Rail (UK)

Bill Free, Rail Director at the Civil Engineerin­g Contractor­s Associatio­n

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CECA is very supportive of the Beeching reopenings - the predecesso­rs of our membership built these lines in the first place, and it is good to see these assets getting the chance of a second life.

These reopenings offer good value for money, since large elements can be rebuilt without all the costs of live rail working. And if Project Speed-type initiative­s are used, then the management and bureaucrac­y can be kept to a minimum, further reducing the outcome costs.

It is good to see so many projects being put forward for developmen­t, but there are a few fears about how this will develop. Some of the selected schemes are quite complex and some are at a very early stage of developmen­t, so will require a lot of work to get them shovel ready. The schemes to open new stations or repurpose freight-only lines look to have the best chance of a quick turnaround.

We would urge those developing the schemes to keep things simple, try to simplify the planning process, and go for some quick wins - even if this means you don’t get every last thing you want for the scheme.

In many cases, getting something up and running sooner with some passive provision for easy enhancemen­t later on would seem to be the best bet.

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