SPT Interchange Issue 12, published May 2006.

Front page headline: SPT leads campaign for high speed rail link.

A study into creating a high speed rail link between Glasgow and Edinburgh has been commissioned by SPT and the South-East of Scotland Transport Partnership (SESTRAN). The intention is that the link could form part of a future Anglo-Scottish high speed rail network.

The £15,000 study is designed to provide ammunition in the fight to stop Scotland's economy hitting the buffers while English and European competitors power ahead on high speed rail links.

The need for action has been prompted by a report on creating a network of high speed rail links prepared by WS Atkins for the Strategic Rail Authority.

The report concluded that whilst Scotland would benefit economically from a high speed rail link, it was likely that the building of a north-south high speed rail link would start in London and probably end in Lancashire or Yorkshire. A link to Scotland would only be considered if the money was available in future.

Separate reports on the Core Cities and Northern Way also emphasised the importance of good internal and external transport links as the drivers for the economic growth and competitiveness of the core cities in England. The same is true for Scotland’s core cities.

Councillor Alistair Watson, Chair of SPT, said, “Far from starting in London, the network of high speed rail links should start in Glasgow. Scotland’s cities need a competitive edge. High speed rail links can deliver this, but without them Scotland will become an economic backwater at the end of the line.

“Scotland missed out on the promised regional Eurostar services which has led to the growth of environmentally unsustainable low-cost air travel. In England the eight city regions have been recognised as the powerhouses of their economies but also that they lag behind European cities. The City Regions Initiative and the Northern Way aim to tackle the reasons behind the lag.

“Scotland risks falling behind the rest of Britain as well as Europe because we don't have any similar initiatives and we are last on the list for a high speed rail link until the money can be found.”

Councillor Russell Imrie, Chair of SESTRAN, said, “The Edinburgh and Glasgow City Regions form the strongest economic area outside the south east of England. If we are to maintain and enhance this economic strength it is necessary to significantly improve transport links between the two cities and to the other major city regions in the UK.

“When this study is finished it is envisaged that a joint approach will be made to the UK government to promote an Anglo-Scottish High Speed Rail Network that should also include an Edinburgh to Glasgow link. This link should deliver a radically reduced journey time from what’s on offer today.”

The main options to be considered in the study would be:

End of story.

Front page, second story headline: Airport Rail Link Bill moves to next stage.

The Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) Bill took another step forward in April 2006 with the end of the objection period.

Only 47 admissible objections were submitted to the Scottish Parliament. A large proportion of these raise concerns about the impact of the Link on individual companies rather than with the principle of the Bill.

Most often these are to do with the potential for disruption to businesses during construction of the Link. The GARL Committee will now look at each objection and will reject any if it thinks building the link will not compromise the objector’s interests.

Written evidence has also been submitted by interested parties and is now available on the Scottish Parliament website at www.scottish.parliament.uk. The Bill has received support from a wide range of influential groups including the CBI, Glasgow City Council and Passenger Focus.

A series of meetings will be held by the Committee over the coming months to consider all the submissions. Senior officers from SPT have already attended one evidence session, held in Paisley, in order to argue the organisation’s case for creating the link.

As part of SPT’s ongoing commitment to consult with stakeholders, four Community Liaison Groups have been established consisting of:

The groups met with SPT representatives throughout March and will meet again during the summer. While there was some heated debate at the meetings, SPT and the members of each group are committed to continuing to use them as a forum for discussion.

End of story.

Page two, first story headline: Passengers praise new buses.

SPT has upgraded the number 332 Kilmarnock to Southcraigs service. The purchase of a state-of-the-art Optare Solo bus means passengers can travel in greater comfort and style.

The service, operated by Shuttle Buses on behalf of SPT, runs to and from Southcraigs on a half hourly basis. It also makes two runs a day to Galston, calling at Fenwick, Waterside and Moscow.

One of the first people on board the new bus was regular traveller Mrs Margaret Cairns. She said, “My husband and I are in and out of the town centre most days thanks to this bus service, and we find it very reliable. It’s a great service because the buses run to time.”

East Ayrshire Council member, Councillor Jimmy Kelly, commented, “As the town gets bigger, it’s important that public transport connections keep pace with this growth so I’m pleased that communities in Southcraigs and further north, have easy, reliable access to the town centre.”

The low floors on the Optare Solo make it easier for passengers with mobility problems to get on and off. There is also a ramp to allow wheel chair users and parents with pushchairs onto the bus.

Hospital link.

SPT is also managing a new bus service which links the Vale of Leven Hospital and the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. The number 340 started in February with six buses a day on weekdays and five a day on weekends.

Councillor Watson commented that, in a 12 month period, 1.4 million people had missed appointments or turned down medical help because of lack of transport.

“People who don’t have a car are increasingly left out of our society. It is harder for them to access healthcare, shops, jobs and education. It is one of SPT’s key aims to use public transport to improve social inclusion and we are proud to be involved with this project.”

The new low-floor, wheelchair accessible bus is open to everyone including staff, visitors, suitable out patients and the general public. NHS Argyll & Clyde is providing the £600,000 needed to fund the service.

End of story.

Page two, second story headline: New Entitlement Card brings surge in enquiries to SPT.

Staff in SPT’s Concessionary Travel Card Unit have been working hard to deal with around 1,000 calls a day about the Scottish Executive’s new National Entitlement Card, which was launched on 1 April 2006.

The new Entitlement Card allows older people and people with disabilities to travel free on any local bus service or scheduled long distance coach service anywhere in Scotland, even during the rush hour.

Around 420,000 people in the SPT area are eligible for an Entitlement Card. ESP Systex, a private firm based in Hull, is responsible for processing applications and issuing the cards. Some 40% of the calls dealt with by SPT are from people who have not yet received their cards.

Councillor Alistair Watson, Chair of SPT, said, “Our Concessionary Travel Card Unit is working extremely hard to deal with all the enquiries it receives. The problem is not down to SPT but we’re doing our best to make sure that elderly and disabled people have their Entitlement Cards so that they can take advantage of free bus travel across Scotland.”

People who live in the area covered by Strathclyde's Concessionary Travel Scheme can also use their Entitlement Card to get cheaper fares on First ScotRail trains within the area covered by the Strathclyde Scheme and on the Glasgow Subway.
Ferries currently don’t have the electronic card readers that are needed to check Entitlement Cards. This means people who have a Strathclyde Concessionary Travel Scheme Travel Card with a named ferry route on it, should keep using this card for ferry travel and renew it when it runs out. Ferry Cards can be renewed at local Post Offices.

End of story.

Page three, first story headline: A vision for the future: a personal message from SPT’s new Chief Executive, Ron Culley.

Ron Culley became Chief Executive of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport on 1 April 2006. He has a clear vision for where he wants to take the organisation and how he sees it developing in the future.

He laid out that vision for staff on 27April. Mr Culley said, “The kind of organisation I want to build is based on excellent relationships and improved communications.

“I have been successful in my career because of five principles that have driven my approach to colleagues, customers and partners: collaboration, service, respect, the pursuit of excellence and no fear of failure.

“We achieve little by ourselves. Any organisation can stop, frustrate or complicate things. It takes ability to work in a collegiate way. We have to take account of the big picture and that’s only possible through partnership. And there is a real thirst among our partners to work with us.

“Customer service cannot be stressed enough. We will build an organisation that offers exceptional customer service.

“We must have respect for colleagues, customers and partners. We must keep our small promises if we are to deliver on our big promises.

“Why be second best? Why offer a second rate service? We must be the best we can be. I am keen to take SPT on a journey of continuous improvement. The pursuit of excellence is fundamental to the success of any business or organisation.

“We must have no fear of failure because fortune favours the brave. If we exhibited fear of failure SPT would never have sponsored the Glasgow Airport Rail Link or proposed Crossrail.

“My focus is on priorities. My focus is on excellence. My focus is on delivery.

“We are going to build an organisation that offers exceptional customer service; an organisation with a ‘can do’ attitude; an organisation that keeps its promises; an organisation that is an excellent partner and an organisation that is easy to work with and easy to work in.

“My goal is to make SPT the most respected and successful body of its kind in the United Kingdom.”

End of story.

Page three, second story headline: End of an era for SPT.

It was out with the old and in with the new for Strathclyde Passenger Transport on 31 March as members of the Authority met for the final time to celebrate 33 years of transport delivery before the dawning of a new era.

At the final meeting, past and present Chairs and Members of the outgoing SPT Authority got together at Consort House to reflect on past achievements, with former Chairs, Vice Chairs and office holders since 1996 receiving a commemorative plaque as a parting gift.

Councillor Alistair Watson, who will chair the new Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, said, “I am extremely proud of what SPT has achieved throughout the last 33 years, most recently delivering the new Larkhall/Milngavie line on time and on budget.

“It is, without doubt, the end of an era but it is also the beginning of a new one and it’s an exciting time in terms of current projects such as the Glasgow Airport Rail Link, Partick Interchange and the Crossrail project which the new partnership will be very much involved in promoting.

“After three years as Chair of Strathclyde Passenger Transport I would like to thank all authority members for their hard work and I very much look forward to working with the members of the new RTP to deliver a transport network that the people of Strathclyde deserve.”

Outgoing Director General of SPT, Aidan ODonnell (pictured above, right, with Councillor Watson) added, “One constant over the last 30 years in the delivery of public transport in the West of Scotland has been SPT and it has been a period of great change involving, among other things, rail privatisation and bus deregulation.

“Apart from our delivery of infrastructure projects, we have used our subsidised bus budget to help bring public transport to the more economically and geographically isolated and disadvantaged.”

Renfrewshire Councillor John McDowall, who was involved with Strathclyde Passenger Transport for 32 years, said, “I have seen a lot of changes over the years but the staff here have been tremendous in their commitment to the people of Strathclyde. I am honoured to have been part of SPT and I wish the new RTP all the best for the future.”
End of story.

Page three, third story headline: ...by any other name.

Strathclyde Passenger Transport is no more – but it has been replaced by a new Regional Transport Partnership (RTP) called the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.

The new body came into existence on 1 April under the terms of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 and is one of seven RTPs to be set up across the country. It will still operate under the SPT banner and will serve the west of Scotland, continuing much of the work done by Strathclyde Passenger Transport over the past 33 years.

The new RTP will be headed by former Scottish Enterprise (Glasgow) Chief Executive Ron Culley and will continue to operate the Glasgow Subway and Renfrew Ferry as well as subsidising hundreds of bus services vital to local communities. SPT’s rail functions have already been transferred to Transport Scotland.

Glasgow Councillor Alistair Watson will Chair the new body alongside Vice-Chairs, Councillor David McLachlan from South Lanarkshire Council and Councillor Tom Selfridge from North Lanarkshire Council.

On the partnership body, there are 20 councillors nominated from the 12 west of Scotland councils and seven additional members who have been appointed by Scottish Ministers.

End of story.

Back page, first story headline: SPT hosts 2nd STAR conference.

Around 150 top transport professionals joined forces at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall on 19 April for the annual Scottish Transport Applications & Research (STAR) conference, where they discussed the challenges facing Scotland’s transport future.
The event, which was held for the first time last year, offers an opportunity for transport practitioners from various backgrounds to come together to share their knowledge and learn from the experiences of others.

Among other things, the conference focused on research relevant to transport policy and provided a chance for those attending to learn about new and emerging practice in transport planning in Scotland.

Chair of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), Councillor Alistair Watson, addressed the conference on The Challenges Ahead.

He said, “Scotland faces many transport challenges and the STAR conference, which proved to be an extremely beneficial event last year, is a great opportunity for transport professionals to learn from each other’s knowledge and discuss the best ways to take the country’s transport network forward.”

The award for Best Paper at this year’s conference went to Tony Hughes from Glasgow City Council for his paper on ‘Restricted Parking Zones – No Yellow Lines’. Tim Howgego, from DHC Ltd, won the award for Best Paper by a Young Professional for his paper on ‘Scaling the Bus Stop – A New Approach to Park and Ride’.

Key issues which were discussed at the one-day conference included:

End of story.

Back page, second story headline: Young poets make their mark.

School pupil Taimur Atif became the latest in a long line of poets to have work displayed on the Subway when he was declared the winner of the Subway Stanzas poetry competition.

The 12-year-old’s winning entry – about what to put in a time capsule – was displayed at all 15 of Glasgow’s Subway stations throughout January, giving Taimur a potential readership of one million passengers.

Taimur, of Glendale Primary School, Pollokshields, beat off stiff competition from over 100 entries in the competition, which was organised after primary school teachers across Glasgow took part in poetry workshops to introduce pupils to creative writing on a futuristic theme.

As well as being displayed in the Subway, Taimur’s poem was also distributed as a poster to schools and libraries throughout Glasgow.

SPT supports the project, which is run by the Scottish Poetry Library and, along with the three runners-up in the competition, Taimur was presented with his first place certificate by Glasgow Poet Laureate, Liz Lochhead, and SPT Chair, Councillor Alistair Watson.

Liz Parkes, SPT’s Commercial & Production Manager, said, “The Subway Stanzas posters are really popular with passengers. So many of them have contacted us to say how much they’ve enjoyed a particular poem and are keen to get hold of a copy. The poems really seem to brighten up everyone’s journeys.”

The three runners-up were Robin McCall from Merrylee Primary School, Dylan Cochrane from Stonedyke Primary School and Chelsea Breslin from St Brigid’s Primary School. All four poems can currently be viewed at the SPT website on www.spt.co.uk/subway

This story is illustrated with a photograph of Liz Lochhead with winner Taimur standing in front of a poster of his winnning poem in a Subway station.

End of story.

Back page: News in brief (three stories).

First story: Partick Interchange progresses to the next phase.

The £12.3 million project to rebuild Partick Interchange is about to move into a new phase which will see the dismantling of the lower level station.

With all temporary investigation work now complete, contractor CSpencer is currently completing work on the safety areas for temporary passenger access which will be in place while the old building is being taken down.

Piling works for the new ticket office are also now being carried out and the sewage system is due to be connected soon.

The main aim of the project is to keep the station and all its services running normally throughout the construction programme.

End of story.

Second story: Park and Ride expands.

Over 100 new parking spaces have been created at Uddingston Railway Station. Taking just four months to complete, the redevelopment also includes nine new disabled spaces, a taxi loop and a bus stop. Lighting and signage at the station were also improved and changes have been made to the car park entrance to make it safer to use. The project was developed in partnership with SPT and was funded by South Lanarkshire Council and the Scottish Executive. Chair of South Lanarkshire Council’s Enterprise Resources Committee, Councillor Chris Thompson, welcomed the improvements,

“I am delighted to see this latest major investment in the public transport infrastructure of South Lanarkshire being completed. Uddingston is a busy station and I am sure a lot of drivers will benefit from being able to switch to Park and Ride.”
SPT Chair, Councillor Alistair Watson, said, “We must continue to be responsive to the growing demands to make public transport journeys easier."

Meanwhile work on the new multi-storey car park at Shields Road is continuing on schedule and is due to finish in August.

End of story.

Third story: Larkhall patronage success.

The SPT-led Larkhall/Milgavie rail project, which was completed in December last year, has attracted passenger numbers above all expectations.

Figures show that, in the first 70 days after the grand opening on 9December, 68,749 people used the line – 34 per cent higher than the projected patronage.

SPT Chair, Councillor Alistair Watson said, “SPT is extremely proud to have delivered the Larkhall/Milngavie project on time and on budget. To hear that passenger numbers have exceeded all expectations for the first couple of months is great news.”

End of story.

End of Issue 12.

Note: you can send feedback to Interchange, Public Relations and Marketing, SPT, Consort House, 12 West George Street, Glasgow, G2 1HN.

Telephone: 0141 333 3282.

email: interchange@spt.co.uk