TfW FOI Request - Cheltenham Service

Date issued: 06 September 2019

Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request of 12 July 2019. You requested the following information:

the statistics for the number of cancelled TFW services to and from Cheltenham Spa since TFW took over the franchise. I am particularly interested in the services which arrive at Cheltenham at 07:34 and leave Cheltenham at 16:45 and 17:45. If statistics are available, please compare these with the previous provider for the same services, Arriva Trains Wales.

I am writing to confirm that your request has been considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) and that Transport for Wales has completed its search for the information. We hold some of the information requested.

Attached to this letter is data on cancellations of trains to and from Cheltenham Spa, at the stated times, since TfW took over the running of the Wales and Borders rail franchise.

We cannot provide comparative data for the same services run by the previous Wales and Borders rail franchise service providers (Arriva Trains Wales). This data is held and owned by Arriva UK. Arriva UK can be contacted by any of the following:

Arriva plc

Admiral Way

Doxford International Business Park

Sunderland

SR3 3XP

UK

Tel: +44 (0)191 520 4000

E-mail: enquiries@arriva.co.uk

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact Transport for Wales.

Yours sincerely

Transport for Wales

s22 Information intended for future publication

(1) Information is exempt information if -

(a) the information is held by the public authority with a view to its publication, by the authority or any other person, at some future date (whether determined or not),

(b) the information was already held with a view to such publication at the time when the request for information was made, and

(c) it is reasonable in all the circumstances that the information should be withheld from disclosure until the date referred to in paragraph (a).

(2) The duty to confirm or deny does not arise if, or to the extent that, compliance with section 1(1)(a) would involve the disclosure of any information (whether or not already recorded) which falls within subsection (1).

Factors for disclosure

- the general public interest in disclosure for the scrutiny and transparency of Transport for Wales decisions related to public procurement.

- the Welsh Minister’s promotion of the ideal that information should be made public rather than not, and that Welsh public authorities should be more transparent.

- disclosure of the information could help to allow the individual concerned, or the public as a whole, to understand the decision-making process of public authorities.

Factors against disclosure

- for Transport for Wales to be able to carry out its role effectively, its contractors such as Transport for Wales Rail Services must feel that they can disclose commercial information to Transport for Wales without risk that this information will be disclosed prematurely to the public or competitors.

- it is important that the Transport for Wales can consult with its contractors about the information before it is published. If contractors do not have confidence that Transport for Wales will protect information which is deemed commercially sensitive, they would be likely to be reticent to provide information that they are not obliged to, under the terms of the Grant Agreement with Welsh Ministers as managed by Transport for Wales.

- publishing the financial information for the first time on ORR’s website will allow everyone to see it at the same time and provide a clear and consistent approach.

- TfW staff time would be better spent compiling and verifying the information in readiness for publication as opposed to dealing with piecemeal requests and avoid misinterpretation and confusion.

Decision

The financial information you have requested is being withheld at this time as it is intended for future publication. On balance the public interest in withholding this information until formal publication outweighs that for disclosure now.