First Capital Connect’s performance comes under scrutiny

- an update from St Albans District Council on 15 Feb 2012.

Senior management from First Capital Connect and Network Rail have been questioned about the performance of the Thameslink service by St Albans City and District Council’s Overview and Scrutiny (Public Services) Committee at its last meeting. This was a follow-up meeting from an earlier one in June last year to monitor the progress of the rail companies implementation of their action plans to improve rail services. The Committee was particularly concerned about clear communications with the public when there are rail delays and the compensation policy as well as other issues that they raised at the previous meeting. 

At this latest meeting, the Committee heard a presentation from Neal Lawson, Managing Director, and Larry Heyman, Integration and Partnership manager, at First Capital Connect and Martin Frobisher, Route Managing Director, East Midlands from Network Rail, outlining a number of improvements the companies have made since last June. These include improvements to customer information; a change in approach to managing disruption, and upgrades to the electrification plant, track and signalling. At St Albans and Harpenden stations more ticket vending machines and new information screens have also been installed, platform lengths extended ahead of the 12-car trains that were introduced in December 2011 and there are also plans to introduce free cash point machines by the end of March. Planned future changes include an extra 20 parking spaces at Harpenden station, mobile phone texts to update customers on the service and a new style of customer service training for all staff.

However, while the Committee noted the progress that had been made, including improvements to First Capital Connect’s communications with passengers during times of disruption, members expressed concerns about other issues such as parking charges and the clarity of the compensation policy for commuters when delays occur. The Committee agreed to ask First Capital Connect to reconsider the parking charges at St Albans City and Harpenden Stations and to consider the terms of its compensation policy for passengers affected by severe disruption lasting over 60 minutes.

First Capital Connect and Network Rail will be invited to return to give a further update to the Committee in September. Written questions and comments received recently by the Council from the public about the service have been collated, with all the personal details removed, and passed to First Capital Connect for consideration. In due course, responses to these will be included with the Minutes of the meeting on the Council’s website having now been received from First Capital Connect.  

A webcast of the meeting on Thursday, 26 January can be viewed on the Council’s website at: http://www.stalbans.ukcouncil.net/site/ . People with access to an appropriate computer with broadband internet access and Microsoft Windows media player will be able to view the meeting.

New parking measures to attract shoppers to St Albans

Press release from St Albans Council on 6 February 2012

St Albans City and District Council is planning a number of new parking measures, including freezing most parking charges, as part of a move to help attract more shoppers and tourists to St Albans. The plans were discussed at a meeting with managers of Christopher Place and The Maltings shopping centres and then unveiled to retailers at the Retail Forum on 31 January.


They include:

• a review of parking to the south of the city centre including Holywell Hill, Belmot Hill and London Road (south of Alma Road) to identify ways of supporting retailers. This could include the introduction of new free one-hour on-street parking spaces. 
• the freezing of on-street parking charges across the District.*
• the freezing of parking charges at council-owned car parks across the District*, apart from the rate for 3-5 hours which will increase by 20p to £3.40. (The increase is a contractual obligation set out in the Council’s contract with NCP).
• a review of coach parking facilities with the aim of providing additional spaces to help attract more tourists to the City.
• exploring pay by phone technology at council-owned car parks to make it easier for people to extend their stay without the need to return to their vehicle.
• the promotion of free on-street parking on Sundays and at council-owned city centre car parks**, as well as parking for a £1 at Christopher Place and The Maltings.

These new initiatives are in addition to the Council’s introduction of 20 new free one-hour on-street parking spaces at the north end of St Peter’s Street at the end of last year.***


Notes:
* For the year from 2 April 2012.
**Parking is free on Sundays in St Albans city centre at the following council-owned car parks: 


London Road 
Keyfield Terrace 
Civic Centre 
Bricket Road North 
Adeleide Street 
Townsend Avenue 

***The new 20 free one-hour on-street parking spaces to the north of St Peter’s Street are located at Etna Road and Upper Marlborough Place and opposite St Peter’s Church.

Join in the flippin’ fun at St Albans Pancake Races

Get your frying pans ready for not just one, but two pancake races that will be held in St Peter’s Street, St Albans on Shrove Tuesday. A traditional running race and the Flippin' Walkers race, sponsored by McDougalls and organised by St Albans City and District Council, will take place outside the Town Hall on 21 February, from 12 noon.


The St Albans Pancake Race is a running race where each team member has to run very fast, stop suddenly, flip a pancake and set off again at a sprint. The St Albans Flippin’ Walkers’ Race is a walking race where you must toss a pancake continuously. It is all about good hand, eye and foot co-ordination. Teams of four can chose to enter either race. Fancy dress or corporate branding is welcome, so get some publicity for your organisation, or just come along with friends for some fun. 


If you want to take part in one of the two pancake races, simply register your team and team name with us by 4.30pm on Monday, 20 February. To enter, simply complete and return an entry form to us. These are available from the Tourist and Information Centre, Market Place, St Albans or on the Council’s website at: www.stalbans.gov.uk/tourism. For further information please contact the Tourist and Information Centre by telephone on 01727 864511 or by email at tic@stalbans.gov.uk