Association of Train Operating Companies
Encyclopedia
Rail transport in Great Britain
The railway system in Great Britain is the oldest in the world, with the world's first locomotive-hauled public railway opening in 1825. As of 2010, it consists of of standard gauge lines , of which are electrified. These lines range from single to double, triple, quadruple track and up to twelve...
. It owns the National Rail
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
brand. The Association is an unincorporated association owned by its members. It was set up by the train operators formed during privatisation of the railways under the Railways Act 1993.
Services provided by ATOC include National Rail Enquiries, sponsorship of the PlusBus
PLUSBUS
PLUSBUS is an add-on ticket, which can be purchased with rail tickets in Great Britain. It allows unlimited travel on participating bus operators' services in the whole urban area of rail-served towns and cities.-History:...
Schemes, the management of rail discount cards and the licensing of railway travel agents
Travel agency
A travel agency is a retail business that sells travel related products and services to customers on behalf of suppliers such as airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways, sightseeing tours and package holidays that combine several products...
. It also produces the definitive National Routeing Guide
National Routeing Guide
The National Routeing Guide is a document, the definitive resource on the validity of rail tickets for the purpose of rail travel in England, Wales, and Scotland . As stated by the Rail Regulator, "[it] sets out passengers' rights to use the network flexibly"...
, available on their website, defining the validity of tickets, and has some input in the content of the National Fares Manual. This is, however, distributed by the more neutral National Rail
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
website.
Main operations
- Revenue allocation and settlement through ORCATSORCATSORCATS , is a large centralised legacy computer system used in the UK. It is used for real time reservation and revenue sharing on interavailable tickets between Train Operating Companies . The system is used to divide ticket revenue when a ticket or journey involves trains operated by multiple TOCs...
systems - National RailNational RailNational Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
Enquiries - Railcard marketing
- Staff travel arrangements
- International products
- The Relationship with Transport for LondonTransport for LondonTransport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
- Travel agent licensing
In December 2009 ATOC outsourced call centre operations for National Rail Enquiries to India with the loss of 200 jobs in the UK. The House of Commons Transport Select Committee had considered the move in 2004.
Senior personnel
- Tom Smith, Chairman replacing Mike Alexander 2008-2009
- Michael Roberts, Chief Executive since 2008 replacing George Muir, Director General 1999 - 2008
- Edward Welsh, Director of Corporate Affairs
- Alec McTavish, Policy & Operations Director
- Chris Scoggins, Chief Executive, National Rail Enquiries
- Steve Howes, Managing Director of RSPRail Settlement PlanRail Settlement Plan is a division of the Association of Train Operating Companies in the United Kingdom. It provides a wide range of common services to the UK's franchised passenger rail operators and third party providers of information and retail services.The company was established on the...
since September 2008 replacing Antony Lain as CEO - David Mapp, Commercial Director
- Chris Wade, Finance Director
Connecting Communities: Expanding Access to the Rail Network
On 15 June 2009 ATOC published the report Connecting Communities: Expanding Access to the Rail NetworkConnecting Communities: Expanding Access to the Rail Network
Connecting Communities: Expanding Access to the Rail Network is a 2009 report by the Association of Train Operating Companies identifying potential expansion of the National Rail passenger railway network in England, primarily through the construction or re-opening of railway lines for passenger...
, an analysis for short term localised development of the passenger services network, detailing schemes taking from between 2 years 9 months to 6 years to complete, that it believed would be commercially viable (i.e. with a benefit-cost ratio
Benefit-cost ratio
A benefit-cost ratio is an indicator, used in the formal discipline of cost-benefit analysis, that attempts to summarize the overall value for money of a project or proposal. A BCR is the ratio of the benefits of a project or proposal, expressed in monetary terms, relative to its costs, also...
(BCR) of over 1.0). These would complement the already existing long term national projects. The report detailed up to 40 communities with a population of over 15,000 where passenger stations could be built or re-opened, including 14 schemes involving using new or re-opened lines, and seven new Parkway stations on existing passenger lines.