Posted 6th September 2022 | 1 Comment

Industry association urges six point plan for railways

 

The Railway Industry Association is urging Liz Truss to adopt six 'key priorities' for the railways.

Ms Truss was elected Conservative leader yesterday and is at Balmoral Castle today, where the Queen is asking her to form a government. She will then become Prime Minister.

RIA says its six priorities, if adopted, would boost economic growth and levelling up, also creating jobs and helping to move Britain towards Net Zero.

The priorities are to keep the momentum of new work going, to be committed to new projects, ensuring that the transfer of control to Great British Railways is completed, continuing to reduce rail's carbon emissions, supporting the conversion of signalling to digital operation and investing in research and development.

RIA chief executive Darren Caplan said: 'We congratulate Prime Minister Liz Truss on taking office. As she looks at industrial sectors which can help with the UK’s future success and prosperity, the railway industry is ready and willing to play its part in delivering her plans to generate economic growth, to level up and to help the Government deliver its Net Zero targets.

'Rail is key to the UK’s future, not only connecting towns, cities and communities across the country but also in creating and supporting economic growth, hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of pounds in tax revenue. For every £1 spent on rail, £2.50 is generated in the wider economy.'

Reader Comments:

Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.

  • david c smith, Bletchley

    In the immediately previous Franchising age, subsidy and premium were fixed by an initial, inlexible contract that could not adapt to changing circumstances.

    In future,Government could jettison its attempts at micro management of TOCs, and use incentivisation instead, with subsidies on offer tied to "hidden" costs and benefits that otherwise would be disregarded in the marketplace. Similarly, charges to be made as incentives ( to minimise environmental degradation, for example).

    Let the TOCs run themselves, within a framework as described above.; let the DfT concenrate on designing and running this incentivising framework .