Strategic rail vision
“Evolution rather than revolution” as Transport Secretary’s rail vision seeks “responsible private investment”.
BRITAIN’S railway is embarking on the next stage of its revival, Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling says in his introduction to Connecting people: a strategic vision for rail, published on November 29.
He wrote: “If the first stages of Britain’s railway renaissance were reversing decades of decline, and securing the long-term funding to modernise the infrastructure, then the next stage - outlined in this document - will change the way the industry works. This will be a process of evolution rather than revolution, in order to avoid the danger of reorganisation becoming the sole focus of the sector, at the expense of the passenger and freight customer.
“But it is now time for real change, so that the industry works for its customers and funders, meets the challenge of growth that lies ahead, and delivers value for money for passengers and the public and attracts responsible private investment.”
Rail union RMT reacted by dismissing Grayling’s plans. General Secretary Mick Cash said: “Only public investment, free from the racketeering private train companies and their demand for ever increasing profits, will increase capacity and build new rail lines.
“Without that commitment to public ownership, control and investment, this will be just more broken promises on rail with the private operators laughing all the way to the bank and the British passenger continuing to pay the highest fares in Europe to travel on rammed-out, unreliable and unsafe services.”
Rail Delivery Group Chief Executive Paul Plummer commented: “For rail to secure prosperity for Britain in the years ahead, it must change and improve. This is why train and freight companies, Network Rail and the industry’s supply chain have publicly committed to strengthen the economy, improve services for customers, boost the communities we serve and create more jobs.”
Grayling said Government was spending up to £34.7 billion from 2019 to 2024 to overhaul the rail network in England and Wales, and was rolling out joint teams to run day-to-day track and train operations.
His document said the railway was too complicated, with Network Rail responsible for tracks and signals and train operators for trains and passengers. It said: “This industry complexity matters because it affects passengers and freight customers. On an under-used railway organisational divisions might be less of an issue. However, evidence suggests that more integrated management could present particular benefits for busy, densely used networks.
“When things go wrong, energy and time which could be spent on solving the problem can be lost in contractual debate and industry dispute processes. If we want to see one team working together to help passengers and recover the timetable, then we need to tackle the situation where Network Rail teams and the train operators are working separately, judged on separate objectives and with insufficient insight into the options facing the other party.”
The document said that joint working between NR and operators would be tailored to each area and would include joint operational teams, short-term task forces or longer-term contracts and agreements. It said the DfT would build on the experiences of Scotland in creating an alliance between ScotRail and NR, headed by Alex Hynes.
Grayling said that the DfT was expanding commuter networks with projects such as Crossrail, Thameslink and the Great North Rail Project. Further expansion would come from creating East West Rail to reopen OxfordCambridge (much of which closed in the late 1960s), and from building HS2.
He is now looking at further expansion on three fronts: more commuter capacity; new routes that provide strategic transport links or that unlock significant housing or economic development; and schemes that meet the biggest capacity challenges of the
coming decades.
Grayling laid down a challenge to partners to work with Government to develop compelling proposals for the next rail schemes. Plans already being examined include Bristol to Portishead and Henbury, Exeter-Okehampton, TavistockBere Alston, Ashington and Blyth.