HS2 is a divisive topic in the UK and is certainly experiencing some teething problems, says Dave Richardson, but we still have a need for speed
NOW THAT THE PROPOSED routes of the High Speed 2 (HS2) extension to Manchester and Leeds have been published – with journey-time savings for other cities throughout the Midlands and North – it’s a good time to reflect on what already happens in other countries, both in Europe and worldwide, and what might happen here.
We will have to wait until 2026 until the core HS2 route from London to Birmingham is open, and another six years until it reaches Manchester, Leeds and intermediate stations at East Midlands (for Derby/Nottingham) and Sheffield. But if the success of HS1 is repeated, it will be worth waiting for.
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High-speed rail is generally considered to be at a cruising speed of 300kmh (187mph), the norm for the many new lines that have been built in France, Germany, Spain and Italy. Our only existing high-speed routes, HS1, links London to the Channel Tunnel and connects us to the ever-expanding European network, with Eurostar now dominating business and leisure traffic between London and Paris/Brussels.
Rail is now the default option for many business journeys in Europe, as explained by Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT). Vincent Lebunetel is senior director of the firm’s consultancy service, CWT Solutions Group. He says: “Looking at CWT figures in the UK, compared with France and Germany, we haven’t seen a noticeable shift from air to rail. France and Germany are traditionally seen as the high-speed rail countries in Europe, and we do see some policies in these countries that mandate the use of rail for specific routes. These policies are either clearly spelling out the top routes, such as Paris-Lyon or Frankfurt-Stuttgart, or give a maximum rail travel time saying all destinations which can be reached within three hours have to be by train.
“CWT Solutions Group sees rail as a potential triple bottom-line gain: increased productivity on journeys, cost-savings, and a reduction in CO2 emissions. Research shows that high-speed rail is preferred to air for trips up to three hours in 16 European countries, and 55 per cent of travel managers surveyed by CWT said their companies promote the use of high-speed rail as an alternative to air.”
PROMISES AND PROBLEMS
Despite this promising scenario, there are problems booking high-speed rail which will take years to resolve. Also, UK travellers will have to overcome a mindset that journeys of up to three or four hours are the maximum comfortably done by rail (relevant once Europe-wide connections are available), while delays to opening new business routes from London are also a major disappointment.
Deutsche Bahn (DB) – the German national operator – had hoped to start direct services from London to Cologne and Frankfurt, and also from London to Rotterdam and Amsterdam, by the end of this year. But this will not now happen for at least another three to four years, due to problems commissioning the highly complex trains by the manufacturer, Siemens. Despite this, DB was voted Best Rail Operator in the Business Travel Awards this year, beating off the other finalists Eurostar and Heathrow Express. Its Eco Plus offer, which enables carbon-free business travel in Germany for registered companies, was decisive in the win, sitting alongside a suite of business travel products, including discounts for corporates spending at least €3,000 a year.
DB sales director Oliver Schmidt says: “We are very pleased with the award, as it is hard for an operator that doesn’t yet have a UK service to win. The issue of our direct trains from London is a real shambles, as in 2009 we ordered 16 new trains to serve these routes. Siemens said it could deliver in December 2011, giving us two years to gain the necessary approvals, but the first trains arrived faulty. But we are still determined to operate London services, as there is a strong business case. The existing service connecting with Eurostar in Brussels is good, but in the meantime my task is to keep the UK market warm – or lukewarm.”
A journey time of four hours to Cologne and five hours to Frankfurt is promised – with the current fastest journey time to Cologne of about four-and-a-half hours already attracting a few business travellers. But whether direct services to Cologne, Frankfurt, Rotterdam and Amsterdam will ever challenge the airlines is open to question.
MENTAL BARRIER
Raj Sachdave, head of rail for Capita Business Travel – the biggest TMC selling rail in Britain, says: “There is still a mental barrier in the UK that four hours is the maximum business travellers are prepared to spend on a train. That is different in
Europe because of the culture and the extensive high-speed network, but the UK traveller has yet to experience what high-speed rail can offer in productivity, connectivity and ease of ticketing. In Europe, the mental barrier is more like six hours. Awareness will change when more direct trains are running.”
Ticketing is another problem faced by TMCs and buyers, as rail is only just starting to be integrated with air, hotel and other bookings on GDSs. The European Commission (EC) is leading a project throughout the European Union to get rail operators to supply fares, timetables and other data in a common format, which would allow GDSs and others to connect to a common-user system, as with airlines.
Progress is slow, although HRG director of industry and fare distribution, Tony Berry, hopes for progress within two years. “The key is allowing corporate travellers an informed choice, and in future a traveller should be able to compare door-to-door journeys using rail or air,” he says. “It’s all about considering the rail option, but today the vast majority will opt for air if the rail journey takes over four hours. But even though fares can be 25 per cent lower by rail, many European travellers judge a four- to five-hour train journey as too long.”
Amadeus has made major strides integrating rail, and head of Amadeus Rail, Thomas Drexler, says Trenitalia, the Italian operator, is the first to be displayed alongside airlines. French operator SNCF is also being integrated, with the German and Swedish national operators to follow this year. “Development of our Total Rail system is not dependent on what the EC is doing, but we are very much in favour of implementing common standards on fares and timetables,” Drexler says.
Eurostar also has plans for more direct routes from London, and it already operates some routes deeper into France for the leisure market, with a new direct service to Lyon and Aix en Provence being trialled in May and June this year. New trains, due to be delivered by 2015, could operate further afield, but equally they might be used to increase frequency to Paris and Brussels.
Of more immediate interest to UK corporates is refurbishment of the existing fleet, now nearly 20 years old. This includes wifi – a significant omission at present – and new interiors by Italian design firm Pininfarina. The refurbishment programme is due for completion by 2015 and, with the new trains, represents an investment of £700 million. Eurostar head of sales Darren Williams says: “Connections from Lille, Brussels and Paris remain a key element of our strategy for this year. Our research shows that there are 20 million people taking short-haul flights between the UK and locations in Europe that are easily accessible by rail. We believe this presents a significant business opportunity.”
SLASHING JOURNEY TIMES
Britain has less high-speed track than any other major western European country – a mere 70-odd miles from London to the Channel Tunnel. But by 2026 HS2 should have reached Birmingham (140 miles), and by 2032 a Y-shaped extension to Manchester and Leeds should add a further 211 miles.
Journey times will be slashed not just to these cities, as high-speed trains will continue over existing tracks to many other centres. London-Birmingham will come down to 41 minutes from one hour eight minutes; Leeds to one hour 22 minutes from two hours 12 minutes; and Manchester to one hour eight minutes from two hours eight minutes. HS2 stations will also be provided at Birmingham and Manchester airports to dramatically widen their catchment areas, but Heathrow will only be served via a Crossrail connection in west London (from 2026), pending the Airports Commission report on capacity.
Cities off the HS2 route to benefit will include Newcastle (down to two hours 18 minutes from two hours 52 minutes), and Liverpool (one hour 36 minutes from two hours eight minutes), while inter-regional traffic will also benefit with a 20-minute journey time between East Midlands and Birmingham. Edinburgh and Glasgow will be brought within about three-and-a-half hours of London, although the Scottish Parliament hopes to raise the money to build a high-speed line heading south to meet HS2.
This may all seem like the promise of jam tomorrow, and even this timescale could slip due to legal challenges or construction difficulties. The reality is we have to make do with what we’ve got for the foreseeable future, though what we have on inter-city routes (up to 125 mph) is better than many businesses realise. But what are the opportunities for modal shift from airlines?
Virgin Trains (now operating the contentious West Coast Mainline franchise until November 2014) has eclipsed airlines on the Manchester-London route, while East Coast is dominant from Leeds, where there is now no air service to London. East Coast has 60 per cent of the Newcastle-London market and 24 per cent of Edinburgh-London, despite a journey time of four to four-and-a-half hours – up two percentage points in a year.
CWT’s Total Impact Report compares air and rail travel, taking into account not only fares and journey times, but also productivity on the move and the cost of carbon offsetting. On Glasgow-London, rail accounts for an 8 per cent market share for one business client, but the average ticket price is £45 lower, and the city centre-to-city centre journey only one hour longer. CO2 emissions are 83.2kg less by rail, and the company could save £76,762 a year on fares.
JOURNEY REPORT
SPAIN
THE 230-MILE JOURNEY from Burgos in northern Spain to Madrid passes pleasantly enough in just under two-and-a-half hours – covering a similar distance to London-Exeter, and taking about the same time, writes Dave Richardson.
First class is very comfortable and I was able to work, but with no wifi or power points. There’s a complimentary at-seat service of newspapers, drinks and snacks, but it’s nothing exceptional. Within a few years, however, this will be a high-speed route with a dramatically reduced journey time. Spain already has the most extensive high-speed network in Europe and is building more, with the cross-border route f
rom France opening shortly to make Paris-Barcelona possible in six-and-a-half hours.
I take a taxi across Madrid to try out Spain’s high-speed AVE service for myself. The futuristic new trains operate to Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and Malaga, and have wiped out most of the air competition on these routes.
My non-stop journey to Valencia (about 250 miles) takes less than one hour 35 minutes – about the distance from London to Durham, which takes around two hours 45 minutes. We hit top speed within six minutes – there’s a display monitor – and have left the sprawling capital behind a few minutes later. Even in standard class the 2x2 seating is much roomier than British trains or on an aircraft, with plenty of room to work.
I reach Valencia refreshed and ready for my meeting, thinking: roll on HS2. Within a few years Burgos will have a high-speed service – but Exeter never will.
Tickets booked by Rail Europe cost from £25 (standard class) and £36.50 (first class) for Burgos-Madrid; and £58 (standard class) and £69.50 (first class) for Madrid-Valencia.
Tel: 0844 848 4070
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