Agenda item

To receive a presentation from representatives from Transport for Wales.

That the committee thanked Alex Fortune from Transport for Wales for the presentation and noted the contents thereof.

The Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) clarified that this presentation was produced following a request from this committee and that it provided information on the development and aspirations for the line following the implementation of the new franchise in 2018.  He confirmed that the Council was not responsible for the line but worked closely with neighbouring authorities, and the operator Transport for Wales (TFW) to develop the line and with shared aspirations the work would link into the Council’s Metro plans.  He confirmed that the track and signals were owned by Network Rail with the franchise managed by (TFW) who were undertaking a desk top study of the line to establish what constraints could impede the aims and aspirations for the line.

            The Chief Officer introduced Alex Fortune, The Rail Project Sponsor in Wales for Transport for Wales who worked closely with Network Rail and colleagues to help deliver these plans.  Mr Fortune commenced the detailed presentation to committee which included slides on the following:-

Ø  North Wales Metro –

·         A transformation of bus and rail services

·         Making it easier and faster to travel between the North Wales Coast, Wrexham, Deeside, and Merseyside in North East Wales.

·         Improved interchange at Shotton for the North Wales Coast Line.

·         New station at Deeside Parkway

Ø  Infrastructure

Ø  Stations & Usage

Ø  New trains

            The Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) commented on the local issues of bridge strikes and to the bids placed last year to assist with dealing with these which were regularly happening on the route and the implications this caused commuters when this happened.  He confirmed the Council’s aspiration was that this line became a major commuter line which needed to be reliable.  He referred to the successful bid to put interactive signage along all of the low bridges along the route which included Cefn-y-Bedd, Shotton and Padeswood and explained how this would worked to alert drivers of high vehicles.   He then provided information on the bid placed to raise the bridge or lower the road and to the study carried out on the three sites to lower the road.  It was not possible to lower the road at Shotton and Cefn-y-Bedd and that because of local issues this was possible at Padeswood.

The Chief Officer then referred to the two station improvements and said that Shotton was not as advanced as the Parkway station, which was part of the Metro Transport Strategy.  He said it was key to the development of integrated strategies to developer a commuter line linked to Penyffordd with a park and ride to encourage commuters not to use their cars.

            Councillor Sean Bibby thanked Mr Fortune and the Chief Officer for the presentation which was very positive.  He raised the following questions:-

·         An update on the redevelopment of Shotton Station.

·         Referring to Deeside Parkway he asked what would be the future for Hawarden Bridge. 

·         With regard to Disabled Access he reported on a number of issues raised by residents concerning Shotton Station and asked what measures were being put in place to ensure these stations were disabled accessible especially as the crossing points had been blocked.

            Mr Fortune responded to the first point to say Shotton Station would be proceeding to Grade 4 from next month as there was funding available from Welsh Government (WG) to support this.  With regard to the point on disabled access he agreed this was an issue which needed addressing and said he was not aware of any crossings being blocked at the stations but commented that Network Rail viewed foot crossings as a risk and were looking at mitigation to resolve this which would mean using a bridge and lifts.

            Mr Fortune then referred to the Hawarden Bridge station which had a very low usage level but he was not aware of any plans to close that station.  He said the developments at Airfields and the industrial park could potentially increase passenger numbers for this station.

            The Cabinet Member for Streetscene and Transportation reported on the application for Resilience Funding to lower the road at Padeswood and the work being undertaken shortly at Cefn y Bedd which included traffic lights and warning signage.  She commented that this line was also used by freight at Padeswood and that this would impact on timetabling. She was pleased that Shotton and Parkway were moving forward and with Penyffordd as a hub station with parking it would make it easier for commuters to use the train and buses rather than drive.  She felt four trains per hour was an aspiration but would be very pleased with two trains per hour.

            Councillor Joe Johnson asked if the station at Greenfield would be considered in this report.  In response the Chief Officer confirmed this station was on the coast line so not included in this report but confirmed that a similar study had been undertaken on that line which he hoped to receive by the end of the month.

            Councillor Hardcastle thanked Mr Fortune for the presentation and asked if there were any proposals for Hawarden station and was it possible to include toilet facilities at this station as well as Shotton.

In response Mr Fortune recognised that the lack of toilet facilities was an issue.  He confirmed there were plans for a changing spaces toilet facility to be placed at Shotton but commented it was very difficult as some stations were unmanned and there was a risk to vandalism and anti-social behaviour.   WG wanted to increase the number of facilities at stations and these did form part of our aspirations to include these at stations wherever possible.    Councillor Hardcastle then asked if it was possible for Hawarden to become a manned station and also if he could receive information on the plans for improvements to Hawarden station.  In response Mr Fortune confirmed he would have to come back to Councillor Hardcastle as he did not have the information on Hawarden to hand. 

            Councillor Owen Thomas asked the following questions.

·         Were there any proposals to electrify the line given the plans to phase out diesel? 

·         Would there be ample parking provided at these stations?

·         With regard to Padeswood Station Councillor Thomas had concerns with lowering the road as this area was subject to flooding at various times during the year with only high vehicles able to pass through.

            In response to the third point the Chief Officer confirmed they were aware of the flooding problems and that this was an opportunity to address it.  He confirmed that this was still at the early stages and that funding would be required to develop the project and also tackle the flooding issues at the same time.   The Chief Officer then referred to the second point saying that parking was key to the success of the projects together with ensuring all sites linked into the Active Travel Network.  The promotion of Penyffordd as a park and ride site would enable people who were unable to walk, cycle or use the bus to access the station to park their cars and use the train to commute to work.  The sites that provided car parking would be promoted.

            In response to the first point Mr Fortune agreed that electrification was the way forward with regard to decarbonisation and greener transport.  He said presently the trains were diesel powered with the new 230s trains being bi-mode diesel and battery powered.  Hydrogen powered trains were been considered in the UK as  these were already in active service in Germany and Austria and that these would link into Merseyside’s hydrogen hub plans.  Mr Fortune then referred to the Mersey Rail 777 trains powered by battery which were being used after Easter but felt electric trains were required to enable access into the centre of Liverpool.  He confirmed WG and TFW had plans in place to decarbonise the fleet.  In essence presently there were only two types of train diesel and electric but the other variations were getting better and there would be alternatives in the future.

Councillor Paul Shotton thanked Mr Fortune for the presentation and was looking forward to seeing the new Deeside Parkway Station which he felt would lead to more investment in the Deeside Industrial Park.  He asked if discussions had been held with the Deeside Business Forum and Mersey Dee Alliance and if he had completed his recruitment of drivers and ancillary workers going forward.     In response Mr Fortune confirmed there were sufficient drivers in training to meet the needs for the increase services for this year and 2022.  He confirmed he had met with the Deeside Business Forum and Mersey Dee Alliance and other cross border organisations as the whole region was an important economic centre. 

            Councillor David Evans asked the following questions:-

• Would the trains still be changing at Bidston rather than going direct from Wrexham to Liverpool? 
• He commented the timetables did not currently enable people from Shotton who work for example in the Wrexham Maelor Hospital, to travel to the station and then get to work for 8.00 am. 
• The last train back from Liverpool to Wrexham was at 10.15 pm but if you were going to Chester the last train was 11.45 pm.  Chester had a better service compared with the borderlands line.   Could something be done regarding this?

            Mr Fortune responded to the first point saying this was a long term aspiration to get into Liverpool and said that part of the study was to extend the services for Birkenhead North which would provide 8 trains per hour into the centre as opposed to the 4 at Bidston.  The study was looking at how this could be achieved to fit in with Mersey Rail’s timetable.    In response to the timetabling problems he confirmed consultation was undertaken with major employers and businesses and that he would feedback Councillor Evans’ comments to the Timetabling and Stakeholder Team to see if this could be improved for the future.

Councillor Dennis Hutchinson referred to the presentation and asked the following questions:-

·      With regard to the Shotton higher and lower line how would these marry together and would these proposals would move the station further north.  He said that he had used this station and that the walk to get onto the high line and walk to the town centre was very poor and dangerous.

·      With regard to the timetables for Bidston and Wrexham and Chester and the North Wales coast there were gaps where passengers would have a long wait a long time to catch a train to the North Wales coast.  He said the station was not the best place to wait a long time for a train.

            In response Mr Fortune agreed with the comments made regarding Shotton and provided an outline on how the extended platform would look together with the footbridge and lift facilities from one platform to the other which would improve the whole environment.  He confirmed the aim of the metro project was to look at integrating the timetables at hub locations to ensure they worked properly and made it easier and more accessible.

            Councillor Cindy Hinds referred to the comments made on the proposals to remove the level crossings and asked what would be put in place to enable people to get to the other side especially the disabled, parents with pushchairs and farmers who had to use the level crossing to get into their fields.  In response Mr Fortune said accessibility was an important consideration and crossings would not be closed until there was a suitable alternative in place, which in most cases would be a lift and footbridge which were considered safer option.  With regard to farmers and other workers again this would be considered carefully and crossings would not be closed until another option was in place.

            The Leader of the Council informed committee that he represented the Council on Growth Track 360 and Mersey Dee Alliance and was the Transport spokesperson for the North Wales Economic Ambition Board.  He commented on the need for delivery as soon as possible on the Deeside Parkway and Shotton Stations and that if this was to become a commuter line it had to be resilient.  He referred to Birkenhead North Station saying reinstating the additional platform would be a better option than Bidston.  The Leader asked if the additional service would be an all station service or would it miss some stations along the line and welcomed more debate on rail transport in the future.  

            The Cabinet Member reported on the additional funding provided by WG for active travel, cycling and electric buses but commented that good signage, especially artist impressions at the Parkway Station providing information on what was happening, as this was key to the success of the North East Wales Metro project.  She referred to discussions with TFW regarding information boards selling the vision as well as providing information on timetabling, bus services and other services with a unique identifying logo.  She then referred to the results on the consultation at Greenfield Station which she hoped could be brought to committee as soon as it was ready.

            Mr Fortune commented that communication and getting the information out into the public domain was key and that unfortunately this was something that wasn’t publicised enough.  Information on the services provided and how to use them was crucial to the success of the project and artist impressions were a good way of selling the vision.  He hoped it would not be too long before these would be ready.  He then referred to Greenfield Station and confirmed that he was aware that this scheme was  funded for the next stage of consideration and on their Work Programme for the next financial year to look at feasibility, building on what had been done so far and to take it though the investment programme procedures.  He hoped that this would move things forward.

RESOLVED:

That the committee thanked Alex Fortune from Transport for Wales for the presentation and noted the contents thereof.