Planned freeze to bus fares and tunnels tolls for local residents

T-FLOW Tunnel tolls and bus fares are to be frozen for Liverpool City Region residents, under proposals to be considered on:- Friday, 15 December 2023's Combined Authority meeting.

The price freeze is part of a bid by the Mayor to help keep travel affordable for local people during the cost of living crisis.

The plans recommend freezing the price of a car journey through the tunnel for City Region residents with a T-FLOW account at:- £1.40; a 70p saving on the cash toll.

This would mean local people travelling through the Mersey Tunnels would continue to pay the lowest prices. ½ of all Mersey Tunnels users are T-FLOW members who live in the City Region, meaning that tens of thousands of people saving up to a 3rd every day.

Any surplus generated by the Mersey Tunnels are reinvested back into supporting transport in the Region, such as supported bus services that private operators will not run because they do not make enough profit.

Also covered in the report are proposed fares for buses and the Mersey Ferries. Under the recommendations, the £2 bus fare introduced by the Mayor will remain and the MyTicket, which allows all-day unlimited bus travel under-19s, will also be frozen at £2.20.

Mersey Ferries commuter service fares are to be held at £2.90 for a single and £3.80 for a return journey.

The past year has seen major steps forward in delivering the Mayor's vision to build a London-style transport network that is faster, cheaper, cleaner and more reliable, providing residents with a genuine alternative to the car. This includes a £500m investment in brand new, publicly owned trains, a fleet of publicly owned hydrogen buses, taking back control of the Region's buses through franchising, a deal signed with the Department for Transport to explore the Region taking responsibility for rail infrastructure, and more than £70m invested in active travel.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:- "With the cost of living to continuing to put pressure on families across our Region, I want to make sure we're doing what we can to make travel as accessible, fair, and affordable for everyone. As well as keeping bus fares at £2 and bringing back the night bus, we're freezing tolls for City Region T-FLOW users too, to ensure that local people pay the lowest possible price to travel around our area. Thousands upon thousands of residents will benefit from these proposals and we'll keep working hard to keep prices as low as possible, while still working to provide a better public transport system. Slowly but surely, we are beginning to see big improvements in our transport network as we build the London-style system that our area deserves. We're taking back control of our buses, rolling out the country's 1st publicly-owned trains in a generation and working to bring it together under a simple tap and go system."

Like many households, public bodies are experiencing the same pressures of rising energy costs which are making our public buildings and critical infrastructure more and more expensive to maintain.

The Mersey Tunnels demand a huge amount of electricity to keep them running and require year round maintenance; yet the Mersey Tunnels receive no central Government support. Instead, it is left to the Combined Authority and Merseytravel to source the funds to keep the tunnels running safely and efficiently.

To help manage inflationary pressures and the high cost of energy, some changes to fees and charges are being proposed.

It is recommended that the Mersey Tunnels cash toll for car users, as well as T-FLOW charges for non-Liverpool City Region residents, rise by 10p to:- £2.10. This represents an increase of 5%, below inflation and far lower than the:- £2.70 maximum charge allowed under the Tunnels Act.

The proposals also include a modest increase in ticket prices for Mersey Ferries leisure sailings; including:- the popular River Explorer Cruise; which will rise from:- £12 to £12.75.

If agreed most of these changes will come into effect in April 2024.

For more information on travel services across the Liverpool City Region, please visit:- MerseyTravel.Gov.UK.

Dangerous attacks on Region's trains DOWN almost 90% as risk of being:- 'caught on camera' far greater

THE number of dangerous attacks on trains operated by Northern is down almost 90% in the last 12 months, with the number of recorded incidents at just:- 8.  In 2023 the number was 69.

The statistics relate to trains being struck by objects thrown from:- bridges, railway embankments and Stations or those which collide with:- 'substantial items' deliberately placed on the track.

Earlier this year, Northern added a further 600 new CCTV cameras to the more than 1,000 that monitor its Station estate. These were in addition to the 7,000 new cameras fitted on board its fleet of trains in 2022, footage from which can be viewed by British Transport Police in real time.

The 8 suspicious incidents recorded this year were:-

• A service from:- Manchester Piccadilly to Rose Hill Marple, that was struck by stones thrown at Hyde North Station.
   

• A service from:- Leeds to Skipton, that was targeted with a brick at Kirkstall Forge Station.
   

• A service from:- Clitheroe to Rochdale, that collided with a:- 'Zimmer' frame placed on the tracks at Hall 'i' th' Wood.
   

• A service from:- Warrington Central to Liverpool Lime Street, that hit a chair placed on the tracks at Widnes.
   

• A service outbound from:- Blackpool North, that collided with a drainpipe thrown onto the track.
   

• A service from:- York to Leeds, that struck an unknown object at Marston Moor.
   

• A service from:- Southport to Manchester Oxford Road, that struck an unknown object at Patricroft.
   

• And a service from:- Leeds to Bradford Forster Square, that was targeted with pellets fired from an air gun.

There were 5 additional reports of trains striking objects on the track, however these were attributed to strong winds during bad weather and are not being treated as suspicious.

Tricia Williams, Chief Operating Officer at Northern, said:- "Each and every incident recorded represents a serious danger to the passengers and train crew involved and we appeal to anyone involved in this criminal activity to stop. Fortunately, the appetite for committing these senseless acts is clearly in decline; not least of all because the chance of being:- 'caught on camera' is now far greater. That said, we certainly won't be resting on our laurels. These statistics should stand at zero and we will continue to work with community partners across the Region and our colleagues at Network Rail to identify the perpetrators and support British Transport Police with any prosecutions brought before the courts."

Anyone who witnesses items being thrown at trains or sees someone placing items on the track should contact British Transport Police immediately by texting:- 61016, or by calling:- 0800405040. Alternatively, please call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on:- 0800555111.

Rail users should also download the British Transport Police:- 'Railway Guardian' app, an all in one safety app that allows users to report crimes or concerns on the rail network, share journeys with trusted contacts and get access to news, guides and support. It is available to download from both:- Google Play and the Apple App Store.

On Sunday 10 December, rail timetables across the North of England will change in line with the rest of the National Rail network. Customers are encouraged to use the:- 'Check My Timetable' feature on the Northern website for more information about their local Station.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 Stations across the North of England.