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20 October 2023 Secretary of State for Transport, Rt Hon Mark Harper MP House of Commons London SW1A 0AA Re: Open Letter to the Transport Secretary Dear Secretary of State I am writing to ask for urgent clarity on which rail enhancement schemes will proceed in the immediate future, and to ask you to recommit, on behalf of Government, to providing certainty over the future pipeline of projects. It is now the fourth anniversary of the Government’s last update to the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP), and the Government has repeatedly committed to publish an update every year. This was an approach the industry welcomed, but no update has been forthcoming. Without a clear plan for rail enhancements, there is real uncertainty for the sector. Since the RNEP we have seen the Integrated Rail Plan, and most recently the Network North proposals, however the status of the specific proposals – timing, funding and levels of certainty – is unclear, and indeed the Prime Minister has described the Network North plans as ‘illustrative’. The National Infrastructure Commission’s view is that “it is not yet clear what the exact scope and delivery schedule is for the proposed new rail schemes”. Government needs to take urgent action this autumn to stabilise the rail supply chain, or there is a genuine risk that suppliers will downsize and/or shift work overseas in the months ahead. A number of companies have recently told us that they are unable to develop business plans because of the uncertainty over which schemes will be proceeding. Failing to give businesses clear and consistent commitments can only increase the industry costs and deliverability risks, which is ultimately bad for the taxpayer and rail customers, both passengers and freight. A number of schemes identified in Network Rail’s recent enhancements ‘re-baselining’ exercise could be brought forward quickly to ensure there is a steady pipeline of work. We would like to see urgent decisions from Government to confirm which schemes will be brought forward within the next 12-24 months. Beyond the immediate term, the National Infrastructure Commission has this week made the case that there needs to be a comprehensive long-term rail plan, including a pipeline of strategic improvements over the next 30 years. Notwithstanding the changes to travel demand patterns as a result of the pandemic, they conclude “the largest cities are likely to require more capacity on their public transport networks to support economic growth over the next 20 to 30 years.” Furthermore, DfT passenger statistics show that in the last six-month period between April and September 2023, passenger numbers including the Elizabeth line and excluding strike-related days averaged 98% of pre pandemic levels, clearly pointing to potential rail capacity problems in the future. So, as you will appreciate, UK based businesses now need both clarity about the immediate future, and confidence in a long-term plan for the future success of the sector. Yours sincerely
Darren Caplan Chief Executive, Railway Industry Association
Letter Cc-d to: Rail & HS2 Minister Huw Merriman MP
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