Philip
:41:35. > :41:43.Sutton, what about the high speed to line? �32 billion is the price
:41:43. > :41:48.tag on it, value-for-money? I think so. It is a shame it has taken so
:41:48. > :41:53.long to get this far. There is talk of a postponement because of the
:41:53. > :41:57.issue with the Chilterns. But in France and Spain and Italy, they
:41:57. > :42:03.have built high-speed lines in the time it that we have been talking
:42:03. > :42:09.about it. So, slow of the what? in European countries, you have
:42:09. > :42:13.high-speed lines which is due to places very fast. We need to help
:42:14. > :42:21.the economy grow, particularly in the North of England, where Connect
:42:21. > :42:25.ability to London is very important. Briefly, Philip Sutton, row
:42:25. > :42:29.passengers' bugbear is the cost of rail travel -- cover the cost of
:42:29. > :42:33.rail trouble. I would agree. Particularly for families
:42:33. > :42:38.travelling to London, they would choose the car over the train. We
:42:38. > :42:44.have to cap the prices. You have made moves towards that? Yes, Lib
:42:44. > :42:54.Dems in government have a been able to reduce the price increase. It is
:42:54. > :42:58.now only RPI plus 1%. Norman Lamb, more from you, Philip Sutton thank
:42:58. > :43:01.you. Now stations in the east of the
:43:01. > :43:03.region will see a change next year when a new company takes over the
:43:03. > :43:07.franchise. The history is complicated though. Let's take a
:43:07. > :43:09.look. In 1994, British Rail was broken up under John Major. In 1997,
:43:09. > :43:12.the first franchise to Norwich after privatisation went to First
:43:12. > :43:15.after privatisation went to First Great Eastern. In 2004, after the
:43:15. > :43:18.creation of the Greater Anglia Region the franchise was awarded to
:43:18. > :43:25.National Express under the brand name "One". In 2008, One was
:43:25. > :43:28.rebranded National Express East Anglia. This year, Abellio, a Dutch
:43:28. > :43:33.company, was awarded the franchise and it will start running the
:43:33. > :43:35.and it will start running the trains next year. But the company
:43:35. > :43:38.is already proving controversial after fears that 4,000 peak hour
:43:38. > :43:43.seats could be lost in 2012. Our Business Correspondent Richard Bond
:43:43. > :43:48.has been looking at their plans. Ever travelled on a Dutch train?
:43:48. > :43:58.Well they're a cut above. Modern, clean, punctual. Some are even
:43:58. > :44:02.
:44:02. > :44:06.double decker. Early next year a subsidiary of the Dutch state
:44:06. > :44:12.railway will take over the Greater Anglia franchise. But dismiss from
:44:12. > :44:14.your head the idea that our trains will resemble this one. The Dutch
:44:14. > :44:17.railways are better than ours because the Government has invested
:44:17. > :44:20.vast sums in them over many decades. When Abellio takes charge of
:44:20. > :44:23.Greater Anglia in February it will inherit the same old trains that
:44:23. > :44:26.National Express currently operates, with the same old infrastructure.
:44:26. > :44:36.And its franchise will only last for 29 months. Hardly long enough
:44:36. > :44:45.to effect a transformation. But hang on, Beckett is a chance that
:44:46. > :44:51.things could get better. To find out how, I have come to Leeds will
:44:51. > :44:57.stop Since 2004, Abellio has run Northern Rail. It's one of two UK
:44:57. > :45:01.franchises Abellio already operates. So how's it doing? They are
:45:01. > :45:06.carrying 30 it more passengers now. Overcrowding became a problem
:45:06. > :45:16.quickly and they are put together leap -- innovative deals to do
:45:16. > :45:21.something about it. In 2004, punctuality was 83%. It's now 90%.
:45:21. > :45:29.I think they have been able to run the timetable and stick to it. We
:45:29. > :45:33.do have delays, but that is caused by tabling problems. The service is
:45:33. > :45:36.run roughly to time. This cycle point just outside Leeds station is
:45:36. > :45:38.similar to one Abellio plans to build in Chelmsford. Along with
:45:38. > :45:41.things like cleaner stations and better customer infomation, it's
:45:41. > :45:50.one of the relatively low budget ways in which improvements will be
:45:50. > :45:54.made. The problem is that we're talking about a 2.5 year time frame.
:45:54. > :45:59.So a big investment in new trains will not be possible. We will keep
:45:59. > :46:02.the trains that are there, and give them an uplifting in getting the
:46:02. > :46:06.passenger experience is right. But it will not be a full-scale
:46:06. > :46:09.replacement. But there are already concerns about Abellio's plans to
:46:09. > :46:16.send back some of the 188 extra carriages added to the Greater
:46:16. > :46:21.Anglia network by National Express, or NX EA. Clearly, passengers who
:46:21. > :46:27.had received at the 188 extra coaches will have some concerns
:46:28. > :46:31.about the loss of 36 passenger -- the loss of 36. Passenger figures
:46:31. > :46:39.will be meeting with Abellio to discuss this and crowding concerns
:46:40. > :46:45.will be in a our minds. We want to modernise the fleet and by doing
:46:45. > :46:51.that, you can use a few lesser vehicles or in the fleet while
:46:51. > :46:57.still using the same service. If you compare our plans are with
:46:57. > :47:03.those of our rivals and we were bidding, there will be eight
:47:03. > :47:06.vehicles less in service but that is not in the peak services.
:47:06. > :47:09.Abellio will hope to run our railways well enough to win a 15-
:47:09. > :47:12.year franchise from 2014. That would allow it to invest in new
:47:12. > :47:22.fleets of trains to provide the faster services everybody craves.
:47:22. > :47:22.
:47:22. > :47:26.But for the time being, we must wait.
:47:26. > :47:31.Overcrowding is an issue in this region. On Monday, first capital
:47:31. > :47:35.connector are starting their 12 carriage longer trains. And that
:47:35. > :47:44.will be welcome news for commuters. This is the overcrowding they
:47:44. > :47:48.endure on the line at the moment. Joining me and Norman Lamb is a
:47:48. > :47:51.representative of the rare professional magazine. We do so
:47:51. > :47:59.that overcrowding is the single biggest issue facing commuters at
:47:59. > :48:04.the moment? He it is one of the main issues. What a Passenger Focus
:48:04. > :48:06.say is that punctuality is slightly ahead of that. The main thing is
:48:06. > :48:09.that you want to get your destination and the second thing is
:48:09. > :48:19.that to expect to get a seat because you have paid a lot of
:48:19. > :48:19.
:48:19. > :48:23.money. It is the thing that people really complain about. It is a
:48:23. > :48:28.slightly confusing picture, Norman Lamb, when we have this Bedford
:48:28. > :48:33.line bringing more carriages on, yet Abellio say that they are going
:48:33. > :48:36.to take carriages away? Yes, I met them this week and I put this
:48:36. > :48:42.directly to them. They absolutely insist that this should not have
:48:43. > :48:47.any impact on overcrowding. In other words, they are taking sees
:48:47. > :48:52.off-peak services are where there is spare capacity. We will have to
:48:52. > :48:56.hold them to account on that. They play it should not have any effect.
:48:56. > :49:01.We convinced by them? Real are serious people and they were
:49:01. > :49:06.convinced that that was the case. Having experienced standing up from
:49:06. > :49:08.London to Colchester with all my luggage, it is a pain so I
:49:09. > :49:12.completely understand why it is important. Having said that,
:49:12. > :49:17.reliability is the most important thing. Are you optimistic that
:49:17. > :49:22.things will change? It will be interesting to see. Some of the
:49:22. > :49:27.other complaints of the general scruffiness of the rolling stock,
:49:27. > :49:31.length of journeys, Abellio are going to be cleaning the trains are
:49:31. > :49:35.as is usual at the start of a new franchise. They will not be
:49:35. > :49:39.different rates, but they will be cleaner. It is only a short
:49:39. > :49:45.franchise. There is a limit to what they will be able to achieve.
:49:45. > :49:49.is a limit, but in a way, it is the perfect opportunity for them to
:49:49. > :49:54.demonstrate how good they are. If they are going to have a chance of
:49:54. > :50:00.winning the main franchise of 15 years, there was to demonstrate in
:50:00. > :50:03.this 29 months that they are a good operator. I am interested in what
:50:03. > :50:09.you think about franchises and the system. Is it the best way to
:50:09. > :50:14.operate a railway? Well, that is an interesting question. Some
:50:14. > :50:18.franchises work well, some do not. Not many other countries have a
:50:18. > :50:22.system like ours where it is so split with so many different train
:50:22. > :50:32.operators. There are longer franchises like Chilson, where they
:50:32. > :50:37.have done a lot it was to the line. -- Jill Turner. -- Chilterns. So it
:50:37. > :50:42.depends, there might be a case for having some that are taken back
:50:43. > :50:47.into state ownership and keeping the pot visible once run by others.
:50:47. > :50:53.Briefly, Norman Lamb, you will be looking closely at what Abellio
:50:53. > :50:58.will be doing? Yes, we will be holding them to account. Thank you
:50:58. > :51:01.both very much. Well, that's all we've got time for.
:51:01. > :51:04.It's also the end of the series. But we'll be back next year With a
:51:04. > :51:14.brand-new programme called Sunday Politics. We look forward to your
:51:14. > :51:15.