TfW FOI Request - TfW Branding

Date issued: 29 May 2019

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information request on Transport for Wales branding.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you requested. You asked for:

1. information about the total cost of the recent all rebranding to TfW branding of trains, stations etc. and a copy of the relevant business cases associated which this, with specific reference to how such spending has generated value.

2. the reasons why some stations in England, such as Chester, Heswall and Helsby are being rebranded with TfW rebranding and with signage that uses Welsh as the primary language in relation to the TfL brand.

Regarding request 1 on the cost of rebranding, since 14 October 2018 when Transport for Wales Rail Services took over the Wales and Borders franchise from Arriva Trains Wales, Transport for Wales Rail Services has spent £66,500 on stations rebranding.

Transport for Wales Rail Services are unable to provide accurate detail of the rebranding cost of trains without significant staff input and subsequently significant cost to the business. This is because of the difficultly in defining the scope of the ‘rebranding’ as it could include the wrapping of trains, internal refit, adhesion of stickers and the internal bodyside of units.

Given the breadth of the scope of works, providing accurate information would be very difficult and time consuming. Even if we could tightly define the scope it is likely that it would still be very difficult to split out the costs due to rebrand costs being only part of the total rental costs or larger train refresh payments made to Rolling Stock Operating Companies (ROSCOs). It would take a significant amount of staff time to manually review agreements and invoices to determine this cost to any degree of accuracy.

Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act (2000) allows a public authority to refuse a request where it estimates that the cost of dealing with the request would exceed £600. Regulation 4(3) of the Fees Regulations states that a public authority can only consider the costs it reasonably expects to incur in carrying out the following permitted activities in complying with the request:

• determining whether the information is held;

• locating the information, or a document containing it;

• retrieving the information, or a document containing it; and

• extracting the information from a document containing it.

Transport for Wales Rail Services has calculated that the cost of processing your request would exceed the limit of £600.

You also requested relevant business cases associated with this [branding]. Transport for Wales has determined that these business cases are commercially sensitive as they contain supplier information, pricing, and internal considerations around risk and reward. Your request for business cases is therefore refused as this the information requested is exempt from release under Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act. Transport for Wales Rail Services has determined that the release of this information would likely prejudice the commercial interests of both Transport for Wales Rail Services and other parties named in the business cases.

Regarding request 2, Chester station, along with Heswall and Helsby stations and several other stations in England, form part of the Wales and Borders rail franchise. In May 2018, following procurement undertaken by Transport for Wales on behalf of the Welsh Government, the contract for running the Wales and Borders franchise was awarded to KeolisAmey Wales Cymru Ltd, taking over from the previous franchise operator, Arriva Trains Wales. KeolisAmey operate under the Transport for Wales brand.

The current Wales and Borders franchise operates many train services across the border between England and Wales and a small number of services wholly within England (e.g. a local service between Crewe and Chester). This has been the case since the creation of the franchise in 2003 operated then by Arriva Trains Wales and recognises the railway geography of Wales whereby the only railway between north and south Wales operates through England.

Transport for Wales is the Station Facility Owner (SFO) at several stations in England. Most of these are solely served by the Wales and Borders franchise. Transport for Wales is also the SFO for the larger stations at Hereford, Shrewsbury and Chester, reflecting their role as key hubs for Wales and Borders services and the fact that they are by far the largest operator at these stations. Therefore, as the SFO, the Transport for Wales brand is used at Chester, Heswall and Helsby stations. The Transport for Wales brand and logo is based on the name of the authority and operator of the stations and services.

Our commitment to the Department for Transport is that the language used at English stations for signage, and posters is English only and this is further defined in the agency agreement between the Welsh and UK Governments. Agency Agreement 3 (Schedule 3, para 7) which contains the following:

“Welsh Ministers shall ensure that the Brand Guidelines developed with and issued to the Franchisee on trains, stations and for marketing material and publicity (excluding that for Wales-only services), shall recognise and demonstrate the cross-border nature of the Franchise and continue to comply with any licensing requirements regarding the use of trademarks licensed by the Secretary of State to Welsh Ministers.”

As a result of this commitment, Transport for Wales has incorporated a ‘Wales and Borders’ element to the brand. ‘Transport for Wales - Wales and Borders’ identifiers will feature on:

• Train livery

• Train interiors, where the full logo (i.e. ‘T’ device & accompanying text) are intended to be applied

• Saloon consumables i.e. price lists, menus, relevant disposable soft furnishings, service specific leaflets/posters, etc.

• Timetable posters displayed at stations for relevant service specific dedicated routes/trains/charters e.g. the relevant dedicated ‘line of route’ timetable posters for Chester to Manchester, Crewe/Wrexham to Liverpool, Cardiff to Manchester, Birmingham Aberystwyth, etc, etc.

• All printed marketing promotional materials exclusive to relevant service specific dedicated routes/trains/charters.

• All third party paid-for media marketing promotional materials exclusive to relevant service specific dedicated routes/trains/charters.

• All email marketing messages issued promoting relevant exclusive service specific dedicated routes/trains/charters.

• All marketing materials promoting products/offers that are exclusive to service specific dedicated routes/trains/charters.

• Website content pages exclusive to service specific dedicated routes/trains/charters.

• PR exclusive to service specific dedicated routes/trains/charters.

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

Yours sincerely

Transport for Wales