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Andrew Haines, Chief Operating Officer, First Great
Western addressed the Fourth Friday
Club on Monday 29th September 2008.
First Great Western gets back to basics
Performance at First Great Western has improved recently to the best-ever since privatisation, Chief Operating Officer Andrew Haines told the Fourth Friday Club in September, but he recognises there is lots more to do
A year ago, work was well under way to improve performance and customer service at First Great Western. Key elements were:
the new timetable from December 2007, with stakeholders leading in its development;
HST refurbishment and re-engining which was nearly complete; and
line speed and station improvements.
So FGW had much to shout about. But service performance was very poor, relationships with Network Rail and the Department for Transport were tense, and there was an extremely negative external environment.
The first immediate priority was to stabilise the business, and the successful introduction of the December 2007 timetable helped to achieve this, with extra rolling stock drafted in to increase capacity.
Pacers
With diesel multiple-units in short supply nationally, some of the extra stock drafted onto FGW was in the form of Pacers (Class 142s). While the Pacers are not entirely ideal, the reliability of the class has improved from 1,800 miles per casualty in December last year to 6,500 today. This has been achieved by attention to detail, based on a single dedicated depot at Exeter.
Human resources were also boosted: First Great Western has recruited 98 new drivers, 137 new train managers/conductors, and 37 new maintenance personnel, and is carrying through a back to basics' programme on customer service.
Some new blood, but with proven expertise, was recruited to lead key parts of the business. Managers set out to engage with all their colleagues, including those on the front line, to begin to spread a clear unequivocal vision. This was supported by a comprehensive strategy of putting customers first.
Strategy
Key elements of this strategy include:
service-performance delivery;
a £4million prgramme to identify and sort out the niggling faults on rolling stock;
improvements to on-train catering;
a £30million joint investment with Network Rail in station information and security; and
a continuing focus on engagement with all colleagues.
Another immediate priority was to ensure that all the main parties Network Rail, the Department for Transport, other stakeholders, and First Great Western itself were part of a common solution to the challenges they faced.
Andrew Haines paid tribute to Network Rail's role in the recent performance improvement, working together with First Great Western.
A number of infrastructure projects have been completed and are producing results, such as line-speed improvements to 90mph on the relief lines between Reading and London, and infrastructure works at Oxford. The Cotswold line redoubling project is now being pushed forward this has been demonstrated as critical to meeting the performance targets for First Great Western set out in the Department for Transport's High Level Output Specification.
The next West Coast
With a series of major infrastructure projects moving forward, Andrew Haines said the Great Western route was set to be the next West Coast' at the centre of several major infrastructure projects. Reading remodelling, early installation of the European Rail Traffic Management System, and Crossrail will all test the quality of the relationship between Network Rail and First Great Western.
The FGW COO said that relationships with the full range of First Great Western's stakeholders are proving more and more constructive. For example, progress is being made on a number of valuable third-party investment schemes, with Community Rail partnerships providing strong grass-roots support. Capacity and growth are not just issues for the Southeast there is strong growth on the Southwest's local services too.
Challenges
First Great Western today has the best performance ever since privatisation, better than Thames Trains and Wessex Trains, but Andrew Haines recognises that there is still more to do. Future challenges will include maintaining rolling stock availability, alongside management of those major infrastructure projects and issues arising from the national economic outlook.
He told the Fourth Friday Club that customers are beginning to realise that First Great Western is getting better. To support this positive change, a continued focus is needed on other aspects of service quality as well as train performance. The company is investing in people, with a significant culture change and development programme. Success is being achieved in rebuilding First Great Western's reputation with the media, MPs and other stakeholders.
Pacers are now regular fare on the Riviera line serving Paignton. Here a brace of 142s' are seen at Dawlish on 23 May 2008. Stacey Thew
Performance is picking up - Andrew Haines. Tony Miles
List of attendees:
Henry Hopkins, Accelerator Solutions
Bil Brown, Alcatel-Lucent
Piers Wood, Alstom
Rob Verrion, Angel Trains
Derek Collins, Ansaldo
Andy Harrison, Ansaldo
Ian Hood, Arup
Hassard Stacpoole, Association of Train Operating Companies
Douglas Chisholm, Atkins
Phil Evans, Atkins
David Higgins, Atos
Andy Holt, Bailey Rail
Revd Jonathan Barker
Ted Stephens, Bentley
Marc Meryon, Bircham Dyson Bell
Edmund Woollam, Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons
David Sutton, Bovis Lend Lease
Mark Newton, British Transport Police
David Burgess
Chris Loder, C2C
Robert Mullen, C2C
Julian Drury, C2C
Charles Burch, CBC
David Watts, CCD Design & Ergonomics
John Dutton, CDL
Martin Brennan, Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport
Aidan Nelson, Community Safety Partnership
John Barnard, Corus
David Shipley, CSR Ziyang
Ken Greenwood, Cubic
Suzanne Whalley, CWA
Lawrence Roberts, Delta Rail
Tammy Samuel, Denton Wilde Sapte
Andrew Jones, DLA Piper UK
John Beeston, EPTUG
Neal Lawson, Eye for Solutions
Dennis Ciborowski, Fact Based Management
Gwyn Jones, First Capital Connect
Dave Burton, Fifth Dimension Associates
Mike Horne, Fifth Dimension Associates
Sue Evans, First Great Western
Andrew Haines, First Great Western
Paul Moore, First Group
John Meredith, Funkwerk IT
Tim Holmes, Gifford
Richard Stuart, Govia
Iain Brockbank, Hanover Fox
Tim Hartley, Harvey Nash
Simon Aslett, HSBC
Steve Broadley, Infor
Tricia Meade, Institution of Railway Operators
Mick Grace, Interfleet Technology
Peter Tomlinson, Iosis
John Baggs, JAB Services UK
Janet Archer, Jacobs
David Bradshaw, Jacobs
Matt Gardiner, Jobs-in-Rail
Stephane Richon, Keolis
Malcolm Rimmer, Keolis
Paul Johnson, Knorr-Bremse
Martin Hayhoe, Lloyd's Register Rail
Neil Blake, Lloyd's TSB
Tim Durham, Lloyd's TSB
Steven Hayter, Mace Group
Tim Llewellyn, Marketforce
Caitlin Marnell, Marketforce
David Pepper, McKenzie Martyn Partnership
Richard Turner, Metronet
James Abbott, Modern Railways
Ken Cordner, Modern Railways
Paul Edwards, Modern Railways
Roger Ford, Modern Railways
Tony Miles, Modern Railways
John Sully, Modern Railways
Alan Bannister, Mott MacDonald
Andy Norris, Mouchel
David Taylor, Mouchel
John Segal, MVA
Richard Talbot, National Car Parks
Andrew Chivers, National Express East Anglia
Chris Green, Network Rail
Kevin Larham, Nichols
Jackie Townsend, Nichols
David Bradley, Northwood Railway Eng Ltd
Paul Hadley, Office of Rail Regulation
Mike Lamport, Olympic Delivery Authority
John Orchard, Optimum Consultancy
Daniel Giblin, Oracle
Lara Burch, Osborne Clark
Chris Rowe, Osborne Rail
Mike Cocks, Osborne Rail
Mitch Parker
Gordon Pettitt
Ian Johnson, Parsons Brinckerhoff
Hayden Smith, Parsons Brinckerhoff
Jonathan Tyler, Passenger Transport Networks
Piers Connor, PRC
Charles Paterson, Proceco
John Alden, Rail Door Solutions
Rob Baxter, Rail Door Solutions
Jeremy Sprigg, Rail Door Solutions
Kim Bircham, Rail Gourmet
John McGuinness, Rail Operations Development Ltd
Michael Woods, Rail Safety & Standards Board
Jeremy Candfield, Railway Industry Association
Richard Malins, Railway Study Association
Simon D'Arcy, Renoir Consulting
Michael Hedley, Saft
Richard Jones, Scott Wilson Railways
James Davies, Securitas
John Self OBE
John Ellard, Shearman & Sterling
Bob Theaker, Signalling Solutions
Will Wilson, Signalling Solutions
Edward Shirras
Erol Baduna, Southern
Peter Staveley
Mary Bonar, Stephenson Harwood
Andrew Boagey, Systra
Rakesh Dawar, Tata Consultancy Services
Cameron Foley, Taylor Woodrow
David Taylor, Thales
Chris Shilling, The Modern Railway
Andy Woodcock, Transport for London
Kevin Lane, Transys Projects
Mike Hornsby, Travelers Insurance
Al Rheinschmidt, TTCI
Jim Manning, Turner & Townsend
Rhys Jarvis, Voith
Paul Soor, Volo
Arthur Close, Westinghouse Rail Systems
Geoff Waite, Westinghouse Rail Systems
Ian Whelpton, W. H. Davis
Tom Winsor, White & Case