What does it cost to run a train?
I use the train. I've done so all my 50 years ... from commuting to school in the London suburbs from the age of 7 right through to taking the train into Bristol a week or two back. I've been shocked at some fares that I feel are extortionate (open return, Chippenham to London , 90 pounds, springs to mind) and delighted at the good value of others (3 quid from Keynsham into Bristol recently). But I've taken the finances for granted - I've never though whether I'm paying less of more than the service costs to provide. Such figures are hard to come by.
What have I learnt? By heresay, by mental arithemetic and more, I can draw you up a balance sheet for running a single coach train on (and dedicated to) the Westbury to Chippenham-or-Swindon route.
Hire of train 100000 (one hundred thousand) pounds per year
Staffing 250000 (quarter of a million) pounds per year
Track access charges and fuel 100000 (one hundred thousand) pounds per year
Other costs - say 50000 (fifty thousand) pounds per year.
The top three figures were given to me as the major, encompassing expenses so I think that servicing, replacement vehicle when in for major service, etc are included. My final 50k is a bit of contingency.
Now - let's take a traffic level of 75000 passengers per annum (my current estimate is above this based on Melksham ticket sales and the proportion of people staying on / getting off the train) and you have an income, at 8 pounds per journey (current prices - 9.60 single, Westbury to Swindon; 6.80, single, Melksham to Swindon), of 600,000 pounds - or a profit of 20%.
But this is the cost for the train on Westbury - Chippenham or Swindon full time; that's allowing for another four round trips a day (to Swindon) or a total of about 15 journeys a day (hourly) Westbury to Chippneham both of whihc would give a higher income.
So why isn't this service being run for a profit?
1. It is - I don't think Wessex trains is subsidised except for 1 train a day at the moment.
2. They want to keep rolling stock requirements and main line occupation down under the new franchise
3. There's so much extra paperwork and admin that I haven't costed
4. As things stand, under the distribution of income for this line only 40% goes to the company running the service. The other 60% goes to the company running the London to Bristol service under a knock for knock agreement known as orcat
Point 4 is a "killer". The service takes 600000 pounds. It costs 500000 to run. But the company running it is only allowed to have 240000 pounds of the money it takes.
Please, dear knowledgable readers (I know there are a few of you there), send me feedback and corrections to this expose. It's probably not a suprise, but these figures aren't exactly published and easily to hand!
Written 2005-11-16 15:52:13
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