SCOTTISH RAIL STRATEGY STEERING GROUP
BUCHANAN HOUSE
16th February 2006
Present
Malcolm Reed TS
Frances Duffy TS
Janet Egdell TS
Denise Manzor TS
Ron McAulay NR
Nigel Wunsch NR
Richard Eccles NR
Gerard O’Hanlon First Scotrail
Paul Hadley ORR
Apologies
Peter Fuller
Agenda Items
1. Minutes of last meeting
Minutes of 1 December were approved without amendment.
2. Action Points
No action points outstanding.
3. Rail Strategy Timeline
Janet
Egdell presented an timeline giving an overview of how all elements of
the forthcoming Strategy fit together. The overarching National
Transport Strategy (NTS) will be issued for consultation hopefully in
March, finalised in the autumn. The rail and freight strategies will
sit under the NTS and the Regional Transport Strategies will flow from
these.
It is hoped that the scoping study for the freight strategy will be completed in the spring.
Richard
Eccles has a presentation with HLOS key dates and he will forward this
so these can be added to the timeline. There was a discussion that the
deadlines needed to be firmed up.
Action Point: Richard Eccles to forward HLOS Powerpoint presentation with key dates. Janet Egdell to firm up deadlines.
4. Scottish Planning Assessment
ARUP
are working on another draft of the Scottish Planning Assessment
(SPA). The next draft should hopefully be much more strategic and
therefore accessible for the Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs).
It was noted that Dept for Transport are also in the process of having
some Planning Assessments reworked and it was suggested that perhaps
the specifications should be changed.
The SPA will be subject to
Ministerial clearance before publication and it is hope that the SPA,
and the consultation analysis will be published simultaneously.
5. Progress with the RUS
Nigel
Wunsch told the group that a further meeting of the Stakeholder
Management Group has been held. At this meeting, ARUP gave a
presentation on the baseline and it was agreed further work should be
done including input of Train Operating Companies and Network Rail
information. It is intended that the baseline pack and demand
information will be reissued before the next meeting on 15th March to
enable it to be signed off at that meeting.
Apart from the
baseline work, the gap analysis has started as has timetable work on
the GSW. Next will be the inter-urban network Glasgow/Edinburgh to
Aberdeen. Previous work done on this will be fed in.
The demand
forecast for the Freight RUS has now been agreed by Network Rail and
the Freight Operating Companies. This will be used in subsequent
RUS’s. Nigel offered to arrange for the Freight RUS team to give a
presentation at a future Steering Group meeting.
6. Network Rail Discretionary Fund
Nigel advised that business cases for the Network Rail Discretionary Fund are being finalised.
7. Network Rail Route Plans
As
part of the Business Plan, Network Rail will publish Route Plans at the
end of March. These will be split into 26 sections, 3 wholly in
Scotland and 2 anglo-Scottish.
It was agreed that care must be
taken to ensure that Network Rail and Transport Scotland Business Plans
complement one another. It may be useful if both organisations shared
drafts of the plans.
8. Future Stakeholder Forum
Janet
Egdell suggested we hold another Stakeholder Forum to summarise the
consultation, Scottish Planning Assessment etc. The opportunity could
also be taken to discuss outcomes from the RUS.
It was agreed that this would be useful. Network Rail and Transport Scotland will discuss timing.
Action Point: Denise Manzor to investigate suitable dates
9. Rail Priorities Consultation
Denise
Manzor advised that 157 responses were received to the recent
consultation and circulated a list of those organisations who responded.
Analysis of the responses is ongoing. The report will be circulated when available.
10. Future RTP workshop
Janet
Egdell advised it is the intention of TS to hold a workshop with
Regional Transport Partnerships on the rail industry and outlined the
content. It is also intended that this will bring clarity over
Transport Scotland/Transport Group split.
11. Assessment of Growth Potential
Gerard
O’Hanlon advised that Steer Davies Gleave had done an evaluation of
demand for First ScotRail Services over the franchise, including the
main opportunities for growth.
Gerard agreed to forward a copy of the report.
Action Point: Gerard O’Hanlon to forward a copy of the SDG report.
12. AOB
None
13. Date of next meeting
It was agreed that the next meeting would be rescheduled.
The revised date is 10th April at 2:30 in Meridian Court, Glasgow.
