RIA urges government clarity on railways

Demands include clarity around the transition to Great British Railways, the body due to replace Network Rail at some point in 2023. According to the RIA, the current ambiguity around timings and details risks causing a hiatus in rail work. 

Another issue the RIA wants to see addressed is the publication of the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP), a nominally annual update on planned works that hasn’t been made public in almost three years. The body is also calling for additional clarity around major projects such as HS2, East West Rail and Northern Powerhouse Rail, as well as confirmation of long-term structural funding under Control Period 7 (CP7) that will enable industry to invest with confidence.

“UK rail is well positioned to support the government in its mission to boost economic growth, with the industry contributing £43bn of GVA, supporting 710,000 jobs, providing £14bn in tax revenues to the Treasury, and generating £2.50 in the wider economy for every pound spent on the railway sector,” said RIA chief executive Darren Caplan. “But rail’s potential to deliver economic growth will be hampered by uncertainty and ambiguity if we do not get confirmation of the government’s plans.